NSA is keeping logs of phones calls in the US

The NSA has been collecting logs of phone calls in the US. The measure is normally prevented by law. The programme is a data-mining programme that compares records of who calls who, in order to reveal networks of individual citizens. Then, apparently, other intelligence, presumably nationally and internationally collected, is used to 'flag' these networks for further investigation or action.



The programme is illegal.

The administration has reported that it informed 'relevant' congresspersons, however, such a programme requires, minimally, that Congress approve it as a whole.

Listening in on phone calls to suspected terrorists, or even people suspected of association with suspected terrorists, makes a certain degree of sense, especially when you are in a state of war.

This does not make sense, this is not acceptable, this is illegal, this is wrong, and this is an excessive intrusion on personal privacy and individual rights.

We've already seen that AT&T is handing over bulk user internet data, who visits what sites, when they do, and who they communicate with, irrespective of even being suspected of association with terrorists.

We've already seen that there are questionably legal wiretapping programs listening in on, so we are assured, "only" international calls.

We have been continuously told, in blatant lies, that no such programmes exist, and each month another one is revealed. All the while, the clandestine and illegal spying on American citizens goes on, while new laws are bandied about to imprison people who have the sense to inform the public.


Related News Links:
www.usatoday.com
news.yahoo.com
www.epic.org
www.privacyrights.org

Related AboveTopSecret.com Discussion Threads:
ATS: AT&T Narus Collaboration Sent Your Private Internet Communications to The NSA
POLITICS: Bush Faces Republican Revolt Over Spying
1 in 5 Americans Think Feds Tapping Their Calls
POLITICS: New law would outlaw anyone revealing US eavesdropping programs

Just to see our democracy crumble into ruins and our constitutional rights step and soiled make my eyes fill with tears.

What happening to our nation is just beyond explanation when it comes to our corrupted government and we know that our democratic systems is fix to help with this problem.

But whats happening with the people in our nation is what is worrying me the most, where are the outrage and cries and demands for justice are we so submissive that we can not see any evil?

To make this blatant take over of our constitutional rights we have our own elected President making sure that the people he surrounds himself with are going to do just what he wants.

Now the CIA appointee is nothing better than the same man that was behind the illegal surveillance while been a member of the NSA.

And by the standards of Bush supporters in these boards I am supouse to shut my mouth and behave like a good American.

What a shame.

Already posted here.

www.abovetopsecret.com...

This is not surprising to me. We knew it was happening, just hadn't been reported in major news media. And I wonder how long people can support an administration that does this to its people... :shk:

From the USA Today article:

Trying to put pressure on Qwest, NSA representatives pointedly told Qwest that it was the lone holdout among the big telecommunications companies. It also tried appealing to Qwest's patriotic side: In one meeting, an NSA representative suggested that Qwest's refusal to contribute to the database could compromise national security, one person recalled.

In addition, the agency suggested that Qwest's foot-dragging might affect its ability to get future classified work with the government. Like other big telecommunications companies, Qwest already had classified contracts and hoped to get more.

So... it's being hinted at that Qwest's refusal to cooperate is a threat to national security (they're apparently terrorists) and the NSA is also blackmailing Qwest to get them to cooperate. This sounds like the mafia!

Good article!

FINE. Then Lower the damn price.

Comcast all of a sudden has lousy service, and the phone calls? You have to now dial twice, not once. The first one doesnt go anywhere, or does it???? If you're going to inconvenience me and give me re-routed lousy service, let the government pay for the darn service. They seem to be getting more out of it than i am.

The government must be very proud of its American subjects. Not a peep out of us.


[edit on 11-5-2006 by dgtempe]

I voted yes for this and I just read pretty much the same article on CNN.

The White House defended its overall eavesdropping program and said no domestic surveillance is conducted without court approval.

Um correct me if I'm wrong but wasn't there a big todo about this being done without court approval?

"The intelligence activities undertaken by the United States government are lawful, necessary and required to protect Americans from terrorist attacks," said Dana Perino, the deputy White House press secretary, who added that appropriate members of Congress have been briefed on intelligence activities.

So tens of millions of Americans are terrorist or in cahoots with terrorist?And only use the phone and internet to do this cahooting?

And who are the appropriate members of congress that were notified or briefed on these intelligence activities?Should congress as a whole be told?Shouldn't the American people be told?I for one am not amused that my phonecalls or internet activity has possibly been listened in on or even just the numbers I dialed recorded.

Sen. Patrick Leahy of Vermont said

"Are you telling me that tens of millions of Americans are involved with al Qaeda?" Leahy asked. "These are tens of millions of Americans who are not suspected of anything ... Where does it stop?"

The program does not involve listening to or taping the calls. Instead it documents who talks to whom in personal and business calls, whether local or long distance, by tracking which numbers are called, the newspaper said.

So I guess the feds have the al Qaeda white and yellow pages and just wants to make sure none of us Americans are calling them?

Welcome to the war on terror ladies and gentlemen...Don't worry if you aren't American then you have nothing to fear


Those of you that agree with this and will come on here to try and flame me or say I'm just paranoid...that's fine you have that right..But before you do think of it as you call your grandmother for that pie recipe..now its recorded that you called that number..or you call your doc to get some more cream to take care of that nasty rash and now that number you just dialed is recorded.Are you,your granny,or your doctor a terrorist?

To congress..It's nice to see you're actually taking an interest in the American people instead of sticking your fat noses into other countries' affairs for a change but this isn't exactly what the American people had in mind...If you continue to treat Americans like terrorist then sooner or later we will become your terrorist and nothing not even your Commander in chief who thinks that some god is on his side will be able to save you once you piss us off alittle more.But all this phone and internet monitoring tells me that you're already afraid of us.
Just remember we hired you just as easily as we can fire you..The choice will be yours as to how easy or hard you make it on yourselves when we come to fire you.

Simon

Simon, honey, you are sooo right. The only thing is, no, we cannot fire our government any longer. Nor can we fire congress.
We are stuck unless the entire population in America does something NOW.

I am not now, nor have I ever 'cahooted'.

Phone companies have been collecting this information for years. Look at your cell phone bills, every call right there. Your land line bill usually details only the long distance, but all other calls are available.

Its been part of the background noise of our culture for years that more and more information is being collected on us and stored in databases. What was our response? So....I'm not doing 'nuffin wrong.

Now "Big Brother" (that's right, I said "Big Brother", just like in that scary a** book) is getting his slimy hands on it. I'm starting to think George Orwell was a prophet who missed by only 20-30 yrs.

How much of this nonsense can be blamed on our complacency? This is a democracy, we put the current structure in place. The powers that be are taking advantage of the appalling ignorance and 'so what' attitude rampant in our society.

We have to attempt a change with political activism and the ballot box.

[edit on 11-5-2006 by MrPenny]

Bush just denied on TV that the government mined or trolled for information on Americans.

Even if they didn't listen to the actual telephone conversations, a pentrap (capturing numbers dialed) is ILLEGAL without a court order.

Bush deserves Hell. The FBI, ATF, CIA, and NSA deserve hell along with him.

It's treason to the Constitution and our laws. Pretty soon we won't have the laws and the Constitution to cite because all of these people are doing everything they can to try and abolish them and put in new laws that strip us of our rights.

[edit on 11-5-2006 by ImplementOfWar]

[edit on 11-5-2006 by ImplementOfWar]

Yes I just sat through his entire speech he does look like the dictator that he has become more and more whatever he opens his mouth to blatantly lie to the American people.

And as you can see in these boards people still swear by him.

Only the older generation that has been through the 60s and the Nixon affair knows how bad our country government has become.

This like Nixon all over again and worst.

There was a speech?I gotta turn my television on more

Originally posted by marg6043
This like Nixon all over again and worst.

IMO marg....it's much worse. Primarily because of the amount of "so what".

I voted for this man, and now he is making me ashamed of my choice. How could I have been such a fool?

My most sinking reaction to this is a nagging feeling that it wouldn't have mattered who was President right now. I think this would be going on anyway.

That is the scariest thought of all.

It was funny how FOXNEWS had some idiot lady on TV that said this 5 seconds before Bush ran out and starting lying.

She said something like

"These accusations appear to not break any laws because the Reauthorization of the Patriot Act had certain provisions in it that would allow the government these privelages to search business records blah blah blah, and the Resomethingorother of the FISA act allowed the government to stick a probe up your ass and then lie and say it was legal."

Then Bush ran out and gave a 30 second speech of how "We dont spy on americans, we only spy on Al Quaida blah blah">



I guess the millions and millions of "phone records" they have are all Al Quaida. We must have a real AL Quaida problem if 10 million + US citizens were eavesdropped on without a court order.

And if they were Al Quaida, then why no court order? This is why we have the system, if people are bad the court issues a warrant.

Obviously Bush is full of # and he deserves impeachment or public humiliation.


[edit on 11-5-2006 by ImplementOfWar]

Originally posted by Relentless
My most sinking reaction to this is a nagging feeling that it wouldn't have mattered who was President right now. I think this would be going on anyway.

That is the scariest thought of all.

I have to disagree on one point...I don't think we would have gone to Iraq if it wasn't for Bush...On everything else yeah I agree..I think our government has been trying to get the US population under it's control for a long time.Or should I say more under it's control.And I have a sneaky suspicion that the US has had plans to control the middle east and become the oil dogs of the world for years.

Guess what, participants of the Hannity rabid right wing forum are actually angry at Qwest for refusing to illegally eavesdrop on the citizens, and also angry at the papers who broke the story!

Originally posted by MrPenny

Originally posted by marg6043
This like Nixon all over again and worst.

IMO marg....it's much worse. Primarily because of the amount of "so what".

I voted for this man, and now he is making me ashamed of my choice. How could I have been such a fool?

Nixon was a teddybear. I long for those days....If only they'd come back...and society was smart enough to know a liar when they saw one....

Heh... Im surprised with how many people think these are all recent developments.

The rules haven't changed. Don't make sensitive communications via insecure phones. Don't transmit sensitive information unencrypted over the Internet. What else is new?

Originally posted by ImplementOfWar


"These accusations appear to not break any laws because the Reauthorization of the Patriot Act had certain provisions in it that would allow the government these privelages to search business records blah blah blah, and the Resomethingorother of the FISA act allowed the government to stick a probe up your ass and then lie and say it was legal."

Christ...do these people in congress just not give a crap what they do to us or did they not really read the Patriot Act before voting it in again like they did last time


What I want to know is why the American people didn't get to vote on the PATRIOT ACT?
Or why didn't we get copies of it to read first so we could them lobby our reps not to vote yes on it?Because they knew we'd all tell them to stuff it.

This cracks me up! Yeah, like as if the NSA has nothing better to do than listen to a bunch of phone calls where lips are flapping in breezes like diapers on clothes' lines.

Every American wants to be safe from terrorists and yet some don't want their government empowered to keep them safe. Anyone for ping-pong?

[edit on 11-5-2006 by signs]