Written to cast more shadows on the NSA terrorist surveillance program, but the bottom line issue is captured in the beginning of this piece in the Washington Post:

Fewer than 10 U.S. citizens or residents a year, according to an authoritative account, have aroused enough suspicion during warrantless eavesdropping to justify interception of their domestic calls, as well. That step still requires a warrant from a federal judge, for which the government must supply evidence of probable cause.

The number of paranoids in this country just took a big hit. As I mentioned the other day, we might catch turtles in our drift nets, but it is in our interest to cut them loose: and we do.

Additional, insightful data points on alternative means for finding bad guys on-line are discussed, which alone makes this article worth reading. Methodological issues aside, the only alternative to pursuing this course of action is to cut off our ears to spite our face.

About the Author

Michael Tanji

Michael Tanji spent nearly 20 years in the US intelligence community. Trained in both SIGINT and HUMINT disciplines he has worked at the Defense Intelligence Agency, the National Security Agency, and the National Reconnaissance Office. At various points in his career he served as an expert in information warfare, computer network operations, computer forensics, and indications and warning. A veteran of the US Army, Michael has served in both strategic and tactical assignments in the Pacific Theater, the Balkans, and the Middle East.