Privacy group outlines cost of surveillance

Spying at the National Security Agency and elsewhere is hurting U.S. businesses, American foreign policy and security across the Internet, according to new analysis from a group of civil liberties advocates.

The 60-page report released by the New America Foundation’s Open Technology Institute on Tuesday comes on the same day that Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) is introducing his new version of a bill to reform the contested spying outfit, and could provide a boost for critics of the agency. 

“Our findings indicate that the NSA’s actions have already begun to, and will continue to, cause significant damage to the interests of the United States and the global Internet community,” the organization wrote in its report.

At the top of the list are tech companies, who have suffered losses estimated to be in the billions of dollars due to people’s loss of trust in their services. They could be further hurt by foreign governments who begin to distrust the current structure of the Internet and call for new laws that data be held in their countries or assert more control online.

Additionally, disclosures that the U.S. had snooped on foreign leaders in Brazil, Germany and other countries have damaged the countries’ international alliances, and the friction could be felt for years.

“The U.S. government is fighting an uphill battle at the moment to regain credibility in international Internet governance debates and to defend its moral high ground as a critic of authoritarian regimes that limit freedom of expression and violate human rights online,” the organization said in its report. “Moreover, the fallout from the NSA’s surveillance activities has spilled over into other areas of U.S. foreign policy and currently threatens bilateral relations with a number of key allies.”  

Finally, NSA operations to find vulnerability online and ensure agents have “backdoors” to peer into people’s communications “have undermined trust in the security of the Internet itself,” the report declared.

The report comes as Leahy is set to introduce his new, more aggressive version of the USA Freedom Act, which tech companies and organizations including the Open Technology Institute have rallied behind.

Kevin Bankston, the organization’s policy director, said in a statement that the new bill “would go a long way toward stemming the costs of the NSA’s spying programs and restoring trust in the American Internet industry, by prohibiting bulk records collection and providing substantially more transparency around the NSA’s surveillance programs.”

Read more: http://thehill.com/policy/technology/213638-privacy-group-outlines-cost-of-surveillance#ixzz38uK1NEbd 

You need to be a member of Ashtar Command - Spiritual Community to add comments!

Join Ashtar Command - Spiritual Community

Email me when people reply –

Topics by Tags

Monthly Archives

Latest Activity

rev.joshua skirvin posted a blog post
   The battlefield is certainly getting interesting as 5th Dimensional Warfare and higher command the events. There’s also a lot of talk about ice. There was Susie Wiles the “Ice Maiden”, and followed by ICE agents rounding up illegal immigrants,…
17 minutes ago
rev.joshua skirvin commented on rev.joshua skirvin's blog post Soul Whispers: Everything is a Response & : Anchoring Higher Light-Raising Your Frequency; by ~KejRaj.
"Soul Whispers: Integration
Featured;
Your Higher Self is bringing together, cleansing, and realigning all of your past and future timelines and experiences into this present moment. This integration is taking place to greatly support you through…"
1 hour ago
rev.joshua skirvin posted a status
the Archonic forces,& their puppets,who have chosen manipulation, exploitation,& the suffering of others-r approaching a profound r
1 hour ago
rev.joshua skirvin posted a status
for many individuals r awakening from a place of deep unconsciousness.The very structures they once defended are collapsing beneath them.
1 hour ago
rev.joshua skirvin posted a status
Each of u was seeded with the living light of the Prime Creator,encoded within ur very cells,a divine spark that has always been a part of u
1 hour ago
rev.joshua skirvin posted a blog post
 Greetings beloved ones, we are the Pleiadian Council of Light.It is always wonderful to connect with all of you. Thank you for this transmission.We come forward now to speak to the deep knowing that is stirring within your soul, awakening the…
1 hour ago
rev.joshua skirvin commented on rev.joshua skirvin's blog post Soul Whispers: Everything is a Response & : Anchoring Higher Light-Raising Your Frequency; by ~KejRaj.
"Soul Whispers: Elevated Frequency;
When you raise your frequency, you live a joyous life, free of worry, and remain unaffected by the negativity unfolding in the outer world, even if it’s only a few feet away from you. Grounded in inner peace and…"
1 hour ago
Movella left a comment on Comment Wall
"That’s a brilliant observation, Drekx and Mikala.. A snorkel is a clever survival tactic because it only works if the source air has a clean signature, rather than a long-tail of debris.. Great design.✨"
12 hours ago
More…