From the keyboard of: Julietta <albright@chaph.usc.edu>
One more thing- I recently completed a first ddrafty of a paper I am working on regarding computer curveillance, Clipper, etc- and the professor who read it asked me "What is the likelihood and what re the reaosns for the NSA and other governments agencies wanting to monitor the people?"
Must the NSA have an institutional reason? Perhaps they'll have concensus problems too. Never-the-less, if the monitoring capability is there, it will (100% chance) be used for things like the following: 0) Legitimate suspicion of a crime being committed, or suspicion of sensitive information being leaked to undesireable parties. 1) Fishing expedition surveillance of 'suspect' groups and individuals, where 'suspicion' comes from political affiliation, contacts with foreign nationals, and the like. Example: the Committee in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador, a left wing social activism group, had their offices searched, had their membership infiltrated, and their communications monitored by the FBI or some TLA. There was no evidence of any wrongdoing -- the perceived association with 'commies' was enough for someone opposed to their aims to begin the harrassment. 2) Obtaining 'dirt' on political opposition, or simply snooping on their plans. Witness our late former President, Richard Nixon and the Watergate break in. Some point to quotes he made that show he believed the president to be above the law. 3) Selling personal data for profit. Witness the crooked flunkies at the IRS and elsewhere that illegally sell information about you to private detectives, credit agencies, and the like. I am not convinced that the current Cripple/Crapstone escrow plan will prevent some crooked cop from selling the keys to a phone or computer, or data gained from an intercept that should no longer be continuing, after his or her agency has obtained the key to decipher a wiretap. The whole NSA, FBI, or the various military intelligence groups don't have to be in complete organizational agreement for such things to occur. All it takes is one person, or a group, with the means and motive. The total lack of respect for the 'loyal opposition' shown by certain higher-ups in the NSA gives me little faith in organizational checks and balances. It's best to not give anyone the power to make the walls of our houses transparent, to driftnet for whatever info they might catch. Richard