NSA Statement Regarding Recent Press Articles

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The National Security Agency sent out a press release today (I guess we're on their mailing list now) regarding recent stories about the agency in the media:

Recent press articles on NSA’s collection operations conducted under Executive Order 12333 have misstated facts, mischaracterized NSA’s activities, and drawn erroneous inferences about those operations. NSA conducts all of its activities in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies – and assertions to the contrary do a grave disservice to the nation, its allies and partners, and the men and women who make up the National Security Agency.

All NSA intelligence activities start with a validated foreign intelligence requirement, initiated by one or more Executive Branch intelligence consumers, and are run through a process managed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. When those requirements are received by NSA, analysts look at the Information Need and determine the best way to satisfy it. That process involves identifying the foreign entities that have the information, researching how they communicate, and determining how best to access those communications in order to get the foreign intelligence information. The analysts identify selectors – e-mail addresses and phone numbers are examples – that help isolate the communications of the foreign entity and task those to collection systems. In those cases where there are not specific selectors available, the analysts will use metadata, similar to the address on the outside of an envelope, to attempt to develop selectors for their targets. Once they have them, they task the selectors to the collection systems in order to get access to the content, similar to the letter inside the envelope.

The collection systems target communications links that contain the selectors, or are to and from areas likely to contain the selectors, of foreign intelligence interest. Seventy years ago, the communications links were shortwave radio transmissions between two points on the globe. Today’s communications flow over technologies like satellite links, microwave towers, and fiber optic cables. Terrorists, weapons proliferators, and other valid foreign intelligence targets make use of commercial infrastructure and services. When a validated foreign intelligence target uses one of those means to send or receive their communications, we work to find, collect, and report on the communication. Our focus is on targeting the communications of those targets, not on collecting and exploiting a class of communications or services that would sweep up communications that are not of bona fide foreign intelligence interest to us.

What NSA does is collect the communications of targets of foreign intelligence value, irrespective of the provider that carries them. U.S. service provider communications make use of the same information super highways as a variety of other commercial service providers. NSA must understand and take that into account in order to eliminate information that is not related to foreign intelligence.

NSA works with a number of partners and allies in meeting its foreign-intelligence mission goals, and in every case those operations comply with U.S. law and with the applicable laws under which those partners and allies operate. A key part of the protections that are provided to both U.S. persons and citizens of other countries is the requirement that information be in support of a valid foreign intelligence requirement, and the Attorney General-approved minimization procedures. These limitations protect the privacy of all people and, in particular, to any incidentally acquired communications of U.S. persons. The protections are applied when selectors are tasked to the collection system; when the collection itself occurs; when the collected data are being processed, evaluated, analyzed, and put into a database; and when any reporting of the foreign intelligence is being done. In addition, NSA is very motivated and actively works to remove as much extraneous data as early in the process as possible – to include data of innocent foreign citizens.

--NSA Public Affairs Office
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lol, pointless exercise.
The chance of believing what they say is zero.
 
Haha cause we expected you fucks to actually admit to wrong doing. SMH....
 
I expect that anyone who has responded about anything to do with them is already on their 'list'.
Fun hey.

But seriously, what is the point of them making a statement like this.
It is their nature to hide and misguide everyone about what they do.
 
I wonder if [H] is on the mailing list for "The Media' or the list for "The Seditious?"

Steve you didnt get two copies did you?

They claim to follow the law with scrupulous and careful dedication, yet the law is supposed to lead to justice and what is not just legal, but right.

Abuse of the law's exact letters (were it even correctly followed) can never lead to a just and healthy society with freedom for all.
 
Recent press articles on NSA’s collection operations conducted under Executive Order 12333 have misstated facts, mischaracterized NSA’s activities, and drawn erroneous inferences about those operations. NSA conducts all of its activities in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies – and assertions to the contrary do a grave disservice to the nation, its allies and partners, and the men and women who make up the National Security Agency.
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They aren't lying here. Read the Patriot Act and the subsequent follow ups that boosted their power. They're acting within the laws that congress granted to them.

Congress is to blame for not actually reading these damn spying bills.
 
To play devils advocate ( Here we go! Not trolling!)

Don't get me wrong. It's NOT ok for them to break the law.

However, They are in between a rock and a f-ked place. The NSA/FBI/CIA operations are by design meant to be in the shadows. They can't admit anything otherwise heads will roll. They can deny until their blue in the face even up to the point that they are caught. Even then they cannot admit fault.

It's far better for them to NOT issue press statements like these and let it blow over.
 
Seventy years ago, the communications links were shortwave radio transmissions between two points on the globe. Today’s communications flow over technologies like satellite links, microwave towers, and fiber optic cables. Terrorists, weapons proliferators, and other valid foreign intelligence targets make use of commercial infrastructure and services. When a validated foreign intelligence target uses one of those means to send or receive their communications, we work to find, collect, and report on the communication. Our focus is on targeting the communications of those targets, not on collecting and exploiting a class of communications or services that would sweep up communications that are not of bona fide foreign intelligence interest to us.
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70 years ago, there was a direct under ocean phone line from 10 Downing Street, to the White House that couldn't be monitored at the time.
 
Let me fire up the good old NSA speak to English translator there....
Dear Suckers, go f*ck yourselves, we know everything about you and your boring little lives. If we really felt you were a threat you would have already been abducted, no one given a notice where you are, and tossed in a damp dark hole we only toss the occasional moldy scrap of bread down at our convenience.
So keep on complaining, we just might snag you anyways if you don't stop bitching....
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NSA Director Keith Alexander said:
I believe it is in the nation's best interest to put all the phone records into a lockbox that we could search when the nation needs to do it.
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Watch NSA director Alexander lie to congress last year, saying the NSA does not even have the capability to collect everyones emails... let alone do they do it...... no sir.... certainly not....


you can also watch the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, lie to congress as well

as you watch that video, keep in your mind that Director Clapper had been given those questions by senator Wyden 24 hours in advance of that hearing so he could prepare, and remember that this hearing occurred before Edwards Snowden showed that the answers these two men gave in front of Congress were lies.


all credibility is gone.
 
Just because something is law doesn't mean the law is righteous in any way. It's up to the people to stand up against this sort of behavior.
 
Recent press articles on NSA’s collection operations conducted under Executive Order 12333 have misstated facts, mischaracterized NSA’s activities, and drawn erroneous inferences about those operations. NSA conducts all of its activities in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies – and assertions to the contrary do a grave disservice to the nation, its allies and partners, and the men and women who make up the National Security Agency.
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Dear NSA,

The reason most of us think that you are lying and treasonous scum is because:
  • Your organization lies to the public. Simple Fact. See ghost6303's comment for some details.
  • Your actions directly assault the citizens constitutional rights, which we consider treasonous.

Basically, you earned your own shameful reputation.

Before you go on to lecture us about the "disservice the public is doing to you", perhaps you should look in the mirror. Quite frankly I'm insulted and angry over that statement. We aren't the ones infringing on our fellow citizen's rights, you're the ones doing that. I feel like Stalin just called me evil, lol.
 
Steve said:
The National Security Agency sent out a press release today (I guess we're on their mailing list now) regarding recent stories about the agency in the media:
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I don't recall Washington Post article claiming that they did break the law. They said they skirted the law and that they had a staff of lawyers to make sure they didn't break it, not that it matters, they are breaking the spirit of the law. The entire point of this operation is to circumvent FISA (which is already a fracking rubber stamp).

As for the rest of the statement, maybe it's true, but why should I believe them? I don't think Snowden is the patriot I originally thought (releases on our spying on allies is not a constitutional issue nor is it an issue that many Americans care about. I think most of us assumed we spied on our allies and that they spy on us.

This one, however is back on track and it's troubling.
 
ghost6303 said:
Watch NSA director Alexander lie to congress last year, saying the NSA does not even have the capability to collect everyones emails... let alone do they do it...... no sir.... certainly not....


you can also watch the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, lie to congress as well

as you watch that video, keep in your mind that Director Clapper had been given those questions by senator Wyden 24 hours in advance of that hearing so he could prepare, and remember that this hearing occurred before Edwards Snowden showed that the answers these two men gave in front of Congress were lies.


all credibility is gone.
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QFT
 
Hilarious.

Sorry NSA/CIA/FBI/Military/Cops/Obama/entire US and Canadian Government. No one will ever believe anything you, Google, MS, Yahoo, Apple, ISPs or any other tech company say ever again. Not that anyone ever did anyway.

PM Stevie Harper in Canada is going to get grilled soon over the new 1 billion dollar Canadian spy palace as well. Monkey see, monkey do.

Shit has gone crazy..
 
Technikal said:
Sorry NSA/CIA/FBI/Military/Cops/Obama/entire US and Canadian Government. No one will ever believe anything you, Google, MS, Yahoo, Apple, ISPs or any other tech company say ever again. Not that anyone ever did anyway.

PM Stevie Harper in Canada is going to get grilled soon over the new 1 billion dollar Canadian spy palace as well. Monkey see, monkey do.

Shit has gone crazy..
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Why do you have to drag canada into this? All we have is a tank, a beaver and a 56k modem that's pulling a solid 4.2KB/sec right now...
 
HFBallad said:
What happened to the moose and the squirrel?
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They were replaced by the ikea monkey.

original.jpg
 
On BloombergTV today, a person from the NSA blatantly said that if we [the NSA] didn't do any of this surveillance, it would "severely decrease" our safety when it comes to terrorist threats.

So, necessary evil-- compromise our privacy for the sake of our safety?

Or, should the NSA just quit now and find other ways to catch terrorist activity within private communications?
 
On BloombergTV today, a person from the NSA blatantly said that if we [the NSA] didn't do any of this surveillance, it would "severely decrease" our safety when it comes to terrorist threats.

So, necessary evil-- compromise our privacy for the sake of our safety?

Or, should the NSA just quit now and find other ways to catch terrorist activity within private communications?
 
On BloombergTV today, a person from the NSA blatantly said that if we [the NSA] didn't do any of this surveillance, it would "severely decrease" our safety when it comes to terrorist threats.

So, necessary evil-- compromise our privacy for the sake of our safety?

Or, should the NSA just quit now and find other ways to catch terrorist activity within private communications?
 
On BloombergTV today, a person from the NSA blatantly said that if we [the NSA] didn't do any of this surveillance, it would "severely decrease" our safety when it comes to terrorist threats.

So, necessary evil-- compromise our privacy for the sake of our safety?

Or, should the NSA just quit now and find other ways to catch terrorist activity within private communications?
 
Bah, stupid hospital wifi... delete the other replies that repeated itself because connection dropped here. Thank you.
 
I wonder if their tactics include the ones where we are exploiting unsecure routers and switches. Although spying is a waste of time (or maybe they get free sex talk) in most cases, the other countries need to beef up their security.

Funny how they are not alarm of China at the moment in the headlines doing the same thing if not more extreme with their targets. What did we use this information for on the euros?

At home, it irks me to spy on Americans.
 
Interesting that their press release mentions laws, regulations, and policies, but not the constitution.
 
Your organization lies to the public. Simple Fact. See ghost6303's comment for some details.
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Alexander didn't lie to the public, Ghost6303 and most of you believe what you are told to believe by the media who is paid to slant everything to make things look bad when they are not.


Your actions directly assault the citizens constitutional rights, which we consider treasonous.
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No one has proved anything, not one document has shown that the NSA has done anything illegal or unconstitutional with the exception of those very few instances, like 10, where employees did something wrong, were caught by the Agency or confessed themselves.

Ten instances in about 10 years time, of people doing something wrong, within an organization that employs over 30,000 people. You can't find a lower level of wrong doing in any organization on the planet. The Boy Scouts, the Catholic Church, Google, the PTA, anywhere.

But that's ok, just keep on hating cause nothing I say will change your minds on this. I will still come here to every one of these topics and tell you that it's not the NSA that is lying to you and deceiving you, it's the media.

Of course none of you care that the media lies to you, that they deceive you. There is no outrage in that corner. Not one little bit. It's far too easy for you to believe what they want you to believe and to ignore people who tell you that they are lying to you. I don't work for either organization, I have no personal stake in either, but you wouldn't even ask questions to see if there is truth in what I say. All you guys do is believe the media, use their misrepresented facts to refute what I am telling you, and sit happy with the media's ring in your nose.

If any of you actually have a ring in your nose, no disrespect was intended. :D
 
Interesting that their press release mentions laws, regulations, and policies, but not the constitution.
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The laws must be constitutional by definition, ones that are not eventually are struck down. No need to mention the constitution.
 
lcpiper said:
The laws must be constitutional by definition, ones that are not eventually are struck down. No need to mention the constitution.
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That's rarely true. A warrantless search or an FBI agent putting a GPS tracker on a vehicle that is on private property is not in any way legal, according to constitutional law. Cops breaking cameras and forcing people to stop filming them in public is not legal.
 
Executive Order 12333 was issued in 1981 to regulate national intelligence activities. Part I of the Order outlines the goals and responsibilities of major Federal Agencies and Departments involved with national security an intelligence gathering. Part II created regulations for the collection of intelligence information.
https://www.cippguide.org/2010/03/16/executive-order-12333-united-states-intelligence-activities/

The U.S. Constitution, federal law, executive order, and regulations of the Executive Branch govern NSA's activities. As a Defense Agency, NSA operates under the authority of the Department of Defense. As a member of the Intelligence Community, NSA also operates under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. NSA/CSS activities are subject to strict scrutiny and oversight both from outside and from within. External bodies such as the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) and the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI), the President's Intelligence Oversight Board, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, the Department of Defense, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and the Department of Justice help ensure that NSA adheres to U.S. laws and regulations that are applicable to the Agency's activities. Internally, the Office of the Inspector General conducts inspections, audits, and investigations to make certain that NSA/CSS operates with integrity, efficiency, and effectiveness while the Office of the General Counsel provides legal advice. The Office of Compliance ensures the Agency conforms to the standards, policies, and standards under which it operates. Most importantly, each NSA/CSS employee is charged with knowing, understanding, and obeying to the fullest the laws of the nation.
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http://www.nsa.gov/about/faqs/oversight.shtml

There you go, this is what is in place today.
 
That's rarely true. A warrantless search or an FBI agent putting a GPS tracker on a vehicle that is on private property is not in any way legal, according to constitutional law. Cops breaking cameras and forcing people to stop filming them in public is not legal.
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Rarely true? So our nationsa laws are for the most part, ALL unconstitutional?

The world is always changing, people don't change much, but things around us do. The process of civil law is always changing as well, it doesn't always happen fast, but it does happen. It may not happen fast enough for you, but things do change and I will pose one question for you and see if you can come up with an example.

Name one, just one, Federal Law that has been on the books since the founding of the constitution that is unconstitutional. I don't know if there is or isn't one, but if there is I trust you to find it.
 
I must amend my question.

Name one, just one, Federal Law that has been on the books since the founding of the constitution and is still enforceable, that is also unconstitutional. I don't know if there is or isn't one, but if there is I trust you to find it.
 
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