Anyone surprised to know the FEDS are tracking your every move online and phone

1. 62

   mintinfoposted 11 years ago

   Anyone surprised to know the FEDS are tracking your every move online and phone call you make?
   
   Do you care that it violates your privacy or is it a fair trade off for national security?
   
   

   replyreport
2. 80

   Express10posted 11 years ago

   I care that it violates my privacy and do not feel that it's a fair trade off. These types of things are ripe for misuse in ways different than officially intended and there usually is NO independent and trustworthy oversight whatsoever.

   replyreport
   1. 81

      ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      True. Right now it is massive data collection, sort of like the census before the Japanese Internment....

      replyreport
3. 67

   Michele Travisposted 11 years ago

   Yep,  and when I talk to my friends we bore so much!. ( They know I dye my hair)

   replyreport
4. 80

   Rock_njposted 11 years ago

   No, I am not surprised at all because they used similiar tactics during the Cold War.  However, to characterize this as tracking your every move is misleading.  They are tracking people's moves who a court has authorized tracking, who are suspected terrorists.  I don't like Big Brother and 1984 disturbed me a lot, but this is not tracking everything everyone does online or on their phones.  I like now that it is out in the open, as this sort of thing could certainly be abused by people in government.

   replyreport
   1. 74

      UnnamedHaraldposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      The chilling things is that they DON'T need a court order to track suspects. That's the whole problem-- the secret court has authorized the mass gathering of phone records regardless of who they are "for future pattern detection". Been going on 7 yrs

      replyreport
   2. 0

      Larry Wallposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      They do not need permission from the secret court because everything is out there in public for the pickings. I have a relative who will not use e-mail, but talks on her cell phone for hours--for a few dollars, someone can capture of conversations.

      replyreport
5. 74

   faythefposted 11 years ago

   It seems nothing surprises me anymore....I do wonder what else is happening that we don't know about...

   replyreport
   1. 80

      Express10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      That's all we can do, wonder because it's not likely we'd ever be told the good, bad, and ugly from a trustworthy independent source.

      replyreport
6. 76

   SoundNFuryposted 11 years ago

   It doesn't surprise me, especially about stuff I do online.  I don't know why some people presume/expect privacy when they offer up so much information about themselves voluntarily online.  Tracking the phone calls bothers me more.

   replyreport
7. 78

   Mr. Happyposted 11 years ago

   It's funny to see how scared Big Brother is lol
   The System is crumbling and these are some of its last twitches. Western governments are turning dictatorial but I am not worried. I already lived through one revolution (i.e. Romania 1989) and I can live through more if necessary.
   All the best to everyone!

   replyreport
8. 77

   Renee Abbottposted 11 years ago

   Surprised? Not at all, plus they are involved in checking peoples' activity on the Internet. It sure reminds me of the 60's and early 70's. I been studying alot about going off the grid.

   replyreport
9. 69

   IslandBitesposted 11 years ago

   This is not new. And of course it violates privacy rights, but liberty and democracy are just ideals. The government is always watching and taking care of business.

   replyreport
   1. 81

      ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      old but still wrong, eh?

      replyreport
   2. 0

      Larry Wallposted 11 years agoin reply to this

      Government watches when we interact with others for reasons of commerce, and security. My neighborhood pays an off duty officer to patrol at night. Everyone did not agree.to the idea--they do not pay . dues. Is that an invasion  of privacy.

      replyreport
   3. 80

      Express10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

      If you have security roaming the neighborhood they could be useful in crime prevention but the proximity also means they do gain personal details that some aren't comfortable having them know. They should probably move if they disagree with it.

      replyreport
10. 92

    Sharkye11posted 11 years ago

    What surprises me is that people are all panicking and thinking this is new. They have already forgotten the big to-do when the Patriot Act was passed after 9/11. I've always assumed my whole life that the government has kept tabs on certain individuals.
    
    I don't know if it actually helps prevent anything. But who knows what all might have happened otherwise? We can only know  what does happen, never what was prevented. As for me, if they are really only monitoring suspicious individuals, then I'm not concerned, because I don't do anything wrong. If they are monitoring everyone, then I bet they get incredibly bored listening to my once a week phone call to my mom, and watching me write mundane articles.
    
    I thought that after 9/11 too, when everyone was freaking out over conspiracy and spies. At that time, the only thing I ever did online was post zombie artwork and role-play on an LOTR forum. Can't imagine how fun that was for them to watch!
    
    On a practical note, I doubt they are really interested in our everyday private matters. Think about how many millions of people they would have to monitor, and all the repetitive drivel they would be hearing. If people were super concerned about privacy, they wouldn't have spent all the years since the internet was introduced posting online about every single detail of their lives. And I don't know...if they really were monitoring everyone...seems like all the crime would be gone by now.

    replyreport
    1. 81

       ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       massive data collection is like predicting weather patterns from chaos, the whole point is that they are not looking for individuals. The premise is looking for political movements. Google BlueCRUSH

       replyreport
11. 0

    Larry Wallposted 11 years ago

    I doubt if every phone call is being monitored and every online move is being watched. They are probably watching some sites, which they have determined might be link to people or groups that pose a threat.
    
    I do not think there are enough federal employees to keep track of my exciting days. I was home all day today.
    
    Are people being watched--yes. Are all people being watched--no.
    
    Are the online activities of people being monitored--yes, especially the child molesters and those that attempt to hide money in offshore accounts.
    
    Are the online movements of all people being watched--I seriously doubt it. I do not think there are enough employees to keep track of all of us.
    
    I assure you, the threat to your freedom and liberty and freedom was more threatened by Sen. Joe McCarthy and the Committee on UnAmerican Activities that was very active during the Red Scare of the 1950s and 1960s.
    
    Someone will always find a reason to believe people are being watched. If you are doing nothing illegal, you have nothing to fear, except more fear.
    
    I would like to know the source of this claim. Some people are being watched, but not everyone.

    replyreport
    1. 81

       ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       the whole point of data exhaust collection is to see patterns that can not be measured with spot checks.  SO that mean everyone, everywhere, all the time.

       replyreport
    2. 0

       Larry Wallposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       No it means a representative sampling--much like a political poll--is needed in order to extrapolate certain conclusions.

       replyreport
12. 79

    coleikerdposted 11 years ago

    Perhaps a dangerous question to ask when "they" are watching you. And here I go, answering anyway.
    
    I am not shocked by any length a person will go to in order to exert control over others. For some people and groups of people, controlling others seems to be what life is about.
    
    In the case of our governing entities, there are so many examples to suggest they are watching us and lying to us consistently, I only wonder which conspiracies are true, and which are not. Many have been brought to light and in recent years, many more have been openly admitted to. Frankly a lot of the "conspiracy theories" are not theory at all. Or even conspiracy. It's become common knowledge that Monsanto is in bed with the top dogs in the US government. It's all in the open, yet, people still call that a "conspiracy theory."  There are numerous other examples.
    
    To me, no violation of privacy is a fair trade off. There will always be dangers in life, it's part of living. We can take steps to make our lives safer, but to take those steps out of fear always leads us to bad decisions.

    replyreport
13. 80

    davidlivermoreposted 11 years ago

    If you aren't doing anything wrong, then who cares?  If the government wants to see that I watch cat videos, play games, and write online, go ahead.  I could use more hits on my hubs!

    replyreport
    1. 92

       Sharkye11posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Haha! I didn't think about the increase in traffic. Maybe they will check out our blogs too!

       replyreport
    2. 76

       SoundNFuryposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       haha! Great point!

       replyreport
    3. 82

       Patty Inglish, MSposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Haha, maybe the cat videos are secretly coded. LOL

       replyreport
    4. 80

       Express10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I understand where you're coming from David, it's just that I've always respected other's privacy & would not snoop on them. There is a lot of info to be gained even if it seems harmless. If someone's a real threat only they should be snooped.

       replyreport
    5. 81

       ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, ...

       replyreport
14. 74

    Skarletposted 11 years ago

    It is scary. But, what bothers me the most is to hear people defending this. This is America and we are not supposed to tolerate this.
    All I hear are liberals trying to point to why its okay, and more recently they are using the typical tactic of saying that Republicans are responsible. They point to the 1980s as they are trained by MSNBC to do, and then compare George Bush to what is happening now. GWB was monitoring the oversees calls, and the liberals were going crazy, saying that this was dictatorship, and now those same people are saying that monitoring everything and everyone is okay.
    Sheeple, wake up, take the rose colored lenses off, turn off MSNBC and open up your minds.

    replyreport
    1. 0

       Larry Wallposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I never watch MSNBC or Fox--if you watch both, you will go crazy. We have always been watched. It is just more efficient now. I am sure it would be easy to trace the phone no.  for the house I lived in 55 years ago--what would it prove and who cares.

       replyreport
15. 71

    dashingscorpioposted 11 years ago

    The CIA and FBI have been spying on citizens for (many years). After 9-11 things just got more invasive as more license was "publically" granted to catch both domestic and foreign terrorists. It was only a matter of time before these granted powers would be expanded to include other agendas.
    In a "free society" we tell ourselves that the government exists to (serve the people). However in all honesty the purpose of a government is to (control) it's people and prevent anarchy.
    While I'm far from being a "conspirisist" I do believe the government does and always has a say in what does or does not appear in the "news". Lying awake at night worrying about something you can't control is a waste of time. A wise farmer once said:
    "You don't control the seasons. They're already set. You learn to work with the seasons." In other words focus on the things you can control!

    replyreport
16. 60

    Silverspeederposted 11 years ago

    Did people really imagine what they did or do in cyberspace would be private and confidential?
    What is privacy anyway? 
    
    Privacy is effectively a 20th century concept like the steam engine.

    replyreport
    1. 81

       ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       https? verisign?, online banking and shopping?

       replyreport
    2. 60

       Silverspeederposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Have you read their privacy policies? Apparently your details belong to them!

       replyreport
17. 74

    Jeff Berndtposted 11 years ago

    I don't know what bothers me more: The folks who say that it's Obama's fault when they know darn well this whole thing started during W's first term, or the folks who say "If you're not doing anything wrong, you don't have anything to worry about."
    
    Well, no, the fact that warrantless wiretapping ever started in the first place is the most disturbing, and the fact that it's still going on is a close second. But those other ones are right up there.

    replyreport
    1. 80

       Express10posted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I agree. I was raised to not snoop on others but that's just me. If there is real cause to snoop on a suspect, only they should be snooped on within the means of the law. It's the wide net being cast that I don't like, not new but I don't like it.

       replyreport
18. 60

    taburkettposted 11 years ago

    NOPE - just another illegal operation by the DOPE (department of political excrement).
    
    you might want to go to infowars.com/
    
    and read the article obama-pay-no-attention-to-the-massive-nsa-complex-under-the-mountains/ to read more about the great deception.

    replyreport
    1. 79

       coleikerdposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       Holy cow. That statement made by the FBI agent on CNN that they can "go back and look at digital communications in the past"... Can't get much clearer than that. Thanks for the source.

       replyreport
    2. 0

       Larry Wallposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       I went to infowars.com--there are thousands of sites like that . If you dig hard enough, you can discredit all of them. All these sites are just another version of talk radio, most of which has no credibility., in my opinion as a former reporter.

       replyreport
19. 0

    robhamptonposted 11 years ago

    I doubt they track every move I make but even if they did, I could care less.

    replyreport
    1. 81

       ptosisposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       You will when they arrest you as a fall guy with something that you had nothing to do with.

       replyreport
    2. 0

       robhamptonposted 11 years agoin reply to this

       lol...  Ok

       replyreport
20. 84

    tsmogposted 11 years ago

    How does that old adage go if you can think it up it probably has already been done or something like that. Star Trek introduced the communicator to with their original broadcasts the year 1966. The early 1970's  Motorola introduced the clunky appearing mobile phone.
    
    As resistor technology and other circuitry evolved the clunky mobile phone of the 1970's found their way into museums. Twenty-seven years later the flip phone or the Star Trek Communicator was real around 1997. Near to 30 years transpired since first introduced on Star Trek.
    
    With those innovations technology said we have to know who and how much to charge. Certainty says they have to know how to track those services in order to charge for their usage just like a pay phone near to extinct. So, in essence if you pay for a service with any aspect of communication then most certainly it is being tracked.

    replyreport
21. 81

    ptosisposted 11 years ago

    
    
    It's not for individuals, is like watching a school of fish or a flock of birds because, "Under a state of emergency in order to inhibit protesters' organizations to develop via Facebook and other social media, anti-terror laws can be use to stifle legal dissent by targeting, arresting and politically disabling peaceful American citizens. - http://hub.me/affWp
    
    Technically, the census is the grandfather of this data gathering - Like the Roman (Jesus) , Nazi (Jews) or USA (Japanese) census

    replyreport
22. 0

    Justsilvieposted 11 years ago

    Get over it! Most of us are really not that interesting or doing anything of interest to those looking. But it does make you blush to realize someone somewhere is probably laughing very hard at some of the antics we may have taken part of in cyberspace...
    
    Bottom line is I could care less! Let em look! and yes I think it is a fair trade for National Security.

    replyreport
23. 52

    viola staggsposted 11 years ago

    No not a bit surprised.don't anyone watch TV .They have been showing things like this for years.I know that is just tv,but it just gives people an idea and they well figure out how to make it work.Govermenthas allways kept there eyes on everybody.The thing is now technology has taken things to a whole knew level.
    
      We get upset if they watch then,we want answer when something bad happens.We can't have our cake and eat it to.Just pray to god that the keep it to things that are important.
    
         The child molesters,and bomb builders,the people that just have so much hate in there heart that they want to hurt.Let the hate and lust of the world go away then they wouldn't have to be watching everybody.

    replyreport