Greenwald: The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program

The National Security Agency is using complex analysis of electronic surveillance, rather than human intelligence, as the primary method to locate targets for lethal drone strikes – an unreliable tactic that results in the deaths of innocent or unidentified people.

According to a former drone operator for the military’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) who also worked with the NSA, the agency often identifies targets based on controversial metadata analysis and cell-phone tracking technologies. Rather than confirming a target’s identity with operatives or informants on the ground, the CIA or the U.S. military then orders a strike based on the activity and location of the mobile phone a person is believed to be using.

Greenwald: The NSA’s Secret Role in the U.S. Assassination Program

The new Greenwald website is now open... www.theintercept.com ... and it starts off with a big hit piece on the drone program... Using an unnamed drone operator source, Greenwald ties the NSA meta program to 'death by metadata'...

This is a detailed article about the drone program, how intelligence has changed from on location Intel with eyes on the ground to computer analysis and metadata for making targeting decisions. Given the fact that weddings, children, and other non combatants have been over 25 percent of the kill ratios it seems that this method is not as reliable in targeting.... let alone the legality and viability of such a program of death..

reply to post by R_Clark

So all the BS about having definite proof that their target is on location before a drone strike is approved is just that..... BS.

Not to mention killing an entire extended family, mothers/babies and all... just to kill one person.

reply to post by R_Clark


You know, the tactic of going after some grizzled terror suspects with drones is pretty bloody stupid as it is, since it is and always has been, a sledgehammer tactic, used almost exclusively where a scalpel would be better. However, using such idiotic tactics without making a proper effort to identify the target visually is beyond idiotic, and goes right through to murderous.

This wasteful way of making war must be replaced with something more accurate, with all possible speed.

I believe the name for this is sky net. Don't make it too automated, or else we're all doomed.

Skynet is a fictional, self-aware artificial intelligence metadata collection & analytics system which features centrally in the Terminator franchise and serves as the franchise's main antagonist. Rarely depicted visually in any of the Terminator media, Skynet's operations are almost exclusively performed by war-machines, cyborgs drones (usually a Terminator), and other computer systems, with the goal of exterminating the human race.

reply to post by R_Clark


In their defense, human assets on the ground get killed quite often.

By putting *reliable* people on the ground, you are risking them being captured, tortured, and killed.

It's all bad out here.... You lose or you lose sad to say... Trying to create peace in a war torn world is not easy.

When put in a lose/lose situation what do you do? Well, to put it simply, you lose the way that hurts your own people less. Either way you are taking an L though.

ETA: I would rather be dead than have innocent blood on my hands, though. Don't get me wrong. I do think things are being handled very improperly resulting in a high rate of innocent casualties. But, I don't think there has ever been a conflict that did not. That does not by any means excuse it, but it does put it in perspective.

FreeWillAnomaly
reply to post by R_Clark

 

In their defense, human assets on the ground get killed quite often.

By putting *reliable* people on the ground, you are risking them being captured, tortured, and killed.

It's all bad out here.... You lose or you lose sad to say... Trying to create peace in a war torn world is not easy.

When put in a lose/lose situation what do you do? Well, to put it simply, you lose the way that hurts your own people less. Either way you are taking an L though.

ETA: I would rather be dead than have innocent blood on my hands, though. Don't get me wrong. I do think things are being handled very improperly resulting in a high rate of innocent casualties. But, I don't think there has ever been a conflict that did not. That does not by any means excuse it, but it does put it in perspective.

edit on 10-2-2014 by FreeWillAnomaly because: (no reason given)

That's like saying dont brush your teeth because they're just gonna get dirty again any way. Forget about the consequences of tooth decay and rot.

reply to post by R_Clark


And we only have Greenwald's word for source? An anti-american's rant? Seems like there's a bias.

It's like asking the Big Oil corporation about the effect of CO2 on the atmosphere.

Interviewer: "Hello everybody, I'm G. W. Bush, and today we'll learn the truth about CO2. Exxon, please tell us the truth about CO2. "

Exxon: "Burning fossil fuel won't result in any change of climate. Take our word for it. "

Really?

I have to ask... Is Greenwald and the rest ever planning to release what they are sitting on and hoarding for information ..or just trickle it out this way, at strategic moments, to do the most damage?

Is this about changing things or revenge and retribution? If these folks want to use what Snowden stole from this nation for change and positive things? GOOD... God knows we need change and reformation in the true sense among Intelligence and Military ...if not a whole lot more.

If it's just to play God with world events by tossing out specially timed leaks to really stick it to Uncle Sam whenever possible? I do hope he and those with him are captured and fnd out....painfully and over long years...what the Black Site program actually *IS* and what really happens to human beings who enter it. Few, if any come back out of it ...but that's fine too if this is his motivation at this stage. Harm...can be returned in kind and with interest. That's fine by me.

I'd still prefer change and that means releasing all of it ...not just what looks the most juicy for headlines that day.

reply to post by R_Clark


I would suggest that everyone share phones, cars and anything that can be tracked to obfuscate meta data collection, but that wouldn't stop the NSA or the US military. Even if they killed off 25% of the world population they would still keep going like the energizer bunny from hell. What is required (although I don't advocate it) is revolution and the trials of these people in control, in a real court to examine criminal and treasonous activity followed by subsequent and permanent sentencing.

Cheers - Dave

Isn't it up to congress to fund or not to fund these types of activities?

Stop killing people on my dime!

I can think of better things to put my money towards, blood lust for resources is not one of them.

2 separate programs?

Currently the CIA and the Pentagon operate separate drone programs geared toward eliminating high-level terrorist targets around the world. According to The Post, the policy shift would have the most effect on Yemen, where both the Pentagon and CIA operate overlapping programs.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Well, let me put it to you like this...

If ALL the information was dumped all at once, there'd be headlines for a while ... but it'd die out. I think, Greenwald wants to keep relevant and in the media by this slow trickle.

People have short attention spans. Look at the Wikileaks data dumps. WIkileaks will dump massive amounts of data on the public and make a few headlines -- and not be heard again until they release more information. Only the really curious people will dig through the mountains of data, and they're usually not journalists.

I do see what your saying, and I've often pondered it myself...

reply to post by boncho


Normally, I am on the other side of your arguments... but you are right on here..

let's hope someone doesn't go away for that pizza and sex party .... and whoops... we have a whole dead city..

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


Should you blame Greenwald? Maybe, we should blame MTV and the 10 second sound bite for the current attention span problem... It may be that he just understands that we all have this deficit built in and he is working around it...

lol

As long as Greenwald is causing them pain, worry and humiliation I'm good with whatever schedule he wants to dole out the docs.

The scumbags who caused this metadata-murder mess in the first place deserve all the pain, worry and humiliation they get. I've got no sympathy for the current version of the NSA or the pols who support them.

reply to post by Wrabbit2000


What is the Black Site program?

Cheers dave............two thumbs up!

reply to post by MystikMushroom


Mystik.... 20k Karma score... your my hero!... no sarcasm..

reply to post by R_Clark


Don't hate the player...

Nah, it's some kind of glitch that isn't a super high priority apparently. I've asked about it.

reply to post by FreeWillAnomaly


Black sites, in intelligence parlance, are facilities which are not on the sovereign soil of the organisation which controls them or uses them. Some are run on behalf of intelligence agencies like the CIA, NSA, and I would imagine that the British have some as well. They are often maintained by persons from the host nation, although not necessarily from that nations intelligence community.

Essentially, they exist so that prisoners can be rendered from the point at which they are captured, anywhere on the planet, or from another prison, to these sites, within the walls of which, torture, and various other infringements of the Human Rights laws are run of the mill. They are used to contain, torture and interrogate prisoners using "advanced" tactics. The reason that the US for example, maintains black sites, is that if it were revealed that the intelligence services were using torture tactics on US soil, there would be an uproar, and it would be far too easy for the press, and the public, to demonstrate if the sites were local enough.

By keeping these sites off the books, and out of the country, the intelligence community can act without scrutiny, and with plausible deniability about what happens there, and who is in control.

reply to post by TrueBrit


Thanks for the explanation. I figured they would just use already existent proxies in 3rd world countries to do that stuff, probably with an overseer or two, and that no actual program would be needed. As needed basis type of deal. Then again, I guess an ongoing program would make sense to develop new interrogation techniques.

Anyways, it won't be long (if they can't do it already) until they can just literally hack into peoples minds.