Re: Lobbying/Politics/etc.

[Richard Johnson <johnsonr@spot.Colorado.EDU>]

 From the keyboard of:  Julietta <albright@chaph.usc.edu>

> 	One more thing- I recently completed a first ddrafty of a paper I
> am working on regarding computer curveillance, Clipper, etc- and the
> professor who read it asked me "What is the likelihood and what re the
> reaosns for the NSA and other governments agencies wanting to monitor the
> people?"

Must the NSA have an institutional reason?  Perhaps they'll have
concensus problems too.  Never-the-less, if the monitoring capability
is there, it will (100% chance) be used for things like the following:

0) Legitimate suspicion of a crime being committed, or suspicion of
sensitive information being leaked to undesireable parties.

1) Fishing expedition surveillance of 'suspect' groups and
individuals, where 'suspicion' comes from political affiliation,
contacts with foreign nationals, and the like.  Example: the Committee
in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, a left wing social
activism group, had their offices searched, had their membership
infiltrated, and their communications monitored by the FBI or some
TLA.  There was no evidence of any wrongdoing -- the perceived
association with 'commies' was enough for someone opposed to their
aims to begin the harrassment.

2) Obtaining 'dirt' on political opposition, or simply snooping on
their plans.  Witness our late former President, Richard Nixon and the
Watergate break in.  Some point to quotes he made that show he
believed the president to be above the law.

3) Selling personal data for profit.  Witness the crooked flunkies at
the IRS and elsewhere that illegally sell information about you to
private detectives, credit agencies, and the like.  I am not convinced
that the current Cripple/Crapstone escrow plan will prevent some
crooked cop from selling the keys to a phone or computer, or data
gained from an intercept that should no longer be continuing, after
his or her agency has obtained the key to decipher a wiretap.

The whole NSA, FBI, or the various military intelligence groups don't
have to be in complete organizational agreement for such things to
occur.  All it takes is one person, or a group, with the means and
motive.

The total lack of respect for the 'loyal opposition' shown by certain
higher-ups in the NSA gives me little faith in organizational checks
and balances.  It's best to not give anyone the power to make the
walls of our houses transparent, to driftnet for whatever info they
might catch.


Richard