Over the last couple of years, through the revelations of Ed Snowden and independent reporting by others, we've learned more and more about the National Security Agency's spying programs. Indeed, there have now been so many revelations that it can be hard to keep them straight. So here's a handy guide to the most significant ways the NSA spies on people in the United States and around the world.
1. The NSA collects every American's phone records
This was one of the first programs revealed by Snowden and it continues to be one of the most controversial. The Patriot Act allows the NSA to obtain business records that are relevant to terrorist investigations. The government claims that this gives it the power to obtain records — phone number dialed, time and duration of call — about every domestic phone call in the United States. Last year the Obama administration proposed changes to require judicial oversight of access to the database.
"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." Niemand ist mehr Sklave, als der sich für frei hält, ohne es zu sein
Americans Are The Most Spied On People In World History Posted on December 5, 2012 by WashingtonsBlog More Spying On Citizens than in Stasi East Germany
TechDirt notes:
In a radio interview, Wall Street Journal reporter Julia Angwin (who’s been one of the best at covering the surveillance state in the US) made a simple observation that puts much of this into context: the US surveillance regime has more data on the average American than the Stasi ever did on East Germans.
Indeed, the American government has more information on the average American than Stalin had on Russians, Hitler had on German citizens, or any other government has ever had on its people. ....................................... http://www.washingtonsblog.com/2012/12/a...ld-history.html