And yet, part of what Snowden leaked was that they were storing all Americans' data, somehow making the internal legal argument that searching their databases was when it became an actual search, not when they stored that information about Americans in their db.

Yeah, like the siblings I can’t be sure whether you’re joking or not.

In the off chance that you’re not, remember that Gitmo exists so they can do things that their mandates wouldn’t allow.

> Gitmo exists so they can do things that their mandates wouldn’t allow.

No, Gitmo exists so they can do things openly and shamelessly that their mandates wouldn't allow.

Otherwise they can use black sites, or just lie about it.

I know that wasn't a serious comment, saying that federal government agencies follow their mandates and never break the law.

Why break the law to spy on Americans? We give all our private information out to any website that asks and shout out political opinions out into the void on Twitter. Just buy the list of people really interested in fertilizer and not farming from some data broker. Totally legal private sector transaction!

I'm not sure what you are asking or why. See the start of this thread, where the Snowden revelations were mentioned.

You’re right! I meant to say they can’t legally do it but Five Eyes helps them do it legally:

In other words, the NSA can only spy where it is explicitly granted permission to do so by statute. Citizens concerned about surveillance do not have to answer the question, "what law restricts the NSA's spying?" Rather, the government is required to supply an answer to the question "what law permits the NSA to spy?"

Thanks so much for the clarification!

Funniest thing I've read all week.

yes an unaccountable agency that does not have to report to anyone, and can classify all of their actions under national security directives would never violate their mandate. Never..

Let me tell you about this new crypto investment I have...