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Thank you, blogflogger, for the insight!
Very good explanation, and very helpful. But contrary to your last line, you're supporting rather than contradicting me. I've stated all along - as has Limbaugh, for that matter - that the subject of the USA Today story was exactly what you describe, a database to be comprhensively analyzed to discover patterns of activity, rather than the actual recording of calls. Any mention of calls being listened to in this context is either facetious or good old sarcasm.
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Something went right over your head.
posted by
WriterofLight
on May 16, 2006 at 6:56 PM
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FW, excellent joke!
"besides, all the jobs that require listening to Americans' phone calls and the reading of email messages have been outsourced to a Dubai corporation."
Where's the ROTFLMAO Emoticon when I need it?
posted by
WriterofLight
on May 16, 2006 at 6:51 PM
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Welcome, Passionflower!
Not to mention millions and millions of computer-generated telemarketing calls . . . whoever got the job of monitoring those would be driven mad.
posted by
WriterofLight
on May 16, 2006 at 6:50 PM
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You and Rush both missed the point (or, those on the right refuse to...
... accept reality. - The NSA collects numbers dialed (from # and to #), email communications records (sender's email address and recipient's email address), and Internet URLs. These information sources all derive from telephone / DSL / T-1, T-3, etc. phone lines. Collecting numbers since 2001, this would result in the largest database in the world. NO ONE LISTENS TO CALLS WHEN DATA COLLECTION TAKES PLACE.
These call [voice, email, modem, and Internet] records are "structured data," that is, information maintained in a standardized format that can be easily recorded and analyzed by machine programs without human intervention … hundreds of billions [of records]… being churned through a mind boggling network of software and data mining tools…an all-seeing domestic surveillance system …in just a few years time [the government] will be able to reveal the interactions of any targeted individual in near real time.
The information exploitation research program has funded hundreds of projects to find better ways to "pull" information, "push" information, and "navigate" and visualize information once assembled.
Pulling information refers to the ability of supported analysts to have question and answer capabilities. Starting with a known requirement, an analyst could submit questions to a Q&A system which in turn would "pull" the relevant information out of multiple data sources and repositories. NSA is seeking a Q&A system that can operate autonomously to interpret "pulled" information and provide automatic responses back to the analysts with little additional human intervention.
Pushing information refers to the software tools that would "blindly" and without supervision push intelligence to analysts even if they had not asked for the information. Research has sought to go beyond current data mining of "structured" records deeper profiling of massive unstructured data collections. Under the pushing information research thrust companies have been involved in efforts to uncover previously undetected patterns of activity from massive data sets. Software and tools are also being developed that will provide alerts to analysts when changes occur in newly arrived, but unanalyzed massive data collections, such as telephone records.
I've worked in the computer field as a manager and business owner since 1971. I know of what I speak. (This is MY world.)
If you and Rush prefer to ignore reality, facts, science, and data processing, sadly, that is your right.
posted by
blogflogger
on May 15, 2006 at 10:13 PM
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I think you are underestimating the power of technology ...
besides, all the jobs that require listening to Americans' phone calls and the reading of email messages have been outsourced to a Dubai corporation.
posted by
fwmystic
on May 15, 2006 at 8:12 AM
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I've been wanting to write this post but
Was just too lazy to do the research...Common sense wins again! It isn't possible for the govt to be listening to our calls. They don't have enough employees for such a huge undertaking.
Besides, who wants to listen to Passionflower say to her ex:
"Working hard today?"
"Nah, not too bad."
"Where are you going for lunch?"
"Mickey D's. Wanna meet me?"
"Sure. Ten minutes?"
posted by
Passionflower
on May 13, 2006 at 7:57 PM
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