3 Shocking Revelations from NSA's Most Terrifying Program Yet

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4. That's just not true ^^

This is all a word game to make it seem more mundane than it actually is.

They are gathering everything, but they don't officially "collect it" until someone at the NSA actually looks at it. Collect it is the word they are using to hide the fact that they are indeed gathering every communication they can get their fingers on both foreign and domestic.

This detailed gathering of information can be turned around and used against someone the NSA or the Government wishes to target

A foreign leader is opposing a request for U.S. Forces to pass through his country. All the NSA has to do is dig through however much information they have been gathering and find embarrassing or illegal information that can then be used to secure their compliance. If he doesn't play ball they simply leak enough information to the opposition party to topple his government leading to a new leader who will know that he better play ball.

A intelligence contractor with access to this tool decides it would be a great way to keep an eye on what their competitors are up to, so they start targeting their communications through the government's own system. This leads to the failure of that company as their competitor somehow always manages to undercut their bids.

A critical vote to expand the national security state is coming up in Congress and Congressman so and so is opposing the legislation. All the NSA has to do is dig through however much information they have been gathering and find embarrassing or illegal information that can then be used to secure their compliance.

A journalist is on to a story which would be embarrassing to our government, and the government wants to put a stop to it. All the NSA has to do is dig through however much information they have been gathering and find embarrassing or illegal information that can then be used to secure their compliance. They don't even have to target the reporter, they can go after members of the the board of directors of the corporation. Put a stop to that story, or we put you in jail for that income tax evasion.

A protest movement has started in the United States which is non-violent and so is perfectly legal. They want to go after Wall Street and the big banks, so the security state decides that action must be taken. All the NSA has to do is dig through however much information they have been gathering and find embarrassing or illegal information that can then be used to secure their compliance.

A whistle blower has leaked information to the media, the journalist won't review their source. Well you simply bypass the journalist and look at every record you have on him until you identify the point of contact and thus his source.

The danger isn't that the government wants to catch foreign terrorists, but that our government or the private intelligence contractors will turn the tools of the security state against our own people. Looking at the nationally coordinated campaign to shut down the Occupy Wall Street movement, I would say those fears are certainly justified.