FBI doesnt want you to know it uses NSLs to correlate identities you use online
This is somewhere inbetween "duh" and "aha!". Obviously, you can foresee how this data would be available. That they request so much of it is a bit surprising, and that "anti-war" has the same meaning as "terrorist" is certainly upsetting to hear.<p>I wonder how correlatable (totally a word) it is to identify something like a persons HN identity is, given SSL. All that data should be entirely encrypted, right? Only the URL's would be visible, so they could know you have an account.<p>Let's not forget their suicide letter for martin luther king. <a href="https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/fbis-suicide-letter-dr-martin-luther-king-jr-and-dangers-unchecked-surveillance" rel="nofollow">https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2014/11/fbis-suicide-letter-dr...</a><p>For every one of these cases that come to light, there are certainly countless that never have/never will. This is infused in their culture and mindset; nobody that was around then is around now, but the behavior and attitude of the organization clearly lives on. They have a strong "us vs. them" ethos, like many organizations in government. They're in the trenches, fighting the good fight, the righteous fight. An extreme example, but Nazi's thought the same thing; it's an easy trap to fall into.<p>no amount of secrecy is enough for them, because the things they do/have done would likely cause riots. When they say "for national security" that's really what they mean - people would be <i>SO</i> upset if they heard everything, that the blowback could be disastrous both as a country as well as for the individuals responsible.<p>But, people do mean well. At least most. People are easily lead astray, and can do things at the beheast of sociopaths, criminals who have wiggled their way into power, or simply from organizational inertia (see: police brutality).<p>It's easy to be angry about this stuff, and maybe you should be. But most don't need punishment, just to be shown a better way.<p>Bonus: airplanes! <a href="http://www.startribune.com/nighttime-flight-circles-low-over-twin-cities-for-hours/305398901/" rel="nofollow">http://www.startribune.com/nighttime-flight-circles-low-over...</a>