N.S.A. Collecting Millions of Faces From Web Images - NYT

[Savannahmann]

75. Well the reason should be obvious.

But I'll go ahead and explain if you like. The reason that many of us, myself included, are so upset about the FBI/NSA/CIA/DHS/GCHQ spying is that the Constitution specifically prohibits such actions by our Government. The Fourth Amendment is the part of the Constitution that says the Government should not do that. There is nothing in there about corporations gathering information to target advertising to my personal preferences.

Now, I am not thrilled about Google and the rest of them doing it. I try and leave as shallow of a footprint as I can when I walk the net. However, the user agreements that many of us sign electronically allows for the collection of such information, including here at DU.

DU uses that information to get a better understanding of their users, and to find out if someone is using multiple accounts in violation of the user agreement. We've seen people here tombstoned for the violation of the user agreement of having multiple accounts. I'm not saying that DU is wrong for doing that by any stretch of the imagination. I'm merely saying that it happens even at this site.

Now, there is no Fourth Amendment prohibition against that. I limit what information anyone can get by using several different browsers. I use Chrome to access DU and other types of news and discussion sites. I use Firebird to access my financial institutions, and only them. I use IE to shop at Amazon and other places. This way, the cookie data they can gather is somewhat more limited.

But what protections can I take to prevent the NSA from learning as much about me as they like? Can I use a different phone for conversations with political allies? A burner phone perhaps in case the Administration shifts to the RW and I want to learn about protests? Should I have burner email addresses for similar activity? The Fourth Amendment is not a little vague in this matter, it is absolute. To me, a Civil Rights activist, the Fourth Amendment is one of the anchors of my core beliefs.

But, you tell me my friend. What should I be more upset about. Someone gathering information with my permission (Use of the site) or without merely because I am breathing. My personal view is that I should end that which is clearly a violation of the Constitution before I get myself worked into a similar lather about that which is not. Sometimes, at irregular intervals, I encrypt this following text and send it from one email address to another.

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized

In the society of today, documents are digital. Papers are PDF, or DOC, or DOCX, or WP. The letters you sent a generation ago are emails today. Why should those protections be tossed aside because it's inconvenient for the Government to obey this highest law of our nation?