NSA vs Non-US Citizens

[Kuderian]

Giving that this forum is full of 'suspicious' keywords should non-US citizens be worried about NSA et al, snooping without any judicial oversight and no ,as yet,sovereign legal privacy protection?

Sorry if this is 'political' but given the recent blanket spying revelations, I think it is important for esp. non-US battlefront consumers to be aware of this issue.

[Vanir Ausf B]

Everything you post in this forum is public. I'm not sure why you would be worried about the NSA reading your posts when everyone else in the world with internet access already can anyways. In fact, I've been reading you posts for years without any judicial oversight whatsoever. Now try to sleep at night

[Seedorf81]

Kuderian,

I see your sig-line is very appropriate.

Yes, we are probably being noticed by "Big Brother" when we're using too much terms like bombs, guns, ambush and attack (C3K!! ).

Not to mention the attention we draw during the threads on which Syria and Hezbollah, Iran and Israel, North Korea and Russia, and pretty much all the military, social and political aspects of the worlds conflicts, are being discussed.

But isn't it the modern day reality that anything we put on the Internet is as open and public as can be? Why would we fear the NSA and other sneaky b#stards for what we post on the Internet more than, for instance, ordinary people in our hometowns?

When I look at the comments on sometimes innocent YouTube-postings, I am stunned by the pure hate, racism and bigotry that explodes when the people who watch them do not like what they see. The ferocity of some of those reactions makes me fear that the absence of an home-address is the only reason that there is no lynching party being organized.

I do not like the fact that anybody can do what they want with the information I put on the internet, (I really, really, really dislike those f#ck%ing advertisements that Google and Youtube, and the like, put in front of me every day), but it is a given thing.

Maybe I'm naïve (Ehm, no not maybe, I AM naïve), but I don't believe the "sneaky bastards brigade" is coming for me, just because I post things they wouldn't like. How creepy those intelligence organizations may be, I believe that the democratic basis on which they're founded, is strong enough to minimize Gestapo-like or KGB-like behavior. (Minimize, not exclude.)

[Vanir Ausf B]

The fact that they haven't waterboarded Kettler yet is suggestive of how much the rest of us should be worried.

[Seedorf81]

The fact that they haven't waterboarded Kettler yet is suggestive of how much the rest of us should be worried.

..........

[Kuderian]

Sorry- To clarify what I mean't.

All non-US citizens who use this public forum, if flagged as 'suspicious' in these US based forums by US spy agencies , are potentially subject to blanket warrentless spying on their private personal info without US or sovereign judicial oversight.

e.g. Myself - my emails, my bank account details, my social media interactions, pictures of my cat etc..

[Vark]

Unless you are the IRS, then Stasi-like behaviour is completely acceptable! As for the internet, that racism and hatred was always there, it's just on display now, for all to see. Before then, you'd have to go to a play, movie or wait till the alcohol, at a social event began to have an effect, to experience humanity with little moral restraint.

[agusto]

e.g. Myself - my emails, my bank account details, my social media interactions, pictures of my cat etc..

I am pretty sure that most intelligence agencies in the world could get that information if they would want to without too many troubles.

Many people believe that the Internet is some kind of wild west, without laws and stuff. But in fact it is not. The Internet a public area and what many countries are doing now (collecting data of internet users) is just the same principle as it is when a video camera in a public subway station is filiming you.

IMO it is not necessarily bad if governments do collect such data, the more important question how they use that data.

[Seedorf81]

Sorry- To clarify what I mean't.

All non-US citizens who use this public forum, if flagged as 'suspicious' in these US based forums by US spy agencies , are potentially subject to blanket warrentless spying on their private personal info without US or sovereign judicial oversight.

e.g. Myself - my emails, my bank account details, my social media interactions, pictures of my cat etc..

I think the problem lies within "(..) if flagged as 'suspicious' in..". Why would you and me be suspicious? If the "sneaky bastards brigade" puts us on the suspicious-list because of some thread postings, the whole bloody world-population could be flagged as suspicious.

And if that's true, which could be closer to the truth than I want to know, then what the f#ck anyway?

[Kuderian]

Everything you post in this forum is public. I'm not sure why you would be worried about the NSA reading your posts when everyone else in the world with internet access already can anyways. In fact, I've been reading you posts for years without any judicial oversight whatsoever. Now try to sleep at night

@Vanir - 'Location: In the middle of a desert...' - nuff said, your cover is blown! You are a CIA/KGB/Mossad spook no doubt, feeding us misinformation....

[Vanir Ausf B]

All non-US citizens are suspicious by definition. I would suggest removing pictures of your cat from the internet immediately.

[agusto]

In Germany owning a cat like this one could get you up to 15 years in jail:

[Seedorf81]

All non-US citizens are suspicious by definition. I would suggest removing pictures of your cat from the internet immediately.

O boy, I don't even have a cat. Guantanamo looming?:eek:

[Kuderian]

In Germany owning a cat like this one could get you up to 15 years in jail:

I can see from the photo that your cat is a card carrying pinko with National Socialist sympathies!

Cc: NSAcatsurveillancedepartment@bigbrother.obama

[kipanderson]

Hi,

As I understand it the “five eyes...” UK, US, Canada, New Zealand and Australia listen to the rest of the world, and have done for years anyway. Sharing the info between them.

The true inner circle in the spook world has been ever since WWII, without a break, the western allies from WWII and remains so today.

I do not understand what the “news...” element of the recent revelations is. The fact that different technology is now used is neither here nor there .

The French and Germans have complained about it for years. I mean years and years.

Nothing new.

All good fun,

All the best,

Kip.

[Vanir Ausf B]

Yep. Before PRISM there was ECHELON.

[Joshua22]

"...I do not understand what the “news...” element of the recent revelations is. The fact that different technology is now used is neither here nor there ..."

My thoughts too, matter of fact I would be very surprised to hear they did the opposite, not eavesdropping at all. Ofcourse they're listening and reading. Countries have done this throughout the ages, only technologies change.

Question is, how much can and will be "automated"? There's no way all emails, forums and you name it can be monitored, so it has to be done via programs. So how "autonomous" are these programs. We see the same discussion in UAV's... there are still humans involved... but for how long, how long will it be for a complete autonomous fighting vehicle to enter the battlegrounds? Will friendly forces trust them? Humans have a deep fear for that I think, heck we don't even want a train without some personnel onboard... or do we?

I think the secret services do what they have to do, and at the same time politicians have to keep them in check... now that's a thin line. (yes we want you to be secret ... but uhm not too secret see? ) :-)

[MikeyD]

Last year I was researching demolition charges on the internet in order to do a texture for CMFI. I expect my next plane flight to be subject to a body cavity search.

[Sequoia]

Sorry- To clarify what I mean't.

All non-US citizens who use this public forum, if flagged as 'suspicious' in these US based forums by US spy agencies , are potentially subject to blanket warrentless spying on their private personal info without US or sovereign judicial oversight.

e.g. Myself - my emails, my bank account details, my social media interactions, pictures of my cat etc..

Just for clarify I don't believe that's even true is it?

[Alan8325]

Technology is rapidly improving on the pro-privacy side too. It's a new arms race. The website below shows a list of new programs that are either open-source or encrypted alternatives to more commonly used ones. Some of them, like the Linux operating system, have actually been around for a while but are rapidly improving and becoming more widely used. One of them, Tor, is the infamous encrypted web browser needed to access many black market websites. AFIK, the U.S. government still doesn't have a solution for this. The black market purchases are made with Bitcoins of course, also a new development for which the government doesn't yet have a solution. There are about a bazillion cryptocurrency spinoffs coming after Bitcoin as well, in case Bitcoin gets stomped.

http://prism-break.org/