ksbooth@watcgl.UUCP (01/10/87)
A recent posting contained a list of keywords to trigger some NSA filter. People who do this should realize that if NSA is actually running such a filter, they are also probably keeping a list of the articles and all of the responses to it. Thus people who reply to such articles may end up on a list that could be used against them. The list of junk keywords is cute, but when it jeopardizes people's professional or personal lives (as such things inevitably do) or the continued existence of open networks people should think carefully before engaging in this sort of baiting. Attitudes at NSA may well need changing, but this is not the appropriate way to do it.
garry@batcomputer.tn.cornell.edu (Garry Wiegand) (01/11/87)
(flame warning!) In a recent article ksbooth@watcgl.UUCP (Kelly Booth) wrote: >A recent posting contained a list of keywords to trigger some NSA filter. > ... Thus people who reply to such articles may end up >on a list that could be used against them... >[and goes on to object to the practice] The people who are including that list are trying to make a (small) statement of conscience. It's one of the few places that all our jabbering on the net actually impinges on the real world! Arguable reasons for them to stop might (conceivably) include: 1) It costs some money to transport those extra few bytes, 2) It's unpatriotic to try to cause problems for the NSA, 3) The NSA isn't really monitoring all the network traffic, or 4) We might *all* be put into the NSA's files because of this. Unfortunately, I just can't include your "reply inconvenience" in my list. Are you aware that when you quote-for-reply you're NOT supposed to include the entire body of the posting? (If not, please be advised: you're supposed to trim the quote "as much as possible".) Followups to talk.politics.misc (which I fortunately don't subscribe to :-) garry wiegand (garry%cadif-oak@cu-arpa.cs.cornell.edu) For the sake of the discussion: NSA terrorist CIA cryptography DES drugs NRO cipher IRS secret RSA decode coke libyan crack pot LSD russian nuclear missile atom assassinate (I've permuted the original list in case they've put an extra filter in)
goldberg@su-russell.ARPA (Jeffrey Goldberg) (01/12/87)
In article <339@watcgl.UUCP> ksbooth@watcgl.UUCP (Kelly Booth) writes: >A recent posting contained a list of keywords to trigger some NSA filter. >People who do this should realize that if NSA is actually running such a >filter, they are also probably keeping a list of the articles and all of >the responses to it. Thus people who reply to such articles may end up >on a list that could be used against them. The list of junk keywords is >cute, but when it jeopardizes people's professional or personal lives (as >such things inevitably do) or the continued existence of open networks >people should think carefully before engaging in this sort of baiting. >Attitudes at NSA may well need changing, but this is not the appropriate >way to do it. First: I have redirected follow-up to misc.misc. I don't know how this ended up in graphics. Second: You should be able to edit the text of any article you are following up. The offensive part of my .signature is a paragraph to itself and can be deleted very easily. Third: If the NSA really is running this filter, they are looking for articles to have a human read. Otherwise, the thing is quite pointless. I might make it on a list of net trouble makers (but I really doubt that they care that much). Certainly any message simply including someone elses text wouldn't get you put on a list. Fourth: What you are suggesting might happen to someone for accidently including these words in a file has got to be illegal. Unless you are considering a security clearance application. I might be jeopardizing my own chances at getting a clearance by being a "trouble maker", but someone responding to one of my messages could only be put on that list if the NSA are idiots. Nonetheless, people who do not wish to participate in annoying the NSA they way I and several other have been trying to do should be careful to delete that last paragraph of my signature in any message they wish to follow-up. Jeff Goldberg ARPA: goldberg@russell.stanford.edu, goldberg@csli.stanford.edu UUCP: ...!hplabs!russell.stanford.edu!goldberg cryptography, terrorist, DES, drugs, cipher, secret, decode, NSA, CIA, NRO. The above is food for the NSA line eater. Add it to your .signature and you too can help overflow the NSA's ability to scan all traffic going in or out of the USA looking for "significant" words. (I am told that this is no joke.)
sierchio@milano.UUCP (01/12/87)
In article <339@watcgl.UUCP>, ksbooth@watcgl.UUCP writes: > A recent posting contained a list of keywords to trigger some NSA filter. > People who do this should realize that if NSA is actually running such a > filter, they are also probably keeping a list of the articles and all of > the responses to it. Thus people who reply to such articles may end up > on a list that could be used against them. The list of junk keywords is > cute, but when it jeopardizes people's professional or personal lives (as > such things inevitably do) or the continued existence of open networks > people should think carefully before engaging in this sort of baiting. > Attitudes at NSA may well need changing, but this is not the appropriate > way to do it. Look, friend -- Your liberties are already endangered by such surveillance. If you don't want what you post read by the NSA, you should ask them to please not do so, and see if that helps. Somehow, I don't think they'd take you seriously. Stop being so powerless. Are we not men? Women? Are we NEMATODES, or other invertebrates? Any attempt to occupy their time with normal, upstanding, good citizens such as myself I regard as good -- I have nothing to hide, and how do I know they don't keep such a file on everybody? If they are foolish enough to waste their time here, let them. I read it, you read it. You are hopelessly naive if you believe they only read articles that refer to the agency itself. They will read whatever's of interest to them on any given day. Or random articles. Who's gonna use this against me, comrade? Until I decide to take up a life of crime, I want this to be seen by one and all, and I don't want to exclude the poor slobs at the NSA, CIA, FBI or KGB. This is a public forum, and you are accountable for what you say here -- to me and everyone else. So, my advice is to treat them as you would any other reader of the net news. And, if you're concerned about them keeping tabs on you, and consider it a violation of your rights, take it up with your congressman -- or do something yourself. And come out from under that rock. -- Michael Sierchio @ MCC Software Technology Program UUCP: ut-sally!im4u!milano!sierchio ARPA: sierchio@mcc.ARPA "WE REVERSE THE RIGHT TO SERVE REFUSE TO ANYONE"