Report: NSA Has Access to Skype, SkyDrive; MSFT Responds

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PedanticNo1

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These companies just give people more and more reasons to pirate.

Downrate all you want. I never said I supported it, it's a simple fact that they're building resentment.
 

stingstang

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inb4 all the scared children and ignorant adults on here raising a --- storm about how evil our government is. Sorry if we want some insiders collecting potential terrorist transmission to protect you guys. Let's all just stop that and see where it takes us.
 
inb4 all the scared children and ignorant adults on here raising a --- storm about how evil our government is. Sorry if we want some insiders collecting potential terrorist transmission to protect you guys. Let's all just stop that and see where it takes us.
You do realize these are violating the US constitution, right? The so called supreme law.

That makes the US government a form of terrorist on its own citizens.

 

Rahbot

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Well big brother is loose.... with no reigns to hold them back from taking more rights from people. This very bad, bad in-such a way that people are loosing their rights faster and faster.
 

spat55

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Simple idea, just don't use all this stuff. Doesn't everybody know that whatever we do, all governments know about it if they want too. If you are not doing anything wrong then it isn't too bad, just don't get naked in front of the webcam XD
 

daekar

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The sad thing is, the huddled masses won't know or care about the implications of all this until it's far too late. It's said that wars are like Christmas for governments, but this terrorist thing is brilliant. It's like a ready-made excuse to do whatever you want, a boogeyman brought out when people start to think for themselves. We don't even have to be at war anymore to enjoy the fruits of paranoia.

It's all for the children!
 

JPNpower

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DAEKAR... umm... I personally think that you are more dangerous to society than the NSA. I don't know about drug dealers like yourself, but I couldn't care for 3 seconds if the government knew everything I did.
 

killerclick

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People who value their privacy have alternatives. Most don't care though, but they lack foresight. Sure you trust Obama/Bush/whoever but what if some Stalin-like figure wins the presidency in 30 years and his cadre controls the Senate? Then everything you did in the last 30 years will be available for them to use against you. Supported Edward Snowden on a comment board? Off to the camp with you.
 

acadia11

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Really , the NSA has technology to enforce packet tapping, I can't believe it? Privacy does not mean that NSA can not read your info, it just means they can't read it without a warrant. This is no different than technology existing for phone tapping. Except it's now for packet based data.

PRISM is legal. The question is how is it used is legal or not. For example, the Snowden leak speaks about the Call record matching, which is metadata technically, and companies own metadata it's their property if they so choose to give it to whom ever. Now the details and content of your calls could be protected under illegal search and seizure if a warrant doesn't exist. But even that is relative? With over the air signaling is it private???
 

acadia11

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The existence of the technology is not violation of the US constitution. The violation is if they used it without a warrant. The government can in fact search your home, they just can't do it without a warrant, tey in fact, can tap your packet based data they just can't do it without a warrant.



 

acadia11

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Why would they need to turn like Big Brother when people freely post on face book, internet forums, and so on ... there is no need to spy on anyone they willing give up information.

 

acadia11

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What are you talking about? The government can tap your phone, they can read your mail, now that they have created the technology to tap packet based data, or rater the latest means of communication, wat's the difference.

The governemtn has always had the ability to read communications, the only that has canged over time is the means of communication. They can only use that tech with warrant of course. But the creation of the technology is not against the constitution.

 
The existence of the technology is not violation of the US constitution. The violation is if they used it without a warrant. The government can in fact search your home, they just can't do it without a warrant, tey in fact, can tap your packet based data they just can't do it without a warrant.
But the thing is it it likely is being used without a warrant.
It isn't actually a bad thing for governments to have the ability to extract information if there is a crime to be investigated.

But it seems like they are severely abusing it.
 

nerrawg

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Wow! I'm just shocked at how narrow minded some of you are, especially when I know that you're "intelligent" people. Do you really think this is about what people e-mail each other or who's friends with whom on facebook!? That is the tip of the iceberg, actually its not even the iceberg at all...

This is about unrestricted corporate and political espionage on an unprecedented scale, with the potential to destroy start-ups and innovation through small business on a mass scale and render any political system entirely undemocratic. Democracy, when you get into the details of how it works as a system, requires privacy to function.

Everything that is stored digitally is now not safe no matter how well encrypted. With the huge NSA infrastructure, they chew through AES 256 and anything else in minutes, not to mention that it is pretty safe to assume they have quantum up and running.

So pause .... and think about that for a moment.

This is about the potenial for rampant IP theft prior to any possibility of patenting and without any means of impartial or judicial oversight. Anyone with access to the NSA database will be able to aspire to levels of corruption that were heretofore unimaginable. I find it hilarious that people are discussing privacy in terms of private messages and personal info or opinions. This is much greater, this is the capability for complete and absolute insider trading on a mass-scale. This is the ability to render any politician or indeed any political system entirely insignificant insofar as those with access will know every single opinion, idea and decision by anyone of any significance in terms of power. Supreme Court Justices, Lawyers in anti-trust suites, Congressmen, Senators, investigative journalists, CEOs, Professors in fields of scientific research etc etc. This is a simultaneous assault on the vestiges of the 4th and 5th Estates from which threatens to evict us "the people" from any entitlements in either of them. In terms of knowledge and power, the NSA database projects combine to create the largest, most powerful unifying force in history with ability to gift the accepted few power that we cannot even begin to conceive the full ramifications of.

Sure, Govt. has always been in surveillance of its citizens, but this has always been a numbers game. Whenever the powers that be have acquired disproportionate power to render numbers and public opinion powerless bad things happen. Critically, Govt. has never before in history been able to render the numbers in the surveillance game insignificant. They now sit on the doorstep of the that potentiality.

I'm not saying that this is happening right now, but that it is the path we are on. Certainly in light of the Snowden leak they are learning their lessons. Soon all low and mid level operators will be on the old WWII style directives of a strictly "need-to-know" basis. Once this is inevitably implemented to safeguard against leakers, the next inevitable step is the eventual corruption of those few who sit with the bigger picture. As there is no effective oversight in place, there is no way that this will not happen.

So sure, I could care less if the Govt. knows what I am doing. Heck, I would love it if someone there was interested in the immunological research that I conduct or the political opinions that I hold, but I highly doubt that is the case. Which is why I am writing this right now. What I care about is the ramifications that this will have on the free market and the global economy, not to mention human progress. I see this gargantuan surveillance system as the most ridiculous and wasteful example of "security theatre" yet to exist, but I fear a far worse conclusion if it is allowed to continue in the direction it is currently heading
 

jojodadude

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Just use google's chat or talk. Problem solved. Screw Skype and their new video ads. If you decide to continue to use Skype here's a pro tip. Download the legacy install (pre-Microsoft) and use it ad free.
 

alextheblue

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They gather more data than you can conceive, without warrants. On the rare occasion they need to get an actual warrant, to cover their butts (when they need to use data they already gathered against someone, for example) they just go to FISA court. FISA = secret unconstitutional "court" where they rubber-stamp warrants.

In other words, it's all a sham and they're not adhering to anything other than "we do whatever we want, piss on you stupid worthless peasants".

Dumb peons can't see things for what they are and continue voting away all their rights, privacy, and instead vote themselves more "free" stuff while we have rampant deficit spending. You shouldn't be allowed to vote in national elections unless you pay income tax and pass a test on the contents and meaning of the U.S. Constitution. Make similar, but tougher testing requirements for those running for office.
 

alextheblue

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News flash: Microsoft isn't willingly working with the NSA. Google is in the same boat, and they're forced to cooperate too. NSA has access to Gmail, Google+, etc. If you didn't know that, you're a sucker.
 

JPNpower

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Nerrawg, thank you for your complete argument. I'll respond in full later as I'm on my phone right now. For now I'll keep it as "if you assume corruption in this manner, you'd find that you can't trust pretty much any government branch. Borderline paranoid."

As for smeezekitty, go ahead! If you had my digital records, go find anything that's unlawful. I Bet you couldn't as I don't do anything that could be. And if America becomes so corrupt as to convict me on lawful things... Well we're screwed anyway aren't we? NSA or not.

Again I'll flesh out my argument later
 
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