Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!
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Posted on 08/24/2013 9:46:18 AM PDT by Jim Robinson
The National Security Agency paid millions of dollars to cover the costs of major internet companies involved in the Prism surveillance program after a court ruled that some of the agency's activities were unconstitutional, according to top-secret material passed to the Guardian.
The technology companies, which the NSA says includes Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook, incurred the costs to meet new certification demands in the wake of the ruling from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (Fisa) court.
The October 2011 judgment, which was declassified on Wednesday by the Obama administration, found that the NSA's inability to separate purely domestic communications from foreign traffic violated the fourth amendment.
While the ruling did not concern the Prism program directly, documents passed to the Guardian by whistleblower Edward Snowden describe the problems the decision created for the agency and the efforts required to bring operations into compliance. The material provides the first evidence of a financial relationship between the tech companies and the NSA.
The intelligence agency requires the Fisa court to sign annual "certifications" that provide the legal framework for surveillance operations. But in the wake of the court judgment these were only being renewed on a temporary basis while the agency worked on a solution to the processes that had been ruled illegal.
An NSA newsletter entry, marked top secret and dated December 2012, discloses the huge costs this entailed. "Last year's problems resulted in multiple extensions to the certifications' expiration dates which cost millions of dollars for Prism providers to implement each successive extension – costs covered by Special Source Operations," it says...
(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...
No wonder they were so eager to comply.
That’s fine, but since when does it matter that the Feds misspend Other People’s Money?
Congress will fund it anyway out of fear of maybe shutting down the government.
Thanks for posting, JR. Freepers missed this one!
See, right here in this statement is all that is wrong with the entire oversight of the court.
The Intelligence agency REQUIRES the court do something? Isn't that Ack-basswords?
Doesn't this imply that the NSA has the whip hand and the court's job is to step and fetch it?
So the court is essentially working for the agency it's supposed to be overseeing, all to make us little people believe the Constitution is being followed.
They're all Oath breakers then. When you raise your right hand and take an OATH to obey and protect the Constitution of the United States, that doesn't mean coming up with elaborate tricks to circumvent it, does it?
Amend the Constitution or your oath DEMANDS you obey it. If you cannot, quit your government job and resign your authority.
There is no other way for any man of honor.
So now our tech companies are known and labeled as “PRISM PROVIDERS”. How wonderful. I swear it is tempting to return to two tin cans and a length of strong...
Since certification caused additional expense , where did that money come from ? ... and where did it go ?
Prior to Snowden's release of information to the Amercian public , the American people were ignorant of the extent of the NSA program
NSA was supposedly designed and funded for the purpose of FOREIGN INTELLIGENCE , not domestic data mining surviellance !!
President Obama wants Snowden charged with aiding the enemy ; that means according to the Fed that "we the people" are the enemy !!
What hasnt been said is that OBAMA has made all this NSA information available to the FBI, DEA, HHS, IRS, SEC, Treasury Dept FINCEP, local and state police.and OTHERS here as well as OVERSEAS..and the surveillance of the american citizen is exactly what has been written about about the seizures of power...
Note that not one commentator has remarked how this information is being used in local, state and Federal aeizures, harassment,and political attacks...
Not one commentator has remarked that OBAMA could identify these measures to USE against political opponents ....i am shocked that the former Chairman of GOOGLE would be allowed to BUY all of OBAMA”s campaign data which may have ‘restraint of trade” side agreements that deny public information to political opponent parties and those running for office...
Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping!
To get onto The Nut-job Conspiracy Theory Ping List you must threaten to report me to the Mods if I don’t add you to the list...
If it weren't for Snowden , we all would still be ignorant of the extent to which our constitutional rights were being violated by our own government.
Obama has designated Veterans , VFW, religious organizations, conservative folks , tea party, etc., as enemies.
I feel priviledged to be in such company !
John Boehner and John Mc Lame are the constructors of VICHY GOVERNMENT and should be' tarred and feathered , and driven out of town on a rail '.
I think your reply stands for another correction...It’s WILLFUL ignorance.
There was NO chance the ‘Patriot Act’/TSA/etc. was anything BUT a full assault of our Rights, wrapped in the flag and defended by BOTH sides as allowing the ‘terrorists to win’. Snowden only forced it all into the public eye, where it could NOT be ignored any longer.
As to the last, I’m with you there...in good company and fighting against the ‘lesser or two evils’ B.S. at every turn.
bump
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