Kieren McCarthy discusses the recent revelation that the FBI has access to the NSA’s national security database, and has queried it tens, if not hundreds, of thousands of times. The database, gathered under special surveillance powers by the NSA and CIA, is not supposed to be accessible by other law enforcement agencies, except under special cases of investigating foreigners for purposes of national security. But it turns out that regular FBI agents have in fact been using it to gather information on American crimes by American citizens. McCarthy points out that even after this kind of scandal breaks, people just seem to forget about it, allowing these agencies to continue abusing their power.
Discussed on the show:
- “Remember the FBI’s promise it wasn’t abusing the NSA’s data on US citizens? Well, guess what…” (The Register)
- Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act
- Three Felonies A Day
Kieren McCarthy is an Internet author and consultant who has written for The Guardian, The Independent, Techworld and many more. He is the author of Sex.com: One Domain, Two Men, Twelve Years and the Brutal Battle for the Jewel in the Internet’s Crown. Find him on Twitter @kierenmccarthy.
This episode of the Scott Horton Show is sponsored by: NoDev NoOps NoIT, by Hussein Badakhchani; The War State, by Mike Swanson; WallStreetWindow.com; Tom Woods’ Liberty Classroom; ExpandDesigns.com/Scott; Washinton Babylon; Liberty Under Attack Publications; Listen and Think Audio; TheBumperSticker.com; and LibertyStickers.com.
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Scott Horton is director of the Libertarian Institute, editorial director of Antiwar.com, host of Antiwar Radio on Pacifica, 90.7 FM KPFK in Los Angeles, California and podcasts the Scott Horton Show from this website. He’s the author of the 2017 book, Fool’s Errand: Time to End the War in Afghanistan. Visit https://scotthorton.org