Bruce Schneier hit the nail on the head the other day, speculating that the Reason bush didn’t want to obtain warrants through FISA in his wiretapping is that the NSA is running a huge data analysis operation on phone calls and emails, tapping into central communication hubs.
So basically any call you make or email you send, depending on how it’s routed, goes through this system.
Why do it this way unless you’re purposefully attempting to avoid a papertrail? If who you are listening in on is clearly important to national security, than judicial oversight should be no obstacle at all. It’s only when the person you are listening in on is clearly NOT important to national security that avoiding judicial oversight becomes important. chakalakasp, on metafilter
Chances are nobody listens to it (unless you’re a terrorist). But the NSA knows whom is calling whom, and when and where they’re calling from. Try not to place any calls to Iraq or Afghanistan, for instance.
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