71–80 of 105 posts
Hacker News is too USA-centric. What if Italy spied the USA? Including the metadata of all citizens' calls? It's that ok?
Thing is, Italy is not a world power with dominance in information technologies and global ambitions.
Spying on other governments is the NSA's job. The problem is when it starts spying on ordinary citizens.
I'm sure we're all glad to know that those of us not born into the Holy Light of the USA are subhuman scum unworthy or consideration.
In news today, the SIGINT branch of the United States government collected signals intelligence on a key public official in another country; in particular, it did this at a moment of crisis, allowing the United States government to have an edge of knowledge in charting its policies.
Yeah I sort of thought that's its legitimate purpose (as opposed to domestic surveillance).
An organization's function is the set of all its capabilities. We should seek to define the purpose of a state entity by limiting its function via mechanism, rather than by hoping for good people to do the right thing. There is no reliable mechanism by which moral people bubble up to the top of power.
I feel glad today that the NSA acted in promotion of American interests, but I feel that is a incidental exercise of its many capabilities, and so my feelings are fickle.
Spying on other governments is the NSA's job. The problem is when it starts spying on ordinary citizens.
Well that's what bothers me too: You have no rights as a non-American person. The NSA could not care less about your privacy. I'm not a terrorist and yet the NSA can do whatever it wants with me, and that's scary.
In news today, the SIGINT branch of the United States government collected signals intelligence on a key public official in another country; in particular, it did this at a moment of crisis, allowing the United States government to have an edge of knowledge in charting its policies.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Yeah I sort of thought that's its legitimate purpose (as opposed to domestic surveillance).
While I agree that the NSA acted as intended, I wish to add with a moderately tangential discussion by saying that organizations ought not be viewed under the lens of their chartered purpose, but rather their function. An organization's function is the set of all its capabilities. We should seek to define the purpose of a state entity by limiting its function via mechanism, rather than by hoping for good people to do…
It certain doesn't seem as if it has effective oversight in this matter, based on comments from congresspeople as to the level of information they are given.
In this instance, it seems as if the NSA is doing their job. In other instances... doesn't seem like it.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'm glad my username amused you, but you're the originator of a thread calling Assange's message into question because you "don't know his motives". "Look, we've had police combing this guy's house for weeks and we have nothing! Nobody is that clean, he must be dirty!" But of course we all believe that you're just honestly speculating.
This is literally my first time engaging in an Internet flame war. It's kind of fun. To address your comment, Mr. Hominem, I never called Assange's motives into question. I'm providing a valuable service of an alternative perspective. The fact that I instigated a flame war is evidence of the hacker news echo chamber. I suspect once my comment crosses into -1 territory my opinions will be disregarded by the same peopl…
Please don't.
Spying on other governments is the NSA's job. The problem is when it starts spying on ordinary citizens.
> The problem is when it starts spying on ordinary citizens. I'm sure we're all glad to know that those of us not born into the Holy Light of the USA are subhuman scum unworthy or consideration.
In news today, the SIGINT branch of the United States government collected signals intelligence on a key public official in another country; in particular, it did this at a moment of crisis, allowing the United States government to have an edge of knowledge in charting its policies.
Well for us, European citizens, the shock is not that the NSA tries, it is that it succeeds. And that our officials are surprised to learn about the attempts.