NSA Claims Surveillance Programs Aided Stopping Of 50 Attacks; Details Lacking

Re:NSA Claims Surveillance Programs Aided Stopping Of 50 Att... by betterunix on Tuesday June 18, 2013 @04:03PM (#5901675)

DETAILS LACKING is the key phrase here. Were these realistic attacks? Were the attackers being egged on the by the government?

Also, am I the only one wondering why the number of attacks that these programs supposedly stopped increases every few days?

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Re:NSA Claims Surveillance Programs Aided Stopping Of 50 Att... by mikeash on Tuesday June 18, 2013 @05:24PM (#5902175)

Indeed. If there were 50 attacks like 9/11 that were only stopped because of this, I would have to sit back and think real hard about my stance about the fight against terrorism. On the other hand, if it was 50 attacks like the idiots who were going to destroy the Brooklyn Bridge by cutting the support cables with a blowtorch, then the program is obviously not even remotely worthwhile.

Of course, the lack of details gives us some details already. If it really was 50 9/11-scale attacks, they would have said so. That they have not said so tells us that these attacks were not important anyway.

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Re:NSA Claims Surveillance Programs Aided Stopping Of 50 Att... by malandrew on Tuesday June 18, 2013 @06:28PM (#5902470)

also... would the attacks would have been discovered and foiled even if these programs did not exist?

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