White House Collecting Web Users' Data

[Embassy]

What is happening to our country?



The White House is collecting and storing comments and videos placed on its social-networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube without notifying or asking the consent of the site users, a failure that appears to run counter to President Obama's promise of a transparent government and his pledge to protect privacy on the Internet, the Washington Times reported.

Marc Rotenberg, president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said the White House signaled that it would insist on open dealings with Internet users and, in fact, should feel obliged to disclose that it is collecting such information.

"The White House has not been adequately transparent, particularly on how it makes use of new social media techniques, such as this example," he said.

Defenders of the White House actions said the Presidential Records Act requires that the administration gather the information and that it was justified in taking the additional step of asking a private contractor to "crawl and archive" all such material. Nicholas Shapiro, a White House spokesman, declined to say when the practice began or how much the new contract would cost.

Susan Cooper, a spokeswoman for National Archives and Records Administration, said the presidential records law applies to "social media" and to public comments "received by the president or immediate staff."

Article. (http://www.foxnews.com/politics/elections/2009/09/16/obama-collecting-web-users-data/?test=latestnews)

[Vortex]

Once you post something on the internet (or on the White House Facebook page), it is in the public domain and there is no "right to privacy". Its the same as any administration keeping letters mailed to the President for the national archives. Our country is just fine.

[duhtroll]

I love it.

People put up stupid crap on the internet and then have the audacity to get pissed off when other people use it against them.

If folks don't want people to be messing in their personal lives, how about keeping them personal?

That's like talking on a cell phone in a crowded room and being upset that people are listening to the conversation.

"No, you can't have any privacy here --- because this is public. As a matter of fact your privacy is interfering with our public."

[Embassy]

Once you post something on the internet (or on the White House Facebook page), it is in the public domain and there is no "right to privacy". Its the same as any administration keeping letters mailed to the President for the national archives. Our country is just fine.

No one is arguing their is privacy on the web.

The difference is this is not communication directed towards the White House. They are going out of their way to collect data on others.

What is the reasoning for this and how much is this costing the taxpayers in an already slumping economy?

[CRUZTAKER]

Since 9/11 specialized equipment has been popping up in Telephone Central Offices like weeds that is used by National Security to monitor the internet and track ip address'.

We are frequently installing new new switches with the sole purpose of keeping us safe...be it invasion of privacy, waste of money...I have no opinion. If one is not doing anything wrong in the first place, one has nothing to worry about.

[duhtroll]

And let us not forget that this is not a new phenomenon.

Remember the Patriot Act?

Complaining now is about 7 years too late.

[RF Overlord]

OK, so you put a comment on the WHITEHOUSE's FaceBook page, which is a PUBLIC page, free for all to read, and now you're complaining that the Gummint is archiving it?

Get. A. Life.

(not referring to YOU, Steve...just a general statement)

[Embassy]

OK, so you put a comment on the WHITEHOUSE's FaceBook page, which is a PUBLIC page, free for all to read, and now you're complaining that the Gummint is archiving it?

Get. A. Life.

(not referring to YOU, Steve...just a general statement)


I understand.



However, I personally don't see the purpose in this tracking. That's all.

[justbob]

Or not telling us how much their spending on this with our money........

[Cheeseheadbob]

Not doing anything wrong according to whom? The federal government? Since the government, or should I say special interest, drafts legislation, and then said legislation is passed by bought and paid for politicians, do not assume that even if you think you are not doing anything "wrong" there is not some sort of feel good law out there with which you could be prosecuted. The 535 mercenaries who infest Washington D.C. are not our keepers as much as they like you to think they are. Their only interest is getting re-elected to feed their collective sociopathic egos and their bank accounts. Now, if I were King, things would be a little different around here....:D
If one is not doing anything wrong in the first place, one has nothing to worry about.

[Phrog_gunner]

I understand.



However, I personally don't see the purpose in this tracking. That's all.

I agree that if you didn't do anything wrong then you have nothing to worry about. I personally hate online "tough guys" and would like to see a few get their just desserts. But the problem here isn't fear of prosecution or even privacy. The issue this brings up among constitutional scholars is a first amendment issue. This story is going to be put right along side when the white house tried putting together a list of people that didn't agree with healthcare reform. Constitutional Scholars and even the ACLU (I hate to admit that I agree with them) are arguing that this quashes free speach because people will fear of being put on a "dissenters list" and will therefore not speak free, therefore said policy is an impediment to free speach. The other issue this brings up, just like with that last white house website issue, is that creating a list of political "enemies" is only done in totalitarian regimes like (Cuba, N Korea, Iran) where they use the lists to persecute political enemies. I'm pretty sure noone thinks Obama is going to throw political enemies in jail or even send out a hit squad to their houses late at night, but they will argue it is a start down a slippery slope. I think these are the type of issues Embassy was trying to get at??

[Embassy]

I'm pretty sure noone thinks Obama is going to throw political enemies in jail or even send out a hit squad to their houses late at night, but they will argue it is a start down a slippery slope. I think these are the type of issues Embassy was trying to get at??

Exactly....

[duhtroll]

I look at it this way. There is no way they have the manpower to track every forum on every website. Not even with search bots could they possibly use this information on a large scale to bother people.

They will simply pick a few high profile cases and publicize them as a deterrent.

"If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about" is a valid claim in this case, and I am one that agrees we have a right to privacy.

I don't think anyone wants their entire history online displayed for all to see, but paranoia has to give way to numbers. They can't monitor everyone.

[O's Fan Rich]

The spy stuff probably looks fro key words and phrases that would signal a possible security issue.

Words like "bomb" "Blow up" "assassinate" "communist" "jihad" and maybe as of today "liar" "hypocrite" "intellectually dishonest" could trigger a recording or a look see into you and your postings.

But, individual rights have been sliding down the mudslide of totalitarianism for quite awhile now....

[Phrog_gunner]

The spy stuff probably looks fro key words and phrases that would signal a possible security issue.

Words like "b**b" "Bl*w *p" "a$$a$$inate" "c*mm*nist" "j*had" and maybe as of today "liar" "hypocrite" "intellectually dishonest" could trigger a recording or a look see into you and your postings.

But, individual rights have been sliding down the mudslide of totalitarianism for quite awhile now....

The point with these type of stories is not about CRIME, it's about tracking differences in political opinion. And you are probably all over the Radar now that you have said all those things.....:flamer:

[Mr. Man]

The spy stuff probably looks fro key words and phrases that would signal a possible security issue.

Words like "bomb" "Blow up" "assassinate" "communist" "jihad" and maybe as of today "liar" "hypocrite" "intellectually dishonest" could trigger a recording or a look see into you and your postings.

But, individual rights have been sliding down the mudslide of totalitarianism for quite awhile now....
Oh Rich by posting the above you are sooooo screwed, yes that is a spook out there in your bushes.:eek:

[Mr. Man]

I look at it this way. There is no way they have the manpower to track every forum on every website. Not even with search bots could they possibly use this information on a large scale to bother people.

They will simply pick a few high profile cases and publicize them as a deterrent.

"If you aren't doing anything wrong, you have nothing to worry about" is a valid claim in this case, and I am one that agrees we have a right to privacy.

I don't think anyone wants their entire history online displayed for all to see, but paranoia has to give way to numbers. They can't monitor everyone.
You'd be overwhelmed by the technology NSA is using quietly against us, in the name of security of course.

[justbob]

Thats it, i'm putting my armadillo hat lined with tinfoil back on!

[Mr. Man]

Thats it, i'm putting my armadillo hat lined with tinfoil hat back on!
Sounds silly but this trick actually works.;)

[O's Fan Rich]

Oh Rich by posting the above you are sooooo screwed, yes that is a spook out there in your bushes.:eek:

I look forward to my incarceration.

The health care, food, and education system is pretty good on the inside.

[duhtroll]

Doesn't matter. They don't have enough humans to come get me.

Let's say I am # 1,346,952 on the list, just for kicks. I am probably wayyy lower, unless Asian porn ranks high on the list for some reason. Narf. :eek:

I'd say I have at least 50 years before they get to me, priority-wise.

Now if they had a million sentient robots, I'd be worried.


You'd be overwhelmed by the technology NSA is using quietly against us, in the name of security of course.

[Phrog_gunner]

Oh Rich by posting the above you are sooooo screwed, yes that is a spook out there in your bushes.:eek:

But Mr Man you now have that same stuff posted in YOUR thread. Notice I censored my quote from him.....:hide:

[RF Overlord]

Words like "bomb" "Blow up" "assassinate" "communist" "jihad" could trigger a recording or a look see into you and your postings.Rich, you forgot "Praise Allah" "Great White Satan" and "My 72 Virgins".

Damn...there's a blacked-out Suburban in the driveway now.

If this site goes down tomorrow, remember it's all Rich's fault.

[justbob]

Oh no! They check on Asian porn???? Is midget porn safe? How about Asian midget porn? Not me, but I know this guy...

[guspech750]

:bagpipe2::bagpipe3::snare::fl ag: I see a new revolution brewing in this country sometime in the future and I will not be thier to stop it!! It happened to the British and their their over taxing policies. As a matter of fact I saw a group of people with signs on the side of the road last week that had "The revolution is here".

[duhtroll]

They can stand next to that guy on the street corner wearing a sandwich board that says "the end is near" on one side and "repent" on the other.

He's been there for over a hundred years and doomsayers have been around since we as a species have been able to speak.

The robots are coming! The robots are coming!



:bagpipe2::bagpipe3::snare::fl ag: I see a new revolution brewing in this country sometime in the future and I will not be thier to stop it!! It happened to the British and their their over taxing policies. As a matter of fact I saw a group of people with signs on the side of the road last week that had "The revolution is here".