The Pentagon is carrying out warrantless surveillance of Americans, according to a new letter written by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR) and obtained by Motherboard.
Senator Wyden’s office asked the Department of Defense (DoD), which includes various military and intelligence agencies such as the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA), for detailed information about its data purchasing practices after Motherboard revealed special forces were buying location data. The responses also touched on military or intelligence use of internet browsing and other types of data, and prompted Wyden to demand more answers specifically about warrantless spying on American citizens.
Some of the answers the DoD provided were given in a form that means Wyden’s office cannot legally publish specifics on the surveillance; one answer in particular was classified. In the letter Wyden is pushing the DoD to release the information to the public. A Wyden aide told Motherboard that the Senator is unable to make the information public at this time, but believes it would meaningfully inform the debate around how the DoD is interpreting the law and its purchases of data.
“I write to urge you to release to the public information about the Department of Defense’s (DoD) warrantless surveillance of Americans,” the letter, addressed to Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III, reads… Wyden’s new letter to Austin urging the DoD to release that answer and others says “Information should only be classified if its unauthorized disclosure would cause damage to national security. The information provided by DoD in response to my questions does not meet that bar.”
MacDailyNews Note: In the United States, warrantless searches are restricted under the Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution which states: “The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.”
Senator Wyden’s May 13th letter in full:
Click to access wyden-dod-purchase-americans-data-letters.pdf
The Land of the Free and Followed.
It makes me want to sing a patriotic song. Hopefully it’s on their “list.”
Applecyniq is on the list, and has been for quite some time.
And the Patriot Act was spearheaded by which party…?
The Patriot Act didn’t make this legal.
It was the Obama administration that unilaterally decided that they could lie to secret courts and spy on people.
and the NDAA is a real nice piece of work Mr. O liked a lot…when he wasn’t following journalists that wrote displeasing articles. His Terror Tuesdays to confirm kill lists remains one of his infamous hobbies. His killing (with drones) propensity didn’t seem deterred even when someone was holding US citizenship.
And, let’s not be naive Mr. Cynic…which party is an advocate of “security” that requires stepping beyond constitutional prescription…especially now if one is a “domestic terrorist,” whatever that definition ends up being? I’d imagine it could be one that abhors CRT, BLM, and disagrees with peaceful protestors that like to burn and break sh. Maybe those that refuse the vac will be defined as such? I wouldn’t dare bet against it.
When rights get diminished, as with the Patriot Act, it is extremely difficult to restore them.
Domestic terrorists? Easy! Those that attempt a coup agnd invalidate the
will of the People and their duly conducted election.
“duly”?
You misspelled ‘poorly’….
@TT legitimately was too hard!
Indeed. GWB pushed to have many outdated survelkien e laws updated, but also allowed the two-hop rule and many other illegal surveillance rules.
However, Obama, with a Supermajority in the House and Senate did nothing to remove it, and re-upped it over and over.
Both parties are to blame, as whoever is in power seeks advantage with it, and the deep state (meaning massively powerful bureaucracies), are wielding more unchecked power than ever before.
Is it Wyden’s position that the purchase of information that is publicly available constitutes “surveillance?” I suppose they could get a warrant to look up somebody’s address in the phone book, but I hardly think it is necessary. It is a scandal—absolutely a scandal—that private companies can collect all this information and sell it, but selling it to the American government is no more problematic than selling it to anyone else. I doubt that Russia or China are bothered buying data that is easily and legally accessible to American retailers. What makes the Pentagon different?
We have had TXUser under surveillance for quite some time. His crimes against decency, logic and the country are extensive.
More obviously bonkers GOP conspiracies. No doubt the surveillance is being conducted by pedophile cannibal democrats from the basement of Comet Pizza in DC – all controlled by a zombie Hilary/George Soros clone. You batsh!t crazy trumptards have lost your minds. Time to put on your big boy pants and grow the hell up. Duh…
Sen. Ron Wyden, Democrat-Oregon. I absolutely support his investigation of the shady data merchants, but once the cat is out of the bag, why should only the US intelligence community be denied access?
Because they are rightfully held to a higher standard.
Zork; you’re zipped. Look at the majority looking into this. I guess the bonkers/conspiracy pizza-eaters are on the side you are seemingly upholding.
Time to put on your one-legged big-boy pants. Duh?
Dear libturd Zork,
Six Conundrums of Libturdism in the United States of America:
America is capitalist and greedy – yet half of the population is subsidized.
Half of the population is subsidized – yet they think they are victims.
They think they are victims – yet their representatives run the government.
Their representatives run the government – yet the poor keep getting poorer.
The poor keep getting poorer – yet they have things that people in other countries only dream about.
They have things that people in other countries only dream about – yet they want America to be more like those other countries.
These three, short sentences tell you a lot about the direction of our current government and cultural environment:
1, We are advised to NOT judge ALL Muslims by the actions of a few lunatics, but we are encouraged to judge ALL gun owners by the actions of a few lunatics.
Seems we constantly hear about how Social Security is going to run out of money. But we never hear about welfare or food stamps running out of money! What’s interesting is the first group “worked for” their money, but the second didn’t.
Why are we cutting benefits to our veterans, no pay raises for our military and cutting our army to a level lower than before WWII, but we are not stopping the payments or benefits to illegal aliens?
Libturds will down vote this
Americans will share it
If it were on paper, I would share it… with a trash can. There are simply too many utterly untrue statements in your anti-American tirade to justify the effort to refute them. Yes, anti-American. They freed the slaves and gave women the vote. Sometimes kids dare to step on your grass. Get over it.
Txloser, your comments get dumber with every post.
Like I said, libturds will down vote it. When will you admit to yourself that you are just a libturd?
Dd, txl, if you think Hal’s post is anti American, you are dumber that we thought.
Yes, I think that hate-mongers who sow division among the citizens of our great republic are Anti-American. That isn’t dumb. It’s patriotic, unlike the authoritarian efforts to overturn our electoral system and replace it with God knows what.
Unlike the guys who are still unwilling to accept that a black man served as President and a black woman is serving as Vice-President. Unlike the guys who have repeatedly sought foreign interference in our domestic political process. Unlike the people who want to restrict adequate health care to those who can damn near afford a hospital. Unlike those who think they are doing the police a favor by supporting serial killers. Unlike those who claim that every woman or minority member who gets hired over a less qualified white male must be a diversity hire. Unlike those who think women should be fired if they complain about a demeaning white man. Unlike those who choose to believe a con man over the 23 women with credible claims of sexual harassment or assault. Unlike those who wouldn’t consider hauling garbage, but don’t want to let those who are willing to do those jobs into the country.
Enough of this Anti-American right wing BS. Over 81 million true patriotic Americans rejected it last November and we aren’t happy at the “cancel culture” directed at cancelling our democratic Republic and its Constitution.
Get off my damn lawn!
You finally proved me wrong. I didn’t think you could get any dumber. Are you spending your retirement on drugs?
“Over 81 million true patriotic Americans rejected it last November” proves that you are dumber than shit
You voted for Dementia Joe and the Ho and think you’re smart? Isn’t that precious
Txloser, libturds are burning down our cities and you think “the right” is dividing the country? Who fucking stupid can you be?
How, not who
The war you fight within your own head is unwinnable…as there’s imaginary challenger at every point, when no such challenger exists.
The pebble in your shoe is winning.
“ I think that hate-mongers who sow division among the citizens of our great republic are Anti-American.”
You mean like AOC? I agree.
And you just confirmed that Tx is intelligent and you and Hal should crawl under the same Russian rock.
The reason that we have $60 plywood and $3.50 gas is because stupid fucks like you are allowed to breed.
You are too stupid to realize the damage you have done. Your economic shitstorm has just begun.
@Hal
You’re in the wrong continent. This is North America. Maybe further South you’ll find the Banana Republic you deserve. Or start your own.
I wrote a watered down version of a post like this awhile ago – reacting against one of the vile, nutty, personally insulting posts a trump acolyte wrote against some reasonable person making a reasonable comment.
And I was banned.
(I’m writing this from a friend’s computer at a friend’s house)
MDN – please unban me.
Bit hard to do that if you’re legless
That’s OK, there are a lot the conduct warrantless surveillance on the pentagon, along with others like the colonial pipeline. Nothing to see here, move on.
The US is a terrorist nations. From invading Hawaii and forcing us into their nation to breaking every single treaty they had with the Native Americans, it’s astounding that this nation, and their devil twin to the north, haven’t been sentenced in an international court. My ideal situation is for the illegal settlers of the US and Canada to return every bit of land they stole back to the Native Americans/First Nations and go back to Europe. Turtle Island has suffered enough from them.
Go back to the commi cesspool that you came from.
The Kingdom of Hawaii is currently under an illegal occupation by the capitalist American regime, so becoming a socialist country while regaining its sovereignty would be an ideal situation for us.
Your idea situation will more than likely not work from a species standpoint. A portion of the individuals of the human species are nomadic. They will roam and at times establish themselves in new locations, sometimes at the expense of conflict.
The human species is terrestrially global, no land gets stolen because the land belongs to all humans and all plants and all animals who can establish themselves. I’m sure the plants, animals would not have any issue with all the humans leaving their North American land. If COVID-19 hasn’t given you the hint don’t worry, there are other lessons coming. After all they were there first, well before humans walked the planet.
Be thankful that you just have to deal with a terrorist nation they tend to be pretty incompetent. As you can see that nation folds pretty good under an attack from the smallest of creatures.
“breaking every single treaty they had with the Native Americans”
Uhhh….then why do they still have reservations and government aid (which leads to some of the poorest areas in the nation)?
The best thing we could do for Natives right now is economic assimilation.
Keep the land, keep your heritage, learn to be productive.
I mean, who do they think they are, the Palestinians…?
Now I know you’re a foreign agent, TowerTone. No American in the last fifty years could be so massively insensitive as to suggest that Native Americans are somehow at fault for the massive treaty violations that have created their current situation. No American would fail to see your post as any more than a continuation of the policies that nearly exterminated many indigenous tribes and successfully exterminated many others. Who but a foreigner or a hard-core racist could trumpet that “learn to be productive” insult? This is not the Indians’ fault. This is a problem that whites created.
I know that message is hard to hear. That’s why Oklahoma has just outlawed references to systemic racism in their public institutions. It might make people feel bad to be reminded that most of their state is located in Indian Country stolen from the Civilized Nations and their allies by the Dawes Act (and I speak as the grandson of a Choctaw who received a paltry allotment under that law). The law passed just in time for the centennial of the Tulsa Massacre that destroyed hundreds of homes and businesses (some by bombing from airplanes), left 10,000 people homeless, and killed up to 300 individuals whose lives didn’t matter because they were black.
Go assimilate yourself.
You have no grasp for reality.
You are all show with no ability to look deep into an issue and actually try to fix it.
You treat Natives just like Blacks and Mexicans; throw money at them because they are subhuman and maybe they will leave you alone.
Pass the buck, TXer.
Just close your eyes and pass the buck.
That way you can always claim you “helped” while doing nothing.
Now jump up and down with fake dramatic outrage and act a fool some more, monkey.
That’s all you have…
Even Ebenezer Scrooge recognized the need for public welfare institutions.
It happened again in exemplary and symbolic form!
Who the f said anything denying the needed cultural service provided by “welfare”?
As well, making the opposition’s (in your head) viewpoint “hard to hear,” as a point of subjective discomfort, vs objective/reasoned disagreement, follows the same path (per CRT in OK). Besides a most curious, “reasoning,” the distain for (at least) half of the population of the State is simply pompous and elitist. Those Okies are real numb-skulls, huh?
Your addition of “law passed just in time,” is so ridiculously linked to your argument. This fortifies a reasonable conclusion of your distain of the citizenry of OK. Beyond seeing them as ignorant, this point makes them intensionally evil, as well.
Because of your innate pronation to confuse, divert, conflate, I have to cover my ass to, hopefully, limit your temptation to twist words…I will say what happened to the Native Americans in the US was horrific and tragic, but employing a “solution” that shames, degrades and subjugates in return is absurd. CRT is a toxic paradigm that is consistent with much of what we are seeing in culture today…tearing down a group of people, to supposedly, benefit another. I guess racism can be positive if turned the right direction?
You all failed! All of you! None of you are capable to discuss the content, all you do is divide into two groups, opposite one another and calling each other things that have no connection to the subject.
MDN: Can you please refrain from this kind of nonsense and report on the beautiful things Mac? It is not Political Daily News now, is it?
I have been paying this site for a few months now, but I am tired of not being logged in and spared the adds.
So I guess I will stop the monthly payments and get out of here.
Just found out it has been a year, when I cancelled payments to Josh Enterprises.
“Beautiful things Mac”…
Let me guess… bluebubble?
This website has been like this for years. I’d like to see things change too, but that’s unrealistic.