Illegal Wiretapping HINDERED Intelligence Efforts Post 9/11

Well this is definitely an eye opener. The relentless calls of "illegal wiretapping keeps america safe" are now rendered moot by evidence obtained by the New York Times to be published in tomorrows paper.

The scheme is inefficient and has been hindering intelligence gathering methods by leading the FBI and other agencies to dead ends and innocent Americans.

The New York Times
WASHINGTON, Jan. 16 - In the anxious months after the Sept. 11 attacks, the National Security Agency began sending a steady stream of telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and names to the F.B.I. in search of terrorists. The stream soon became a flood, requiring hundreds of agents to check out thousands of tips a month.

But virtually all of them, current and former officials say, led to dead ends or innocent Americans.

F.B.I. officials repeatedly complained to the spy agency, which was collecting much of the data by eavesdropping on some Americans' international communications and conducting computer searches of foreign-related phone and Internet traffic, that the unfiltered information was swamping investigators. Some F.B.I. officials and prosecutors also thought the checks, which sometimes involved interviews by agents, were pointless intrusions on Americans' privacy.

Perhaps this is why the illegal wiretapping story was leaked to the press... to give them a break from a ceaseless stream of useless data.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt it legal to eavesdrop on international calls?
Under the Foreign Intelligence Act, it is legal. Which is exactly what they were doing. And in the wiretapping of emails they screen for specific words(bomb, kill ect.) using computers to do the work for that.

NSA

Awesome scoop, Nerdling. I have been thinking about this and you clarified something for me.

The real hidden technique with data mining and massive, carnivore-type vacuum-spying is that it can act as cover, just like a smoke grenade. You can literally bury a group of analysts in mountains of recorded phone calls, emails, etc. The dillution of attention will provide gaps for you to move undetected.

Perhaps it was deliberate and the conspirators used that information overflow to 'break' the intelligence system (paralyzing the effectiveness of the agents), just like a tcpip network gets 'broken' by a packet flood (paralyzed software agents).

Maybe that was the goal.

smallpeeps
I think you nailed it.

nerdling
Thanks for posting this. If I'm not mistaken, the snowball is building momentum and heading downhill.

very interesting find, i found it just more disappointing news. swamping intel agencies is hardly a way to stop terror threats in our country. i feel like they are doing more harm the good on this one.

small peeps nice theory, i like that. its definately an idea that s feesible.

Great catch Nerdling. Thanks.

Too much information gumming up the system. Hmmm. Does sound like a great defensive strategy.

Originally posted by ludaChris
Correct me if I'm wrong, but isnt it legal to eavesdrop on international calls?
Under the Foreign Intelligence Act, it is legal. Which is exactly what they were doing. And in the wiretapping of emails they screen for specific words(bomb, kill ect.) using computers to do the work for that.

NSA

You're very wrong actually. If you've been following this whole NSA Wiretapping story then you'd know they are indeed spying on every single phone call, email, etc, domestic or international.

The "leaker" is still in ties with the newspaper it seems.

Nerdling, I can't get your link to function.

Here it is on M$N...

Report: NSA post-9/11 data sidetracked FBI



[edit on 17-1-2006 by smallpeeps]

Like I said the news were first in the media.

It was all a rat chase, and not arrest where ever made.

So the so call wire tapping was actually more into knowing what different groups were doing in American than Al-qaida related communications.

In other words perhaps Bush wanted to know how many Americans were his enemy here in the US.

They hate me, the all hate.

They were busy alright with tons of Americans private conversations.