Web’s Reach Binds N.S.A. and Silicon Valley Leaders

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/20/technology/silicon-valley-and-spy-agency-bound-by-strengthening-web.html?pagewanted=all

by tippytop • 13 years ago

79 17 13 years ago

nytimes.com

joshuaellinger2• 13 years ago

I'd love to see Google say that they will only respond to the N.S.A. in hard copy / paper.

throwaway100012• 13 years ago

I'd love to see Google say that they not have the data requested, because they simply do not collect it from users. If Google has it, NSA will get it. One way or another. Denials and "lawsuits" against the NSA written like press releases are useless.

That's why Google and Facebook are extremely dangerous, they hold unto every piece of info to try to squeeze a few more pennies from each user. Nice and ready for NSA to get it legally: “There is no indication that this order to Verizon was unique or novel. It is very likely that business records orders like this exist for every major American telecommunication company, meaning that, if you make calls in the United States, the NSA has those records. And this has been going on for at least 7 years, and probably longer,” http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/06/verizon-responds/

joshuaellinger2• 13 years ago

It's not realistic to think they will do that. But then, it might not be realistic to say that they can just send paper...

jpdoctor• 13 years ago

This is now beginning to damage the entire silicon valley brand.

jmtame• 13 years ago

This article makes me feel ashamed of Silicon Valley.

Helianthus• 13 years ago

Why would you only be ashamed now? The Silicon Valley's always been more greed than idealism; if anything, the idealism just makes the greed ever more rotten.

"Do no evil" ended up giving Google the power to do _more_ evil than it otherwise might've managed.

flyt• 13 years ago

Give me a break. The foundation of the valley was military dollars for the silicon industry and research labs, plus aerospace. It's always been part of our DNA.

hispeedencrypt• 13 years ago

The thought that your tax dollars are going to pay for some bloated overpriced inefficient software solution is unpleasant. For example, according to Binney and co. ThinThread was small, fast, efficient and cost-effective, but some outside contractors with connections inside the agency had other ideas. Where the NSA decision-makers are personally invested in these contractors, similar to how Carlyle Group with its politician clients owns most of Booz Allen, it's tempting to speculate on the motivations of the agency to go for the less efficient, less robust, more expensive solutions (more maintenance and support contracts... cha ching). But, who knows... it's all top secret.

It's like when people pointed out the financial ties between certain politicians and companies that produced expensive airport body scanners, which the government promptly purchased after the t`ism scare tactics had cast a spell over people making them accept that anything and everything was "necessary".

wavefunction• 13 years ago

Of course, defense contracting is for rich white "welfare queens," by-and-large.

Think about how much cash has been funneled to the sorts of folks like those at HBGary. I wouldn't mind paying for my own oppression as much if the oppressors were at least competent.

mehmehshoe• 13 years ago

"The only difference is that the N.S.A. does it for intelligence, and Silicon Valley does it to make money."

Nobody at the NSA would make any decision that would financially benefit them?

I really can't read that statement without being cynical. I will just leave it there..

drawkbox• 13 years ago

Every competitive company is salivating at the idea of getting access to business plans, ideas, investments, etc from someone in the NSA about their competitors (corporate espionage - not directly mind you). How many people would it take to pay off to get access to some of this information? This is bad bad business and dangerous keeping this much info with no oversight really (well Congress and a couple people at the NSA if that is considered oversight -- a Congress that doesn't even have time to read bills anymore and apparently haven't read the 4th).

Vivtek• 13 years ago

The only difference is that the N.S.A. does it for intelligence, and Silicon Valley does it to make money.

Boy, I wish it were that simple.

Web’s Reach Binds N.S.A. and Silicon Valley Leaders

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