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Comment by freeflight | Hacker News Reader

Just like the NSA spying on Americans is unlawful [0] the FBI terrorizing political movements is unlawful [1] or the CIA operating in the US is unlawful [2]

Yet, I'm pretty sure all these are still happening, to a certain degree, to this day.

[0] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nsa-spying-idUSKBN25T...

[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO

[2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_CHAOS

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Larger point would be if it's obtained unlawfully it can't be used in a court of law against you.

Recent cases:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/pkppqk/court-throws-out-mess...

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252503524/Berlin-court-f...

That is little consolation in the court of public opinion, where FBI management and the Justice Department have demonstrated willingness and capability to hold mob court and manipulate public opinion outside the formal legal system. They will SWAT you themselves if they like, on live TV.

Parallel Construction makes this a technicality/nuisance, not a show stopper.

came here to say this.

Generally only if you have the means to hire a good lawyer.

The NSA doesn't need to illegally spy on Americans when an ally can do it for them and then share the data legally.

https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/ukusa/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Five_Eyes

That's not really how it works. Sure, it is also a way to circumvent such local legislature, but for that to work American allies would need to run actual surveillance structures in the US mainland proper out in the open..

You know, like the US does in the countries of it's "allies" like Germany [0]

Do you really think the US would allow German intelligence agencies to build whole complexes, plugged right into the US's largest IPX?

That's why this situation is not nearly as "symbiotic" as it's often made out to be. At best that applies to Five Eyes countries, and even there only to a very limited degree as no Five Eyes member as as much foreign presence as the US.

[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ECHELON#Examples_of_industrial...

To this rhetorical question, a resounding “yes” answer. There is credible suggestion that GCHQ has been invited to operate US facilities on US soil for this explicit purpose.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2013/aug/01/nsa-paid-gch...

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