FBI admits to breaking own spying rules
The FBI has admitted that it repeatedly broke its own rules in spying on internet communications. FBI director Robert Mueller said that for the fourth straight year his agency collected information on people’s emails and web activity which was beyond its legal remit. However, Mueller claimed that this was partly the fault of telecoms companies which had provided the FBI with “too much information”. “We are committed to ensuring that we not only get this right, but maintain the vital trust of the American people,” he said.
The problems stemmed from the FBI’s use of information request letters which was made much simpler after the passage of the Patriot Act. “Everybody wants to stop terrorists. But Americans believe in our privacy rights and we want those protected,” said Senate Judiciary chairman Patrick Leahy. “There has to be a better chain of command for this. You cannot just have an FBI agent who decides he’d like to obtain Americans’ records, bank records or anything else and do it just because they want to.” Leahy added that the FBI had now reformed its practices since March 2007 and would stay within the law.
Source: Vnunet
Comments(67)
lol owned.im glad i live in th UK.tho ther prbaly doin it here aswel
thanks
That’s disgraceful and pathetic from the US department of ‘justice’. a pathetic excuse there as well–’it’s partly their fault’ lol, i never knew the FBI was a primary school organisation
Who cares! They can’t use information obtained illegally in court…
Tell that to the ppl in guantanamo
@4, that was before the “patriot act”. now they can arrest you without giving any reason and you cant see a lawyer, family and wont get a trial, no timetable.
how many people have been round up until now we dont know about because its not reported because of “national security reasons”.
thats the country you live in, a hidden fascist dictatorship which is portrayng itself as free and democratic.
@7 rlsmacfanilog, “A hidden fascist dictatorship which is portrayng itself as free and democratic.” how true -and its not that well hidden either. (in US, UK, Aus and the EC)
What we need is direct action on the streets cos cyber-babble is next to useless
Mark me down on the ‘who cares’ list
The only replies to this should say “Thank you” It is the Patriot Act that allows you to sit at your computer and type without having already been blown up by terrorists. If you don’t have anything to hide, you should have no worries.
@6 rlsmacfanoilog
Good to see that some ppl keep their eyes open.
Even China also give their ppl the right to vote. Right to vote only doesn’t make a regime democratic. USA at its current state is anything but a democracy, it’s more like a covert fascism. With a hidden agenda that’s not so secret anymore.
Spying shouldn’t have rules, since it IS for the greater good. If it wasn’t for spying through the times, we wouldn’t be able to sit here are type all this.
I agree fully with #9, why worry if you have done nothing wrong? Just don’t watch re-runs of The X-Files, since that FICTION garbles the mind of many “online heroes” like those always commenting here.
Reality check please!
There are no terrorists, its just a trick.
A government agency overstepped it’s bounds?
Shocking! Absolutely shocking! Who could have foreseen the possibility that a such a thing, something so unheard of, could happen?
*yawn*
“Leahy added that the FBI had now reformed its practices since March 2007 and would stay within the law”
Oh, well then we’re safe now, they fixed it so they have less information. thanks so fu(king much for looking out for us sen leahy you lying turdburglar
@9 Bill O’
That’s the kind of load of BS the administration wants the common idiots to believe. Remember, like an individual a mass of ppl can also be fooled. Right to vote doesn’t ensure that you will be ruled by the best possible ruler when the choices given are equally pathetic. Todays terrorists are yesterday’s Jihadis & so called Freedom Fighters, openly funded and supported by the USA and its allies. Now they are using te same technologies, weapons and information that was handed over to them by the USA itself against american ppl. And don’t cry so loud, even in India a whole lot more ppl dies every year in terrorist attacks than in USA and it has been going on like this for last 5-6 decades – so it’s not the end of the world. Don’t be panicked like your adminstration wants you to be. Because they will use your fear against you.
right said @ #9 there is nothin to fear if you hav nothin illegal to hide…. nobody wants to read your emails to your gf…they neither do have the resources or the time for petty perversions…i think we can sacrifice a lil piracy for stayin alive
and @12, we have seen the conpiracy central documentaries and miachel moores movies too i totally agree with you taking them seriously… but give it a thought dont you think those docs are doctored too… jus give it a thought coz i ve cross
checked some refrences too they dont really match sometimes
Lol, are they idiots?? Why would they tell such a thing? Dear secret agencies: keep your dirty spying, but please don’t mention it on the news..
@15
Did you see the name he posted as? Do you know what sarcasm is?
Ummm… Poppa!, you do realize that it wasn’t the US that had colonies in the Middle East and then decided to just pull out and leave a massive mess?
You want to point fingers, try pointing more than a few at the English and French, 99% of today’s Middle East problem was their creation.
But then, expecting Europeans to acknowledge their responsibility for much of anything would be foolish.
Europeans have started the bloodiest wars the world has seen and raped and pillaged every corner of the globe, but, hey, it’s all the American’s fault.
For the uninformed/misinformed/and just plain stupid:
There is not and never has been, a right to privacy in the US Constitution.
There is not and never has been a right to privacy law ever passed by the US Congress
There is not and never has been a right to privacy law ever passed by any state assembly nor has been placed in any state Constitution.
So please tell me exactly what law these people are breaking?
I love this site but if you’re gonna post “News” at least post something fairly new, as this story is quite old. Come to think of it, all the news reported on this site is old. Just some constructive criticism
It’s not like Americans care about things like this.
Mr Roboto
This not the USA Today site, not even goog news… If u are looking for breaking news, u are at a wrong place buddy. the snippets are posted just for a change and also for “Just some constructive criticism ” simply fellow readers seem to enjoy it.
But if your prime requirement is scene related updates… then shut yor piehole!
@16
Or so you assume. We have evidence that it keeps us alive, and it implies a total lack of trust in all US citizens. Why should we trust them to act civilly with what they have if they don’t trust us to A)Have any oversight B)Not all be terrorist? By this logic, we could ignore whole constitutional amendments. Why can’t the police search your house right now? If you aren’t a criminal, you’ve got nothing to hide, right? Even though history shows that positions like that attract people who want to be bullies even in adulthood?
M. Moore’s movies have many aspects of documentaries in them, but they are drama movies, not documentaries due to not meeting standards of documentaries (using filmed hyperbole like the bank gun giveaway scene in “Bowling for Columbine” for example, he didn’t REALLY qualify for that free gun, the Charlton Heston interview blatantly having sections cut that can b e seen by watching the clock on the wall).
@20 dan
Amendment IV
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.
Just because we have new equipment for doing so, does not change the nature of the act.
Armacalypse
March 9th, 2008 | 16:02
It’s not like Americans care about things like this.
—————
If no laws are being broken, then why should we care? I mean it’s not like they have cameras on the streetcorners all over the central cities watching your every move…oh wait, in Europe they do.
Ok then it’s not like they charge you a fee to get into the central part of the city where they have the offices you need to get to or the government offices you need to have access to and…..oh wait, in Europe they do just that.
Ok then…it’s not like they charge you an illegal tax on televisions that you dont even own just to keep a national broadcasting company in business because they cannot make it on their own with the crap they put out and…they….CRAP! They do that in some European Countries as well.
Ah well, nevermind. It’s not like Europeans really need concern themselves with items like this.
Clean up your OWN yard before you start complaining about anothers.
if im eating a quater pounder with cheese do you think they can watch me on my webcam without me knowing
wow, so ridiculous. Another way of yet tearing our u.s amendment…. to shreds
Is it better than Halo 3?
Anyone?
I thought the “spy” war was only involving the N_S_A and the C_I_A, but it would seem any “covert” agency is participating in this fake war against terrorism to justify control… Which seems globally now. I hope this apocalypse (meaning: revealing, uncovering (Read:The return of Quetzalcoatl by Daniel Pinchbeck Google for ebook) also shows the evil actions of Secret Societies.
Thanx for movies like A:FTF, Zeitgeist and Maxed Out. Which all have torrents by the way.
It’s so funny reading Americans trying to defend against how much they suck.
I like my government spying on me. LoL
stopping terrorist really why did they f ing hide tapes when the 911 attacks happen they are covering for you know who of the united states. hes the one that set this up so they could have a excuse to enter iraq.
You know, everyday people are able to freely speak out against anything they want, including the Bush administration without being hauled away to Guantanamo! That’s still a democracy in my book
[quote]derek
March 9th, 2008 | 15:13
Mark me down on the ‘who cares’ list[/quote]
stop thinking about yourself for a minute and think of the kind of world you want your kids to enjoy.
First they came for the Muslims, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a Muslim.
Then they came to detain immigrants indefinitely solely upon the certification of the Attorney General, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t an immigrant.
Then they came to eavesdrop on suspects consulting with their attorneys, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a suspect.
Then they came to prosecute non-citizens before secret military commissions, and I didn’t speak up because I wasn’t a non-citizen.
Then they came to enter homes and offices for unannounced “sneak and peek” searches, and I didn’t speak up because I had nothing to hide.
Then they came to reinstate Cointelpro and resume the infiltration and surveillance of domestic religious and political groups, and I didn’t speak up because I had stopped participating in any groups.
Then they came for anyone who objected to government policy because it aided the terrorists and gave ammunition to America’s enemies, and I didn’t speak up because…… I didn’t speak up.
Then they came for me……. and by that time no one was left to speak up.
rkdn (dot) org/u-r-next.asp
They break the rule all the time.
FBI spying on people is OK, but when someone spies on FBI is against the law?? LOL
@32
9/11 Damn 3 planes, 2 crashed on “twins”, and one on Pentagon is a little bit awkward. 1 plane I can understand, but 3 man no way. So where was the air defence @ that time?
Yes u can enjoy that satisfaction, at least for now. More so if your skin color is white/fair and less so if your ancestors were from any islamic nation and that is evident from your appearance. 1000’s of ppl have already vanished – just bcoz some govt. agency official wanted to feel he / she is god! Hell they didn’t even spare members of peace loving Seeikh community from Punjob (who are not muslem/islam follower) just bcoz their men look very similar to Osama with a long beard and tarban on their head. Gradually it will be a full circle. Nobody is eventually safe in the politics of fear!
To add:
It’s all propaganda.
USA is making so much weapons and a lot of money on that, that they don’t know what to with it, so they make wars.
Seriously, this is the message to all religions and all the people in the world:
GUYS, CHICKS, CHILDREN, WE LIVE IN 21-22 CENTURY THIS IS NOT A STONE AGE NOR A DARK AGE! STOP ANY WARS AND MAKE YOURSELF USEFULL IN CREATING SOMETHING GOOD NOT BAD.
Because the comments are closed on Assassin’s Creed – RELOADED, I couldn’t comment….logicaly.
I’ll have to post here.
So this is the problem:
I opened every .forge extension with Lister (part of Total Commander). Except Jerusalem.forge and Asruf.forge, every .forge file begined with: scimitar….and a lot of black cubes (think that is an empty space).
So Jerusalem and Asruf don;t have that kind of file beginning.
thankyou @38, now its all gonna be okidoki. Lets hold hands and sing cumbaja til they come for you…
And to all the americans supporting their country’s raping of their laws; aaaaaaaaaaaahahahahah you’re so HAD!
@40
Why do you have to hold hands and sing cumbaja? LOL
True. none is perfect but still we can recognize good and bad, and that cannot be applied with selfishness. In that case everything is good.
yep…and people who run for the real America get raped liked Ron Paul ..the only candidate who really wants us free anymore…the rest are NWO lackeys..PS: and all you people who don’t live in America are just as vulnerable…so get a life
Terrorists? LOL? When will they drop the charade?
bloody fbi wankers
@36 Alexander
Are you disputing the events of 9/11/01? Cause at the time I was on duty as a paramedic for the FDNY and was only 6 blocks away when the first plane hit and was inside the tower when the second plane hit
Have you ever thought then, that maybe, just maybe you are living on borrowed time?
I have an FBI agent under my bed. He came for my pr0n! Oh noes! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
@35 dogsguy. Good post, says it all really.
You guys have nothing to hide?. Then why are you on RLSLog where they blog on illegal music, movie and app downloads?. Here in the UK we are about to have one of the most intrusive logging systems ever implemented, in the name of advertising. (Look up Phorm for the details). Every single website visit etc. will be logged by your ISP and passed to Phorm to look for keywords and then send advertising based on what you search for, type in emails and browse for on the web. Even if you opt out, everything is still passed to them but your PC also sends them a cookie saying “do not use this information”. How long before MI5, MI6, the Police, Interpol join in, followed by the BPI (our version of the RIAA) and then movie industry too. They will have access to everything we do online. And no, annonymous proxies wont work because your connection is still in the clear as it passes over your ISPs network to get to the proxy website. TOR is simply too slow for decent browsing and certainly not suitable for torrent downloads either. And don’t think you’re immune over there, Phorm CEO admitted in a webchat on Friday that they are actively talking to major US ISPs and expect it to be implemented with some later this year, early next year. The MPAA and RIAA are going to hit Phorm and your ISP with legal means to get hold of all that juicy info aren’t they.
Now are we worried that you have nothing to hide?
«You want to point fingers, try pointing more than a few at the English and French, 99% of today’s Middle East problem was their creation.
But then, expecting Europeans to acknowledge their responsibility for much of anything would be foolish.»
Right. Europe is guilty ad eternum.
That was a nice argument anyway, 5 or 6 decades ago.
i wonder, shouldnt this allow ppl to sue them ? technicaly if they use illegal ways to get hold of you, they do get obliged to take the consequences of the law.. or is the feds supreme in usa ? and aint holden account for their actions ? :S
Sounds like kindergarden , you get a cookie if u tell the touth and u dont get to sit in the corner.. realy pathetic US is
if you have an hour to spend on it, go watch this
http://tvshack.net/documentaries/911_In_Plane_Sight__Conspiracy__
@9 nice trolling on behalf of the ignorant masses.
“FBI had now reformed its practices since March 2007 and would stay within the law.”
LAUGH! what a load of bs.
@50 its to the point were not only the fed but the police can do as they please without being held accountable.
best case they destroy you and then apologize publicly(when forced to)
Heres an example; Josh Connole. Read the story below, the poor guy.
http://polizeros.com/2005/11/16/fbi-apologizes-to-josh-connole-pays-100000/
FBI Settles With Environmentalist(half way down)
http://www.earthliberationfront.com/main.shtml
@53
Oh yea! Poor guy, spent 4 days in prison and got $100000 for his troubles! That’s very fascist of the FBI!
It’s not just us Europeans who have behaved badly in the middle east and other areas, you americans are just as guilty. It was the US that armed ther Taliban and Bin Laden and his cronies during their war with Russia in Afghanistan. It was the US, British and French who armed Sadam Hussain during the 80s.
It was the US public who funded the IRA terrorism campaigns in the 70s and 80s here in the UK. And don’t use that arguement that the IRA only targeted military targets. Tell that to the two kids killed in Warrington in the north of England, tell that to the familes of the innocent people killed in the Birmingham pub bombings in the 1970s, tell that to the two innocent guys killed in the Docklands bombing in the late 80s, tell that to the innocent civilians killed in Enniskillen.
Every nation has its shameful activities and in that, we are no different.
@55
I completely agree with you. I just hate it when everyone is constantly pointing fingers at the US as if their $hit doesn’t stink
I agree NYC. Most of these people who simply hate the US for the sake of it, probably think that 100% of Americans support Bush and his activities whereas in reality a huge number do not. Same here in the UK, a great many of us do not agree with our government policies but that doesn’t stop almost the entire Middle East hating us.
I suppose we all have our stereotypes. Here in Europe we have the image of Americans as being huge, fat, gun toting, flag waving, pushy types. Of course there are people like that, I believed it too. What changed my mind was actually visiting many places in the US. The vast majority I met were warm, friendly and good fun. It seems to be only the loud ones who come here for holidays/vacations so a few more of you more normal types need to get your arses on a plane and come say hello
@6 can you please actually read and understand the Patriot Act before saying something so ignorant…
For all the non-Americans– do you really think agencies in your countries haven’t done similar things? I think it says a lot that the FBI actually stepped forward on its own to admit this and revise its policies in the open, rather than wait for this to be discovered by the news or some third-party, or try to cover it up.
I bet this is partly because Tanya Anderson planning to counter-sue and get them to reveal their investigation methods into internet piracy. From FBI point of view admitting to it could be an effort to make them look less guilty in the lawsuit. It could also be an appeal for people to pass laws that would allow them to do so. Tanya Anderson needs to strike fast to cause maximum damage. Considering this could be a huge case I haven’t seen anything about it on the news here in the UK. Has anyone ?
No, haven’t seen this mentioned on any of the mainstream media sites here in the UK.
@58 alex
“thats the country you live in, a hidden fascist dictatorship which is portrayng itself as free and democratic.”
Whats ignorant about that statement? -its true.
wow, the only reason i’m posting this is for the knuckleheads who simply reply “look at the stupid americans”
i’m an immigrant (legal) and i’m doing fine here. no one’s knocking on my door and i dont TRY and break laws either. name me one non-third world country whose people actually sit down all day and think about their government. it might be sad but it’s true. we have our own lives to deal with.
so i suggest you quit popping veins over this, especially if you dont live in the U.S. and go download some movie…
The people who say that they have nothing to hide and actually agree with the spying on emails are the same christian people who are going to church every sunday and in the name of god agree of killing thousands of innocent people all over the world.
Well, personally i have something to hide.
I have to hide my privacy life and i dont want anyone to know what time i will go to toilet or when i will go to get drunk with a friend or what chick i will sleep with tommorrow night.
Do u really think that they will stop the terrorists by checking all the emails? you must be completely idiot or work for the government if u believe that silly explenation because THEY are the terrorists and they will not stop themselves from killing their own citizen and the other free people around the glode.
Totally agree with #35# dosguy.
UNDER THIS POLICE STATE GOVERNMENT THE PERSON WHO THINKS AND SPEAKS IS CONSIDERED TO BE A TERRORIST.
WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP
wake up people of america DONT let 100-200 bad people do any further damage to YOU and the rest of the world in the name of god-terror-security-freedom.
They have something to be afraid of.
It is called LOVE.love for humans-love for animals-love for mother nature-love for all people that are diffrent from me.
bush=clinton
clinton=bush
@#
J3ph_42
So Bill O’Reilly is supposed to be known all over the world?
Do you know what common sense is?
March 9th, 2008 | 15:49
@15
Did you see the name he posted as? Do you know what sarcasm is?
“The pride of man makes him love to domineer, and nothing mortifies him so much as to be obliged to condescend to persuade his inferiors. Wherever the law allows it, therefore, he will generally prefer the services of slaves to those of freemen.” – Adam Smith, 1776
That’s basically what this is about. Governments and security agancies are made up of people who enjoy having control over other people. It’s obvious they will exploit their power, they believe they are doing good. Their ignorance is hard to counter.
The various government agencies had all the information they needed to stop the 9/11 attacks, but were too stupid to;
A. Realize what they were seeing
And;
B. Share the information so that they could see the “big picture”.