HappyBlogFriend 's Techdirt Comments

Latest Comments (32)

• On the post: Vocal NSA Critic Has Dinner With NSA Boss, Explains To Him That Abuses Are Inevitable

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2013 @ 03:14pm

  Bored analysts do things like spy on women using surveillance cameras and listen to American GIs overseas having phone sex with their loved ones back home. Or an FBI agent may investigate strange but not unlawful emails on behalf of a family friend, leading to a sex scandal that brings down the Director of the CIA.

  It's about time someone made a list of these known abuses. Over time, it will only get worse.

• On the post: Ecuador Looks To Ban Wikileaks-like Offerings, Despite 'Housing' Assange

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2013 @ 01:28pm

  This should come as no surprise to anyone. All governments resist transparency. They will tolerate other country's whistleblowers, but not their own.

• On the post: People Who Got Shorter Sentences Than Bradley Manning: Spies Selling Secrets To Russians & Active Terrorists

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 22 Aug, 2013 @ 09:33am

  Punishments for TREASON will be harsher now that everyone knows what it is.

• On the post: Declassified FISA Court Opinion Shows NSA Lied Repeatedly To The Court As Well

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 06:26pm

  Re:

  But the "oversight" is effective. It's doing exactly what they want it to -- placate people.

• On the post: US Still Can't Figure Out What Snowden Took; What Happened To Those Perfect 'Audits'?

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 10:56am

  They should just stop talking in absolutes. They've been proven wrong too many times.

• On the post: US Still Can't Figure Out What Snowden Took; What Happened To Those Perfect 'Audits'?

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 10:54am

  Re: Know what's even scarier?

  silverscarcat wrote:

  This basically implies that a hacker could break into the NSA, steal all the data inside and spread it out to whomever they wanted to and the NSA would never know how much was taken.

  In other words, the government is lucky that their data was taken by someone with Snowden's integrity.
  
  Their data was insecure, a breach was bound to happen, and they wouldn't treat Snowden as an enemy if they had any idea what sort of damage a real enemy can do.

• On the post: Bradley Manning Sentenced To 35 Years

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 02:32pm

  You can expect to hear a lot of misinformed craziness in the press about this case, because reactions to the Manning verdict will be shaped by two misconceptions. Do your part to counter it.

• On the post: NSA Program Found Unconstitutional Went On For 3 Years; Started Right After Telcos Got Immunity

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 21 Aug, 2013 @ 10:19am

  Immediate corruption

  the "start" of this admitted unconstitutional spying was in 2008 -- which is exactly when the telcos received immunity from all such cases involving warrantless wiretapping.

  So they were abusing the power right from the start. I thought people were corrupted over time, but in this case, they must have been slathering to abuse their immunity as soon as it was put on the table.
  
  But don't let this sour you on the NSA. Please trust NSA.

• On the post: UK Home Office Says Miranda's Detention 'Fully Justified,' Attacks Press And Public For Condoning Snowden's Leaks

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2013 @ 06:56pm

  Jeremy 2020 wrote:

  It seems like they firmly believe that the attention spans of their citizens will cause them to move on if they just weather the initial storm.

  The government surveillance chronicle drops out of the news a few days after every revelation, so weathering the storm would appear to be a viable strategy for them. Making boneheaded moves like this, however, is definitely not part of that strategy.

• On the post: UK Home Office Says Miranda's Detention 'Fully Justified,' Attacks Press And Public For Condoning Snowden's Leaks

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2013 @ 06:49pm

  Duke wrote:

  Except the law they used doesn't provide a framework for doing this. It only lets them question someone to work out whether or not they're involved with acts of terrorism, not to find out of they're in possession of classified information.

  Unfortunately, people of a certain mindset want the government to twist whatever powers it has in order to do what they think is right. They don't give a darn about abuse as long as it targets the right people.

• On the post: Latest Leak: NSA Can Spy On Almost Anything, Gets To Set Its Own Filters

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 20 Aug, 2013 @ 07:08pm

  I think we all suspect that the NSA has been playing "Hide the Content" since these leaks began. They're collecting it, they don't want to admit it, and they're against transparency because they know what it will uncover.

• On the post: White House Says It Had 'No Role' In UK Detention Of David Miranda, But Did Have A 'Heads Up'

  

  HappyBlogFriend ( profile ), 19 Aug, 2013 @ 02:07pm

  Tipping point

  It seems government abuse is finally reaching a tipping point. I've started blogging as a result.