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from the making-a-list-and-checking-it-twice dept.
c0lo writes:
An Australian blogger shares his personal experience with orders put on hold by the Australian subsidiary of Element 14 (the former Farnell shop), reportedly based on a watch list maintained by US govt.
From the blog:
The counter person wasn't sure, so checked with someone else who came and wasn't 100% sure, but knew that the system does automatically flag orders based on various identifiers. It could have possibly been one of those stupid US government trade restriction things, because, you know capacitors and opamps can be used by evil terrorists and the like... (International customers have to fill out silly forms with US distributors and manufacturers saying we won't use the parts in nuclear weapons - seriously)
But they enquired further with someone else and the word came back that it wasn't the parts that had been flagged, it was my NAME that was flagged. And they said it was a US government watch list of some description. I was stunned, and it seemed like they didn't quite understand why I was so shocked at this. Because, you know, the whole world has to just sit by and let the US government dictate everything at will.
...
So lets see if I have this straight - An Australian subsidiary, owned by a UK parent company, listed on the UK stock exchange, has an ordering system that automatically matches generic names against some secret US Government watch list, and flags those orders and puts them on hold, for parts that are already stocked in Australia, are likely not made in the US, and likely have come from the main UK warehouse. Call me stupid, but something doesn't seem right with that...
(Score: 5, Insightful) by Thexalon on Wednesday February 26 2014, @03:38PM
"No person shall ... be deprived of life, liberty, or property without due process of law."
Putting people and organizations on secret lists without trial is the essence of doing exactly that. We now effectively have 2 different government systems in the US: The open government, with laws and trials and juries and such, and the secret government, where secret organizations gather secret evidence using secret techniques that can never be seen or challenged, and use that evidence to justify government harassment and even (in a few rare cases) summary execution.
Oh, and notice that it doesn't say "No citizen", it says "No person": The US government isn't supposed to do this to civilians of other countries either.
The only thing that stops a bad guy with a compiler is a good guy with a compiler.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by n1 on Wednesday February 26 2014, @03:56PM
I have come to the conclusion, only Americans are "people". The rest of us are aliens and potential threats.
(Score: 5, Insightful) by nitehawk214 on Wednesday February 26 2014, @04:09PM
This is the reason why Guantanamo exists. The Bill of Rights is supposed to apply to everyone, American or not. These days, I think they are only applying it to members of the government itself, not the population.
"Don't you ever miss the days when you used to be nostalgic?" -Loiosh
(Score: 5, Insightful) by captain normal on Wednesday February 26 2014, @09:12PM
This is the reason why Guantanamo exists. The Bill of Rights is supposed to apply to everyone, American or not. These days, I think they are only applying it to members of the government itself and top level employees of major corporations, not the population.
TFTFY
Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not to his own facts"- --Daniel Patrick Moynihan--
(Score: 2, Insightful) by rufty on Thursday February 27 2014, @12:51AM
And corporations, of course.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by Sir Garlon on Wednesday February 26 2014, @04:43PM
And we have former president Ronald Reagan (1980-1988) to thank for that. Executive Order 12333 [archives.gov] (do not bother with the Wikipedia page, it's garbage) redefined what intelligence agencies can and cannot do. Only "US persons" have any protection from being spied on (second 2.4). I like the part where it says you can't physically tail a US citizen overseas without a warrant, unless you think it's important.
[Sir Garlon] is the marvellest knight that is now living, for he destroyeth many good knights, for he goeth invisible.
(Score: 1) by davester666 on Wednesday February 26 2014, @06:31PM
Same with the NSA listening in on calls and going through data. They can't specifically target American's, but if it's "accidental", you just say oops and keep on using the data.
(Score: 1) by TheGratefulNet on Wednesday February 26 2014, @07:39PM
the 'correct' new order of life forms is more like:
1) rich elite
2) corporations
3) authority/power positions
4) american citizens
5) ROW
and no, we don't like this. not. one. bit.
"It is now safe to switch off your computer."
(Score: 2, Insightful) by etherscythe on Wednesday February 26 2014, @09:00PM
That was true up until the passage of the USA PATRIOT ACT. Now we are all potential threats. And you're un-American and a traitor if you question it even the slightest bit.
"Fake News: anything reported outside of my own personally chosen echo chamber"
(Score: 2, Funny) by n1 on Wednesday February 26 2014, @09:43PM
I know what you mean. At least as an 'American' you have the possibility of arguing you have some rights (constitutionally, bill of rights). You will probably be ignored though.
Events like these reminded of a quote from the very brilliant 'King of the Hill', "You're a foreign national who committed a criminal offense. May God have mercy on your soul."
(Score: 3, Insightful) by mrbluze on Wednesday February 26 2014, @10:32PM
I will no longer buy from this company, but it will be difficult to find a supplier that has so much interesting stuff in one place.
Do it yourself, 'cause no one else will do it yourself.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by mojo chan on Wednesday February 26 2014, @11:03PM
All the major component suppliers have the same systems in place. RS, Rapid, Mouser, Digikey... When I order samples from US semiconductor companies like Texas I have to tick a "I am not a terrorist" box on their web site. It's beyond dumb.
const int one = 65536; (Silvermoon, Texture.cs)