The National Security Agency has broken privacy rules or overstepped its legal authority thousands of times each year since Congress granted the agency broad new powers in 2008, according to an internal audit and other top-secret documents.
Most of the infractions involve unauthorized surveillance of Americans or foreign intelligence targets in the United States, both of which are restricted by statute and executive order. They range from significant violations of law to typographical errors that resulted in unintended interception of U.S. e-mails and telephone calls.
The documents, provided earlier this summer to The Washington Post by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, include a level of detail and analysis that is not routinely shared with Congress or the special court that oversees surveillance. In one of the documents, agency personnel are instructed to remove details and substitute more generic language in reports to the Justice Department and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.
In one instance, the NSA decided that it need not report the unintended surveillance of Americans. A notable example in 2008 was the interception of a “large number” of calls placed from Washington when a programming error confused the U.S. area code 202 for 20, the international dialing code for Egypt, according to a “quality assurance” review that was not distributed to the NSA’s oversight staff.
In another case, the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, which has authority over some NSA operations, did not learn about a new collection method until it had been in operation for many months. The court ruled it unconstitutional.
The Obama administration has provided almost no public information about the NSA’s compliance record. In June, after promising to explain the NSA’s record in “as transparent a way as we possibly can,” Deputy Attorney General James Cole described extensive safeguards and oversight that keep the agency in check. “Every now and then, there may be a mistake,” Cole said in congressional testimony.
The NSA audit obtained by The Post, dated May 2012, counted 2,776 incidents in the preceding 12 months of unauthorized collection, storage, access to or distribution of legally protected communications. Most were unintended. Many involved failures of due diligence or violations of standard operating procedure. The most serious incidents included a violation of a court order and unauthorized use of data about more than 3,000 Americans and green-card holders.
Unfortunately, I can't say I am surprised. Thanks for the link.
You're welcome.
NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds - The Washington Post
Not surprising at all that the N.S.A. is overstepping its boundaries, but sadly, it will cause some here, who blindly defend and swallow everything the N.S.A. does, to have exploding heads because their worldview is rapidly changing.
Once again, who gets fired? nobody.
Who gets suspended without pay? nobody.
Who has their career placed in any jeopardy? nobody.
Who gets to tell lies to congress this time? probably all of them.
Who gets away with that? all of them.
Were laws broken again? Yes.
Will criminal charges be filed this time? no.
Government is way out of control. We saw this show just last month.
NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds - The Washington Post
Not surprising at all that the N.S.A. is overstepping its boundaries, but sadly, it will cause some here, who blindly defend and swallow everything the N.S.A. does, to have exploding heads because their worldview is rapidly changing.
August 9th, 2013-President Obama:"If you look at the reports, even the disclosures that Mr. Snowden’s put forward, all the stories that have been written, what you’re not reading about is the government actually abusing these programs and, you know, listening in on people’s phone calls or inappropriately reading people’s e-mails. What you’re hearing about is the prospect that these could be abused. Now part of the reason they’re not abused is because they’re — these checks are in place, and those abuses would be against the law and would be against the orders of the FISC [Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court]."
Phony scandals? LOL. We're not invading people's privacy? LOL.
Nobody in their right mind believed a word he said anyway.
2700 incidents over what denominator? I suspect this is a small almost infinitesimal number of breaches given the vast activities of NSA.
Typical tea partiers and their lack of math skills.
2700 incidents over what denominator? I suspect this is a small almost infinitesimal number of breaches given the vast activities of NSA.
Typical tea partiers and their lack of math skills.
What do you expect? Obama along with the majority of those in government are pathological liars.
What do I expect? LOL.
I figure out a long time ago. Anything but the truth from this administration.
NSA broke privacy rules thousands of times per year, audit finds - The Washington Post
Not surprising at all that the N.S.A. is overstepping its boundaries, but sadly, it will cause some here, who blindly defend and swallow everything the N.S.A. does, to have exploding heads because their worldview is rapidly changing.
Once again, who gets fired? nobody.
Who gets suspended without pay? nobody.
Who has their career placed in any jeopardy? nobody.
Who gets to tell lies to congress this time? probably all of them.
Who gets away with that? all of them.
Were laws broken again? Yes.
Will criminal charges be filed this time? no.
Government is way out of control. We saw this show just last month.
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