Truly a remarkable young man, incredible video containing valid points and thoughts as to where our country is heading and worse yet whether there will be any intervention to prevent falling into the abyss.
Edward Snowdon “saw that something was very wrong, and that he could not stop seeing it”… he’s gone public with what he sees. Snowden can’t be disinvited! He’s bowing to a greater authority than a mere employer-government. Good for the US and us all that there are men (meaning men and women) among us with the integrity and courage to act on the abuses of power that are roads to tyranny.
Small courageous acts of resistance build greater courage, lessons taught by Aung Sann Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, David Healy, Bradford Manning, Edward Snowdon…
EDWARD SNOWDEN is the name of the man. His whistleblowing on the US government’s covert abuses is top news in all serious newspapers and other media here in Europe, probably all around the world, as we all stand to be affected.
Birgitta Jonsdottir, member of Alltinget, the Icelandic parliament, has pledged to support asylum on Iceland for Edward Snowden, while the very grey American lady, NYT, reports on the case without mentioning Edward Snowden’s name, as though keeping his name secret is in some bigshots’ interest? Hiding in plain view – name and face all over the place, could possibly be his best defense? I hope..
being a whistleblower is truly a thankless job. Even the people you are hoping to help and impact positively on act at least neutral to you.
It is amazing and pathetic how everyone wants truth, justice, and fairness, but either won’t lift one finger to do something, or worse, criticize those who are willing to take a risk as disruptive, selfish, or inconsiderate.
How do I know this. I was a whistleblower, and what did it get me? Ostracized and force to leave my community while the care at the hospital did in fact improve after my complaint. Even mental health providers can be as callous and insensitive as average citizens.
But, you do what is right and responsible. Just don’t do it for financial rewards or other accolades. Because you won’t get them!
… bombshell story published in the Washington Post this week alleged that the NSA had enlisted nine tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Apple, in a massive program of online spying. Now the story is unraveling, and the Post has quietly changed key details. What went wrong?
Those reports are incorrect and appear to be based on a misreading of a leaked Powerpoint document, according to a former government official who is intimately familiar with this process of data acquisition and spoke today on condition of anonymity.
“It’s not as described in the histrionics in The Washington Post or The Guardian,” the person said. “None of it’s true. It’s a very formalized legal process that companies are obliged to do.”
That former official’s account — that the process was created by Congress six years ago and includes judicial oversight — was independently confirmed by another person with direct knowledge of how this data collection happens at multiple companies. The leaked presentation slides say the program began in September 2007, only weeks after the foreign surveillance law was amended.
He was a “security analyst” that had worked for a private company that provided services to the NSA for three weeks. Unless he truly uncovered something illegal (the Patriot Act and the NSAs mission makes it legal for them to get a warrant to get stored information from various companies (and that’s what the NSA DOES— they monitor communitcations)) then he has merely leaked information and a lot of that information should be obvious to anyone who has been keeping up with current affairs since 2001.
He was stupid enough to go to Hong Kong thinking that he could get asylum and that the press was freer there. I see no reason to think that his low-level position and his judgment have done the U.S. favors. If he were truly concerned about abuse of power at the NSA, he should have asked someone and done a little reading. He’s old enough to be familiar with the Patriot Act, why didn’t he take this to a Republican in Congress if he was so sure that it was a system being abused by President Obama? He’s Ron Paul supporter, perhaps he could have contacted Rand Paul.
Fascinating! I knew about those NSA programs long ago, and the FISA controversies that followed. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out, and from whence the spin is being spun.
While those guys might have a point that probably the first reports of the WP were a bit exaggerated, here is what we know that nobody seems to dispute,
– The NSA has the technical capability to ask for, and store, all our digital communications going through the big internet companies
– The NSA has been storing that info for years
– Most internet companies, except for Twitter, agreed to the requests. I don’t think that Twitter was any less lobbied than Google or Facebook. While Twitter resisted, the other two (and Microsoft, Yahoo, etc), didn’t.
So while some purist might want to see an outrage in the difference between having direct access to Google’s servers vs Google making the information contained in all its servers available to the NSA via some gateway, the end result is the same: the NSA has been storing all these communications with the assistance of Google, Facebook and the like. That is despicable.
I was under no illusions that our communications were free of spying. But! It is one thing to be aware that our communications can be the target of a human error by somebody at the NSA who was following some terrorist linked hint, quite another to have ALL online communications stored by the government “just in case”. That is outrageous.
what are the usual defenses by perpetrators when caught?
Shock, “what, you found this!?”, then denial “I did not sleep with those women/say there were weapons of mass destruction/advise government agencies to spy on American citizens”, then minimization “what is sex/what are WMDs/what is spying?”, then deflection as the charges have sticking power “well the Democrats/Republicans/Liberals/Conservatives/fellow Americans/every other government on the planet did this and what did they learn from it!?”.
Finally , the hideous rationalization and frank “tough sh-t” attitude of the perp: so what, I am president/senator/congressman/leader of business/head of academic center/frank criminal, I can do it, so you caught me, whatta you gonna do about it, and who cares anyway!?!?!
yeah, that last one is my favorite, who cares anyway? In this culture, only if it affects your partisan agenda negatively, or directly impacts on your financial or status in the community. Otherwise, just watch TV, play your video game, talk on your phone, sit and surf the web, or just find some other screen to entertain you.
Hey, life is finite, you’ll die anyway, does it matter if it is premature?
It certainly does to the perps. Hypocrisy and unlevel playing fields are the domains of the characterologically disordered. And a lot of you vote them back for more mayhem… Think of the State Farm Mayhem guy, except he is real!
Imagine the social consquence to the patients in relation to translational research:
“The Verizon order, the NSA, and what call records might reveal about psychiatric patients” http://www.phiprivacy.net/?p=12898
Social engineering part 2, Panopticlick:
“Is your browser configuration rare or unique? If so, web sites may be able to track you, even if you limit or disable cookies.
Panopticlick tests your browser to see how unique it is based on the information it will share with sites it visits. Click below and you will be given a uniqueness score, letting you see how easily identifiable you might be as you surf the web.” http://panopticlick.eff.org/
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a detailed explanation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. An overview of its contents highlight the key factors in determining what rights and protections apply specifically to mental health. First, both health plans and providers must follow the privacy rule. This means private or state (Medicare or Medicaid) individual or group insurance plans must follow the HIPAA privacy rule.
The same applies to all healthcare providers who electronically submit health information involving eligibility of benefits, claims, authorizations for services and other protected health information that typically involves confidential information involving treatment or conditions. This is defined on the HHS website as documents with “individually identifiable health information.” HHS specifies demographic information, such as past, present or future physical or mental health conditions, any care provided, and information regarding payment for services falls under this definition. It is important to note that HIPAA does not protect what is called “de-identified” information, which would mean any document where all identifying information is removed.” http://www.ehow.com/about_5212156_mental-rights-under-hippa-law.html
(sorry for the multiple posts-I’m looking this up)
GIS, social engineering and translational research https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIS_and_Public_Health
“Geographic information systems (GISs), or increasingly geographic information science (GIScience), centers around combining computer-mapping capabilities with additional database management and data analysis tools. Commercial GIS systems are very powerful and have touched many applications and industries, including environmental science, urban planning, agricultural applications, and others.
Public health is another focus area that has made increasing use of GIS techniques. A strict definition of public health is difficult to pin down, as it is used in different ways by different groups. In general, public health differs from personal health in that it is (1) focused on the health of populations rather than of individuals, (2) focused more on prevention than on treatment, and (3) operates in a mainly governmental (rather than private) context.[1] These efforts fall naturally within the domain of problems requiring use of spatial analysis as part of the solution, and GIS and other spatial analysis tools are therefore recognized as providing potentially transformational capabilities for public health efforts.”
I can’t believe I forgot about projection per my earlier post about defenses. Very typical of politicians, blame the other side for the very behaviors of the transgressor.
Truly a remarkable young man, incredible video containing valid points and thoughts as to where our country is heading and worse yet whether there will be any intervention to prevent falling into the abyss.
Herb
vnsdepression@gmail.com
http://www.vnstherapy-herb.blogspot.com
Edward Snowdon “saw that something was very wrong, and that he could not stop seeing it”… he’s gone public with what he sees. Snowden can’t be disinvited! He’s bowing to a greater authority than a mere employer-government. Good for the US and us all that there are men (meaning men and women) among us with the integrity and courage to act on the abuses of power that are roads to tyranny.
Small courageous acts of resistance build greater courage, lessons taught by Aung Sann Suu Kyi, Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther King, David Healy, Bradford Manning, Edward Snowdon…
EDWARD SNOWDEN is the name of the man. His whistleblowing on the US government’s covert abuses is top news in all serious newspapers and other media here in Europe, probably all around the world, as we all stand to be affected.
Birgitta Jonsdottir, member of Alltinget, the Icelandic parliament, has pledged to support asylum on Iceland for Edward Snowden, while the very grey American lady, NYT, reports on the case without mentioning Edward Snowden’s name, as though keeping his name secret is in some bigshots’ interest? Hiding in plain view – name and face all over the place, could possibly be his best defense? I hope..
NSA, IRS, DOJ …
Where are we going?
And why are we in this handbasket?
Duane
We were offered transparency and we’re getting blackout, no pun intended.
Herb
vnsdepression@gmail.com
http://www.vnstherapy-herb.blogspot.com
Brave man indeed, and definitely less of a fool than Bradley Manning, though his choice of going to Hong Kong is odd, perhaps even unfortunate.
being a whistleblower is truly a thankless job. Even the people you are hoping to help and impact positively on act at least neutral to you.
It is amazing and pathetic how everyone wants truth, justice, and fairness, but either won’t lift one finger to do something, or worse, criticize those who are willing to take a risk as disruptive, selfish, or inconsiderate.
How do I know this. I was a whistleblower, and what did it get me? Ostracized and force to leave my community while the care at the hospital did in fact improve after my complaint. Even mental health providers can be as callous and insensitive as average citizens.
But, you do what is right and responsible. Just don’t do it for financial rewards or other accolades. Because you won’t get them!
All this wonderful hero stuff may be precipitous.
… bombshell story published in the Washington Post this week alleged that the NSA had enlisted nine tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, Facebook, and Apple, in a massive program of online spying. Now the story is unraveling, and the Post has quietly changed key details. What went wrong?
http://www.zdnet.com/the-real-story-in-the-nsa-scandal-is-the-collapse-of-journalism-7000016570/
Those reports are incorrect and appear to be based on a misreading of a leaked Powerpoint document, according to a former government official who is intimately familiar with this process of data acquisition and spoke today on condition of anonymity.
“It’s not as described in the histrionics in The Washington Post or The Guardian,” the person said. “None of it’s true. It’s a very formalized legal process that companies are obliged to do.”
That former official’s account — that the process was created by Congress six years ago and includes judicial oversight — was independently confirmed by another person with direct knowledge of how this data collection happens at multiple companies. The leaked presentation slides say the program began in September 2007, only weeks after the foreign surveillance law was amended.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57588337-38/no-evidence-of-nsas-direct-access-to-tech-companies/
http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/06/10/edward-snowden-we-love-you-why-we-should-resist-the-hero-worship.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+thedailybeast%2Fpolitics+(The+Daily+Beast+-+Politics)
He was a “security analyst” that had worked for a private company that provided services to the NSA for three weeks. Unless he truly uncovered something illegal (the Patriot Act and the NSAs mission makes it legal for them to get a warrant to get stored information from various companies (and that’s what the NSA DOES— they monitor communitcations)) then he has merely leaked information and a lot of that information should be obvious to anyone who has been keeping up with current affairs since 2001.
He was stupid enough to go to Hong Kong thinking that he could get asylum and that the press was freer there. I see no reason to think that his low-level position and his judgment have done the U.S. favors. If he were truly concerned about abuse of power at the NSA, he should have asked someone and done a little reading. He’s old enough to be familiar with the Patriot Act, why didn’t he take this to a Republican in Congress if he was so sure that it was a system being abused by President Obama? He’s Ron Paul supporter, perhaps he could have contacted Rand Paul.
The man is a jerk.
Wiley,
Fascinating! I knew about those NSA programs long ago, and the FISA controversies that followed. It’ll be interesting to see how it plays out, and from whence the spin is being spun.
Wiley,
While those guys might have a point that probably the first reports of the WP were a bit exaggerated, here is what we know that nobody seems to dispute,
– The NSA has the technical capability to ask for, and store, all our digital communications going through the big internet companies
– The NSA has been storing that info for years
– Most internet companies, except for Twitter, agreed to the requests. I don’t think that Twitter was any less lobbied than Google or Facebook. While Twitter resisted, the other two (and Microsoft, Yahoo, etc), didn’t.
So while some purist might want to see an outrage in the difference between having direct access to Google’s servers vs Google making the information contained in all its servers available to the NSA via some gateway, the end result is the same: the NSA has been storing all these communications with the assistance of Google, Facebook and the like. That is despicable.
I was under no illusions that our communications were free of spying. But! It is one thing to be aware that our communications can be the target of a human error by somebody at the NSA who was following some terrorist linked hint, quite another to have ALL online communications stored by the government “just in case”. That is outrageous.
what are the usual defenses by perpetrators when caught?
Shock, “what, you found this!?”, then denial “I did not sleep with those women/say there were weapons of mass destruction/advise government agencies to spy on American citizens”, then minimization “what is sex/what are WMDs/what is spying?”, then deflection as the charges have sticking power “well the Democrats/Republicans/Liberals/Conservatives/fellow Americans/every other government on the planet did this and what did they learn from it!?”.
Finally , the hideous rationalization and frank “tough sh-t” attitude of the perp: so what, I am president/senator/congressman/leader of business/head of academic center/frank criminal, I can do it, so you caught me, whatta you gonna do about it, and who cares anyway!?!?!
yeah, that last one is my favorite, who cares anyway? In this culture, only if it affects your partisan agenda negatively, or directly impacts on your financial or status in the community. Otherwise, just watch TV, play your video game, talk on your phone, sit and surf the web, or just find some other screen to entertain you.
Hey, life is finite, you’ll die anyway, does it matter if it is premature?
It certainly does to the perps. Hypocrisy and unlevel playing fields are the domains of the characterologically disordered. And a lot of you vote them back for more mayhem… Think of the State Farm Mayhem guy, except he is real!
Imagine the social consquence to the patients in relation to translational research:
“The Verizon order, the NSA, and what call records might reveal about psychiatric patients”
http://www.phiprivacy.net/?p=12898
Social engineering part 2, Panopticlick:
“Is your browser configuration rare or unique? If so, web sites may be able to track you, even if you limit or disable cookies.
Panopticlick tests your browser to see how unique it is based on the information it will share with sites it visits. Click below and you will be given a uniqueness score, letting you see how easily identifiable you might be as you surf the web.”
http://panopticlick.eff.org/
“HIPAA Privacy Rule
*
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has a detailed explanation of the HIPAA Privacy Rule. An overview of its contents highlight the key factors in determining what rights and protections apply specifically to mental health. First, both health plans and providers must follow the privacy rule. This means private or state (Medicare or Medicaid) individual or group insurance plans must follow the HIPAA privacy rule.
The same applies to all healthcare providers who electronically submit health information involving eligibility of benefits, claims, authorizations for services and other protected health information that typically involves confidential information involving treatment or conditions. This is defined on the HHS website as documents with “individually identifiable health information.” HHS specifies demographic information, such as past, present or future physical or mental health conditions, any care provided, and information regarding payment for services falls under this definition. It is important to note that HIPAA does not protect what is called “de-identified” information, which would mean any document where all identifying information is removed.”
http://www.ehow.com/about_5212156_mental-rights-under-hippa-law.html
(sorry for the multiple posts-I’m looking this up)
GIS, social engineering and translational research
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/GIS_and_Public_Health
“Geographic information systems (GISs), or increasingly geographic information science (GIScience), centers around combining computer-mapping capabilities with additional database management and data analysis tools. Commercial GIS systems are very powerful and have touched many applications and industries, including environmental science, urban planning, agricultural applications, and others.
Public health is another focus area that has made increasing use of GIS techniques. A strict definition of public health is difficult to pin down, as it is used in different ways by different groups. In general, public health differs from personal health in that it is (1) focused on the health of populations rather than of individuals, (2) focused more on prevention than on treatment, and (3) operates in a mainly governmental (rather than private) context.[1] These efforts fall naturally within the domain of problems requiring use of spatial analysis as part of the solution, and GIS and other spatial analysis tools are therefore recognized as providing potentially transformational capabilities for public health efforts.”
I can’t believe I forgot about projection per my earlier post about defenses. Very typical of politicians, blame the other side for the very behaviors of the transgressor.
Ahh, but you all know that already!
The MDs suffer as well:
http://davidhealy.org/we-have-a-dream-getting-engaged-to-a-doctor/