NSA fact sheet pulled after being challenged by Sen. Mark Udall

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23537059/nsa-chief-pulls-fact-sheet-challenged-misleading

by johnny9822 • 13 years ago

216 35 13 years ago

denverpost.com

Zigurd• 13 years ago

#leastuntruthful

nathas• 13 years ago

This is the "fact sheet" in question: http://pastebin.com/5d7rHmYe

breck• 13 years ago

They very clearly put limits only around "targets". What about information picked up "incidentally"? Also, the whole parts about "information must be immediately terminated", reminds me of some big cos where they had rules that "all code must be fully unit tested". It's not going to happen unless there are steep penalties for not doing it.

Instead of "guidelines", I would love to see actual numbers:

The NSA collected X,000 Terabytes of Information in 2012, consisting of X,000,000,000,000,000 records. At the end of the year, 2TB and X number of objects were kept, and the rest deleted properly (data actually written over).

That would be so much simpler and better.

LoganCale• 13 years ago

But that would Give Information to the Enemy and Threaten America™.

oblivionawaits2• 13 years ago

They have asked the simple question before, [Paraphrased] "How many Americans are you spying on?", and the NSA said it would violate our freedoms for them to even mention the number.

lucian1900• 13 years ago

Also, what about non-Americans? We don't get a say and our rights get violated, apparently.

lawnchair_larry• 13 years ago

And they didn't even bother to post a corrected version, instead going back to their default position of "it's legal, trust us".

mikevm• 13 years ago

The corrected version would probably just lead to more public outrage.

pfortuny• 13 years ago

They cannot post an updated version because:

Udall and Wyden were not able to describe what about the program's description was inaccurate, saying that would divulge classified information.

So that if they correct the 'mistakes' they are divulging classified information.

Either this is another Catch-22 or someone (more) is lying.

mtgx2• 13 years ago

They can't ask Udall and Wyden in private about it?

Besides, I think they already knew where the "mistakes" were, otherwise they wouldn't have retracted them if they didn't think something was wrong with them themselves.

chaz• 13 years ago

Udall and Wyden did specify the inaccurate statement in a classified attachment to their letter to Alexander.

http://www.denverpost.com/ci_23530383/udall-nsa-states-signi...

mokus• 13 years ago

I don't think they are saying they don't know what the "mistakes" were - rather, that to reveal what they were would be to reveal classified information. And publishing a fixed version would reveal what the mistakes were.

rst• 13 years ago

The Senators' letter had a classified attachment describing specifics (which, of course, was not publicly released --- but the NSA certainly has it).

oceanstone• 13 years ago

If classification is preventing meaningful discourse, it is time to remove the classification.

sliverstorm• 13 years ago

That doesn't really make sense. Something's status as "classified" has exactly zilch to do with enabling meaningful discourse, and IMO things that legitimately merit classified status should not be declassified just so we can talk about it.

rhizome• 13 years ago

Or it's an intentional Hobson's choice.

CWuestefeld• 13 years ago

NSA spokeswoman Judith Emmel said the actual words in the Patriot Act are the "best possible representation" of how the government has interpreted the law's authority.

I notice that the 4th Amendment doesn't factor into it.

mtgx2• 13 years ago

"best possible representation" - or you know, "least untruthful".

blueprint• 13 years ago

Except that it's not, even.

throwaway10001• 13 years ago

I notice that the 4th Amendment doesn't factor into it.

The 4th doesn't really apply if you're talking about the war on [drugs, terrorism, child molesters, tax cheaters, file sharers] etc. etc. etc. We are always at war

godgod• 13 years ago

I feel like this entire episode is like a teacher rejecting homework from a student and saying, this is crap, do it again.

tenpoundhammer• 13 years ago

Secrecy and classification have become a huge threat to freedom of speech and freedom in general.

When the government or any of it's agencies is given the authority to lie indiscriminately, that entity will become a threat to the constitution.

primitur2• 13 years ago

My mind looks at this statement:

""Alexander also noted that the NSA, under this part of the law, cannot intentionally target Americans in or outside the United States.""

.. and makes the conclusion that the NSA thinks it has the right to manage any relationship an American may have, by keeping data on all foreigners. In other words, the NSA thinks it has the right to know how your foreign friends are, American, and formulate a shadow around you consisting of a hole in the matrix.

What is it about American culture that allows itself to produce an entire body of citizens who truly believe they can operate as members of the broader conscious body of humans, existing as they do quite literally, gazing at navels?

I propose that Americans are fine being watched, because they want to be watched, primally. I think there is a deep-seated desire to actually have someone big, strong and brave, standing there watching every single thing you do. It can be seen as a reflection through the broader spectra of how we 'know these cultures'.

Perhaps the most criminal device in the world that has ever been used to attempt to cure cannibalism is indeed, the mirror ..

NSA fact sheet pulled after being challenged by Sen. Mark Udall

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