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Mass Surveillance in the United States

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Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#21
post #2

"By 2020, about 30,000 unmanned drones are expected to be deployed in the United States for the purpose of surveillance and law enforcement"

https://longreads.com/2019/06/21/nothing-kept-me-up-at-night...

I read this article a few days ago about WAMI technology, and I wasn't remotely aware of how advanced drone surveillance tech is.

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More people die from choking on food every year in the USA than die from terrorism AND police.

This is a silly comparison. Terrorist can kill 30 people in one attack or even break down a whole building with a bomb. When did 30 people choke by one piece of food? And we don't have another 911 may because of mass surveillance. Shall we try removing the surveillance to see whether terrorist attack increases?

We don't have another 911 because it was a tactic that could work exactly once. No pilot/crew/passengers would stand idly by and hope things work out in another plane hijacking because they expect they're dead either way.

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More people die from choking on food every year in the USA than die from terrorism AND police.

This is a silly comparison. Terrorist can kill 30 people in one attack or even break down a whole building with a bomb. When did 30 people choke by one piece of food? And we don't have another 911 may because of mass surveillance. Shall we try removing the surveillance to see whether terrorist attack increases?

Maybe spending untold billions of dollars on a mass surveillance state that cows the population into authoritarian submission is a phyrric response to the threat of terrorism.

Terrorism which is exacerbated by our own shadowy geopolitical agendas...

And it's ludicrous to say "We shall have a mass surveillance system or mass terrorism!", as if security theater revealed the actual effectiveness of such actions!

Do you love giving Leviathan the sword it stabs you with, the whip that scourages you, and the mouth which mocks your humanity?

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#24

How many are arrested because of mass surveillance captures the person criticizing Trump / Obama, Or the Republican / Democratic party?

That's not how the way the US Government behaves. Publicly criticizing is OK.

If you want clues to who they really are insidious look at Cointelpro and how the police will incite peaceful gatherings into mobs to justify shutting them down and killing people.

You can stand on a soapbox and criticize until you are blue in the face, but try to make an active difference and you will be murdered like the Black Panthers.

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#25
post #2

"By 2020, about 30,000 unmanned drones are expected to be deployed in the United States for the purpose of surveillance and law enforcement"

Given the direction it's going, USA will likely want face recognition in the streets in the near future. I wonder how will the government convince their citizens it's for their own good. Maybe it will start in troublesome neighborhoods, show some benefits, and slowly expand everywhere.

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#26
post #7

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The police kills more people in the USA then all terrorists combined (about 1000/year).

More people die from choking on food every year in the USA than die from terrorism AND police.

but most of those are older then 74yo and it is not really someone else that is killing you on purpose... like the other 2 cases

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#27
> Contemporary mass surveillance relies upon annual presidential executive orders declaring a continued State of National Emergency, first signed by George W. Bush on September 14, 2001 and then continued on an annual basis by President Barack Obama,[3] and upon several subsequent national security Acts including the USA PATRIOT Act and FISA Amendment Act's PRISM surveillance program.

Mass surveillance is a bipartisan effort. Electing a Democrat to the White House is very unlikely to change this situation. The Obama administration went above and beyond any prior presidency in its aggressive prosecution of whistleblowers to these unconstitutional activities.

FWIW, the language in Fourth Amendment is pretty clear:

> The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

What's happening now is the very antithesis of probably cause. And everyone is the target.

The worst part of all is that zero credible evidence has been presented that a single terrorist attack has been prevented by mass surveillance.

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a silly comparison. Terrorist can kill 30 people in one attack or even break down a whole building with a bomb. When did 30 people choke by one piece of food? And we don't have another 911 may because of mass surveillance. Shall we try removing the surveillance to see whether terrorist attack increases?

So it's worth it to you to spend 100's of billions to stop 30 hypothetical deaths? Ok. You're allowed to have that opinion. I'll vote against it every chance I get.

30 hypothetical death is for 1 terrorist attack. Why would terrorists only attack once?

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#29
We're heading into a world where privacy is obsolete. Slowly eroded "from the bottom" by the slow creep of the Overton window of what's acceptable by tech companies and "from the top" by advances in military surveillance tech and increasing willingness by western government to use this tech on their own citizens.

In this environment will meaningful[1] political action even be possible?

[1] Meaningful as in: outside of what the government deems "permissible".

Re: Mass Surveillance in the United States

#30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is a silly comparison. Terrorist can kill 30 people in one attack or even break down a whole building with a bomb. When did 30 people choke by one piece of food? And we don't have another 911 may because of mass surveillance. Shall we try removing the surveillance to see whether terrorist attack increases?

We don't have another 911 because it was a tactic that could work exactly once. No pilot/crew/passengers would stand idly by and hope things work out in another plane hijacking because they expect they're dead either way.

When I say another 911 I didn't mean another exact repetition, I meant another terrorist attack on large scale.
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