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Tarquin
New Member
Canada
12 Posts |
 Posted - 07/20/2001 : 16:37:08
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The vile governments are spying on us!
http://www.cipherwar.com/echelon/
Heard that one before. Picking out our e-mail based on keywords and analyzing every phrase. Truth? Maybe. I don't know, I don't really care, but I am amused by it. This site I linked to suggests sending e-mail containing the keywords in an effort to overwhelm their spy-network.
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Kristin
Skeptic Friend
Canada
84 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2001 : 17:54:46 [Permalink]
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A bit more than just email... includes phone conversations. The Australian and UK governments admit it exist, US still hasn't officially I believe, but hasn't denied it.
The Canadian echelon branch fucked up a while back. They flagged a woman as a potential terrorist due to use of an 'ambiguous' word in a phone conversation, created a profile, and sent it off to multiple intelligence agencies in north america and abroad. Because a new person overreacted, she was under the microscope.
This frightens me. Something I say may someday prevent me from marrying my foreign fiance.
I would get the link to where I got the above info about a month ago, but I'm too lazy right now. Go to slashdot.org, search for echelon, you should come up with 5 or 6 articles dating back to the australian government's admitting its existance (was in theregister.com, I believe? ahh well.)
Good judgement comes from experience: experience comes from bad judgement. |
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Piltdown
Skeptic Friend
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 07/20/2001 : 19:12:10 [Permalink]
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quote:
The vile governments are spying on us!
http://www.cipherwar.com/echelon/
Heard that one before. Picking out our e-mail based on keywords and analyzing every phrase. Truth? Maybe. I don't know, I don't really care, but I am amused by it. This site I linked to suggests sending e-mail containing the keywords in an effort to overwhelm their spy-network.
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This Echelon stuff is a good deal more credible than the average conspiracy theory:
1. Only a small number of carefully screened people would have direct knowledge of it. Contrast with holocaust denial claims.
2. It is compartmentalized within a single agency, sealed off from outside investigation. Contrast this with the moon landing hoax claim.
3. The technical means to do it are known and proven to exist. Contrast with "mind control" beams.
4. The clear incentive to do it exists. Contrast with the great ufo cover-up.
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Lars_H
SFN Regular
Germany
630 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 13:11:41 [Permalink]
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I thought that Echelon was old news by now.
Even EU parliament has managed to finish their investigation by now. (That normally only happens several generations after the phenomenon they were investigating has ceased to be a problem.)
http://www.europarl.eu.int/tempcom/echelon/pdf/prechelon_en.pdf
Echelon has nothing to do with Conspiracy Theories but is an actual fact. Idiots might blow it out of proportion to gain some attention.
The Idea of hanging a list of suspected words on your e-mails is a lot older then Echelon and people did it before echelon was technically possible (like the e-mail virus hoax.)
Edited by - Lars_H on 07/21/2001 13:13:44 |
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Piltdown
Skeptic Friend
USA
312 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 13:47:03 [Permalink]
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quote:
Echelon has nothing to do with Conspiracy Theories but is an actual fact. Idiots might blow it out of proportion to gain some attention.
A conspiracy theory does not have to be entirely false to qualify as a conspiracy theory. Even if it did, there are many extreme and unproven claims about Echelon, making it the centerpiece of a whole complex of conspiracy theories, as, for example, when "idiots blow it out of proportion." Theories and claims about Echelon go far beyond the proven facts. Echelon figures strongly in the thinking of the "technological mind-control" claimants, whose numbers and variety are almost staggering. It is also a major issue among right-wing extremists here in the states, some of whom claim that Echelon is really a UN program, that it targets "Christians" specifically, and that its ultimate goal is to build a database of people who will be targeted for assasination after some future UN takeover. To Europeans, it may seem incredible that any sizable number of people would believe such things. I can assure you that many thousands, possibly millions, believe every word of it. Some of them live on the same block with me. One of my neighbors owns 47 guns. He is convinced that foreign atheists are plotting to take them away from him. Echelon, of course, is one of their major weapons. This kind of belief is so common now that it goes unnoticed, unless one of these people goes berserk and starts shooting.
Echelon has a great deal to do with conspiracy theories.
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 07/21/2001 : 15:03:16 [Permalink]
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http://www.straightdope.com/columns/010720.html
For what it's worth, this is a subject over at the Straight Dope too.
Look on the bright (?) side: if people didn't believe in weird stuff, we wouldn't have much use for this board, would we.
Lisa
Chaos...Confusion...Destruction...My Work Here Is Done |
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bestonnet_00
Skeptic Friend
Australia
358 Posts |
Posted - 07/22/2001 : 03:36:08 [Permalink]
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There isn't enough computing power to carry out echolon the way some people claim it is done.
It would be a hard job flagging every e-mail there is, let alone recording every telephone conversation.
And how much hard drive space would be needed to store all this for later.
Then it would all have to be checked through by humans.
There would need to be thousands of people in on it for that kind of scale.
Does it exist? Yes, buts it nowhere near capable as people are giving it credit for.
Radioactive GM Crops.
Slightly above background.
Safe to eat.
But no activist would dare rip it out.
As they think it gives them cancer. |
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ljbrs
SFN Regular
USA
842 Posts |
Posted - 07/31/2001 : 19:46:25 [Permalink]
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The solution to being spied upon is to get REVENGE!!! Bore the poor morons to death. Use multisyllabic words concerning arcane subjectmatter. Make the government agents' lives pure hell! You could even make up the words you use, and they would think that you were using code (or misspelling something) or something...
Aggravate their agitation to the nth degree.
Of course, you might end up getting pilloried for punishing them by boring them to death.
I cannot imagine anything more boring than to monitor any of my writing (for anybody except myself, of course). For me, naturally, my writing exhibits pure brilliance... Violins, please...
Simply give the poor government jerks something to write home about. They might change their chosen profession in the process.
It's worth a try...
ljbrs
Perfection Is a State of Growth... |
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bestonnet_00
Skeptic Friend
Australia
358 Posts |
Posted - 08/01/2001 : 03:20:46 [Permalink]
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Only thing is it isn't likely to be read by government agents.
Although I'm sure computers could do it all automatically.
Radioactive GM Crops.
Slightly above background.
Safe to eat.
But no activist would dare rip it out.
As they think it gives them cancer. |
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ljbrs
SFN Regular
USA
842 Posts |
Posted - 08/18/2001 : 14:22:25 [Permalink]
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Personally, I never worry about the government spying on me. I simply go about my ordinary business, and I am absolutely certain that that would bore them to death with my comings and goings (mostly goings). Only someone like me could enjoy the things which I enjoy.
Violins, please...
ljbrs
Perfection Is a State of Growth... |
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seb
New Member
France
40 Posts |
Posted - 08/20/2001 : 03:52:07 [Permalink]
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When england admit the existence of Echelon it was said that some rival of british companies were monitored for economical purpose and the same was suspected from USA. But it died out quite quickly.
I also read somewhere that some microsoft and intel products used by the european government where suspected to offer spying capability for the US. European paranoia or mixture between different informations? (or both). Or may be the spy are busier than we thought?
Seb |
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bestonnet_00
Skeptic Friend
Australia
358 Posts |
Posted - 08/21/2001 : 01:20:01 [Permalink]
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A Canadaian company claims to have found an NSA key in windows.
Radioactive GM Crops.
Slightly above background.
Safe to eat.
But no activist would dare rip it out.
As they think it gives them cancer. |
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Kristin
Skeptic Friend
Canada
84 Posts |
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Wendy
SFN Regular
USA
614 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2001 : 17:04:09 [Permalink]
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quote:
I cannot imagine anything more boring than to monitor any of my writing (for anybody except myself, of course). For me, naturally, my writing exhibits pure brilliance...
Same here, ljbrs. Still, it bothers me. I don't need privacy. I just want it.
Wendy Jones |
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Lisa
SFN Regular
USA
1223 Posts |
Posted - 08/22/2001 : 17:17:22 [Permalink]
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Sure I want privacy, but the fact that I really don't need it is very depressing.
Lisa
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bestonnet_00
Skeptic Friend
Australia
358 Posts |
Posted - 08/24/2001 : 01:03:47 [Permalink]
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I wonder if the NSAkey repair program was actually a way to spread a time bomb onto unsuspecting people's systems. It might wait for a bit of time then do something bad.
Radioactive GM Crops.
Slightly above background.
Safe to eat.
But no activist would dare rip it out.
As they think it gives them cancer. |
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