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Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

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Re: Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

#32
post #26

There has been studies that linked the type of surveillance NSA do to behavior changes which decreases calls to hot-lines, doctors, lawyers, and priests. Since suicide is the second most common cause of death in adolescents, one would think that tampering with the effectiveness of suicide prevention is worse than blowing the whistle on the surveillance. Now I don't doubt that this report that was made by a CIA funded…

link to said studies?

Sorry, meant to say a study. There are studies that look at the localized effect of surveillance (in the work place, on the street, on a park...), but I have not seen more than this study that try to look at the effect society gets from ubiquitous surveillance.

link: http://www.kreativrauschen.com/blog/2008/06/04/data-retentio...

Re: Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

#34
post #4

1) There is nothing that indicates that this "encryption upgrade" wasn't planned for some time. Correlation ≠ causation, and all that. 2) The very word "terrorist" is disputed, and depends on your side in any given dispute. It is the "high treason" of the 20th and 21st century, an accusation or insinuation used mainly for political reasons and not for actual utility: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism "In the int…

Where in the world are you getting #2 and #3? Al Qaeda is very clearly a terrorist group, and no where in that article is it suggested that open source software is either treasonous or related to terrorism, nor does it say the NSA thinks this.

Honest question, what is a terrorist group?

Re: Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

#35
post #4

1) There is nothing that indicates that this "encryption upgrade" wasn't planned for some time. Correlation ≠ causation, and all that. 2) The very word "terrorist" is disputed, and depends on your side in any given dispute. It is the "high treason" of the 20th and 21st century, an accusation or insinuation used mainly for political reasons and not for actual utility: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism "In the int…

Terrorism in this case is pretty much the intended meaning of the word. These campaigns are launched from a position of weakness to instill fear in a stronger enemy, and especially targets civilians.

ISIS arguably isn't a terrorist organization anymore, because it is engaging in some sort of nation building. Still their actions are terrible and what most who don't share their particular interpretation of Islam would call "evil".

Re: Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

#36
post #4

1) There is nothing that indicates that this "encryption upgrade" wasn't planned for some time. Correlation ≠ causation, and all that. 2) The very word "terrorist" is disputed, and depends on your side in any given dispute. It is the "high treason" of the 20th and 21st century, an accusation or insinuation used mainly for political reasons and not for actual utility: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terrorism "In the int…

Where in the world are you getting #2 and #3? Al Qaeda is very clearly a terrorist group, and no where in that article is it suggested that open source software is either treasonous or related to terrorism, nor does it say the NSA thinks this.

Al Qaeda literally translated means 'the camp'. They would catch people proclaiming they had to 'get back to al qaeda'. There is no organization. That's just TV make believe, a label they put on any group that doesn't like western views and is a possible threat. "It must be another Al Qaeda cell." It's all nonsense.

Re: Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

#37
post #16

Even assuming it's true and these leaks made it harder to catch terrorists (I would be surprised if it made a huge difference), I have to say I really don't care. Terrorism is not a very significant real risk to people living in the first world (compared to the risk of fatal lightning strike or drowning in a bathtub, for example), but pervasive mass surveillance is. In general, it's kinda absurd to imagine that anyth…

"Terrorism is not a very significant real risk..." ...I get what you're saying but tell that to anyone who was living in or near NYC in 2001. Or anyone in or near Copley square last year. (I qualify for both...) the "More people die from [insert ridiculous thing like bee stings]!" argument doesn't work for me because there's not much you can do about bees/lightning/the existence of bathtubs but there's plenty to be done about bombs/guns/jihadists/etc. Not advocating NSA-esque tactics just reacting to the oft-used "this isn't a significant risk so why bother" argument, which I think is BS.

Re: Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

#38
post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Where in the world are you getting #2 and #3? Al Qaeda is very clearly a terrorist group, and no where in that article is it suggested that open source software is either treasonous or related to terrorism, nor does it say the NSA thinks this.

Al Qaeda literally translated means 'the camp'. They would catch people proclaiming they had to 'get back to al qaeda'. There is no organization. That's just TV make believe, a label they put on any group that doesn't like western views and is a possible threat. "It must be another Al Qaeda cell." It's all nonsense.

This is meaningless semantics a word can have more than one meaning eg "hacker" and one real word example Sinn Féin means Ourselves Alone so that means the IRA and PIRA are not Terrorist organisations?

Re: Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior

#39
People who don't want to get caught doing something change their communication behaviour all the time. If anybody is interested in that kind of stuff I'd recommend watching the surprisingly good TV show "The Wire".

Even if the press would loudly be agreeing over the "fact" that "SNOWDEN PUT US ALL IN DANGER" it would be an instructive lesson in terms of freedom having value by it having a price.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past I will turn the inner eye to see its path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain."

-- Litany against fear by the Bene Gesserit (Frank Herbert's Dune)

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