No More Privacy Illusions

Security as grounds for more intrusion into the networks; raise your hand if you're surprised. Those cyber attacks are such a worry to our war criminals in the executive branch, they've decided to listen in on more conversations to make sure they catch anyone else doing it first.

The latest wiretap is justified by grounds that it's in case the Chinese sources - probably checking on their investment in our government - announce that they're from China and your email is belong to them. From what the NSA has done without any court permission so far, I really don't see how they can be entrusted with this newest violation of our rights to privacy

President Bush signed a directive this month that expands the intelligence community's role in monitoring Internet traffic to protect against a rising number of attacks on federal agencies' computer systems.

The directive, whose content is classified, authorizes the intelligence agencies, in particular the National Security Agency, to monitor the computer networks of all federal agencies -- including ones they have not previously monitored.

Until now, the government's efforts to protect itself from cyber-attacks -- which run the gamut from hackers to organized crime to foreign governments trying to steal sensitive data -- have been piecemeal. Under the new initiative, a task force headed by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will coordinate efforts to identify the source of cyber-attacks against government computer systems. As part of that effort, the Department of Homeland Security will work to protect the systems and the Pentagon will devise strategies for counterattacks against the intruders.
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One of the key questions is whether it is necessary to read communications to investigate an intrusion.

Ed Giorgio, a former NSA analyst who is now a security consultant for ODNI, said, "If you're looking inside a DoD system and you see data flows going to China, that ought to set off a red flag. You don't need to scan the content to determine that."

But often, traffic analysis is not enough, some experts said. "Knowing the content -- that a communication is sensitive -- allows proof positive that something bad is going out of that computer," said one cyber-security expert who spoke on the condition of anonymity because of the initiative's sensitivity.

Allowing a spy agency to monitor domestic networks is worrisome, said James X. Dempsey, policy director of the Center for Democracy and Technology. "We're concerned that the NSA is claiming such a large role over the security of unclassified systems," he said. "They are a spy agency as well as a communications security agency. They operate in total secrecy. That's not necessary and not the most effective way to protect unclassified systems." (Emphasis added.)

There has been such a loss of faith in our war criminal leaders that of course, this latest wiretapping was not proposed as an actual legal measure. The unitary cretin in chief has stopped even trying to pretend his governing follows that old Rule of Law. A directive has become the new police state method.

That the rightwingers want to know what we are saying is hardly surprising. Now you better not be working in the public interest at those agencies that are supposed to serve the public, like, say Agriculture. Step away from that green piece of meat, it's corporate owned.

We know very well NSA has a few choice telltale words like 'blue', 'rights' and 'Guantanamo' to indicate that they should trace this particular subversive internet communication.

It's time for the prosecution of the occupied White House for issuing illegal edicts and executing illegal acts to begin.