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NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

washingtonpost.com

151–160 of 196 posts

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#151

So now they can detect the location of the "target" and send a drone to kill them from the convenience of their office, before going on lunch break. This really sickens me. They are inferring so much and therefore many innocent people are and will suffer. To me this system is pure evil however much the nsa try to sugar coat or spin it. Who gave them the right to do this, to track people around the world and in many c…

The people they kill are those who have killed others. Quit pretending they are innocents just minding their own business.

I'm sorry this is just untrue. It would take 5 mins of research to realise how many innocent people have died due to extrajudicial drone attacks.

Generations of people categorised as "collateral damage" to me is evil.

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#152

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Or sometimes wedding parties, such as one where the US government murdered 47 innocent people: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deh_Bala_wedding_party_airstri...

You mean like the 3000 in the World Trade Center?

not sure if you are just being a troll with that statement.

The loss of all innocent life is wrong, regardless of who the perpetrator is or the skin colour of the victim.

Its one thing for a terrorist to behave like a terrorist and another thing for a publicly financed government to behave like one

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#153

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The KGB and spy agencies of old used to need to assign agents to sit outside your house to watch you. The NSA is a different breed of agency, who can now record whatever everyone reads, hears or says and keep these records almost forever.

Has nothing to do with my point.

What point do you think you're making?

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#154
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

...or make you think you have done something useful.

The "Brexit" stats have clearly shown that UK would have remained in the EU if the "millenials" had really made use of their right to vote. The "old" generation (voting to leave the EU) clearly understands the value of their vote(s).

Something that's always bothered me about people who complain about low voter turnout among young demographics in the US is that young people are the least likely to be able to make it to the polls. In the US, election days are like any other- your employer is required to accommodate your vote, but in practice, younger demographics are much more likely to be working multiple shit jobs with bosses who treat them like disposable labor and couldn't care less about their rights. There are initiatives in many places to literally ship retired voters to the polls so they can vote, but our government seems to make it difficult for working people to vote. Or, while we're at it, take advantage of any other government service like the DMV, post office, etc that are only open during business hours.

Are election days national holidays in the UK?

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#155

Earlier quoted context omitted.

So you think using any of that protects you from the Chinese, KGB, etc.? Did you forget to block localStorage, too?

The KGB ceased to exist in 1991 with the break-up of the Soviet Union, a full three years before HTTPS was invented. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KGB https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTPS

KGB/FSB are interchangeable. I don't think this pedantry invalidates his point. The reality is that if the US is caught doing something you can bet other countries are doing the same, and if not more, considering how little oversight autocratic states have. This is basic game theory and how countries handle foreign relations. Hell, Putin murders journalists on a whim. That's a far cry from cellphone tracking.

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How do you see anything as credible evidence unless you saw it yourself? HuffPo is a (reasonbly) credible new source that links to The Intercept that built its articles from the Drone Papers. I didn't go independently verify every fact in every article that contributed to the previous one I linked to. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civilian_casualties_from_US_dr... Here. Is that sufficient, or would you like video evi…

Wikipedia is fine, but if you think HuffPo is credible you're living on another planet.

I said "reasonably." I at least followed the trail to The Intercept and figured the stat was in there somewhere.

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#157
post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

unfortunately you're part of a minority. The mere fact that the election will happen between Clinton and Trump makes me think that mass surveillance and lack of respect for other countries are going to continue and probably worsen. Clinton: http://time.com/4150694/hillary-clinton-calls-for-more-surve... Trump (not that it's really necessary): http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/presidential-races/26167...

I'm hesitant to consider the next presidential election's results as a harbinger of the state of politics during the 2020 or 2024 races. The Baby Boomer generation's influence is waning and I'm optimistic that the next generations who did not grow up in a period of extreme mutual distrust like we saw post-WW2 and during the Cold War will be better suited to lead. It's going to take us, as a global group of people on…

That sounds nice. It won't happen, but it sounds nice.

Every generation has felt they could do things better than the previous (old people shouldn't be allowed to vote has been stated lately), until they learn what it was the previous generation had to deal with. The mutual distrust among certain parties do go away after time, look at all the countries that were at war in WW2 that are now allies. But there is always somebody that jumps in to take advantage of the newfound peace and harmony to further their agenda. Sometimes it leads to a return of mistrust, sometimes it leads to war.

What you are describing is every agency of authority agreeing with each other across numerous nation-states, economies, cultures, and more. Some of which are directly opposed to each other, possibly violently.

The human race is simply not ready for that level of cooperation and will not for a very long time. Losing sight of that will only lead to hardship and suffering. Likely the only way for such a thing to happen is for it to be forced among people with violence. Then that status maintained for multiple generations until the old ways have been forgotten.

But your way is a nice thought and should be attempted at least.

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#158
post #78

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think it's age more than generational. Every generation is idealistic in youth. By the time you've lived 50 or 60 years you see that you cannot wish the world to be the way you want it to be, and things are more complicated than they seemed when you were 22.

To some extent, sure. But also I've noticed that easy, cheap global communication enabled by the web and similar technologies has given people wider access to info and viewpoints from around the world whereas in past generations, you had to study abroad or live in a cosmopolitan city to get a lot of that. I don't mean to suggest that provincialism is dead and buried but I do think that a 20-year-old today has much gr…

That doesn't necessarily make them wiser.

Re: NSA tracking cellphone locations worldwide, Snowden documents show (2013)

#160

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't think a responsible person can possibly vote for a major party candidate. Doing so just results in the same powerful interests remaining entrenched. There's always the "oh no what if so and so gets elected" but it always turns out that any major party candidate does pretty much the same stuff once elected. Obama continued and extended the Bush Doctrine on foreign affairs, for example.

All first past the post systems like we have in the US will trend towards a two-party system. It sucks because voting third party just takes votes away from the major party candidate that most closely represents your views. To maximize your influence you have to hold your nose and vote for the major party candidate that most closely represents your views... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s7tWHJfhiyo

I'm pretty morally opposed to voting for a ruler I don't personally support. At least if Hillary decides she wants to break some more laws I have the excuse I didn't support her at any point.

Unfortunately, with Trump (if he's elected), there's a chance not supporting him would mean I'm imprisoned so... you win some, you lose some.

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