NSA phone records

Stories 41 - 60 | << Prev   Next >>

NSA: Spying Foiled Stock Exchange Bomb Plot

Agency defends itself in congressional hearing

(Newser) - The NSA's controversial spying activities have prevented more than 50 terror attacks since 9/11, the agency's director told the House Intelligence Committee today, including attempted bombings of the New York Stock Exchange and, as previously disclosed , the New York City Subway. Gen. Keith Alexander said he'd go...

Obama: I'm Not 'Bush- Cheney Lite'

President refutes charge in Charlie Rose interview

(Newser) - Appearing on Charlie Rose last night, President Obama had a few things to clear up: First, he's not, as Rose put it, "Bush-Cheney lite." "Some people say, 'Well, you know, Obama was this raving liberal before. Now he’s, you know, Dick Cheney,'"...

Snowden's Dad: 'Come Home and Face This'

Lon Snowden calls on son not to commit treason

(Newser) - Edward Snowden 's dad has a message for his son, via Fox News : It's time to come home. In the meantime, "I hope, I pray and I ask that you will not release any secrets that could constitute treason," Lon Snowden says. Some would like...

NSA: We Only Scrutinized 300 Numbers

But that helped break up 'dozens' of terror plots

(Newser) - The NSA would like you to know that, while it may have data on millions of phone calls from US carriers, it only sought detailed information on less than 300 phone numbers. That's according to an (unclassified) government memo making the rounds, reports Reuters , in an apparent attempt to...

Snowden: NSA Has Been Hacking China Since 2009

Agency has had 61K targets globally

(Newser) - Edward Snowden is still in Hong Kong, where he's making more claims about NSA practices: In an interview with the South China Morning Post , he says the agency has been hacking systems in China and Hong Kong since 2009. "We hack network backbones—like huge internet routers, basically—...

Snowden Stole Secret Data With ... Thumb Drive

LA Times: But it's still not clear why he had access to such sensitive data

(Newser) - Edward Snowden didn't need any high-tech gadgetry to make off with the NSA's surveillance secrets—all it took was a humble thumb drive, reports the Los Angeles Times . Authorities have determined that the former contractor used the portable device to smuggle out his classified data, and they...

Data Mining Might Have Stopped 9/11: FBI Chief

Robert Mueller takes his turn on Capitol Hill

(Newser) - Various security officials have made the case that the government's phone and Internet surveillance is necessary to keep the country safe, but FBI chief Robert Mueller brought out the big guns during testimony on Capitol Hill today. Had this kind of data mining been in place 13 years ago,...

Mikulski Halts Hearing ... to Rebut a Tweet

She responds to a BuzzFeed reporter's criticism

(Newser) - Today's appearance by the NSA chief on Capitol Hill didn't produce many surprises—he said data mining is necessary and used in such a way that it doesn't invade privacy—but it did produce one strange moment featuring Sen. Barbara Mikulski. At one point, the Maryland...

NSA Chief: Surveillance Stopped 'Dozens' of Plots

Gen. Keith Alexander defends data mining

(Newser) - The head of the NSA told a Senate panel today that his agency's controversial surveillance had helped prevent "dozens of terrorist events," reports the Wall Street Journal . Gen. Keith Alexander said he couldn't go into specifics but was working to declassify some of the details. He...

Critics Piling On US Intelligence Chief

James Clapper's 'least untruthful' explanation not sitting well

(Newser) - Edward Snowden may be getting vilified in some camps over the NSA leaks, but the nation's intelligence director isn't having such a great time, either. Witness this piece in Slate by Fred Kaplan demanding that James Clapper be fired for lying. The issue, as the Washington Post and...

Snowden: I&#39;m Neither Traitor Nor Hero

 Snowden: 
 I'm Neither 
 Traitor Nor Hero 
Interview
Jun 12, 2013 10:02 AM CDT

Snowden: I'm Neither Traitor Nor Hero

Whistleblower intends to throw himself on the mercy of Hong Kong

(Newser) - Edward Snowden, having apparently seen a plethora of headlines like this one , set the record straight today in an interview with the South China Morning Post . "I'm neither traitor nor hero," the NSA leaker said. "I'm an American." In his first interview since initially...

ACLU Sues White House Over Phone 'Dragnet'

Group says its constitutional rights have been violated

(Newser) - The ACLU usually sues on behalf of others, but this time it's going to court on behalf of itself. The civil-liberties group has sued the federal government over the "dragnet" it uses to collect information about phone calls , reports Talking Points Memo . Because the ACLU is itself a...

8 Senators: Blow the Doors Open on FISA Court

Bipartisan group wants FISA rulings declassified

(Newser) - Here's one way to cut down on leaks about spy agencies' use of the super-secret FISA court—make the rulings public. Eight senators from both parties backed a bill today that would bring far more transparency to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, reports Roll Call . They want key rulings...

Edward Snowden: Hero or Traitor?
 Edward Snowden: 
 Hero or Traitor? 
OPINION
Jun 11, 2013 12:10 PM CDT

Edward Snowden: Hero or Traitor?

Pundits weigh in on both sides

(Newser) - He's either a hero of grand scale or a traitor of the worst kind. Here's a look at some of the opinions about NSA leaker Edward Snowden :
  • John Cassidy, New Yorker : He's clearly a hero. "He has performed a great public service that more than outweighs
...

John Oliver on Host Gig: 'This Is Weird'

Host begins Daily Show stint with NSA bit

(Newser) - Last night, John Oliver took the Daily Show host's chair for the first time, and he quickly pointed out the elephant in the room. "Let's all just acknowledge for a moment that this is weird," he said. "This looks weird; it feels weird; it even...

Meet Edward Snowden’s Pole-Dancing Girlfriend

Lindsay Mills has a blog, YouTube, Twitter

(Newser) - A few outlets have identified Lindsay Mills as the girlfriend of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden , and up until this morning, quite a bit of information about her (not to mention quite a few scantily-clad pictures) was available online. She had a blog , which now appears to have been taken down;...

Majority of Americans Support Phone Spying

56% say phone tracking is acceptable

(Newser) - For all the outcry over the NSA's phone snooping this week, the majority of Americans are A-OK with the government tracking their phone calls. That's according to a new poll by Pew Research and the Washington Post, which found 56% believe tracking calls is an acceptable way for...

How to Block NSA Spying
 How to Block NSA Spying 
OPINION
Jun 10, 2013 1:45 PM CDT

How to Block NSA Spying

Timothy B. Lee offers up 5 ideas

(Newser) - Don't like the idea of the NSA spying on your phone calls and emails? In the Washington Post , Timothy B. Lee offers five ways for you to protect yourself:
  • Tor : This Internet browser lets you remain anonymous, and does not reveal your IP address or other identifiers. One fan:
...

Whistleblower's Employer Has Cozy Ties to Uncle Sam

98% of its revenue in last fiscal year came from government

(Newser) - If you haven't previously heard of Booz Allen Hamilton, the employer of NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, it's not for its lack of ties with Washington, DC. Some 98% of the company's revenue in the past fiscal year came from its government contracts, and 23% of that—or...

Obama is Our Big Brother
 Obama Is Our 
 Big Brother 
OPINION
Jun 9, 2013 4:27 PM CDT

Obama Is Our Big Brother

The NSA spying is double-plus-ungood, writes Maureen Dowd

(Newser) - In 2007, President Obama said he didn't want to run an administration that was "Bush-Cheney lite." No worries there, writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times —with new revelations about the NSA's snooping on our phone and Internet activities, "there’s nothing lite...

Stories 41 - 60 | << Prev   Next >>