Transcript Black and White

Domestic Surveillance
By: Joshua Hedden
What is Domestic Surveillance?
A legal investigative process entailing a
close observing or listening to a
person in effort to gather evidentiary
information about the commission of a
crime, or lesser improper behavior.
Wiretapping, eavesdropping,
shadowing, tailing, and electronic
observation are all examples of this
law-enforcement technique.
So who controls Domestic Surveillance in
the U.S.?
NSA (National Security Agency)
What is the NSA?
The NSA is a cryptologic intelligence
agency of the United States
Department of Defense responsible
for the collection and analysis of
foreign communications and foreign
signals intelligence, as well as
protecting U.S. Government
communications and information
systems, which involves information
security and
cryptanalysis/cryptography.
FISA – America's Surveillance Act,
describes procedures for the physical
and electronic surveillance and
collection of data/information.
Phone Monitoring
Hepting v. AT&T lawsuit filed in 2006.
It is alleged in the lawsuit that in 20022003, AT&T permitted and assisted
the NSA to install a system in its
switching centers in certain major
cities. This was capable of
monitoring billions of bits of Internet
traffic a second, including the
playback of telephone calls routed
on the Internet, and thus in effect
spying upon the entirety of the
communication of many or all
American citizens and businesses
who use the Internet.
In July 2008, Congress passed, and
on July 10, 2008, President
George Bush signed, the FISA
Amendments Act, which granted
retroactive immunity to
telecommunications companies
for the past violations of FISA.
More Info
While campaigning against President George W. Bush, Barack Obama had pledged
that there would be “no more wiretapping of American citizens,” but Obama's
administration has continued to use many of Bush's arguments when it comes to
warrant less wiretapping.
The instances of U.S. law-enforcement agencies monitoring electronic
communications such as phone calls, emails and even social network updates
without a warrant has increased by as much as 60 percent in the past 2 years
under president Obama.
Video
The Data Storage: Video
Wiretapping
How easy is it today?
The government can legally collect the data about who and when you call email or
instant message, because of the Electronic Communications Privacy Act passed
in 1986. Today our technology has far more advanced beyond this act where
from the feds to local cops, all that law enforcers need in order to obtain an order
allowing surveillance is to file a procedural request with a judge certifying that the
information will be used in conjunction with a criminal investigation.
Surveillance Drones
Video
Surveillance Satellites
In 2007 U.S. Intelligence agencies had
approved the use of spy satellites for
domestic purposes. These satellites
are capable of observing targets
around the globe in daylight and
darkness, able to penetrate clouds
and identify underground structures.
The true capabilities are not known
but it is believed you could zoom in on
items as small as a human fist from
hundreds of miles away.
Six surveillance satellites were released
in 2011, estimated cost of more than
$3 billion dollars.
OnStar
What is OnStar? A subsidiary of General Motors, it provides a subscription based invehicle security, hands free calling, turn-by-turn navigation, and remote
diagnostics systems.
What can OnStar do? The key things I want to point out are remote door unlock/lock
and tracking the vehicle.
Use as surveillance device? It is possible for OnStar to be remotely activated by third
parties or under government order. This would enable third parties to track the
location of the car, along with the ability to listen to the contents of any
conversations by the occupants within the car. The FBI has denied the ability to
use this because it disables OnStar's safety features. OnStar says all this is not
possible without the knowledge of the occupant.
Conclusion
So the bottom line is a lack of proportion between benefits and risks. This
technology has the potential to do so many things but carries real dangers of
abuse and has to have a line drawn somewhere. Certain acts and civil liberties
have been crossed already without citizens even knowing so even if that line is
drawn its hard to say our government won't cross it anytime they feel the need to.
Works Cited:
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<http://bgr.com/2012/08/27/u-s-government-domestic-surveillance-citizens-nsa-freedom/>.
Hollenhorst, John. "Safety or Surveillance: What Is the NSA's Utah Data Center?" KSL.com. Bonneville International
Corporation, 25 Oct. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148>.
Kopstein, Joshua. "Warrantless Wiretap Bill Passes in US House, Authorizes 5 More Years of Domestic spying." The
Verge. Vox Media, 12 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.theverge.com/2012/9/12/3324148/warrantless-wiretap-bill-passes-us-house-domestic-spying>.
London, Eric. "World Socialist Web Site." ACLU Report: Obama Administration Expands Domestic Spying. World
Socialist
Web Site, 1 Sept. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.wsws.org/articles/2012/oct2012/spy-o01.shtml>.
Mhzworldview, Mhz. "Surveillance Drones Blur Legal Limits Of Domestic Spying (RT)." YouTube. YouTube, 10 Oct. 2012.
Web. 27 Nov. 2012. <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=106I5tPKApI>.
"National Security Agency." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 27 Nov. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
<
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Security_Agency>.
Poitras, Laura. "OP-DOCS; The Program." The New York Times. The New York Times, 23 Aug. 2012. Web. 27 Nov. 2012.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/opinion/the-national-security-agencys-domestic-spying-program.html>.
"What's Wrong With Public Video Surveillance?" Aclu.org. American Civil Liberties Union, 25 Feb. 2012. Web. 27 Nov.
2012. <http://www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/whats-wrong-public-video-surveillance>.