UK bulk surveillance review is ‘fiction’, claims former NSA technical director

I think a lot of people expect that bulk gathering and storage is the current game, with analysis waiting on better ways to filter noise and increase signal. As long as everything is stored for later, more advanced analysis, we have a problem.

That assumes of course that you could believe a single word out of the mouth of anyone involved in national security at this point.

The emperor has no clothes. So this is what freedom looks like? Naked despotism couched in legalese and wanton abuse of the english language with propaganda.

I don't see what case can be made against stasi or surveillance regimes when leading lights of the free world are more than neck deep in it. This crass duplicity makes Russia, China, Putin and all the favoured demons look tame.

The western world have fed off these crimes against humanity to create a halo around ourselves. We can't deny this has benefitted us. Now we undeniably look like the biggest bunch of hypocrities who have only tainted human rights, liberty and freedom forever with our greed.

At least Russia, China and other regimes own up to their their actions. This is important as it gives people an opportunity to clearly identify and rally against repression. Running a sly dupliticious propaganda filled operation on the other hand will catch people by surprise when its too late.

To all apologists who think they can ride this out in feigned denial, diminish the implications of surveillance or argue legalese simply having a 'reason' does not justify anything. It only makes you look like an opportunist with values of convenience. Murdering millions of people in the middle east, funding despotic regimes, decimating entire countries, funding extremism and then building surveillance states at home in response.

This is a macabre and sickening degradation of humanity. If this does not compel a revolt from the people what will? Periodic elections with rulers consistently acting against the people's interests does not make a democracy, only perpetuates the illusion of one.

->“So this bill and study are to review and then authorise something that they have been doing for 15 years and, yes, we are joining the Russians and Chinese in monitoring our populations.”

15 years is only 2001. Bulk surveillance started in 1998.

The only reason they stick to "bulk meta data" is everything else is to much data to store. As soon as they pick up something interesting (illegal or not) it definitely doesn't stop there.

On the plus side. At least the development community can now start taking communications security seriously. Rather than sticking their head in the sand and pretending https: is the be all and end all to that particular problem. Or just not caring at all.