Keeping an EYE on EYEBALLS

As HDD types this post, there is a massive data mining NSA operation constructed in Bluffdale, UT, at a cost to US taxpayers of billions.


Instead of BUILDING THE CRUMBLING PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE, the US government via the intelligence apparatus is building a spying center in Utah.


This center has the capacity to track cell phone texts, GOOGLE searches, emails and cell phone conversations of ALL US CITIZENS and build a network graph, linking people and places and conversations.





According to an interesting discussion this morning on Democracy Now, William Binney, ex-NSA official who worked on Trail Blazer, a project that cost taxpayers $4 BILLION and was eventually SCRAPPED, in 2006 believes that the NSA routinely flouts privacy laws and is in direct opposition to several articles in the US Constitution in its data mining of US citizen electronic communications.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trailblazer_Project

Binney and his fellow whistle blowers have shed light on what exactly is going on at the heart of the intelligence apparatus in the name of "protecting the homeland".



Since 2001 and the attacks in NYC, military contractors have rifled the pockets of taxpayers via the DOD in a bid to "protect the homeland".

Companies such as SAIC received billions in government contracts to build Trailblazer which ended up a wasteful failure. Section 215 of the USA Patriot Act allows investigators broad access to OMOTS private searches on the Internet, purchases on AMAZON, even in some cases and states access to books READ AT THE LIBRARY!!!!

Here's the part that gives HDD cause for concern:

"`(a)(1) The Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation or a designee of the Director (whose rank shall be no lower than Assistant Special Agent in Charge) may make an application for an order requiring the production of any tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to protect against international terrorism or clandestine intelligence activities, provided that such investigation of a United States person is not conducted solely upon the basis of activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution."



The key part is "activities protected by the first amendment to the Constitution".

The New Yorker story right (which HDD read when it was published last year) gives an overview of "Thin thread" and another NSA whistle blower, Thomas Drake.

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2011/05/23/110523fa_fact_mayer

It seems that anyone who speaks out against GOVERNMENT WASTE AND ABUSE gets screwed, career wise, reputation wise and must approach brave journalists to get the truth out.

Here's the link to the IG (Inspector Generals) report on Trail Blazer and Thin Thread ---

www.fas.org/irp/agency/dod/ig-thinthread.pdf

Good luck deciphering this one and good luck in figuring out what was done to remedy the situation!