

FBI Director Defends Surveillance Programs - obeone
http://www.boston.com/news/politics/2013/06/13/fbi-director-defends-surveillance-programs/zjNfwvlhh1dblDZeI5yhpO/story.html

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X-Istence
Wait, so if this surveillance network had been in place in 2001 the September
11 terrorist attacks could have been stopped?

So PRISM was started around 2007/2008, looking at the slides ...

So the 2009 Underwear Bomber should have been stopped, right? His dad even
TOLD THE CIA about him ...

How about the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing? Why wasn't that stopped?

Sorry, but if you can't stop some idiot lighting his underwear on fire, or two
brothers with pressure cookers with the existing program (PRISM) and data how
am I supposed to believe that the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks
against the world trade centers would have been stopped with this surveillance
network?

Why is the FBI saying they are afraid of "going dark" when in reality it has
already been shown that when they do have access to systems such as PRISM and
wide ranging requests from companies (such as Verizon) to disclose certain
records, that they still are unable to stop terrorism.

    
    
      "We need all this data to stop terrorism"
      "Then why when you have all this data have you NOT stopped terrorism?"
    

That's what I want to know... I'd rather live my life with my privacy intact
with the small chance that something bad is going to happen because of someone
following their religion or being disgruntled or never getting the mental help
they needed than living in fear that some algorithm is going to pick me out as
an anomaly because I eat my cereal with a fork and do my homework in the dark.

~~~
sliverstorm
_if you can 't stop some idiot lighting his underwear on fire, or two brothers
with pressure cookers with the existing program (PRISM) and data how am I
supposed to believe that the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks against
the world trade centers would have been stopped with this surveillance
network?_

It's possible there is a difference though. The Sept. 11th attacks were
coordinated among a number of people, which would have made it more vulnerable
to surveillance of communication lines than a lone bomber.

------
fnordfnordfnord
Robert Mueller, man who is incompetent to manage his personal online banking,
wants to lecture us all about the importance of electronic surveillance.

------
freddealmeida
of course he would.

