“We don’t have a domestic spying program” Just incredible . . .

[Catherina]

15. This is where the weasel parsing comes in

Last edited Thu Aug 8, 2013, 03:17 PM - Edit history (1)

They're definitely going to collect it, but they're not going to *read* it. Machines do the reading (except they don't call it that) and strip keywords out of your email, tag them and file them in a big database connected with your other metadata. They don't have enough humans to do the reading and besides machines are more efficient. In 3 years, if your friend comes under surveillance for say, organizing a GMO protest in Argentina, then you get pulled up as a relationship, and they look at your file. At any time they can pull the raw content of your communications for further analysis and call in their linguist analysts to give you both a close look. If you're protesting GMO's in the states, you're doubly, triply screwed.

Now if you're a big cog in the GMO movement in the US, that's when they'll look at your browsing history, your financial transactions, your other relationships and other communications and use any information they can get to stop you for jaywalking and take it from there.

Technically they're not reading it, computer programs are collecting it all and sifting through your communications with your friend. The same thing goes for listening. Technically no one is listening to your calls. Computers are.