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NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

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Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#11

Post by bdr »

hugh3 wrote: post #5
powrtoch wrote: post #2

Really though. If you wanted to claim that it was just for research, why give it such an inflammatory name? Compare: 1) WebReader is monitoring internet data. 2) Perfect Citizen is monitoring internet data. Which one do you expect to be a robocop-like being that will kick down your door at night and declare "verdict: guilty, sentence: execution"? Not that this doesn't reflect an irrational trust on your part of innoc…

It reminds me of the London "Secure Beneath The Watchful Eyes" poster campaign from a few years ago: http://www.art-for-a-change.com/News/eyes.htm Either somebody is having an Orwellian joke, or somebody is frighteningly tone-deaf. I mean, even "Patriot Act" probably seemed like a good idea at the time (as did my personal favourite, Operation Infinite Justice), but Perfect Citizen is just weird.

The Iraq invasion was originally "Operation Iraqi Liberation" -- O.I.L.

Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#12

Post by metamemetics »

If you are an American HNer, please tell your congressmen\women to reform the Electronic Communications Privacy Act if you have not already. Your private information should not be excluded from 4th ammendment protection just because it's on the Internet.

If you don't know how to contact your representative\senator, the ACLU makes it extremely easy and can locate them for you and send a letter on your behalf via this online form:

https://secure.aclu.org/site/Advocacy?cmd=display&page=U...

From the website:

"Today, the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA), which should safeguard electronic communications records (like your email or chat logs) and the information you share with companies, is in serious need of an update.

The government should have to go to a judge and get a warrant that says it has probable cause to believe you've committed a crime before it can read your email, browse through your social networking account, or track your location."

Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#13

Post by drawkbox »

powrtoch wrote: post #2

Really though. If you wanted to claim that it was just for research, why give it such an inflammatory name? Compare: 1) WebReader is monitoring internet data. 2) Perfect Citizen is monitoring internet data. Which one do you expect to be a robocop-like being that will kick down your door at night and declare "verdict: guilty, sentence: execution"? Not that this doesn't reflect an irrational trust on your part of innoc…

It seems there are more and more of these like the naming of the 'Patriot Act'. 'Perfect Citizen' is almost doublespeak at this point. What is happening here?

Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#14

Post by sp332 »

powrtoch wrote: post #2

Really though. If you wanted to claim that it was just for research, why give it such an inflammatory name? Compare: 1) WebReader is monitoring internet data. 2) Perfect Citizen is monitoring internet data. Which one do you expect to be a robocop-like being that will kick down your door at night and declare "verdict: guilty, sentence: execution"? Not that this doesn't reflect an irrational trust on your part of innoc…

It's to distract people from the actual citizen-monitoring program, which is code-named "Somebody Else's Problem."

Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#16

Post by WiseWeasel »

rdtsc wrote: post #8

I am not sure why this is a big deal. NSA has been watching the internet for a long time. A lot of those operations are probably shadowy classified ones. That kind of information is good for high level decision making and sensitive projects, but is not very useful in bullying regular citizens who might post something "anonymously" on some forum. What the government needs is a plausable cover for "we see what you did…

They want to install snooping equipment on (a much greater portion of) private networks, such as the internal networks of major corporations. That's quite a large ambition.

Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#17

Post by [deleted] »

powrtoch wrote: post #2

Really though. If you wanted to claim that it was just for research, why give it such an inflammatory name? Compare: 1) WebReader is monitoring internet data. 2) Perfect Citizen is monitoring internet data. Which one do you expect to be a robocop-like being that will kick down your door at night and declare "verdict: guilty, sentence: execution"? Not that this doesn't reflect an irrational trust on your part of innoc…

[deleted]

Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#19

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Re: NSA Hooking Up Ominously Named 'Perfect Citizen' To Watch The Internet

#20

Post by rdtsc »

powrtoch wrote: post #2

Really though. If you wanted to claim that it was just for research, why give it such an inflammatory name? Compare: 1) WebReader is monitoring internet data. 2) Perfect Citizen is monitoring internet data. Which one do you expect to be a robocop-like being that will kick down your door at night and declare "verdict: guilty, sentence: execution"? Not that this doesn't reflect an irrational trust on your part of innoc…

Different kind of research -- probably a media and public reaction test. It is not that uncommon for spy agencies to release disinformation and test the outcome.
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