I haven't been keeping up with this story, as it has moved into parts of US political system that I know almost nothing about. I have no idea how big/serious this really is, my guess is not very. Thought it was a somewhat interesting story anyway.
Also; American politics happens increasingly in bizarro land.
http://www.usnews.com/news/articles/...uarters?page=2
Quote:
The National Security Agency’s headquarters in Ft. Meade, Md., will go dark if a cohort of Maryland lawmakers has its way. Eight Republicans in the 141-member Maryland House of Delegates introduced legislation Thursday that would deny the electronic spy agency “material support, participation or assistance in any form” from the state, its political subdivisions or companies with state contracts.
The bill would deprive NSA facilities water and electricity carried over public utilities, ban the use of NSA-derived evidence in state courts and prevent state universities from partnering with the NSA on research.
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Quote:
The proposal is the latest in a series of state bills aiming to cut off the NSA one jurisdiction at a time for allegedly ignoring the Fourth Amendment with its dragnet collection of phone and Internet records.
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The Arizona bill has been the most successful to date, winning 4-2 approval by the state Senate Government and Environment Committee on Feb. 3.
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I'll also add this, as it's somewhat related.
(Even though it's important to realize that these two stories speak of different metadata.)
But mostly because of one quote great quote.
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/a...s-secret-role/
Quote:
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According to a former drone operator for the military’s Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC) who also worked with the NSA, the agency often identifies targets based on controversial metadata analysis and cell-phone tracking technologies. Rather than confirming a target’s identity with operatives or informants on the ground, the CIA or the U.S. military then orders a strike based on the activity and location of the mobile phone a person is believed to be using.
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Quote:
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Based on his experience, he has come to believe that the drone program amounts to little more than death by unreliable metadata.
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Death by metadata. Welcome to a cyberpunk world
