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The Intercept has released an article entitled, "The Computers Are Listening: How the NSA Converts Spoken Words Into Searchable Text":
Top-secret documents from the archive of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show the National Security Agency can now automatically recognize the content within phone calls by creating rough transcripts and phonetic representations that can be easily searched and stored. The documents show NSA analysts celebrating the development of what they called "Google for Voice" nearly a decade ago.
Though perfect transcription of natural conversation apparently remains the Intelligence Community's "holy grail," the Snowden documents describe extensive use of keyword searching as well as computer programs designed to analyze and "extract" the content of voice conversations, and even use sophisticated algorithms to flag conversations of interest.
The documents include vivid examples of the use of speech recognition in war zones like Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as in Latin America. But they leave unclear exactly how widely the spy agency uses this ability, particularly in programs that pick up considerable amounts of conversations that include people who live in or are citizens of the United States.
Recently, Chancellor Angela Merkel defended German intelligence (BND) spying on behalf of the NSA. Former Director of the NSA Michael Hayden has taken the opportunity to use the failed Garland, TX attack to advocate preserving or extending NSA surveillance:
Public wishes about how to balance privacy and security will have to be evaluated in light of the shooting deaths of two men outside a "Draw Muhammad" free-speech event in Garland, Texas, on Sunday, former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden tells Newsmax TV. "You've got this difficult decision to make: when does free thought and free speech cross the line into something that's actionable by American law enforcement?" Hayden said Monday on "Newsmax Prime," hosted by J.D. Hayworth. The "totality of circumstances" should determine where the line is drawn between privacy and security, Hayden said. "We may actually discover that we're drawing the line too conservatively and that we should be more forward-leaning with our action," he said. "We'll let the facts take us there if they will."
Despite criticism of NSA overreach from some quarters, the agency's former boss doesn't see anything wrong with how information is collected, he told Hayworth. He understands the concerns, Hayden said, but added: "Of all the times when we might want to make it more difficult or more cumbersome to find the terrorists in the United States, this is not that time because of the kind of things that happened in Texas yesterday."
ISIS just claimed responsibility for the Garland attack. What does this all mean for the USA FREEDOM Act, the bill that could place some small limits on the U.S. surveillance state? According to the New York Times, the NSA may be willing to sacrifice elements of domestic telephone spying in order to preserve "more vital" programs.
(Score: -1, Troll) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 05 2015, @10:49PM
computer programs designed to analyze and "extract" the content of voice conversations, and even use sophisticated algorithms to flag conversations of interest
They've been doing this for over a decade and now we find out.
Throw away the mobile spying device.
If you cannot trust the phone line, do not say anything important, or any business details, or any business ideas. These criminals do not just gather and sort data, they also conduct espionage at all levels. They happily send all "our" data to their friends in the middle east, who now know more about us than we do ourselves. Stop helping them.
Log out of Google, Facebook, .......... forever.
Stay away from "plastic" money as much as possible. Use hard cash, so it is somewhat difficult to track you. Have a stash, and refill your stash at random times (not equally-spaced) so they have difficulty tracking where you spent the withdrawn amount.
Look inside your house, apartment, car for spying devices. You will probably find at least a dozen. And of course lots of spying software on all your computers.
Learn history and see who the real enemy is. He does not mind being called a liar, thief, swindler, parasite, profiteer. But call him by his real name and you will be astonished at how much he is injured.
Discuss real issues, give advice to others, act on it yourself, and do not let them get you. Arm yourself with knowledge. You know they are after people with knowledge who could be a threat, people who are thinkers AND doers. It is possible that some time in the future anyone not a regular visitor of facebook will be put against a wall and shot.
Nobody even talks about how Michael Jackson died any more. He found out about this and more, and was going to tell the world, so he had to die. Therefore, never look like a threat, although you may very well be. Note their actions, keep a close eye on them, while appearing to play a game with your "facebook friends" on a mobile spying device. They are watching you. Are you watching them?
(Score: 1, Touché) by Anonymous Coward on Tuesday May 05 2015, @11:43PM
So far so good I can agree with this statement. Quack-o-meter registers mild.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Up goes the needle. Oh no this is a conspiracy theorist isn't it?
*boop* *beep* Hmm, it's gone down a bit. Sound advice although delivered with an unneeded finality. Google and Facebook both base their business model on your information, one hoards it jealously and the other sells it away to the highest bidder. Of course plastic money is more traceable than cash, but don't think that your paper money is completely untraceable! Did you know that American Dollars in any other denomination other than $1 have a very fine metal wire embedded in them? So large amounts of cash set off metal detectors.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* It's too loud! Define spying please? That public facing unencrypted default-passworded wifi security camera you hooked up to monitor your baby doesn't count. Doubtfully anyone who takes the time to read this has any legitimate espionage devices in their residence.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* WHY WON'T IT STOP? The real enemy is human ignorance. That and organized religion, or was that what you where talking about?
Finally, it stopped! Ignore all else and read the above line!
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* Didn't stop for long. I think we'd have to start seeing executions for traffic stops before executions for lack of Facebooking would happen. I'd rather see this happen TO Facebookers not non-Facebookers.
*BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* it's going to blow! Similar has been said about Elvis Presley, John Lennon, and Kurt Cobain. The only thing that anyone had any question about was whether MJ's Doctor should be in jail or not.
*KABOOM* You owe me a new meter! I'm personally NOT afraid of government spying, I'm afraid of corporate spying. At least government spying will (eventually, many many many years later maybe) be legally challenged!
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Wednesday May 06 2015, @12:16AM
It's an exaggeration, but not entirely:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/11/nsa-americans-personal-data-israel-documents [theguardian.com]
http://chicagomonitor.com/2014/09/nsa-spying-on-palestinian-americans-for-israel-and-for-the-u-s/ [chicagomonitor.com]
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 2, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 06 2015, @12:40AM
The real enemy is human ignorance. That and organized religion, or was that what you where talking about?
I think it comes from:
The Jew is immunized against all dangers; one may call him a scoundrel, parasite, swindler, profiteer. It all runs off him like water off a raincoat. But call him a Jew and you will be astonished at how he recoils, how injured he is, how he suddenly shrinks back: "I've been found out!" --Joseph Goebbels
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday May 06 2015, @12:53AM
So in a way, yes he was.