NSA program can record every single phone conversation from an entire country

[Shawn Knight]

The National Security Agency’s spying capabilities seemingly know no bounds. In the latest Edward Snowden-inspired leak, the Washington Post highlights a program called MYSTIC that is able to record 100 percent of all voice calls in a target country and retain them for up to a month.

Calls are said to be recorded automatically and stored in a 30-day rolling buffer that deletes the oldest calls when new recordings are added.

The documents obtained by the publication claim the program launched in 2009 and was fully implemented two years later. The original plan was to use the program in a one-off capacity but we now know that MYSTIC is being used in at least one country and has been considered for use in other regions. The Post declined to name which country it is being used in at the request of US officials.

Unlike previous programs that reportedly only collected metadata, the program in question today captures the audio of every single call. What’s more, the NSA makes no effort to filter out US-based calls that are acquired incidentally as a result of the dragnet.

The program reportedly isn’t limited to just the NSA as other US agencies also have access to the database.

In a statement on the matter, an NSA spokesperson said their job is to identify threats within the large and complex system of modern global communications. The spokesperson added that their work is strictly conducted under the rule of the law.

Permalink to story.

https://www.techspot.com/news/56039-nsa-program-can-record-every-single-phone-conversation-from-an-entire-country.html

 

[oldikes]

By this point im confused as to why there arent riots on the streets over this from certain groups of people.

 

[LNCPapa]

At this point I'm confused as to why Snowden is still alive.

 

[Guest]

This is nothing new, the US and other countries have been tapping phone lines, and using various listening devices for decades. Today's technology just makes it easier.
If we don't want them to do this (US) them we have to FORCE our representatives to change the laws.
Complaining on the web will do nothing to change things.

 

[cliffordcooley]

If we don't want them to do this (US) them we have to FORCE our representatives to change the laws.

Good luck with that, if you are not willing to complain and form a crowd!

 

[Guest]

Alex jones has known this since he was a baby

 

[Guest]

"If we don't want them to do this (US) them we have to FORCE our representatives to change the laws."

LOL LOL LOL thats the best joke I've heard all week. Since when were they your representatives? Maybe in the 19th century. Out of the 535 (100 Senators) (435 Representatives) you may have 5 that look out for the people. The rest are selected by Corporate America, elected by them and controlled by them, PERIOD. wake up.

 

[MilwaukeeMike]

By this point im confused as to why there arent riots on the streets over this from certain groups of people.

Mainly because the vast majority of media in the US is very kind to the president and his administration. The stories of the IRS scandal, Benghazi attack coverup, and illegal executive orders (like the new 'hardship clause' in the Obamacare individual mandate) are under-reported and generally ignored. You can talk about it, but the stories are dismissed as being 'lies from Fox', or they're just forgotten because .... 'OMG, did you see what Justin Bieber did last night?!'

And there's also the fact that by now we kinda expect that the govt can hear us fart, and there's nothing else we can learn about these surveillance programs that can surprise us.

 

[Darth Shiv]

At this point I'm confused as to why Snowden is still alive.

Horse has already bolted. He is just talking about documents that others have access to.

 

[misor]

Oh yeah? the NSA can record every phone conversation in an entire country but can its agents intervene in real time? unless the recorded conversations contain 'words' that alerts the system, nobody can do anything.
(the situation is somewhat related to the missing Malaysian MH370 flight. some radar/satellite may have recorded the flight ping of the plane but it needs serious manpower and man-hours to sift thru the data.)

I'd rather have all my conversations recorded unlawfully than live in a country where all my legal peaceful dissensions are interpreted by the rulers as threats to national security, armed rebellion, terrorism, sedition, and gets me sent to prison, forced hard labor, torture, or a bullet to the head.

in the u.s.a., (at least in the way I see it and I may be right/wrong since I'm not norte americano, idk) everybody can say Bill Clinton is a womanizer, George W. Bush is a no-brain president, and Obama is a lame-duck president. say those things in some countries and you get the penalty of your life.

 

[captaincranky]

What difference does it really make, if the NSA can record every conversation in the US. Unless I miss my guess, it still requires a human to interpret them.

In any case, "Person of Interest" in on CBS right now.

It's about a machine that the government commissioned, which can tell every event about to happen in the world, by tapping into every surveillance system in the world! Like that could ever happen? Silly, I know right!

Anyhoo, one of the the actors is Amy Acker, former lingerie model, and "Buffy", alumni. Scorching hot, that one!

After that, I'm going to play my guitar, feed the cats, and look at some pictures.

But, I jussa ain't a gonna beez makin no damned calls on one o' them ther new fangled smarty pants phones



I'm sure y'all can work this out on your own.

 

[Skidmarksdeluxe]

Oh yeah? the NSA can record every phone conversation in an entire country but can its agents intervene in real time? unless the recorded conversations contain 'words' that alerts the system, nobody can do anything.
(the situation is somewhat related to the missing Malaysian MH370 flight. some radar/satellite may have recorded the flight ping of the plane but it needs serious manpower and man-hours to sift thru the data.)

I'd rather have all my conversations recorded unlawfully than live in a country where all my legal peaceful dissensions are interpreted by the rulers as threats to national security, armed rebellion, terrorism, sedition, and gets me sent to prison, forced hard labor, torture, or a bullet to the head.

in the u.s.a., (at least in the way I see it and I may be right/wrong since I'm not norte americano, idk) everybody can say Bill Clinton is a womanizer, George W. Bush is a no-brain president, and Obama is a lame-duck president. say those things in some countries and you get the penalty of your life.

Politicians are only in politics for the money and themselves. If you ever thought they had your best interests at heart then I'm afraid you've been misled.

 

[Guest]

@ikesmasher Because people are taught for years to don't care about such things - western world, especially USA is focused on caring for selfish needs instead of watching what happens around, what politicians do and how they slowly turns us into new kind of slaves. We care more about specs of new smartfones, than real problems.

I am really stunned when I'm reading statements of USA residents which don't care about what NSA is doing, about all informations that this agency is collecting, their beliefs that they don't have to afraid if they don't have anything to hide from gov't.
I am sorry, but if they will begin install an mandatory CCTV in your houses on the pretext of fighting with terrorism you'll be still believe that everything is fine?

 

[Guest]

There are more people killed by drug abuse than terrorism in the US each month.

This amount of technology and money simply can't just be intended to prevent acts of terror.

The people of the US, a country that once was the synonym for freedom and democracy are willingly sacrificing their freedom just to feel safe.

Hope you will wake up some day....

 

[Darth Shiv]

in the u.s.a., (at least in the way I see it and I may be right/wrong since I'm not norte americano, idk) everybody can say Bill Clinton is a womanizer, George W. Bush is a no-brain president, and Obama is a lame-duck president. say those things in some countries and you get the penalty of your life.

Do the Presidents really run the show? Obama wanted to look into the NSA surveillance but couldn't get far. Why was that? He decided he liked the data they were collecting? Or they were too powerful for the President of the US?

There is evidence around that says explicitly that Congress is afraid of these intelligence agencies. http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20...losi-admits-that-congress-is-scared-cia.shtml.

Look at Snowden. Was there ANY way for him to obtain the information he had and made these facts public legally? Absolutely not. These agencies are legally protecting themselves despite the fact they are committing heinous moral attrocities. Violations of basic rights and they simply are abusing this knowledge.

Sometimes the laws are wrong. Snowden's life is forever in danger because of immoral laws protecting corrupt or immoral organisations and individuals.

 

[Guest]

Why is Snowden not dead ? Because he is kind of doing the NSA a favor. You sit at home in your little world, as they give the media, papers and websites like this, information about other stuff for you to worry about, and you are distracted for a lengthy period of time.
Then the word is out about this, or anything else Snowden or the likes dish out slowly. But as much as the NSA would rather have not been found out, they know too well they probably will be eventually.
And what happens when they are found out? Nothing. You don't take to the streets, you stay in your cells that you call your homes, and watch quietly as another freedom is removed from you.
And once you know about their questionable ways, well they will continue to use them at will because they got away with it, you have no power over them.

 

[Guest]

All this NSA data collecting could lead to scenario like this:

- you as a person don't matter - your data does.
- connect all the dots of your data and create a profile
- this profile will extremely influence YOUR FREEDOM of choice
- insurance companies might refuse you because of your background
- you will not be allowed to chose your place of living freely due to your profile
- your are imprisoned in a social status because of your data
- etc...

What's already common practice today is, if there is a job applicant you google their names, look at maps where they are living and conclude to their social background, see if there are "strange" pics in the net, so on....

Everybody should be able to chose freely and shall not be influenced by data which was collected by others "for your safety".

 

[Guest]

"If we don't want them to do this (US) them we have to FORCE our representatives to change the laws."
LOL LOL LOL thats the best joke I've heard all week. Since when were they your representatives? Maybe in the 19th century. Out of the 535 (100 Senators) (435 Representatives) you may have 5 that look out for the people. The rest are selected by Corporate America, elected by them and controlled by them, PERIOD. wake up.

There is an election coming up this year. Projections indicate very low turn out. If you want things to change, vote in the primary ( support an independent or someone other than a repub or dem), vote in the general election. In reality the only option we have is the ballot box.
It has to start somewhere.

 

[Raoul Duke]

I'd rather have all my conversations recorded unlawfully than live in a country where all my legal peaceful dissensions are interpreted by the rulers as threats to national security, armed rebellion, terrorism, sedition, and gets me sent to prison, forced hard labor, torture, or a bullet to the head

this is what people are afraid that the USA government will evolve into, since increasingly no aspect of your life can be kept private, any dissention from the government line will lead to one disappearing into an American version of the Gulag...all entirely legal.

 

[amstech]

You don't take to the streets, you stay in your cells that you call your homes, and watch quietly as another freedom is removed from you.
And once you know about their questionable ways, well they will continue to use them at will because they got away with it, you have no power over them.

Until someone gets pissed and blows up the white house, senate and/or air force one all at the same time and the US Government is left in shambles as the country gets locked down. History repeats itself, when any ruling party becomes to controlling/powerful they will be reminded of who truly holds the power. The people, not them.
When its their family members and loved ones getting scraped off the floor, maybe they will think twice about their corrupt political and corporate policy's they think will last forever.

 

[Guest]

"This is nothing new, the US and other countries have been tapping phone lines, and using various listening devices for decades. Today's technology just makes it easier."

Nothing new? Before we tapped lines into PEOPLE OF INTEREST not the WHOLE GOD DAMN POPULATION.

Nothing New? Try having all the data companies have been collecting over the years about its customers BUT instead of each company (or a few) only holding relevant information to their own products and you it's ALL that data in ONE place INSTEAD of having YOUR data scattered about between different companies, businesses, and markets. All in one nice place just BEGGING to taken by anyone willing to take advantage of it. Nothing new? DO YOU EVEN REALIZE THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE NSA AND ONE SINGLE WIRE TAPPING PROGRAM???????? ITS NOT JUST PHONES EITHER!

All it takes is one hacker. Or someone when slightly worse intentions to incredibly worse intentions than Snowden. In fact, that coward Snowden you are all so critical of DID prove one thing: IT CAN BE LEAKED! INFORMATION HAS ALREADY BEEN PROVEN TO FALL INTO THE WRONG HANDS! HELLO PEOPLE! WAKE UP AND QUIT DENYING REALITY.

To people saying this is "nothing new": If wire tapping has already been happening (which it has of course). If online search habits are already being tracked. If buying habits are already being tracked.... AND PLENTY MORE...... WHY DO WE NEED THE NSA TO DO IT? NOTHING NEW????? LET'S GET RID OF IT THEN. what an idea huh?

 

[Per Hansson]

"The spokesperson added that their work is strictly conducted under the rule of the law."
It it just me or if this work is really being "strictly conducted under the rule of the law", may there then perhaps be some reason to look at the law, and not NSA?

I have to say out of all quotes I've read about the government defending the NSA this one takes the cake!

 

[Darth Shiv]

"The spokesperson added that their work is strictly conducted under the rule of the law."
It it just me or if this work is really being "strictly conducted under the rule of the law", may there then perhaps be some reason to look at the law, and not NSA?

I have to say out of all quotes I've read about the government defending the NSA this one takes the cake!

The point it if Congress *tries* to do something about the law, what do you think the NSA does?

 

[Raoul Duke]

I'm sure 'they' know every in and out and way to do it, but I know one way that has been abused (I'm not American btw) is the Presidential Executive Order. Also the hyper-reaction to 9/11 let the government pass laws that seem incredible when held up to scrutiny. Things like Homeland Security Act and the Patriot Act etc.

 

[Nima304]

Is anyone going to ask how the NSA is able to do this? That's the first step in stopping the problem.

 

[Guest]

Someday you will regret if it's proofed, fake democraZy in US