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Comment by alttab | Hacker News Reader

There probably aren't any. But it doesn't take a wild imagination to assume that both Google and Facebook facilitate government requests either with a dedicated staff or through an automated self-service interface or API.

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It doesn't take a wild imagination, but it should probably take a reference or two to a documented source...

https://www.eff.org/issues/nsa-spying

http://hardware.slashdot.org/story/10/10/29/1456242/hiding-b...

http://www.cisco.com/web/about/security/intelligence/05_11_n...

If you really require references, then you have not been paying attention.

The NSA back-door in Cisco hardware has been known since at least 1997, when I first found out about it.

There are lots and lots of links to be found if you look. They aren't even hidden.

Just know, that NOTHING you do online is out of view of the NSA.

I don't doubt the NSA is spying. I think making the assertion without documentation that Google et al. have huge teams of people dedicated to helping them spy is a bit beyond the pale.

Consider the salary and benefits and office space costs of one employee at Google. Then assume that the backdoor interface requires at least a few employees. You're already at $1M. Now imagine a bit of extra infrastructure, people to deal with communications, legal, etc., and you're in the millions.

pennies on the dolla®

And then we look at the defense budget, and it is in the trillions. I would bet anything that Google contracts to the NSA.

The only part of this I take exception to is "if you really require references then you haven't been paying attention".

I have been paying attention ... to some of what's going on. I'm aware of certain specific cases of domestic espionage through telecoms and tech.

However, providing concrete references always beats roaming the streets with a tinfoil hat on your head declaring "They're watching! The rays!".

NB: if I take a covert photo of a guy wearing a tinfoil hat, does that make me The Man?

"NSA back-door"

>This article describes technical best practices to help achieve compliance with U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) security requirements for equipment used in military installations.

Yes, I know what the content is. My point with showing that particular article is that cisco is not ignorant of securing to NSA's requirements - they have been working directly with them for years.

There are other MISO (psyop) groups embedded with all manners of information exchange. The Intelligence arm has people in all media outlets.

This was revealed multiple times in the last 12 years as we found out that handlers from intel ops were approving stories in the MSM.

This is NOT tinfoil folks - this is the farking reality.

>Yes, I know what the content is.

Then please point out this supposed "Back door" functionality. Should be simple.

Someone parrots an unsourced tinfoil-esque screed, and backs it up with a citation that doesn't prove anything, and I'm the one getting downvoted. WTF, guys?

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