NSA Confirms It Has Been Searching US Citizens' Data Without a Warrant

[DamianTV]

http://yro.slashdot.org/story/14/04/01/2144257/nsa-confirms-it-has-been-searching-us-citizens-data-without-a-warrant


"According to Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, 'There have been queries, using U.S. person identifiers, of communications lawfully acquired to obtain foreign intelligence targeting non-U.S. persons reasonably believed to be located outside the United States. These queries were performed pursuant to minimization procedures approved by the Fisa court and consistent with the statute and the fourth amendment.' Basically, if you communicated with someone that is 'reasonably believed' to be a terrorist, you've lost constitutional protection against searches without a warrant, according to the NSA."

(embedded links not copied)

Oh, really? We didnt know that. We would have had no idea our Govt was violating every single one of our Rights on as regular of a basis as is possible if they didnt tell us that first. Our Govt would never lie to us or withhold information.

[Anti Federalist]

you've lost constitutional protection against searches without a warrant

We ain't got time for that.

[DamianTV]

Once Rights are converted to Priviledges, those Priviledges that pose a threat to the Status Quo will soon be revoked.

[Dr.3D]

We ain't got time for that.
Yes, we can't be causing an overburdening of the courts now can we?

[ZENemy]

Once Rights are converted to Priviledges, those Priviledges that pose a threat to the Status Quo will soon be revoked.

"When liberty becomes licensed, dictatorship is near"

[DamianTV]

you've lost constitutional protection against searches without a warrant

We ain't got time for that.

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-Wn-xS06E09Q/UnAMnXYMjKI/AAAAAAAAVc0/iL5vQD1N8SI/s1600/Aint-Nobody-Got-Time-for-That.gif

[enhanced_deficit]

Can't put freedom on price tag.





The Washington Times Thursday, September 12, 2013




http://media.washtimes.com/media/image/2013/09/04/9_4_2013_ap1202290336308201_s160x116.jpg?6245d4b98 1be5c0dbf526a2ddfd2c5ef89877976 (http://www.washingtontimes.com/multimedia/image/9_4_2013_ap1202290336308201jpg/)



It's a safe bet there's no love lost between Hollywood actor James Woods and President Obama — the former has taken to Twitter several times over the last few months to trash the policies and politics of the latter.

The latest came this week, in response to a report from British press that revealed the National Security Agency commonly provides Israel with intelligence data — without first stripping out private and personal information on American citizens. The Guardian in London reported the item, the latest in its coverage of document leaks from Edward Snowden.


Source: James Woods on Obama: He’s the ‘gift from hell’ (http://www.ronpaulforums.com/showthread.php?428515-James-Woods-on-Obama-He%E2%80%99s-the-%E2%80%98gift-from-hell%E2%80%99&)

[tod evans]

US confirms warrantless searches of Americans

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2014/04/01/us-confirms-warrantless-searches-americans/?intcmp=latestnews


The Obama administration has conducted warrantless searches of Americans' communications as part of the National Security Agency's surveillance operations that target foreigners located outside of the U.S., the administration's top intelligence official confirmed in a letter to Congress disclosed Tuesday.

These searches were authorized by a secret surveillance court in 2011, but it was unclear until Tuesday whether any such searches on Americans had been conducted.

The recent acknowledgement of warrantless searches on Americans offers more insight into U.S. government surveillance operations put in place after the terror attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The government has broadly interpreted these laws to allow for the collection of communications of innocent Americans, practices the Obama administration maintains are legal. But President Barack Obama has promised to review some of these programs to determine whether the government should be conducting this type of surveillance at all.

"Senior officials have sometimes suggested that government agencies do not deliberately read Americans' emails, monitor their online activity or listen to their phone calls without a warrant," Democratic Sens. Ron Wyden of Oregon and Mark Udall of Colorado said in a joint statement. "However, the facts show that those suggestions were misleading, and that intelligence agencies have indeed conducted warrantless searches for Americans' communications."

Wyden has pressed the administration on whether these searches on Americans have occurred. In a March 28 letter to Wyden, James Clapper, the government's top intelligence official, said the NSA has searched for Americans' communications within information it collected when it targeted foreigners located outside the U.S. In his letter, Clapper also pointed to a declassified document released last August that also acknowledged the use of such searches and stated that these searches were reviewed, and there was no finding of wrongdoing. It was unclear how often these searches are conducted.

Documents disclosed last year by former NSA systems analyst Edward Snowden showed that the government collects mass amounts of data from major Internet companies such as Google, Apple, Microsoft and Facebook through one of its programs designed to target communications of foreigners located outside the U.S. The government is not allowed to use this authority to collect Americans' communications, but conversations of innocent Americans are collected inadvertently. When this happens, the NSA is required to take certain measures to hide the communications of Americans that have nothing to do with foreign intelligence.

In 2011, the government sought and received approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to search for Americans within the communications it already possessed through its collection of conversations of foreigners outside the U.S. Such searches would only be permissible if there were a foreign intelligence purpose.

Former NSA deputy director Chris Inglis said this authority might be used to search for the target of a terrorist attack. As an example, Inglis said if the government was concerned that terrorists were plotting to attack the New York Stock Exchange, the NSA could search for the term "New York Stock Exchange" among the conversations it collected in its targeting of foreigners overseas.

Wyden, Udall and other civil liberties advocates call this type of search a back-door loophole in the law that governs surveillance of Americans.

"If a government agency thinks that a particular American is engaged in terrorism or espionage, the Fourth Amendment requires that the government secure a warrant or emergency authorization before monitoring his or her communications," Wyden and Udall said.

The Obama administration contends the searches are legal because they are searching information they lawfully obtained.

[paulbot24]

"The government is not allowed to use this authority to collect Americans' communications, but conversations of innocent Americans are collected inadvertently. When this happens, the NSA is required to take certain measures to hide the communications of Americans that have nothing to do with foreign intelligence."

Certain measures? Like what? Close their eyes? Have a supervisor come over with a sharpie and black out the private data on the video screen? It is amazing what FoxNews expects people to believe.
Excuse me, but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

[angelatc]

Another day, another Clapper lie exposed.

The president of the country was impeached because he bugged his own office. James Clapper is bugging the whole country, and nobody cares.

[Todd]

If this is now admission of illegal activity.....where are the impeachment proceedings?

Wake me up when that happens.

[fisharmor]

Wake me up when that happens.

http://www.storynory.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/03/rip-van-winkle.jpg

[ZENemy]

When democracy descends to tyranny, an armed citizen still gets to vote.

[enhanced_deficit]

Times have changed quite a bit.

[Lucille]

Impeaching Obama wouldn't be enough, since he's not the only criminal destroying our rights. Congress deserves some credit for this, since most support the systematic destruction of our rights (Patriot Act, NDAA, etc.). But the judiciary is also a huge problem, with the tortured logic they regularly employ to make "shall not" mean "may." Especially since what they say goes, and that's the end of it.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-04-02/obama-administration-admits-use-warrantless-searches-us-citizens


Just over a month ago, we reported on the Supreme Court's ruling that police may search a home without obtaining a warrant thus denigrating the Fourth Amendment to the funeral pyre under the Obama Administration's totalitarian might. Today that decision (and the end of the 4th) were confirmed when the country's top intelligence official confirmed in a letter to Congress that the Obama administration has conducted warrantless searches of Americans' communications as part of the National Security Agency's surveillance operations. While efforts were made to suggest agencies do not deliberately track Americans' emails, phone calls, and online activity without a warrant, as Sen. Wyden notes, "the facts show that was misleading."
[...]
A Back-Door Loophole around the Constitution!


Wyden, Udall and other civil liberties advocates call this type of search a back-door loophole in the law that governs surveillance of Americans.

"If a government agency thinks that a particular American is engaged in terrorism or espionage, the Fourth Amendment requires that the government secure a warrant or emergency authorization before monitoring his or her communications," Wyden and Udall said.

The Obama administration contends the searches are legal because they are searching information they lawfully obtained.

As we subtly suggested before,


Well there goes the fourth amen... oh look, over there: it's another all time high in the S&P 500. On paper, those who hold stocks have never been richer. Everyone else, barricade your doors, and the police come knocking, don't even bother answering - they will come in anyway. And also prepare your guns for return to the government: that particular "constitutional" amendment is the next to go.

[phill4paul]

Heads are gonna Rollllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Squirrel.

<belch>

[ZENemy]

Heads are gonna Rollllllllllllll!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Squirrel.

<belch>


lol

[tangent4ronpaul]

Another day, another Clapper lie exposed.

The president of the country was impeached because he bugged his own office. James Clapper is bugging the whole country, and nobody cares.

That would make a good tweet. Might even go viral.

-t

[anaconda]

So will the Attorney General be prosecuting the NSA for the 2011 warrantless spying?

[HOLLYWOOD]

How many LIES are we up to now? Snowden proved they lied, and everytime the government lies or denies to the people, more data is released to prove they are lying or committing perjury.

Anyone have Judge Napolitano's video piece from Varney & Company on Fox Business this morning? Judge mentioned James Clapper would be lucky to resign and get his retirement. All of the personnel involved in breaking the laws show be charged and tried in the courts by vetted American citizens. That goes for all the other Alpha agencies that "acquired" the NSA data illegally to use in their operations and court cases.

Let's see what kind of rule of law 'they will drum up to weasel out' this time... you know all the lawyers are now going to play chess with words and "Legalese" in justifying the breaking of the law.

They(.gov) just keep doing it and it doesn't matter who is the Attorney General of the United States. When the US government gave TELCOs retroactive immunity against all the illegal spying and disclosure of personal data, I knew Washington DC turned into a full blow radicalized dictatorship.

[phill4paul]

Judge mentioned James Clapper would be lucky to resign and get his retirement.

At the most Clapper will get laterally transferred to another department. At the most.