“The White House promised Friday that it was ending the NSA’s most controversial surveillance program ‘as it currently exists,” James Oliphant reports for National Journal. But make no mistake, it’s still going to exist.”
“In fact, what President Obama has announced will have little operational effect on the National Security Agency’s collection of Americans’ data. And, significantly, the administration has attempted to dodge some of the biggest decisions, passing the ball to Congress, which will likely do nothing if recent trends hold,” Oliphant reports. “The president didn’t come close to what privacy advocates have wanted—a sharp culling of the program or its outright termination. Instead, the goal of Friday’s announcement — as it has always been — was to reassure a skittish public both here and abroad that the program is being used responsibly. ‘This is a capability that needs to be preserved,” a senior administration official said.'”
“The president made two major policy prescriptions. First, he called for the data to be housed somewhere other than within the government. Second, he said before the NSA can search the calling-record database, it should obtain judicial approval,” Oliphant reports. “To the first, the president would not specify where the data will be ultimately stored. He wants the Justice Department and the intelligence community to come up with a proposal within 60 days… To the second of Obama’s measures, judicial oversight will come in the form of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which critics say acts as a rubber stamp for government surveillance requests, rather than by more independent-minded federal judges on other courts.”
“Most important, many of the recommendations the president made Friday are perishable,” Oliphant reports. “Ultimately Congress will have to determine the data-collection and storage issues and other major elements of the program, including the procedures of the FISA court, when it reauthorizes the NSA program this spring at the end of the 60-day window outlined by the president.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Blah, blah, blah. More pablum for the masses. Nothing of substance.
Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759
Visit the Apple-backed reformgovernmentsurveillance.com today.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews readers too numerous to mention individually for the heads up.]
Related articles:
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The NSA, Apple’s iPhone and a whole lot of bad reporting – January 8, 2014
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Ex-NSA chief calls for Obama to reject commission’s recommendations to rein in NSA surveillance – December 30, 2013
How the U.S. NSA remotely bugs your Apple iPhone – December 30, 2013
Report: U.S. NSA intercepts computers during shipping to install surveillance malware – December 30, 2013
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Apple’s iPhone 5s with Touch ID seen as protection against U.S. NSA – September 16, 2013
German government: Windows 8 contains U.S. NSA snooping back doors; too dangerous to use – August 23, 2013
Report: NSA can see 75% of U.S. Web traffic, can snare emails – August 21, 2013
NSA can read email, online chats, track Web browsing without warrant, documents leaked by Edward Snowden show – July 31, 2013
Momentum builds against U.S. government surveillance – July 29, 2013
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Wow. Talk about being screwed by those elected. Given political track records of making good on their promises and the incredibly feeble attempt to fix problems that is being promised we are pretty much assured that nothing is going to change. Shocker?
Can’t wait for the campaign, although I am skeptical that candidates from either major party will stand up and say that these types of programs should end. When asked the tough questions about what they believe and what they would do if elected, I’ll bet we’ll see most candidates dancing around the answer, albeit each one doing a different step.
Blah, blah, blah. More pablum for the masses. Nothing of substance.
The Obama presidency in a nutshell – except for where he’s wrecking the economy by bailing out automakers who should have been allowed to go into bankruptcy in order to emerge healthier, vetoing pipelines and preventing Gulf drilling which increases unemployment along with fuel prices, and imposing a nationwide insurance fiasco that will take years to clean up and actually end up killing a great many people.
Did you forget about the banks and bankers?
The banks were forced by Clinton to lend billions into black ghettos. Under threat of loosing their licenses, they did and it caused the sub prime collapse and the recession.
Heil Obama… FORWARD Comrads!
You dumb jackasses
Excuse your racism. It was not just “black ghettos”, as you so rudely put it, but extraordinary demands to extend loans to unqualified borrowers of all racial stripes anywhere. Typically they were characterized as “NINJA loans'” No Income, No Job, Approved! This ease of approval resulted in upward pressure on the housing market and a rise in prices. . . beyond what a truely free market would have supported. Unscrupulous lenders inflated incomes for these unqualified borrowers even beyond legitimate levels to put them in houses they were ill suited for, offering “Flex loans” where borrowers were told they could pay monthly what they could afford rather than the true debt service. NONE OF THIS WAS SUSTAINABLE! All of it was caused by the Democrats forcing the banks to make sub-par loans… and greed in the lending markets at the retail level among unscrupulous mortgage preparers. Then the monetizing of this crap debt and the permissiveness of FANNIE & FREDDIE allowing packaging of these junk mortgages to be sold as Grade A loans when they were anything but, set the stage for the crash. George W. Bush made EIGHT attempts to introduce legislation to get this under control but Chris Dodd and Barney Frank killed all eight attempts.
Please stop playing the race card. It’s really really old, and no one’s impressed. It just makes you look stupid.
Well, excuse me. It was YOU who dealt in the racial deck. . . I am merely pointing out the issue crosses all economic spectra.
Yes, the administration was trying to make sure that there was no racial discrimination in lending, but that was it.
It was the lenders that went hog wild, and their policy is not dictated by anyone other than themselves subject to generally applicable banking law. And Wall Street obliged by providing derivatives (packaged loans) and credit default swaps so that the mortgage lenders could lay off the paper on someone else. As the lenders knew they would not be stuck with weak loans, they just made as many loans as they could secure in the knowledge that Wall St would take the risk. And then, as she wrote …
In my practice, as far as healthcare, I could say the opposite is true.
Prior to January 1, access to healthcare was so severely limited for many people who could not get insurance, that there have certainly been deaths which could have been avoided.
I have patients right now, this week, able to get medication they need because they now have insurance which they have obtained because of the ACA, that they could not get even a month ago.
We can have an honest disagreement and dialog about solutions to problems. Just wanted to say that my opinion on the ACA comes from first hand daily experience with healthcare.
Oh Psycodennis, I too work in the health industry and I just HAVE to call BS on your post! Which patients are YOU seeing of the 6 million, 4.5 million of which signed up for MedicAid, I.E. welfare. . . And the all the others are now working their way through high deductibles and co-pays before they see ANY benefits at all. Many who had insurance no longer have it because they can’t afford the new rates. . . many of our patients are telling us that the prescriptions they depend on are no longer covered, or the co-pay has quadrupled, or their pharmacy can not serve them. My own office’s medical plan that we were guaranteed would be continued until December 2014 by Blue Shield at the same rate as last year was just billed to us for January with a $370 per month increase after two employees were removed because they aged out into Medicare! That should have resulted in a $1600 monthly decrease! Affordable Care Act, my ass!
psychodennis is a liar if there ever was one.
…Psychodennis just appointed The Messiah’s chief speechwriter.
A completely clueless post about Obama and the economy coming from a resident far right MDN troll.
FACT: Policies introduced by Reagan and Bush Jr. have elevated US debt far more than any policy introduced by Obama. The bailouts where started under Bush after he and Chaney fucked the economy and continued under Obama per the advice of a majority of economists.
Please supply your source for these FACTs.
Ed, like psychodennis, is a liar.
Liberals lie.
Liberals are maggots.
Why is everyone suddenly acting like this is a new thing? This nonsense has been going on since 2003, under Bush. This seems like another political hit piece designed to spread FUD about Obama. At least Obama knows this is an issue and is doing what he can do to minimize it.
NBC News: Spying on Americans has increased 1000% during the Obama administration.
You constantly mislead folks with your simplistic take on US politics. NBC news states that the amount has doubled. They also say that it doubled every year since the Patriot Act was passed.
Apollonia,
Seriously, somehow you pinned this on Bush?! It’s been going on a lot longer then 2003. Collecting information on our own people has been going on for decades. Only how they do it changes all the time. The question is when are we going to have a president that has the balls to stand up for our rights. Obviously it’s not Obama.
Freedom isn’t dead in this country……………………………..it’s dead on this planet!
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it on to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. – Ronald Reagan, March 30, 1961
Lump in my throat reading Ron’s words of wisdom. The last great president for ALL THE PEOPLE.
Outrageous.
The “judicial review” is by a court in name only. There’s no adversarial process, there are secret rulings, and no appeals process. Beyond that, it dosen’t seem that there’s a requirement for a specific warrant (identifying the person, time and thing to be searched). So could they not just grant a general warrant like they do now? (We’d never know — it’s secret).
And this is for just one of these illegal, unconstitutional, and un-American programs. What about all of the other spying? What about text messages, browser histories, email, etc. etc. etc.
It is still a violation of the foundational laws of the land here in the USA. They are to seek approval PRIOR TO getting the personal data and they are to declare AT THAT TIME PRIOR TO the invasion of our privacy exactly what they are looking for. NOT AFTER they find something.
We need to push hard for term limits. No more career politicians in Congress, Senate, Judges, Governors etc. Two four year terms maximum, for everyone. Reduce their salaries so only people who truly want to serve We The People will bother to run for office. Any benefits such as Health Care expire at the end of their terms in office, no Retirement plans. Eliminate lobbyists. Reduce the Federal Government like the IRS etc. Mandatory spending audits by non-governmental agencies. Etc, Etc, Etc.
How many of the screamers about the NSA willingly use Facebook and any google services etc etc etc and then object to this? WHAT is the difference? NOTHING. NADA. ZERO. Totally laughable. You are fooling yourselves if you think you have privacy and use much of anything on the net – you give give up your privacy rights with every click of the keyboard and mouse/trackpad.
I don’t use any of those services you listed. Do I get to complain now?
The day when computer-embeded devices are capable of monitoring every second of our lives is not far away. The question is where should the line be drawn? Just because the NSA can obtain deeply invasive data in our privacy doesn’t mean they should be able to get it. I firmly believe that the time to set up solid privacy barriers are not when we lose our rights but before.
Before making up your mind on this issue, maybe you should imagine where it is all leading…
Watch the academy award nominated documentary DIRTY WARS – it’s available on Netflix (if you don’t have an account, open a one month free trial just to see this movie!)
I have nothing to do with the movie or arms sales … Just want America back on the high moral ground…
Tom O’Connell
Obama’s NSA rhetoric today was HEAVY with bullshit. He talked about protecting US citizen privacy while doing literally NOTHING to stop it from being treasonously invaded by the NSA. It’s called ‘talking out your ass’.
FRACK YOU Mr. President. It’s time for impeachment.
Is it Bush, is it Obama, ha come on, there is no rolling up of the sleeves and getting right down to it. The weeee the people need to grow a spine, unite and change that political system. You think that the NSA is content with spying? Come on, it’s cyberattacks galore being lined up as long at your government steam roller keeps running you over.
Sad to see a country with such great principles be reduced to a morally bereft warism terrorist state. It’s a race beyond the bottom.
I do have to say all this bickering has one good benefit, fighting amongst yourselves sure keeps the free world safe.
“First, he called for the data to be housed somewhere other than within the government… the president would not specify where the data will be ultimately stored. He wants the Justice Department and the intelligence community to come up with a proposal within 60 days…”
Who wants to bet that Google or Amazon is the recommended non-governmental depository? The ultimate boondoggle. Google gets paid to house all of this personal, sensitive information, and they would never sneak a peak at it in order to make money…no NEVER!
F$ck Obama
The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation, to which I am a contributor) published a ‘Scorecard’ regarding Obama’s ‘reform’ of the NSA. He received a score of 3.5/12 points. That’s a FAILing grade. You can read the results with a detailed explanation here:
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/01/rating-obamas-nsa-reform-plan-eff-scorecard-explained
Damn.
How depressing!!
To live in a Fake Democracy.
Full of Democratic Lies!
Democratic Spying?!
What a concept!
Why do we excel in that in the USA instead of our original concept of
For the People & Inventiveness?!
Democracy my Ass!
ObamaMama got elected on the “Audacity of Hope”
yet we have the government’s audacity to Rape Freedom!
OB speech on Jan 16 resulted in these depressing facts:
”perishable” changes!
no changes! as usual – everything is fake in our American Democracy!
it’s infuriatingly sad!
to think we pay those schmucks to rule us like this, through hard-earned taxes!!
we must be idiots to not revolt as in Europe.
we must be nuts to accept trashing our salaries without consent on how Taxes are used – why pay them to spy on us?!!
Problem is lazy WhiteHouse, has merely shifted decisions to Congress,
but Congress is the culprit to start with!!
The reason NSA has such powers.
Just like FDA which is supposed to protect citizens, its labs are paid by interest groups – the pharma/food industries that we’re supposed to be saved from!
Nothing in U.S. Democracy is democratic anymore!
the Only CHANGES:
•1• search after court APPROVAL
yet a court that is anti-privacy?!
Much of this activity will remain secret!!?
Judicial Oversight through Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court
is also fake excuse as it’s more like rubber stamp for approvals, rejecting <1%!
OB rejected public advocate!
FISA frustrating NSA is B.S. since OB reduced spying after 2 not 3 “hops”
FBI now even no longer needs approval for business records .
So, all the changes, where are they? It got worse since Friday Jan 16!!
•2• DATA
now it's hidden outside gov but no one wants to deal with that filth, so it will remain in gov!
great excuse again.
yet another way Democracy hides behind its facade.
all Freedom(s) are fake!
at some point one might wish to live under tyranny where at least one knows one's enemies and what to expect.
what type of shitty Democracy do we live in?
Private consortium would take to long to form.
9/11 is excuse for little reform, but
1. it is still no excuse to RAPE Freedom
2. America is PARANOID, not democratic, tyrannical.
WOMD never existed.
No Iranian bomb can reach U.S.
All our wars have been about Israel.
US was never in danger.
US has also never won a war, yet we kill our own kids for no real reasons.
3. a REAL Democracy would let its People Decide how to balance security vs freedom
4. 911 Commission failed to prove it was terrorist not self-inflicted attack, no matter how horrible it sounds!
5. want freedom or security for gov. officials & congress, not citizens, to benefit from?
Is that the reason for spying & wars?
The 1%?!
The it's not democracy but Tyranny!
The irony is if a gov. Trusts its people, only then, do you have real freedom & nothing to worry about & safety & security & peace.
Do you not learn from history i.e. wars or Prohibition or Slavery,
that once you give people what they want & need, make them happy,
not through dummfying tv, but give them real freedom,
then they have no need to boycott or rebel?!
Grow up dear gov! Grow up! Democracy my Ass!
ObamaMama got elected on the "Audacity of Hope"
yet we have the government's audacity to Rape Freedom!
A civilized mature Democracy lets people decide on all things.
Until then, we do not need to brag about America being the Best version of Democracy!
Until then, let's not be stupidly patriotic, as shallow Hal, and believe what we're told.
What we're told is not autonomy, not real freedom, lest we think it.
Patriotism is fake when we feel insulted by such comments, esp. when we find that any politically incorrect self-expression, attacks the country's security, when it's just talk and supposedly one's democratic right.
A country that fears speech, whose security & sovereignty shakes due to self-expression, is an immature country that has no strength & resilience at all, since it must attack & kill, instead of govern intelligently, maturely, professionally, humanely.
Then we're nothing more than uncivilized brutes, barbarians.
Are we afraid of who we are, as Madonna asked once?!
Are we Paranoid or Democratic?
Our forefathers would vomit at how we reduced the world's initial free democracy into such a police state.
If you think you’re a patriot by saying”
“Don’t like it here, get the F out”
then you only prove you’re the traitor.
that does not believe in rights to speak.
that does not do anything to save the country from doom,
when it lost its mojo, moral compass, original constitutional rights!
those rights do not grow on trees, they must be cultivated, kept in balance.
so instead of spending all that energy in feeling insulted or offended, fear your own stupidity, but let those of us who defend rights & liberty, stand up, as we all should, in a real democracy we can be proud of.
After all: “Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. – Benjamin Franklin! (in Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759)
Democracy & Freedom are not magical.
they disappear if not cultivated continuously!
do we not realize what we're losing?
Security is NOT Freedom!
Freedom IS Security damn it!
Security derives from Freedom, not vice versa!
IF we have Full Freedom, then we're secure.
IF we have full security first, then Freedom can not exist by definition!
duh!
America has no right to define Democracy or police the world & force its version of Democracy upon other people.
Simply because it no longer understands democracy, as we're a police state, hiding behind democracy.
Brazil has full free private internet and plans to push its own US-free internet backbone.
Free America is going to let foreigners surpass our own version of Freedom?
Great. Now we lost on innovation & reached Ancient Greek/Roman Decadence.
How sad.
How demoralizing.
But do not be offended by my arguments.
they're just comments to wake us up.
to what we're losing.
people who fight for such rights, who say something,
who use their democratic rights,
who check-balance the original constitutional rights,
they are the real patriots!
do not call yourself a patriot if you just sit there, swallow all official philosophy & excuses,
and feel insulted by non-status quo comments,
since status quo is not freedom,
since freedom is about commenting, free speech, self-expression.
the best balance derives from expression, not suppression.
the best freedom comes from freedom, period!
Golly, folks. Certain facts are incontrovertible.
Bush-Cheney doubled the national debt or more.
Those preparing the terrorist attack of 9/11 made extensive use of the telephone system.
NSA’s monitoring of the telephone system does NOT include any record of who said what to whom. It is designed to be able to figure out what American phone, if any, is called from Yemen or Somalia or some other identified-as-hostile phones, and what other numbers are called by that American phone, and whether there is some pattern to this.
That is not the end of the world. Everyone at my telephone company can see my phone bill, it’s scarcely a military secret. I don’t care if NSA also sees my phone bill.