THE MARKUP
It's Not An Eavesdropping Program [Stephen Spruiell]
USA Today reports that the NSA has engaged in some serious data mining since 9/11 in an effort to locate patterns that could indicate communication among terrorist cells:
The National Security Agency has been secretly collecting the phone call records of tens of millions of Americans, using data provided by AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth, people with direct knowledge of the arrangement told USA TODAY.
The NSA program reaches into homes and businesses across the nation by amassing information about the calls of ordinary Americans — most of whom aren't suspected of any crime. This program does not involve the NSA listening to or recording conversations. But the spy agency is using the data to analyze calling patterns in an effort to detect terrorist activity, sources said in separate interviews.
While the editors have packaged this story as a major exposé on the Bush administration complete with a sidebar full of gotcha quotes, the article itself takes a more measured tone. Reporter Leslie Cauley makes clear that this program doesn't monitor the actual content of domestic communications:
The government is collecting "external" data on domestic phone calls but is not intercepting "internals," a term for the actual content of the communication, according to a U.S. intelligence official familiar with the program. This kind of data collection from phone companies is not uncommon; it's been done before, though never on this large a scale, the official said. The data are used for "social network analysis," the official said, meaning to study how terrorist networks contact each other and how they are tied together.
Data mining programs like this one might or might not be effective tools in the war on jihadists, but one thing we know for sure is that the left will not be joining us in a rational debate. For those who would like to evaluate the issue with an open mind, I recommend reading Heather Mac Donald's insightful article on the subject.
Coming on the heels of former NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden's nomination to become the next CIA director, I predict the timing of this article's publication will be widely discussed — especially considering that this information has
already been reported. The Hayden connection will certainly elevate the profile of the issue, giving us a chance to assess new press secretary Tony Snow as he fields questions related to the story. Will he convince the public that data mining is an effective tool and not a dangerous distraction? Or will he clam up and cede ground to journalists who want to make this about civil liberties? The administration can't seem to make up its mind about anything else these days. Perhaps a strong, forceful presentation on this subject can jump-start that "
new strategy" we keep hearing about.
05/11 04:33 AM
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