Where is Mr. Rogers when you need him? Boys and girls, the word of the day is “glitch”. Can you say “glitch?”
Yesterday it was an FDA “glitch” that resulted in four unnecessary deaths and 350 “complications”. Today the “glitch” is within the FBI.
According to the New York Times
A technical glitch gave the F.B.I. access to the e-mail messages from an entire computer network — perhaps hundreds of accounts or more — instead of simply the lone e-mail address that was approved by a secret intelligence court as part of a national security investigation, according to an internal report of the 2006 episode.
Big Brother is just full of glitch disclosures this week. While a single email address was approved by the Secret Squirrel Court, apparently the FBI miscommunicated with the internet provider and rather than gathering information on a lone email account, received emails from hundreds of accounts.
This is another issue that should fall somewhere in the FISA debates, but as yet, I have read or heard nothing about this area of intelligence failure.
According to an anonymous source
“It’s inevitable that these things will happen. It’s not weekly, but it’s common.”
Further
Past violations by the government have also included continuing a wiretap for days or weeks beyond what was authorized by a court, or seeking records beyond what were authorized. The 2006 case appears to be a particularly egregious example of what intelligence officials refer to as “overproduction” — in which a telecommunications provider gives the government more data than it was ordered to provide.
And, we want to give these telecom companies amnesty? Excuse me.
The NYT article went on to say that within the past two years approximately 100 similar occurrences have taken place. That averages out to about one a week. And, we are going to feel safe with these guys guarding the door? Of course, I forgot, quite a few of the dark suits were sitting in on the Clemens/McNamee House ballgame this week, waiting to catch a perjurer. Ohhh!
Okay, so enough is enough. Why don’t we all just leave our doors unlocked at night, have Ma Bell go back to the old timey party lines to eliminate the need for wiretapping, take off our clothes and run naked through the streets. Even your privates aren’t private any more!
Maybe we could save Big Brother some time and money by just copying him (them) on all email correspondence or three-waying them in on all calls.
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