Originally Posted By: Ryszard
...what an incredible database obviously exists from which such relationships can be extrapolated.


And this is the fear. Since none of knows what we don't know the possibility exists that that huge database becomes too tempting for some nefarious agency of the government and in an eyeblink we're all screwed. There are supposedly very strong safeguards against that but again it's all so classified that we have no way of really groking it.

In my first of many previous lives I worked at NSA for three years as an analyst. Not unlike our friend Snowden. Any insights I might have now are so oudated that I'm sure the top secret stuff I was working on is now in the Smithsonian along with the WW2 German Enigma codes. Kids look at the exhibits and know that their cell phones have better encryption than those antiques did.

My gut tells me with no evidence mind you that Snowden is speaking out of his butt. Intelligence 101 is all about compartmentalization and need to know. There's no way he would have access to anything outside of the specific stuff he was assigned to unless things have radically changed in the last 40 years. General Hayden spoke to that exact point on one of the Sunday shows last week so it sounds like that's still standard operational procedure.

I still think you can put a lid on the paranoia but keep yourself informed and vigilant. In other words to quote Reagan, "Trust but Verify".

Bob

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