Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy

Re:Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy by droopybuns on Friday June 07, 2013 @04:25PM (#5841510)

"Now, let — let me take the two issues separately. When it comes to telephone calls, nobody is listening to your telephone calls. That’s not what this program’s about. As was indicated, what the intelligence community is doing is looking at phone numbers and durations of calls. They are not looking at people’s names, and they’re not looking at content. But by sifting through this so-called metadata, they may identify potential leads with respect to folks who might engage in terrorism. If these folks — if the intelligence community then actually wants to listen to a phone call, they’ve got to go back to a federal judge, just like they would in a criminal investigation. So I want to be very clear. Some of the hype that we’ve been hearing over the last day or so — nobody’s listening to the content of people’s phone calls."

So, this is about CDRs- Call Detail Records. They are the atomic unit of all mobile telecommunications. There's no billing, no provisioning of data or anything without them. These are the most fundamental log files of all your mobile activity. They are in a sense, the primary key needed to enumerate all of your transactions.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Call_detail_record

An excruciating level of detail on what a CDR can include can be found here:

http://downloads.avaya.com/css/P8/documents/100096784

Our president is using weasel words. Yes, obtaining CDRs isn't the same as obtaining your texts or your voicemail, but once you have them, you have everything you need for obtaining the content through subpoena. So, from here, we jump to this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iog5IeEjR00

"We certainly have ways in national security investigations to find out exactly what was said in that conversation. Its not necessarily something that the FBI's going to want to present in court, but it may help lead the investigation or the questioning of her."

Our political leaders are not worth defending any more. The whole system is corrupt. Everyone in office needs to be ejected, followed by the comprehensive removal of non-political government leadership. This country has beached itself.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy by rayiner on Friday June 07, 2013 @04:33PM (#5841603)

> Yes, obtaining CDRs isn't the same as obtaining your texts or your voicemail, but once you have them, you have everything you need for obtaining the content through subpoena.

Hint: it's always been possible to get nearly any piece of information with a subpoena or a warrant. The 4th amendment protects against unreasonable searches not searches period. And a subpoena or a warrant is by definition a reasonable search.

There is nothing weasel-y about this language.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy by benmmurphy on Friday June 07, 2013 @04:48PM (#5841757)

I believe a big issue he is raising is the ability to go back in time and wiretap your phone before the subpoena has been issued.

[ Parent | on HN ]

Re:Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy by rayiner on Friday June 07, 2013 @04:59PM (#5841836)

Collecting CDR's is not wiretapping.

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Re:Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy by droopybuns on Friday June 07, 2013 @05:03PM (#5841868)

Watch the youtube video referenced above. There is some kind of wiretapping going on all the time.

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Re:Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy by droopybuns on Friday June 07, 2013 @05:01PM (#5841850)

"nobody's listening to your calls" != "nobody's recording your calls".

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Re:Obama’s Remarks on NSA Controversy by flyt on Friday June 07, 2013 @04:38PM (#5841645)

If you eject every person from the government at once then the only ones left behind will be the lobbyists to influence their replacements, and without any tenure or political clout for those new people to resist.

[ Parent | on HN ]