THE SURVEILLANCE STATE … UNDER ANOTHER NAME
|| By FITSNEWS || The stampede over your liberty will continue unabated … even though the federal government claims to have ended its “bulk data collection” under the so-called PATRIOT Act.
That’s because our Evil Empire has passed the so-called “USA Freedom Act,” which restores the powers which lapsed at midnight on Sunday thanks to the efforts of U.S. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky.
“The government after this bill passes will no longer collect your phone records,” Paul said this week.
Um, no …
“It’s historical,” U.S. Senator Patrick Leahy of Vermont declared. “It’s the first major overhaul of government surveillance in decades.”
Again, no …
What the “USA Freedom Act” does is give the federal government six more months to snoop on you in flagrant violation of your Fourth Amendment protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
“Just follow the damn Constitution?” Not hardly …
After those six months are up, your phone records and other data will continue to be collected by telecommunications companies – available to the government after the issuance of a warrant.
“While on the surface this appears to be a victory, we rather skeptically suggest it merely changes the place where the bulk data is stored … and even more cynically leaves the data access less open to FOIA requests as it is now private property (not government),” wrote Zero Hedge. “Realistically it appears nothing more than a great PR effort to bury the spy state even deeper.”
Exactly.
And as evidence of the utter insignificance of all this, the government has absolutely no plans to do away with its mass storage center in Utah (a.k.a. the “all-seeing eye“).
The government’s Orwellian domestic spy network – which was found unconstitutional earlier this year – was courageously exposed in 2013 by former National Security Agency (NSA) employee Edward Snowden. The whistleblower continues to fight for individual liberty, promoting the use of encryption technology in an effort to limit government’s ability to snoop.
For those of you keeping score at home, here’s the “USA Freedom Act” roll call …
14 comments
“Freedom Act”
Comical.
When the bills start resembling names from George Orwell or Ayn Rand novel’s you know the country has jumped the shark.
I am confused.FitsNews (and other PRIVATE businesses) engage in “bulk data collection” , don’t they?
Why is FitsNews outraged? How is what the government is doing ANY different than what MOST private businesses do?
Because it’s the government and has the force of law behind it – private businesses do not.
“How is what the government is doing ANY different than what MOST private businesses do?”
See Guest’s response and mine above for the full answer.
My businesses have been online for eighteen years and we do not collect data on our customers or casual viewers. We do not make email lists or send out spam, either.
When you are talking real money and critical customers, we do not chance it.
If you are so confused then stay out the adult discussions Flip. Join GT at the kid’s table.
Please, if you’re going to use Rocky and your not Rocky Verdad just put a 3 at the end – i.e. – Rocky3
ok
No. FITS does not “collect clicks” and eyeballs … The advertisers do that.
Oy vey!
Private businesses do not have a track record of sending folks to concentration camps or um reservations.
Governments do.
Isn’t advertising based on collecting data from potential customers?
You are missing the difference between “voluntary” and “involuntary”.
More cameras at the borders would be nice. But that’s the responsibility of the DOJ and U.S. Border Patrol
I am all for cameras at the borders. High-end infra-red and nightvision cameras too so those crafty mexicans won’t be crawling in a tunnel.