U.S. defense & intelligence services are key data broker customers
AppleInsiderJan 26
Report: NSA Buys Web Browsing Data Without Warrants
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The Facts
According to an unclassified letter released Thursday, the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been purchasing Americans' internet browsing data from commercial brokers without warrants.
In the letter addressed to Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), the NSA's director, Paul Nakasone, has revealed that the purchases include "netflow" data associated with electronic devices used domestically as well as abroad.
The Spin
Pro-establishment narrative
Intelligence agencies aren't indulging in intrusive or unchecked surveillance. The Pentagon adheres to high standards of privacy and civil liberties protections when buying Americans' data to address cyberwarfare, terrorism, and espionage threats. National security matters don't require US intelligence officials to obtain a court order or consent to buy, share, or use information that's also commercially available to private companies or individuals.
Establishment-critical narrative
The US intelligence agencies have been buying personal data of unsuspecting Americans for years, endangering the citizens by exposing their visits to sensitive locations, including domestic violence shelters. Violating Americans' privacy isn't just unethical but illegal. The federal government should stop funding and legitimizing a shady industry, outlaw the purchases, and end the contentious surveillance program immediately.
Nerd narrative
There's a 50% chance that the US will adopt national general-purpose data protection regulations by July 2034, according to the Metaculus prediction community.