The Cafferty File: Redefining Privacy
By Nicole Belle Monday Nov 12, 2007 11:01am
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You have to know that the news that Intelligence official Donald Kerr suggesting the Americans need to redefine "privacy" to not mean "anonymity" from the govenment, but trust that they (and corporations) will protect their information nonetheless would raise the hackles of Our Man Jack Cafferty.
His Cafferty File question was the simple: Why should we?
Digby gives her take as well.
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Frist to reveal myself.
It's completely unthinkable and people had better start registering their dissent.
I REFUSE to re-define my right to privacy. He can go straight to Hell.
Eff that! Redefine privacy my ass... Where's the Red Queen when you need her?
If you want to object to this invasion of privacy, sign up below with your credit card information and SSN and driver's license number.... www.bushcrimefamily.com
I guess life is a comic book - for some reason all of this is reminding me of the Marvel Civil War series...
Love to see these people howl and moan when/if Hillary gets into office and her administration continues down this treacherous path (which she most likely will). It's not a warm fuzzy feeling of security when an administration you don't trust is "safe-guarding" your privacy and the right-wing who currently supports all this unconstitutional crap will be pissing their britches in a few years.
Americans need to redefine “privacy” to not mean “anonymity” from the govenment
Last I checked the "government" was supposed to be "we the people" and we, the people, have had enough.
Here is a thought: it is time Americans redefine executive privilege so that Bush and co. can no longer hide their crimes and treasons.
These freaking authoritarians even want to control the language.
Of course Orwell already saw that coming.
I have to wonder what's in Cafferty's file.
I happen to be reading Jane Fonda's autobiography--she sued the gov. for invasion of privacy, and won. Those were the good ol days.
eh.... this why i don't watch CNN...
We've allowed ourselves to become so detached from our government that we forget that *we* are the government, or we're supposed to be at least. They serve at *our* pleasure...we are not their subjects. I'd like to think that someday we'll wake up and remember that, but I'm far to realistic to believe it.
What Privacy?
Required @ 11:
Day after day we must be reminded!
Privacy has already been redefined. We are all irreversibly trapped in networks of databases that that are capable of producing profiles of us that know more about us than we do ourselves.
These databases are not just the product of governments but also corporations and the media. See this only half-joking essay about Murdoch and MySpace:
The MySpace World Domination Conspiracy
Be Afraid...Be Vey Afraid.
Government and businesses [should] properly safeguard people's private communications and financial information.
Citizens must ask: when did corporations become equals with "government"?
Corporations in the United States are going to be the downfall of our Constitution...not a single nut-case or two sitting in the White House.
As long as people are willing to do the bidding of corporations and are prevented from forming unions to go up against corporations on an equal footing, our country as we know it is going to evolve into something uglier than it is today.
Remember: It was AT&T that set up the splitter that cracked wide open our privacy.
Mark @ News Corpse @ 14:
Screw Fear.
It is true though Seven Years is a long time to gather intelligence with the help of super data mining computers.
Narus is a private company founded in 1997 by Ori Cohen, who had been in charge of technology development for VDONet, an early media streaming pioneer.
It is notable for being the creator of NarusInsight, a supercomputer system which is used by the NSA and other bodies to perform mass surveillance and monitoring of citizens' and corporations' Internet communications in real-time, and whose installation in AT&T's San Francisco Internet backbone gave rise to a 2006 class action lawsuit by the Electronic Frontier Foundation against AT&T.
Trust The Bush Administration?
LOL
Speaking of Privacy
3 minutes ago
SAN FRANCISCO - Yahoo Inc. on Tuesday settled a lawsuit with two Chinese journalists who were jailed after the company provided Chinese authorities with information about their online activities.
Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
Bob in Thailand @ 18:
I second that. LOL
Right on! @ 4:
I second that. Where the h*ll do these jokers get off "redefining" privacy and telling us to trust them?
Mark @ News Corpse @ 14:
Be Afraid...Oy Vey?
I already am on the bizarrest mailing list imaginable, can't imagine what a data base on me would say.
I go from reading books like The Mabinogion, The Egyptian Book of the Dead, to Phantom Detective, The Lone Ranger and the entire Captain Underpants series.
Scytherius @ 3:
And he can take Chimpy and Dickless Cheney with him. Perhaps then the planet would start smelling better.
Right. We're supposed to sit there meekly and let Narus paw through our phone and internet communications, but somehow, the Bush Administration maintains they 'lost' 5 million e-mails, and large swathes of their perfidy are 'classified' only after questions arise about their legality.
But as soon as Kerr removes the locks on his doors, the curtains from his windows, and starts using postcards for all his correspondence, then we can accept his argument that anonymity is changing in this brave new world of corporate/government surveillance.
Bob in Thailand @ 18:
I remember Election night 2000. When it stalled in Florida my first thought was my gawd these rotten bastards are trying to pull a coup.
How did Repubs become the party of "Just trust Big Brother"?
"I am of the opinion, on the whole, that the manufacturing aristocracy which is growing up under our eyes is one of the harshest that ever existed in the world; but at the same time it is one of the most confined and least dangerous. Nevertheless, the friends of democracy should keep their eyes anxiously fixed in this direction; for if ever a permanent inequality of conditions and aristocracy again penetrates into the world, it may be predicted that this is the gate by which they will enter."
~Alexis de Tocqueville Democracy in America published 1835
In 1835, he was telling us to watch out for corporations influnecing our government and screwing the common man. In 1835, a French citizen saw this as a potential problem in our government, way back when and was warning us to watch out for it!
Cafferty missed the point - a first.
The government has always invaded privacy and it has always been illegal. Meaning, the information gained wasnt legal or 'actionable' and in fact the collection of such information exposed government and corporations (recall that corporate use of 'privacy' was part of the issue raised) to consequences.
There has been a creeping history over the recent fascist years - say 40 years - that includes weakening of miranda, suspicion and probable cause and now national defense from imminent harm. What they have been and are trying to do is two fold.
1) Immunize themselves from the negative consequences of criminal activity consequential to the collection of private information - immunize themselves, not you. Their privacy will still be legally protected.
2) Allow the use of formerly illegally collected information. This will effect evidenciary law.
3) Since they have been violating the law from the start of the Bush administration, they will almost surely make this all retroactive.
This is a general sketch. I would note however that this can also be seen as a plan B. Plan A was retroactive immunity as proposed for the new FISA legislation - which may not happen.
(unedited)
ysbaddaden @ 22:
My bookshelf includes titles on firearms, police procedure, cryptography, world religion (including Islam and Wicca), as well as a number of evil roleplaying games (which have been blamed for everything from school shootings to turning children away from God).
I'll either be teaching in the underground after America collapses, or be a political prisoner for the offense of reading something other than the Bible and Tim La Haye.
the cons loved spending trillions on the cold war only to adopt all the stasi policies
In the future, only the authoritarians will remain anonymous. Or is that the present?
Funny how privacy only applies to Republican Congressmen (Filegate), and Executive Priviledge.
So if this "top intelligence official" doesn't believe in anonymity, why didn't he/she put their name on that quote?
jr @ 30:
Education is expensive.
Why shouldn't all business calls be reviewed by other businesses?
If businesses aren't doing anything wrong, they shouldn't worry about their phone calls being recorded and reviewed. Same for attorneys, doctors, psychiatrists, politicians, and police stations.
What could go wrong?
[deleted--do not advocate violence on this site]
Privacy under the thumb of the Bush Administration: n. (nonsequitur) Standing naked in Times Square during rush hour.
Okay, if we have to tell them what we're up to......................the government has to tell us what it's up to. Seems fair.
L.A. Confidential @ 13:
Indeed....everytime I bring up such things to friends...they say it's too late to do anything about it...and as long as they can still have their creature comforts they don't really care....THAT fuckin pisses me right off!!! most people in this country are so fuckin self centered and apathetic...GAAAH!!!!
Those were some pretty good emails.
L.A. Confidential @ 25:
same here! my second thought was we're goin to war...
Sooner rather than later, the digital revolution will force us into hammering out our newest definition of freedom under the laws of our making.
In his war on domestic Liberty, the Bush administration intends to present us with a fait accompli. TelCom amnesty is their Grail.
I expect no less from the GOP.
But too many congressional democrats (such as "my senator", Dianne Feinstein) are prepared to aid and abet this coup.
I'll be finished with that party, forever, should it pass muster. It will have proved the final capitulation I was prepared to tolerate. They will have proved themselves so profoundly unworthy of safeguarding our basic freedoms as to merit extinction as a political organization.
Redefine my privacy to exclude the expectation of anonymity because one Donald Kerr thinks we should just trust the government and corporations to take care of our personal information?... Well, hell, why not? After all, with the sterling track record of both entities to date in protecting the privacy and finances of the general public in this post-modern auto-mated world, what's not to like about his notions???... Especially if you're an identity thief or some political hack looking for people to put on some 'political enemies list'... I guess my only real question is... What the fuck kind of drugs are you on you figgin neocon idiot!!!! How's that kool-aid taste you punkass lyin globalist fuck!!! Fuck you and this loony idea of yours.. My short answer is I got a big ol knuckle sammich for 'Mr.' Kerr and his 'idea'.......JD
Here's a tip. Anytime you see the words 'corporate' or 'corporation' mixed with political or social policy, run like a wild man.
Jack Damage @ 43:
Read 28. This is an alternative to proposed immunity in the FISA legislation. That is - if there is no basis for an expectation of privacy, then the telecoms and the government didnt violate the law.
The only politicos that believe in privacy is for tapdancing in the toilet.
29 Shadowgm
Who's Tim LaHaye?
Yeah. They're arguing against anonymity at the same time that Yahoo! founder Jerry Yang gets spanked by Congress for outing a Chinese dissident.
Again, we see that the trappings of a fascist state aren't wrong when we can slap a coat of faux patriotism over it to hide the blight and the stench.
Anon;
Perhaps I have not made myself clear... As regarding telcom amnesty? I am against that as well... Strongly against that.
Plan B or plan Z, I don't care.. I'm sick of of those who want to undermine our liberties, privacy protections etc... I'm sick of it all. By god, those that are working to undermine this nation for there own greed driven reasons needs to be brought to accounts.
I have ranted ad nuseum where I believe that accountabilty should start and what methods should be utilized...JD
ysbaddaden @ 47:
Evangelical minister and co-author of the Left Behind novels.
Let's redefine nose. Keep your FISA nose out of my privacy!
Let's redefine 'Executive Privilige', and the Corporation as a 'person'.
Redefine privacy? No. Let's re-educate the hired help to understand that they are, in fact, just the hired help, WE are the government. I am a citizen, and I refuse to be a subject.
Jack Damage @ 49:
Not my point. These are not deep thinkers in action. They are trying to keep their asses out of jail and their money in their pockets. If you lose your 'privacy' in the process - well, they wouldnt even notice.
You are being jobbed by a thug. No higher ideals at work here from their perspective. Its all end game.
Paul @ 53:
This is the core of the problem right here. The admin thinks they are our bosses, rather than the other way around. Commander In Chief only applies to the military. American citizens are higher ranked than the president - he is actually our servant, to be fired at our will.
And we have every right to know what he and his are doing as our public servants. While he has no right to demand to know our private matters.
Seems much simpler to just say good bye to Donald Kerr. I believe Wal-Mart has an opening for him.
Screw that!!!!!!
How many of the government and businesses laptops have gone missing this year?
IgnoranceIsNotBliss @ 57:
That is private. You do not need to know. Now, get back to work.
Donald Kerr's timing couldn't be better. While his suggestion that Americans give up their privacy was the headliner on CNN web edition, the NY Times had a front page article up on their web site about a huge spy satellite screw up--that he was involved with. An article about how millions (billions?) were wasted (stolen) by Boeing and its "watchdog" government agency that Kerr was one of the head honchos of.
And we should trust them to protect our privacy he says.
Suck me Kerr, I says.
Invasion of our unalienable rights, including unenumerated ones like privacy, should be impeachment, criminal trial and—upon conviction—imprisonment.
Anon;
Well looks like you and I got no disagreement to speak of.. Yes, I concur, we are ALL being jobbed by thugs... I would add, on multiple fronts as citizens, as a nation.....
So, the question is.. what's to be done about it??? I'm open to ideas......JD
"It’s completely unthinkable and people had better start registering their dissent."
Completely agreed with the above quoted by MargeAggedon. Redefining our right to privacy is, quite frankly, unthinkable and goes against the spirit of this great nation. I mean come on, what next? On second thought, let's not give them any ideas.
What´s the point of redifining something you don´t have any more?
Jack Damage @ 61:
I see two core issues.
1) The nation has been subverted. (I can but wont bother to elaborate due to space) The existence and function of political parties are evidence. Therefore, either political parties need to be eliminated or the structure of the government needs to be changed to accomodate political parties.
2) Citizen participation - doesnt happen. The nation needs to become a nation of participants rather than consumers. Cosumers == fascism, participants == democracy. (My opinion) This would require a long term (probably the balance of the century) process of bringing the citizen back into the process - public meetings, voting, remaining current on issues etc. Also, the citizen would need to be given complete and unbiased information. Absent quality information, a quality decision cant be made. (Media reform). In spite of the predispositions of most americans - active participation is needed or the nation will simply NEVER be under their control. It will be under someone else's control for reasons unrelated to anything of interest to the citizen.
There is no short term solution. At this point, the nation is lost. The best anyone can hope for is its rebuilding.
(unedited)
We are witnessing the slow and inevitable decline of the Republic and Bush is playing violin while Rome burns.
Right. I spent most of my life apparently defending against thoughts like that and they're telling me to forget all that now. Sadly, there are Democrats in government who will probably bend over for this one too and those that are truly trying to defend us against our corrupt government will be the minority.
trust *this* government? bush's govenment? trust mr. smirk?
i don't think so. not in a million years.
donald kerr should be fired at once for such an outrageous statement.
statements like that have taught me never, ever, under any circumstances to vote republican. thank goodness for term limits and the end of this horrid administration.
Nick B @ 65:
Eh? I don't know what America you're watching but this is anything but "slow and inevitable"!
Quick and due to unbelievable incompetence... We haven't really even achieved empire yet, to be honest. So no, doomsayer, this is due solely to corruption. It's gonna happen. We have to clean it up and rebuild.
Such is life.
When Donald Kerr , who is a deputy director of national intelligence said is, Privacy no longer can mean anonymity, Instead, it should mean that government and businesses properly safeguards people's private communications and financial information,so what he meant is that government and businesses "joined together" watch over your private affairs.
This my friends is one of the basis of fascism.
Like all the people on their travel terror watch list, its not about travel or about terrorism but just about having a list. A list of people who fall into a group. A list, of a group of people that may be opposed to them or who they can make money off of.. A list of people to watch. A list of people to round up. A list of people with bad health habits. See you have to have a list, so you can justify the security and health mandated measures they wish to instigate.
This is true of the radio talk shows like Alex Jones and other radio shows which have people who call in and "share" their thoughts and bitch about the government. The internet chat rooms, post it boards, and internet sites such as this one.
On a list you go.
Others who do not participate with the above manner of communications are monitored by their purchasing habits.
So when businesses watch over you with and for the government they are really monitoring your shopping habits for signs of your conformity.
What types of books they read. What type of movies they watch. Are they gun buyers. How much ammo do they buy. Do they hunt?
Are they affiliated to pro constitutional groups.
These like Internet communications can be tracked. Your purchasing habits are tracked to you if you use credit cards, checks, store discount cards, etc that have your personal info on them. 10% off on that book about government corruption if you have the store discount card. Of course that card is registered to you, so that info and what you just bought gets put into the computer.
On a list you go.
What type of food you buy, how much food you buy, type of beer you like, how often you regularly buy beer. (for health evaluation and insurance purposes )
Got a store card with that purchase, into the computer your habits go.
This and many other ways are used to track you, your habits, and your likes and dislikes all tracked and studied by computer programs which psychoanalyzes and categorizes everything you do.
The only protection you or we have is to purchase things with cash and not use thoughs handy little cards which save you that special 10% off your purchase. Of course some say this is why the dollar is going down hill. So once the bottom falls out of the dollar we can go to a cashless society. Then you can say bye bye to that little protection to privacy also.
Some people have a shopping list.
The government has a people list.
Kerr's speech is here.
Eisenhower's farewell address is here.
Cafferty forgot to role his eyes when he said, "Of course, I trust the government with my information, don't you?".
Bolts @ 70:
*Roll
(That's what happens when I type too fast).
It's time to kill them ALL. Know what I mean? What America are they part of??? (Please don't delete. I'm sure it's exactly how most people feel.)
If none of us requires privacy, why do some have their homes pixelated on Google Earth??? Why not video cameras in the White House and Oval Office? We want to see and hear what you're doing. Nothing to hide; no worries-- right??? How far do they propose we "wedge" this door open?
Thanks, Jack.
You've every right to retire...but don't. We'd miss ya.
...
"Redefining privacy is like redefining virginity. Once it's gone, it's gone."
That was a brilliant piece of email.
hadenuf @ 34:
If you think education is expensive, try ignorance. -- Derek Curtis Bok
What i can't belive is why you or anybody is not say anything about the 2005 maps found in a raid in Afganastan and again in 2006 raids showing routes through Mexico into the US and we still have not done anything to protect the US Border and why is this not being brought up?
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