Home › Forums › Archives › Computer Support › Online Privacy, Safety & Security › Is the CIA spying in your chat room?
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December 7, 2004 at 6:01 pm #15211Jeff HesterKeymaster
This recent news story reports that the CIA may be watching what you say, ostensibly to watch for terrorists. While chat rooms are public spaces, does this creep you out, or does it make you feel more secure?
December 7, 2004 at 6:11 pm #107933AnonymousParticipantI wouldn’t care if they watched. I don’t do or say anything online I want to keep 100% secret. I always chat out in public or in private as if someone was watching.
December 7, 2004 at 6:53 pm #107938BuckeyeGirl75MemberThis creeps me out but I know it does happen. They even check out Yahoo profiles. I have a friend that had his opinion about the president and the war…negative as you might have guessed…on his yahoo profile. He had his place of employment listed on his profile and about a half an hour after he got to work one day his boss came in and told him that there was someone there that wanted to talk to him. It was some sort of federal agent. They asked him a million questions and asked him to remove the comments off of his profile. They threatened him that they could arrest him if he did not cooperate. They also told him that he was being flagged on the watch list. He went home and removed the comments and later that night the agent IMed him and thanked him for removing the comments and cooperating. My first question to him was…how do you know that the guy was legit. He says that he called the local FBI field office in Cleveland and they confirmed that the agent was indeed legit. The poor guy is now scared to death that they are watching everything he does…and he’s afraid to fly because he knows that he’s going to be given a hard time. I don’t know if he had been in chat rooms or if they were just scanning profiles or what. But it definitely creeps me out.
~BuckeyeGirl75
December 7, 2004 at 11:03 pm #107942kron_19792000MemberI have been hearing a lot about the United States of late, about how it has set into place a lot of draconian laws, correct me if I am wrong but isnt America supposed to be the “Land of the free”.
Some of the measures taken by America seem to be ABSURD they black list people on the basis of their names Give me a break there are at least a 1000 people with the same surnames and terrorists if they were going to enter a country where they are black listed are not going to use their own names.
The amout of surveillence seems to be on the rise and that too surveillance of its own people.
There is a lot of talk about how any thing Anti-Bush is targeted as though being Anti-Bush is being anti-american or some thing like that. Form a third persons view it smells of hipocrasy. Who gave the governement the right to eavs dronp on every conversation. Next thing you know they will be telling people that it is ok to have wire taps on all the phones in the world.December 7, 2004 at 11:10 pm #107934RabidKittenParticipantWell you know, America does have a history of long stupid periods and blacklisting people for no reason. Look at all those actors they blacklisted in the red scare, or the japanese camps they had during the war, and all of this over patriotic stuff that’s going on and the uber touchiness of the war and the patriot act…well…I think in the end this’ll just be another highlighted section of when America was being stupid and oversensitive.
Back to the topic though, yeah it’s a little creepy. *shrug* Sure I don’t know why they’d come into an RP room since that’s what all my profiles are built for, but still, you never know what they’re peeking into.
December 7, 2004 at 11:23 pm #107927Jeff HesterKeymasterthe CIA etc watching chatrooms is nothing new, they’ve been doing it for years. Its not like you have much choice anyway. Say the CIA said, “ok, we’re not watching chatrooms anymore” would you believe them? I say no, its just something you need to live with, and to be honest, if youre not doing anything wrong or criminal, you have nothing to worry about. The CIA don’t actually watch you, as in a guy sitting at the computer all day waiting for something to happen. The intelligence services use bots, which scan the internet for keywords, and if they hit a keyword, it starts logging at the location for a longer period, and may ask for human intervention.
December 8, 2004 at 1:38 am #107929OreoMemberThe CIA and the FBI are different organizations. They are supposed to share information…supposed to that is… I don’t mind if both of them watch what I do or say. I have nothing to hide and if I did I don’t think I’d be on the Internet as much as I am. Anyone can find out things about you if they want to find it out. I mean…that’s how criminals do it…that’s how spammers do it. Send a bot, find a person’s e-mail and perhaps a post or two with some personal info…POOF…there you go. The FBI checking into my stuff is no biggie to me. When I was getting my teaching license they had to do a background check on me, when I went to a nuclear power plant for a university field trip they had to do a background check on me, when I started teaching in Puerto Rico…you guessed it…they had to do a background check on me. I of course had to agree to it (or not get to get my license, go to the power plant or teach in PR). They probably know what colour knickers I wear and what side of bed I sleep on….does this bother me…no…they don’t intude into my daily life…if they are keeping me safe and not changing my day to day things; that’s all that matters.
December 8, 2004 at 8:00 am #107943kron_19792000MemberOreo
The question is where do you draw the line between security and personal freedom, like BuckeyeGirl75 said the reasons for which the information is being used is not very good. It seems like the American law enforcement angencies are equating Anti-Bush to Anti-American.
These actions are not without consequence for other countries like it or not Americans actions have a repurcussions world wide. It seems to me to be a case of not practicing what they preach.December 8, 2004 at 9:02 am #107928Jeff HesterKeymasterLook above you “click your on satellite” this is nothing new or relevant we all know agencies look for information from every source ( or aleast suspect so). Nothing surprises me anymore what anyone does and frankly – don’t give a rats hoot whos doing what to whom and for what reason, I know I’m doing nothing wrong. As to the fella in the workplace what a load of cow dung, how many times have we all heard ” I know a friend….etc” If it was me ( if there is any truth to it ) would have told the investigator to take a flying f….!
December 10, 2004 at 2:06 am #107939BuckeyeGirl75MemberAlleycat,
The story about my friend is true. He is a close personal friend of mine and he has no reason to lie to me. He showed me the investigator’s card and when he was telling me about it, the guys he works with were there and confirmed the story. But…I do understand what you are saying and I probably would have told the investigator to f*** off too. I asked him why he answered the guy’s questions before first making sure the guy was legit instead of after the fact and pretty much..the guy scared and threatened him with jail time.~BuckeyeGirl75
December 10, 2004 at 10:19 am #107937Ithaca1937MemberWhat happen to the first amendment?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
I can understand them questioning someone to determine if they were a possible treat but they don’t have the authority to dictate what your profile can contain.
BuckeyeGirl75, what were they going to charge him with?
December 10, 2004 at 1:55 pm #107944MrEggsaladParticipantI don’t care if they do because AOL collects all your chat messages and can if they really wanted to get legal with you. If you are not doing anything wrong why worry, and if a CIA agent comes to you house or work then as long as you were doing nothing or something like speaking out against the government then you are safe.
December 10, 2004 at 3:15 pm #107930OreoMemberQuote:quote:Originally posted by Ithaca1937What happen to the first amendment?
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances
I can understand them questioning someone to determine if they were a possible treat but they don’t have the authority to dictate what your profile can contain.
BuckeyeGirl75, what were they going to charge him with?
In times of war, free speech and what you say about the president can be challenged…I’m not saying that it’s fair or not…but that’s what happens. Check it out historically.
December 14, 2004 at 6:22 am #107947RuseOfMetacarpiMember*shrugs* I’m not worried. If I say something in a chat room then I expect it to be public and for anyone to see (even the CIA). I would only become worried if the CIA started monitering PM’s. Then I guess they wouldn’t exactly be Private Messages. Until then, no worries unless you are discussing bomb specs or something else asinine in a chat room.
Ruse Of Metacarpi
December 14, 2004 at 6:31 am #107935RabidKittenParticipantAnd who -hasn’t- discussed their most current bomb specs in chat rooms? I mean really now, that’s just something that comes up, kind of like the weather.
“So, hows you mom. That’s nice. OH! I have this new sweet look to my pipe bomb, check it out.”
See, every day kind of stuff. -
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