Apparently, the world’s most sophisticated information collecting and sorting organization doesn’t have the technological wherewithal to search within its employees emails.
Well, at least, that’s what Freedom of Information Act officer Cindy Blacker said. She is one of many agents in the NSA responsible to make sure that non-classified information is readily available to American taxpayers.
But, in response to a harmless inquiry about employee emails concerning a positive National Geographic story on the NSA, information was far less than free and forthcoming.
According to Blacker, “There’s no central method to search an email at this time with the way our records are set up, unfortunately.”
Right. I’m just not buying it. It would be funny if it weren’t so frustrating. The NSA has just been under intense scrutiny for its over-reaching intrusions into American privacy. If we are to believe the characterization of the NSA’s chief, they want to “collect it all.” If you’re gonna go all Pokemon on the citizens’ private information, you better have servers large enough to store all that data, and some very powerful algorithms to sort it. That you wouldn’t also have similar capacities to search the internal emails of employees actually beggars belief. I guess it is possible. But this smells like foul play. Is the NSA lying? Or have they intentionally under-funded their public records office? I’m not sure.
One thing’s for sure: after the Snowden debacle, now is not the time for the NSA to be neglecting its public image. Transparency, honesty, and full disclosure would go a long way in repairing that image. Denying very harmless requests for public information even because of a purported technological obsolescence seems fishy at best. But that is what we’ve come to expect from an organization that views every American citizen as a potential enemy of the state, and every harmless inquiry as a possible cyber-threat.
I would bet this to be a bold-face lie, by the NSA. Read that NSA? you’re LYING!!!
They don’t have time to ta,e care of their own business they are too busy trying to take care of our business down to the point, they want to tell us how we must think, and what we can say and what we cannot say…..
I am a proud God-fearing, gun packin, marriage-supporting,
Conservative White Republican that recognizes the Constitution of the United
States of America, the Bill of Rights and the Declaration of Independence.I see all laws contrary to the above items
as illegal.I support the military men
and women of the United States that have fought and died for the freedoms we
enjoy.I support LEGAL immigration and
believe that all ILLEGALS in America are enemy combatants and should be treated
as such and deported.I believe that our
borders should be secured and no monetary aid provided to any Country that does
not support the REPUBLIC of the United States of America.I believe that our government works FOR THE
PEOPLE, is empowered BY THE PEOPLE and needs to be taught the same.I will meet lethal force with lethal force
and believe that every American has the GOD-GIVEN RIGHT to life, liberty and
the pursuit of happiness.I will
defend my family to the death and will protect that which is mine against
anyone that would be stupid enough to try and take it.I am a PATRIOT!!
If the NSA is spying, great as this is LESS TIME they have for firearms training. Patriots are armed, we are prepared and we will act swiftly and completely when necessary. The “doomsday clock” continues to click towards the next civil war – just as Obama wants……………….
Patriots, be armed, be prepared.
This article fails to mention that “we, the people” ARE enemies of the rogue state that conducts warrant less searches and undermines our Constitution. Additionally, they rightly perceive that they are OUR enemies, therefore, they are behaving as such. Don’t expect them to show any fear of us, unless we start acting like worthy opponents.
It’s a wonderment that Americans are letting these actions and other scandalous items so ingrained in this administration go on and on. This man’s supporters are either evil and destructive people of foreign ideologies or so freaking gullible and uninformed as to actually believe what he and his minions say is the truth. Obama has never spoken the truth. His muslim heritage has brainwashed him from birth. As one fellow said, “Obama has never been responsible for anything in his entire life, why would he act responsibly now?” Yet, we have the Reids, Pelosis, Durbins, Schumers, and McAuliffes of the world believing in everything this man stands for – lies, lies, and more lies- doing anything as a means to what he believes is his end- bloviating, spinning, deceiving- arrogance, ineptitude, corruption, and self-centered elitist attitudes. What in the world is wrong with these liberal, progressive Democrats? They live here in America as I and you do yet they want America to be a second rate country and continually try to tear down the fabric of our God liberties and freedoms. I have had it with these troglodytes from hell and I hope you readers here get a mad as I am and fight back for our country. Should you not do so, you and your children will be living a different life whether you are conservative or liberal, and YOU WILL BE SORRY!!
What did “Jesse Ventura,” former governor of Minnesota say about the CIA and infiltration of all federal and state government agencies? He was accurate, but omitted a lot of detail. You can find the details in the book, “The NAZI Hydra in America.” NAZI and their children are behind all the subterfuge, initiated with the congressional approval of the C.I.A. in 1947, permeated by the George H. W. Bush family of Texas in the 1970s, amplified by the fraudulent election of George W. Bush and his Patriot Act machinations, and accelerated by Obama since his election in 2008. “Ignition” has blogged the following link several times to a video which is documented and worth watching, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYtwWiISO2c&feature=gv .
The NSA is another alphabet government agency that should not be trusted to speak the truth, since they are even more clandestine than most others. Their charter is to spy on non-citizens and yet they seem to gather info on everything citizens do and transact.
Sounds like the typical liberalNAZI BS to me…
Unbelievable!
I have to say, this is a bold faced lie. This agency has some of the most capable and sophisticated computerized systems in the world, that includes data search and retrieval. That they cannot locate emails is an absurdity beyond belief.
The NSA lacks neither the ability or technology to search their own emails – what they obviously lack is the INTEREST in searching NSA emails. They not only have the technology, they employ some of the world’s best computer security personnel (aka: “hackers”). There is nothing capable of being done that NSA cannot do… except STAY OUT OF OUR PERSONAL COMPUTERS!
This is funny. I didn’t know that spy’s had a union, but that would explain their incompetence. And don’t believe for a second that that massive data center only holds what number was called or who received an Email. I could hold a days worth of that info on my home computer. They are storing every conversation and E-letter typed. If Carbonite can store everyone’s computer files, just thing what your government with it’s unlimited funding can do.
F..k the NSA! It hires creeps… Yes creeps… Spying on their own citizens. That is creepy. The stench is almost unbearable from the giant cesspool we call Washington, D.C.
Have they caught any terrorists yet or will it be up to the passengers and flight attendants to take care of business! The “underwear bomber’s” father notified the authorities and warned about his son and nothing was done. When his plan of blowing
Up the plane failed because the bomb didn’t go off, “Planet Janet” napolatano delivers a speech saying how the system worked. Really, Janet!!!!???
Attention NSA: When you read my emails, just remember there is an international symbol for FU in every one of them, just for the creepy eavesdroppers. You may not see it because you are not clever enough break the code. So shove it where you heads reside!
It is impossible to target communications in the war on terror without blatant, albeit classified, discrimination. It would be annoyingly foolish to admit to doing that, since the opposite of a liberal love-fest is a conservative hate-crime. Obviously, measures have to be taken by intelligence agencies to attempt to prevent future domestic, terror attacks. How that is done has to be kept secret for obvious reasons, terrorists are not informing us that they are terrorists when the come through immigration and customs. Insurance companies would probably balk at having to make payments to survivors and victims of terrorist attacks unless the government were putting forth some credible effort to prevent them. All things considered, it makes sense to trust NSA. They probably have as much to lose as the rest of us.
JBEACH I for one do not like my privacy being invaded by the government. In my eyes, the 50 alleged cases (over 10 years?) that were thworted because of these programs, many of which were overseas, and others we actually do not know if other methods would have exposed the problems, are NOT worth me giving up my rights and freedoms, or in risking the government using this data for other reasons (i.e. political). Don’t believe all they have is numbers. They can trace numbers to names, other numbers you have called, and can get at the content of the message when they want to.
The governments data hubs present even bigger problems, where they are centralizing data from various sources. THis is serious and we need to put the brakes on now before it gets out of control. Once the goverments gets this going…they will never let it go.
JBEACH spying on the American people is not the way to insure that terrorists will not attack, our liberties are being stolen by a out of control big government that is rapidly becoming a police state. The nsa doesn’t need the American peoples emails, and phone conversations , how about profileing the real threats out there instead of spying on americans.
notaliberalidiot JBEACH What is the way to ensure that terrorists will not attack? I am sure that someone in the DHS would like to know of a better way to determine who the terrorists are and what they are planning and when. Had Snowden had a better idea than what is being done, he should have said so. You are right, NSA does not need our emails, but I have the idea that, given the nature of the internet and telecommunications in the computer-age, trying to intercept terrorist communications is not the simplest job in the world, without outright discrimination, (which is exactly what I would do if I were in charge of protecting the U.S.).
JBEACH Spoken like a GOD, America, hating troll. The liberals are the good law abiding people the Christians are the haters of all good.
Evermyrtle JBEACH Sorry, I don’t understand what you have posted.
JBEACH Evermyrtle I do apologist if I am wrong.Trolls are people who get on these sites and write post praising our run away communist practicing government and ridiculing, hate filled post criticizing everything about Conservative, JESUS CHRIST promoting posters. I hope I am badly wrong in my post to you. I sincerely hope that you are a Conservative Christian citizen, one that only wants good for out country, which is not the type of government that we are faced with this time.. If you are, I will gladly apologize, again.
Evermyrtle JBEACH You are right. I am one of those right-wing Christians who is probably guilty of hate crimes against liberals that I don’t really know anything about.
JBEACH If your religion – is just a smidgeon – different than ours then – get off the bus.
JBEACH If it is Government, I don’t trust it, period.
WhiteFalcon JBEACH Some of us have worked for government and we know that we were not all bad.
JBEACH WhiteFalcon Dillenger thought that he was a good guy also!
JBEACH Insurance companies would probably balk at having to make payments to
survivors and victims of terrorist attacks unless the government were
putting forth some credible effort to prevent them.
If that’s the case then Insurance companies will be refusing to pay for anything related to the Boston Marathon attacks because the government was warned about the bombers being tied to terror groups by Russia yet said when the looked into it they found nothing.
This administration doesn’t allow law enforcement to covertly go into mosque to see what’s being said. If they had went into the one in Boston, the one where the bomber brothers were hanging out, they would’ve probably heard enough to know the mosque was a problem.
But no, it’s not allowed. Also, the Muslim Brotherhood has frequent visits to the White House even though they were at one time designated a terrorist organization. So since the president is colluding with our enemies, he isn’t really interested in protecting the American people from an attack unless it’s from the right wing groups that he has said were his enemy.
But right wing groups wouldn’t do a Boston type attack because they’re not like the scum sucking muslims who just want to kill Americans.
You cant’ prevent an attack when you refuse to keep an eye on the most likely places where it will come from.
So the insurance companies can just quit paying anything out to victims of muslim terrorist attacks as long as this administration is in power or his policies are not changed.
labar JBEACH I think you are wrong about the insurance company comment. The government reacts to keep the people satisfied they are doing somehting….even if it makes no sense. Do you honestly think insurance companies are so inept as to not know when the governement is putting on a show…i.e. TSA?
The rest of your comments I agree with.
What good is the NSA, they can’t profile the Blacks, Illegal emigrants, or Muslims, or Terrorist. Who’s left, we the White people who work for a living, that’s who. It goes against the Constitution to spy on your own people. The Congress and The Senate consider we the people the enemy, when the real enemy is them.
The NSA isn’t worried about spying on anyone but law abiding American citizens. The illegals and the terrorists doesn’t bother ovomit, it’s The Real American citizens that scare this muslim puke. He purchased all those rounds so we don’t have any to buy to protect ourselves, because he knew he wasn’t going to get all of our guns. This muslim pig is more afraid of the Real Americans, that’s why he has disarmed the Military guards at his inaugural address, the firing mechanisms were removed from the weapons. That’s shows me he is afraid of us more that anything.
PaulBrown1 Your on the right track
What a joke
Well the spying on Americans has had some benefits for the Democrats… ‘bama was able to get the goods on Boehner, McConnell, McCain, Roberts… any march them along lockstep.
The GOP is now officially FOR Obamacare, the trillions in debt, amnesty, et al.
They would not lie to us – would they?
God help us What is this country coming to!!
lying to us is what the government does best, that and stealing from the people who actually work to support the ones who won’t
I’m not too suprised by this admission. They aren’t able to spy on mosques either, so why not their own employees. This way, when Congress demands information, they simply can not respond with it because they can not find it.
Now, information on a Supreme Court Justice (or Chief Justice), a Senator, etc., that’s a different matter entirely.
Americans private E-Mails are untouched by human hands…..the monkey drops them once in a while though. Personally, I prefer the Monkey.
JMcCarthy I believe you are incorrect. All emails, texts, phone calls are stored whole, including context, and accessed in detail when they want to know details. If you believe anything else is true, you are living in a fantacy world.
silvernotes I hope you don’t think the Monkey is real. And yes, I, like you, believe they can access content. You need to get a sense of humor.
Typical government failure!!!!
N S A you can spy on all you want to I am not doing anything wrong on the internet so spy on you say you can do this in your legal right so spy on I have nothing to hide I say spy on you might see I love people.