The government is a bureaucracy. An inefficient, lumbering bureaucracy. Need to know also means that there is no single oversight organization inside the NSA which can tell any particular part of it if they're doing it right.
It's pretty obvious that Snowden started work at the NSA with the sole goal of getting all this stuff out. It all happened way too quickly otherwise... The basic assumption is that an insider won't be this kind of person... This would likely leave them more vulnerable to social engineering from insiders - because the vetting process tends to make people think that insiders can basically be trusted. The processes and safeguards are intended to keep spies from getting information out over a long period of time without getting caught. Snowden had a different plan... On 08/22/2013 01:33 PM, Edward Ned Harvey (lopser) wrote: >> From: [email protected] [mailto:discuss- >> [email protected]] On Behalf Of Luke S. Crawford >> >> I think that the primary thing that Snowden showed was not that we were >> being watched; we knew that. >> >> Snowden showed us that the data they were keeping on us was ridiculously >> insecure. Not only can the government access your data (which we all >> knew, or suspected) but any random contract sysadmin can also see your >> data. > Actually - I agree. I was mostly shocked to think, "How the hell did he get > so much information, and why is it written in such obviously incriminating > language?" > > I thought secret spy organizations had policies of need-to-know, and least > rights, and other barriers so if one of them were to defect or be > compromised, very little would be compromised along with them. They > certainly keep record of which documents each employee downloads. It seems > hard to believe they don't have alerts and triggers to recognize somebody > downloading an unusually high volume of secret documents. > > I keep suspecting there is an actual conspiracy here - either Snowden's aware > or being used as a pawn - I keep thinking that the information leaks were > intentional and orchestrated. Because either the government is *that* > stupid, or it's a manipulation tactic. This is the NSA we're talking about. > They can't be *that* stupid, can they? > > They can't get China or Russia to capture the guy? Because they couldn't > file the paperwork properly? They can't secretly go to China or Russia and > kidnap him? What kind of a spy organization is this? The Mafia could get it > done. > > Maybe there are two conflicting political parties at play inside the NSA. > One gains power to overreach and spy on Americans, a la Patriot Act, and the > other thinks it's wrong to do so, so they place a huge pile of highly > incriminating documents in front of the eyes of contractors waiting for one > of them to leak it... > > Maybe they're intentionally bumbling and letting him constantly slip through > their fingers, to demonstrate what would happen if they released prisoners > from Gitmo. To undermine the faith of the American citizens in their > government's ability to track these people, and therefore keep Gitmo open. > > I don't know. But I do know there's an overwhelming demonstration of > incompetence and stupidity going around, and I know I'm in favor of exposing > the secret programs a la PRISM. > _______________________________________________ > Discuss mailing list > [email protected] > https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss > This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators > http://lopsa.org/ -- Alan Robertson <[email protected]> - @OSSAlanR "Openness is the foundation and preservative of friendship... Let me claim from you at all times your undisguised opinions." - William Wilberforce _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] https://lists.lopsa.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/discuss This list provided by the League of Professional System Administrators http://lopsa.org/
