NSA reportedly collecting phone records of millions, though officials had denied hold

[Team Sergeant]

and janet napolitano is afraid that some domestic "lone wolf" is going to go rouge and start killing people...... just can't figure how she came up with that idea......

NSA reportedly collecting phone records of millions, though officials had denied holding 'data' on Americans
Published June 06, 2013
FoxNews.com

Reports that the Obama administration has been collecting the phone records of millions of Verizon customers in the U.S. could contradict statements made by top officials who previously claimed the government was not holding data on Americans.

Director of National Intelligence James Clapper was asked at a March hearing whether the National Security Agency collects any data on millions of Americans.

"No sir ... not wittingly," Clapper responded, acknowledging there are cases "where inadvertently, perhaps" the data could be collected.

NSA Director Gen. Keith Alexander also told Fox News last year that the agency does not "hold data on U.S. citizens."

But the Guardian newspaper reported late Wednesday that the administration has been collecting the phone records of millions of U.S. customers of Verizon under a top secret court order.

The order, a copy of which apparently was obtained by The Guardian, reportedly was granted by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on April 25 and is good until July 19.

It requires Verizon, one of the nation's largest telecommunications companies, on an "ongoing, daily basis" to give the NSA information on all telephone calls in its systems, both within the U.S. and between the U.S. and other countries.

The text of the order, as published by The Guardian, says that "the Custodian of Records shall produce to the National Security Agency (NSA) upon service of this Order, and continue production on an ongoing daily basis thereafter for the duration of this Order, unless otherwise ordered by the Court, an electronic copy of the" the records in question.

Administration officials, while not directly acknowledging the order, defended their authority to collect records and stressed they're not listening in on conversations.


Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013...#ixzz2VSHC7oj4

[Badger52]

CNN related story

"As far as I know, this is the exact three-month renewal of what has been the case for the past seven years," said Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-California. "This renewal is carried out by the FISA court under the business records section of the Patriot Act. Therefore it is lawful. It has been briefed to Congress."

Rep. Mike Rogers, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said the program was used in the last few years to stop a terrorist attack in the United States. He gave no details on the attack, but said the program operates under rigorous judicial and congressional oversight.

The level of mistrust of the Central Government at this point is going to take this, I hope, to a new level, with a review of the Patriot Act and what has become di riguer for the people's representatives to tolerate. I submit this is NOT oversight and ask what else could be deemed lawful and, therefore, "ok."

The nature of the data collection is such that there is no way it is limited to Americans who are only Verizon subscribers.

It is time to clean out the lint trap & take out the trash.

[SF18C]

The top secret Verizon court order was leaked.

How much do you wanna bet there are court orders for ATT, T-Mobil, etc, etc that are in place just not yet leaked?

[Team Sergeant]

I heard that they are "not" targeting CAIR phones users or obamaphones users.....

[tonyz]

NSA has your phone records - IRS has your financial records and soon to have your health records - eventually - you will be swabbed during the audit for your DNA.

[SF18C]

And those RINO guys aint helping...

“I have no problem. I am a Verizon customer. You can have my phone number, and put it in a database" If they get a hit between me and some guy from Waziristan,” officials should investigate

Senator Lindsey Graham

[perdurabo]

Originally Posted by SF18C

The top secret Verizon court order was leaked.

How much do you wanna bet there are court orders for ATT, T-Mobil, etc, etc that are in place just not yet leaked?

That AT&T is doing (virtually) the same thing was leaked 7 years ago.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Klein

Sprint, too.

Although, I'd wager that T-Mobile isn't doing the same thing, or at least the same extent of operations as the big two carriers, as T-Mobile is a holding of a foreign telecom. Prepaid T-Mobile is a favorite of drug dealers conducting domestic ops, though so who really knows?

[Badger52]

Much is being made by those defending it - including those who are supposed to be engaged in oversight on behalf of the people - in terms of rationalizing, that the content is not at risk; no one's listening to phone calls. That's beside the point in my mind and is a deflector to the argument only.

They have no business, imo, in even knowing who I talk to unless they can prove a reasonable case that I'm engaged in prohibited activity, first. FISA is a Chicken-Little rubber stamp and has been for awhile.

[badshot]

Originally Posted by SF18C

The top secret Verizon court order was leaked.

How much do you wanna bet there are court orders for ATT, T-Mobil, etc, etc that are in place just not yet leaked?

According to the Patriot Act these powers are to be used for 'suspected' terrorist purposes...


Guess Everyone is now a suspect...sounds American to me

[Basenshukai]

Well, I just know that there are no court orders on Sprint phones since they don't generally get a good signal anywhere.

[MSRlaw]

But Bush promised us the Patriot Act and FISA warrants wouldn't occur on US soil. Seriously though, who cares? If the gov't wants to have you saying a phrase on tape they'll have you saying a word on tape. You don't need a FISA warrant for some ATF agents to led a judge admit into evidence a suspect "allegedly asking to purchase explosives overseas."

There's no "discovery" in fed courts and the Brady rule has zero teeth because of prosecutorial immunity and Mike Nifong is the best sideshow to ever happen to prosecutors. As a former prosecutor it's amazing what the judge believed then but now the same judge disbelieves because I sit on the left side of the courtroom.

[badshot]

Originally Posted by MSRlaw

But Bush promised us the Patriot Act and FISA warrants wouldn't occur on US soil. Seriously though, who cares? If the gov't wants to have you saying a phrase on tape they'll have you saying a word on tape. You don't need a FISA warrant for some ATF agents to led a judge admit into evidence a suspect "allegedly asking to purchase explosives overseas."

There's no "discovery" in fed courts and the Brady rule has zero teeth because of prosecutorial immunity and Mike Nifong is the best sideshow to ever happen to prosecutors. As a former prosecutor it's amazing what the judge believed then but now the same judge disbelieves because I sit on the left side of the courtroom.

It's odd that so many in the Justice system, from law makers to judges, regardless of ideology, find understanding the Constitution so difficult to grasp. The Intent and Purpose is very clearly defined in the documents themselves and the authors of said documents writings on the Intent and Purpose.

Seems President Cleveland was of the few whom spent the time to understand this in a time when all this information was not at their finger tips.


Pretty lazy of them or they have some wires crossed.

Personally not willing to give up my rights because the gov needs to protect/take care of me. Seems to me the terrorist win with these types of intrusions.

[Dusty]

The Government has one f.cking job-to leave Citizens the f.ck alone unless absolutely necessary.

[badshot]

Originally Posted by Dusty

The Government has one f.cking job-to leave Citizens the f.ck alone unless absolutely necessary.

Very succinctly put...in my native tongue no less.

[Team Sergeant]

Let me know when the shooting starts, I'd hate to miss it.....


Former NSA head defends agency reportedly spying on millions of Americans
Published June 06, 2013
FoxNews.com

The NSA isn’t spying on the vast majority of Americans, a former head of the spy agency told Fox News on Thursday, defending what one civil liberties group called the "broadest surveillance order to ever have been issued."

A report by the Guardian revealed that under the Obama administration, the communication records of millions of U.S. citizens were being collected indiscriminately and in bulk, regardless of whether they were suspected of any wrongdoing. The report was based on a confidential order reportedly granted by the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court on April 25 that is good through July 19.

But the seizure of the phone records of millions of Verizon users did not mean the agency was spying on Americans, explained former NSA deputy director Cedric Leighton.

'If the rules are followed then there should not be much a of a problem with it -- but you have to be very careful.' (Just like the IRS was with the tax records of everyday citizens.....)

- Former NSA deputy director Cedric Leighton

"You really don’t have time when you're an agency like the NSA to listen in to everybody’s conversations," Leighton told Fox News anchor Bill Hemmer. "You only listen in on those that you have a specific warrant for or have reason to believe they are engaged in terrorist activities."

"What we are looking at here is a way to go through a whole bunch of info very, very quickly,” Leighton explained.

"I am okay with the basic idea of going after those who are connected to terrorist groups, and I think most Americans are okay with that," said Leighton. "What you are looking at though is a lot of data, and it requires a lot of good control mechanisms put in place for handling that data. If those controls are followed, if the rules are followed, then there should not be much a of a problem with it -- but you have to be very careful."

Cont:

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2013/06/...#ixzz2VTq2aZsS