Birdman, you are quite a scolder. I have no doubt you have detailed knowledge of the regs and statutes. It appears as if you know of people who have gotten in trouble by violating those statutes. It is my assertion that, to the degree those regs and statutes give unwarranted access to metadata, or more likely imho , the actual content of comms, those laws and regs are null and void. Do the agreement I signed with private companies specifically call out giving their records to .gov w/o a warrant? I doubt it.
Birdman, I respect your contributions to these forums, and your service to the country. Your blasé, contemptuous dismissal of our concerns ill becomes you.
Yes, the agreements you sign do allow them to give ALREADY LEGAL TO GIVE metadata to government.
CSD is correct, metadata (ie phone LUDS) are legal to acquire without a warrant.
You say "I doubt it" when it comes to what is allowed or not, meaning you don't know and haven't checked, thereby PROVING MY POINT THAT YOU DONT KNOW AND ARE STILL EXPRESSING AN ISSUE WITH SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN'T DEFINE.
Do you know what information the NSA processes? No. Do you know what the legal protections are? No.
Do you know that for domestic communication between two US citizens, any content is protected unless a warrant is issued? Apparently not.
So in other words, I'm scolding because everyone is outraged over something THAT ISN'T FREAKING HAPPENING, because they don't understand, and are calling this TRAITOR a "hero" for revealing something that they don't understand, when such things actually don't affect YOU but DO affect our ability to do NON DOMESTIC (ie finding bad guys) activities, and thus compromise sources and methods, which are the things you protect most.
So you chastise me for scolding, then go and PROVE my scolding was valid--I scolded the expressing of outrage when you don't understand the actual issue....which you just admitted.
Maybe you don't get it, I am a HUGE libertarian, and if what you describe we're actually occurring to the extent you see, to believe, I would quit my job immediately, and so would, well, about 80-90% of the intelligence community. You spit on the people that do the job, by implying THEY are compromising their oaths.
Now, IM going to simply shut up, and let you all just rant and rave, and be outraged, since education is worthless when you don't even have the ability to on your own look at both sides of an issue, and would rather knee-jerk your way like a gun control advocate to a conclusion spoon fed to you by the same media you deride out the other side of your mouth.
TL:DR. F this thread.