

Whilst you were sleeping: Congress approves spooks retaining data forever - sumohurd
http://meanderful.blogspot.com/2014/12/sec-309-procedures-for-retention-of.html

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DeanCollinsNY
I think this is a great idea.

We as citizens of the world should also be allowed on the same terms to keep
government communications on record as well.

As soon as government emails (eg like sony emails this week) start appearing
in public and torrented in a "never to be private again" format then I think
politicians may choose at such time to vote that perhaps keeping emails/phone
calls/meta data on record indefinitely....isn't a good idea.

~~~
sumohurd
Maybe it has already happened but somewhat privately?

It should be easy for the spooks to apply pressure, perhaps indirectly via
lobbyists, based on known personal or familial communications to anyone in
Congress or the Senate.

Thus Sec 309 gets passed.

This seems a far fetched conspiracy fantasy until you realise it has already
happened many times before: Hoover, Nixon, etc

I'd imagine a patriotic spook could be confused that they are just doing the
right thing by their country.

Apathy wins at the end of the day. People get periodically interested but then
move on with their busy lives. We've kind of got disinterested and moved on
from Snowden. Plenty of other things in the world to worry about. The security
apparatus wins by being relentless.

Sec 309 is a good example of such a lack of vigilance from a disinterested
community.

