Re:FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring
by jlgreco on Sunday December 23, 2012 @04:29PM
(#4960739)
What is your tolerance threshold for surveillance? What percentage of the population can they 'monitor' until it makes you feel uncomfortable?
Re:FBI Documents Reveal Secret Nationwide Occupy Monitoring
by jeffdavis on Wednesday December 26, 2012 @01:43PM
(#4970314)
Monitoring many people is of course cause for concern, but it has little to do with what the article was talking about. The article was talking about the monitoring of specific, fairly small groups of people.
I would object to any attempt at widespread monitoring of public spaces by the government (though I don't see an obvious constitutional problem there). I don't object to using their existing monitoring capabilities to focus on certain groups.
What's wrong with "monitoring"? It sounds bad, but from the article, it seems like they are just keeping their eyes on a potential problem. Given that OWS was a public protest movement, monitoring it is hardly an unreasonable search.
So, does this article offer new evidence that some unreasonable searches, seizures, or harassment took place? If not, then I don't see what it has to offer.
And no, I don't care whether they "monitor" the ELF, or the Tea Party, or the libertarian party rallies, or Ron Paul, or Richard Stallman; except to the extent it wastes the FBI's time (which we all pay for).