We can safely assume that the IRS and other countries tax agencies have systems like this - or will soon. Nearly every agency with enforcement powers will eventually too. Wiretaps are being used for everything these days and they need to parse this data.
Just like the recent use of SWAT teams by even benign regulatory agencies (ie, raiding unlicensed clothing factories with assault rifles) - they will make use of new advanced enforcement techniques as the tech starts to trickle down from the top agencies.
We (the tech community) all complained for years about the poor state of technology in government. But now they are catching up - and that technology is being combined with the great powers they hold. Creating something most people didn't expect. New levels of power it seems... which can be utilized extremely efficiently.
You can drop "it seems". We all know where this is headed. And as with the other huge problems such as climate change, we'll try to change something once it really, really hurts. But that, I suppose, has already been said a thousand times, as well. There really isn't much more left to say...
I think there is significant enough opposition to the notion that the IRS would have such a capability that at the very least it will be the very last agency to get it. I can't see even the Republicans crossing that line.
That's hilarious. One of the premier and foremost missions of the Verfassungsschutz is of course counter-intelligence.
To support another countries foreign intelligence service (which is targeted with espionage on Germany) is nothing short of treason on an organized scale.
On a formal level, that seems true enough. Plus, they are using unconstitutional means to “protect the constitution”. I'm starting to wonder whether agencies like that are actually worth the trouble they're causing.
>To support another country's foreign intelligence service (which is targeted with espionage on Germany) is nothing short of treason on an organized scale.
Maybe, but the logical slippery slope if you do allow this happen is that in the end every country cooperates and their budget for counter-espionage looks like... the budget, say, California has to defend itself from Texas and Massachusetts, or for securing its borders from Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon by planting spies in those countries I mean states, or the FBI budget for counter-intel versus the CIA. All of which is exactly, precisely $0.
In what conceivable world is it better for California to be spending that money on such hypothetical programs, or for taxpayers to fund the CIA in its attacks against the FBI, and to fund the FBI in its countermeasures against the CIA -- an idea that is total, complete madness - instead of putting it into education, roads, water, or whatever else you want that actually has any benefit to society whatsoever?
The world is incredibly well-connected, and states don't need to be hacking other states. Whether you agree with surveillance or not, it is not difficult to argue that cooperation is a net benefit for all.
Does this have implications in that Getmany can collect data on US citizens, and by sharing with the NSA, the NSA can circumvent restrictions on collecting data on US citizens?
It would guess not because the deal is that Germany is getting software for data. They are not being trusted with large amounts of data from the NSA.
However the 5 Eyes share data freely with each other, and while there is no verification I would be shocked if the US did not file warrants against US citizens based on the testimony of analysts from the other 4. And once there is a warrant, of course, then the US can cheerfully look at its own data and see what they were told could be seen.
My expectation is that this happens, and happens frequently. And not just for terrorism.
[+] [-] dmix|10 years ago|reply
Just like the recent use of SWAT teams by even benign regulatory agencies (ie, raiding unlicensed clothing factories with assault rifles) - they will make use of new advanced enforcement techniques as the tech starts to trickle down from the top agencies.
We (the tech community) all complained for years about the poor state of technology in government. But now they are catching up - and that technology is being combined with the great powers they hold. Creating something most people didn't expect. New levels of power it seems... which can be utilized extremely efficiently.
[+] [-] benevol|10 years ago|reply
You can drop "it seems". We all know where this is headed. And as with the other huge problems such as climate change, we'll try to change something once it really, really hurts. But that, I suppose, has already been said a thousand times, as well. There really isn't much more left to say...
[+] [-] jsprogrammer|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wahsd|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] revelation|10 years ago|reply
To support another countries foreign intelligence service (which is targeted with espionage on Germany) is nothing short of treason on an organized scale.
[+] [-] nota_bene|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tempodox|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] logicallee|10 years ago|reply
Maybe, but the logical slippery slope if you do allow this happen is that in the end every country cooperates and their budget for counter-espionage looks like... the budget, say, California has to defend itself from Texas and Massachusetts, or for securing its borders from Arizona, Nevada, and Oregon by planting spies in those countries I mean states, or the FBI budget for counter-intel versus the CIA. All of which is exactly, precisely $0.
In what conceivable world is it better for California to be spending that money on such hypothetical programs, or for taxpayers to fund the CIA in its attacks against the FBI, and to fund the FBI in its countermeasures against the CIA -- an idea that is total, complete madness - instead of putting it into education, roads, water, or whatever else you want that actually has any benefit to society whatsoever?
The world is incredibly well-connected, and states don't need to be hacking other states. Whether you agree with surveillance or not, it is not difficult to argue that cooperation is a net benefit for all.
[+] [-] eternalban|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] codezero|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] nota_bene|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] btilly|10 years ago|reply
However the 5 Eyes share data freely with each other, and while there is no verification I would be shocked if the US did not file warrants against US citizens based on the testimony of analysts from the other 4. And once there is a warrant, of course, then the US can cheerfully look at its own data and see what they were told could be seen.
My expectation is that this happens, and happens frequently. And not just for terrorism.
[+] [-] throwawayaway|10 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rocky1138|10 years ago|reply
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0405094/
[+] [-] flurpitude|10 years ago|reply