Data and Goliath

by Bruce Schneier

  Post-9/11 surveillance has caused: PEN America (2013), “Chilling effects: NSA surveillance drives U.S. writers to self-censor,” http://www.pen.org/sites/default/files/Chilling%20Effects_PEN%20American.pdf.

  A Pew Research Center study: The survey was taken just after the stories broke that the NSA was collecting telephone metadata from Verizon, and presumably from everyone else, and collecting Internet data from companies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Microsoft, and Twitter. Elizabeth Dwoskin (26 Aug 2014), “Survey: People don’t want to talk online about the NSA,” Wall Street Journal, http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/08/26/survey-people-dont-want-to-talk-online-about-the-nsa.

  nearly half of Americans have changed: Amrita Jayakumar (2 Apr 2014), “Americans say they’re shopping less online. Blame the NSA,” Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/the-switch/wp/2014/04/02/americans-say-theyre-shopping-less-online-blame-the-nsa.

  Surveillance has chilled Internet use: Dawinder S. Sidhu (2007), “The chilling effect of government surveillance programs on the use of the Internet by Muslim-Americans,” University of Maryland Law Journal of Race, Religion, Gender and Class 7, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1002145.

  groups like environmentalists: David Greene (6 Nov 2013), “EFF files 22 firsthand accounts of how NSA surveillance chilled the right to association,” Electronic Frontier Foundation, https://www.eff.org/press/releases/eff-files-22-firsthand-accounts-how-nsa-surveillance-chilled-right-association.

  After the Snowden revelations: Alex Marthews and Catherine Tucker (24 Mar 2014), “Government surveillance and Internet search behavior,” Social Science Research Network, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2412564.

  UN High Commissioner on Human Rights: United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (30 Jun 2014), “The right to privacy in the digital age,” http://www.ohchr.org/EN/HRBodies/HRC/RegularSessions/Session27/Documents/A.HRC.27.37_en.pdf.

  French president Nicolas Sarkozy: Liz Klimas (22 Mar 2012), “Simply visiting terrorist websites could mean jail time in France,” Blaze, http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/03/22/simply-visiting-terrorist-websites-could-mean-jail-time-in-france.

  Think of how you act: Rachel Clark (11 Jul 2013), “‘Everything about everyone’: the depth of Stasi surveillance in the GDR,” View East, http://thevieweast.wordpress.com/2013/07/11/everything-about-everyone-the-depth-of-stasi-surveillance-in-the-gdr. Oka Efagene (20 Aug 2014), “Your calls may soon be monitored: NCC,” Pulse, http://pulse.ng/lifestyle/tech/security-vs-privacy-your-calls-may-soon-be-monitored-ncc-id3066105.html.

  There is value in dissent: Carl Joachim Friedrich (Oct 1939), “Democracy and dissent,” Political Quarterly 10, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1467-923X.1939.tb00987.x/abstract.

  Defending this assertion: Bruce Schneier (2012), Liars and Outliers: Enabling the Trust That Society Needs to Thrive, Wiley, chap. 16, http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1118143302.html.

  Frank Zappa said something similar: Frank Zappa and Peter Occhiogrosso (1989), The Real Frank Zappa Book, Poseidon Press, p. 185, http://books.google.com/books?id=FB0O_HCpBy0C.

  We need imperfect security: Washington University law professor Neil Richards makes the point that “new ideas often develop best away from the intense scrutiny of public exposure.” Neil M. Richards (May 2013), “The dangers of surveillance,” Harvard Law Review 126, http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2239412.

  township can use aerial surveillance: The city of Baltimore uses aerial photography to look for building permit violations by comparing photographs over time with its database of issued permits. Doug Donovan (7 Sep 2004), “A bird’s-eye view of every part of the city,” Baltimore Sun, http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2004-09-07/news/0409070310_1_images-deck-aerial.

  replacing that judgment: Gregory Conti (4 Apr 2014), “A conservation theory of governance for automated law enforcement,” We Robot 2014, Coral Gables, Florida, http://robots.law.miami.edu/2014/wp-content/uploads/2013/06/Shay-etal-TheoryofConservation_final.pdf.

  Ubiquitous surveillance could lead: The “Cannibal Cop,” who chatted online with pals about raping and eating his wife and other women, but never acted on it, serves as an example. Daniel Beekman and Dareh Gregorian (1 Jul 2014), “‘Cannibal cop’ released into custody of his mother after conviction overturned in stunning reversal,” New York Daily News, http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/conviction-cannibal-nypd-overturned-article-1.1850334. Daniel Engber (2 Jul 2014), “The cannibal cop goes free, but what about the murderous mechanic?” Slate, http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2014/07/the_cannibal_cop_gilberto_valle_goes_free_what_about_michael_van_hise_and.html.

  Already law enforcement agencies: Walter L. Perry et al. (2013), “Predictive policing: The role of crime forecasting in law enforcement operations,” RAND Corporation, https://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/grants/243830.pdf. US National Institute of Justice (13 Jan 2014), “Predictive policing research,” http://www.nij.gov/topics/law-enforcement/strategies/predictive-policing/Pages/research.aspx.

  This notion of making certain crimes: Michael L. Rich (Mar 2013), “Should we make crime impossible?” Harvard Journal of Law and Public Policy 36, http://www.harvard-jlpp.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/04/36_2_795_Rich.pdf.

  Yochai Benkler said: Yochai Benkler (4 Dec 2013), “System and conscience: NSA bulk surveillance and the problem of freedom,” Center for Research on Computation and Society, Harvard University, http://crcs.seas.harvard.edu/event/yochai-benkler-crcs-lunch-seminar and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6EUueRpCzpw.

  secrecy is necessary: William E. Colby (1976), “Intelligence secrecy and security in a free society,” International Security 1, http://people.exeter.ac.uk/mm394/Intelligence%20Secrecy%20and%20Security.pdf. James E. Knott (Summer 1975), “Secrecy and intelligence in a free society,” Studies in Intelligence 19, https://www.cia.gov/library/center-for-the-study-of-intelligence/kent-csi/vol19no2/html/v19i2a01p_0001.htm.

  This notion of military secrecy: Pamela O. Long and Alex Roland (1994), “Military secrecy in antiquity and early medieval Europe: A critical reassessment,” History and Technology 11, http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07341519408581866?journalCode=ghat20.

  recently has changed: Lewis A. Coser (Summer 1963), “The dysfunctions of military secrecy,” Social Problems 11, http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/798801.

  In World War II, we extended: The secrecy and deception around D-Day is an excellent example. Jon S. Wendell (1997), “Strategic deception behind the Normandy invasion,” US Air Force, http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/report/1997/Wendell.htm. Dan Lamothe (6 Jun 2014), “Remembering the military secrecy and lies that made D-Day successful,” Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2014/06/06/remembering-the-military-secrecy-and-lies-that-made-d-day-successful.

  entire areas of knowledge: Steven Aftergood (Oct 1999), “Government secrecy and knowledge production: A survey of some general issues,” in Secrecy and Knowledge Production, ed. Judith Reppy, Cornell University Peace Studies Program Occasional Paper #23, http://large.stanford.edu/publications/crime/references/dennis/occasional-paper23.pdf. Francis B. Kapper (Oct 1999), “The role of government in the production and control of scientific and technical knowledge,” ibid. Koen Vermeir and Daniel Margocsy (Jun 2012), “States of secrecy: An introduction,” British Journal of the History of Science 45, http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8608487&fileId=S0007087412000052.

  After 9/11, we generalized: Peter Galison (Autumn 2004), “Removing knowledge,” Critical Inquiry 31, http://www.fas.harvard.edu/~hsdept/bios/docs/Removing%20Knowledge.pdf.

  No one knows the exact number: Ibid.

  almost 5 million people: US Office of Management and Budget (Feb 2014), “Suitability and security processes review,” http://www.fas.org/sgp/othergov/omb/suitsec-2014.pdf.

  all the details of NSA surveillance: Director of
National Intelligence Clapper: “Disclosure of this still-classified information regarding the scope and operational details of N.S.A. intelligence activities implicated by plaintiffs’ allegations could be expected to cause extremely grave damage to the national security of the United States.” James R. Clapper (20 Dec 2013), “Public declaration of James R. Clapper, Director of National Intelligence,” Jewel et al. v. National Security Agency et al. (08-cv-4873-JSW; Shubert, et al., v. Obama, et al. (07-cv-693-JSW), United States District Court for the Northern District of California, http://www.dni.gov/files/documents/1220/DNI%20Clapper%202013%20Jewel%20Shubert%20SSP%20Unclassified%20Signed%20Declaration.pdf.

  You weren’t even allowed: Post-Snowden, the secret FISA Court has declassified many of its more general rulings. Another thing that would never have happened had Snowden not done what he did.

  police requests for cell phone: Jennifer Valentino-DeVries (2 Jun 2014), “Sealed court files obscure rise in electronic surveillance,” Wall Street Journal, http://online.wsj.com/news/article_email/sealed-court-files-obscure-rise-in-electronic-surveillance-1401761770-lMyQjAxMTA0MDAwMzEwNDMyWj.

  The UK police won’t even admit: Joseph Cox (7 Aug 2014), “UK police won’t admit they’re tracking people’s phone calls,” Vice, http://motherboard.vice.com/read/uk-police-wont-admit-theyre-tracking-peoples-phone-calls.

  Those who receive such a letter: This is a fascinating first-person account of what it’s like to receive a National Security Letter. It was published anonymously, but was later revealed to be the work of Internet Archive founder Brewster Kahle. Anonymous (23 Mar 2007), “My National Security Letter gag order,” Washington Post, http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/03/22/AR2007032201882.html.

  the reason the FBI: Kim Zetter (3 Mar 2014), “Florida cops’ secret weapon: Warrantless cellphone tracking,” Wired, http://www.wired.com/2014/03/stingray. Kim Zetter (4 Mar 2014), “Police contract with spy tool maker prohibits talking about device’s use,” Wired, http://www.wired.com/2014/03/harris-stingray-nda.

  local police departments refuse: Darwin Bond-Graham and Ali Winston (30 Oct 2013), “All tomorrow’s crimes: The future of policing looks a lot like good branding,” SF Weekly, http://www.sfweekly.com/2013-10-30/news/predpol-sfpd-predictive-policing-compstat-lapd/full.

  The US has a complex: Jennifer K. Elsea (10 Jan 2013), “The protection of classified information: The legal framework,” Congressional Research Service, http://fas.org/sgp/crs/secrecy/RS21900.pdf.

  The executive branch abuses: Carrie Newton Lyons (2007), “The state secrets privilege: Expanding its scope through government misuse,” Lewis and Clark Law Review 99, http://www.fas.org/sgp/jud/statesec/lyons.pdf. Sudha Setty (Jul 2012), “The rise of national security secrets,” Connecticut Law Review 44, http://connecticutlawreview.org/files/2012/09/5.Setty-FINAL.pdf. D. A. Jeremy Telman (Mar 2012), “Intolerable abuses: Rendition for torture and the state secrets privilege,” Alabama Law Review 63, http://scholar.valpo.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1136&context=law_fac_pubs.

  The executive branch keeps secrets: Eric Lichtblau and Scott Shane (9 Jul 2006), “Ally warned Bush on keeping spying from Congress,” New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/09/washington/09hoekstra.html. Scott Shane (11 Jul 2009), “Cheney is linked to concealment of C.I.A. project,” New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/12/us/politics/12intel.html. Paul Lewis (31 Jul 2013), “White House unable to confirm if Congress briefed on NSA spy program,” Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/jul/31/white-house-congress-nsa-xkeyscore.

  The NSA keeps secrets: Barton Gellman (15 Aug 2013), “What to say, and not to say, to ‘our overseers,’” Washington Post, http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/page/national/what-to-say-and-not-to-say-to-our-overseers/390.

  including Congress: Glenn Greenwald (4 Aug 2013), “Members of Congress denied access to basic information about NSA,” Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/aug/04/congress-nsa-denied-access.

  keep secrets from the rest of Congress: Spencer Ackerman (14 Aug 2013), “Intelligence committee urged to explain if they withheld crucial NSA document,” Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/14/nsa-intelligence-committee-under-pressure-document.

  Secret courts keep their own secrets: Charlie Savage and Laura Poitras (11 Mar 2014), “How a court secretly evolved, extending U.S. spies’ reach,” New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/03/12/us/how-a-courts-secret-evolution-extended-spies-reach.html.

  even the Supreme Court: Emily Peterson (30 Sep 2011), “Under seal: Secrets at the Supreme Court,” Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, http://www.rcfp.org/browse-media-law-resources/news-media-law/news-media-law-summer-2011/under-seal-secrets-supreme-cour.

  President Obama has been: Cora Currier (30 Jul 2013), “Charting Obama’s crackdown on national security leaks,” Pro Publica, http://www.propublica.org/special/sealing-loose-lips-charting-obamas-crackdown-on-national-security-leaks.

  only three previous prosecutions: Leonard Downie Jr. and Sara Rafsky (Oct 2013), “Leak investigations and surveillance in post-9/11 America,” Committee to Protect Journalists, https://www.cpj.org/reports/2013/10/obama-and-the-press-us-leaks-surveillance-post-911.php. David Pozen (20 Dec 2013), “The leaky leviathan: Why the government condemns and condones unlawful disclosures of information,” Harvard Law Review 127, http://harvardlawreview.org/2013/12/the-leaky-leviathan-why-the-government-condemns-and-condones-unlawful-disclosures-of-information.

  Thomas Drake, an NSA whistleblower: Daniel Ellsberg (30 May 2014), “Snowden would not get a fair trial—and Kerry is wrong,” Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/30/daniel-ellsberg-snowden-fair-trial-kerry-espionage-act.

  Chelsea Manning was prohibited: David Dishneau (20 Jul 2012), “Manning largely barred from discussing WikiLeaks harm,” Associated Press, http://seattletimes.com/html/nationworld/2018724246_apusmanningwikileaks.html.

  Edward Snowden claims: The country is fairly evenly divided on this point. Seth Motel (15 Apr 2014), “NSA coverage wins Pulitzer, but Americans remain divided on Snowden leaks,” Pew Research Center, http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2014/04/15/nsa-coverage-wins-pulitzer-but-americans-remain-divided-on-snowden-leaks.

  John Kerry insisted that: Jonathan Topaz (28 May 2014), “John Kerry: Edward Snowden a ‘coward . . . traitor,’” Politico, http://www.politico.com/story/2014/05/edward-snowden-coward-john-kerry-msnbc-interview-nsa-107157.html.

  Hillary Clinton proclaimed: Phoebe Greenwood (4 Jul 2014), “Edward Snowden should have right to legal defense in US, says Hillary Clinton,” Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/jul/04/edward-snowden-legal-defence-hillary-clinton-interview.

  Both comments are examples: Daniel Ellsberg (30 May 2014), “Snowden would not get a fair trial—and Kerry is wrong,” Guardian, http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/may/30/daniel-ellsberg-snowden-fair-trial-kerry-espionage-act. Trevor Timm (23 Dec 2013), “If Snowden returned to US for trial, could court admit any NSA leak evidence?” Boing Boing, http://boingboing.net/2013/12/23/snowden.html.

  His anger set off a series: Nate Anderson (13 May 2014), “How a mayor’s quest to unmask a foul-mouthed Twitter user blew up in his face,” Ars Technica, http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/05/how-a-mayors-quest-to-unmask-a-foul-mouthed-twitter-user-blew-up-in-his-face. Kim Zetter (12 Jun 2014), “ACLU sues after Illinois mayor has cops raid guy parodying him on Twitter,” Wired, http://www.wired.com/2014/06/peoria-mayor-twitter-parody.

  police in New Jersey routinely: Jenna Portnoy (19 Mar 2014), “Attorney General to State Police: Stop photographing protesters at Chris Christie town halls,” Star-Ledger, http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2014/03/attorney_general_to_state_police_stop_photographing_protesters_at_chris_christie_town_halls.html.

  the CIA illegally hacked: Mark Mazzetti and Carl Hulse (31 Jul 2014), “Inquiry by CIA affirms it spied on Senate panel,” New York Times, http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/01/world/senate-intelligence-
commitee-cia-interrogation-report.html.

  the NSA had been spying: Laura Poitras, Marcel Rosenbach, and Holger Stark (26 Aug 2013), “Codename ‘Apalachee’: How America spies on Europe and the UN,” Der Spiegel, http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/secret-nsa-documents-show-how-the-us-spies-on-europe-and-the-un-a-918625.html.

  two intercept operators in 2008: Brian Ross, Vic Walter, and Anna Schecter (9 Oct 2008), “Inside account of U.S. eavesdropping on Americans,” ABC News Nightline, http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/exclusive-inside-account-us-eavesdropping-americans/story?id=5987804.

  again from Snowden in 2014: Cyrus Farivar (17 Jul 2014), “Snowden: NSA employees routinely pass around intercepted nude photos,” Ars Technica, http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2014/07/snowden-nsa-employees-routinely-pass-around-intercepted-nude-photos.

  agents sometimes spy on people: Siobhan Gorman (23 Aug 2013), “NSA officers spy on love interests,” Wall Street Journal Washington Wire, http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/08/23/nsa-officers-sometimes-spy-on-love-interests.

  the agency broke its own privacy rules: US National Security Agency (3 May 2012), “NSAW SID intelligence oversight quarterly report: First quarter calendar year 2012 (1 Jan–31 Mar 2012),” http://www2.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB436/docs/EBB-044.pdf.

  the real number is probably: The NSA is deliberately not automating its auditing system, which means it finds only as many violations as it decides to put people on the task. Marcy Wheeler (20 Aug 2013), “If NSA commits database query violations, but nobody audits them, do they really happen?” Empty Wheel, http://www.emptywheel.net/2013/08/20/if-nsa-commits-database-query-violations-but-nobody-audits-them-do-they-really-happen.

  tried to induce him: Shaun Usher (5 Jan 2012), “Like all frauds your end is approaching,” Letters of Note, http://www.lettersofnote.com/2012/01/king-like-all-frauds-your-end-is.html.