The FBI doesn't have anything powerful enough to use widespread. The NSA on the other hand does, but again would be such a logistic nightmare that more than pictures of doors of secret facilities would be out in the open. ISPs would be raising cain to provide resources to the government like that.

The phone companies caved.

Anyone who wants to know more about the capabilities of the NSA should read this book:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shadow_Factory

I did.

Bruce

well
 

I for one believe that your letter is too broad and encompasses many aspects of the government that are not specific to just TSA. I am not saying that you are wrong in what you wrote, I agree with most of it.

Spend three months in jail for eating breath mints and let's see if your attitude is adjusted.

The news had it as being Rolaids. Same thing though. A cop thinks he's made a big catch, the guy can't get out of jail (high bond or denied bond), and he loses pretty much everything he has. He should be reimbursed for the loss of his belongings and be paid until he either recovers his job or finds a new one. If the police officer is found to be lying then he needs to find a new job far from any police work.

Did you read the post in which it becomes apparent that the OP did NOT write the letter? Or did you read it and not understand it?

IMNSHO he needs a new job as a prison b1tch. This crap is why police and other government authority figures are viewed with utter contempt by the citizens. This officer will never receive any discipline for his actions, much as he deserves it.

My bad for not putting the thing in quotes.

Read up on "Echelon", which might or might not be the actual program name. Anything transmitted via satellite or microwave links is easily intercepted, although they're not supposed to be looking at the communications of U.S. citizens. The capability is not in dispute; what they do with it might be.

Not much internet traffic goes over satellite links anymore - unless you have that satellite internet at your home. There are oceanic links to just about every major country. ISPs don't link together within the united states by satellite or microwave links because of the latency that is added.

I have read about "Echelon" and am very familiar with what people think it might or it might not be. It's mainly a project to capture satellite and microwave telephony information with the side effect that any data sent over said satellites etc could also be intercepted. Anyone that thinks that this means government is mining all email doesn't understand technology and/or how the internet works.