Government snooping, backdoors and #necessaryhashtags

[kladner]

Originally Posted by chalsall

"It's a boy!"

That was meant to be funny....

I meant to be "funny", too.

[LaurV]

Originally Posted by chalsall

"It's a boy!"

Wrong. The correct scream is "You got male!"

[chappy]

Not exactly the right thread, but: (also NSW if you work someplace with standards)

[xilman]

A brief and extremely limited view behind the curtains.

"What's being described as a very narrow programme is really a very broad programme," Democratic Senator Richard Durbin said.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by xilman

A brief and extremely limited view behind the curtains.

One might find this funny.

If it was....

[firejuggler]

EFF view pn Maning's charges
https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/0...ution-strategy

[ewmayer]

o The NSA's Version Of "The Dog Ate My Homework"

o Reuters version of the story in Paul's Beeb link above - in a seemingly curious omission, Reuters fails to mention the blacked-out content:

U.S. releases some documents on phone surveillance programs: WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Director of National Intelligence released three declassified documents on Wednesday that authorized the bulk collection of telephone data, one of the surveillance programs revealed by former security contractor Edward Snowden.

Senators grilled intelligence officials, charging them with focusing too much on secrecy and neglecting transparency while risking Americans' privacy rights.

Senator Patrick Leahy, the committee chairman, blasted the officials for a system that allowed Snowden to access and copy huge quantities of classified material.

"The patience of the American people is beginning to wear thin," said Leahy, a Democrat from Vermont. "What has to be of more concern in a democracy is whether the trust of the American people is beginning to wear thin."

"Your repeated use of the euphemism 'wear thin' is beginning to wear thin, sir!"

Note that Leahy voted for the Patriot Act (which got just 1 no vote in the senate), but was one of the 14 'no' votes on the recent NDAA reauthorization.

[kladner]

Broad Coalition of Organizations Team Up for Freedom of Association Lawsuit

Excerpt:

At the heart of First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles v. NSA is the bulk telephone records collection program that was confirmed by last month's publication of an order from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC). The Director of National Intelligence (DNI) further confirmed that this formerly secret document was legitimate, and part of a broader program to collect all major telecommunications customers' call histories. The order demands wholesale collection of every call made, the location of the phone, the time of the call, the duration of the call, and other "identifying information" for every phone and call for all customers of Verizon for a period of three months. Government officials further confirmed that this was just one of series of orders issued on a rolling basis since at least 2006.

[ewmayer]

Russia Grants Snowden 1-Year Asylum

Never thought I'd find myself "rootin' for Putin", but at this point anything that makes those serial US-constitution-and-international-law flouters in the US administration "furious" can't be all bad.

This led to some amusing commentary amongst ZH readers:

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Thu, 08/01/2013 - 09:59 | 3806376 socalbeach

So now he gets married and gets to stay in Russia indefinitely?

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Thu, 08/01/2013 - 12:37 | 3806948 Boris Alatovkrap

Boris is like introduce Mr. Snowden to cousin Galenka. Former Soviet Athlete. Is not, how you say, so fine figure, but can pull tree out by roots. Tremendous upper body strength.

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Thu, 08/01/2013 - 12:45 | 3806980 Boris Alatovkrap

Sorry, Boris is speak to wife and is learn Galenka is now Anton because of extreme dosaging of hormone during training. Wife is suggest to introduction for Mr. Snowden to Svetlana, third cousin. Is not so strong, but in dark room has contagion smile.

Oh, and is also is make of very delicious borscht. Local farmer is travel mile to come enjoy.

[davieddy]

Ou sont les neigedens d'antan?
(Catch 22)

[ewmayer]

...the most famous English translation of which is also credited as being the origin of the word yesteryear.

But don't look it up yourself - doing so will likely land you on a secret persons-of-interest list. Better to remain stultifyingly boring in such matters.