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N.S.A. Able to Foil Basic Safeguards of Privacy on Web Log in to see what your friends are sharing Log In With Facebook on nytimes.com. Privacy Policy | What’s By NICOLE PERLROTH , JEFF LARSON and SCOTT SHANE This? Published: September 5, 2013 1466 Comments

The National Security Agency is winning its long-running secret war FACEBOOK What’s Popular Now on encryption, using supercomputers, technical trickery, court orders TWITTER On Syria Vote, Doug Stanhope’s and behind-the-scenes persuasion to undermine the major tools Trust, but Verify ‘Beer Hall GOOGLE+ Putsch,’ a protecting the privacy of everyday communications in the Internet Stand-Up Album SAVE age, according to newly disclosed documents. E-MAIL

Enlarge This Image The agency has circumvented or SHARE cracked much of the encryption, or MOST E-MAILED MOST VIEWED PRINT digital scrambling, that guards global 1. Harvard Business School Case Study: commerce and banking systems, REPRINTS Gender Equity protects sensitive data like trade secrets and medical records, and automatically secures the 2. 3 Quiet Museums in Rome e-mails, Web searches, Internet chats and phone calls of Associated Press Americans and others around the world, the documents This undated photo released by the show. 3. GRAY MATTER United States government shows the The New Science of Mind National Security Agency campus in Fort Meade, Md. Many users assume — or have been assured by Internet companies — that their data is safe from prying eyes, 4. THE GREAT DIVIDE This article has been reported in Why Janet Yellen, Not Larry Summers, partnership among The New York including those of the government, and the N.S.A. wants to Should Lead the Fed Times, The Guardian and keep it that way. The agency treats its recent successes in ProPublica based on documents 5. Rochus Misch, Bodyguard of Hitler, Dies at obtained by The Guardian. For The deciphering protected information as among its most 96 Guardian: James Ball, Julian closely guarded secrets, restricted to those cleared for a Borger, Glenn Greenwald. For The New York Times: Nicole Perlroth, highly classified program code-named Bullrun, according 6. MEMO FROM EUROPE Scott Shane. For ProPublica: Jeff to the documents, provided by Edward J. Snowden, the A Weapon Seen as Too Horrible, Even in Larson. War former N.S.A. contractor. 7. WELL Beginning in 2000, as encryption tools were gradually Some Fruits Are Better Than Others Multimedia blanketing the Web, the N.S.A. invested billions of dollars

in a clandestine campaign to preserve its ability to 8. CHARLES M. BLOW eavesdrop. Having lost a public battle in the 1990s to insert Remembering All the Children its own “back door” in all encryption, it set out to accomplish the same goal by stealth. 9. TIMOTHY EGAN The Bush Burden

The agency, according to the documents and interviews 10. REWORKING LABOR A.F.L.-C.I.O. Has Plan to Add Millions of Secret Documents Reveal N.S.A. with industry officials, deployed custom-built, superfast Nonunion Members Campaign Against Encryption computers to break codes, and began collaborating with technology companies in the United States and abroad to Go to Complete List » Show My Recommendations build entry points into their products. The documents do not identify which companies have participated.

The N.S.A. hacked into target computers to snare messages before they were encrypted. In some cases, companies say they were coerced by the government into handing over Unlocking Private Communications their master encryption keys or building in a back door. And the agency used its influence as the world’s most experienced code maker to covertly introduce weaknesses Connect With Us on Twitter into the encryption standards followed by hardware and Follow software developers around the world. @NYTNational for breaking news and headlines. “For the past decade, N.S.A. has led an aggressive, Twitter List: Reporters and Editors multipronged effort to break widely used Internet encryption technologies,” said a 2010 memo describing a Enlarge This Image briefing about N.S.A. accomplishments for employees of its British counterpart, Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ. “Cryptanalytic capabilities are now coming online. Vast amounts of encrypted Internet

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data which have up till now been discarded are now exploitable.”

When the British analysts, who often work side by side with N.S.A. officers, were first told about the program, another memo said, “those not already briefed were gobsmacked!”

An intelligence budget document makes clear that the effort is still going strong. “We are investing in groundbreaking cryptanalytic capabilities to defeat Susan Walsh/Associated Press CITING EFFORTS TO EXPLOIT WEB adversarial cryptography and exploit Internet traffic,” the James R. Clapper Jr., the director of director of national intelligence, James R. Clapper Jr. , national intelligence. wrote in his budget request for the current year.

Readers’ Comments In recent months, the documents disclosed by Mr. Snowden have described the N.S.A.’s reach in scooping up Readers shared their thoughts on this article. vast amounts of communications around the world. The Read All Comments (1466) » encryption documents now show, in striking detail, how the agency works to ensure that it is actually able to read the information it collects.

The agency’s success in defeating many of the privacy protections offered by encryption does not change the rules that prohibit the deliberate targeting of Americans’ e-mails or phone calls without a warrant. But it shows that the agency, which was sharply rebuked by a federal judge in 2011 for violating the rules and misleading the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, cannot necessarily be restrained by privacy technology. N.S.A. rules permit the agency to store any encrypted communication, domestic or foreign, for as long as the agency is trying to decrypt it or analyze its technical features.

The N.S.A., which has specialized in code-breaking since its creation in 1952, sees that task as essential to its mission. If it cannot decipher the messages of terrorists, foreign spies and other adversaries, the United States will be at serious risk, agency officials say.

Just in recent weeks, the Obama administration has called on the intelligence agencies for details of communications by leaders of Al Qaeda about a terrorist plot and of Syrian officials’ messages about the chemical weapons attack outside Damascus. If such communications can be hidden by unbreakable encryption, N.S.A. officials say, the agency cannot do its work.

But some experts say the N.S.A.’s campaign to bypass and weaken communications security may have serious unintended consequences. They say the agency is working at cross-purposes with its other major mission, apart from eavesdropping: ensuring the security of American communications.

Some of the agency’s most intensive efforts have focused on the encryption in universal use in the United States, including Secure Sockets Layer , or SSL; virtual private networks , or VPNs; and the protection used on fourth-generation, or 4G, smartphones. Many Americans, often without realizing it, rely on such protection every time they send an e-mail, buy something online, consult with colleagues via their company’s computer network, or use a phone or a tablet on a 4G network.

For at least three years, one document says, GCHQ, almost certainly in collaboration with the N.S.A., has been looking for ways into protected traffic of popular Internet companies: Google, Yahoo, Facebook and Microsoft’s Hotmail. By 2012, GCHQ had developed “new access opportunities” into Google’s systems, according to the document. (Google denied giving any government access and said it had no evidence its systems had been breached).

“The risk is that when you build a back door into systems, you’re not the only one to exploit it,” said Matthew D. Green, a cryptography researcher at Johns Hopkins University. “Those back doors could work against U.S. communications, too.”

Paul Kocher, a leading cryptographer who helped design the SSL protocol, recalled how the N.S.A. lost the heated national debate in the 1990s about inserting into all encryption a government back door called the Clipper Chip .

“And they went and did it anyway, without telling anyone,” Mr. Kocher said. He said he understood the agency’s mission but was concerned about the danger of allowing it unbridled access to private information.

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“The intelligence community has worried about ‘going dark’ forever, but today they are conducting instant, total invasion of privacy with limited effort,” he said. “This is the golden age of spying.”

A Vital Capability

The documents are among more than 50,000 shared by The Guardian with The New York Times and ProPublica, the nonprofit news organization. They focus on GCHQ but include thousands from or about the N.S.A.

Intelligence officials asked The Times and ProPublica not to publish this article, saying it might prompt foreign targets to switch to new forms of encryption or communications that would be harder to collect or read. The news organizations removed some specific facts but decided to publish the article because of the value of a public debate about government actions that weaken the most powerful privacy tools.

The files show that the agency is still stymied by some encryption, as Mr. Snowden suggested in a question-and-answer session on The Guardian’s Web site in June.

“Properly implemented strong crypto systems are one of the few things that you can rely on,” he said, though cautioning that the N.S.A. often bypasses the encryption altogether by targeting the computers at one end or the other and grabbing text before it is encrypted or after it is decrypted.

The documents make clear that the N.S.A. considers its ability to decrypt information a vital capability, one in which it competes with China, Russia and other intelligence powers.

“In the future, superpowers will be made or broken based on the strength of their cryptanalytic programs,” a 2007 document said. “It is the price of admission for the U.S. to maintain unrestricted access to and use of cyberspace.”

The full extent of the N.S.A.’s decoding capabilities is known only to a limited group of top analysts from the so-called Five Eyes: the N.S.A. and its counterparts in Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Only they are cleared for the Bullrun program, the successor to one called Manassas — both names of an American Civil War battle. A parallel GCHQ counterencryption program is called Edgehill, named for the first battle of the English Civil War of the 17th century.

Unlike some classified information that can be parceled out on a strict “need to know” basis, one document makes clear that with Bullrun, “there will be NO ‘need to know.’ ”

Only a small cadre of trusted contractors were allowed to join Bullrun. It does not appear that Mr. Snowden was among them, but he nonetheless managed to obtain dozens of classified documents referring to the program’s capabilities, methods and sources.

Ties to Internet Companies

When the N.S.A. was founded, encryption was an obscure technology used mainly by diplomats and military officers. Over the last 20 years, it has become ubiquitous. Even novices can tell that their exchanges are being automatically encrypted when a tiny padlock appears next to a Web address.

Because strong encryption can be so effective, classified N.S.A. documents make clear, the agency’s success depends on working with Internet companies — by getting their voluntary collaboration, forcing their cooperation with court orders or surreptitiously stealing their encryption keys or altering their software or hardware.

According to an intelligence budget document leaked by Mr. Snowden, the N.S.A. spends more than $250 million a year on its Sigint Enabling Project, which “actively engages the U.S. and foreign IT industries to covertly influence and/or overtly leverage their commercial products’ designs” to make them “exploitable.” Sigint is the acronym for signals intelligence, the technical term for electronic eavesdropping.

By this year, the Sigint Enabling Project had found ways inside some of the encryption chips that scramble information for businesses and governments, either by working with chipmakers to insert back doors or by exploiting security flaws, according to the documents. The agency also expected to gain full unencrypted access to an unnamed major Internet phone call and text service; to a Middle Eastern Internet service; and to the communications of three foreign governments.

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In one case, after the government learned that a foreign intelligence target had ordered new computer hardware, the American manufacturer agreed to insert a back door into the product before it was shipped, someone familiar with the request told The Times.

The 2013 N.S.A. budget request highlights “partnerships with major telecommunications carriers to shape the global network to benefit other collection accesses” — that is, to allow more eavesdropping.

At Microsoft, as The Guardian has reported , the N.S.A. worked with company officials to get pre-encryption access to Microsoft’s most popular services, including Outlook e-mail, Skype Internet phone calls and chats, and SkyDrive, the company’s cloud storage service.

Microsoft asserted that it had merely complied with “lawful demands” of the government, and in some cases, the collaboration was clearly coerced. Some companies have been asked to hand the government the encryption keys to all customer communications, according to people familiar with the government’s requests.

N.S.A. documents show that the agency maintains an internal database of encryption keys for specific commercial products, called a Key Provisioning Service, which can automatically decode many messages. If the necessary key is not in the collection, a request goes to the separate Key Recovery Service, which tries to obtain it.

How keys are acquired is shrouded in secrecy, but independent cryptographers say many are probably collected by hacking into companies’ computer servers, where they are stored. To keep such methods secret, the N.S.A. shares decrypted messages with other agencies only if the keys could have been acquired through legal means. “Approval to release to non-Sigint agencies,” a GCHQ document says, “will depend on there being a proven non-Sigint method of acquiring keys.”

Simultaneously, the N.S.A. has been deliberately weakening the international encryption standards adopted by developers. One goal in the agency’s 2013 budget request was to “influence policies, standards and specifications for commercial public key technologies,” the most common encryption method.

Cryptographers have long suspected that the agency planted vulnerabilities in a standard adopted in 2006 by the National Institute of Standards and Technology and later by the International Organization for Standardization, which has 163 countries as members.

Classified N.S.A. memos appear to confirm that the fatal weakness, discovered by two Microsoft cryptographers in 2007, was engineered by the agency. The N.S.A. wrote the standard and aggressively pushed it on the international group, privately calling the effort “a challenge in finesse.”

“Eventually, N.S.A. became the sole editor,” the memo says.

Even agency programs ostensibly intended to guard American communications are sometimes used to weaken protections. The N.S.A.’s Commercial Solutions Center , for instance, invites the makers of encryption technologies to present their products to the agency with the goal of improving American cybersecurity. But a top-secret N.S.A. document suggests that the agency’s hacking division uses that same program to develop and “leverage sensitive, cooperative relationships with specific industry partners” to insert vulnerabilities into Internet security products.

By introducing such back doors, the N.S.A. has surreptitiously accomplished what it had failed to do in the open. Two decades ago, officials grew concerned about the spread of strong encryption software like Pretty Good Privacy, designed by a programmer named Phil Zimmermann. The Clinton administration fought back by proposing the Clipper Chip, which would have effectively neutered digital encryption by ensuring that the N.S.A. always had the key.

That proposal met a backlash from an unlikely coalition that included political opposites like Senator John Ashcroft, the Missouri Republican, and Senator John Kerry, the Massachusetts Democrat, as well as the televangelist Pat Robertson, Silicon Valley executives and the American Civil Liberties Union. All argued that the Clipper would kill not only the Fourth Amendment, but also America’s global technology edge.

By 1996, the White House backed down. But soon the N.S.A. began trying to anticipate and thwart encryption tools before they became mainstream.

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Each novel encryption effort generated anxiety. When Mr. Zimmermann introduced the Zfone, an encrypted phone technology, N.S.A. analysts circulated the announcement in an e-mail titled “This can’t be good.”

But by 2006, an N.S.A. document notes, the agency had broken into communications for three foreign airlines, one travel reservation system, one foreign government’s nuclear department and another’s Internet service by cracking the virtual private networks that protected them.

By 2010, the Edgehill program, the British counterencryption effort, was unscrambling VPN traffic for 30 targets and had set a goal of an additional 300.

But the agencies’ goal was to move away from decrypting targets’ tools one by one and instead decode, in real time, all of the information flying over the world’s fiber optic cables and through its Internet hubs, only afterward searching the decrypted material for valuable intelligence.

A 2010 document calls for “a new approach for opportunistic decryption, rather than targeted.” By that year, a Bullrun briefing document claims that the agency had developed “groundbreaking capabilities” against encrypted Web chats and phone calls. Its successes against Secure Sockets Layer and virtual private networks were gaining momentum.

But the agency was concerned that it could lose the advantage it had worked so long to gain, if the mere “fact of” decryption became widely known. “These capabilities are among the Sigint community’s most fragile, and the inadvertent disclosure of the simple ‘fact of’ could alert the adversary and result in immediate loss of the capability,” a GCHQ document warned.

Since Mr. Snowden’s disclosures ignited criticism of overreach and privacy infringements by the N.S.A., American technology companies have faced scrutiny from customers and the public over what some see as too cozy a relationship with the government. In response, some companies have begun to push back against what they describe as government bullying.

Google, Yahoo, Microsoft and Facebook have pressed for permission to reveal more about the government’s requests for cooperation. One e-mail encryption company, Lavabit, closed rather than comply with the agency’s demands for customer information; another, Silent Circle, ended its e-mail service rather than face such demands.

In effect, facing the N.S.A.’s relentless advance, the companies surrendered.

Ladar Levison, the founder of Lavabit, wrote a public letter to his disappointed customers, offering an ominous warning. “Without Congressional action or a strong judicial precedent,” he wrote, “I would strongly recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States.”

John Markoff contributed reporting.

A version of this article appears in print on September 6, 2013, on page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: N.S.A. Able To Foil Basic Safeguards Of Privacy On Web.

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Greg Knight Canada Note the code names, Bullrun and Edgewater, are names of US and UK civil war battles.

I think that is pretty much an admission that these spy agencies are targeting their fellow citizens and the political, business and academic leaders of their fellow citizens.

I feel we are going to see the Putinization of America, where the main business and political leaders are increasingly ex-CIA and ex-NSA. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

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Ignacio Couce Los Angeles, CA Who's surprised? We all would have wanted the government to break the encryption on the message that green lit 9/11.

The issue I worry about its access, i.e., how many individuals have access to these technologies, and who are they.

It presents an enormous potential for economic and political abuse - insider trading, blackmail, etc. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Drew Tokyo A few simple steps to protect yourself from being spied on by your government:

1) Use a non-U.S. company for your Internet connection and e-mail service. 2) Encrypt your e-mail (e.g., with OpenGPG) 3) Communicate in a language other than English, if possible.

These steps won't provide absolute protection against snooping, but they will make it much less likely.

Remember, too, that the NSA slides on which this story are based were part of a sales presentation. They were intended to impress. "Gobsmacking" their audience was just what the NSA intended. So the slide show no doubt exaggerates the agency's true capabilities. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

Monica orlando I once thought Snowden is just a man thinking he's doing the right thing. Now I see a man who craves attention. He began with the claim of informing Americans of govt secrets, but by putting out our security secrets, he only harms us. He will cost the taxpayer more money to fight off new threats. He deliberately informs other countries of everything we do. What does that have to do with Americans privacy? He sits back and deals small portions of his stolen documents to the world to keep the suspense going If he wants to expose govt secrets, than do so. Stop the nickle and dime delivery and come out with it. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

RuddyP10 Westchester County I have to ask; What do you believe the NSA does? At its basic level it is an organization of cryptographers. Whether what they are doing is right or wrong, this what they do. The larger issue is the privatization of government agencies that are engaged in sensitive information gathering. If money becomes the only means of accountability then you are going to have problems. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Tom Alciere Hudson NH How does this sound? Let's suppose the feds can snoop and spy all they want. Then they can use what they learn to find out who is selling drugs. Then the feds can bust the drug dealers. Then, for every drug dealer they bust, the Freedom Fighters exterminate ten federal law enforcement goons, because, ...no matter how legally they got their information ... their government never had any right to control what drugs the citizens could use, and it is this unprovoked violence against innocent drug dealers that is more of a problem than, say, somebody listening to the radio and anagramming what comes over it. The Second Amendment wasn't written for the benefit of duck hunters. Just saying. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

lou andrews portland oregon In order to see if Americans are following the law, the government needs to break the law. Sadly, our politicians are at total ease with it being the norm. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Jim Littleton, CO The elected United States government officials must uphold their oath of office and defend the people of the United States from the unconstitutional collection of personal information.

US citizens have an expectation, and a right, that who they communicate with over the phone, who they communicate with on the Internet, who they communicate with using the postal service and private carriers, and the content of these of these communications, be private.

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The recent revelation of the NSA collecting the contents of private HTTPS/SSL Internet information is beyond belief. The secret laws, findings, or acts that enable this unconstitutional collection of information need to be struck down and the perpetrators held accountable for their unlawful behavior. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

sereneguy palo alto Having worked in the radio/communications industry, and having 30 yrs ago actually invented radio equipment to spy on the iron curtain, I'm more than disgusted. What in the world is the government thinking to "weaken encryption" and "adding back doors" to secure links. Do they not realize that they are weakening the encryption and adding back doors that Russia, China, and even Al-Qaeda could exploit?

Or do they not care, because they realize "terrorism" is a a red herring to be able to monitor and control everyone. Or is it simply that they want to justify the billions they spend by using the terrorist threat.

So, either they are aiding and abetting our enemies, controlling our lives, or simply extorting tax dollars. Like I said, unsupportable and more than disgusting. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Lynn S. Republicans often wail that we need to shrink the government to a size where it can be drowned in a bathtub - and they gleefully go about cutting social programs any chance they have. The real power of the government is the military and paramilitary organizations like NSA. They are the organizations to shrink down to a manageable size so they can be put in check if they cease to follow law. Their activities and capabilities are becoming too enormous for Congress to oversee. Cut their budget and outlaw contracting this work out to non-government employees (not that the NSA abides by the law). Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Castanea Sativa USA All these NSA revelations one after another are beginning to look like short stories by Jorge Luis Borges in the spirit of "The Book of Sand" or "The Library of Babel".

Many here have invoked the WWII intercepts and the clever decoding thereof, but then the analysts had already a pretty good idea of what they were looking for and their efforts and discoveries had a precise goal and an immediate pay off. Saving US and Allied lives.

What's going right now does not seem to have much to do with any expression of patriotic duty. More like some form of digital OCD which went out of control long ago and becomes ever more efficient as the years go by and the science and the technology progress. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Susan H. Pasadena, CA The constitutional violations by the government in breaking into our personal and private communications are horrific. Not only Fourth Amendment, but quite potentially 1st Amendment rights could be impinged. In its single- minded quest for antiterrorism information, I don't trust the government or the individuals involved in Bullrun to use my personal information and the substance of my private conversations in a legal way. Why should I when the very manner in which they have obtained the information is patently illegal. I can guarantee anyone who thinks this is a good thing that this will create some disturbing consequences for many innocent people and eventually create the same kind of chill in our citizenry's willingness to speak out candidly that there is in Russia and similar communist societies. I'm now even considering the wisdom of submitting this comment, but I guess I'll take my chances. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Tina Rocha NY, NY As an IT and code specialist 300 or so of us just got back from a symposium where new platforms and hardware are a universe away from the current language are being developed. This new code vault is unbelievable but is coming to fruition. We signed agreements of confidentiality before attending but can say it was standing room only including those from the financial sector. A very assertive but impressive paradigm shift. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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Jarthur Hot springs,ar. Wait till they have our health care records!, Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Tim NYC Journalism at its finest. Excellent job.. Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Daniel Malloy Boston The NSA asked for permission to install a backdoor, was refused and did it anyway. I would hope the American people have figured it out by now, the government does what it wants, when it wants, to who it wants. If anyone thinks ,"we the people" run this country they are sadly mistaken. Then again all you "Masters of the Universes" should remember that the "nations are a drop in the bucket" and "everything hidden will be revealed". Laugh now boys cry later. Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Henry Petaluma, CA You have to be pretty naive if you are surprised by this. Do you really think your email security or WiFi password will stop law enforcement?

This story is about CAPABILITY rather than ACTS. I expect the government to be able to hack into ANY computer in the world, including mine, if there is cause.

The problem is that NSA, in my opinion, NSA is misusing that capability, and I think they should stop. Just as I don't expect NSA to sneak into my house and search my stuff without probable cause, but I certainly expect them to be CAPABLE of doing it if cause arises. This is no different. Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

miriam Astoria, Queens This is the capability to spy on anyone, anywhere, without a warrant. It's the reason for the Fourth Amendment.

Capability is not always innocuous. In the 80's, corporations wanted the capability to close factories without notice, so that when the workers came to work in the morning they found they were jobless. I don't remember if that ever happened - corporations said it had never happened, but that they needed that freedom in order to be nimble and competitive.

Similarly, the Library Awareness Act enabled FBI agents to rifle through patron records. The government said it had never done such an investigation, so never fear - but it needed the freedom to do so. Many libraries destroyed patron records rather than let them be abused.

If the NSA needs to spy on someone for a good reason, let them get a warrant. From a court that doesn't hand out warrants routinely. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Fadelff NY, NY It seems to me that the NYT simply wanted to dump out information without thought of our national security. Surely, we did not need to know of particular events and what methods were used:" In one case, after the government learned that a foreign intelligence target had ordered new computer hardware, the American manufacturer agreed to insert a back door into the product before it was shipped, someone familiar with the request told The Times." I am not comfortable with the quoted paragraph--in other words, why were we told about a specific case--that really does cross a line. Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

DK VT There are some pragmatic measure that could at least slow down the NSA's creeping coup d'état.

- Ban the use of National Security letters - Make the FISA court be televised on C-Span - Make the NSA's budget (and the budgets of all the other spy organizations) public. - Then cut those budgets severely. - Make public the identity of any telecom or electronics company cooperating with the NSA. - Move the NSA headquarters to Pitcairn's Island

It's a start.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Jshin New York Most people's private lives are not that interesting anyway. The secrets of all the elected officials, the Senators and Congressmen, on the other hand could be interesting. I wonder why the politicians are not screaming bloody hell. Ohhhhhh wait. NSA can read their emails and probably has all kinds of dirt on them. Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Ned San Francisco The problem is not that the NSA & CIA have figured this out. I want them to be able to access anything they need to in the legitimate pursuit of dangerous criminals and enemies. The issue is what they are doing with this access. From what I am reading, there is way too much being swept up, without any reasonable suspicion of a particular crime or crimes. This is simply and plainly unconstitutional. Illegal search. End of story. Write your representatives, people. Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

DK VT Do you recall W's take on the hostility of radical Islam? "They hate us for our freedoms!"

Well, congratulations. They have no reason to hate us anymore. We have no freedom. And we are not likely to ever regain it. Even if we were to dissolve the NSA, do you have any confidence that it would stay dissolved?

And several subsidiary points:

Where is almost all of this electronic gear manufactured? Do you really think the Chinese would be any less eager to build backdoors into hardware than is the NSA?

and,

Clearly, the last thing anyone interested in security would do at this point is to trust anything made or run by American or British firms. Does this not promise to devastate American businesses with overseas customers? Did it help the Pakistanis trust NGO's when the CIA used that cover to spy on Bin Laden? WIll we still be happy with that scheme when smallpox comes back to stay? Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

James Long Island I'm impressed. I have trouble just moving pictures to snapfish. Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

David Henderson Washington, D.C. I would be all in favor of this type of encryption breaking if I could be sure it was directed external to citizens of the United States; however, this administration has clearly shown that it is willing to use this technology on its own citizens under the unlimited umbrella of "national security". Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

A. Stanton Dallas, TX People are always asking me why the NSA and CIA have been unable to decipher my my emails. The answer is very simple. Everything I write in them is total gibberish. This not only defeats the government's efforts to determine what I am thinking about, it also keeps a safe distance between me and my wife. Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

pmcbride ellensburg wa The part of this story that disturbs me the most is the fact that Congress specifically forbade the NSA from doing this back in the Clinton admiinistration, but the NSA went ahead and did it anyway. How's that for arrogance? Let's defund this rogue agency. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Lynn S. Defunding is an excellent idea. Defund the NSA. That's the only talk they seem to listen to (irony intended). Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

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Liberty Lover Delaware County, NY The saddest thing about this, as I told my Congressman's aide this morning, is that by ignoring Congressional mandate and scoffing at the Constitution, the NSA has made itself no better than the Stasi or the KGB, and has placed our nation on a par with police states, dictatorships, and banana republics.

This is not what I expect of the country in which I was born and raised. It is not what I expect of the country in whose armed forces I served. It is not what I expect of the country whose Constitution I swore to defend against all enemies, foreign and domestic -- at the cost of my own life, if need be. That country's government honored the Constitution and obeyed the will of the people as expressed through their elected representatives.

I have never been under the illusion that my country was perfect, but neither have I ever been so disappointed by the behavior of my country's government. This is a travesty, an assault on freedom, an affront to the rest of the world, and an insult to all who ever swore an oath to defend this nation's Constitution.

-LL Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

nobrainer New Jersey Do you seriously think organized crime would have any problems getting access. Remember the East German Staci? Americans memories are short. What was the real goal in all this and be sure that the people in charge don't know either and won't admit that. power corrupts absolutely. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Jim M Canada Can someone explain how this doesn't cross the line, in my eyes this pushes the NSA into the cyber terrorist category. Government or not. In Canada I would take it as an attack and place americans on the same aspect I place china on our blocked list. If it was just for Americans then I would let it go as you control your own, but if your gathering global information by illegally hacking into systems, I would say that US has declared internet war on the world. Spies in countries get killed for less. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

claroch montreal One does not spy on one's friend ... (like one's spouse!).

If the usa feels compelled to spy on EVERYONE, then it means it has ...NOT A SINGLE FRIEND ! Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Scott Oakland, CA This article is the riposte to those who, when asked about GWB's illegal witetaps well after 9/11, answered "Why should I worry about U.S. government wiretaps? I haven't done anything wrong." Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

miriam Astoria, Queens I know I recommended this on another thread, but I'll again I recommend this excellent article, by Daniel J. Solove: "Why Privacy Matters Even if You Have 'Nothing to Hide.'" It is since come out as a book: "Nothing to Hide: The False Tradeoff between Privacy and Security."

https://chronicle.com/article/Why-Privacy-Matters-Even-if/127461/ Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Peytr David Los Angeles Snowden, I suspect, has given away our secrets to our enemies, like Putin and you guys want to give him a Nobel Prize?

Not in my world. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ned San Francisco The principle that folks with security clearances should be prosecuted for leaking secrets is a good one, and Snowden must be held liable for his acts. But in this case, while committing a crime, he has also done us a service: Much of what he revealed demonstrates that the NSA, CIA, etc. very may be acting unconstitutionally. This is not a simple issue. It is possible he has uncovered crimes considerably more heinous than

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his own. Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Kenya Florida People should understand the Internet was never totally secure. When they tell you the standard is 128 bit encryption, it means it takes a bigger faster computer to break the encoding, I.e. N.S.A. or other big player/countries, not that it is totally secure. Therefore if someone has the resources/money all traffic can be monitored. Ask any IT person about sniffers - been around since the invention of networks.

This should simply be about the rules and restraints and not all this shock about "they can read my email". Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

J. Peterson New Jersey When government agencies willfully and repetitively violate the civil rights of the citizens - that's a crime in progress and there is nothing that can make it anything less then a crime. We need two things: 1.) A new Church committee 2.) An independent prosecutor. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Mark New York, NY Keep sitting there America. The NSA can turn you on and turn you off. Just look at the propaganda like "The Occupy". How many of you have the courage of the Tunisians or the Egyptians to get on the streets and fight for your rights?

Keep laughing Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Joe Palm Desert, CA Now I suppose that you want to select them? Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:11 p.m.

Dr. Zachary Smith Lost in Space That the Patriot Act exists and is being used so effectively to manhandle the 4th Amendment is an outrage. Who can judge what's necessary for national security when the violations are technical and inaccessible to even the experts. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

joel michigan But is the recipe for Coca Cola secure? I want to trust our government to protect us and hope they (we) don't go too far. I don't like nukes, but we need 'em. I don't like spies, but we need 'em. We have to be willing to give up some degree of privacy to assure that we are secure. It's perplexing. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Joe Palm Desert, CA Would you want a security agency that couldn't crack a code? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

EMIP Washington, D.C. Depends on what code they are cracking. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Citizen Texas No, I simply want a security agency that stays out of my private life, obeys the laws, tells the truth, doesn't hide behind secrecy, all the time, and doesn't use secret courts to do and justify what ever it is they've thought up to do. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 11

Guy L. Smith New York Why would you want a security agency that's putting vulnerabilities into the very software used by American companies, citizens, and other government agencies who are trying to protect their assets? Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Brian the bookseller Fort Worth, Texas No irony here and it is understandable that PS of Massachusetts should lash out with wild cries that the Young should grow up vibrantly with no fear of

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discovery as they sneak about with their mind-altering substances. Here in Texas we are fabricating an Evil machine that will surreptitiously saw deep, undetectable chasms all around the border of the State of Massachusetts so that the next hurricane will float it far out to sea. This will save Texans the inconveniences of secession. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:30 p.m.

MP Florida I suspect there is more to this and that Congress & White House have given NSA and others them explicit or implicit approval to do this. I suspect Congress is behind it and eventually we will find out how pervasive this spring has been supported by politicians who seem to think they know better than the Bill of Rights.

If facilitating hacking by our government to facilitate domestic spying is so important, it should should have been debated in Congress and/or the Courts. Ignoring our laws and just going ahead and doing this is wrong and it appears that more than 1 person should be held accountable with more than a slap on the wrist. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Ralph SF There is a basic dichotomy here that most people are overlooking. We all, or many of us, believe in the noble principles of transparency, freedom of speech and thought, freedom period. We believe that the basis for a strong, democratic society is openness and paucity of secrecy. The problem is that many things are easier to accomplish with secrecy and when you can use secrecy in your work, you can get away with a lot. In order to maintain a government without depending a great deal on secrecy requires extra work---real work, careful work. We want an open society but we want protection by deploying people---CIA, NSA, etc.---who specialize in secrets. How can that work? It can only work if everybody---the government, its agencies, the politicians, and the people---are on the same page and willing to make that extraordinary effort to maintain and protect an open society. There are simply too many people in all those areas who either don't agree or don't care. But, for those people who do care, they must fight against these kinds of programs and there must continue to be Snowdens and Mannings. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:19 p.m.

Lynn S. To all you commenters who in the past "blamed the victim" and told us all to just become more tech savvy and use encryption if we valued our privacy so much - what do you say now?! The issue is restraining the NSA and rewriting laws and policies to uphold the 4th amendment. Not to mention that this domestic spying costs a fortune - the NSA is a huge drain on society. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Lilou Paris, France My tax dollars pay for this invasion of privacy and I am angry about it. N.S.A. has a single-minded agenda which does not consider the First Amendment. Evidently, transparency is not high on their agenda, either.

When will fellow-Americans break free of fear-based governance, and stop giving up their basic rights, as outlined in the Constitution?

Writing to our representatives may have an effect. They DO count the e-mail and letter votes and opinions on issues. That doesn't guarantee they will carry their constituents' will to Congress.

What's the other solution? Get off the internet entirely. Social networking and other sites will lose advertising income and hopefully, will raise a loud cry of complaint. And I suppose, even as I write this, companies are creating more advanced encryption to try to keep ahead of N.S.A.--at least I hope they are.

This is too much sacrifice of privacy and individual rights in the name of national security. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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Joan California If the other employees are like Snowden, why is anyone surprised? After all, it takes one to know one -- to coin a phrase. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m.

Howard Queens Isaac Asimov in Foundation predicted a tech savvy government agency would run the galaxy. Welcome to our scifi future Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Michael Branagan Silver Spring, MD Why pay Carbonite an annual backup fee when we get NSA backups with our tax dollars? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m.

Peytr David Los Angeles Why not use Dropbox? Carbonite costs money. Dropbox does not Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m.

If not me then who USA I am amazed. The NSA has accessed and decoded private encrypted communications of United States citizens and businesses. If I were to do this, it would be a computer crime. Because the NSA writes their own rules, we are to TRUST that these rules are Constitutional and legal? Not. These 'people' are a bunch of thugs in suits that live by the creed, "The end justifies the means..."

The statements regarding liberty, tyrants and tyranny attributed to Aristotle are very relevant to this debate.

We the people should not buy into this and no thank you, Barry Soetoro. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

John Northampton, PA This country is so ready for Rand Paul. Have you had your fill of Big Government NOW? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Casual Observer Los Angeles Without backdoors and lazy users of encryption procedures the NSA would struggle to crack encryptions using it's super computers and wily algorithms. The permutations of 64 bit keys are so big that even a supercomputer requires much time to check them all or even half of them (the expected searches required).

All that is really needed to secure individuals' data is to actually eliminate backdoors and to have users follow basic procedures which assure that decryption has no shortcuts.

While it makes the work of the NSA somewhat harder it would actually be best if private data was secured well. The greater threat to our cyber systems is from hackers who can introduce programs or download information compared to the knowledge that the NSA harvests in it's broad and indiscriminate searches. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m.

Pilgrim Cape I am curious about the 1,000's upon 1,000's of contract workers doing the dirty work for the NSA. Potentially a neighbor, friend or relative. Why has only a handful of them come forward with these revelations of our growing insecurity and lack of privacy? What is keeping them doing their jobs without doubt or ethical conscience quandaries? Fear and job security is the obvious answer but why is there not more brave patriots among us? Today the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights are just flaming pieces of paper, and nobody is seemingly willing to blow them out. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

ThePlainsman Virginia It's scary to read some writers suggest rights should be a balance test between liberty and security.

If so, we'll need amendments to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, designed to secure rights for the minority over the majority.

Freedom of speech -- "Congress shall make NO law" -- is not a balance, not a

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test of majority status. Freedom of association, the right to bear arms, freedom from unwarranted search, to be secure in our papers -- these are not balancing tests.

These are rights that attain to the benefit of even one American who might stand in opposition to all the rest.

This is what our founders wanted, this is what governs our rule of law, this is what it means to be American. If you think this is a balance, amend the Constitution.

We left the Crown to form our Union to be free from others substituting their judgment for ours on these matters. We knew this quest made us less secure and we Americans did it anyway. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Bob H seattle To paraphrase an American major from the Vietnam War era: It became necessary to destroy the country to save it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Slim_G Reno, NV WAIT A MINUTE! It seems possible now that the NSA or any other agency with means to decrypt anything, could quite possibly be behind stock market flash crashes or any other stock market related "tweaking". Think about it... if you or your organization could tweak the market or even the perception of the market toward any fiscal advantage... wouldn't you be actively trying to do it? I am very perturbed that any one agency or someone similar to Snowden could access any encrypted data or network and quite easily change any data or information stored. The advantages of "just knowing" what is on your supposedly secure server or database for any one company could destroy your company/business, personal life, and quite frankly everything you know and love with the push of an "enter" button. Credit agencies, your money in the bank, PIN numbers, and any other digital means of information are open books ready to reaped for harvest... if it hasn't happened already. Imagine if one man with the means to see and change any one digital aspect of your life decides to omnisciently use this digital info against you. We are all at a serious disadvantage. MOST DISTURBING! I shudder to think where we all would be if data were not secure. This article, purposefully written to greater generalities, is quite simply telling us that nothing is secure. Yes, I am fully convinced that what Snowden revealed was a closely guarded secret. He had to run, he knew too much, and he knew it!!!!!!!!! Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

TerryDarc Southern Oregon Yes, suppose the CIA or NSA is just a little short of cash? What is to prevent them from manipulating accounts, markets or whatever for their political goals. Suppose they want to bankrupt Al-Quaida and you happen to have invested in the same instrument?

You're not a terrorist. You're just an unfortunate mushroom in the line of fire. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

NeverLift Austin, TX Exactly what is the fuss about? Intelligence services' business is cracking codes. Our has been at it since before the revolution. That activity saved untold lives – some say it was even the turning point – in the European and Pacific theaters in WWII, with Alan Turing’s team cracking the German Enigma, and the US’s Operation Magic, assisted by the British, reading the Japanese naval codes.

But there is a serious issue here.

The dreadfully shocking part of this story is that it was written. That codes have been broken is the most sensitive information of all. It warns our enemy that their messages are no longer secure; in reaction, they change their codes, and the code breakers must start all over. Until the new codes are broken, we are again blind and vulnerable to their most secret plans.

This is an essential activity in maintaining our security. Revealing its specifics is, very definitively, high treason. There are many examples of how that has been treated – within our legal system – in the past, and age has not diminished the seriousness of such crimes. Snowden must be returned, tried, and executed. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

viator1 Plainfield, NJ Well, below are two reasons for the fuss I could find after about 10 seconds of looking. If the NSA was using it in our best interest then

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yeah, no problem. But they are not. They are using it to track potential boy or girlfriends. They are using it as an end run around people's rights. Their oversight, the FISA court, is nothing more than a rubber stamp.

http://blogs.wsj.com/washwire/2013/08/23/nsa-officers-sometimes- spy-on-l...

http://www.forbes.com/sites/jennifergranick/2013/08/14/nsa- dea-irs-lie-a... Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

RS MD Saratoga Springs, NY Kudos to the New York Times for publishing this information.

The NSA-CIA complex takes care of itself, and involves the military and private contractors in taking care of that whole group. They are not primarily interested in taking care of the American citizen.

Remember, this is the same crowd that took us into Iraq and Afghanistan. Thankfully, we have paused before becoming involved in Syria.

Democracy involves the populace knowing what their elected representatives are doing, and knowing what their tax-supported agencies are doing also.

We can't depend on our elected representatives taking care of us either. They are primarily interested in getting re-elected. They don't ask enough questions, and they waste their time doing political dances; they are afraid of people who have been around longer, or who seem to now more about how the world works.

Basically, I get to vote on this. I need to know what's going on to do so in an informed fashion. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Brandon Wetter Miami, FL The NSA will be reluctant to acknowledge the existence of open-source encryption protocols and security measures developed by much-larger open-source community-based projects than that which can be offered by private enterprise here in the United States; one that cannot be threatened, bribed, or otherwise coerced the same way a bank or a tech firm in the United States can be. There are solutions like TOR (The Onion Router), TrueCrypt, and other open-source, community-developed protocols that have no NSA back-door, and the reach of the NSA compared to the broader worldwide open-source internet cryptography community is microscopic. With technology becoming less expensive and, as a result, more accessible and available coupled with the inception of the open-source model, the world has a much larger pool of networking & cryptography analysts, technicians, engineers and programmers than the NSA or the United States government could ever even dream of, let alone recruit. Corporations and the free-market as a whole no longer has a stranglehold on technology as they now have been sharing technological breakthroughs with foundations and other nonprofit community groups that seem to be dominating what was once exclusive to private enterprise (Mozilla Firefox, for example, comes to mind). The worldwide technology community as a whole is a lot bigger than any government, any corporation, or any alliance between the two; let alone one solitary government agency. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

RHE NJ, USA These are clear violations of law.

NSA actions have violated the Fourth Amendment, eviscerated the US Constitution, and moved the US toward police state status.

The NSA must be defunded.

NSA officials must be prosecuted. Preferably on capital treason charges.

Bush Administration and Obama Administration officials who enabled or acquiesced in NSA vcrimes also must be prosecuted .

It is increasingly apparent that Obama's and the intelligence agencies' shameless lies and desperate warmongering on Syria are an attempt to change the subject. Obama and the intelligence agencies must be defeated on Syria and then taken down.

Although I contributed voted twice for Obama and contributed twice to Obama, I his assent to and support for NSA crimes leaves no alternative but to seek his impeachment and prosecution on treason charges

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4 Peytr David Los Angeles "Police state"? You're being dramatic Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m.

Peter Austin, TX Our Police State is rather interesting as it plays out its game plan. Under Bush and Cheney it was all about money and how they could maximize their incomes. There was no interest in anything else. It all came down to money. Denial of all things scientific, cultural or altruistic, as long as they could make more money.

Now the boss is a lawyer from Al Capone's home town. The President tells us to trust him and his people. We see daily in your columns how badly this is working out. This is the problem with idealists. Their ideals are fine for them, but not for you and me. They have a right to know. But you don't. And anyone who is an inconvenience is put away for as long as possible so that they are not an embarrassment. So, now we have paranoid do-gooders in charge. One almost wants the return of the quaint old days of Bush's TSA Red and Orange alerts.

How did we get fooled into voting for this mob? I almost want the greedy money people back. At least you knew what their angle was. And as long as you lived quietly under a bridge with no health insurance, they left you alone. One thing we can be sure of though is that the do-gooders will turn into raging Bushies as soon as their time is up. Watch how they will join the lecture circuit and write books that will bring them untold wealth.

Yes I am cynical. But to paraphrase Churchill, if you are cynical when you are young then you have no heart. If you aren't cynical when you are old, then you have no brain. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

R. Hyre Chicago, IL Imagine if there were another system where public trust had been so thoroughly violated that people stopped using it.

Consider the system of commercial banks, for example. Without the public trust that their money is being safely managed and loaned out to businesses and individuals, all while earning interest for the depositor, commerce would grind to a halt.

Now imagine an Internet community trying to operate without that same trust. People need to be confident that the encryption systems they've been accustomed to using in day-to-day life are secure.

We trust them to make sure that an adversary can't eavesdrop on their communications OR impersonate others hasn't been subverted from top to bottom. When the Internet server people use every day for online banking, and the home network router they use to keep nosy neighbors and Internet crackers from breaking into their home network.

Bruce Schneier said it best: "The NSA has undermined a fundamental social contract." Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Carolyn Saint Augustine There is no such thing as anonymity on the internet, although "anonymity in numbers" has essentially been NSA's argument in keeping their diabolic spy programs intact. The whole idea that my information is swept up with everybody else's should - according to the NSA - give me a measure of comfort. It gives me no comfort at all. The whole point of these programs is to make sure that nobody can get lost in the crowd, so to speak. What's worse, is that - with rendition still a possibility - when mistakes are made, there is no way for people to rectify their status or retaliate. They can just disappear, or information falsified about them.

What has happened is that the NSA has become the enemy of the very people it was sworn to protect. It failed to find the Boston bombers, regardless of its elaborate scheming: weakened encryptions, strong-arming companies for complicity, eavesdropping, reading e-mails, etc. What it has been successful at, is spying on innocents and turning American companies against Americans. The NSA and its corporate satellites must be held accountable and their programs severely curtailed. They need to be defunded immediately. Moreover, foreign companies are not going to want to do business with American tech companies, which is going to be a substantial blow to the economy. Defund NSA now, hold hearings and get some hard laws about privacy on the books. And get rid of FISA. Nobody needs a secret court in a free country. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

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miriam Astoria, Queens What a comment, Carolyn. I hope it becomes a NYT Pick. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:32 p.m.

lifelong Dem Colorado The reality is that anything on the Internet is potentially accessible at any time and has been from the beginning. That is why this wholesale move to electronics technology on our part as a nation is sheer foolishness. Kudos for Snowden for pointing it out. If NSA can break a code, sooner or later someone else can. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:15 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

thomc416 Monett MO Amazing how low our collective intellect is regarding the mission of the N.S.A. Do you not understand that minimum wage clerks at all of the banks are reviewing cancelled personal checks every day? Ask Gov. Spitzer of New York about the results of writing checks to houses of ill repute! Do you not understand that minimum wage file clerks in divorce and bankruptcy attorney’s offices have access to all of client’s personal financial information? And what about the file clerks in doctor’s offices that have access to your Viagara prescription history? Who would you rather have reviewing your personal history and privacy issues, file clerks with no training in personal information gathering or trained and educated professional intelligence analysts? Unfortunately the New York Times and other socialist activists are intent on confusing the public by comparing intelligence gathering activities whose sole purpose is to protect our national security with the Department of JustUs and other law enforcement agencies monitoring the public to gather evidence of criminal intent? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:15 p.m.

Libby U.S. I've read through the comments here and I don't think most of the commenters understand the enormity of this.

1. If the NSA has a backdoor to encryption, every government and crook on the planet will soon be trying to get their hands on it. It won't be long before the NSA's tools are widespread. 2. The importance of the security of an individual's Internet activity is infinitesimal when compared to the importance of the security of government, industrial, and business data and communications. If anyone gets hold of the NSA's backdoors, government secrecy will be compromised, industrial secrets will be compromised, the banking system will be compromised, and the country's infrastructure (electric grid, nuclear power plants, etc.) will be ripe for takeover. 3. In the short term, the NSA's creation of security vulnerabilities is costing the economy billions in revenue lost to hackers. Not only are we paying more to clean up malware that wouldn't have been able to infiltrate our computers had the NSA not weakened security systems, but other countries will no longer be purchasing American computer and security goods and services.

The NSA's activities are not good for this country. Think about it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:15 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

peter Boston, Ma Furthermore, the US has a huge high-tech industry providing cloud computing, financial transactions, networking hardware, etc. The trustworthiness of all this is seriously undermined by what the NSA has done. This will cost billions in lost business and countless lost US jobs as companies stop using US vendors. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Lynn S. In relations to Peter's comment: Stanford University GSB (business school) made the switch to Google cloud file storage and email two years ago to save money on maintenance of physical servers. They do a lot of innovative prototyping and start-up activity there. I wonder if they are questioning the wisdom of that move now that it's clear that all their data is even more vulnerable than previously thought. Other departments have not made the switch because of security concerns. Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Henry Petaluma, CA Lynn, unless you are keeping paper only files or only saving documents on computers that have no web access, I fail to see how simply avoiding Google will solve anything. You will still have information either stored directly in the cloud, or on servers or computers accessible from the internet.

The issue isn't whether someone could steal the information, but WHO

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would do it. I would be much more worried about corporate espionage than the US govt. And in that case, Google may have better security than others. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

pintoks austin As an Obama supporter I cannot believe how we are now right back in the George W. Bush executive mode (maybe never left it after all?), with all this talk of bombing while the domestic surveillance machine churns on and our civil liberties further decline.

Never would have guessed that Obama could out-Orwell George W., but he's on the verge with all this head-fakery on red lines while Americans' privacy quickly erodes. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Walt Wisconsin There is no privacy on the Web. Act accordingly and be grateful if once in a while the government does the job we pay it for. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Chris nowhere I can tell you Please. Think about next time you make a withdrawal at your ATM.

Time, date, amount, balance, and your picture.

And you are outraged at "spying?" Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:07 p.m.

Lynn S. Does the ATM also access my medical records, thoughts via internet searches, and network of friends and family? For no legitimate reason? No, it doesn't. A false equivalence. Yes, I do think cameras on ATM are creepy. Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

RB NY The REAL lesson from this is that we need to make sure we have highly intelligent people of integrity running our government and representing us. The enemy is not government but men (and women). There will always be a government far stronger than any individual (and for good reason); the whole point of the US is to make that government well-run and honest. It's not to give people cars and vacations. The whole point of the US is governance, by the people etc. So if we keep our eye on that, that is the true issue -- not all the bells and whistles the government uses and creates. And I want to just say Thank God (and the US electorate and Constitution) we have a president like Barack Obama leading us. A person of true integrity and massive intelligence. Our second Lincoln, for sure. (Albeit he is no FDR.... but one can't be everything.) Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:06 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Walker Rowe Santiago, chile Encryption works by trying to solve the 300-year old problem of how to determine if a number is prime. The NSA has not solved that problem; if someone had, it would be a history-making result, widely-published in mathematics journals. The NSA computers guess at the solution trying every possible answer. Nothing technical about that.

Edward Snowden said it himself how to beat the NSA: just pick a very long number as the key. It could take even the fastest computer years to determine how to factor that. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:06 p.m.

Murphy's Law Vermont So, what people see in the movies is true, are they leakers? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:06 p.m.

JeanValJean NYC All named after Civil War Battles. How telling. Yes, Indeed, the NSA has declared War on the American People. I guess "Safety and Security" only applies to the Federal Government, not the People who are supposed to be "Governed with the Consent of the Governed"...KTSG... Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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hawkeye Lees Summit, MO There are two critical fallacies in the debate surrounding the information this article reveals. First, the choice between security and privacy is a false choice -- check with the people of Boston. Also, remember, the folks at the NSA were doing their thing well before 9/11. How'e that work out? The problem with the NSA is that they really don't play well with others. The second issue is that the "government" isn't doing this, a semi-private, largely unsupervised agency is. Whatever illusions we might have about our government -- of the people, by the people ..., the concepts of "top secret," "eyes only," and similar tripe have erased the checks and balances concept so dear to our "Founding Fathers." Yes, folks, check with your history books and look who came to our shores first -- puritans who couldn't get respect in Europe in the 1600s. They're still here and so worried about sex that they can't make policy any longer. We elect officials based on their stand on abortion, not whether they care about the people they represent, the constitution, the infrastructure or anything else. Everyone is an "enemy." Most of all, the rest of us. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Roger Michigan There are a couple of separate issues here. Should the NSA do what it is doing and is the present situation is acceptable?

I would venture that America and any other country has a right to defend itself and this includes espionage and many of the activities that the NSA undertakes.

The present situation is not acceptable because (taking a leaf from the judicial system) justice must not only be done, it must be seen to be done. It's the last bit that is missing. In the necessity for so many actions to be carried out secretly we have also allowed the oversight of the NSA and other bodies to be done in secret. It also seems to be the case that the NSA has taken on some powers that have not been granted to it probably because they could get away with it.

The public cannot be told the details but the rules, limitations and oversight should be discussed openly in Congress. If it had been, there would have been no reason for Snowden to have sacrificed his career. By doing what he did, he has allowed a long overdue public debate to take place. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:42 p.m.

Joe Ketchum Idaho And Obama is all for this why? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:41 p.m.

But there is a serious issue here.

Guy L. Smith New York Spying on foreign governments is one thing. Spying on our own citizens is something else entirely. Beyond that, sabotaging encryption systems that are relied upon by American citizens and businesses is simply outrageous. If any treason has occurred here, it's on the part of the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

rjs7777 NK There will be a statue of Edward Snowden in Washington, DC (who will be an immortal US icon) within 50 years. And none of Obama. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

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Peytr David Los Angeles Want to bet? Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m.

dlh211 Las Vegas, NV I'm not sure I know where to start with this information. On the one hand, it is imperative in this global environment that the government do what it takes to protect Americans. On the other hand, it seems ridiculous that guidelines such as HIPAA exist which require the medical professions to follow strict guidelines on privacy of patient information when apparently the government has access at any time. And who are these "government" people that have access to our private health records all the time. When it comes to Google, Microsoft, Facebook, etc. these companies are being sued left and right for their handling of consumer information and overstepping privacy. I suppose its okay for the government but not for anyone else. I am not sure that ALL of our private information is that relevant to terrorism and I certainly do not condone "bullying" companies into breaking their own Terms of Service with no knowledge to their customers/users. This is such a complex issue with Americans. The whole notion of privacy is one the government has invaded since the beginning; opening mail, listening to phone calls. And Americans seem to possess a double standard that is perhaps human nature. Spy on my neighbor to keep me safe but don't you dare spy on me. Everyday clients tell me they are "afraid of social media because of putting their information out there". Really? Really? Social media isn't the problem, it's much bigger than that. Let's talk about this. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:39 p.m.

miriam Astoria, Queens J. Edgar Hoover could only dream of the surveillance technology we have today. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Steve Goodin 34N, 118W Under the disciplinary rules for attorneys in most American jurisdictions and under the American Bar Association "Model Rules" a lawyer has a mandatory duty to preserve and protect the confidences of a client. Now that the information in this article has been published and is (constructively, at least) known to entire world, if the attorney and client communicate with each other by email or other means where the communication is read or listened to or stored on a third party's hard drive for future review by a third person (or computer program) that is a stranger to the attorney-client relationship, (1) is the attorney subject to bar discipline, and (2), more importantly, has the client waived the client's right to keep related communications with the attorney confidential (and inadmissible at trial) under the rules of attorney-client privilege? Of course, the "privilege" rules do not apply to communications where the lawyer and client are cooking up or concealing criminal or fraudulent conduct, but the rules are designed to prevent even the inadvertent (as in negligent) disclosure of client confidences. So, three guesses about what this does to client confidentiality in the legal arena. And did someone say something about somebody being a professor of Constitutional Law? At what law school was that? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

linzt PO,NY The abuse of a government agency ( NSA) is outrageous, dishonest, and criminal. Lies over Lies. More secrets to be open, and this is only the beginning. The unscrupulous and arrogant attitude make me disgusted with this nation under devils. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Psmith WA Short of a revolution, this problem is not going away.

I don't have and will not carry a cell phone. I use the internet sparingly and email rarely. When I'm not working, I work in my garden or I put aside vegetables that I've grown. I figure doing this is much more productive than reading and worrying about our political system which it seems is under the control of lobbyists. Too bad, once upon a time I thought we all made a difference. To know this is tax payer funded is doubly infuriating! I wish someone would organize a march on Washington before the cold weather sets in. I think congress needs to see us in the streets to realize how upset we really are. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

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blasmaic Washington DC My accounts were hacked several years ago, and a neighbor who work on Capitol Hill was able to get me reimbursed through a special fund for Congress's and other VIPs. She said it was top secret, but with all the new transparency I thought it would be okay. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 p.m.

BP USA Scary, very scary.

Good think Manning and Snowden are out of the government and there is no possibility someone else like them will ever corrupted be this absolute power...Right?

Why would some 3rd rate bureaucrat want to play God with virtually all of the secrets of the entire country (or world)? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Casual Observer Los Angeles The Congress under Clinton made truly hard to crack encryption largely illegal so that the NSA could selectively monitor whatever it needed, so how come the big surprise that they can crack all the encryption techniques in use, now?

In addition, the technology used on the internet developed from the open and simplified systems developed for desktop computers, which mostly did not incorporate any security protocols in their designs.

So who is surprised by this state of affairs? People who never bothered to ask any questions, that's who. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:22 p.m.

joe ny So many salient points have already been made by a host of brave people in this comment thread. Their outrage and perceptive insight into the implications of this revolution is almost cause for hope. The game, however, is over. No individual technology company will ever be given the right by the courts to deny the NSA access to their backdoor key in the pursuit of a suspect. Giving the NSA the ability to spy on an individual will ALWAYS mean giving them the ability to spy on everyone. No one can, from a practical, political or conceptual standpoint can watch over the activities of the NSA. They answer to no one. The game is over. Telecommunications companies promise empowerment while secretly compromising our privacy. The internet is dead. It is now the tool of tyrants. This comment, like all other digital interaction, must now self-destruct. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Guy L. Smith New York There is still hope, but it lies in open-source solutions. Collaborative, open development of software and hardware can keep oversight in the hands of citizens. It would require turning our backs on commercial software and developing hardware that can be verified after purchase. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Libby U.S. The country had a public debate about inserting backdoors into encryption, and the NSA lost. Still the NSA went ahead with its nefarious activities in cracking encryption. Moreover, it has failed to anticipate the possible unintended consequences of its actions: untrustworthy agents will get their hands on the NSA's encryption cracks; countries and businesses will no longer buy U.S. computer products or services; U.S. consumers will be the victims of malware, costing the economy untold billions of dollars. The NSA is a rogue, out of control agency that fails to understand how a democracy works. Heads need to roll, and budgets need to be cut severely.

In addition, the actions of the U.S. companies that have rolled over so easily for the NSA need to be examined. If they are selling security products that are deliberately hobbled, that's fraud. I'm sure that various conspiracy charges also apply. Throw the book at them. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Nguyen West Coast Let's focus not on the fanfare of machinery but the Wizard of Oz behind every knob, every button. Tell that to your obsessed children. I'm sure it's partly because of lack of leadership (aka a being) in a very free, seemingly open world due to its shear colossal power of virtuality. Yet the skies are full of "Clouds," as if there are invisible bubbles for every modern Nirvana. For the very few benefits, we don't mind the excess noise and the Incognito Big Brother, or do we?

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But it's harder to put a name on every Wizard of Oz than to get lost in the anonymity inside the digital forest. I know because I am constantly being warned by others not to display my full name/location on my NYT profile, including my own wife who probably could use the NSA data herself to her advantage for her job. Billions of dollars lost from digital theft have not prevented us from going back to gold coins. We still text and send silly images of ourselves.

Another case-in-point: I had a conversation with a "hardware engineer." His task was to design a hardware that comes with an entirely new operating system created by the company so no hackers can (yet) learn the codes. So I asked, why not catch the thieves and prosecute them?

It's like a hunter mentality setting up traps. The human condition has been hard-wired to learn to avoid the traps, rather than to go after the hunter all together. I supposed deeply rooted in our conscience we are all "hunters" in a digital Utopia. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Libby U.S. Makes me wonder what the NYT's criteria are for "picking" comments. Apparently intelligibility isn't one of them. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

dbemont Albion, NY In my mind, the overarching story here is that elements within our government do not consider the citizens to be sovereign. When told no by elected representatives, they go ahead and do it anyway, because they know they are right.

Even while recognizing the reality of foreign threats, at the end of the day, this seems the larger threat to America. It's like a gradual, unannounced coup, which, among other things, gives credence to all kinds of extremists and conspiracy theories. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

LOL JUST LOL USA And when Congress authorizes military intervention in Syria against the wishes of 90% of the public, this truth will be laid bare. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

toom germany maybe I will only pay cash, disconnect from the internet and hide my money under the bed--in gold coins. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

J.Stan Ann Arbor "The abuse of power never leads to wisdom." Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:11 p.m.

AS Roma Roma N.S.A....WASTE of tax money payers Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Liberty Lover Delaware County, NY Executive orders, NSA, secret FISA courts... When did this country's government become a cabal?

-LL Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

mike NYC So if any of my accounts is hacked and I am robbed, scammed, etc. CAN I SUE THE NSA FOR BREAKING THE SECURITY ?? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Roy Shane Tn Simplify...... Is hacking a crime or not? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Alex New York The issue isn't what the NSA is doing. It's that the public hasn't been given the option whether to approve it or not, by voting in legislators to pass laws for or

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against mass surveillance. It's up to the voters to decide the appropriate balance between security and liberty, not for government officials in closed rooms to pick.

For security reasons the public clearly can't be informed about every little detail, but they do have the right to know the broad strokes of what the government is doing so they can make an informed decision. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York Actually, we did get to vote. The rejection of the Clipper Chip is an example. The problem here is that the NSA went ahead and did the same thing in a different way. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Shane New England It is heartening to see the NY Times report this travesty and the many readers whose comments reflect a justifiable fear that our government has gone way too far.

There is no question in my mind that this and other NSA activities are unconstitutional and, in fact, criminal. Sadly, both parties are complicit in the debacle.

I can only hope against hope that a candidate emerges who is willing to put an end to our burgeoning police state before it is too late. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

dave p palo alto, CA Cloud storage is both popular and useful, a product offered by Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Dropbox and many others. NSA should enter the game. Customers don't even have to upload their data; the NSA already has it. All they need offer is download capability at a competitive price. They even have a great slogan "Security is our middle name".

Or perhaps they already are in the game under a different name? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Peytr David Los Angeles Do you realize how much data is out there? No one is looking through your email. There's simply nothing there of interest Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m.

Thor Seattle This might save the post office. An era of handwritten letters may return, forcing the NSA to get out the old steam pots and highly dextrous hands. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:08 p.m.

Eric baltimore The real issue is not that the government is spying, but that they know more about us than we do about them. If things were balanced - if everyone knew about everyone equally - the potential for abuses would be greatly diminished.

I believe we need laws and financing to build an NSA-style intelligence capability that is directed towards monitoring our own government. Every conversation, email, action, plan, meeting, etc. of any government official should be made available to the public for scrutiny. This will be the best way to ensure continued freedom and democracy. Right now, too much power and information is being concentrated in too few hands. The abuses are inevitable. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

James PA Not being a terrorist or lawbreaker, I don't have anything to hide from Uncle Sam. So any of the info he gathers from me is just wasting space in memory banks.

What >>does<< irk me, however, is why all the geniuses are working hard to break encryption methods INSTEAD OF HELPING IMPROVE THINGS SUCH AS THE PROCESSING OF V.A. BENEFITS!

Seriously, billions of dollars spent on cracking codes and installing "back doors" and it still takes many months for a military veteran, who sacrificed for his country, to get a disability claim processed! Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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bluegrass kentucky This is pure evil. We cannot trust any organization on the planet having this level of power. The temptation for abuse is too great. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Dennis Connecticut If you don't think the government is your enemy, rest assured they believe you are. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Brad Howard Bellingham, WA How fitting that the names for both the NSA and GCHQ programs are named after civil war battles, where we turned on one another... Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Kati WA State ...and in spite of all that they couldn't stop the Boston marathon murders, even though as the media reported the govt had been warned by the Russians twice about the elder brother and, I seem to recall, that brother had sent out e-mails or done searches inquiring on how to build a bomb.

From what I've read, the NSA was busy at the time spying on the Occupy Movement.

This is so very sad.... Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ventura Capitalist Los Angeles I'm sure this is quite useful to the DNC. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m.

Crypto Savvy Here It is reasonable to develop encryption-cracking technology. But some of what the NSA has done is plant weaknesses in encryption products used for legitimate uses. That is an appalling and irresponsible weakening of our security which exposes us all to danger.

In the quest for control and power the agency appears to have abandoned its primary mission of ensuring our security. Worse than ironic. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

TerryDarc Southern Oregon This article does not address, but we would all be interested in the question: How safe is e-commerce? My bank account? My 401k? My credit card information?

Thanks to the NSA, I believe the answer is: not very. The only reason crooks have not made more use of the back doors and weaknesses inserted with great deliberation by the NSA "for-our-own-good" is that they are not yet up to NSA's level of sophistication. But that time will come and when it does, the entire e-commerce, worldwide dependence upon the internet, and every banking transaction will come crashing down around our ears.

That will not be a pretty picture but will we have been made safe or at least safer "for-our-own-good" against Al-Quaida and the Russians and whoever else the NSA has a mission against? Probably not. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m.

Adrienne Boston How many times have I said no to browser or security add-on programs that loaded themselves anyway, and annoyed when I am required to agree to the main program "phoning home" about my use of their product. Facebook, Yahoo, Google, any number of sites are being roundly criticized for mining users data. Why are we not really screaming about this heinous invasion of equipment and privacy?

Let's be real about the fact that almost at every turn, somebody is selling our intimate details without our permission. I'm not going to get my knickers in a twist about the government using it to fight crime if nobody is interested in addressing the big fat elephant sitting right in front of us. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m.

AMM New York It is actually way too late to put that genie back into the bottle. What the NSA can do, the Chinese can do as well, so can the Russians, the Indiands, the

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Israelis - all of them and more. There is no more privacy. It's gone and it will never come back. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.

Nelson Colorado I just finished an excellent book called 'The Utah Code Breaker" that talks about how the NSA is doing this exact thing at their new data center in Utah. Its frighteningly realistic and freaky, considering the author wrote about this months before Ed Snowden even came out with the leaks. I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to learn how the NSA is reading your emails. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.

Bonwise Davis I'm grateful the N.S.A. is doing a superior job to keep us safe. Clearly, intelligence is not game show to like or not, we have elected leaders to judge and coordinate security. What we need is not a sensationalist but an ethical media. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.

Bill from NYC NYC Was this news? Do you really believe your information is safe on the internet? The scary part for me if you know how to crack encryption then you are in a position to develop untraceable communications even from the government you are working for because you can develop encryption methods that cannot be cracked. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.

Wendyloch Santa Cruz This should not shock a public all too eager to live online. We are plugged into a public space, and despite passwords and encryption, it has always remained open to whatever prying eyes are clever and/or malicious enough to look around. Hacks and corporations have known and profited from it for years. I do business online, and despite the enormous convenience of it, I've never been anything but reticent about the process. In terms of private communication, wake up folks; the internet is not the best place to tell a secret. While I'm not thrilled about the NSA's advanced ability to snoop, like it or not, it carries benefits in a world increasingly vulnerable to cyber-terrorism, just as it carries deep concerns for private citizens in a democracy. I hedge my bets and go by the old credo: don't say anything in public you wouldn't want published on the front page of the New York Times. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:06 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

c harris Rock Hill SC The NSA is a steam roller. There is apparently no limit on their activities. They have hypnotized President Obama. They have the Congress eating out their hands. They are quite simply an out of control rogue elephant. The wonders of the internet and the new communications technology are being degraded by the prying eyes of an alliance of big gov't and big corporations. There is no doubt that the NSA has become a proprietorial operation with giant corporations stuffing their pockets with tax payer money. All this with no mission. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:51 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Brian MD All I can say is: What do you expect? Quit whining and learn to live with it. All you will do by investigating the NSA is weakening our intelligence services. The reason we live in our great society is that we have such people watching our backs. Enjoy the limited freedoms we have. Some day, we will be under some country's control who is not going to permit the freedoms we now enjoy. This type of publishing of our intelligence community's secrets will be the cause. STOP IT! Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

ArtM New York Why does this surprise anyone?

Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely.

Given no restrictions, no oversight and no consequences the NSA has decided the easiest way to fight whatever it is they consider evil (don't assume your definition of evil is the same as theirs) is to have the absolute ability to eliminate any semblence of privacy

This is not new news. History proves this past repeats itself. The only difference is by breaking internet security, government now has the ability to easily wield total control over its citizens, all under the guise of making us

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safer.

It is so easy to erode the rights we have through our Consitution. It is even easier to volunteer to give them up because "they" are the problem. Unfortunately, they are you. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Citizen Texas With the utmost sincerity here, can anyone out there please tell me why Mr. Clapper has not been charged with lying to congress? The same goes for the Director of NSA. Congress has set a precedent in they don't charge either one of these individuals. Others, in the future, that are charged with lying, can simply say; "You didn't charge them, don't charge me, thank you very much." Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Manic Drummer Madison, WI And what precisely will the American people do about this? Nothing, because they don't care that they're being spied on, let alone that their tax are paying for it. Another good reason to hate Americans. Disgusting country, I hope it dies soon! I hate you all! Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:45 p.m.

miriam Astoria, Queens All those of us who are protesting here and elsewhere, do you really believe that we don't care that we're being spied on? Not one of us? How do you know?

You indicate an American location. If you're an American, do you hate yourself? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Free Bear NY Let us just accept the inconvenient truth:

there is a god in the internet who sees everything and has the power to destroy anything. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Independent Voter Los Angeles I am, steadily and surely, coming to despise, even loathe, my country. America is no longer what we thought it was, it has become the Soviet Union of the modern age. All those paranoid ranters who warned us about endlessly encroaching government and told us not to trust it - not ever - not under any circumstance - were not crazy, they were prescient and right.

Is it any wonder the number of extreme militia organizations is expanding across the country at record pace, and that people are arming themselves against the day the the black helicopters arrive at their doors?

America has become a paranoid nightmare where liberty and privacy are a joke, where Big Government peers without restriction into our bedrooms, our offices and our computers and records everything we say, think or do, not to protect us, but to keep us under their thumb and give them the capacity to control us from the day we are born until the day we die. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

rjs7777 NK May I suggest you oppose specific, criminal people and operational employees/teams inside the US federal government? People who ought to be rotting in jail? That's not the same thing as despising your country. Give yourself some credit. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:11 p.m.

Independent Voter Los Angeles rjs: I find it exceedingly difficult to distinguish between my government - we, the people, ARE, supposedly, our government - and my country. I live in a country, not inside the federal government, and it is my country that has become an Orwellian nightmare of invasion, intrusion and spying,

I would, for example, loathe North Korea and not only it's government had I been forced to live there, because the North Korean's, wittingly or not, allowed their government to become what it is.

My country, America, has, wittingly or not, allowed the slow and steady erosion of liberty and personal freedom to happen. God knows we were warned, and we, as a country, did nothing.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Qwickie NY Typical Big Brother government. I might as well have voted for Romney. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

miriam Astoria, Queens What I said during the campaign: two words: Supreme Court. The next time a Justice dies or steps down, do you want another Scalia or another Sotomayor? If we get the former, we will get an impregnable majority of reactionaries. Goodbye, whatever justice we have.

I see that Republicans aren't the only ones who don't do nuance. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:12 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

cyclone beautiful nyc Bull Run and Mananas are the same American Civil War battle, one is the name by the Union and the other by the Confederacy. If I'm not mistaken, it was the first battle of the war and a Union defeat! Why these were chosen as the project names needs to be decrypted. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Abby Tucson Did anyone notice their Mircosoft updates taking eons to download and install the first two months after this reveal began? How much did that cost US? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m.

Bert Floryanzia Sanford, NC Hey NSA, evil empire much? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Nick Denver, CO That's it. I'm creating my own language. Go ahead and decipher that. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

DAG NYC This is a complex issue and it's not only that their are many sides to the debate, but it's also that opinions change based on the latest news.

If we experience another 9/11 in the U.S., or something worst, no one will be arguing for stricter privacy laws. But then, since memories are short, a few years later privacy will take center stage again. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Ranjit Vadakkan New York "Trust, but verify" is a simple, yet powerful paradigm - especially in a democracy. Do you expect the NSA to trust people blindly if it cannot verify their behavior? So while I admire their "snooping" capabilities, the only issue I have with them has to do with checks and balances that they've put in place to ensure that these powers are not misused. Systems designed by humans are inherently biased and I can only hope that the NSA employs a panel of level headed individuals to uphold fairness and justice - naive, I know - but I can sleep better assuming that. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m.

vintoad Albuquerque, NM Anyone who's worked for a national laboratory here in NM & has had access to the more "avant-garde" research efforts in information science (much of it published in obscure but available, unclassified annual reports) has had quite a good idea that this encryption-cracking was transpiring. So to add insult to injury: our tax dollars funding these laboratories --- who supposedly do research for the public good --- were funding research that many of us see as violating our Constitutional right to privacy, hardly in the interests of public good.

This is what happens in a "secret democracy," (HA) where our Congressional reps are A] not really informed about the NSA's activities; B] vote along party or political-pressure lines subject to lobbying; C] show not very much expertise about the subject and/or rely on staffers who are not so great at explaining the nitty gritty of complex topics; and D] waste their time voting umpteen times to destroy the new healthcare law. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

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Jon Chinn Metropolis Long past time to eliminate the NSA and the other anti-democratic elements within the U.S. government. End the National Security State and the surveillance state.

This mean you NSA and CIA. We are going to get rid of you and all this bogus secret government that has NO place ina democracy. Period.

Read THAT, NSA Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

JAN Marin County, Ca Is there any wonder Obama couldn't get a Mother's Day resolution through the Congtress? For better or worse he is the main man when it comes to NSA activity. If he didn't know about their invasive activity, he should have.

As far as his Syria rocket strikes, he may as well give that idea a long rest. The American Public have lost faith with a President we thought was a clean break from the Bush administration. The President hasa simply allowed the same toxic programs to flourish.

I voted for him twice and can tell you I am really disappointed in a man I thought would lead us onto a better day. Dreams do die hard.... Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Realist Ohio Anybody who complains about any of this while using social media, email, or web browsers is at best naive, if not hypocritical. The convenience of the digital age cannot be separated from its transparency. It is a technical impossibility, and an economic dead end. Live with it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Grossness54 West Palm Beach, Florida Democracy, American-style: Every four years we get to choose a new Big Brother. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

jsmeader amherst, ny It is good to see that 'yankee ingenuity' does still exist. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

James.B USA While I understand the importance of cryptology to national security, the fact that they are using it on and against their own populace will serve to undermine consumer and investor confidence. 128 bit encryption has become the standard for websites that process credit card transactions and other sensitive data. If the technology to decrypt these data exchanges exists and is available to contractors then it is reasonable to assume that it will at some point be available to hackers or thieves as well. If the third party vendors have built in back doors to their security products (for any reason) then how can consumers trust these vendors or their products? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Paul Lang Melrose, MA "NSA Foils Much Internet Encryption" We certainly expect so! And applaud efforts to change "Much" to "All".

White collar crime, fascism (homegrown and otherwise), smuggling (money, drugs, WMR), and reactionary religious killers depend on "communications privacy".

Loyal, law-abiding citizens (broadest sense) expecting "Privacy" on the Internet or Telephone are fools to think that precluding NSA access will save them from evil schemers and doers, or that NSA surveillance poses a threat to them.

The non-loyal, non-law abiding dearly hope that NSA will be handcuffed so as to provide them secure room to operate.

People promoting "Privacy" over surveillance and protection from the evil via the Net need to be questioned about their priorities, their motives, and their beliefs about the dangers of this world and whom and how to trust.

Paul Lang Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:30 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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Globalctzn Northern CA How did this tracking/spying ability help the children who were gassed in Syria?

How can or has this ability been used to influence our elected officials or even the voting process itself, think secret back doors and electronic voting machines?

If the 4th amendment is not valid for our own citizens what does this say regarding our government's respect to the rights or privacy of innocent citizens belonging to any other nation or the daily official or personal communications of their government officials? What right do we have to consider ourselves as Americans so important that no single law abiding person or persons residing outside our country is to be afforded privacy in the name of security for our nation. America-centric is not my idea of an example of world leadership by democracy. Or should we call it Terror-centric?

Perhaps our government should instead be spending these millions on beefing up the privacy of our global information systems so others of less "noble" intent cannot accurately imitate the activities of our very own NSA. Those might be well spent tax dollars in the name of national security and may even provide employment or economic opportunity/advantages for our nation.

Please consider these questions and those of others, spend some time reading/researching/compile your thoughts and be sure to contact your elected representatives and share your personal views. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

miriam Astoria, Queens Edward Snowden and Malala Yousafzai should be joint recipients of the Nobel Peace Prize this year. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Attilla7 NY,NY Does anyone rember the "Achille Lauro" (sic) terrorist attack in the '80's? Oliver North led the group that captured the terrorists involved. He had the NSA tap Hosni Mubarak's presidential office phone in Cairo. We knew what flight they were on and the airliner was intercepted by F-14's. This NSA issue is ALL old news. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:24 p.m.

Mark PA What worries me the most is that what we see in this article may only be the tip of the iceberg... My other thought is that all this has less to do with international terrorism, and more to do with setting up a surveillance state to help manage our post-neocolonialist decline... Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

R. Iyengar. Wilmington, DE Our government, the great protector of our constitution and civil liberties has literally shread our constitution, and all the sophisticated and intelligent people in this country are silent. Well! Well!,Well!!!. We used to tell the rest of the world what a great constitution our Founding Fathers wrote, and which has stood the test of time. We criticise other countries for the lack of "freedom of expression" Now, our own "freedom of expression" is under the confines of our freely elected government, or is that really free. Welcome to the world of the Matrix III, IV, or whatever. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

miriam Astoria, Queens "all the sophisticated and intelligent people in this country are silent."

Yes, all this outcry is from coarse and stupid people. Or from foreigners. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:32 p.m.

Peytr David Los Angeles "figuratively shred ..." Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m.

DontBeABully TX Pay attention to the word "coerce" and think about the definition.

The NSA is so *dangerously* powerful that it can control and overthrow the U.S. government. Any government. With all the information the NSA already has stored, the agency can blackmail any official and any lawmaker. In any country.

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The NSA has health, banking, and "dirty laundry" information about almost everyone on the planet. If the NSA doesn't like what a person says or does, the agency can just pull up a list of that person's darkest, most private secrets. If the NSA can't find anything on that person, the agency can then look for dirty laundry on that person's immediate family member(s).

If the NSA needs more votes in their favor from Congress (budget, more authority, etc.), it can look for the number of votes they need by going through their database to find information to blackmail a few lawmakers. Just enough members to get their "requests" approved. And we know that many of our politicians already have troubles anyway: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_American_federal_politicians_convi...

Think about this. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

miriam Astoria, Queens For all we know, President Obama may be among the blackmailed. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 p.m.

EFBarasch Sac City Now all any hacker has to do is hack the NSA and they have access to all the online information on everyone in the entire world and on every computer system linked to the Internet.

Not only is Snowden a hero, he should get the Noble Prize in public service. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Bud Montgomery, Alabama "And they went and did it anyway, without telling anyone"

It is important to focus on one single fact: these people are criminals under US law.

The idea that government agents with "security clearances" are thereby entitled to violate the fundamental law of the land and statuatory laws passed by the Congress is anathema to the Constitution.

Liberty is impossible without assurance of privacy. That assurance is provided in hard copy by the Constitution. Those provisions aren't up for debate.

If these assurances are undermined by agencies directed by political appointees acting in secret based on secret interpretations of (often-secret) laws and regulations, the Constitution is effectively suspended with the willing complicity of all three branches of the federal government.

What citizens will decide (likely by inaction) is whether they are willing to live in a security state acting solely on its own authority and directly contrary to Constitutional restrictions findamental to preservation of a free society and consistent with the express will of a free people.

I repeat again: these people are factually criminals under US law. Nixon said about criminal acts performed on his authority: "if the president does it, it isn't a crime."

If that is so, Nixon did nothing wrong and should never have been driven from office. Otherwise, the president now in office and making exactly the same claim should be. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Abby Tucson Of the Five Eyes, two are already blackened. New Zealand has Kiwis Gone Wild, and the UK foolishily thought this metadata concept would never be revealed.

The Kiwis got caught listing journaists with terrorists for US to spy on for them. Then the committee tasked to plug that leak admitted to deleting an email sent by a contractor containing emails belonging to MPs and a reporter. Oppps.

That sounds like two possible fouls with the spy system and tampering with evidence to me.

But the UK...Why did the PM's email come out of Brooks' BlackBerry like a metadata file? No content. In 2011, NO ONE could explain how a BB could produce such a bad image. Until we learned what metadata was. No content.

Did the police, who had possession of that device prior to that imaging failure switch the Tempora metadata file with the PM's full content email and think NO ONE would ever find out?

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Dr. Jones South Bend, IN Somehow naming these spying programs after Civil War battles does not reassure me that they are not being used by Americans against Americans. Irony much? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Jim Ogden UT If the NSA is so good at foiling encryption methods, maybe they could figure out an easy way to track telemarketers who spoof phone numbers. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Fat Cat Somewhere in a high mountain cave The biggest threat to American citizens and the USA are it's very own politicians in DC. This and the lack of participation and attention from it's voters. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

PS Massachusetts A question. Is the NYT looking into what tech companies worked with the NSA and provided entry points into their products? it would helpful to know what those products are. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

JnJ NM So the NSA and presumably contractors like Booz-Allen and their emplyees like Snowden are privy to your financial transactions and the bank data, like account numbers, that accompany those transactions.

Now, we know that there are "rogue" agents out there like Snowden (Snowden himself being proof of the rogue agents), and even under the threat of punishment for treason they do not honor secrecy. Will they honor the sanctity of your bank accounts?

Can one of the police state enthusiasts tell me how this falls under "if you have done nothing wrong, you have nothing to worry about?" Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

John PA Good. This is what we are paying them to do. If they were not able to break encryption THAT would be a story. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Steve Singer Chicago When thinking about spy agencies operating in secret with unlimited budgets, their operations legally unrestrained -- like Hoover's F.B.I. during The Horror Years (1947-1975) -- assume the worst because, that way, you will never be disappointed.

Assume they are copying all electronic communications; that a dossier about you containing data from every available source (e-mails; landline and cellphone voice calls, faxes and texting; Facebook, LinkedIn and Plaxo especially) grows without you being afforded any practical legal protections; that any private contractor working for the spy agency can examine it at will; that claims about all this being no threat to privacy are trade-craft meant to mislead. Assume all that; also, that someday some of this data will become a weapon used against a rival politician or difficult person to extort something of value, or force a change in behavior; or embarrass them; or create the appearance that a crime has been committed ("Whitewater"). Assume a special prosecutor will alter some data to suggest guilt or turpitude where none exists because (misquoting Lord Acton) "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely".

Anyone who has studied the Clinton presidency understands this perfectly.

The N.S.A. and its sisters will "destroy the town in order to save it", borrowing that classic Vietnam War conundrum; sacrifice what makes America exceptional to make it safe from terrorists without realizing it, or giving it a second thought. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

miriam Astoria, Queens When Bob Woodward was writing one of his books he used a computer that was not connected to the Internet. Smart man, that Woodward.

And if anyone says that Woodward's a political sellout, I'm not talking

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about that. I'm just saying he's smart. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:34 p.m.

Robert Mass The US Government has obviously committed major crimes against its own people. In our digital culture, the illegal tapping of citizens private information is not only Unconstitutional and against everything that the USA stands for, it is equivalent to the Syrian government using chemical weapons against its own people. In the Syrian's case the people were subject to death and horrendous pain and suffering. In the US NSA case, millions and millions of Americans no longer have privacy and the US Government has become Big Brother. This is an Orwellian nightmare. Who will be held accountable for these crimes? More so, will the American people band together and demand that these injustices are corrected? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Isabella Weston MA Thank you, Edward Snowden, for exposing the revolting activities of our government. When will we go beyond expressing our revulsion and revolt against it? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

ED Wausau, WI The mission of the NSA is to provide the goverment with electronic intelligence from any source at any time lawfully. We must stress LAWFULLY. AS we all know congress addressed this issue after watergate thus the institutionalization on the FISA court, which is overseen by the supreme court, specifically, the chief justice. In addition congresshas a separate oversight comittee. Thus, all three branches of government have overview over the NSA. THough data gatherring is not covered, actual listening to specific conversation are covered by warrants. In my opinion that is plenty of oversight for what is supposed to be a secret endeavor. Furtheremore this is not new, the government has always had the power to open any mail or intercept any phone call, again under warrant. During the cold war and assuredly as we speak, the NSA spiked underwater cables that allowed it to spy on virtually all of the worlds communications, since that was international that is formal spying. Unless you consider the CIA, FBI and the rest of the alphabet soup unnecesary since the worl is a friendly place, stop the whinning please. NOTHING NEW HERE JUST INTELLIGENCE AGENCIES DOING THEIR JOB. Unless I see black helicopters flying overhead to arrest people for excercising their constitutional rights, the system is working exactly as intended. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:03 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

greeneyes76941 Texas Power corrupts as it always has. That's why one of the most brilliant collection of minds ever wrote our Constitution as it did, dividing power, setting up limits on each branch.

If only we could return to a time when the Constitution was respected & followed! But until we (the informed voting public) demand it of our "leaders", it won't happen.

As Ben Franklin said "those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither." Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:03 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

YouNo NoWayLand ... and lose both. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

007 Chantilly, VA Thar 5/8ths rule, a brilliant afirmation of liberty. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m.

miriam Astoria, Queens The Framers worked hard to make the new government tyranny-proof. Trouble is, no political system is tyranny-proof.

As for the 3/5 (not 5/8) compromise, there was a big irony in that. The southern states wanted slaves counted as full persons. The northern states, where slavery in the full legal sense was either nonexistent or in decline, was for not counting slaves, because counting people who were not considered human for any other purpose was an obvious ploy to increase representation in Congress. That situation ended with the Reconstruction amendments; what happened when de jure slavery was replaced with de facto slavery is another chapter in American history. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m.

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Tom denver Snowden's is the gift that keeps on giving.

Thank you Edward...some of us love you for it.

Tom Rutter Denver Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Joseph Huben upstate NY This is an inevitable outcome of concentrated power. A government that sacrifices the liberty of its citizens to protect that liberty has betrayed those citizens. A matter of degree. So long as we have governments that consider history from the perspective of Darwinian survival imperatives we are in danger of war and annihilation. All people and nations create narratives about themselves and their likely survival as compared to others. This empowers them to take measures and behave in a manner that complies with that narrative. Now we are confronted with a stark reminder that our narrative is entirely contrived and that it is skewed so as to favor an entitled few. Furthermore, we are predisposed to imagine that we are one of the entitled few. This moment of wakening, this brief glimpse at the reality of the illusion provides an opportunity to discard the next most likely scenario: war. In regard to freeing ourselves from the behavior demanded by this narrative we can choose to do something entirely different than what our reflexes tell us to do, like maneuvering in a skid Revealing that a secret way of hiding secrets was secretly decrypted by a secret agency is not a boon to our real and imagined adversaries. It is likely that they anticipated this behavior. Likely, it was also secretly anticipated by all of us who express outrage that our secret agency would do this....to us. This all seems so childish unless, like children we proceed to war, to end the story. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:02 p.m.

Bri Columbus Ohio Who would have though! A secret agency is able to encrypt secret messages! Or wait, isn't that what they are suppose to do? Nothing is safe on the Internet, never has been and never will be. I believe it is continuously monitored all over the world by agencies like the NSA or Internet Activists and Hackers.

Let me do the math, we have app. 300.000.000 cell phones in USA. An estimate of 188 Billion text messages are send per month. Almost every household has numerous smart phones, laptops, computer and email addresses. Same goes for Companies and their Employees.

So we assume all the informations are being read and controlled? May I ask how many people are working for the NSA? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

David Leith Amherst MA Am I correct in surmising that if most of the world's email is now encrypted in SSL and if the NSA is permitted to store all encrypted email as long as it wants, then in effect the NSA has permission to store most American's emails, if it should choose to, until it decides to decrypt it, which it almost certainly can?

It already knows the headers - now it can hold the rest of the email for as long as it chooses to and then decrypt it.

True privacy is gone. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Abby Tucson I'm off to meet my new family doctor, NSA. Can I request paper, or is that a gigantic tip off? Hope to see you sooner than you see my colonoscopy. Having filed medical records, I can tell you, flora is facinatng. It literally floresses. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

DW Philly Oh, maybe it's just time to get offline. It's been fun for a decade or so, but maybe it's time to get back to taking walks or reading a book or knitting, and consider Web surfing and chatting/blogging etc. sort of like cigarette smoking was before they figured out it would give you cancer, a fun way to pass the time that we now realize wasn't good for us. For news, there's always the old print newspaper, or the radio. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:50 p.m.

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steve asheville Encryption may be defeatable by adequately powerful tools (and guile), no matter how clever the algorithm, perhaps.

But, if many people wish to oppose this universal electronic surveillance strategy, it seems to me that a habit of routinely sending phony messages for the NSA waste public resources on, could discourage this.

Imagine if the load of "garbage" delivered to the NSA were increased by three or four orders of magnitude (or more if necessary).

This might demonstrate the stupidity of their brute force approach.

I have no objection to the agency seeking "threat" info; I support it. However, the approach they have selected seems both dumb and amoral. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

miriam Astoria, Queens As an earlier story reported, the Post Office probably isn't steaming open your letters yet, but they are tracking who is sending letters to whom, and when. So the the NSA can learn that you're corresponding with Mr. or Ms. Awful, but the strange secrets you're hiding in those envelopes remain secrets, unless the envelopes pique someone's curiosity.

But if the USPS goes under, some of us will miss it. It gives us at least a modicum of privacy. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

ROB B SF Good.. if NSA did not have this capability and there was another terrorist attack or similar against the US there would be political hell to pay and EVERYBODY would be asking why the NSA didn't have the information to protect the homeland . If you don't want your stuff looked at then use the post office ! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Citizen Texas I'm sure there is some over zealous group of people in the government that are reading all our mail also. Why does the USPS take a picture of every piece of mail they handle; for a scrap book? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:12 p.m.

SalinasPhil Salinas, California The future of our nation is being seriously threatened by our own government.

The warnings of Eisenhower have never been more appropriate.

"A vital element in keeping the peace is our military establishment. Our arms must be mighty, ready for instant action, so that no potential aggressor may be tempted to risk his own destruction...

This conjunction of an immense military establishment and a large arms industry is new in the American experience. The total influence — economic, political, even spiritual — is felt in every city, every statehouse, every office of the federal government. We recognize the imperative need for this development. Yet we must not fail to comprehend its grave implications. Our toil, resources and livelihood are all involved; so is the very structure of our society. In the councils of government, we must guard against the acquisition of unwarranted influence, whether sought or unsought, by the military– industrial complex. The potential for the disastrous rise of misplaced power exists, and will persist.

We must never let the weight of this combination endanger our liberties or democratic processes. We should take nothing for granted. Only an alert and knowledgeable citizenry can compel the proper meshing of the huge industrial and military machinery of defense with our peaceful methods and goals so that security and liberty may prosper together." Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Aaron Boston, MA Maybe I'm missing something here, but isn't this exactly what we expect the NSA people to do for a living? What we pay them to do, in fact? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Jim Albany This is a potential bad news for software companies.Why? class -action lawsuits may be filed against them for knowingly selling defective products to consumers because they collaborate, inform, and give keys to the NSA secretly,

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without legally informing the consumer in the licence agreement. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

SMaguidhir US All this clandestine spying by the government on its own citizens is seriously making me question my stance on gun control. So if the NSA or whomever can access this information to glean intelligence can they also insert intelligence? ( By the way, the assertion that the NYT will never share my account details when I sign up for an account look a little redundant at this point.) Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

SCH New York Frankly, I am pleased to know that our country has this capability. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Bobbz Gilroy, CA I suppose that Snowden can look forward to having the author of this article as a cellmate. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

BillyD New Jersey If it is technically feasible to break encryption (and it obviously is) , sooner or later some smart boys and girls will do it - no matter how much it infuriates high-minded NYT readers. I’m glad the NSA did it first (before, say, Chinese government hackers.) Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m.

Katherine Florida As my tekkie physicist son said, "When the ACLU and the NRA have joined forces to oppose you, you know you have done something that is just (expletive) un-American. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 10

miriam Astoria, Queens Who says no one's complaining? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

alur las vegas I'm glad we have people in the government who are competent enough to do this because usually the private sector has the monopoly on the best people in a given industry.

That said, I don't like losing my privacy in a George Orwellian-like Big Brother atmosphere. It's not funny because what was predicted in the novel is exactly what's happening, and worse, it's acceptable and legal. That's scary, sad, and indicative of our complacency and lack of control over misplaced power. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:35 p.m.

SF expat London How much has the NSA's budget been cut by the sequester? Clearly not enough. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Citizen Texas I'll bet not by one cent. They of course are far too important to have to put up with anything like a sequester. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:13 p.m.

Ros Nj Every person has secrets. We have all said or done things that we wish we could take back. We all have medical issues and some are very private to us. This is my biggest fear, that our information is stored and then can be used to smear or blackmail us at a future date. This is virtual gold mine to those in politics that the politicians want to go after. Labor, civil rights and investigative reporters can all be smeared at a moment's notice. This is how the collection of data will chill the functions of an open society. When we fear retaliation for using our right to peaceful protest and advocacy, we were doomed as a republic. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

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Mike NYC BIG BROTHER IS WATCHING!!!!!!!

It's utterly outrageous that this rampant trampling of one of the most basic of liberties, PRIVACY, is being subverted. "But it's for your protection!" Really? No thanks. If dismantling and invading basic privacy, without any real legal restrictions, in the name of national security is the price we must pay for safety, the Al-Qaeda's of the world have already won! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Stuart Lob New Orleans Surprisingly, I am less upset by this news than I would have expected.

Most of the encrypted communications I do are financially related. I am more amazed that my entire financial situation and history is up for instant and automatic evaluation, as happened recently when I applied for a promotional Discover card at a Wal-Mart check-out station. The cashier congratulated me on my strong credit. I look at my credit report every year, but with each viewing I never lose the skeeved-out feeling that every banker and creditor can see all of it. Even Wal-Mart cashiers get a two-line summary version, helpfully printed on a receipt slip, when customers apply for a credit card with a $25 rebate.

I also know that with the stroke of a judge's pen, every single account with which I interact via encrypted communication is open to the court system.

If theft or fraud based on broken encryption becomes an problem, that's a bottom line cost issue for the banks. They would fix it--quickly.

As someone who works daily with data and computer networks, I am confident that secure socket SSL transactions are not suddenly up for grabs. But I am also under no illusion that anyone with sufficient interest or legal authority can easily take an unencrypted sip from the other end of the hose. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

RP SF "N.S.A. lost the heated national debate in the 1990s about inserting into all encryption a government back door called the Clipper Chip. “And they went and did it anyway, without telling anyone,”"

Oh, I'm sure they told a few people. The President definitely & some ranking members of Congress probably. Presidents Clinton, Bush & Obama

Do the NSA, Congress & the President actually work for us, as a democracy is supposed to be?

Or are we all simply serfs living in an oligarchy? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

MLSullivan10 WA For all those trolls and supporters out there, did you not see that a foreign country's nuclear department was hacked through this system? So what's to stop someone from doing this to us? So you don't care about where all this could lead and most likely will some day? Chilling. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Andy Hain Carmel, CA I think the NY Times has it right... the US Government is completely out of control and should have its budget cut 25%... it's about time for another tax cut. Where is W, now that we really need him? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m.

Sternlight Los Angeles The issue has never been police powers; they already have the guns. The issue has always been control. Who watches the watchers? What would such power lead to in the hands of an unscrupulous governance? Even the current administration is completely untrustworthy ( or incompetent, which comes to the same thing) as shown by Benghazi, the IRS scandals ( plural), the FISA court saying the administration is out of control, politically inspired Justice Department activity, and who knows what other scandals these are suggestive of.

There's an old saying in the intel community: Once is happenstance; twice is coincidence; three times is enemy action. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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PS Massachusetts I wonder if there is any sleeping beast to wake. Americans are so digitally distracted, stressed, indifferent, confused (case in point: Syrian rebels vs govt, who do we support?), worried,and numb that NSA or the feds probably don't worry about action against them. 700+ comments on the NYT? Meh. ACLU lawsuits? Potential mosquito. The NSA misdeeds are so deeply entwined with federal and state official business, it would be extremely hard to prove wrong doing in a courtroom (which is, IMHO, an endangered outpost of justice anyway).

Enter Snowden. I read/was told that one of the greatest strengths of the American military/mind is that it is unpredictable. It is unpredictable because an individual will take action alone. Though generally a functioning unit, at times an individual will do something outside of the plan, something dangerous and seemingly stupid, but also brave and ultimately for the good of fellow Americans. It is the spirit of individuality that allegedly runs so deeply in our being. (Ironically, it is not how the miltary trains soldiers.) Snowden was that individual this time, and what he began is only beginning to be understood.

But the 700 posters here are not enough. To me, this seems a moment in history when we must wake our neighbors, put down the pitchforks and pick up not the musket (sorry, born to the image of Minutemen) but the pen, the phone, the idea that citizens can stop unwanted surveillance. Ideals might still wake us up. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

MC Gallion Indianapolis, IN It will be necessary to review the thoughts of "Brutus" who warned that a federal government empowered by the "necessary and proper" and the "supreme law of the land" clauses would annihilate all the liberties of the individual. The National Security Administration exercises power, it seems, without limitation. It is able to "wait upon" us at the toilet, and it does not leave us alone even to load the dishwasher, washing machine, or to cut the grass; the agency goes with us to major, minor, and little league games; it knows what route we take to get to work, and it knows when we decide to miss work and go fishing; it can monitor us at home, "watch over" our movie purchases, wait on us to order a pizza, and "follow" the pizza delivery to our front door, determine when we have finished eating our pizza and drinking our soda; it does not sleep when we do, but it knows when we do; the NSA has become our most faithful domestic partner; it records each period, dash, comma, and emoticon, and stores all of our symbolic representations in its vast memory. It is perched on the head of every person waiting for the day that it can say: Do you remember the time that you sent your friend a picture of you on vacation? And we will say NO!; it will say, WE DO! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

YouNo NoWayLand Agreed, but I find less reason to be afraid when you and these others speak. These paranoid ultra-authoritarians are the minority, and even with their technology, they are fewer.

As it stands We The People still make the final decisions.

I say Constitutional Convention. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:07 p.m.

Citizen Texas If this information released by the Times about the actions of the National Security Agency doesn't fundamentally anger and dismay the American citizen and the citizen's of the world, then, apparently, nothing ever well.

The NSA is nothing more that a collection of common thieves, liars and stalkers. They have no leadership. They answer to no one. And, they obviously consider them selves above and beyond the law.

Congress is just as guilty because they have condoned these actions for years.

The President of the United States has condoned these actions by lying to the country and to the world.

We continue to sink further and further into a cesspit of lies, corruption and thievery.

What a poor example we are setting for our children and the rest of the world.

Heads need to roll over this. Congress needs to stop this as soon as possible. If they can't the people need to stop this. We can't get much lower.

What a joke we have become. No wonder the rest of the world hates us and no longer respects us. We deserve to be treated like the pariahs that we have

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become. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

LT Springfield, MO "Intelligence officials asked The Times and ProPublica not to publish this article, saying it might prompt foreign targets to switch to new forms of encryption or communications that would be harder to collect or read. The news organizations removed some specific facts but decided to publish the article because of the value of a public debate about government actions that weaken the most powerful privacy tools."

Let's see..."government actions that weaken the most powerful privacy tools"... you mean like the powerful privacy tools that are used by those who are plotting to do us harm? Yes, it's so much better for the public to be aware of every single action the government takes to keep us safe. I mean, really, why would we want to gather intelligence in secret, anyway? That sentiment would be just dandy, if only we had no enemies. But by all means, let's do whatever we can to stop it.

You'd think the NYT is determined that we have no intelligence services.

It's not about what they do to collect information - it's about what they do with the information they collect. There is NO indication in any of these revelations so far that any law-abiding citizens have been targeted by the NSA or that any of us have suffered any ill effects from its operations. Frankly, my dears, they don't give a damn about you and me. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:25 p.m.

YouNo NoWayLand You know LT, if you weren't so invested in disturbing other countries for your safety and business gains, perhaps some of those 'enemies' would be allies, or perhaps just trading partners? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:13 p.m.

Alexander Flax Potomac, MD It is amazing that the fact that NSA and its counterparts in virtually every other country seek to find means to " break" codes evokes such surprise.The history of World War II is replete with instances of such activity/ Japanrse diplomatic codesawere decryoted even before Pearl Harbor ,Japanese Naval code breaking contributed to American victoury at the Battle of Midway, and the exploitation of the German Enigma system.That is what agencirs like NSA are set up to to do do and we should be pleased when ours do it well. In every case mere disclosure of + the fact of + success in breaking the code wouuld have nullified the advantage gained.

What has happened since WW II and the advent of the Intermet is that private and commercial communications and data have come to be encrypted by codes equivalent to those used by governments , and non-state actors in international conflicts use the same communications channewls, protected by the same bulk encryption as private, commercial , and many government entities. Existing mechanisms of oversight and legal review are inadequate to deal with the potential threats to privacy vand civil rights that may resut from even legitimately-targeted code breaking or encryptio-evaision techniques. But the detailed deliberation and resolution of the issues cannot be in open public debate. Perhaps a super inspector general reepoorting to Congress and empowered to appear as advocate for civil rights before the FISA Court could do the job. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Sheldon Bunin Jackson Heights NY Let me get this straight; government and industry are working together to secretly infringe upon the constitutional rights of Americans and have been doing it for years and in effect constructing a key hole, listening device, camera and recorder in what we have been assured by computer and software makers is safe from the prying eyes of government at will and without a warrant.

The reason? To keep us safe from the bad guys and what the public doesn’t know won’t hurt us.. After all if you don’t know that your rights have been infringed on, how are you hurt? Well if you don’t know you have a fatal and inoperable cancer, what difference would knowing about it make?

You can see why the government wants to put whistle blower Snowden in a bottomless pit as an example. Under all of this is the message that only fascism or fascist tactics, with the all knowing and all powerful secret police can keep us safe. Don’t ask. Relax, Big Brother is on the job. The tuna fisherman are netting too many dolphins and need rules and oversight. The NSA is over funded. They are doing things we do not want. Funding is their oxygen. They are on an oxygen high. It has been preparing for a future dictatorship. We need to add some democracy and law to the mix. Chase the bad guys leave John Q. Citizen alone. No national data base.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

J. Maine How did I guess that there would be another Snowden leak this week? One has only to look at the timing of major leaks after Snowden’s initial leak about NSA surveillance of Americans.

1) the leak about the USA breaking into Chinese university computers during the Chinese leader’s first meeting with Obama 2) the leak about Medevev’s e-mail when Obama was trying to negotiate with Russia about Syria; 3) the leak about US surveillance of communications in France and Germany when Obama was scheduled to pursue trade talks with Europe 4) the recent leak about eavesdropping in Brazil and Mexico before Obama’s planned visits with those leaders 5) and yesterday, the leak about the NSA’s ability to crack encryption when Obama is in Russia at the G-20 meeting

This pattern looks like a concerted effort to embarrass Obama and to undermine his and the nation’s credibility and ability to negotiate with foreign powers. It all makes me wonder about Snowden’s motivation. Is he solely concerned about the privacy of American and world citizens or is he trying to sabotage Obama as President and disrupt American foreign policy? One has to ask whose interests that would serve. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:23 p.m.

Daniel San Diego He and his administration, like recent past ones, deserve not only to be embarrassed but to be thrown out for what we are learning about thanks to "criminals" like Snowden. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

YouNo NoWayLand Or it's the other way around.

These documents were exposed months ago now, but NYTimes is only just revealing them while we are distracted with Syria...

Wag the Dog much? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

pam princeton NJ So what is immune from the NSA's oversight and potential meddling? Nothing. The NSA basically owns anything it wants. Think about it. They can read anyone's emails, see anyone's transactions, know virtually anything about anyone. But it's not just knowledge. They have the ability to manipulate data as well. So who do they own?

Politicians? Sure, no problem. Check. Financial institutions? Piece of cake. Check. The military? Now we're getting somewhere. Check.

And do you really think that under these circumstances anything can be done to limit their actions? I have serious doubts. Let me just point out gently, as I don my tin foil hat, that the software that runs our electronic voting machines is no more secure than anything else.

The NSA operates beyond the law. They can do virtually anything they want from here on out.

The ballot box? Easy as pie.

Democracy? Check mate. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:20 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Susan Nicholls Vancouver, B.C. I find it a bit ironic that as an American citizen, it is illegal for someone to open my snail mail but not my email. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:20 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Ed inbetween It's impossible to eliminate this cat and mouse game of developing codes and figuring out ways to get around them. It's been going on in one form or another for thousands of years. It's something humans do. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:20 p.m.

YouNo NoWayLand Does that require that US Citizens should be sponsor, or be target of their own?

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Jim V Phoenix Is it not entirely clear to us that the Constitution is deemed irrelevant and completely disregarded by the concentration of power masquerading as a "constitutional republic?"

Chilling to say the least is their in-house usage of Civil War battles to describe their different projects.

I've seen and heard enough; we must restore representative government, that is, take it away from the directives of 35,000 oily K Street lobbyists/operatives for the financial aristocracy.

At the same time our constitutional rights are restored, it would also be refreshing to have a foreign policy that is the will of the people. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Antonio Ruiz madrid The obvious solution is not to write anything important in the web. If you want to communicate a secret, do it surrounded by thousand people at the rush hour in the metro. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:19 p.m.

michelle Rome Back to pen and paper folks!! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ed inbetween As I understand it, quantum computing will render all current encryption approaches useless.In fact, that is the bigger story. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:18 p.m.

Dr. D San Francisco, CA This is outrageous. We need legislation to stop this invasion of privacy or it will kill the internet for all business transactions. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

cfc VA I have always considered that the NSA would have backdoor to FB's facial recognition software... access to the command line API's. It's just logical due to all of the available info coming to light. I'm sure the coercion process is very simple... like, cooperate with this simple request or face daunting regulation down the road.

These revelations will surely throw a wet blanket on the earnings of the US tech sector. How on earth are they going to sell business services to a global market, given these circumstances? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

agathis Philadelphia Look, encryption is never anything but a stop-gap. Over time, all encryption systems fail and fall to new techniques, faster hardware, and other new developments. And so we need to constantly come up with new systems and keep our hardware upgraded. In the end, if governments want to read our data, all they need to do is put a gun to your head. Encryption is a delay, nothing more.

And so our over-reliance on encryption we think is secure has made us lazy. For a long time, we've simply assumed that the vast amount of internet traffic is enough to keep the Feds from invading privacy. We should have known better before, but now there's no excuse. We need new, open-source encryption techniques that are free from the government's regulatory leverage on large corporations. Microsoft, Google, anyone with large business concerns in the US is vulnerable to government regulatory pressure. They are not reliable sources for data protection. If we can't rely on them, then we must rely on ourselves. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m.

Ava Mortenson Pacific North West United Parcel Seevice the bug brown truck guys have implimented a new procedure for tracking a package.

I dare you to take a moment to register with UPS - as I dud this week simply to view how my child's necessities of underpinnings tracked across America from Nordstrom's.

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Be prepared to be staggered by the emotional journey of the four questions UPS asks you to answer from the answer list provided.

For me, the entire name of my father with his birth month and more. Now I understand how a mere minth ago a package I had shipped by UPS took itself to my firmer husband"s home whim I divorced in 1990.

UPS are you complicent in this as well ? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ava Mortenson Pacific North West My comment is .... UNITED PARCEL SERVICE AND NSA ?

Having a package sent and UPS knows your parents birthdates is creepy .... Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

vaporland Denver, Colorado, USA To the person who commented "Read your history books folks":

Snowden's revelations have shown us that, 4th Amendment to the Constitution not withstanding, we are not "secure in our persons, houses, papers, and effects".

There was a very good reason our revered founding fathers put the 4th Amendment in the US Constitution.

It used to be 'redcoats' breaking down doors and riffling through papers. Now they sneak in, unseen and unobstructed. Pretty cowardly, in my humble opinion. They also seem to have no problem with lying about it, under oath, to Congress.

You know Congress, that august body tasked with overseeing the other branches of government. The ones who work to insure that "Government of the people, by the lobbyist, for the 1%, shall not perish from the Earth".

For those who say "Google, Facebook, et al. already know everything about us, why not also the government, what are you worried about?" - last time I checked, DisneyCorp can't put you in jail, but give them time. DMCA? MPAA? RIAA?

So many people died to preserve our rights to privacy, and so many today are ready to expose themselves, fully naked, to faceless bureaucrats.

For perspective, may I suggest 'Nineteen Eighty-Four' by George Orwell. (Do they even read that in high school anymore in America? I bet they do in Russia.)

Next, review President Eisenhower's Farewell Address. He saw it coming, all the way back in 1959.

Paraphrasing Walt Kelly of "Pogo" fame: The terrorists have won, and they are us. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

phil morse cambridge, ma The obvious solution: encrypt reams of gibberish that include a few choice words like bomb, and attack, and Times Square, and throw in the bill of rights. Garbage for the NSA to choke on. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Rob W. St Louis, Missouri BBC's domestic (UK) News Channel just read report on this New York Times story and on the report by the British newspaper The Guardian. They also included an interview with one of the computer encryption experts who confirmed that the details alleged in these articles are probably fairly accurate. Those of us in the field already had an idea that this was probably the situation if we weren't involved in the projects directly.

As far as our banking details, I think most Americans and Brits don't really need to worry on a practical level whether our governments can break the encryption, they're not going to steal our money or our identity and that does not mean the usual unethical hacker without a rooms full of supercomputers and the huge resources of the United States government, of the British government and of some private contractors can do the same thing. Lesson here: if you're going to do some illegal activity, it's probably best not to do it by cell phone or at least one registered in your name, email, magic jack, Skype, text message or anything else that modern society considers convenient and relies on computers or internet technology or the cloud. Better yet, "don't

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do the crime if you can't pay the time to do it". Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:08 p.m.

Lizardo Prague Almost ten years ago the Russian government mandated that all ISPs in Russia add a black box to their systems that would allow the FSB/SVR to eavesdrop one everyone using the internet in Russia. The west howled about the invasion of privacy and undermining of civil society.

The FSB must be laughing it's collective (a)ss off now. We don't do these things in isolation, other societies watch the standards we set. That's one of the reasons that the Patriot Act was so horrible, every bad government in the world saw it as us admitting that rule of law was nonsense. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

ibeetb nj But this is their JOB! This proves they are GOOD yet sloppy with what they do. Not saying I agree, but if they can do to us, they can successfully to enemies, no? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 p.m.

db West Why would anyone think that subverting security, to make security products less secure so that the government can crack them, makes society more secure? This is so far beyond the realm of logic and reason, that I can think of no reason for why so many people on this site think that, other than they have some sort of vested interest in saying it... and the same applies to the editors of NYT for picking them too... This is madness. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

JPM08 SWOhio So, will this ever stop, or will we be at the mercy of the government forever? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:00 p.m.

Rakhmetov New Mexico So why is organized crime still possible? With all this power to monitor communications and break encrypted messages it should be impossible for a criminal network to conspire.successfully.

Let me guess. If the FBI broke up all criminal networks it would have revealed to foreign governments that their communications were insecure. Better to let the criminals operate than to reveal this secret. Failure to act when action is possible is dereliction though, isn't it?

All right, so now the foreign governments know it anyway. Can we look forward to a major war on crime? I doubt it. Eliminate all the criminals and you have eliminated the need for a big FBI. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:00 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

miriam Astoria, Queens In the not-so-distant past, some of us pointed out that we show the importance of privacy every time we put a letter in an envelope. Well, the Postal Service is not yet steaming open our letters, but the NSA is "steaming" open our electronic envelopes.

And now the USPS is in trouble. A Republican relative of mine says that some people will not rest until all communications are electronic.

Left-wing radicals in the early 50's knew that their phones were tapped. We too are in a Pastor Niemoeller moment: First they came for the terrorists ... Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Nancy Great Neck Reading this New York Times article again along with the articles in The Guardian, I am appalled at the abuse of civil liberties at the NSA and by administration directors of the NSA. This is abusive and frightening beyond and intolerable in a democracy. President Obama is supposed to know and care about the Constitution but I am vastly disappointed in the President. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:58 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

redmanrt Jacksonville, FL 'But some experts say the N.S.A.’s campaign to bypass and weaken communications security may have serious unintended consequences."

Unintended? Don't make me laugh. The government won't need the IRS to

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take our money, or probably doesn't need it already. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

FO Philly I think there is a perspective missing to the arguments I have read. The NSA may have access to many of our communications, but the statistics are overwhelmingly against your specific data being cracked and used in a way that affects your interests. Your data is only relevant in the context of your world. To put that data together and use it against you means you are being targeted specifically. Unless you are important enough to gain the focused attention of an NSA analyst, they don't care about your specific information.

Us Americans have a natural inclination to get wrapped up in a perceived potential threat and overlook the details or relevance of that threat being realized. A good example is the level of fear people in the middle of the US, especially in small to medium cities, had about foreign terrorist attacks in their cities after 9/11. First, the shear resources and logistics required to pull off the attacks are surprising, albeit not impossible. Second, terrorists are out to send a message. Unless you are one of the big cities, it is highly unlikely terrorists are going to focus on your town. Last, we are far more likely to be threatened by homegrown terrorists who are unbalanced people who will attach themselves to any cause they deem fit to act out their anger. I believe those personalities are best managed by a healthy community and society.

Now the news is out in the open we can't ignore it, but step back and gain perspective before getting upset. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

GG NYC We HOPE the NSA only uses the information they've gathered to specifically target someone "important" enough to garner the attention of an NSA analyst. But my question is why do you trust them to be so vigilant with your information? We already know they're liars. And we already know some NSA analysts have abused this information by spying on love interests. Who's to say where it will snowball from there? Perhaps this information will be used to prosecute political enemies. Or gain information the analyst could pass on to family members for insider trading purposes. There's just too much potential for abuse. I fear your trust in the NSA to do the right thing with the information they have is misguided. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

John Chas Southeast Michigan The perspective is simple, if I'm a environmental or labor activist or advocate for internet privacy I can be a NSA target, we've seen the national security argument abused since the idea of national security came about, it has been, will be and now is being abused and with that step back and new perspective I'm suitably upset. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

mbosco dayton oh No wonder Obama wants to hang Snowden for treason. I hope the Russians can provide him a decent life in his self imposed exile. Even before reading this article I was angry Now I am outraged. How can Obama walk around so smug playing the role of an esteemed leader of the "free" world? After the lies that have abounded here, he wants us to let him bomb Syria based on "trusting" him to guarantee the data supporting his politics? We are all walking around naked with absolutely no defense against the prying eyes of the government But the government is cloaked in secrecy they feel absolutely justified in, in the name of national security. These actions have effectively annulled the Constitution. The rights and freedoms guaranteed in that document are mere illusions. Our government lets us pretend to pursue happiness in a free and democratic country. If this weren't so sad, it would be laughable that our government so completely fooled us. Again, than you, Mr Snowden. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Marg Australia Why don't the people of USA all start sending emails all over the place using words that the NSA are dredging for, send millions and millions of them every day, none of them threatening or breaking any laws but with enough necessary words, country names, common names of people in the countries the US hates, names of weapons, military establishments etc. etc. and totally inundate the NSA with garbage. Give them something to do trying to suss out that the hidden messages are.

Sounds like the US postal service will start growing again, over the counter bank transactions will increase and people will once again start having relationships with the people they deal with and the unemployment rate would drop as people do the work computers, who put them out of work in the first

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place, are used less and less.

Thank goodness for the Snowden's and WikiLeaks of the world. If the USA kept out of other people and countries business more often there would not be the need for the paranoia that it suffers over its "security". Problem is the US economy has relied on wars to produce income for so long the governments don't know how to run without them.

The US is turning into the nosy neighbour that no-one wants to talk to or have living in their district. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

EMIP Washington, D.C. "Sounds like the US postal service will start growing again"

One wishes it were that simple. Unfortunately google "US Postal Service Mail Cover" and you will find out differently. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Publius New York "Over the counter bank transactions will increase." Why bother? Surely the NSA can read the records from the bank's internal computers. No bank keeps paper ledgers--it's all electronic. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

dion romania "A security issue has been identified that could allow an attacker to remotely compromise a computer running Microsoft® Windows® and gain complete control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer."

I've got tons of these automatically installed on my system. Have they (NSA & Micro$oft et all) in fact gained "complete control", updated systematically, over my machine, via this method? Is there a way to break free of it? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

RP Brooklyn, New York Who is the enemy here ? From my point of view, the government is the enemy of all of its citizens. Body pat downs, scanners, stop & frisk, electronic seizures, firearm registrations etc all in the name of safety. Big Brother is here. The real terrorist is our own government. Warning levels, "internet chatter", attack potentials and similar bull are generated to make us fearful and surrender our liberties. The original terrorists are rolling in laughter, they have won. " I know not course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty, or give me death ! " Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Steve Singer Chicago When it comes to government agencies whose operations are cloaked in official secrecy, whose budgets are for all intents and purposes unlimited and whose mandate is, practically speaking, legally undefined -- like J. Edgar Hoover's F.B.I. during The Horror Years (1946-1975) -- assume the worst and you'll never be disappointed.

Assume they are copying anything communicated electronically.

Assume a dossier is being compiled about you containing data downloaded from every available resource that you, and others, utilize to communicate or socialize (e-mails; cellphone voice calls and texting; Facebook, LinkedIn and Plaxo updates especially).

Assume that American intelligence officials' denials of their invasive overreach are merely tradecraft, ruses meant to divert attention and mislead.

Assume that somebody in power, with authority, might use this enormous mass of harvested data against you someday; to create the appearance that a crime has been committed although none was; to fabricate the appearance of guilt although none exists; the underlying logic unimportant. Misquoting Lord Acton, "power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely", and that will be reason enough. Power creates its own logical imperatives, as anyone who has suffered an encounter with an overzealous policeman can attest.

The N.S.A. and its sister agencies will put paid to the American Democratic Experiment in the name of making America safe, without giving its destruction a second thought. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Citizen Texas That's one reason NSA built their new facility in Utah; to hold all the

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collected data for future exploitation and use. Be wary, very wary indeed. To those of you that say you have nothing to hide; just reread the excellent article above by Steve Singer. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Cassandra Central Jersey This is what an article looks like when a newspaper puts profit over national security. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

sk Somewhere in America Times, you've gone too far. These activities are well within the traditional, lawful and proper role of the NSA. Revealing the extent of NSA's success is dangerous, wasteful, and threatens our security.

The prior Snowdon leaks revealed wrong-doing, domestic spying, or excesses by the NSA; this time, you reveal NSA's doing its job well. Prior reports and commom sense had already made clear the NSA attempts to do these things, and sometimes succeeds. Revealing details of how siccesful they have been does not add much to the public debate, but could weaken our security. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

akwils New York Snowden should be awarded the medal of congress and Obama should be impeached Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Machinist Teeside England UK PBL What have you to hide? It is the elected Government of your country you are worried about? I for one need to trust my government on security, and i do not mind them poking there noses in my privacy, i have nothing to hide, i pay all my Tax. I would not like anybody else doing it though, i have the Law on my side as far as government is concerned. As long as you are a Law abiding citizen, i can find no problem, and i would like my government to find Terrorist, Foreign Spying on government & Companies, Criminal behaviour. This to me is worth a loss of privacy to the Government only. What i do not like so much is the likes of Google companies getting it! Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:43 p.m.

Lawrence Siden Ann Arbor, MI "Just trust us."

I think we have all heard that one before. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

SMaguidhir US Machinist, you live in one of the most watched countries in the world, you have a head of state that is not elected, you have truck billboards in the streets advising foreigners to go home, your government security division is a subset of a foreign power, they are trying to regulate the press and your government has a history of interring its citizens without trial. No worries there. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

wuffah CA If you've done nothing wrong, and have nothing to hide, why do they need to spy on you? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:15 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ed Bloom Columbia, SC I know it's a cliché but it's appropriate here: Oh my god! Once in a blue moon, the conspiracy theorist are right. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

miriam Astoria, Queens If ever the sensible people are the ones who wear tinfoil hats, I won't be surprised. Not after this. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

Steven Michigan funny how people like to worry about the little things that don't much matter in life. Unless you got something to hide ( like hiding money so you don't have to pay taxes ) then you do have a reason to really worry and you brought that on yourself. Otherwise, I am not concern that my government has that ability

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and in some sort of way, I am pleased that they do have that ability for our protection Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:42 p.m.

EMIP Washington, D.C. Until one day some unscrupulous Administration decides to dig up dirt on you or your family because it suits their political purpose. And the records are kept indefinitely. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Lawrence Siden Ann Arbor, MI Like you've got nothing to hide? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Cormac S. Manhattan, NY Any citizen that is willing to give up any amount of liberty for any amount of safety deserves to be neither safe nor free.

A paraphrase of Patrick Henry, one of our more radical founding fathers. As we give over liberties and rights to our government, we weaken our democracy. This is the terrorists winning the war, people! Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

David Brooklyn By breaking the encryption codes we rely on to keep us protected, the NSA has now complied a database library that increases our vulnerability to attacks. Standing on the shoulders of that database which turns all our efforts of encryption into yesterday's news, other brainy scientists from anywhere can more easily take control of every aspect of our way of life.

If the NSA had let this part of their charter alone, we would have been better off. This is not the first time we have seen that the NSA is a rogue agency that takes it as its right to betray our trust. I am sure Oliver North, John Poindexter, and Robert McFarlane are smiling in approval.

Insulated from the consequences of their decisions, the NSA habitually dismantles the Constitutional right to privacy and makes it more necessary to bear arms as a means of last resort so we can protect ourselves against our protectors. By doing this they have, once again, crossed the line that delineates the parental role of government from one where abusing the innocent is the only rational means for protecting them, in the name of "for their own good." Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

piet hein Rowayton CT Not a cynic or am I ? Guess they are doing their job. Wish they had done it before 9/11 or Saddam's imaginary weapons of mass destruction evidence. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:42 p.m.

s. berger new york more and more dangerous. Orwell was off by just one generation. who is watching these people who are spying on us? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Guy L. Smith New York The people who are spying on us are watching themselves. This constitutes "oversight" these days. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

EMIP Washington, D.C. The more I read about the invasion of American citizen's privacy, the more appreciative I am becoming of Edward Snowden's sacrifice of his future for making us aware. The question is what will our elected members of Congress do? If the past is prologue, little if anything. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

bob tarver indianapolis what if the China based hackers hack the NSA? All will be lost. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York Well, if the China-based hackers are really soldiers in the United States Cyber Command running attacks through the TOR network, that would be some first-rate government incest. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:45 p.m.

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John Houston Is the NSA also capturing all electronic financial transactions as well? If they could get the main phone service providers to provide their information, wouldn't it be as easy to get financial information from the top ten or twenty (or all) banks and credit card companies? After all, keeping track of financial transactions could certainly be argued as a weapon against the "war on terror". Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Abby Tucson If it's packaged into a bundle of light, they got it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Robert Sewell Tennessee So, being a hacker/computer cracker is legal for our government, but of course, not the average Joe. I guess murder and theft are kosher also. Oh, of course they are. Silly me. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

miriam Astoria, Queens Well, as Richard Nixon told the late David Frost ... Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m.

Cassandra Tucson AZ the new Nixons... Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Yiannis Minneapolis Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? Who watches the watchmen?

Regardless of how each one feels about this, NSA may be involved in illegal activities. And what direct, immediate leverage do citizens have to protect themselves against such illegal activities?

Thanks to NYT for bringing this to light. Now we all have to demand of our elected official to create appropriate checks and balances. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m.

Peter C Ottawa, Canada Thankfully, the primary algorithms used in cryptography did not originate in the United States. Advanced Encryption System (AES) is from the Netherlands. The key Elliptic Curve Cryptography implementations are owned by a Canadian company and the algortihms known as RSA and Diffie-Hellman were both pre-invented, though not disclosed, in the UK. The belief that the NSA can stay ahead of the game in algortihms sounds like mis-information to me. They can however infiltrate the operating systems which can then deliver the keys to whoever wants them. Why else do I need security updates etc. every couple of days? Only until a Chinese or Indian or from wherever operating system supersedes. Then where is our information going? As ye sow, so shall re reap etc. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Charles Buck Grand Rapids, MI There's just one more encryption system undiscussed in this article about NSA encryption cracking: electronic voting machines. Has the NSA been researching and exploiting the encrypted reporting of voting machine tallies for any elections within or outside the United States.

I am reminded of SmartMatic president Antonio Mujica's inspiring comments on the eve of Argentina's 2004 national presidential recall referendum conducted nationwide on Italian touch screen voting machine that were repurposed lottery machines.

"This is the same encryption used by New York banks to transfer million dollar amounts to banks in Hong Kong through public telecommunications networks, and that’s something that happens every day in the world, and there have been only a couple of cases in the past 40 years of data being intercepted."

Where does that confidence stand today? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Guy L. Smith New York Who needs to compromise voting machines when you can compromise the candidates? Blackmail and extortion are easier to achieve and don't leave pesky evidence in the form of audit trails.

Note that I *do* believe that voting machines have been compromised

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(Diebold was the eye-opener), just not by the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Tom Brucia Houston, Texas Can an agency that allowed Edward Snowden both access and knowledge of this capability be relied on to keep details from international criminal networks? It seems arrogant and stupid for NSA to assume that it has not been penetrated by folks willing to make hundreds of millions of dollars (billions?) by passing the technical details on to global criminals greedy for access to banking information that travels around the world electronically. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Roy Shane Tn Hacking is ay its core a kind of theft. Simply put hackers are thieves. Further because its done remotely from a distance ans surreptiously it is also cowardly. Now without a doubt the NSA/FBI are a hacking crew. Thr question before us now is do we acquiesce to our govt becoming thieves and cowards. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Jacquelinn Woods Minnesota All these Clipper chips are in everybody's television, X boxes, etc. that you have connected to the Internet. You now have zero privacy in your home because your government worker neighbor has full back door access using the Clipper chips. There is no longer the requirement of requiring a need to know, the right to know and the clearance to know for gaining access to private data.

Even if your television is plugged in and turned off, your government worker neighbor is still watching everything you do in the privacy of your house.

All these companies who conspired with NSA can be sued in federal court and a case can be maintained with NSA as a state actor. Therefore, all anyone has to do, through the FOIA, is acquire proof that their privacy was taken without a FISA court order authorizing it, and they have a case in good standing.

Since all Americans who use the Internet have been potentially violated, this certainly appears like a class action lawsuit. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Abby Tucson The UK police excused sitting on a sack of thousands of hacking victims rather than pursue the thieves by saying the telephony companies could NOT assist them in that investigation which would require enormous effort for little return. They lied. They likely didn't investigate because it would have demonstrated they CAN follow the trail of the intrusions of persons, and each offense. Couldn't let the SECRET get out, so the organized criminals got police protection. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Paul the confused San Francisco Why doesn't NSA start offering off-site back-up services for a fee? Since they are already archiving and decrypting everything, and they must have a dynamite search and retrieve function, this could be a great revenue generator.

After all, who do you trust - a cloud service that promises security while providing the info to other agencies, or NSA, which is so secret they won't tell anyone anything? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Mats Stenfeldt Sweden I have been working in the field of cryptography and information security since 1994 for the Swedish company Protego and have invented some patented encryption technology. I’m always surprised over the naïveté of even “professionals” in this field. Many is mostly interested in implementing cheap, easy to use,seamless and sadly enough breakable encryption.

If one where to examine the “slow death” regarding the nineties clipper- escrow debate and quick abandoning of the defense thereof by major intelligence agencies, one have to wonder what happened. Had GCHQ and the NSA changed there minds and given up on reading other peoples emails? Why was NSA deeply involved in propagating for the new AES standard of encryption?For making it harder for them to read email?

No sensible government should use a cryptographic algorithm developed by another country for sensible information if they want to keep it secret. I have clients that only uses “one-time-pad” encryption for there sensible information.This type of encryption is provable unbreakable.

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I suspect a major algorithmic break has been achieved against both public key cryptography and/or standard symmetrical ciphers. Once some people thought that they could keep the physics beyond the atomic bomb secret.I did not work then and it will not work now. What other country will rediscover this next?Is they as honorable as the Americans and the British in only using this information in regards of protecting us from terrorism? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Robert Coane Nova Scotia/New York Anything left to look at, Big Brother? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

bk nyc Our basic freedom has been sacrificed to protect our country, and are being told it is either/or. It is incumbent upon our government to find a way to preserve our freedom AND protect our country from terrorists. They are supposed to do both. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

David Roy Fort Collins, Colorado The scope, the reach, and the gall, of the National Security Agency is appalling.

The word 'privacy' can now be counted as an archaic concept, once touted by citizens and government alike as an ideal that both civilized and dignified.

Our planet, and our lives; are they simply resources to be mined and controlled, or will 'we' ever have the opportunity to have lives that aren't monitored, lives that aren't tracked, lives that are lived now with the threat of what displeasing those who listen and watch us might mean.

We are not safer. We are not freer.

We are tethered - whether we want to be, or not. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Wolfegang Detroit Freedom can only exist within the confines of a set rule, otherwise it's not freedom, its chaos.

Likewise, the way I see it is that a personal or corporate security can only exist within the confines of a set rule, otherwise we are simply turning the lights out, a pitch black darkness that gives unlimited opportunities for criminals to do as they please. This to me, is also chaos.

I'm not so sure that it's a bad thing for our government to exert its will to ensure that the lights stay on, giving good visibility for our government to discern the right from wrong, the ability to counter criminal activities in real time as they materialize. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

German Eve And the NRA is worried that the government is coming to get their guns. If only the world were that simple. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

T.S.P. SF, CA Any program developed after PGP2.6.2, is suspect, and should not be used in an attempt to secure privacy for yourself or for y our business and/or for matters of communication amongst yourself and others. All new encryption programs after PGP2.6.2 are suspect for having been compromised and for having a backdoor built into them! This has been known throughout the privacy industry since the early 90's. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

some random person farawayistan This looks like it could have some high external costs.

The article didn't specify much about the security flaws, but I imagine that by deliberately having security flaws and backdoors in products, good security (against any attacker) becomes harder and much more expensive.

It allows industrial espionage for those with contacts in the US government, against those without contacts, foreign or domestic. Obviously this is not a very good competetive environment and also might cause an unfair wealth transfer in the US' favor at foreigners' expense.

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Perhaps the reason the US hasn't broken the monopoly of several technology companies is because the NSA has good relations with them and want to use the monopoly to crush (especially foreign) competitors so that key products are only produced in the US were the NSA can influence them. Of course, monopolies bring costs for the consumer. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Smc Bluestate Why is Snowden's former employer Booz Allen allowed to continue operating? We should sue them out of existence. This leaked technology will be mainstream in 5 years and then no one in the helpless herd will be safe. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Nick Miami Just a thought, maybe there was manipulation on voting machines, there were so many reports on election time about people voting for a candidate and then seeing a change for the other. No more pregnant chads ? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Abby Tucson Having just gorged on a season of "Scandal," I'd say the Data Barons can't keep their mouths shut. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m.

Tom Davis Jr Bayside, NY A system is only as secure as its weakest link and if the internet's security is so easily exploited and done so from the beginning, the logic alone dictates there is NO SECURITY in digital communications. You got to admit, the approach is brilliant. By establishing the "holes" early on, the growth and expansion will already be there. They have, in essence, written in a genetic flaw into the DNA of digital communications and merely have to look for the results when wanting to exploit it at any time in the future. My question is how many of all the incessant updates are due to their fiddling around? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Guido Filippa Buenos Aires I dont really understand why there is so much talking about this subject? Wasnt it obvious that this was going on? I think its even necessary for the US government to have this kind of surveillance programs. The important aspect of this is HOW they use it. Dont you think China, Russia would hesitate to use this kind of power? And I bet they would not use it in the right way. Thinking about stoping this programs is naive. This gives US gouberment the possibility to be ahead of so many things THAT ARE VERY IMPORTANT to national security. The point of the disscussion should be centered in HOW to generate tools or whatever so ensure the right use of this force. That is important. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:34 p.m.

zezee NYC What is "the right way"? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Jillthecatt Chicago, Illinois This isn't necessarily a bad thing. All this means is the same thing I have told my clients for the past ten years. "Don't put anything in an email or a text that you would not want to be posted on a billboard in front of your house." This is information that flies through thin air. How could we ever believe that it was secure from anyone who really wanted to look at it? I find it it far more disturbing that internet service providers use my internet purchasers and inquiries to tailor advertising pitches to me on every website I visit. Dr. David Hawkins said that everything we hold secret in our hearts is painfully obvious to everyone anyway so subterfuge, or anything short of living a completely honest life is pointless and foolish. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Abby Tucson That's why I don't bother to use advanced security. I assumed Norton was spying on me from the gitgo. But they did behave strangely lately. I typically get notice of only cookie crumbs being brushed off, but the last time...Norton advised me I was enjoying intursions by the hour. That sounds familiar.

I'm an open book. And I still want to know why the PM's email came out of that blackberry like a metadata file, GCHQ. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:45 p.m.

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gregwood ny ny One would certainly hope that the NSA had these capabilities. As for the armchair revolutionaries concerned that their ruminations concerning the unfairness of capitalism, or the fact that they wrote off their dog's new collar on their income tax, your fascinating existence will probably not attract their attention. There are hundreds if not thousands of madmen vitally interested in blowing you into atoms, or any other of hundreds of things that would gravely inconvenience you permanently that these patriotic people are concerned with finding out about and preventing first. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

zezee NYC You don't know who the secret police will come after next. That's the problem: it's secret. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Getreal New Jersey And how much insider trading has been going on?

Meanwhile back at the NSA. "Hey Joe, I've got another hot tip for you!" Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Abby Tucson Who knows when there's a great opportunity to be expoited within this network? For Private Equity eyes only? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:46 p.m.

Jallard Portland, OR I find it disturbing laughable that some people here in the comments actually believe that what the NSA is doing to protecting “this country’s national security.” When the NSA speaks of “national security” who are they really speaking of? Surely they do mean for the protection of its citizenry. How pray tell is spying on us protecting us. Who is the NSA really protecting should be the question. What exactly is the government afraid off? That WE THE PEOPLE might someday soon exercise our Constitutional Right to oppose and topple our own government. Is that why all of the federal agencies have militarized themselves? I believe our government is more afraid of us than any known terrorist group. However, apparently I am the only one that thinks this is the case: And, I am but one man. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Abby Tucson In an attempt to sooth the ruffled feathers of the Germans, Cameron told them the UK only spies for security, terror, organized crime and the UK's economic well being. Well, NSA can drive a Mack Truck through that last item, no? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:46 p.m.

Donald2 US Is this a secret? Of course not.

Should US do this? Of course not.

Should other countries follow the example of US and do the same? Of course not.

Shoud US get angry if other countries do this to US? Of couse US will be angry. Pathatic.

Should the leadersr in G20 meeting talk about this? Waste of time. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Sukebewestern California OK, so, how many of our credit card numbers does Snowden and his comrads, then and now, from sifting through amazon.com. And, while China and (supposedly) the majority of the middle-east are constantly hacking away at the NSA and their ilk, when will they have that info?

Perhaps it time for sears to dust off those catalog printing presses. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:33 p.m.

Michael S Wappingers Falls, NY The NSA works with security product vendors to ensure that commercial encryption products are broken in secret ways that only it knows about. There is even evidence of a back door in Windows. Basically, the NSA asks

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companies to subtly change their products in undetectable ways. Free open sourced encryption software is much more difficult for the NSA to monkey with. If nothing else the Snowden revelations should destroy the commercial American security software industry!

A simple technique the bad guys use to avoid detection is to encrypt and decrypt messages on a computer that never has been connected to the internet and transfer it to or from an internet connected computer with a thumbstick for transmission. There are so many simple ways to sidestep the NSA that one wonders whether the NSA is only setting traps for amateurs. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:05 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Tom Moore Annapolis MD USA Did anyone really think that an organization with the resources of the NSA could be prevented from penetrating any conceivable encryption? Just as the individual citizen cannot possibly build a fortress that will keep the police or military out, neither can we possibly wall out our own government. We can run, as Snowden did, but we cannot hide. Only law and the bill of rights protect us, and that's where we must focus efforts to, in Obama's words, "balance security with privacy". Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York The problem we are facing is that arguments for this kind of surveillance follow the form of "it's justified because it's legal," while the reason it's legal is because someone wanted to justify it. The Shirky principle springs to mind: "Institutions will try to preserve the problem to which they are the solution." Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Genetic Speculator New York City For me, it's easy to be conflicted by the revelation of how successful the NSA is at spying. One the one hand I am proud of my fellow American's ingenuity, but on the other I am disappointed by the utter failure by the people tasked with guarding our rights. Perhaps Congress should subcontract the representation of citizens to a more efficient technocratic bureaucracy. Because they just can't compete. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Southern Boy Spring Hill, TN As I have commented in the past regarding this topic, as long as you are not communicating with the terrorists, the you have nothing to worry about.

Also I watched "9/11 Timeline" the other night on FOX. Every time I watch something about 9/11, I am thankful that we have programs such as those run by the NSA. I had a couple of neighbors, at the time, who died at the Pentagon. In fact, I could have been there that day.

As far as I am concerned, this country needs to do more to stop terrorism. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

PS Massachusetts To many of us, unwanted surveillance by a government on its citizens is a form of terrorism.

As for the totally weak argument about doing no wrong = no worries, who decides what is right or wrong when you have a govt that, by default, threatens privacy and freedom of speech? Are you really that happy to live in that womb? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

zezee NYC Who determines who is a "terrorist"? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:03 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

J. Cornelio Washington, CT Here's a sure-fire way to eliminate the US budget deficit---have the NSA start a website where you can go to find out what your neighbor, boss, lover, kids or anyone else does on-line.

With the number of eyes that would attract, ads would top super-bowl rates. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Blue State here I'd rather have my freedoms back than live in the greatest nation, the world's policeman, the target of all envy and hatred, the most heavily armed. Can't we go back to being plucky little innovators, please?

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Abby Tucson I'm with you. Keep the health insurance, O. Who wants to live a longer CHEAPENED life? Beam me up, Patrick Henry. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:47 p.m.

Marcel Sislowitz New York, NY In 1996, the American health care community was introduced with great fanfare to The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). Physicians and ancillary personnel were required to attend seminars on all aspects of patient confidentiality. This included the requirement mandating the installation of approved (not inexpensive)encrypted software in computers used for storing and transmitting patient information and billing. Dire warnings were made, promising severe consequences to those medical personnel who through carelessness or design might reveal sensitive data to unauthorized parties.

All seems like a bit of a joke now. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 10

Sheryll Los Angeles Is anyone else experiencing the circumstance of feeling reluctant to write any criticism of this US government? I used to feel free to express my opinion, at NYTimes.com or anywhere. The fact that I can't, is a sorry commentary on the current state of affairs: the arrest of whistleblowers without investigation of what they're blowing the whistle on, spying on mosques and protests, massive surveillance of everybody with the support (coerced or willing) of our service providers, shaky lines by surveillance agencies between safe-guarding our human rights and fascistic, compulsive, paranoid mucking about with our data and our lives.

It makes me very sad to know our Constitution is being ignored and I actually don't live in the land of the free. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Abby Tucson I've detected a sever uptick in gallows humor. I'm just glad to know my asides to the snoops were well founded. Right, NSA? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:50 p.m.

Peytr David Los Angeles Do most Americans have any idea just how much data is floating across the Interent at any time? It is staggering in the same way that numbers generated by astrophysicists about the number of atoms in the universe are staggering. My point is that even if decrypted, the ability to search for that needle in a haystack for that tiny bit of data is actually more like searching through a universe of haystacks even with powerful computers. By the time "they", whoever "they" are, finds that bit of data it will probably be of little use. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:52 p.m.

Abby Tucson I read that only 2.9% of the net is communications. The rest is porn, and streaming services. But that 2.9% is still gigantic even with all those suspicious updates. Hope that stalker is strong enough to hold up those clouds, which Snowden says are the worst for storage security. The golden geese are at RISK! Thanks for nuttin', NSA. HONK! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:50 p.m.

Nii NY The NSA is a friend and not a foe of the American people. what do you expect? those in technology or studied computer science understand that any transaction is viewable by many more than just the intended recipient. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

JnJ NM The point of encryption and the integrity of digital commerce depends on only the sender and recipient knowing of the content.

This isn't about seeing your dirty laundry. This is about potentially having access to your bank account. Even if the NSA is your friend, are the contractors and their employees your friend?

Is Edward Snowden, who was an employee of a contractor, your friend? What if Snowden were indeed a bad guy? What would he do with your bank account?

You can't apologize away these intrusive actions of the NSA for ever. At

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some point their capabilities will be to your detriment, whether that is the policy of the NSA or not.

You heard it here first. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York Right, because all of my "friends" monitor everything I say and do. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

zezee NYC I do not believe the NSA is a friend of the American people. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

r.thomas castro valley, ca It is clear to me now that Snowden is a traitor and should be put on trial. Exposing government internet surveilence capabilities in its attempt to thwart terrorist attacks, is not in the public interest or exposing wrong doing. This is akin to publicizing that the Allies had obtained the German encription machine and could begin reading Axis messages during WWII. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:51 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

JnJ NM "Paranoid NYT readers?"

Is the NSA paranoid for breaking the integrity of digital commerce? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

sundog washington dc Yikes! Who knew there were so many paranoid NYT readers? Proof? When we compare NSA to dictatorships, complain because the NSA is unelected (yet doing the job it is designed to do, protecting the nation from harm), and actually believe the NSA is interested or even has the time to be monitoring the average US citizenn.... there you have it. Code breaking is nothing new and neither is the Ingternet. A simple "Thank You, NSA" will suffice. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:51 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Guy L. Smith New York "protecting the nation from harm" by compromising the security protocols we use to protect our online traffic? That sounds more like "causing the nation to be harmed" to me. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Ajinson York, Pa. To me, this is just another case of big brother is watching you, the government will not be satisfied till the know how many hairs you lost in the shower this morning. Big government constantly tramples the constitution and there seems to be little if anything we can do about it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:51 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Guy L. Smith New York Let's stop promulgating the idea that we're facing a choice between freedom and security. This is a choice between freedom and being a superpower. The purpose of these surveillance organizations is to protect the state, not the people. As long as the debate is being framed to suggest that these programs are for the protection of individuals, these programs will continue.

Stop asking yourself if you can accept a loss of freedom for the sake of personal security. Ask instead whether you can accept a loss of freedom for the sake of protecting government agencies. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:51 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Dane Pennsylvania Forget about Obamacare -- it's the NSA that the Republicans should push to de-fund. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Guy L. Smith New York Why limit it to Republicans? This could be a bipartisan effort. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Steve Bolger New York City There is no way for anyone to be sure that any data processing device is free of trap doors the way software and silicon compilations are sold today. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:50 p.m.

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Lee43 Rochester Well, there goes the internet. In typical fashion our government saves the village by destroying it. It won't be long before the techniques for breaking the encoding programs leaks out and our wonderful "series of tubes" becomes nothing more than a party line that anyone can listen in to. Recent events show the NSA can't keep a secret. So I don't expect that something that will give you a licence to steal will stay under wraps for long. If the NSA can do it, then the crooks won't be far behind. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

caseycw2004 memphis Everyone involved in the NSA needs to be court martialed and tried for violations of the 4th amendment. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

John PA They should get commendations for doing the incredibly difficult job they are tasked with by the United States. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m.

Chris Stock Granby, CT "The 2013 N.S.A. budget request highlights “partnerships with major telecommunications carriers to shape the global network to benefit other collection accesses”... So, like good little German soldiers, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, Verizon, AT&T all say "we were only doing our jobs?"

A free society cannot cede its privacy and all of its information to the megalomaniacs that run the government and these companies. Come what may, I would rather have freedom than the so called "protection" we get from the Oligarchy of government spies. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Andy Hain Carmel, CA I seriously doubt that all this is true. It's much more likely that the NSA and its employees, as well as its sub-contractors and their employees, angling for increased budget allocations for the NSA and its programs, have planted some critical misinformation.

Isn't this the tack every logical person takes? "Hey, I'm important, I'm successful at my job, and I deserve more money and power." Yeah, right.

25 to 30 years ago the political catch phrase was "trust, but verify." Where's the verification now? Meanwhile, the NSA budget continues to balloon. Another day, another bubble. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:47 p.m.

JnJ NM And why would the NSA plant misinformation that would turn many American taxpayers against them? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Bill San Tokyo, Japan Is this any surprise? What do you think happens when you click "close" on an advertisement? Do you not think a cookie gets sent to track where that came from? Just because you said "close" doesn't mean that no one's tracking where you browse or what you watch. Whether it's the N.S.A. or a capitalist "sales" person...... Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York Except that a "capitalist 'sales' person" doesn't have the ability to enact a tyranny. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

sharinlite Orange, CA Well, it took a bit over 100 years but the Progressives have just about taken care of any freedoms we could count on...nothing is sacred....nothing or no one is safe...if they get to make or change rules to suit then Welcome to 1984!! Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:47 p.m.

Paulo Ferreira Afghanistan The NSA can hack into computers? Thank you for telling us the minimum that the NSA SHOULD be able to do. After all, this is what the Agency is there for. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

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judiann1 The Great North Woods You don't have to hate your country to hate your government. I see signs of the multitudes coming together to save what I and millions love. "There is a crack in everything" and that is how the light got in and I'm not talking about the modified light.. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:47 p.m.

Loyd Marlow Maine Anything that can be programmed can be hacked. Anything that can be encrypted can be broken open. Internet security is a laughable term. Nothing on the internet is truly secure. What is surprising is how many people don't seem to know this?! Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Pimil California Properly implemented encryption, using a good algorithm, can't be brute-forced without taking billions of years. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m.

John PA It is amazing how little most Americans know about the things that make the nation they live in great.

When the NSA was created in 1940s it was tasked with sigint. SIgnals intelligence. That means gathering information that is transmitted through electronic signals. First it was telegrams, radios and telephones. Then satellites and undersea fiber optic cables. Now it is all those things and the internet. Part of that mission has ALWAYS been breaking encryption since governments, spies, foreign defense corporations, and of course terrorists and criminals, do not generally send messages unencrypted. We have super computers today BECAUSE the NSA developed them for the specific task of breaking encryption. That is the origin of most of the computer technology we base our civilian devices on today. It is also part of the source of the creation of the internet (ARPNET) during the Cold War.

If you think that the United States should flail blindly around without intelligence on other nations and non governmental actors, you are both a fool and free to try to get congress to eliminate our intelligence apparatus. Try to convince people who know better that we should not gather intelligence. By all means, knock your diapers off, kiddies.

NSA EXISTS to break encryption. The only story here would be if they were not. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:22 p.m.

Michael F Yonkers, NY Most transparent administration in history.

How long are we going to put up with this? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

PS Massachusetts Good question. Next one is, what do we do? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Michael F Yonkers, NY Vote smart next time from the local level on up. Demand real debates and not just a few of them. The state of Nebraska uses a single legislative body and it non-partisan. Nobody runs on a party. Partisanship is at the root of the problems in this country. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:35 p.m.

Brian the bookseller Fort Worth, Texas I'm just a tired old guy with nothing of interest to anyone coming or going in my e-mails. Unless NSA is tipping off the democrats about my political observations and the IRS comes calling. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:46 p.m.

PS Massachusetts Brian - what about the young growing up without the freedoms we did? You might be tired but they should be vibrant and able to pursue a life without govt. surveillance. Ironic that you are a bookseller. Got any Thoreau? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

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blasmaic Washington DC Sensational news, but still no law-breaking. Snowden must say who broke the law and who failed to act when presented with information about lawlessness. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:46 p.m.

Guy L. Smith New York Doesn't matter if it's law-breaking or not. Laws can be created to make anything legal (or illegal). That's what authoritarian states are all about. The concern is not whether the government is breaking laws. The concern is that the government is developing ubiquitous surveillance. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Tac Nyc This makes privacy-related FTC consent orders look meaningless. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

ppt usa Our GOV didn't build those record keeping buildings for nothing, did they?

Welcome to the "New World" like you used to read about long ago about no more security of ANY kind; in my opinion that is, as the politicians say;-)

What was fiction is now reality; Have a fun day, no matter what;-) Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

nadia bess Mount Pleasant Beginning 2000? You really need some shores in your brain. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m.

arp Texas Dear N.S.A.

Thank You!!!!

China. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m.

recox Princeton NJ My immediate thought also was China. We can now assume that those seemingly random attacks on minor U.S. companies or systems were actually the Chinese military testing different security weaknesses, courtesy of the NSA. So now the question is, when all of those weaknesses are added up, does that point to what China is really after? Perhaps entry to the NSA's key room? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m.

RDA in Armonk NY Quite a few years back I hired a someone to work with me on a software project. This fellow saw conspiracies everywhere and was convinced that the government was promoting the Data Encryption Standard (DES), used in the SSL protocol, because the government and only the government had the computing power to defeat the encryption method.

So my colleague wan't being paranoid after all. I wasn't too riled up over the government's collecting telephone metadata. News that the N.S.A. can eavesdrop on SSL connections, however, infuriates me. The government foisted a major deception in telling us how we could be safe and secure when all the time they knew it was just the opposite. This was reprehensible and must be investigated by Congress. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

si nc I am proud of the work the NSA has been doing for many years safeguarding us from terrorist attacks. People who are shocked and dismayed are naïve. Think it over. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

LT Springfield, MO This is a big surprise? Isn't this what we want our spy agencies to do? In the pre-internet days they broke codes, which we thought a fine thing. Now they break encryption. It's the same thing - the only difference is that more of us are using codes for non-nefarious activities - activities that I'm pretty sure the NSA. is not interested in.

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Too bad they didn't break Snowden's encryption before he leaked to Greenwald. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

miriam Astoria, Queens Most online encryption used by individuals and businesses is like the envelopes around letters. Think of the government steaming open everyone's letters.

And as I said, just wait until another J. Edgar Hoover comes along. Remember the blacklists? Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

JD Germany Leaks slow to a trickle the media moves on The public back to sleep Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

RFR Wash DC And this is why "cash" transactions are at an all time high and the start-up "Post All Notes" a paper-based courier service is attracting thousands of customers each week. The government is forcing companies with proprietary information to move back to Pre-computer days in order to keep their technology secret. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

GSS Bluffton, SC Why the big deal. According to a lawsuit in California, Google opens and reads all g-mail. They claim it is perfectly legal, because "they tell you this" in their incomprehensible policies. Maybe somewhere NSA has done the same thing. Quit being so naive folks, especially where politicians are involved. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Guy L. Smith New York Whether something is legal or not is irrelevant; laws can be created that make anything legal. Fascist and authoritarian governments are all about adhering to the law. To argue that legality is the litmus test is disingenuous.

The concern is not one of law but one of freedom. Ubiquitous surveillance is a tool of tyranny, and as such should be treated with extreme skepticism. I have not seen any compelling reason to believe that these tools serve to protect American citizens. Rather, they are tools designed to protect the state itself. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Matt NYC This article makes it sound like email was secure to begin with. By default, email is unencrypted and very much prone to snooping - you can't consider email to be even minimally secure unless you encrypt it yourself. Also, it's very easy to make email look as though it were sent by someone else. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York This article is not about email. It's about HTTPS (via SSL) and VPNs. These are technologies that are supposed to be secure. They are the things you rely on when performing financial transactions online or when you log into your companies private network, for example. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Ginny SC With every other country in the world working hard to do this; and many already doing it, is it not important that we know how as well? Or even get ahead of it? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York Except that the NSA deliberately weakened published security standards used by American citizens and businesses in order to "get ahead of it." They actually weakened American security.

Read that again: they WEAKENED American security.

This is not the behavior of an institution determined to protect Americans.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

kafantaris USA What's the surprise here? Supercomputers have cracked code from the outset. This is why we build them. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York The surprise is that so many Americans seem willing to sacrifice their personal freedoms for the sake of a nebulous entity called America. This is supposed to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. It is entirely possible for America to exist on those terms - as a state that is subordinate to the people. That's not what we're seeing. It appears instead that people are subordinate to the state. This should be upsetting. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ken MT Vernon, NH It looks more and more like the NSA is a compulsive hoarder.

Like those shows on tv where the house is jam packed with junk that the psychologically disturbed person insists that they can't do without.

Eventually, as the hazard to others of collecting so much junk in one place becomes evident, the American people, acting as health inspector, will have to come in and clean them out. It will take a politician of strong principles to reduce the hoard to what is actually necessary for daily living and to eliminate the cockroaches.

In the mean time, it is our tax dollars being wasted on amassing the junk collection. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Steve New Jersey Athough I question the integrity of those who disregard their promise to keep these matters confidential, I am glad to hear that our NSA has developed this level of sophistication. We can be confident that the security services of countries that would do harm to our citizens are working to become just as proficient. This is a significant national security issue. While I appreciate concerns expressed about potential mis-use of this private information (ie, if someone like Snowden decides to use this informaiton for personal gain) but there is always that risk when the wrong people are entrusted with information. There certainly are mechanisms that can work to detect misuse. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York You approve of the fact that the NSA deliberately introduced flaws into security protocols and published those protocols, claiming they were secure, so that they could then compromise the communications of anyone who used those protocols? Keep in mind that we're talking about protocols that are used billions of times per day by American citizens, businesses, and government agencies.

The NSA compromised the very systems to which foreign nations are trying to gain access, and you are "glad to hear that our NSA has developed this level of sophistication."

Even assuming that this is being used *exactly as intended* it still constitutes a greater threat to American interests than anything it supposedly protects against. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

jalexander connecticut All you need to know about the NSA and encryption can found in the story of Whitfield Diffie, a Jamaica HS and MIT graduate, who worked with Martin Hellman to develop the fundamental ideas of dual-key, or public key, cryptography. They essentially broke the monopoly that had previously existed where government entities controlled cryptographic technology and the terms on which other individuals could have access to it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whitfield_Diffie Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:42 p.m.

Guy L. Smith New York And if the NSA has broken Diffie-Hellman key exchange then any protocol which depends on it is compromised - and a lot of protocols depend on it.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

A. Stanton Dallas, TX The best way to use the internet is to assume that everything you put up there is being read by someone else. Make sure you use a lot of phony names, send out bunches of cat pictures and articles from Drudge. Above all else, make certain that everything you write is boring. The guys at the CIA and NSA can't stand boring. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Guy L. Smith New York Are you kidding? They're mathematicians. For them, "boring" is an interesting challenge. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:33 p.m.

Oscar MI We were a free country, once. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Lucille Hollander Texas There is a lot of debate, and rightfully so, about the NSA, privacy, security, and so on; and whether the NSA is entitled to collect all of our personal information. Disturbingly, there is little concern about what happens when someone does to the NSA exactly what they are doing to us, and finds a way to break in to their security and collect all of their stored information.

Information is like a gun in a safe, or microbes used for biological warfare in a locked refrigerator. It is subject to theft and misuse.

NSA purports to have our best interests in mind. Whether or not that is so is open to debate. But inevitably their store of all of our personal information will be compromised, and the new owner of that information may not have any good intentions at all.

. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Guy L. Smith New York We don't have to worry about anyone breaking into the NSA. According to the article, the NSA has already compromised the security protocols that we depend on every day. Nice gift to our enemies. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

EDP NYC "the new owner of that information may not have any good intentions at all"

Are you suggesting that Wikileaks doesn't wish to see the United States prosper? Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m.

V P Kochikar Bangalore Staggering to know that what was suspected by conspiracy theorists and fantasized by thriller writers is actually true - the US intelligence fraternity really does go to incredible lengths to snoop on the world's communications - to the extent of sabotaging standards and planting "vulnerabilities" in commercial software !

I for one always believed such allegations were the figment of the imagination of various people (usually motivated by anti-American sentiments). But it now appears they were right (assuming, of course, the documents showcased by NYT are genuine).

Incidentally, the top-secret budget document speaks of "consumers and other adversaries" - Freudian slip ???!!

ON a different note, I also believe the NYT on its part should not be so hasty to showcase to the entire world documents that, for better or worse, the US Govt. has labeled top-secret. Is the paper motivated by national interest or just journalistic fervor? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York Why did you stop short in your reasoning? If the "conspiracy theorists" were right about the extent to which our security has been compromised, why aren't they right about the threat that the government poses to ordinary citizens (oops - "consumers and other adversaries")?

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I applaud the NYT and wish this story was getting more attention than Syria. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

dubious new york This is a rogue government and what can you do - nothing. I read during the Republican convention here in NYC they rounded up and arrested all protesters as they exited their buses. A rogue government. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Jon London UK Any organisation which becomes too powerful, however benign and well-intentioned its origins, will inevitably start to act immorally and can then no longer be trusted. The use of cryptography in the World Wars was limited to the objective of wining those wars; here there seems to be no limitations at all. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

A Wilco Vermont "Those who would give up essential Liberty, to purchase a little temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." Ben Franklin

"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated..." Fourth Amendment United States Constitution Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

01000101 01110101 Brasil Becarful what you write... They can erase your e-mail and bank account. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Andy W Chicago, Il Many seem to think that terrorists, drug lords, white collar criminals and enemy states all suddenly deserve their privacy. Modern technology has provided even the least sophisticated hostile organization with an unprecedented ability to conceal dangerous activity on a global scale. The NSAs primary job is to peel back that veil. They are code breakers and communication specialists by trade and design. Decrypting information has always been part of their primary mandate. If you desire to stop or distract the NSA from doing it's job, be prepared for the eventual consequences. There is a good chance they will be severe. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m.

Hal Arlington, VA "A 2010 document calls for “a new approach for opportunistic decryption, rather than targeted.” By that year, a Bullrun briefing document claims that the agency had developed “groundbreaking capabilities” against encrypted Web chats and phone calls. Its successes against Secure Sockets Layer and virtual private networks were gaining momentum."

The government itself--every agency of the government--relies on SSL and current VPNs to protect the confidentiality of its own internal communications. If the NSA can break SSL and VPNs, then that means that others can break them as well, which means that internal government communications are no longer secure, which is a big problem for the government. The government itself has an inherent interest in being able to employ encryption technology that the NSA *can't* break, as long as they care about *others* not being able to break it. This is a case where you can't have your cake and eat it too. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

truthlord hungary I wonder if the revelations about this level of spying and lack of secrecy regarding Americans ,may not be a good thing for a reason not mentioned in the article or any of the comments I have seen The fact is that one of the main characteristics of being American is ones belief in ones'freedom ' as an individual.Ones sense of liberty is ones sense of oneself as a 'free' separate individual and this sense of individuality is closely connected with ones sense of personal privacy.Americans feel this far more than other people I suggest,far more than the British who live in a country that has had an effective intelligence service since Elizabeth I ,Shakespeares time..and even in the days of the American colonies ,I suspect that everyone getting off a boat in New York was checked to see that they were white ,spoke English and were Protestant The British have known this for a long time.They know that their Lords and

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masters want to know everything thats happening on their great estates etc Accordingly the British are not worried about 500,000 CCTV cameras in London alone. The Germans ,who lived through a terrifying political era may be concerned but not the British If Americans now realise that their' chest out 'Im an American and Im free'nonsense is really just a fantasy it might bring them down a bit ,remind them they are not so special after all and produce a much more balanced approach to the world in general that would be a very good thing Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

miriam Astoria, Queens So how do you explain that on the European Continent, where there is no tradition of American-style hyperindividualism, you find greater legal safeguards for privacy than you find here? And how is it that Germany, of all countries, is angry at us for our surveillance state? Germans who know their national history know about the totalitarianism their country has experienced. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

miriam Astoria, Queens Sorry, mea culpa, you have explained. I can say only that NSA spying is no cure for American hyperindividualism, and part of Orwell's inspiration for his terrifying vision was the contempt for freedon shown by fellow radicals who were toeing the Stalinist line. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:08 p.m.

RFB NY Our Enemy the NSA Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

gary belfast, maine At least this provides for full employment of a small subset of particular geopolitical groupings across the face of the human experience. I do long for those days when a visit to a local barbershop or breakfast coffeklatch provided enough thought-provoking discussion of current events to last for minutes.

As the saying went - if a conversation was had in the wilderness, and no-one was apparently near enough to overhear it, did it occur? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

b_smark VA "I would strongly recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States."

Techies working as Wal-Mart greeters now know who they can blame. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

All American ask the NSA I can assure you that the NSA, CIA, FBI or any of the US government agencies does not care about the majority of your transactions on the internet or anywhere else and is not even looking at them. They are looking for harmful activity against the country or our allies, if you are not doing anything you should not do then stop worrying if you doing it then I hope they catch you.. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m.

Guy L. Smith New York How about this. I'm concerned that the programs that the NSA has implemented can compromise the 1% of the population that controls money and politics. These people can be subject to blackmail and extortion as a result. Even if I am not directly targeted by the NSA, the people that I vote for or do business with could be. That affects me, regardless of how small a fish I am. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

deloprator20000 SSF, CA The names the NSA gives these programs are interesting, "Bullrull" or "Manassas", trying to contextualize their efforts as if they are in the civil war and they think they are the "North". The problem is that their intentions and behaviors mirror the actions of the Old South far more than the North, spying on innocent people, starting wars under false pretenses, manipulating the media, effecting a quarantine on the entire population. It seems that they are more interested in protecting the interests of the wealthy elite than of the majority of the population.

The fact is that they can no longer rationally justify their extreme efforts and the more it simply becomes a last attempt by the elite to hold on to power by any means necessary.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

SF expat London Manassas/ Bull Run was a huge win for the South. Manassas is a few dozen miles from DC and the North was petrified that the South would advance, capture the capital, and it would be game over within a few weeks of the war's beginning. Possibly the significance of the name is actually 'Beware'. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m.

miriam Astoria, Queens And denying freedom to an entire population - that's what the Confederate cause was about.

In W.E.B. Du Bois's words, it was the freedom to destroy freedom. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

JackieTreehorn San Francisco As an IT professional, I can tell you that once you join the digital grid, you lose all privacy. It's not "hacked" , it's just so accessible... Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

kathleen Cambridge > The National Security Agency has secretly circumvented or cracked much of the digital scrambling that protects global commerce, e-mails, phone calls, medical records and Web searches.

Seems we had better re-name it the National Spying Association. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

MIchael Stamm Concord, NH Good! Period! Its not about your J. Crew account. Its about protecting us. Of course our civil liberties are being reduced. That's the way war works. Of course we'd like to have both full civil liberties and safety. That's not the way life works. My God! Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 p.m.

Safe upon the solid rock Denver, CO George Orwell had it right. Is anyone else outraged or surprised? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

suprabrew Totalitarianville "...“leverage sensitive, cooperative relationships with specific industry partners” to insert vulnerabilities into Internet security products."

Read it between the lines: Your anti-virus software was written by the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Technic Ally Toronto This very much parallels the use of doctors purportedly immunizing while really searching for bin Laden.

And the fallout regarding vaccinations in that part of the world. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

HSmith Denver Last I heard, we do have a few constitutional provision about this, ya? One day the court might rule that classified programs are a threat to the constitution - no matter what they are, and that a future Snowden cant be prosecuted. What a mess that will be. And with him an international celebrity, will there be more like him? The over reach of the NSA dooms it to such possibilities.

Someone without classified access could find much of that information too. One can hear what the NSA hears because receivers radiate energy. And if something tangible is done with that info, you know the NSA has it. Like black holes and Hawkins Radiation, the Agency is going to leak, one way or another. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Brad Windley Tullahoma, TN The unethical and over-reaching nature of the NSA and the current Administration is like a pot of feces. It just keeps bubbling and stinking! All must realize that Orwell’s predictions have come to pass and nothing, I mean nothing, that you do, say, watch, or write is protected as private any longer. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

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AnonByRight Richmond, VA I see physical courier services becoming a hot growth industry soon.

Banks are knowingly compromised? That’s quite a large fraud.

The Guardian/New York Times piece could possibly become the most important journalism article in history. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Technic Ally Toronto Thank Edward Snowden.

And God bless Putin.

Although I don't believe in either of them. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:41 p.m.

miriam Astoria, Queens I'm not sure what couriers are allowed to send, but the USPS will brook no competition in letter delivery. If you want to send a paper letter outside the usual Postal Service channels, you'll have to enclose it in a parcel, pay a steep price, or do as the ancients did: send the letter with a trusted mutual friend who just happens to be going that way. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:09 p.m.

Cedarglen USA This is not new news. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m.

Guy L. Smith New York Actually, it is. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Patrick Long Island NY Technically, the employees of the N.S.A. are Burglars. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

wonderfully la At what point do we finally reign in these NSA outlaws? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Lynn S. Dear Mr. President,

The abuse of privacy rights by the NSA on US citizens is a far more urgent human rights and freedom issue than chemical weapons used in a civil war in Syria.

Please forget about Syria and spend your energy addressing the NSA crimes...in this country. Listen to the public on this - No to Syria; Yes to privacy and not being spied on. Stop demonizing whistleblowers who are the true heroes of democracy.

Thank you. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Tim Miltz PA I suppose the brighter side of this is that a new service industry offering better encryption to consumers will likely emerge... Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Mark Kaskin Middle America Great, so now this will drive US citizens to flock to software and hardware made in countries that are least likely to cooperate with NSA. I would rather have MY private information subject to Chinese or Russian decryption than by the US, as my concern is how the government that I am subject to the jurisdiction of is far more of a threat to me than China or Russia by having access to my information. China or Russia will not sic the IRS, ATF, FBI, DEA, ICE, DHS, or any of a dozen other jack-booted Federal agencies on me. Only the USA can do that to me.

The next Cisco, Microsoft, and Google will be in China. Russia, or Iran. The countries least likely to cooperate with the USA. At least for individual, retail users - but I suspect many companies will look for equipment and software from "safer" alternatives in more trustworthy countries like Switzerland, Iceland, or Brazil.

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Way to destroy the US tech sector, NSA! Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

angel98 New York One can only but imagine what your computer camera sees and who is tapping into the feed. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

John CA The NSA is doing exactly what a good intelligence agency should be doing. The NY Times on the other hand has committed treason by disclosing intelligence methods to our adversaries. Hopefully the news media will be held accountable for their actions. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Michael S Wappingers Falls, NY What the NSA is possibly doing is destroying a big chunk of the American economy far more effectively then any terrorist. Why don't you save the chest thumping flag waiving until you can point to some successes that would even begin to justify this reckless sabotage of the internet. NSA is big on budget and short on results. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Guy L. Smith New York The NY Times is doing exactly what a good news service should be doing. The NSA on the other hand has committed treason by promulgating compromised security protocols that American businesses and citizens depend upon for protection. Hopefully the espionage establishment will be held accountable for their actions. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Keith Henson somewhere I don't think you have it right. Can you point me to a web site that talks about 4 GB drives having 400 GB? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Michael S Wappingers Falls, NY What we may be witnessing here is a virtually unfettered and unsupervised government agency destroying American dominance of the internet and the worldwide web. Who would use an American based server or American security software if they could turn to a privacy protected country like Germany for this?

This has happened before when the government banned the export of software with strong encryption - American software manufacturers lost overseas business to foreign companies until the ban was rescinded. Now using the internet as a secure, cheap and quick way for accessing business records may be collateral damage to security agencies run amok.

Meanwhile, Al Qaeda seems to be doing very well operating out of mud huts in remote locations, sidestepping the NSA through the use of couriers - just like Bin Laden did. Small wonder NSA hasn't made any big announcements of terrorist captures or plots foiled - a men getting on a plane and handing someone half way around the world a thumbstick can defeat $50 billions worth of signal intercept programs! Don't forget that Snowden was able to remove all of the NSA secrets and deliver them to journalists on four laptops. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Apeon Washington I have a computer that I use for the tithing records for my church---guess what---the ONLY time it was connected to the internet was when I registered it. It, and it's programs will never be updated----so as long as it works, I am the only one that will have access----when it quits, we will start over...... Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:18 p.m.

Amala NYC Just watched an episode of SCANDAL from 2012 wherein an NSA employee fakes being a whiste-lblower so he can steel the spy software and sell it to the highest bidder. I am no fan of the NSA's invasion of privacy but I wonder how much ideas from this particular show influenced Snowden - if at all.

In any case, we have been aware of warrantless wire-tapping since after 9-11 and The Patriot Act. Get it all out. Get it out of our system for all to see. What will we do about it? How will we respond? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:17 p.m.

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New Yorker NYC The world has gone insane. George Orwell was right. If you have never read the book 1984, you should get it from Amazon this very moment. I have never, ever been a conspiracy theorist, but this changes everything. The locksmith told me the lock I bought was the best in the world, now it seems like everyone has a key. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

CD Austin OK, now Snowden is a patriot. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:17 p.m.

Susan New York Shut down this agency now. The NSA has no right to exist as far as I am concerned. As long as it stays open and active, it is dangerous. This is what Edward Snowden was telling us. Shut it down now. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Adriano Koehler Curitiba, Brazil Well, americans, when you're not welcome when traveling abroad, please remember your government is responsible for that, ok? You crack all security codes all over the world, how can you wish to be considered friends? Oh, by the way, democracy means "by the people", so we understand you've chosen the people who are surveilling us. So, please, don't complain. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Andy Hain Carmel, CA We'll still welcome you here on the Monterey Peninsula, one of the top US destinations, Adriano, and you won't regret it. Stop by for a visit. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m.

Orwellian Northwest When will this President of the United States, a Harvard trained lawyer & former US Constitution Harvard Law School professor bring the same level of concern about protecting the domestic legal rights & liberties guaranteed by the US Constitution to every single US citizen, man, woman & child; that he has spent on concerns about human rights in the Middle East ? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Romy CLT, NC I'm sad, disturbed and heartbroken over this latest revelation. Maybe this will be good news for the postal service. Or is the NSA going to start going through mail now, too? Shameful. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Pat Choate Washington, Va. Why does Congress permit this violation of America's basic rights to privacy? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Guy L. Smith New York It's simple. The federal government is concerned with protecting America instead of protecting Americans. The United States is treated as an entity in its own right, entitled to greater protection that the individual people who live within its borders. This is why nationalism and jingoism are antithetical to a free people. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Deep South Southern US Congress is in cahoots. They fund it, and have for the last 40 years. Congress is complicit, despite their protests. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Howie Lisnoff Massachusetts The NSA spies on the communications of ordinary Americans, whether that communication be by computer or phone. The director of national intelligence (sic), James Clapper, lied about the latter in testimony before Congress. Edward Snowden looks more and more like a national hero, while James Clapper committed perjury! Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:06 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

jetmerlin Los Angeles Hey, folks, why not just stop saying, thinking, or writing things you're ashamed of? Wouldn't that be a lot easier?

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:03 p.m.

Andrew D Macon I guess I didn't need to bcc the NSA on all those emails after all. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:01 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

David H. Eisenberg Smithtown, NY "I'm shocked, shocked to find that gambling is going on in here!" Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:01 p.m.

Scott Morgan New Jersey I have long suspected a wide range of suspects – the Russians, the Chinese, and as it turns out – our own government of inserting all sorts of vulnerabilities into Wondows and other PC based encryption and antivirus software. To me it's pretty simple: do I want a computer running DOS (really CPM) or a highly refined UNIX, with its own encryption and anti-viral programs. A closed system greatly limits the opportunity to throw sabots into the works. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

JeffB Plano, Tx How is Congress not now liable if it does not now act for violating the 4th Amendment? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

J Brooklyn, NY I am starting to think Snowden may indeed be a hero. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Adrianne Massachusetts Anyone who trusts the NSA, remember, they contracted Snowden. Who knows who else they've given access to. They don't seem to be very good judges of character. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Stuffster NY Medical records? Really? I guess that NSA doesn't have to abide by HIPAA like the rest of us peons, then? There has to be a limit to this. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Patrick Long Island NY May I suggest everyone take up a radio hobby? Citizens band radio is cheap and fun and you don't need a license. Google it. Learn about it. You'd like it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

BrianL Toronto, Canada The big problem is an agency required to report to others has lied continually to those with oversight or withheld information. No government agency required to report to another should ever do this as it is an intentional breach of both the letter and spirit of the law. Those responsible should be at a minimum be sacked with loss of any benefits and/or prosecuted.

Congress represents the people and when the executive lies or with holds information that Congress is by law required to receive, the Constitution is at risk.

As the weakness of the reporting and oversight control is now public, the solution is to go back to the drawing board and create a system that can be reported out to the people publicly and also errs on the side of CONSTITUTIONAL CONSERVATISM and not push the envelope that to so many citizens looks like a Constitutional violation of Due Process. As a lawyer, I especially am concerned with the court structure established under the law. While Congress is permitted to create them under the Constitution, the powers and Constitutional protections and concepts must be part of that including an adversarial process where the accused can confront the accuser. The Special Court is not adversarial and even mandating a guardian ad litem as we know generally does not protect those orders are sought against. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Ferrington Boonville Maybe the people so opposed to the NSA's efforts should make certain that folks like the late Bin Laden can be assured of secure communications. Perhaps the NYT and Snowden can lead the effort.

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The Fourth amendment should apply to them too.

We evidently betrayed our principles when we broke the German and Japanese codes in WWII.

We won't make that mistake again! Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Animedude5555 at my computer I guy further down the page mentioned that this isn't an end to all encryption, and he's right. Here's why. First off I'm going to be using scientific notation here, because these are REALLY large numbers. Scientific notation works like this 1.23E30 means, 1.23 * 10^30, which is one point two three times the quantity ten to the power of thirty.

A standard encryption like AES uses a 256 bit key. That means the number of possible combinations is about 1.16E77. This is a number that starts with 116 and has 75 zeros after it! That is HUGE. And even if the correct key was only one thousandth of the way through the number of possible combinations, that is still a HUGE number of keys to have to test in order to finally find it (specifically it is 1.16E74 combinations). Now if you assume there is a super computer that can test 100 trillion combinations per second, it will still take that computer 1.16E60 seconds. This is 3.68E52 years! Considering that the length of the universe is only 14 billion years old, that means the calculations of this super computer based encryption cracking effort would take 2.63E42 times the current age of the universe!

In other words a generic statement that the NSA can now crack encryption, is a VERY false generality. Even if they found a technique a trillion times faster due to some exploit, it would still take an insanely huge number of times the current age of our universe to crack. For all practical purposes, most encryption is still UNCRACKABLE. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Guy L. Smith New York Most encryption is SSL or VPN. Those are the protocols that the NSA has compromised. How it's been compromised is irrelevant. You're making the mistake of assuming that the NSA has used a specific approach (brute force or a linear optimization to brute force) to crack these algorithms. In fact, the article mentions several approaches that have nothing to do with brute force (compromising keys and publishing weakened standards).

Additionally, there's no need to crack AES, for example, if you can crack Diffie-Hellman and read the AES key directly. Diffie-Hellman is based on modular exponentiation, which is based on the supposed difficulty of factoring large numbers - which has become less and less difficult as more and more research has been published. Break the key-exchange protocol and all of the symmetric ciphers are broken, regardless of how "strong" the math says they are.

The biggest mistake you can make when implementing or analyzing security protocols is to trust that a component is "uncrackable." These systems are cracked all the time in the real world. The reason they're cracked is because the people who implemented them made assumptions about how they would be attacked; assumptions which turned out to be false. The reality is that SSL and VPN are compromised. You cannot assume that the techniques used to compromise them do not translate to other problem domains. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Animedude5555 at my computer Actually Diffie Hellman is secure if a VERY large number is used, for example a 4096 bit key. Factoring large numbers is to Diffie Hellman what Brute Force is to symmetric cyphers. It's the simplest method of attack. Unfortunately this means that a sufficiently large key for Diffie Hellman (even if it's faster to crack than brute forcing a symetric key cypher) is still going to take many years to crack (even if it is within a human life time), which means that for all practical purposes any info they may glean from it will be old and useless (ie, a terror attack will probably have already occurred before they find the plans for the terror attack). Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m.

william walker georgetown guyana Hold on , this is a story based on documents leaked by snowden, who ur own editorial described as having certainly committed criminal acts? Such hyprocrisy Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 p.m.

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OldDoc Bradenton, FL Where does all of this illegal snooping end? Does Big Brother really exist? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

ndean Rye Brook, NY Not much time before the NSA puts Congress out of business.

Still time for Congress to put the NSA out of business. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Siamak California No it is too late. Dont you see the Congress is a representative of NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Ben Ryan NYC Well, that was most rude of them, don't you think? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

wut ...... Wut. If I want to hide my internet activity, now I can't. You should have an option. And what is up with that name? bullrun? Anonymous, do something. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

jelia USA Disgusting news. Orwell wept. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Cocoa Berkeley If the US government spent half as much time and money fixing the education system, or the economy, or throwing bankers and corrupted financialists like Corzine in the cooler or ANYTHING like they spent hiring and building up the NSA we would be in great shape. Looks like it's not an implementation problem to overcome the impossible-just a priority for government. So far, all these mathematicians who are cracking code and other baloney have been wasted. Can't they make a flying car, world peace or free energy? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Siamak California Well they never do. Because if they do as you said then the people will become smart and will stop them bringing down the foundation of the secret government. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:50 p.m.

Carolyn Egeli Valley Lee, Md. How can one trust the internet at all? Might be time to give it up. Ignoring an industry is a sure fire way to make it obsolete. I listen to the highway here and wonder about the loss of nature. Children in college now, a friend who is adon't remember at all what nature is...too much of it has been lost. I've learned to forage...plenty of food everywhere I've discovered. It is interesting that we work so hard for what is right outside our doors if we let the weeds grow some. I did look up the weeds on the internet. Buying books about it on the internet too. Seems like a good idea to stock up! Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

John PA If NSA cant crack encyption they are not doing the job we pay them to do. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:38 p.m.

Jim Dallas It's called treason. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Jeff Duncan SF, CA What prevents someone in the NSA from intercepting, for example, corporate earnings information prior to its public release and using that information for profit or selling that information to interested parties? “Hey I got a buddy at the NSA” says the hedge fund investment banker…. you fill in the rest of the conversation. The risk of hackers compromising a company’s network to gain access to financially sensitive information will always be there but in such a case, the company would, presumably, notice the compromise and alert the investing public accordingly. But what prevents the next Snowden-level analyst from surfing a company’s email about their next merger & acquisition,

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or the promising test results of a new drug compound, etc. and then buying option contracts that lets them (or their friends) profit significantly while the rest of us are in the dark thinking that it’s a level playing field as we invest our 401k’s? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 37

geoff new york Further, the NSA surely would be able to produce information about tax scofflaws at any level who have hidden assets to avoid US taxes. Finding out who, where and how much would be child’s play to the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m.

Ule Lexington, MA Someone set up us the bomb. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:37 p.m.

Stephen Windsor, Ontario, Canada It used to be that the walls had ears, then it became big brother is watching you. Now words fail me. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

mr.feldman Kingston, NY If NSA is doing it now, how long do you think it will be before lots countries are doing this? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Richard Huffman Alexandria, VA The real shocker would be if other countries weren't. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

JTReyn Sarasota FL I believe innovation will create more tools for hiding, but also for seeking. We can't get discouraged by this arms race, however. Stick to the plan. Make yourself as small a target as possible. A problem that won't go away is that, with data stored in public cloud services, a third party has access to your files and can give them away without your knowledge or permission. Plus they keep backup files forever, even if you delete your files and close your account.

The only real solution is to get a private cloud, like a Cloudlocker (www.cloudlocker.it) that works like a cloud service but stays at home where they still need a warrant to look inside. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:12 p.m.

Terry The Bronx So then this is the new cryptography standard: Build a key that the government can't crack. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:11 p.m.

FreddieBeach Fred NB Makes one wonder if they arranged back doors in voting machines too. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

ed2001 Kelso, WA Nice. When the New York Times finally gets hold of some of Snowden's documents, he's no longer a leaker but "a former N.S.A. contractor." Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

EDP NYC The US and British governments can break encryption? Fantastic! I would be dismayed if they couldn't.

Should come in handy on those docs retrieved from Greenwald's boyfriend.

Where is the story here, exactly? Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

garfieldsam Seattle Is it clear whether or not this is even legal? From what I understand it's illegal to access information on another private network, but of course the NSA is exceptional. Has the FISA court ruled that the NSA has the equivalent of a blanket warrant to collect data from any private network it chooses? Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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Red Uptown, NY If the NSA stopped this and a terrorist attack happened, most will vote for more governmental power. I'm sorry. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

RLS Virginia The NSA failed to thwart the Boston attack and the attempted Times Square bombing. Common sense says that looking for a needle in a haystack and piling on more and more hay is counterproductive.

Deputy Director John Inglis recently admitted before Congress there is NOT EVEN ONE CASE that the NSA can definitely point to that shows information from the dragnet surveillance thwarted a terrorist attack.

In the run-up to 9/11, the Bush administration was repeatedly warned by top CIA officials about the danger that Bin Laden posed, suspicious activity at a flight school should have raised red flags, and the warning of the August 6, 2001 presidential daily brief, "Bin Laden Determined to Strike in U.S." was ignored. They failed to “connect the dots.”

The NSA has been trying to take credit for thwarting two terrorists plots involving Najibullah Zazi and David Headley. But the evidence in these cases shows that traditional investigative work, old-fashioned tips, and conventional surveillance techniques led to the investigations.

NSA Surveillance Played Little Role in Foiling Terror Plots, Experts Say http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/12/nsa-surveillance- data-terror... front:network-front aux-1 top-stories-1:Bento box 8 col:Position1:sublinks Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

s us Conclusion: The NSA is way over-funded. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Patrick Long Island NY Credit where credit is due, to the New York Times, for being more honest with the American people than our own government. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Andy Hain Carmel, CA Really.... you believe everything you read? The NY Times has never made a mistake? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:31 p.m.

snowyphile Jemez Springs, NM Thus, our savings aren't secure. Someone will vacuum them all away. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

anthonyRR Portugal For those with a moderately good understanding of security engineering it's not much of a novelty,but for the large majority of the public this could eventually seem worrying.Security and cryptography are not the same thing,cryptography builds on top of many other systems and any serious flaw,bug,intended weakness with any of these systems is potentially damaging.If you use a flawed operative system it's irrelevant how good is your encryption because at any time spyware can be injected and send keys and data back home,and be aware even so-called secure,audited systems can have zero-day weaknesses,if you are a valued target it's better for you be offline most of the time and get back to old school communication.Good,audited,published protocols,ciphers are relatively secure because many cryptographers around the world are studying them every day and if they detect any weakness their professional reputation would improve,the implementations are the problem.In the post-Snowden age there is a comprehensible doubt about everything that comes from the U.S. in terms of computer security (hardware/software),guys responsible in the N.S.A.,government should think about the damage they are doing to related american companies.There will always be intelligence services,we can't be innocent,but there is time and space for intelligence,and time and space for privacy,we don't spy within our friends houses(In Germany,Brasil etc. government,companies are securing their methods to counter this). Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Neil New York Obviously NSA is out of control. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

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Hal Chicago Either Mr. Obama didn't know about this, or he did. I'm not sure which frightens me more. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Sancho New York NSA surveillance is only one aspect of a broader effort, one that includes, for example, stop-and-frisk and spying on Muslims in New York.

Similarly, efforts to silence NSA whistle-blowers are only one manifestation of a general assault on free expression taking place around the country. That assault includes the arrest and prosecution of protestors who write anti-bank slogans on the sidewalk with chalk in San Diego and elsewhere. It also includes the police manhunt for an artist who created fake “NYPD drone” ads here in New York.

And, before I forget, it includes the prosecution of a sharply ironical academic whistle-blower here in New York who sent out revelatory “Gmail confessions” in the “name” of an influential university department chairman. For documentation of this exemplary case, see:

http://raphaelgolbtrial.wordpress.com/

I could easily provide a much longer list. Need I mention the prosecution and suicide of Aaron Swartz, and the problem posed by the lack of proportion in our criminal justice system in general?

All of these interrelated phenomena manifestly contribute to furthering the passivity of the public in the face of the development of an authoritarian society where our conduct is controlled by the state under the pretext of public order, and merely focusing on isolated aspects of the phenomenon obscures, rather than clarifies, the true, unified nature of what’s happening. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 14

Takenitez Thailand Firefox has an application called "TrackMeNot" that sends bogus search queries to Google and Bing, etc. Now we need "NSASpyMeNot."

Osama bin Laden gave an interview in which he said that his goal was to "turn America into a shadow of itself." Anyone listening? (besides the NSA)

We need to go back to the good-old-days of respecting the law and following the Constitution (while we still can). Self-interest is driving the guardians, and their greed is turning out to be greater than everyone else's desire to be free and communicate freely. By all means let the NSA do its job. It would have been nice, for example, if that HF message about Pearl Harbor could have been broken prior to the Japanese attack. So let the NSA prevent Pearl Harbors by listening to foreigners. But do not let them turn into an inward looking Russian style spy agency. It will not turn out well, and the wise leaders of the past all knew that. Other nations cannot control their security state, but the US should be able to if enough people are informed and angry about it. The Congress, those people the NSA lies to on a regular basis, is holding the US from the brink of becoming unrecognizable. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Christopher Hobe Morrison Lake Katrine, NY As far as I can see, the only thing encryption does is flag what you write for the security services without keeping them from reading it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:41 p.m.

Joe Van Steen CA The irony, it seems to me, is that if the NSA were focused on helping Americans keep secrets with strong encryption, AND had the agency been smart enough to encrypt their own documents, Snowden would be running around with a set of computer files with undecryptable, randomized bits and none of the agencies secrets would be getting published in the papers. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Brian Ferrier Toronto I am not a techie and need some help.

If Joe is correct, shouldn't heads be rolling right now? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

David not behind the wheel “leverage sensitive, cooperative relationships with specific industry partners” These "Industry Partners" should be identified (help me here please Mr.

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Snowden), boycotted, sued if possible, and run out of business. I'm not shocked, but I am disgusted. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Andy Hain Carmel, CA With this information now public, you'd think that anyone involved in anything illegal would stop, wouldn't you? Maybe now the neighbors will keep the noise down. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:36 p.m.

A. Taxpayer Brooklyn NY There is no first amendment in America anymore, the terrorists are winning by getting America to change its principles while at the same time some in government are advocating attacking another country. Yesterday we heard that many elected officials may decide for war even though those they represent are against attacking Syria. It time for direct voting by the American people via the internet, Facebook, Twitter, etc to eliminate violations of the Bill of Rights, the inside deals with corporations, the pork, the spending, etc. Let's make government more accountable to the people.

Lastly it is clear we need a president for domestic issues and a foreign policy minister for foreign policy, as few individuals have enough experience an d more importantly the time. This way jobs, education , climate issues, etc can stay at the top of the president's priorities and the issue with allies, etc can be addressed by the minister Changing the constitution should not be just the privy of politicians but of the people, for the people and by the people. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Paul Cohen Hartford CT Something has to be done to dismantle this entire underground, uncontrolled, ungoverned, extralegal monster (NSA, CIA, and all the other spying and stealth killing agencies).

If the NSA can coerce corporations to give up information to enhance their spying on American citizens then it’s not a leap of logic that they can coerce citizens as well. I certainly do not want to travel, all expenses paid, to one of many beautiful overseas vacation facilities hosted by the CIA to enjoy the experience of enhanced interrogation techniques so highly recommended by John Yoo. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

Einstein America This is an incredible article that must have been very difficult to put together and write.

Thank You New York Times! Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 10

Maurice Shufelt USA Indeed! I'm in agreement with Einstein.

The more I learn about what the NSA actually does, the more I believe it's where the nation's most paranoid go... to work. (instead of going to get therapy.) Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:08 p.m.

RLS Virginia The NSA wants it all!

Our founding fathers knew that power if it could be abused would be abused. Whistleblower Russell Tice told RT the NSA tapped the phones of prominent figures ten years ago.

The NSA, using satellite technology, spied on political, military and senior government officials, the Supreme Court, news organizations, multinational corporations, financial institutions and law firms.

Colin Powell, Judge Alito, Senate candidate Barack Obama, General Petraeus and their family members are some of the figures that were targeted.

Tice’s interview with RT: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d6m1XbWOfVk

“I noticed that the intelligence community is not being hit with the sequester. Well how is that possible? Is there some kind of leverage being placed on our three branches of government to make sure the intelligence community gets what they want? In other words, is the intelligence community running this country?

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“[While the country has a history of spying,] what’s different about this is the Orwellian scale. This is the everything scale. This isn’t just Richard Nixon going after a few enemies. This is everybody and everything and now NSA is literally tapping every communication in this country – content not just metadata.

“That is Orwellian and that is the trademark of a police state.” Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 22

Ariel Israel I do not think that people in the US understand and appreciate how the phenomenal mathematical and technological achievements of the NSA can help make the world a safer place for all of us. Privacy is an important issue but its not a license to do crime, the only issue that should be addressed is governance on how this data is used and that should be addressed by the legislators and legal systems, so that a movie like Enemy of the State can exist only in Hollywood. These latest exposures are now undermining these achievements and nullifying them causing billions in tax payer $ to go down the drain. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Rob W. St Louis, Missouri Arial, I make my living in information technology and computer/network security both in software development and by operating networks and providing hosting.

those of us to use and develop this technology professionally on both sides of the legal spectrum, and understand that I am on the legal side of the spectrum, already know or assumed much of what was discussed so eloquently in the New York Times article. It doesn't really undermine the efforts of the NSA and private contractors, private companies like the one I work for, because we know that the other side knows what we do and we know what they do. The community of traditional spies and electronic "spooks" is a relatively small one compared to the rest of the world in which people physically live.

I told in on nerd colleague, someone who's not really into computers, that what people had to realize is that we are already in world war 3 and it's being fought online.

I'm not happy about the invasion of my privacy, but I accepted as the reality of this century, & I really don't care if yours is invaded to keep me safe. Lol! And to see that's the problem because ultimately that's how most people feel except for idealists who live by unrealistic, but highly moral positions.

Your response is naive naive because you actually believe that the laws passed by politicians, who do not understand and cannot use the technology in the way that we computer nerds can, would really change or control such programs. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:57 p.m.

Rob W. St Louis, Missouri I'm in the IT business. We should all be aware that all US Internet traffic is monitored as was publicly discussed in a PBS program several years ago. I automatically assume that the government does in fact hear all my phone calls, read all my emails, see what I might do over an encrypted VPN in the United States, etc. It's important to know if that doesn't mean that they're doing anything with it, just that they have it. As I understand, phone calls are only listened to in to by hunan beings when certain keywords are uttered Years ago many would have called this paranoia, but I think we're beginning to see that its not "1984" is here folks it's a fact of life and just like London's huge number of CCTV cameras see most everything, privacy is a thing of the past. We allowed that even before those horrible events years ago when we as a people or through our politicians decided safety and security first. That meant liberty and privacy had to go, because you can't have both absolutely securely. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

James Williamsburg, VA The NSA can foil internet protection products? As an important arm of this country's security apparatus, I would hope there abilities would extend that far at least! There are people out there that want to kill us. The NSA is trying to protect us. There is no information whatsoever that the NSA is involved in any activity of even the least degrading nature to our individual liberties. None. The U. S. is safer and more secure because the NSA is very, very good at what they do. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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petermmartin Grapevine, TX Astounding! The biggest hacker on the planet is the US government embodied in the NSA!

The US government itself is systematically violating the Fourth Amendment on a 24/7 basis.

When someone makes a phone call or sends an email, the NSA is systematically searching, recording, and watching you.

Fourth Amendment rights are not allowed at the discretion of secret government agancies and secret courts. The Amendment exists to prevent government, military, and police agencies from seaches without a warrant issued upon probable cause.

I say dismantle the agency and fire the lot of them. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 20

John Plotz Hayward, California Speaking as someone who voted for Obama twice -- the second time against my better judgment -- I think maybe it's time to think about impeachment. Or is the President completely outside the law? Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 10

AnonByRight Richmond, VA This is not a Presidential issue. The President has NO control over the NSA. It has been like this forever. The agency operates outside of the normal court system. Obama has probably learned about all this stuff with Snowden just as we have. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

C us John, you think the President alone is behind this and that a simple impeachment would solve everything? John, John, John...... Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Citizen Texas C, No the president is not alone in all this NSA dilemma, but you have to start somewhere; why not with him. At the end of the day, he's the man in charge right now. He needs to be the first of many that need to be brought to account over all of this. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Cedarglen USA Does this surprise anyone? It should not. NSA has been reading our domestic only electronic messages and data records for some years. Few have made an issue of it because few have anything worth hiding from them. Those few who have information, data, conversations that they believe in need of protection from the NSA, most often already have the means to protect those things. Frankly, such protection is not all that complicated. For those with a perceived need, a good place to start is to avoid email and telephone for the information that needs protection - and that means ALL of the time. We don't really know what NSA does with their 'take,' but you can bet that they never discard any of it. That they are a "Foreign Only" collector or honestly adhere to their Congressional mandate is little more than a very sad joke. They have it and they keep it. All of it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

rafa Argentina Another thing the article does not mention, and we seem to be forgetting is that the actual code breakers are not in the NSA but in one of its consulting companies. Snowden was not an NSA employee, he was working for Booz Allen. If Booz Allen has access to the emails of every senator and probably the President how can one be sure that they are not using this information for their own benefit? (i.e. maintaining those juicy contracts) Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 13

Jonathan Saltzman Santa Barbara, CA It just gets worse and worse. And yet the powers that be are doing absolutely nothing to stop the NSA.

How about this: (1) Congress defunds NSA entirely, and boots it out of existence.

(2) Voters, in turn, vote out every Representative and Senator who votes to renew the Patriot Act.

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Just get rid of it all. No good has come from this (in spite of assurances from Obama et al that "one or two" terrorist actions have been prevented.)

Doesn't anyone care about the First and Fourth Amendments anymore? (I know no one in the Obama Administration does.)

Disclaimer: I voted for the sucker twice. I Am A Fool. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 13

JHG III Washington DC Really? How much dirt do u think NSA has on Congressional Members?

NSA is the new 300 Gorilla.

And it sits wherever it wants.

America, Love it or Leave it, period Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:57 p.m.

janjake Boston With all the security compromised just think of another Snowden who, having access to otherwise hard to come by information decides to make it 'public' for profit, i.e., sell it to the highest bidder. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Erik Sweden All those movies where the intelligence communities can do anything with citizens and their identies online is obviously true. I'm very discouraged by this information and I'm sure NSA isn't the only organization that has this capacity - only NSA is so much more powerful. In Sweden our NSA, FRA, is tapping e-mails and gathering digital data - to what extent we don't know because we have no Snowden here yet. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

DazzRat USA Responding to Tony in California -- your argument amounts to "the government 'created' the Internet, therefore don't complain when the government usurps and infiltrates all Internet activity and uses private info without warrant or warning."

That's silly. That's like saying, "government funding helped forward electronics engineering and digital communications, therefore all electronic and digital communications are the property of the government, and the expectation of personal privacy and security from unwanted prying is therefore N/A."

Or like saying, "the trees used for making paper grew within the boundaries of a given country, therefore everything written on paper -- no matter how proprietary or personal in nature -- is within the providence and allowable scrutiny of the established government of that country."

It just ain't so. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Caminsky New York When you have a government that is more interested in bombing other countries, a media more interested in making it happen and a major part of the population asking for justice on the wake of major internet surveillance and spying at the domestic level, while completely being ignored by most of their representatives in congress I can certainly say: There is something wrong with this country. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 22

kakorako nyc nsa invested billions of dollars 9no wonder US is bankrupt) in order to spy on its citizens..ridiculous when criminals or thopse from other countries either would use different language or mix it with codes etc..never be able to figure it out..Ridiculoussly laughable this nsa is wasting our resources to find out what we buy online or read..haha what else would they be able to find which porno sites each senator visits. what a waste of money. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

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John Minn. Which is worse: Surveilling your own citizens or gassing them? I'm not sure I have the answer. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Rev. E.M. Camarena, Ph.D. Hells Kitchen, NYC It is not a zero sum game. Both are heinous. http://emcphd.wordpress.com Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:18 p.m.

j. von hettlingen Switzerland Michael White of the Guardian said that The New York Times will be covering the NSA stories, after the British newspaper had been intimidated by GCHQ, the British equivalent of NSA. Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian editor said GCHQ security experts marched into their office and oversaw the destruction of hard drives in their basement just to make sure "there was nothing in the mangled bits of metal which could possibly be of any interest to passing Chinese agents". He also said: "We will continue to do patient, painstaking reporting on the Snowden documents, we just won’t do it in London.” Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:57 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Rob Campbell Western MA THAT IS THE PROBLEM, the NYT headline says it all...

"N.S.A. Able to Foil Basic Safeguards of Privacy on Web"

Emphasis on "BASIC"

All that does is catch the innocent, anyone who knows a bit more than "BASIC" safeguards, such as terrorists, criminals, foreign covert operations, and on and on... is unaffected by the NSA.

Let's face it, it is our money they are spending, and if we don't try and control how they spend it- nobody will.

THEY ARE WASTING MY TAX DOLLARS.

And? Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:46 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Charles Slough, UK The NYT is verging on treason by publishing this article. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:09 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Carolyn Saint Augustine The NYT is anything but treasonous. The real treason here has been committed by a select few in the government, the NSA and its corporate parasites. Obviously, your opinion of what happens in America is not relevant if you are a British citizen, albeit I think you don't represent the true spirit of the British. Nevertheless, for your edification, there is a reason why our founders fought the Revolution. We don't like monarchies, autocracies or totalitarianism. We are the land of the free and intend to keep it that way. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Charles Clifton, NJ Very fine reporting by all but imdignancy towards the NSA is not logical. One encrypts information to ensure confidentiality (also integrity) but it is incredibly naive to think that only the NSA is responsible for cracking the security. The real message is that there is a limit to security. The NSA has.big computers and world expertise in cryptography.

It's a little like the nuclear weapons debate. The US could unilaterally eliminate it's arsenal, as idealists wouldnhave it, but would one trust others with a nuclear capability?

An issue is, however, the NSA's involvement in people and processes where they demand the involvement of corporate structures in bypassing confidentiality. That's "not fair" and smacks of an orchestrated violation of privacy rights. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:50 a.m.

Citizen Texas Do any of you people, any of us, realize what the government and the NSA is doing to all of uis? It's nefarious, it's dishonest and it's diabolical to say the least. Those of you that claim that you are doing nothing wrong, are so in

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denial and so misguided, that it borders on the pathetic. The government is using you and all of us because they can, because they are answerable to no one. The president has lied about what NSA has done. Clapper is a senile liar that doesn't even know what he is saying from one day to the next. The director of the NSA, a general in the Army, is looking for his next promotion, and will say anything to gain that goal. We, the American public, are being used on a daily basis by our own government; and the saddest part of all of it, is the fact that we have fallen for all of it, hook, line and sinker. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 18

Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL The NSA and GCHQ are engaged in outrageous, unlawful conduct.

The world owes Edward Snowden a debt of gratitude for risking his own freedom to reveal this criminal behavior. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 32

C. Whiting Madison, WI As this article makes clear, using an assumed name on this comment board to air your more strident concerns about our government's overreach of powers does not shield you in the least from the cold prying eyes you are protesting.

So, as I see it, you have two choices:

A) You can silence yourself, as the former Senator Joe McCarthy would heartily recommend or,

B) You can shout from the rooftops that this, and every other ugly betrayal of the public trust will not stand in a government established of, by, and for the people. This beautiful, sacred idea may be under every kind of attack these days, but we must ensure that it does not perish from the earth. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 23

dbh boston Not worry, Clapper and Alexander have told us that the NSA does not spy on Americans.

Step one, they have to go.

We must reclaim our democracy. Any member of the House or Senate who embraces the NAS (Rogers, Feinstein, and their ilk) must be removed. If your senators or representatives oppose controlling the NSA, replace them with people who will protect democracy.

This should be the ONLY issue in the next elections. If we do not have a democracy, then nothing else one can debate would matter at all.

Save America before it is too late. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 23

jenniferlila los angeles I agree. This needs to be issue one. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

J. Teller New York, NY Yes! And right alongside it the other number one issue: the endless, global wars. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

reap nyc I wish this much passion was devoted to stop and frisk. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

db west Maybe it will be... like the straw that broke the camel's back. We'll see. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

cbl Washington DC The NSA breaking through a 128-bit encryption of my personal bank and financial records is a whole lot scarier than its ability to see my cat videos. Why bother with a search warrant now? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 18

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agmndg Austin If you're interested in secure privacy, you can always develop your own nonstandard encryption system and share it with your friends. Although good ones are not so easy to develop, such nonstandard encryption schemes can be very strong, and they're not commonly used enough to make them an attractive target. With encryption as in many other things there is danger (not safety) in numbers.

You would encrypt your plaintext off-line and convert it into printable characters (in much the way that MIME works, for instance), e-mail it via your browser, and the party at the other end will be able to decrypt it using her key.

My scheme encrypts seven bits at a time with backtracking. It is called Septembrini, after the character Settembrini in Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann. Readers may recall that the number seven figures prominently in that novel, and that Hans Castorp had to be corrected that the name was Settembrini, not Septembrini. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

gik mke Sounds easy. I guess it is time to get that graduate degree in computer science. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Sukebewestern California clearly, we have become the enemy. espionage breeds paranoia; its the cocaine of governments. And, eventually, when there are no expected results from that espionage, the gov turns on its own people, suspecting that the problem; the threat, must be within.

I've never written anything like this before, but it seems that our government is becoming a danger to us. It's making new external enemies who were once allies. For example, we've had minor issues with Brazil. We've had strong, positive alliances with them: They fought with us in WWII, The US recognized their independence and we've come together on issues like AIDS. Now, even they're angry with us. 'us'.

I suppose one could say that this is this generation's 'Hoover moment'. But, and perhaps it's because we have more information that we're supposed to, it seems far more insidious and vast.

The US played this game with Russia, with old-school rules. Now, the older US is being played by street thugs; it's wallet being emptied. Iraq being the first round of this game, where we called in all our chips from England and really really wasted that relationship and cache. Clearly.

The gov seems to view oil as its 'big bills' in this game; instead of us. We are the small change; inconsequential to the game. Oil, and the bankers who insidiously manipulate its value and users; that seems to be worth it all, right? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

lfeldman Chicago, IL The U.S. Congress has accused Chinese Internet hardware manufacturers (specifically Huawei) of installing backdoors into their equipment that could be exploited by the Chinese government. U.S. manufacturers have long used that argument to sell against Chinese (and other international) competitors, saying that U.S.-based networking equipment could be trusted. Now, we've learned that at least one major U.S. networking company has deliberately built backdoors into their equipment at the behest of the NSA. In addition, the NSA has corrupted the encryption standards adopted by NIST and ISO. What, then, are the grounds for the U.S. to object to foreign networking equipment, or the reason for any foreign business or government to use U.S. networking hardware or software? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 15

Sukebewestern California Or, how much in payoffs and kickbacks is that US company getting. Well, we should assume, 'are those'. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:54 p.m.

Brooklyn Traveler Brooklyn I don't understand all the commotion about this.

Google, AoL, Yahoo!, Microsoft and most of the internet providers go through every email every day in order to shovel half-baked promotional offers at you.

It's what you give up for free email and millions of dollars of technology that delivers whatever it is you want to say to whomever you want to say it to.

Most of us don't say much of consequence so it is our penalty for "free fries if

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you buy a Big Mac now."

The NSA really couldn't give a FF about most of us. We are mundane and boring and they could put us under a microscope and nothing remotely threatening would ever surface - if it did, it would be protected by due process.

They're looking for people who want to fly planes into buildings in support of wacko ideology.

If doing that prevents another 9/11, have at it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Mark Kaskin Middle America Google and McDonalds do not have the ability to send heavily armed paramilitary to break down my door at 4AM and imprison me while confiscating my assets.

Only the government can do that. IRS, FBI, DHS, ICE, DOJ, etc. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Bates MA Well if they are looking for people who "... fly planes into buildings..." they have a pretty bad track record. They missed four on one day in September 2001. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

TD Dallas Let's hope that the Russians are not capable of cracking the encrypted messages that they are bugging at the G20 in St. Petersburg this week! Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Garak Tampa, FL Under what legal theory can the government force a private company to give the NSA its own private back door?

I'll bet the former Stassi is drooling with envy. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Kevn M Castro Valley Time to take a fresh look at the Postal Service. It's not instant, but.... Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:09 a.m. RECOMMENDED 17

READ ALL 4 REPLIES

Bates MA I read that the postal service is copying every address it comes across for the intelligence services. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Sukebewestern California actually, they're already going through your mail. read about it some time ago. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:54 p.m.

C us Yes, Kevin...we will become the new generation of belles lettres...to each other...or observers of life, set to verse, pressed in a treasured book, discovered upon our deaths. The heights from the depths!...thanks to the END OF PRIVACY! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

MF NYC 1984 had arrived sometime ago so why people are shocked is surprising. Financial institutions know and share every facet of your financial life when you use credit cards, cash cards and electronic banking. Your health records are reported into a central data bank by insurance companies. Your smart phone has a GPS in which you can easily be tracked. Even EZ Pass in the metropolitan area keeps records on your travel. Notice when you do a search on google all of a sudden you start gettting advertisements on your computer related to that search. Sorry to say the NSA is just another chapter in George Orwell's 1984. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Grace NY Who is in charge here... meaning in America. The citizens or "the government." It used to be they were one and the same, at least in theory.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 20

Justin Thompson Tifton, Georgia Technologically, this is an incredible achievement. From a privacy standpoint, it is more than a little distressing. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Jack O'Hanlon San Juan Islands Now you all know: any computer or device linked to any sort of local network that has a wide area network connection is a de facto "open network."

If you have something important you want to protect, you can't use any network with any link to any other network.

Essentially, what this all means is that the Internet and everything attached to it has become a threat to anyone who uses it for any reason.

Consider the economic repercussions of that. Some might call it "digital armageddon." Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 14

DJC West Hollywood Privacy is gone. Every aspect of your life is known. It's amazing how right under everyone's eyes this has happened. From your bank account to your private emails they can take a peak anytime they want. Do I trust the Government to use this power wisely, of course not. It's to much power with no control. Several years ago no one knew a thing about you. Now between people giving out their private information on the Facebooks of the world, and the Governments ability to know your every move, we will someday yearn for when we truly had privacy . Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Henry Lieberman Cambridge, MA There's another huge civil liberties problem here: the fact that our judicial system allows the corrupt practice of "plea bargaining" in criminal cases. Scenario: A person is accused, perhaps wrongly, of a crime. Law enforcement wants the accused to plead guilty, "to save the state the expense of a trial" (= risk the state will lose the case because of lack of or invalid evidence). They dig up whatever dirt or suspicion they find on the person, and use it to blackmail the accused into pleading guilty. They can make false promises about the plea bargain which the accused has no recourse to enforce. No lawyers, warrants, judicial review or anything else involved. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 23

hdb Tennessee I always thought Edward Snowden was a whistleblower, but I too have been "gobsmacked" by the astonishing reach of the NSA's spying. I can see why he felt that people needed to know what is going on. I wonder how many employees knew as much, but didn't think US citizens needed to know or were too scared to leak the info (for good reason).

And now that we know that our government is capable of acting in such bad faith, I wonder what else we don't know, not just about the NSA. There's no telling what our government might be hiding from us. Just as Google turned its back on "Don't be evil", the US has turned its back on "government of the people, by the people, for the people." Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 31

greg Norwich Sounds like they are undermining the security of communications of everybody but our real enemies. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m. RECOMMENDED 16

TimoW State College, PA These high-handed tactics of larceny and extortion without limit make my skin crawl. This is what American exceptionalism has come to, I guess.

Here's hoping that the spirit of democracy and rule of law, based on the Constitution can somehow be restored. If it cannot, then woe to us.

My gratitude to Edward Snowden grows by the day. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 24

Gene Amparo Sacramento, CA When I go to a bank, an airport, a train station or even a 7-Eleven store and I see surveillance cameras, I feel safer because I am neither a bank robber nor a

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terrorist. No one records surveillance videos to spy on me. They exist to catch criminals and to deter them from committing a crime. I feel the same way about NSA surveillance. The NSA does not have enough resources to spy on me, or any of the 314,000,000 American citizens specifically. You have to get the NSA's attention by making frequent phone calls to Yemen or sending email messages about bombing a subway station or hijacking an airplane. Otherwise your email or phone call merits no one's interest or attention.

All this outrage and indignation over Snowden's revelations which the Guardian has milked for all its worth seems almost amusing considering all the private information Americans reveal in their YouTube videos, Facebook pages, tweets, email and cell phone messages. Yes, the NSA computers read your email, as does Yahoo Mail and Google G-Mail. The NSA does so to protect you from terrorists and Yahoo and Google does so to tailor ads more specifically to you. None have the interest or the manpower to spy specifically on you. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

some random person farawayistan Of course the NSA is not interested in the average nobody. They use the gathered information only if you are/when you become important.

Because of the secrecy and lack of public oversight, there is nothing to guarantee that they will use the information on "important" people for legitimate purposes, rather than furtherung their own agenda. Just because they say they use the information to catch "terrorists" doesn't mean they do. And they don't have a stellar record with truthfullness. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:44 p.m.

Sukebewestern California Well, there's always outsourcing. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:33 p.m.

Emil Wisekal Setauket, NY Yet in China, anyone sending digital communications can fully expect that their government is reading and acting on the information. A knock at their door minutes before they planned to leave their home to meet someone they just e-mailed, that is proof.

All of us everywhere can be a target of surveillance.

Speak face to face if you want privacy. Only write in an e-mail what you can afford to be public.

Banking and medical records are potentially public, in this era of NSA-strength decryption. That bothers me most.

I already expected that my privacy was compromised. Sadly. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:36 p.m.

ManfredVR Crakkovia (Tom Hanks City) I think the following, the NSA can invest millions of dollars in protection tools for security, which can not foresee is how human beings react, which is unpredictable and notions of justice as several current cases reported private information, while this happens there will be no tool that can protect information, just a profitable business for the companies that provide these temporary services, a move more pieces in chess. Keep going.- Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

BillyD New Jersey "Only a small cadre of trusted contractors were allowed to join Bullrun. It does not appear that Mr. Snowden was among them, but he nonetheless managed to obtain dozens of classified documents"

And took them to Russia! If this is not a definition of traitor, I do not know what is. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Winstonia Around As we learn more and more about our Government's immense reach and information gathering capabilities, I am convinced that the greatest threat to our civil liberties comes from Within. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 19

Jim Los Angeles Hasn't espionage and all its accoutrements always been a very dirty game? Isn't that what draws millions of people to read spy novels and watch the films based on them? It's the moral ambiguity of the spy business that fascinates us

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and makes us wonder, "what would I do?" Such news, while very disturbing, shouldn't really be surprising to anyone. The question is, how do we reconcile this escalating invasion of privacy with the necessities of espionage since 9/11? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Rev. E.M. Camarena, Ph.D. Hells Kitchen, NYC "Hasn't espionage and all its accoutrements always been a very dirty game?" Hasn't crime always been illegal? http://emcphd.wordpress.com Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:34 p.m.

Internet Security? New York City As a developer of secure document collaboration systems for global enterprises, the creation of the backdoors described by the Snowden documents create huge commercial problems for our clients as well IT service providers.

The unintended consequence the article refers to could include billions of dollars a year in internet services business lost because we can't represent to our clients that their data is safe... and it makes a mockery of ISO encryption and security standards that have been "finessed" by the NSA.

And I'm not addressing the individual privacy rights concerns... this is just bad business, and very short sighted with the potential of causing more harm than any single terrorist attack... just imagine these access keys and vulnerabilities falling into the wrong hands.

The NSA in the name of strengthening national security has instead diminished our internet security infrastructure with immediate and long term impact to our commercial and national security interests, which is a disservice to our country.

What a mess... Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 27

Bayou Houma Boston Interestingly, President Clinton wanted the N.S.A.to break the law against domestic spying for no lawful reason and without a warrant. The revelation ought to give pause to Hillary for President supporters. If politics has little relation to morality, power for the sake of power seems to have none whatsoever. And the Clintons have a marriage that seems all about enlarging their power. With Hillary in the White House, again, Bill should have a free hand to expand our N.S.A domestic spying programs. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 10

Alex PA I'm surprised at the extent of hostility toward NSA in the comments. For me, security trumps privacy every time. I will happily trade government access to my personal info for government protection against being blown up. Thanks, NSA, keep up the good work.. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

JY USA Apparently, you disagree with the Founding Fathers and the 4th Amendment. Do you want to repeal the 4th Amendment? Because your statement is tantamount to eviscerating it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m.

Susan New Jersey Anyone who thinks that the internet is safe or protected not only from the NSA or other prying eyes has really not been paying attention. The internet is inherently and inevitably incapable of being anything but vulnerable to spying should be obvious even to the most naive among us.

This does not absolve the government from its misuse but . . . does any of this come really as a huge surprise? After all where is the outcry against the aggressive and pervasive not to say predatory spying that goes on by all companies every time we make a purchase online. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m.

BillyD New Jersey "If it cannot decipher the messages of terrorists, foreign spies and other adversaries, the United States will be at serious risk, agency officials say."

I felt pride for the NSA when I read this article. Keep up the great work! Am I worried that my, say, booty call message will end up in their hands? Not in the least! The truth is that my communications (like those of other commenters

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here) are utterly unimportant! Those who think that the NSA pays even slightest attention to their dreary electronic missives are just kidding themselves (or suffering from delusion of grandeur:-) Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m.

Deborah Watsonville CA Appalling to grasp the scope of this and even more appalling to see how many of those commenting think this is just fine even though from the article it appears that some even if not all of these activities were/are illegal. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 10

Michael G San Diego Clearly the US government has assumed the role of "local parents," which is somewhat similar to the powers schools have over students. Schools think they have certain obligations to protect the students, who are minor children. Of course the difference is we are not children.

The people who are the most determined to keep things as they are, the same people who hate Mr. Snowden the most, have made it quite clear that they. like Assad, are in the game for keeps, will make no changes except cosmetic and, like Assad, the only way to change things is to change them. Certainly the top of this long list of bad guys is the president, the Chief Justice, the heads of the national Security Committees and the NSA.

How can the American people redress this violation of constitutional rights? Clearly the avenues of disbarment and impeachment are useless. Too many of the perps have friends ion congress. The only way is to recall those who can be recalled and keep on demanding the impeachment of the president and disbarment of the chief justice. These might not work but it is good to l the president and chief justice know what we think of them. Maybe we will get lucky and the ACLU will find a reason to bring criminal charges (violation of oath) against the chief justice. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

miriam Astoria, Queens "In loco parentis" means "in the place of a parent." (I'm tempted to think it means crazy parents.)

And does it make so much of a difference that we are not children - "of course," as if everyone agreed on this? Multitudes of parents, even as I write this, are going NSA on their children. The columnist Ellen Goodman called them black helicopter parents (parents who are like black helicopters, not helicopter parents who are black), and warned that when the children grow up they may have been "trained by Big Mother to accept Big Brother."

My late mother didn't prevent me and my sister from being home alone; she taught us to be safe when we were home alone. Let parents teach children to be safe online.

"Recall those who can be recalled": the NSA's abuse of power is a problem at the federal level, not at the state level. Officials in the federal government, like members of Congress, cannot be recalled, even if they're from states that have the recall for state officials. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

A Reader San Francisco, CA Since our own government does not listen much to its people concerns about the right to privacy and respect it might be time to use a different language to get through. Given that money seems to rule every aspect of the world these days let's use the same language, a language that sends a powerful message and seems to be universally understood. A consumer boycott of corporations (Google Facebook and the like, closing accounts) and also of communication devices like smartphones (the perfect citizen bugging device) , security software, computers, wifi related products and other related items would send a clear, peaceful yet powerful message, one which can't be ignored so easily. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

SouthTexas South Texas It makes me sick in my stomach when I think about the depths of illegal behavior and unconstitutional activity that the Government has gone to in the name of National Security. I mean it really physically nauseates me.

All life has risk and risk will never be completely mitigated. When we willingly give up basic Constitutional liberties in the name of risk mitigation the end of American culture, as has been classically defined, can not be far behind.

The New World was discovered by risk takers. America was settled and built on risk. Now society seems to think we are better off without risk. We have

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become weak and overwhelmed by self-induced fear. By Nature's law, it is only a matter of time, before our American culture withers and dies.

Strength is not proven by how many people you can kill with sophisticated weaponry. Strength is proven by how you manage your fears. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

C Huang NYC Anyone remember the scandal around China and Yahoo, when the Chinese government got Yahoo to disclose information on a Chinese journalist that led to his arrest for disclosing Communist Party documents to a Chinese website?

http://www.spiegel.de/international/spiegel/yahoo-scandal-when-the-west-...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shi_Tao

Governments are going to use the Internet to spy, just as individuals do it on a much smaller basis by googling people they are dating and looking up neighbors' property values. The debate over privacy is legitimate, but I don't feel surprised and threatened by anything Snowden has revealed, because I assume that all governments are attempting to "spy" on one another as well as individuals, including their own citizens, to protect their countries' interests. If Snowden believes in what he is doing, he should come back and stand trial. If he is convicted, I doubt he would be subjected to forced labor as the Chinese journalist was. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m.

Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL In your mind, Snowden should stand trial. But what about intelligence chief James Klapper, who lied to Congress?

Snowden has done the people of the world, including you, a big favor. You should be thankful to him. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

American Mom Philadelphia A very ordinary American family with many dear friends in Europe, we have seen the number of friends abroad (friends of many decades) willing to correspond with us at all, plummet in the past two months, and specifically, since it became apparent that all of our communications on the internet and telephone are monitored.

I can only imagine what it must be like for foreign businesses (any and all), especially from the countries of our allies, whom we have relied on for so long...

...to have to make decisions about whether or not to continue their relations with the United States at all, given these conditions (cf. final paragraph of article).

Dear President Obama:

Please explain to America now, how the realities described in the article above, can be anything but extremely harmful, for our standing in the world? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 11

BrianL Toronto, Canada For those who espouse that we should get over it and the government is not interested in us doing most things. Go back to the early 1900s when the tax return served only a single purpose, collect taxes from the few rich persons. Then taxation expanded to the middle class, then the lower class, then Congress started social engineering, then government aid to the poor, then used to offset certain liabilities such as child support, then expanded to criminal investigations as the I.R.S. and treasury reached agreements to deliver taxpayer information to other agencies while continuing to maintain your information is subject to privacy rules, that they continually eroded. Now, they cross reference passport applications to tax data and even do it going through immigration. Also, they use statistical data and even disclose publicly tax data of corporations and not-for-profits. All the time telling us our tax returns are subject to privacy laws to protect us.

Imagine what it will do when it has a collection of all this other data on us. Or, what could happen if another such as J. Edgar Hoover ascends to a position of similar authority as he had or a government or officials start acting as McCarthy or, the President decides to go after a political foe. This is not fantasizing as these have all already happened and if we do not learn from them, history will repeat and we never learn as centuries of history has proven so many times.

Our forebears distrusted gov't, we should.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

weiyanal Singapore All this information would not be public without Snowden or the likes, who sacrifice their freedom for the sake of others freedom to know.

In the multi-faceted cyber warfare between states that are sometimes all too petty, and have little concern for the layman or average person, these are information that will never be divulged to us, without which individuals with conscience we will never know.

What Snowden have done to let the average person know is nothing short of commendation.

There are ways to secure a country without at the same time compromising certain basic liberties of the people, all the more so if knowledge is monopolized by the few who have the expertise to control the flow and discovery of information.

There are boundaries to security, and then there are boundaries. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

gomez bronx, ny What do we have here? 1. NSA (US gov) covertly influencing our elected officials to weaken encryption policies and prevent privacy, 2.covertly buying from the same private corporations the NSA is supposedly protecting, their complicity in infecting the electronic products we buy from them, 3.covertly using the 'intelligence' they gather, supposedly to protect the 'homeland', for civilian 'criminal investigation' of regular American political dissenters, you know, your typical TPartier, 'liberal', 'leftist' or 'white supremacist'. In other words, everybody.

It would be OK to 'spy' on our 'foreign enemies'. But that has nothing to do with demanding from our elected officials to sabotage our right to privacy. This is beyond right to privacy. This is fascism, this tyranny, big brother...

Some of the comments in this site leave me colder than this article itself. The refusal to see the implications of the denunciation here is simply....I'm out of words.

I guess we do have the enemy within. We buy the WMD fiction twice, we are glad that the NSA can do this...that's the enemy within: ignorance. http://thecitywidementalhealthproject.wordpress.com/ Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

John Dingler, artist Rome, Italy There is no proof that getting rid of the 4th Amendment has made Americans safe. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

John Dingler, artist Rome, Italy There is no proof that the Congress' and the NSA's getting rid of 4th Amendment protections has made Americans safe. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Steve Orr Findlay Can someone generate an estimate of the aggregate benefit of prevented terrorist attacks to the real damage that has resulted from "privacy infringements" ?

Who has been harmed as a result of "privacy infringements" and to what degree?

How many terrorists have been killed off by drones as a result of credible intelligence gathering activity?

We live in a technological world. We're not going backwards either.

To suggest that terrorism is historic is misguided.

To suggest that electronic surveillance is not helpful in an intelligence effort is likewise misguided.

Do you really think the NSA would single out certain individuals and purposefully disclose their "private" information to another party so as to result in intentional harm? Is there any evidence that this behavior is endemic and intentionally harmful and/or directed? Does the NSA and "the

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government" promote targeting of specific individuals so as to cause them harm? Please provide specific cases and citations. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

EssDee CA You have no electronic privacy. Business communications related to strategy or product development are at risk. Malicious government employees or contractors can intercepting and sell them to the highest bidding competitor.

Encryption only alerts the watchers to look harder and decrypt it. The USG has the keys to every encryption program ever written and has backdoor access through every firewall and security program ever developed.

US corporations who do not secure their communications are guilty of corporate malfeasance for putting their investors at risk by their failure to prevent third parties from intercepting their communications.

Individuals should realize everything they do electronically; voice, video, email, or text, is intercepted and stored.

If you think USG actions are constitutional violations, be assured that there is a classified body of law that negates any constitutional protection you think you have. You're just not allowed to know about it.

Communicate at your own risk. You have zero privacy. Everything you say or write electronically is recorded, stored, and made searchable. Any USG employee or contractor has access to every one of your communications, searches, bank account information and passwords.

They can destroy you at will. That is the truth. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

AR New York For all those who, from the messages I read, seem to be freaking out that somehow NSA, through its ability to crack the encryption mechanism, is able to read their e-mails- Hey Your e-mails are not encrypted in the first place. I don't encrypt my e-mails either, and NSA can read them all if my words can put them to sleep when they had a bad day. Because of Snowden we know that the US and may be UK have this capability. This in no way means Mr Snowden's would-be-countrymen and their KGB units and the Chinese are not trying to crack the code (unless they too have already done so) and that they have not been reading our unencrypted e-mails. I am glad to know that the US has this capability .. Can you imagine how we would have felt that ten years since we come to know that only Chinese have been cracking the encryption and know all our secrets and the US did not even try? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m.

Observer Washington, D.C. Good thing China doesn't condition its loans (financial aid) to us on our compliance with our own democratic norms. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Jerry Rahway, NJ How complete is the inferred Constitutional freedom of the press? Could "The Times," after publishing this article, be opening itself up to civil suits brought by victims of the next successful terrorist attack? Could victims plausibly contend the newspaper alerted terrorist organizations to the means by which the U.S. and British governments would have otherwise thwarted their attacks? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m.

Rev. E.M. Camarena, Ph.D. Hells Kitchen, NYC That is funny! A constitutional right, listed at the top of the Bill of Rights, is now merely "inferred"? (I realize that you mean implied, but education is at a premium these days so we will let that pass.) Do you also consider the 2nd Amendment a mere inference? http://emcphd.wordpress.com Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Howard Columbus, Ohio No more evasions President Obama. No more double speak. The USG and its surveillance minions have lost all credibility. Enough is enough. Stop the lies. Is this country a democracy or not? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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David F West Des Moines, IA The NSA needs to explain how they can be sure that they are not making it easier for the Chinese and others to loot our valuable intellectual capital. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m.

ChangeBack Here, Now. I think we all knew to what extent our intelligence service eavesdrops, and what their capabilities are didn't we, and that they go beyond where they should legally go? All Snowden did was to confirm it. he's not the bad guy, he's a whistle-blower. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

SavageNation Taxifornia Spying Inside America on Americans is domestic spying. Spying is either sedition or treason.

Anyone recall what the USA has done in the past with domestic spies and people who commit treason? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

TomMariner Bayport, NY Am I missing something? Items marked "Secret" seem to be appearing on this and every other blog and in every intelligence agency in the world.

I'm guessing that since some government contractor with an ego problem stole documents we are just abandoning our entire intelligence / classification system?

Yeah, I get it that everybody is upset that their privacy could be compromised. But as of now, our entire method of finding out what bad guys are doing is gone! What is next is another 9/11 and we won't see it coming. Not just because one agency that knows doesn't talk to another -- but because nobody in the US knows -- and if Israel or the UK or France knows, they won't tell us a nuke is on its way, because if we are too stupid to protect our own secrets, what will we do with theirs -- and they DO care if somebody wants to take out their homeland.

It sure looks like that Snowden has unraveled the trillions of dollars we spent since 9/11 finding out what our enemies are planning -- and we are playing nice to the country that holds him and begging them to play nice with a social group who may visit.

We deserve everything we're going to get! Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

The Clintidote far, far from New York, thank God It's getting more and more difficult to identify the most serious threats to the American people. Thanks, democRats. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

johnne Providence, RI Interesting. One has to wonder if the government's prior knowledge that this article was coming led Obama either yesterday or the day before to say he was open to new legislation limiting the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Clouddancer Istanbul Thank you New York Times for shouldering this burden.

It is very important for freedom of speech and the right to information that this matter is debated. Informed citizens make for a stronger nation.

I hope America has an honest debate on this and I sincerely believe that the US will come out much better because of that debate. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 10

dairubo MN So, the NSA has the capacity to determine the outcome of U.S. (and foreign) elections by bypassing the encryption of computerized voting. And they want to keep that capacity secret. Should we trust them? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 21

kabosh san francisco How utterly appropriate that the programs are named after civil war battles: our government is waging cyberwar on us.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 18

Stephen Toronto The timing of this overture by the N.S.A. is interesting, but until the heads start to roll, I bet the dead surveillance czar is still going to be roaming around. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ray Russ Palo Alto, CA Can someone please tell me why Edward Snowden is considered a traitor for revealing the emerging truths about the Big Brother Surveillance Complex that's whittling away at damn near every reasonable expectation of privacy that I as an American once took for granted? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 36

Alex PA I can tell you, Ray. I'm grateful for protection against terrorist attacks, and Snowden's actions compromised our surveillance programs and made you and me less safe. His actions aided those who might attack the US. This reportedly was not his intention, so he may not technically be guilty of treason, but the effect is the same. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m.

alexalive taipei He's not a traitor, its just that he should have followed the law to draw attention to this. There are other ways of doing things. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m.

Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL I consider Snowden a hero.

Not everyone is a lemming. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

BrianL Toronto, Canada Interesting that as this issue ramped up, suddenly Syria and gas attacks appeared. Have you noticed that each time over the years when something happens at home calling government into question, some foreign issue arises diverting our attention and media's.

Not trying to trivialize what is happening in Syria, just an observation. Especially when the US sites that there have been ongoing attacks for the past couple of years but only now is it a major issue. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 12

yamanote Maui Great job by the NSA to allow a junior contractor employee get access to the most covered inner secrets. Should have spent some of those billions on basic operational security. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

CassidyGT York, PA Absolute power corrupts absolutely. I don't care how much oversight goes on. History teaches this very powerful lesson and we would do well to heed it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 12

checkengine hanover It is interesting to read so many comments that roundly condemn the government under aliases (when there are any) that are so transparent that Radio Shack rejects could figure them out. Whatever else the NSA has done, it does not seem to have stifled dissent. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

JerseyJeff New Jersey You can think what you like, but to me this sounds like the NSA is doing what I would expect in the signals intelligence battle between encryption and code breaking and it sounds like the US could be doing an AMAZING job at it and currently is holding the upper-hand in code breaking.

I actually think this release of information is a shame and a disservice to US security and intelligence capabilities. I'm confident you can be quite sure our rivals and enemies have similar methods or using whatever unknown edge they have created.

I actually feel a bit of pride in our signals intelligence community for getting such an edge, but we unfortunately can't be sure of the advantage the NSA might have because we only have exploited leaks from the United States.

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It's a shame our human intelligence capabilities haven't been as stealthy or effective as our signal intelligence, but that is probably the result of asking the CIA to go from a intelligence to paramilitary focus. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Pimil John The NSA has exposed the US to considerable danger by compromising encryption software. Corporations in the US rely on encryption to protect financial transactions and intellectual property. Critical infrastructure in the US relies on encryption for protection. By introducing backdoors into encryption software, the NSA opens the door for foreign governments or motivated hackers to attack these communications. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 14

Dman wcil This is spun as the NSA looking for terrorists. I just got one question. How many terrorist use bank accounts, emails, and cell phones to plot against the USA? Sure that's why we are getting spied on. Or is it so when all hell breaks lose in this country like say a 21st century revolution, they will have access to every form of communication available plus your bank account and your satellite link automobile also. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 12

Bill Pieper Taiwan "So the real question now before Congress recurs: how is it possible that the peace-loving citizens of America, facing no industrial-scale military threat from anywhere on the planet, find themselves in a constant state of war? The answer is that they have been betrayed by the beltway political class which is in thrall to a vast warfare state apparatus that endlessly invents specious reasons for meddling, spying, intervention and occupation." - David Stockman (9/4/2013 lewrockwell.com)

All these agencies need to be broken up and defunded. But that will never happen, at least not until enough Americans demand it. The last person to seriously consider this was JFK. I guess he learned his lesson.

Not only are they creating the "turnkey tyranny" Edward Snowden warned about, but they, or individuals in these organizations, are front running markets with the ultimate insider information illegally taken from emails and other communications that were previously assumed to be safe because they were encrypted.

How can anyone that is not within the grasp of this sociopathic "national security" culture justify anything they are doing? This, and everything else they do, has nothing to do with real security, certainly not security for most Americans. They do not work for most Americans, as Mr. Stockman stated, they work for the beltway political class and the vast warfare state. This must end. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 12

Steve Western Massachusetts These revelations bother me. Not on a personal level - I'm not doing anything to attract the attention of the NSA. But this idea that the U.S. has the moral authority to break into anybody's private communications for our "national security" is wrong and damaging to our country in the long run. We might think we're holier than the all the other people on the planet, but they have just as good a rationale to believe they are the holiest.

What would happen if we spent billions and put the smartest minds to work to resolve conflicts rather pursue policies that create adversaries? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Jackson Squire Louisiana This is an example of a government agency actually being competent in their jobs when there's been a longstanding showcase of government ineptitude. Well, they're not only competent they excel in it. It's sad that it has to be something like this that shows it.

It makes me sad to see people here who think the public knowledge of this is somehow bad for national security. Screw national security. I'd rather be disintegrated in a nuclear bomb blast by terrorists than have my rights violated by my own government. People who think we should have to trade our rights for security are cowards, and if they're American they're a disgrace to this country and its ideals.

We have a problem where today everyone has encrypted data, and eventually if in-progress standards are adopted everything we do online will be

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encrypted. We, the people, will have to demand our representation lend us their ears. There needs to be public hearings on this NOW or we start demanding impeachments by petition. To hell with Syria, we have our own problems to sort. Leave Syria to the UN. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

hdb Tennessee Not so sure about the competence since Snowden was able to take so much data. And these capabilities didn't prevent the Boston bombing. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

ed g Warwick, NY "War is Peace." "Freedom is Slavery" "Ignorance is Strength" are the summation of "1984" by George Orwell.

1984 would be recommended reading to learn where we are headed except we have already, passed there. Reality is always more imaginative than fiction. George would be delighted.

As stated for the last several years by this poster, it matters not who are elected because in the end they do as they are told. And the tellers are the military component of the industrial-military complex Ike mentioned as he exited the White House. The rationale for war (i.e. the script, message,) disguised as it can best be done is always wrapped in the flag, motherhood, apple pie and G-d. But despite the American human fodder whose lives are sacrificed, war never works. In the end war destroys the fragile democracy we want to believe still exists.

It doesn't exist and never did.

The 1%-ers of the 1790's completed the power and control switch from George the 3rd and put the white male slave and land owners nominally in charge. As with the dinosaurs of the distant past, the little financial and wealth manipulator mammals on the developing shadows of Wall Street came into their own, mostly because of their support of wars to control wealth and resources and not democracy.

There are in the minds of many justifiable wars. There are none although WWII surely came close. But WWII was the result of WWI aka as the The War to End All Wars.

Do we follow Jesus, Buddha, Gandhi or Big Brother? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

BrianL Toronto, Canada While decryption goes back to almost the beginning of written communications, we created a new relationship between society, individuals and government not previously in place and the past does not justify the present situation. The basis of the Constitution was to give the Federal very limited authority and powers and if the powers not given to it, then they were reserved to the States and people. According to the Supreme Court and the Constitution not all reserved rights were enumerated in the Bill of Rights and one of them was the right to privacy and freedom from government intrusion; a logical extension of due process. If government wants to intrude, it must give notice, provide due process and allow the citizen an opportunity to contest the intrusion. There is NO authority or justification to violate this mandate, especially as it was a precondition to the States and people to agreeing to the creation of the Federal government.

The government must get back to a balance between security and individuals' rights and freedoms. This includes the public's right to know, not to mislead those with oversight or those it serves, the citizenry, and adhere to the spirit and letter of the Constitution, the contract between the people, the States and the Federal government.

It is one thing to keep silent as to a matter and another to mislead and lie; the former may be acceptable while the latter, never. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

steve hunter seattle The NSA spying on not only it own but also the entire world, the relentless pursuit of Assange and Snowden, the torture and prosecution of Manning, drone attacks and now the proposed invasion of Syria. I voted for Obama twice but I'm beginning to wonder if he has become so paranoid that he looks under the bed each night. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Tony Z New York, NY Perhaps, but why do you think Obama or any president for that matter controls what the NSA does?

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:04 p.m.

rena brooklyn, ny As with phone and social security numbers, mailing and email addresses that are obtained, shared and sold without the owners' permission it is inevitable that our more detailed personal and private information gathered by the NSA will follow the same course. Someone will make money circulating and distributing that info for profits. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Patrick Long Island NY I would venture to say, this is why the Syria Hysteria is occurring, because this disclosure and others regarding wrongdoing by our government would have enraged the American public. The Syria Hysteria is probably a diversion away from internal discord. There was no outrage over the Egyptian massacres of roughly equal numbers of people, and no contrition from our leaders for their invasion of our privacy. I'm grateful for this article. Thank you. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Patrick Long Island NY This is why I love America. Because I can write this in freedom knowing everyone besides the government will read it too. At least we still have the freedom of discontent. Thanks NYTimes. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:08 p.m.

Jack Meoph santa barbara, ca The more information released, the more Snowden looks like a patriot. The NSA, and the rest of the US intelligence community, is out of control. Nothing you put on the internet is safe. Whatever accounts you have, close them. Do not use "the cloud" to store any information. The US government has taken a means to enlighten the entire world, and turned it into an ugly, sinister form of control and deceit. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 15

PacRim Jim USA I would be quite surprised if quantum computers more advanced than those commercially available weren't in use at the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Someone Northeast Damn, I'm impressed! And glad they're on it because I do believe the race is on, and we'll be very vulnerable if we're not doing this. All the same, this seems like a good argument against electronic medical records and having any kind of important or personal information communicated via the internet or stored on a computer. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL I guess you'll be canceling your Internet service, then? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 p.m.

jerryacoleman Virginia On one hand, it is easy to be indignant and outraged, but no one should be surprised about this.

In fact, this kind of think has been alleged for years. We just now have confirmation.

http://blogs.techworld.com/war-on-error/2010/12/the-openbsd- back-door-is... Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Leopold Reston, VA, I always assumed, and it is widely known, that NSA can break any encryption. The fact that the spy agency deliberately and extra-constitutionally subverted computer security standards after failing the push through its ill-conceived Clipper chip in the 1990s is chilling. As the article states, this is the Golden Age for spying, and the end of constitutional democracy unless we resist this attack on privacy and the subversion of the 4th amendment. Thanks to the Times for exposing this shocking abuse of power. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

the doctor allentown, pa How far does this go? Snowden's treasure confirmed that the phone companies are working side-by-side with NSA officials in spying on us. Here

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we have confirmation that the NSA is working with unnamed technology companies to provide backdoor entry points into their encryption products... How many more unholy alliances are out there between the government and publicly-traded communication and software firms? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

richard schumacher united states It's a pity that the Three Letter Acronym services (TLAs) will not share what they know with regulators and law enforcement to solve ordinary crimes. Reducing corruption, corporate crime and organized crime would be significant even if only partial compensation for the universal loss of privacy.

There are no secrets in a village. Welcome to the global village. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m.

TB NY As disturbing as it is to consider the government having the ability to compromise security, if they have this ability wouldn't others, too? That's at least as disturbing. And that includes other sovereign powers, insurance companies and other business and organized crime. When the government thinks it has created private back doors into the data they are delusional to think they will stay private forever.

Twenty years ago the idea of listening to every communication wasn't possible and wasn't necessary. Why is it more necessary now just because it's more possible? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

DupedCitizen USA I have servied my country (USA) in the miliatry and the civilian agencies all my life. I have paid my taxes and contributed to this society and economy in significant ways. And this is what I get in return?

I now have NO trust in the US government. It is too big and too powerful. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Paul North Carolina Eric Blair (a/k/a George Orwell) was an absolute genius. That he so clearly and accurately foresaw the future from the perspective of the 1940s is incredible. It's already trite to say that our world has become "Orwellian," but articles like this take the triteness out of it and shine a spotlight on the biting, horrible truth. I've spent a lot of effort getting myself removed from Google searches. Now I find that my efforts hardly hit even the tip of the iceberg if my financial and medical records are accessible by the U.S. government. What guarantee do I have that there's not another leaker in the government who's willing to sell prospective or current employees' medical and financial records to employers? To landlords? And so forth. Stores have known about our buying habits and interests for years---another "1984" scenario. Taken together with the cruel, destructive politics of the tea party Republicans, American society has truly become an Orwellian, Darwinian hell. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Terry Nevada The truth is that many with power and authority abuse it, often for what to them seem like a good reasons, sometimes for clearly inappropriate reasons.

There is likely little qualitative difference between the scruples of those working for the NSA and other public officials. We all know that many public officials abuse their authority on a daily basis. Why should we assume NSA employees would be different? They may well be worse.

When there is no effective oversight abuse is more likely and more extreme.

So the NSA's ability to bypass or break encryption is probably already being used for improper purposes. In divorces, custody battles, for extortion or other criminal purposes. By those who have legitimate access to this capability and by those to whom it is supposedly barred but who have gained access through "connections."

The erosion of freedom begins at the margins and works toward the center. Yes, most Americans today have little to fear from this sort of technology. That's the logic officials are trying to use to placate public concern. "We're not reading your email." But that's a false comfort. History is replete with examples of where that changed over time.

We need a robust intelligence program to protect our freedoms from overt attack from without. But along with that we need a much more robust system of oversight to limit the damage to our civil liberties that results when this sort

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of power and authority is used to attack our freedoms from within. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:44 a.m. RECOMMENDED 76

nikip Atlanta, GA So not too long ago, the US government said that no one in the US should buy networking equipment from Chinese companies because it might contain secret spyware that would send confidential information the Chinese. Now we're learning that networking equipment from US companies contains secret spyware that sends confidential information to the US government. And one of these countries is allegedly a totalitarian dictatorship and the other is allegedly a free democracy? Does anyone know which is which? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 22

DaveAgain Oregon "Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety, deserve neither Liberty nor Safety." - Benj. Franklin

We're well beyond that point now, and people are still arguing as if we're just approaching it up ahead. The Forefathers would be absolutely shocked at the extent to which the governments have intruded, with us sitting obediently by. Can't wait to see what's next, and hear the complicit complain about it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Citizen Texas I was born in 1949. Harry Truman was President of the Untied States. That fact didn't mean anything to me until much later when I could read and study the history of the United States. What I have learned is thus: Harry Truman was the last decent president this country has ever had. I'm convinced he was, before, first and for most, he never wanted the job in the first place.. From Truman on, it's been a steady decline to what we have today; basically nothing at all. We are being lied to, spied on, and losing freedoms and rights on a daily basis, regardless of which political party is in office. Big money speaks louder than votes. We have become the laughing stock of the world....we rename French Fries Freedom Fries. Only very troubled peopled would even bother to come up with that definition, let alone make the change. We have become a shadow of what we were in the past. We have no leadership. We have no goals. We have no aspirations. We are a lost generation in search of an identity, a life, a reason to be here. Perhaps, it's time for us to step aside. We've shot our bolt. We have nothing left to offer. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 13

DavGreg Marion, AR What this details is an agency out of control that willfully went against the will of the American people, the guidelines of Congress and the President, the laws in effect by an agency cloaked in secrecy and given an almost open ended budget. The do needs to be taught the meaning of heel, and suffer a house cleaning which should include formal censure, prosecution, withdrawal of security clearance and a lifetime ban from involvement in intelligence operations.

As one who once held a security clearance during my military service I understand the need for an organization like the NSA, but I also understand the extreme danger an almost unaccountable spy agency, cloaked in secrecy, presents to democracy. The hubris and cavalier attitude toward the rights of citizens to privacy is disturbing and disgusting. We owe a debt of gratitude to Ed Snowden. We also need to haul the lying General (NSA Director Alexander) who has violated his oath of commission, the US Constitution and perjured himself in a public Congressional hearing to account and for a Court Martial. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Tim Miltz PA I think it's time we stopped being concerned with national security

And started being more concerned with international security.

The NSA is a private interests group but to one nation, and cares not about the damage it has done to world governments around the world who do use Microsoft. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m.

bigducklings New Zealand Now it all makes sense when people were making noises about danger of using Chinese manufactured telecommunication hardware a while ago in Australia and US.

At the time I thought it was just paranoia mixed with a bit of xenophobia. Of course it isn't: NSA and its ilk tapped into communications exploiting the

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vulnerabilities in US manufactured hardware for quite a while, so naturally the Chinese can do exactly the same thing to Chinese hardware, and therefore it is not safe to use Chinese manufactured hardware.

Now I think it is safe to say hardware manufactured in US OR China is not secured, period. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Voltaire East of Seoul Intelligence community is in issue all over the world. National Intelligence Service (Korean CIA) has upstaged NSA in this game. It flouted the constitution and body politic of the country in muckraking designed to arouse a red scare toward last presidential election, aggressively involved in smearing of the opposition. I wonder how many of the posters here are intelligence details. There are many on Korean websites. They at least were campaigning for the conservative candidate. I doubt they are not. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m.

RG upstate NY If nothing else, recent massive disclosures make it absolutely clear that the Government cannot keep secrets. Can we trust the government and every member of its vast army of poorly vetted information specialists not to sell the information they collect to the highest bidder or get hacked in turn? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Dave Mineapolis I am not surprised, but as they say, build a 100 foot wall, and someone will build a 101 foot fence. I can easilly see a return to a much more simplier form of communication, with hidden meanings inserted into normal text. Example: "it's raining", or "the dog is sick" could be code for somethimg else.

At the heart of it all lies the human side. We've already seen what can happen when one individual decides to go public. It's bound to happen again. What will be revealed next time, or to whom, is anybody's guess. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m.

Keith Henson somewhere I happen to be a hardware engineer and tend to think in terms of hardware solutions. There is a kind of encryption that NSA should not be able to break no matter how long they work on it, a onetime pad. They are used for diplomatic transmissions. The problem is that the key material is the same size as the transmitted messages.

With 64 GB memory sticks for $20, the media isn't that expensive. What is needed is a device that generates random numbers, from a noise source, or better, radioactive decay and writes the numbers to a pair (or more) of USB sticks. So when you open an account with a stockbroker, they make a pair of these sticks right in front of you. Later sticks need to be a special design that erases after being read out. That prevents black bag jobs from being effective, and it makes sure that messages NSA saves can't be read out by grabbing one or the other of the two sticks. The sticks should have random visual patterns used on warheads that can't be duplicated. That prevents the stick from being intercepted, copied and the copy sent instead. If you get one through the mail, you take a picture of the patern and send it back to the originator

To get started ordinary memory sticks could be used with a program in the computer that erases the used part.

I could design this gadget, but I have other fish to fry and no need to have NAS on my case. Perhaps it will be done open source or Phil Zimmerman might commission it being made (in China of course). Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Animedude5555 at my computer Sorry but you can't wipe a flash drive. Successive writes are not done to the same spot. A microcontroller in the device causes different parts to be written to, and remembers where it is using another memory chip. So if I write the value 0xff to the address 0x0f134a80 and then I write the value 0x00 to the same address, it will actually write it to another bank of memory leaving the first bank exactly as it was, then another memory chip stores the remapping info so it knows when reading it how to find the correct info for that address. Only after 100 or so writes does it reuse the same exact memory point. So a 4GB flash drive has like 400 GB of memory, but only any 4GB are accessible at a given type. This is done to preserve the life of the device. Flash drives are read by applying a voltage to a transistor, and written by applying a higher voltage. It has memory electrically in the same way that a copper wire bends mechanically. If you bend the wire to far it will stick in that new position. However if you repeatedly bend the wire at the same spot

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repeatedly, it will eventually break. Same thing with the flash memory. Eventually a transistor overused with write operations will burn out.

In terms of security, this means it is VERY hard to overwrite the same memory location. When you write random data to the area you want to erase it doesn't go to the same location on the chip as the first write operation, so the data is NOT overwritten, and CAN be retrieved later by spies! Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Keith Lewis Atlanta, GA The debate here should not be about what capabilities the US government has, but how it uses them. I honestly don't want to know about the NSA's capabilities, as long they are not being grossly abused.

A good corollary to the NSA is the US military. The armed forces have all kinds of weapons and technologies that could be used to coerce and kill American citizens. Drones could be used to hunt down political dissidents in our country, and poison gas could be used to suppress political uprisings. However, the US military does not use their weapons like this, and most citizens understand that a strong military armed with these weapons is actually in their best interest because it keeps our country safe.

What I do have a problem with is one individual who self appoints himself to be "protector of the world." One man should never disclose this kind of powerful information on his own inclination, for the exact same reasons that no one man ever has all the keys in the nuclear missile silo. There are too many ramifications, both good band bad, that need to be weighed in this kind of disclosure.

I understand that people are concerned about their privacy, but releasing this kind of information may have unintended consequences that Mr. Snowden does not fully appreciate or understand. Maybe the Iranians will switch their encryption algorithm after reading this article, and then we will be in the dark on their nuclear program until a bomb hits one of our cities. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m.

gomez bronx, ny I don't know which one blows me away: the vastness of the actual control and power our military/corporate government has and exercise over each one of us, or the depth of the ignorance of our citizens to understand the implications of this article. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

knockainey Ottawa Canada In my case - the ignorance. However my generation are not so good at this encryption(?) and most of us don't care if you read our mail. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m.

wisconsin rhode island Our government is at it again. When weapons become obsolete we will simply transfer the billions we spend on them to cyber "wars" equipment. And these, like real wars, will be unwinnable also, because everyone has now and will have the technology for it. Does the government think we didn't suspect they were spying on us already? When I want to speak confidentially to someone the last place I do it is on the internet, ever since it's creation I always assumed it was an unsafe place and now we see how unsafe it is. And I'm just a private citizen. Other governments no doubt have this technology and are doing the same thing. Does our government just assume that no one, including our enemies, is taking precautions to guard against agencies like the NSA.? What will be hilarious, although we'll probably never be told of it, is when the NSA is hacked. That will no doubt happen too happen too. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m.

Keith Henson somewhere There are federal laws that require certain classes of information such as health records and financial records to be kept secret. Communication with doctors and stockbrokers was supposed to be safe with secure sockets layer. Now we find that NSA has broken the encryption and presumably reads their contents.

Doctors, patients, banks, stockbrokers and their customers are not going to be happy about this. They can't use encryption to protect those records in good faith knowing what has come out and that NSA reads it all.

In fact, the lot of them are now open to being sued if they continue to use these broken encryption methods. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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Richard S. Wheeler Livingston, MT The pervasive surveillance state will drive the American people underground. Transactions will be in cash or gold or barter. People will communicate by means less vulnerable to snooping. I am reminded of Italy in times past, when a large part of its gross domestic product was off the books because of bureaucratic excess. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

CS MN I understand that since 2001 everyone from the President on down in the intelligence, defense, and law enforcement communities have been terrified that another attack of the 9/11 scale would occur on their watch. I understand that the motive that got this ball rolling was to avoid being blamed for a second failure. Fine.

However, once this ball was rolling, the point became thoroughness for the sake of thoroughness. That meant knowing absolutely everything about absolutely everyone -- and I don't use the word "absolutely" lightly here.

Once you have data, the temptation to use it will eventually overwhelm any motives of restraint or legality. And succumbing to temptation could lead to either top policy-makers or rogue individuals to use it for purposes other than terrorism prevention.

It is easy to imagine this data being used to blackmail officials in other governments to gain compliance with U.S. government wishes.

Further, it is easy to imagine a smear campaign of leaked information being waged by a rogue individual or even high-level officials (as under Nixon) to discredit activists or opposition candidates.

If not for Snowden, we would wonder how someone managed to supply the NYTimes or FoxNews (depending on party in power) with damning emails revealing the private foibles of influential public figures and opposition candidates.

We are not all criminals, but we have all said something embarrassing in (what we thought was) private. We now know the NSA knows. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Nancy Great Neck Thank you New York Times and Guardian and ProPublica. This is what courageous and profoundly important journalism is all about. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:16 a.m. RECOMMENDED 48

Max Dana Point, CA I'm pleased we have such really smart people on our side and working in a well-funded environment. If we weren't at the forefront of decryption and code-busting some other nation would be. For all the NSA's faults I'd prefer them to be the leaders in this field rather than our competitors and enemies.

The digital domain is a fallen world - nothing will change that, and in such a fallen world it's eat or be eaten. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Castanea Sativa USA The NSA employs many thousands of people, quite a few participated in this encryption cracking business (or were aware of it) and nothing ever truly transpired before this Snowden business. This is incredible. Very high caliber IT specialists and top notch mathematicians. High flying intellectuals them all. And somehow they kept quiet. What extraordinary methods does the NSA use to ensure this level of loyalty from its employees?

And in the end a relatively low level employee who knew about all this (how?) told the truth (or more likely just a part of it). Human nature is even more complicated than I thought. I am sure that many HR managers (among many others such types) would love to know how the NSA proceeds. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

DaveAgain Oregon Coercion, arm-twisting, threats of lawsuits and jail-time, maybe even "the death penalty"? All the things it is immune to, and many of which if a citizen were to make the same kinds of threats, would lead to jail time for the citizen. It's not loyalty, but fear of the consequences, and the tying of ability to earn a livelihood with oaths of secrecy, no matter how wrong they may seem or in fact be. It happens to some extent in the civilian world too. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

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Leisureguy Monterey CA Considering what they know, I assume they kept quiet because they knew all their communications were being closely monitored: the panopticon, when even if no one's looking, you can never be sure. And Snowden pretty much accepted that his life would be ruined if he revealed anything, so he might as well reveal everything.

Of course, some of those may have indeed raised an alarm, but they went through channels, as President Obama said they should. And we never heard a thing, did we? (Or do you really believe that in all those thousands, none raised an alarm?) Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Animedude5555 at my computer Not everyone was so loyal or afraid of the consequences. Snowden leaked it all. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m.

Red Uptown, NY I still find it weird that Edward Snowden provided these documents in the name of "freedom" but now resides in the homophobic, big-brother-watching, Assad-backing state of Russia. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 9

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Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL Ironic it is.

But what other options do you think Snowden has, beyond prison in the United States?

Meanwhile, Intelligence Chief James Klapper lied to Congress, and we hear the sound of crickets. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

klm atlanta It's not like Snowden had a choice. You can bet if he returned to the U.S., he would disappear into someplace like Guantanamo. I'm grateful to him and I hope our government never gets its hands on him. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:47 p.m.

Citizen Texas Well Red, it beats staying here and being tortured, and of course he would have gotten a really fair trial. We'll all thank him someday, if we're all around long enough to do it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m.

Ed Bradford Pflugerville,Texas Can any ol' terrorist just write a plain text note to his friend, encrypt it on his computer using PGP technology and then just send it to his friend as an attachment? Will the NSA be able to discover what is inside such a bundle if the author chose a 25 word complicated password? Just wondering. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Animedude5555 at my computer No they won't. It will take a length of time equal to trillions of trillions of times the current age of the universe to crack it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m.

Gary New York, NY Maybe the NY Times can assign David Pogue to author a special series on data encryption for the layman, to reconsider all of these generalities into specific details that would more usefully inform the general public. I for one found this article riddled with ambiguous statements and generalities that create more questions than answer them. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Geoffrey James toronto, canada The phrase that springs to mind is "all-spectrum dominance." This is what the US wants -- spending as much as the rest of the industrial world on arms -- and now trying to know everything and to leave no secret untapped, But the problem is that the appetite for power and control does not abate. The security apparatus in America is huge and opportunistic, militaristic in nature, but deeply embedded in the mossier side of corporate capitalism. Patriotism is invoked, but there is money to be made here, and lots of it. Ed Snowden, of course, worked for Booz Allen Hamilton. Booz Allen Hamilton is

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majority-owned by the Carlyle Group and made more than $5 billion last year. The dream of having access to everything has its dark side, and also its pitfalls -- witness the remarkable courage and resourcefulness of one rather low-level Booz Allen Hamilton employee. I take my hat off to him, and to the Times and to the Guardian. I suspect that there is a lot more we need to know. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 26

Peter Sisson New York, NY For goodness sake, the government really doesn't care that you visited a porn site or have a terminal health condition. Get over yourselves. You are not that interesting to the NSA. What is important is that we give our government the tools to protect us from attacks, which they've done perfectly since Sept 11. Only when plots go undetected and people start dying will people realize what Snowden has done. I was marginally supportive of his efforts, but now he has crossed the line. This will drive terrorists completely underground and we'll know nothing of their plans until after the bomb explodes and people die. I've done a 180 on Snowden as a result of this. He's an enemy of the state and we need to bring him to justice. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 8

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Dead Meat Anytown, USA Do the words "sycophant" or "totalitarian" mean anything to you? I hope someone will still be around to defend you from the camps after you've stood around and expressed your approval when all of the other "enemies of the state" were loaded into boxcars and shuttled off to re-education camps. This is how it begins: the systematic labeling as an enemy of one group after another that dares to speak up. We may not be "that interesting" right now, but do you really believe that they've made it possible to access every stitch of information about every individual if they don't eventually plan on using it? You will become "interesting" when your ideals diverge from the ideals of the state. Then all of that uninteresting information they've been keeping about you will come in very, very handy. Keep whistling jolly tunes, stooge, and hope that nothing you do arouses suspicion in your friends, neighbors or the state. And for God's sake, please hope that someone who is willing to stand up sees that moment when you are whisked off of the street and into the back of that van where you will be transported to a lonesome, damp place and coerced into confessing each and every crime they want you to confess to.... Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

David Salazar Los Angeles Ok, but if you visit a PETA site or maybe Al-Jazerra English site, the government would be interested. What about the future when a government decides what is a terrorist organization such as they had done once with the African National Congress. In a democracy Peter, the people are suppose to be able to decide what level of surveillance THEIR government is allowed to have over them and by a proper judicial review. Your statements about plots going undetected and people start dying have been used by the Stasi, KGB, and any other secret agency in that government.

Where do you draw the line Peter? Please enlighten the readers. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

klm atlanta Yup. The government prevented the Boston Marathon bombings, various school shootings, and so on. I feel so safe now. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:06 p.m.

ProAmericanVet Athens, GA Unfortunately this is the end of freedom of speech and freedom of thought. As citizens we have already abdicated freedom to protest (another thread some other time) without being put on the FBI, NSA, CIA, etc. watch lists. The 2nd Amendment is the last true right but it was there to protect us from overreaching tyrannical governments. However, so many other circumventing laws have been passed in that regard that the 2nd amendment is useless.

The progression of losing our freedoms has been ongoing for decades. The Clintons and Bush's effectively sped up the process and using 9/11 as an excuse we have killed the light that is America.

We are truly an Empire with an Emperor who expects blank checks for war at his discretion. Sad, but we need as Americans to come to term with this and support the reality that the Grand Experiment is gone and now we are just a Grand Empire. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 9

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DaveAgain Oregon Good to know at least a few people feel the exact same way. Now it's just a matter of convincing all the partisan-lovers, and there's a lot of them. Been trying to convince folks of this for decades without success. I guess you either see it or you never will because it's a threat to core beliefs which many are not willing to face. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m.

w.corey Massachusetts The reality of it is there are now an unknown number of sleeper AQ cells in this country. As long as our "enemies" hold life less dear than we, as a society do, they have a huge trump card, they aren't afraid to die. So long as there are agencies whose purpose is to protect US Citizens, they have to also have the ability to look at other's in this country. We're no longer protected by oceans.

Clearly snowden has gotten his 15 mins of (in)fame. That does not mean everything out of his mouth is gospel. Just as there are those that say "Stop talking about SEAL team 6", we, which is the say the media, must stop talking about the NSA. In both cases their success is because they work and use methods which are secret.

So let's all get over there is a collection, by phone number, of to what other phone number at what time and for how long a connection was made (nothing more than the phone company has. Keep in mind to, all those photos you upload to Facebook, they get run through facial recognition too. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

jelia USA The biggest sleepers, it seems to me, are the American public. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Retired Law Prof. Minn. Are all the commenters here who so bitterly rail against what the government is doing in this area, prepared to answer the following simple question? Is the present Administration (incl. the President) responsible for the continuation of these activities and practices? If you are not able to give a "yes" or "no" answer to this question, then for the sake of your intellectual honesty you should keep quiet on this subject. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

DaveAgain Oregon I have another question, professor. Under which branch of the government do the NSA and CIA fall? The Executive, Legislative, or Judicial? Whichever one it is (I somehow don't think it's Congress or the Courts), that is the branch responsible for not only the continued practices, but the fast-expanding ones. These have taken place under both Republican as well a Democratic presidents.

Stifling freedom of speech, or suggesting that people keep quiet on the subject if doing no one but the government any favors. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Here we go Georgia what, pray tell, is "intellectual honesty"? Is it different than "honesty"? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

JJGalacki Los Angeles I am often disheartened by how many people are so willing to throw away their freedom and the vital 4th Amendment for "security". So many of the letters here take the NYT to task for printing this article, as they prefer the proverbial head in the sand approach. It reminds me of the title and thesis of German social psychologist Erich Fromm's book "Escape from Freedom" wherein he theorizes on why human beings are so drawn to totalitarian governments. I would posit that the exponential growth of the national security state is a far greater threat to the USA than any individual Al Qaeda attack. Of course, that assumes that one considers democracy to be a vital component and reason the USA exists. While I have long been disenchanted with Republicans, Obama's institutionalization of Bush's security policies, his persecution of whistle blowers, etc. and the national Democratic party's overall approval or at least quiet acceptance of such policies, I see no alternative, no viable protector of liberty in our political system. If it hadn't been for a few individuals of conscience like Snowden (and for that matter Manning too, even though her example is fraught with complications that obscure her essential and profound morality) That leaves only The People to raise a fuss... though from the security first dissenters, that's not to be expected? Unless of course they aren't all real and are NSA plants - we're in a world where what did sound paranoid suddenly becomes plausible. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 45

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GjD Vancouver I have zero faith that the application of these products will be limited to terrorists. Today's NSA toys will tomorrow be used by "Sheriff Bob" and "Prosecutor Ray" to hack into attorney-client communications involving simple domestic crimes, or by divorce attorneys and their private investigators to search out assets or vulnerabilities, and then by Google and Facebook advertisers to review the contents of my hard drive in order to conveniently send me more targeted advertising. I know a few people who refuse to use a computer. At one time I believed they were wackos. Now, I am not so sure. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 38

jenniferlila los angeles I am buoyed by the intelligence of NYTimes readers. If it weren't for commenters such as GjD, and his/her assessment that the "application of NSA surveillance tools will not be limited to looking for terrorists, but will be harnessed by Sheriff Bob and Prosecutor Ray to hack into attorney -client communications involving the most minor of crimes... Well I would be in a deeper state of despair. Thank you NYTimes for the hard work and courage to keep these stories on the front page, and thank you NYTimes commentators for articulating your outrage. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:05 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Robert Remple San Francisco The Allies were able to defeat Germany in World War II in large part because they had cracked the Enigma code and could read many of the enemy's communications. It also was critical that they convinced the Germans that their Enigma code was safe, so they would continue using it. There is a lot of fascinating history about how the British and American governments and military protected their secret, namely, that they had cracked the German's secret code.

The lesson to be learned, I think, is that our government should not necessarily reveal the full extent of their capabilities in code breaking. I'm glad there was no public discussion of the code breaking success at Bletchley Park during WWII.

We are not in a World War now, of course, but many of the same principles apply today. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

CassidyGT York, PA That may be so, but there existed a formal declaration of war which allowed .gov to basically whatever it wants. That is why a declaration of war can only be enacted by congress and has a formal ending. In this case, we have no declaration and so GWOT can go on forever. Indeed, it will go on forever. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m.

Russ George San Francisco The most obvious and insidious opportunity for these "secret" agencies with access to everyone's "private" communications and data is to engage in illegal insider manipulations in the stock and financial markets. With such information, even meta-data, they can at will choose to use their "insider" knowledge to influence or manage financial transactions with enormous returns at no risk.

Given the clearly blatant disregard for our system of law and order that is now apparent, courtesy of heros like Snowden and Manning, I cannot imagine that anyone thinks the insider knowledge is not being used to by these black operators and their co-conspirators.

US courts have for decades repeatedly convicted and imprisoned people who have made use of "insider" information in all manner of stock and financial markets. An "insider" is clearly defined by the courts as being "anyone aware of material non-public information" who engages in financial actions related to said insider information.

Big Brother is not only watching he's utterly undermined and destroyed all faith and confidence in our constitution and our so called democratic republic. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 20

Patrick Long Island NY I have nothing to hide, and I don't break the laws, however excessive they are, but I would kill anyone who invaded my home. So now, the authorities invade your home without breaking down the door. So who is the real enemy of our nation? Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 31

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Ros Nj We all have things to hide, you are naive to think there is not information that can be used against you by the government. You are a human rights or environmental activist? You work for a political rival or have a nasty divorce? Bet you there are many reasons for keeping your private life all to yourself Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m.

RichardHenryLee SC I think the one thing that we must all acknowledge, is that Edward Snowden revealed that the American people are no longer in control of their government. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 48

Red Uptown, NY People who think Snowden "revealed" things clearly weren't following the Patriot Act. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:45 p.m.

michael sangree connecticut "The National Security Agency is winning its long-running secret war on encryption!" Really? To me it sounds as if the privacy of ordinary users (eg, most of us) is severely at risk, but surely not that of any competent criminal, terrorist or rogue state. Brute force doesn't do a darn thing to 64-bit encryption, not unless the target has taped the passwords to the side of his monitor. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

John Burke New York " If [NSA] cannot decipher the messages of terrorists, foreign spies and other adversaries, the United States will be at serious risk, agency officials say."

That is all the Times needs to know to stop its irresponsible collaboration with the defector-fugitive Snowden and a foreign, leftist newspaper. Revealing secrets about NSA's code-breaking capabilities goes far beyond any justifiable journalistic inquiry into abuses. It's hardly an abuse for NSA to ensure it can decrypt al Qaeda messages or those of any foreign target. Whether the messages are encrypted using a traditional code or encrypted courtesy of Yahoo or Google is irrelevant, if the target is legitimate. Indeed, it's absurd even to imply that there is something wrong about NSA having this capability. If the agency did not have it, it would be open to charges of massive incompetence.

It should be obvious that the rise of al Qaeda -- a small, disciplined group in Afghanistan or Yemen able to plan and mount or inspire attacks on Americans inside the US and anywhere in the world -- coincided with the rise of internet communications and cell phones. It would have been vastly more difficult for KSM to have plotted 9/11 had he been obliged to rely solely on copperwire phone systems, satellite-based calls, radio broadcasts and the mail. In any case, communication by any of those means would have been easy to intercept and a cinch to decrypt. But the 9/11 conspurators used Yahoo Mail, internet chat rooms and cell phones. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

D Mockracy Montana No matter what drove Ed Snowden to his present position, one thing open for discussion is the balance on the scales of national security and the constitutional rights of our countries citizens. If a wide area capture of information by our national intelligence agencies produced such a great wealth of information on suspected terrorists why did the plot on the Boston Marathon evade the security community even after the information provided by the Russians? Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 8

John Burke New York Because the FBI didn't thoroughly investigate the leads they had on the Boston bombers. Had it done so, it might well have needed these NSA capabilities to roll them up. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Jim Virginia Not to belabor the point, but the sources used shape the story. They believe that there are back doors and the story reflects that belief accurately. That all these outsiders believe this does not make it right, however. So the story can be accurate reporting and still wrong.

And that means that foreign encryption products are no safer than US products - perhaps even less secure, for obvious reasons. If you don't need

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back doors to break in. But it's a comforting illusion.

Time to re-read the Enigma story.... no back doors there, and it was still broken. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 3

AMR Emeryville, CA Is our species now so enthralled with itself that we pin our very survival on constantly observing each other? Are we so foolishly self-centered that we will permanently lose sight of all that is not our own creation? Of course we are all afraid. Of course we would like to be safe and secure. But what became of courage? Do we really think some secretive and war-addicted institution we build will save us from ourselves?

Facebook and Twitter and Cell Phones and the rest allow us to send out our precious information, and our drones and spy machines and secret agencies retrieve and analyze it. But I wonder how different all this is from (other) apes examining feces. Is there some great end that results from all of this interconnection, some brave new species, some hybrid techno-homonid? Have we already leaped across that chasm?

Are the great spy networks the large-scale equivalent of our body's immune system? In their efforts to protect us, have they instead infected us with auto-immune disease? Or is the current spy craze just a modernr permutation of an old pattern of reliance on a priesthood to handle the "real" information, to dispense meaning, and to centralize power? Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Sonny Pitchumani Manhattan, NY Obama said today that the fact we can do certain things because of advance in technology does not mean that we should do those things.

Looks like Obama became aware of what NSA is doing by reading the Times and Guardian reports.

The danger is, what the NSA is capable of doing, other hackers are equally competent to do, and our government may be subjecting itself to the same vulnerabilities that the citizens are. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

SteveBrant Los Angeles, CA Our leaders are so smart they have come close to destroying the Constitution.

Don't they all take an oath when sworn into office to "preserve and protect" it?

Now, if they were *really* smart, they would use innovation and systems thinking to eliminate the root cause of terrorism... not try to stop it so far "downstream" of where it starts. Where is Buckminster Fuller when we need him? Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Siamak California Well, it sounds like every American major Internet company is transformed to an extension of the government spy agency. This is a text book definition of the dictatorship. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 21

michael new york city I don't understand why this 'debate' hasn't focused on the fact that if Snowden had this degree of access to secrets so do thousands of other functionaries in the system--employees of government and also of private contractors. Of these thousands many are sure to have been compromised; a proportion are certainly spies, a proportion are certainly tipping off hedge funds and banks, some are blackmailing or settling scores. etc. etc. Snowden is unique not in the range of his access but in the quality of his character and his conscience. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m. RECOMMENDED 11

Matt NH If the NSA were directing its efforts exclusively against foreign targets, then I would be at the head of the cheering section. But this article and other recent revelations have documented that this is not the case. Indeed, if a foreign country were directing its efforts against American citizens in the United States, we would consider it an egregious violation and take action against the perpetrators. Unfortunately, it seems more accurate to say that the NSA has declared war against American citizens.

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Animedude5555 at my computer Problem is so many foreign enemies are now in the US as sleeper agents, waiting for the signal from overseas to strike. Only with a wide net of info gathering is there even a CHANCE to intercept this "attack signal" and stop the attack before it is carried out. If the NSA does away with this program, we will ALL be at risk. However I do recommend to anyone engaged in private communications that are NOT criminal in nature, to increase the length and complexity of your passwords so as to foil any chance that your communications may be decrypted by the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:09 a.m.

Dodurgali Blacksburg, Virginia Right or wrong, true or false, our government is telling us to make a choice between privacy and security. If you want privacy and restrict government from spying on you and everybody else, it cannot protect you against terrorists and other presumptive enemies.

Throughout history, dictators, emperors and their alike have presented two choices to their subjects. If you want freedom and privacy, there is a price to pay: you will be hungry and insecure. If you want yourself and your family to have jobs, full stomach, and security, you will have to give up your freedom and privacy. When presented with these choices, unfortunately, the majority has given up freedom and privacy for economic and physical security. That is why we still have dictators, oppressive governments and the NSA. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 77

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Victor Edwards Holland, Mich. You have to love a country where its enemies [like you] are allowed to opine openly against that same country. What good, I ask, is privacy if there is no country to be private? There are no absolutes, folks, though you continue to hope there are. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:44 p.m.

Jerry Engelbach Pátzcuaro, México The government is not telling us to make a choice.

It isn't giving us a choice.

The Bill of Rights is in serious danger. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:31 p.m.

Chris Miilu Chico, CA The Boston Bombers were not caught before they killed and maimed people in Boston; however, they were tracked? by the FBI and Homeland Security. So, how did spying work out for Boston? Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:13 p.m.

KINDELAN ISSAQUAH, WA There's a terrific, human, absolute solution to these creeps messing with our lives, our privacy & our rights, don't use a computer, or write emails, or use a phone for anything but our own language signals, for instance, "It's a nice day on C-hill," meaning let's have coffee at Starbucks on Capital Hill regular time. Imagine the personalities of this band of data thieves, in school they were the little creeps nobody liked or wanted to hang with. They're no doubt overweight, unhealthy, bad breath, impotent, natural liars, self-righteous, pseudo moralist but think they're good guys and girls, with the guys having about a 200 level of testosterone (Viagra candidate, which won't help since it's said Viagra is only mechanically inclined to help, not passionately). Need one say more? Lots more. This type of behavior demonstrates a great need for encouraging intramural sports & inoculating kids with a passion for playing sports, eating right, going green & clean, minding their own business & never finking on anyone be it enemy (anyone deemed popular by this gang of misfits would be a target they'd love to cripple), can you imagine what kind of parents this rabble had. Christians I'd bet, & so drab & dull even the sound of their voices would put one off or asleep. It's a strange dilemma we have in the U.S., the most awful, unattractive dullest of us, rejected & ignored, are getting even, they have recruited psychopaths as their leaders to mess with our lives. Send them all packing. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Leisureguy Monterey CA The NSA is out of control, and by forcing compromised security on the Internet, it has taken a gian step toward weakening an important utility. I'm afraid the US government is now positioning itself against the public---indeed, against any part of the government that is not in the Executive Branch.

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 28

Animedude5555 at my computer By undermining the internet security it may end up undermining its OWN security, and end up on the RECEIVING end of a hack attack or of its own info being decrypted by enemy forces. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:09 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Taoskier Lafayette, LA The article stresses technology. However, it only hints at the importance of social engineering, for example where the government leans on American companies for information. Why use brute force for info when you can just ask for it ? The last time I got hacked somebody convinced me he was a legitimate technician. He wasn't. So then I bought a book on hacking (to see how to defend against it). I was surprised to learn that many hackers rely on the tendency of other people to be trusting. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Terrence Maryland I am disgusted with the NY Times running this article based on Snowden's dubious material. Intelligence has been kept secret in the US beginning with George Washington for a reason, our survival. Most people are narcissists and their only interest is themselves. They have no interest or understanding as to why the National Security Agency (NSA) worked to access encrypted information. Terrorists who plan to murder millions of Americans using weapons of mass destruction use encryption to make and execute their plans. If the NSA revealed what it accomplished in protecting us then our enemies would know better how to murder us. By necessity, intelligence agencies must not reveal what they have done and how they did it. Necessary secrets and silence leave room for opportunists to destroy our capabilities. The narcissist citizen who imagines the government is fascinated with their personal data can't stand the idea that outside forces have to protect them; they do not want to see an external world. They don't care to look outside their neighborhood. The WWII generation is dead; the next generations choose phantasy. The New York Times makes money through entertainment; it is just another international corporation that doesn't care what it destroys as long as they earn greater profits. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

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Josh Oregon Who incited the hatred of Americans to begin with? Look no further than our own foreign policy that has run roughshod over so-called bad guys for decades. So you think it's a good idea to continue empowering such a government to keep you safe? Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:42 p.m.

Ricky from Louisiana New York How's the weather in Fort Meade today? Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Terrence Maryland P. Law Snowden ended up with this data in Russia - why should I believe what he is issuing? He went to Russia, not a free nation. What Snowden says about himself is not believable; his resume, etc., doesn't make sense. How he got whatever he has is anybody's guess. The intelligence community can not comment on this. I believe that between the NSA lawyers, executive branch, et al, that no one violated the constitution. The NSA is heavily regulated and the news shows Congressional reviews, etc. Your elected officials must keep most of this secret or we leave the country open to disasters. This is how a working representative-government system performs. IMO the government has no interest or legal ability to intrude into your life. They collect metadata to protect us. They must be able to break codes to find out what terrorists plan. If they do those jobs then the rest follows. Incidentally, I am shocked by most of the comments. It seems to me very few people understand the international electronic world. They do not get that the Chinese and Russians are hacking our businesses and government. The NSA has a huge responsibility and tasking, I just hope that this lunatic Snowden didn't detract from their work. The newspapers who run these stories damage the country. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

tilliesmom rochester new york Why is it okay for the New York Times to publish this article when Snowden has been roundly condemned? Is that not hypocritical? What will be done to curtail the NSA? Or are we just expected to accept that this is the way things are now, that this spying is non-negotiable?

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Craig Springfield, MO In the Soviet Union a person could not have a private conversation without fear of the government listening in. Bugs were everywhere. People were routinely disappeared by the KGB with no control by the citizens over this practice. We considered this a police state and condemned such practices loudly, and even fought wars to stop the spread of the ideas and ideals that fostered their growth in the world.

We now live in a USA that bugs its own citizens far more effectively, and with the Patriot Act, our government has the power and the court's sanction to disappear people at will.

And as one reader points out in another set of comments, the most conservative of our politicians, Fincher, is paraphrasing the same biblical aphorism as V. Lenin: “He who does not work shall not eat”

I'm just saying we went to a lot of trouble for nothing. We could have had this system a long time ago and saved a bunch of lives in Korea and Vietnam in the bargain. I seriously cannot believe the ho hum attitude I hear in these comments. Stalin would be proud. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 63

Mack Los Angeles CA Let's applaud the NSA for work well done.

Very significant credit for Allied victories in World War II went to US, UK, and allied codebreakers and crypto folks. A good part of this work began before the commencement of hostilities.

Today,we face a variety of national and subnational enemies. The weapons of war have become commodity items like cellphones and portable computers. Cyberattacks and other warfare are waged by the movement of electrons.

Unless our intelligence agencies can intercept, analyze, and read machine- to-machine and encrypted communications, we will face the daily risk of another Pearl Harbor or 9-11. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

P.Law Nashville No one disputes having the NSA to guard against enemies. We dispute having it turned against us, "we the people." Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Josh Oregon Not if we aren't meddling in the lives of other people. When you try to control others, they fight back. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:44 p.m.

Thingumbob Baltimore, MD Sounds like a virtual criminal enterprise to me. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 27

HC Mount Prospect Next thing we will hear is that NSA has put spy chips in all personal computers so they can catch terrorists.

If I remember correctly we didn't have trouble finding Osama because his communication was encrypted by a communication encryption software.

And so the CIA continues to use more tactical measures to fight against terrorist threats and less of good old fashion investigation work that actual was used to catch Osama, from what I read. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Agape NV "Next thing we will hear is that NSA has put spy chips in all personal computers"

That's already happened. Didn't you read the article? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 10

Animedude5555 at my computer It happened once, but only once. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m.

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Rob DL Connecticut I want NSA members, members of Congress, members of the hypocritical and feckless Obama Administration, and those in the private sector who were not coerced to go along with this assault on the American people, TO GO TO JAIL.

But, instead of talking about this mass collaborative crime, most of the nation is debating (24/7!) whether to bomb another Middle East country to save the credibility of an American President and a government that has already lost credibility at home!

America is being destroyed by other Americans, and one of the many tragedies is that those responsible may not even know it.

The biggest threat to the United States is not a loss of credibility over a failure to bomb another third world country(absurd!); the biggest threat we face is not even from a terrorist organization. Our biggest threat comes from other Americans who have betrayed the trust of the American people and hijacked the very institutions that are meant to serve and protect us.

The United States has lost it's face. The American people have become mere stooges under a government that represents freedom and democracy in name only. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 41

ThisIsNotJohn Santa Monica, California "America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves." - Abraham Lincoln Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Agape NV NSA failed to find the tens of millions of US credit cards compromised about a month ago. NSA failed to see the chemical weapons moving around in Syria (CWs have satellite signatures). NSA fails to identify solid threats and leads so it resorts to capturing everything as proof of its viability.

What's it good for?

NSA has no real oversight because we have a congress ignorant of what it does, and doesn't seem to care. NSA is run by a military general who ALSO runs the US Cyber Command, which also failed to do the three things above, and who has his own army, navy, and air force. [Google: Bamford Salon July 2013 General Keith Alexander] NSA is run by a military general with dual commands who apparently does not answer to a US President, which is problematic because of the separate military forces.

Why? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 28

Citizen Texas Because the NSA is, and always had been, an entity unto itself since 1952 when it was established. They are arrogant and think that they don't have to answer to anyone. They hide behind national security by classifying any and everything. The General in charge, is answerable to the Pentagon first and foremost. This agency should be run by civilians, not the inefficient military. The National Security Agency is basically run by a bunch of thugs, stalkers and perverts, than think nothing of spying on their fellow country men because they can. They lie, cheat and steal on a daily basis because no one is going to call them on it or make them answer for their actions. They need to be made accountable to the people, or they should go away. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:35 a.m.

mike chicago If any of you are in doubt about what this means , what it means is this. Our government no longer feels bound by law. They will break it as they please and say "It's OK, it's for your own good!". Translated that means they no longer look at us as citizens with a right to object, they regard us as a king does his subjects. We exist only to do as they will. The immense irony of the fact that this occurred under a supposedly Liberal Democratic President is heartbreaking. The only real question now is when and how do we put a stop to it. If we let it continue we may all live to see the end of the Republic. They'll still call it that , just like North Korea and China and Russia.

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 28

ForeignNational Not USA It's with bitter irony that I type this comment with the full knowledge that it can be traced to my home address at the whim of whichever NSA analyst that deems me a foreign person of interest as I am not protected by any American amendments. Oh wait...neither are Americans. When will you wake up America and Britain and realize that if you do nothing about this now, some day the slippery slope will become reality and your children will ask you why you sat by and watched their freedoms erode before your eyes. Why won't you do anything? Won't someone please think of children!

A monitored person is not a free person. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 25

End-the-spin Twin Cities The NSA? No, Booz-Allen-Hamilton.

What in the world is a corporation with international interest, majority owned by the Carlyle Group, doing managing and running these systems?

Could certain Booz-Allen contractees have divided loyalties, extra incentives or second agendas while handling this information?

Ed Snowden joined Booz-Allen for the sole purpose of getting inside the NSA. Snowden didn't go through the FISA Court to obtain the mountains of data he possesses.

Let's face it. Washington is owned by the corporations and this is a reason why, and why government, and in particular our national security should not be privatized. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 20

Josh Oregon Because then, heaven forbid, someone might eventually bring it to light? The fact that Snowden wasn't one of the power-worshipping technocrats ringleading this disaster seems lost on you. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Tom Alciere Hudson NH How much of this will be used to mold a society favorable to the enemies of liberty?

You apply for a liquor license. The bureaucrats look at your attitude on underage drinking based on NSA-decrypted emails and message board posts and turn you down because you support somebody buying for people under 21. Enemies of liberty, people with an attitude supporting the drinking age, get the licenses and make money, which they can invest in campaign donations for candidates who support this hate crime. Elections will be influenced. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Paul Cohen Hartford CT Shush… listen… did you hear that? I hear the rhythmic tap of what sounds like goose-stepping… look, a formation of soldiers with jackboots… what’s going on? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 21

flyfysher Westminster, CO Let's assume for a moment that Coca-Cola has electronically transmitted its 'secret' formula to one of its producers/subsidiaries outside of the country.

Is this a private communication? No, because there is no expectation of privacy when going through a third-party.

Is this communication subject to a Fourth Amendment warrant? No, because it is an international communication.

Get me the Coca-Cola formula. A tweak here and a tweak there and I'll become wealthy and retire. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

br midwest It is not the fact that the NSA has been snooping like this that is disturbing--in this day and age, it would be surprising if the government wasn't spending a lot of money and twisting a lot of arms to defeat encryption technology. The disturbing part is how the government has lied about it. Time and again, the government has lied until, thanks to Snowden, it could not lie anymore. That

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the government at this point, after all these lies, would ask that this story not be published because of security concerns is laughable.

Obama has said he welcomes the conversation. Well, then, let's have a conversation. But let's first bring Snowden home, without fear of prosecution. You can't have an honest conversation when the person who forced the issue is in the crosshairs of prosecutors who threaten a life sentence. But the government here has never demonstrated an interest in honesty, has it? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 234

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scsmits Orangeburg, SC Uh, what exactly are the lies that you're so worked up about? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:01 p.m.

miriam Astoria, Queens How can Snowden come home without fear of prosecution? Whatever promises the U.S. makes to lure him back can always be broken. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

JWM dallas, tx You are aware that he broke multiple laws? He should get free ticket home cause the stuff he stole is interesting to us? Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:32 p.m.

R.S. Los Angeles So this is how Big Brother actually looks. Just as in Orwell's prescient book, perpetual war and every citizen watched. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 48

Mike Owens St. Louis MO What worries me most about the NSA is they had a low-level contractor who had access to all this secret information. They actually trusted the guy? On what basis? Why didn't NSA compartmentalize? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Josh Oregon Oh good, so your take away is that they need to make it more opaque to scrutiny by those who are supposedly in charge so that their abuse can continue in secret. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m.

Linda Virginia And then the Chinese will crack open the NSA databanks like a walnut and thank them for gathering all this information and storing it in a convenient place for them. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 11

jan left coast Why are these illegal activities by the NSA allowed to continue?

Where is the RICO action DOJ? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 13

Josh Oregon Why would the President's crony go after... the President's other cronies? Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:44 p.m.

Great Lakes State Michigan They are standing next to the NSA, holding hands. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Hank Newark, DE And how much of this with corporate collusion? I can't believe this massive intrusion could be done without it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Mary Los Angeles So, the N.S.A. is out among us playing nasty games! Seriously, I find it odd that there is so much worry about this when Amazon and Facebook know us all so very well! Moreover, if the N.S.A. is so clever, why don't we know more about what Assad is up to? Further, are we so silly as to believe the we are the only nation who has such capabilities?

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For those of us old enough to remember Mad Magazine..recall Spy vs. Spy. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Javier Spain It is so disheartening to realize that most well meant people here just don't care if non US citizens are spied for no good reason. All of a sudden, the U.S.A. look just as menacing as Russia or China or just about any other dictatorship in the world. Wow. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 12

BL CA That's why US was so afraid of Huawei entering the US server market. Because US had so many times accused Huawei of being connected to the Chinese government, they would never be able to target communications through Huawei hardware without being pushed back. Maybe the best protection of privacy here is to let Huawei be a major hardware provider in the US. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Your Name Here Chicago Edward Snowden "inserted invulnerabilities" into the NSA and only good things will come of that. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Jason N. New York No offense, but how is this news?

I find myself astonished that anyone would be astonished by this.

Who in heaven's name has faith in online privacy, or government or corporate restraint in this day and age.

The security cameras are installed. The supercomputers are computing. It's never going back. This is the way it is, now and forever.

Who doesn't know this yet? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Josh Oregon Thanks for that. You may have accepted your prison long ago, but others believe in freedom. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

farseas San Francisco It's silly to believe that the NSA and the CIA will forever be able to defeat all encryption technologies. As this article points out, much of the success in decryption came from getting access to encrypted documents shortly before they were encrypted or after they were decrypted.

We must be careful to not believe such inflated descriptions of the all powerful US intelligence agencies. They are NOT all powerful and US enemies will always find ways to defeat them.

We are never going to attain world peace by spending billions on defense and related activities. If you doubt that, think about how easy it is for one individual working alone to create a lot of destruction. No amount of defense spending can stop that.

We are reaching an age where knowledge is growing so rapidly that our ability to destroy ourselves is getting easier and easier for individuals to obtain and exploit.

Instead of trying forever to expand our defense abilities, we need to think about what we can do to bring peace and justice to the whole world. The answer will come from the heart, not from the head. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Josh Oregon So maybe we should be working on creating fewer enemies rather than how we can keep the wars going without repercussions. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:45 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Jack New York, NY And they're trying to prosecute Snowdon? Or should that be thought of as persecute Snowdon? Would we have become aware of any of this internal spying on American citizens in the most indiscriminate mannerif Snowdon had not outed the NSA data collection activity?

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Tim sausalito, ca Until 20 years every phone call, letter, telegram or radio transmission was in the clear except spies and baddies. The government with a search warrant could easily monitor all our communications.

Now we expect our every communication to be encrypted and entirely secure and are shocked to learn this isn't so.

We now find ourselves back where we were 20 years ago: the government can easily listen in on any conversation it wants.

Shocking when read in this context, but the world has not really changed: governments can and do monitor the communications they want or need. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Lego New York,NY If the NYTimes knows which protocols and standards have been hacked and the methods for doing so, it should disclose that information to the public immediately. Failure to do so only results in a public who cannot know what communications are secure and what are insecure, isn't that what the NSA wants? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Boobladoo NY Hey, it's your government. We've been spying on everybody and are storing the data in case we want to build a case against you in the future. We can take things out of context, etc. We've basically rendered the Constitution a dead letter. We can disappear you, really, if we want. The sequester cuts are falling as we pump 85 billion in virtually free money to Wall Street a month. 97% of new jobs are part time and 60% of those are low wage. We're still shipping jobs overseas apace. We're gutting the social safety net.

...Oh, and we want to start another war for humanitarianism and freedom. Please give us your support. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

Vic D Dallas It's easy to understand there are threats to the US, but the NSA has taken this too far. Protections against unreasonable search and for free speech, basic rights are being infringed by those who say there MAY be a compromise at some point in the future. Only one more question to ask.... Who is monitoring the monitors of the monitors? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

No Cloud USA This breach is closely related to the major driving force behind "Cloud Computing" - the government and corporations want all your data stored online, not for our convenience, but for theirs.

"Cloud Storage" is being sold to the masses as a convenience, but the REAL reason is so various govt. and private sector agencies can harvest your supposedly-secure personal information and either hold it hostage until they a) force you to buy "updates" to keep you personal records active (in the case of software companies), b) target you (in the case of marketing an research), or prosecute you (in the case of the NSA).

Mark my words, it will start as a hunt for terrorists.. then organised crime, then sexual predators.. then tax-dodgers... and by the time they come for YOU, there will be nobody left to stop them. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 10

Uga Muga Miami Over and beyond Cloud storage, the very moment a computer device is connected to the Internet, any data on it and its programs are immediately available for intervention and manipulation. There's no such thing as a secret particularly a well-kept one. Just ask the NSA. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Terry British Columbia To all the apologists who decry Snowdon as a traitor and claim the government is merely doing their job to protect us, let me point out first that 'the government' has outsourced much of this work, to third-party companies that hire thousands of employees. That one such sub-contracted employee, Snowdon, saw fit to alert the citizenry as to what was happening in their names -- and was able to do so without being detected by bringing to light a huge cache of intel and documents -- merely begs the question: how many

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other third-party employees have truly more sinister motives to exploit information the come across. And if such secret employees are involved in illegal actions for their own profit or political or religious motives, would we ever learn about it? Would the companies to whom government subcontracts learn about it? Indeed, does the government know about and sanction every action taken by every sub-contractor in its name? With so many secret subcontractors and so many layers of secrecy, is basic, efficient oversight even possible? I seriously doubt it. In any case, we'll never know. Nor will anyone else. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Pete from NYC NY, NY I had a criminal case where wiretapping was allegedly used, despite that I'm a US born citizen. It's sad that I thought I could communicate with my lawyer via email and then encrypted email, but clearly even that is not allowed under NSA's regime.

I asked the lawyer to file my birth certificate with the NSA and report to the Judge, but the lawyer refused, and "just" got the case dismissed (and sealed). It is horrendous that life in America has come to this. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Winston Smith el cerrito ca can the American People come up with a class action suit on this one? what the heck is going on here? and who are the people that are doing the spying? they stand a chance of going to jail. following orders will be their excuse. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Tom Alciere Hudson NH They needs to use the one-time pad and simpler technologies that are harder to sneak flaws into. The one-time pad can be generated by using bitmap photos of sand for random digits, and scrambling those. The problem is that it's a hassle and the correspondents would et lazy and sloppy

--- NSA: The only government agency that listens to the American people. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:28 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Citizen Texas Tom Alciere, Your statement, "NSA: The only government agency that listens to the American people." You certainly got that right. Our president and the congress certainly aren't listening, are they? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m.

Tbone New Jersey I really can't believe people are so surprised that this is happening. It has been happening for years and years. It just became easier with the advent of digital communications....vastly easier. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Ralph SF Folks, it is the inherent nature of the NSA and all similar organizations, especially Homeland Security, to "do what it takes." That means total disregard for the law as written and the law as intended. The US Constitution isn't even "just a piece of paper." The NSA is not a humane, fair play organization. It will cheat, lie and steal to achieve its objectives. If you think otherwise, well...Don't ever forget the old song about the woman who saves a dying snake, only to be bitten by the snake when it gets better. As she dies, she asks the snake why it bit her and the snake says, "well, after all, I am a snake." Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Charlie rhymes with Raleigh Every time I see someone who agrees with the NSA approach I am reminded that ALL power is or will be abused, so be careful what power you create. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

This Old Man Canada How is this news? When has it ever been otherwise? It's just because it goes on in our time that we think it's so special unique nefarious or whatever overheated rhetoric we choose to employ in our righteous indignation. What phoney piety. It's our conceit. We live in blissful ignorance. Next. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

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Keat Colorado This is the Civil Rights issue of our time: the American people deserve a government which respects the Constitution and the 4th Amendment right to privacy. Democratic society cannot function unless the people feel their private information is secure from government snooping. The fear of being subject to unconstitutional forms of government surveillance could have an insidious effect on the willingness of the people to dissent when faced with injustice. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 19

Josh Oregon Maybe that's what is going on with these people who are supporting this regime. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:33 a.m.

John Link New York, NY And what part of the Constitution authorizes the U.S. government to spy on its own citizens?

The following contains a disagreement of subject and verb:

"Many users assume — or have been assured by Internet companies — that their data is safe from prying eyes, including those of the government, and the N.S.A. wants to keep it that way."

That should be "data are". The word "data" is plural. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:19 p.m.

Charlie rhymes with Raleigh This has become a rogue agency and should be disbanded. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

GeniusIQ179 SLO, CA The NSA has had over a month to use their Paper Shredders, and to Hide their Programs.

They know the Congress is inept and cannot even snif out the corruption. They ignore the Congress and their long terms plans move ever forward.

45 years ago the research and design of today's NSA was begun.

There were Crazy Conspiracy Theorist's, who claimed the government's dark secrets were going to destroy our nation.

We all laughed, and forgot what they said. Guess what? ..They didn't lie. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Vox NY What I find particularly staggering by this disclosure -- apart from the NSA's rogue element and intrusiveness on citizens noted by others-- is not so much that the NSA DID / is still doing this, but that they CONCEALED (i.e. lied about) this... YET AGAIN!

So the NSA is shown to have again REPEATEDLY MISLED the American people, and its elective representatives, and we only have Edward Snowden -- labeled a "traitor" by these same peeping rogue law-breakers -- to thank for bringing this to the PUBLIC'S attention?

THAT'S mind-boggling to me!

WHERE are the guardian's of the people? WHO advises and consents to this?

It's one thing for the NSA to spy on threats, WITH the advice and consent of our elected representatives! But it's quite another for them to act like some rogue free-agent outfit and mislead the American people and Congress about all this!

The REAL question is: WHO'S DRIVING the ("security") BUS? "We don't spy on American citizens" Clapper, who blatantly lied to Congress? Some OTHER SECRET back-room spy-master? Shouldn't we at least KNOW THAT? (And of course much more, in a democracy.)

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Not only does the NSA want to deceive foreign threats, the apparently wants to deceive law-abiding US citizens:

"Many users assume — or have been assured by Internet companies — that their data is safe from prying eyes...the N.S.A. wants to keep it that way."

Big Brother! Right out of 1984? And that too was "for the good of the nation and its people"! BAH! Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

MKM New York When Obama said he was going to have the most transparent administration ever I did not think he meant via leaks. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

diva long island ny I still don't think anyone should be praised for breaking their agreements when they work for an agency like the NSA. I haven't seen anything but our country doing the best it can, trying to stay within law, to protect us. I expected Congress, that dysfunctional institution, to do the oversight. Not a arrogant citizen who on his own broke his agreement with the NSA and decided what we needed to see! What gave him the right to do this? I have seen more harm than good from his decisions. there could have been a better way to bring what he found so upsetting to light than the way he did it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Peter Giordano Asia The day I started using email all those years ago I realized that NOTHING about it could be private. The NSA may be unpleasant and perhaps doing something illegal but the indignation from news agencies, pundits, and politicians is simple opportunism. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL I couldn't disagree more.

The idea that the Bill of Rights means nothing is unacceptable to me. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

david Brown Los Angeles The Hedge Funds and Wall Street Rich are no doubt lining up to pay for "Insider Information" from the select few that have access to all those hacked Company's Trade secrets. At the very least the Insider few will become active investors. Now if the NSA would just release the fews investment portfolios the many could also climb onto the gravy train.

And, how do you guarantee that one of the few won't sell gleaned secrets to an American adversary for millions of dollars. Far from protecting us, the games that the NSA is playing threatens us all.

On the other hand, this could be salvation for the Post Office and purveyors of carrier pigeons. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:15 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Phil C Austin, tx Are there not people in politics and government who are already bending the electoral process to diminish their opponents? Think what they will do if, or should I say when, they get control of this NSA information stream. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

James T. Kirk Kabul So, here's something to be curious about....do the NSA technocrats move from government to private business? Do they have an edge over others because they have inside information? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Marc Schenker Ft. Lauderdale I haven't read anything in the comments section that suggest people know what's going on here: the full and final realization of Big Brother, not the one in 1984, the new one where the NSA becomes the DEA becomes the corporation looking to spy on its customers. The fourth amendment is over and done with. Every American should know they are watching us in every way possible. Thank you Congress, Obama, Supreme Court. I feel sorry for the children who will grow up in it's full fruition. . Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

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Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL Don't forget to thank George W. Bush and Dick Cheney while your at it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:48 p.m.

alexander hamilton new york It is past time for the American people to take back their government: Halt all domestic NSA surveillance immediately, while a non-military-industrial- complex independent panel goes over every single activity, top to bottom, of this rogue agency.

Fire all private contractors. National security should be handled only by politically-accountable federal agencies and their employees. Fund and promote legitimate national security activities. Un-fund and forbid spying on American citizens without a warrant. Period. If the NSA doesn't like the 4th Amendment, they can apply for Russian citizenship and move. Or go to jail. Abolish the secret court, and put all requests to invade American privacy in front of a federal judge where the citizen resides, and make the Department of Justice a mandatory party, representing not the NSA, but the interests of the citizen.

I'm tired of hearing an unelected and unsupervised bunch of bureaucrats telling me they have secrets they need to keep from me, while collecting my e-mails and telephone calls. My business is none of the government's business. And secrets are to kept from the enemy! Unless the NSA views the American public as the enemy, in which case storming its offices and burning them seems entirely appropriate. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 297

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Grace NY Thank you. Really, most of the readers are like, "they know what they're doing." I'm with you. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:16 p.m.

Desmo Hamilton, OH Hey Alex! When does the storming begin and are you going to lead it? I want to bring my camera. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m.

Steve B. St. Louis, Missouri Thank you for putting it bluntly. The NSA is anathema to the American way of life. It must be deconstructed. Mr. Snowden would be lauded by our founding fathers. The NSA would never have been given a seat at the constitutional convention. It should be given no voice in the national debate regarding the question of its continued existence. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:32 p.m.

Applecounty United Kingdom In the UK it has become quite a regular thing to find easy stories in the media highlighting the costly incompetent blunders surrounding public sector computer systems. Most of them designed by the private sector specialist companies, who appear quite happy to inflate their bottom line from the public purse.

Perhaps from now on we should just stand in awe and marvel at the accomplishments of our new unelected, and apparently unaccountable, masters as they divest us all of even the illusion of privacy. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Lawrence Clarke Albany, NY What do our Senators and Congressmen think about all of this?

Does the NSA brief them on these items? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Bob New Jersey In the current world situation, I do not object to NSA scanning mail for security purposes. But I feel strongly that to destroy individual internet and computer protection goes well beyond "national security." . Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Steen Mother Earth I have lived in the country of the former USSR. I never thought these words were to cross my lips, but I actually feel Relatively safe now fro prying eyes. The key word here is of course Relatively.

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Back in the US, back in the US back in the USSR. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Tommyboy Baltimore, MD Isn't that what they are supposed to do? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Barbara L.A. They are supposed to protect us from having to live under a government that would monitor every breath its citizens take. They are supposed to protect us from people who do what they are doing! Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m.

ricst Incline Village, NV If the NSA forces Intel and AMD and chip makers of mobile device CPUs into the PRISM program, then all encryption is effectively backdoored. Once the NSA has private access to these CPUs, it can read everything on the system including all messages before encryption and after decryption. This is a capability that even STASI couldn't dream up.

No device or system on any Internet connected network will be protected from NSA intrusion and electronic privacy - already severely wounded - will be totally destroyed.

And what happens of what is left of democracy in the United States? Gone forever, replaced by a full-on authoritarian government until such a system collapses. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:06 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

David Davis, CA Am I the only one who wonders a little more balancedly now how Americans should view the actions of Mr. Snowden? Seems more nuanaced and less straightforward to me. And I can understand him being terrified what the US government might do if they catch him. And I usually consider myself a conservative.... Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:04 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Joe Worker Bay Area, CA Scary but I'm glad the NSA and its British counterpart are trying to stay ahead of the power curve. Yes, we must uphold everyone's (present in the US and the UK) rights under the US and the UK Constitutions but if you are not a bad "guy" or engaging in unlawful actions, why worry. We must all compromise our liberties so that another 911 won't ever happen anywhere. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:04 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

P.Law Nashville A terrorist attack is a very low probability event. It is not worth the certainty of compromising our freedoms. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 17

Iowan mississippi, iowa Were is in the United States of America that I can go to live and not be subjected to this authoritarian police state? What color is the state there? Purple? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:01 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

iHeartChinese New York City Some might be disturbed, but they shouldn't be ruffled too much. It is no surprise that the government is bending (or breaking) the rules in the name of our protection and wellbeing. It's been going on since time immemorial and will continue long after we're all dead. The U.S. gov't is not the only one doing it by the way -- other governments are fierce competitors in the same "cyber race among nations" and the results can have tangible consequences for U.S. interests. This is a competition in which the competitors are essentially forced to compete at gun point -- i.e. the consequences of non-participation are too high. So everyone needs to step off of their high horses and stop the blame game. Instead of blaming, we should be finding an acceptable and reasonable solution that tackle the obvious quandaries without hampering our clandestine organizations' abilities to stay competitive. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:00 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

frank1569 Dallas, TX Why is everybody so upset?

As soon as We The People kill and/or capture every terrorist, terrorist associate, evil doer, bad guy, militant, and freedom-hater, the NSA (and 17

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other intel agencies, and private contractors, and local law enforcement,) will stop illegally spying on all of us to protect all of us.

Just a few more years, tops. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:00 p.m. RECOMMENDED 13

Steen Mother Earth frank1569 I love your sarcasm Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Steve Calgary, AB, Canada Define 'a few'. Not in my lifetime. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:11 p.m.

Daniel DeGrandpre Vancouver, Wa Well I guess they got it pretty correct in the Jason Bourne movies after all. We've also seen the same scenario they used against Snowden; being a wacko, stupid or a misinformed flunkie; played out in movies. Discredit the leaker, remember the Will Smith movie? They did everything they could think of do get this man in jail. The scary thing is that though they portrayed this guy as low level contract employee, it seems that he got hold of considerable amounts of information. How easy might it be for someone with an agenda to cause great harm, create political mischief, the possibilities are as limitless as are the secrets that are uncovered. J. Edgar may be made to look like a school boy by comparison. Who can say it hasn't already happened?

I could understand the NSA coming up with ways to counteract what other nation's capabilities are and ways to fight terrorism, etc., but these guys sound like kids in a (secrets) candy store. However, unfortunately, the Boston bombers proved that these secrecy nuts aren't miracle workers, just nuts who have forgotten, or worse, don't care about our constitution.

My mom used to tell me and my siblings that if we didn't want something disclosed to simply not put it in writing.

So let's ignore the man behind the curtain, or is it men now? We're already ignoring global icecaps melting! Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Isaac Los Angeles CA When the NSA pays contractors to pay hackers with GEDs $200K to help with "national security," you can't be surprised when they start hacking. We're doomed. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

P.Law Nashville Snowden's the one who *revealed* the hacking of our privacy and constitutional rights, not caused them. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:15 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Ken Belcher Chicago If the government has put back doors into the computer boot software then we can't even use stronger encryption techniques - they will be able to capture keystrokes directly from the keyboard, and to modify any operating system we load as it is booted up to ensure we can't put in safe code either.

Our newer vehicles are computer controlled too. When the code gets updated anyone who can break the encryption can put in the logic they want. That would enable someone to use the vehicles as weapons. Of course taking control of chemical or nuclear plants is much more serious, and any internal safety control that is dependent on code rather than being hard-wired can be defeated by an unauthorized update.

If I enabled immigrants to transfer money to (possible terrorist) groups at home without going through "secure" commercial channels I would likely be prosecuted. Who will be prosecuted for enabling foreign governments and terror groups to control our infrastructure? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

21hgmj New York If Georges Orwell would be alive today, he would be amazed how right he was ! "big brother" is probably reading our comments... Have fun boys ! Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:58 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

shstl MO So the NSA can access pretty much everything that's digital, and the whole purpose of their activities is to stop those who would harm our country, and

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yet we STILL don't have any prosecutions for the economic collapse?? There's not enough evidence, they say, and now we know that's a complete farce. Because if the NSA can track the calls & emails of foreign presidents (!), I'm pretty sure they can gather intel on the Wall Street terrorists who took our whole system down. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:58 p.m. RECOMMENDED 14

Frank San Diego I have to break it to you gently. Wall Street and friends already own the government. They decide who gets elected, make all the major decisions and are untouchable. The America you remember, seeking truth and justice, no longer exists. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 14

Bill Eisen Manhattan Beach As the NSA continues to circumvent or crack much of the encryption and digital scrambling that guards global commerce and banking systems and that protects our privacy our data becomes more and more vulnerable to private hacking by whomever. (Many vendors don't even maintain customer banking and credit card info for fear that it could be compromised by hacking.)

So if we are to maintain any degree of privacy we must keep our guard up and continue to keep assessing the security of our private data. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:58 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

blgreenie New Jersey The authors of this piece appear to be journalists. I'd appreciate a discussion of these findings by an impartial expert in the field of encription. Such a discussion could put into perspective just what dangers ordinary, law-abiding citizens may face. Without that, I'm surprised but not hugely alarmed. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:58 p.m.

jcadams Northern California Here's the problem area that no one is focusing on. With the growth of the government-military-industrial-surveillance complex we in America now have ex-NSA and ex-CIA intelligence specialists who retire and/or leave the NSA, CIA, etc. and migrating to-well paying positions at private surveillance firms. And those firms, in turn, will contract with private corporations. Is there really an effective "firewall" between the data and tradecraft secrets developed by the NSA, CIA etc. from also migrating to these private for-profit and hired-gun corporate intelligence? If my corporation has a patent, trade secret, or important legal battle with a competitor corporation --- will my privileged legal and confidential legal and financial communications be safe from hired ex-CIA and ex-NSA operatives? I don’t think so. And if there are any doubts on this suggestion take a read in today’s Guardian about the curious case of Barrett Brown. Mr. Brown is an activist journalist who got legally embroiled with an investigation into one of these private surveillance corporations. Now he’s got a gag order from a federal judge in Texas on the matter. In effect, we now have a journalist who can’t even report on the subject matter of his reporting efforts. http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/sep/04/barrett- brown-gag-order-us-... Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

02Pete Delmar, NY The public disclosure of this information, whether by Edward Snowden or the New York Times, does nothing to protect Americans' personal privacy, and a great deal to damage U.S. national security.

While collecting large quantities of information, U.S. intelligence agencies access and analyze only a very limited portion of it, do so in cases where potential threats to national security are identified, and do so under the supervision of the FISA Court. There is no legitimate reason for anyone, regardless of identity, profession or business, to use encryption to try to prevent U.S. intelligence agencies from analyzing potential threats to national security.

As few if any foreign intelligence agencies, never mind private parties, have the NSA's capabilities to decrypt encoded messages, there is little if any reason to fear that the encryption or coding of commercial messages such as those used to transmit banking or credit card transactions, or of professional messages such as those used to transmit medical or legal records, would be exposed by NSA access to any greater risk of being accessed by other parties.

The Times seems to be under the impression that it should publish without hesitation all information of any kind that it obtains, without regard to the potential for severe damage to national security. It is reckless and irresponsible of the Times to do so, and it endangers all Americans. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:56 p.m. RECOMMENDED 51

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Absolute Relativity Pittsburgh, PA If the encryption works, what the NSA is doing should be theoretically impossible. Given that it isn't theoretically impossible means that a weakness in the system exists which foreign intelligence agencies and/or criminals stealing banking information are likely to exploit as well.

The NSA needs to publish the vulnerabilities they know of to help US business protect themselves. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:13 p.m.

Steve B. St. Louis, Missouri No. The willingness to concede that collection and eventual analysis of personal, private information by government agents, who are willing to lie to congressional oversight committees, is what truly endangers all Americans. If the government wants to erect firewalls to keep out known or suspected foreign cyber threats to our infrastures, fine. But that does not require that the government retain the capacity to snoop on its own citizens unless specifically authorized by a court to snoop on specific citizens reliably known or suspected of involement in a criminal enterprise. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:32 p.m.

John Chas Southeast Michigan What is truly reckless and irresponsible is your mindless cheerleading for the surveillance state, the idea that this capacity is not or will not be abused is naive and unsupported by history. Also the statement that no one has a legitimate reason for not wanting the NSA spying on them goes to that old and still untrue bromide that you don't have nothing to hide if you ain't doing nothing I don't approve of. Police states conduct widespread surveillance of their citizens and everyone is presumed guilty until proven otherwise and even then they are still guilty of something even if its just objecting to police states. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

JBaku US If the N.S.A can do it, do you think other governments (China, Russia, etc.) are in the dark. Just think of all laptops, phones, etc. manufactured in China... back doors anyone... Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

ripconstitution Dallas The Guardian article on this same subject includes another document which refers to "The consumer and other adversaries..." Nice to know we are an adversary. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 12

KL NYC I've no illusion that the NSA or anybody else in the other countries is caring for one's privacy. Can they all be exposed, not just this country, but everywhere, so we all can see how much our lives are compromised? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Max Jersey I am astonished at the certainty that K Liu ascribes to the opinion that some codes remain and will remain unbreakable. The same was initially claimed for the (now) standard 125-bit encryption people use to shop on line or deal with their financial institutions. The claim preceded the publication of the paper entitled Polynomial-Time Algorithm for Breaking the Basic Merkle-Hellman Cryptosystem. Clearly, brute force is not the only way to break a code. And things have come a long way since that paper was published in 1984. Advances have included the marketing of the first quantum based computers which, for certain operations, are anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 times faster than the most powerful machines now used by the government. These machines are just in their infancy. PGP is nowhere near immune since part of its structure depends on Merkle-Hellman type keys. Be sure, then, that the fundamental right to privacy will only be protected by a public committed to it rather than by technology. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:54 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Eimar Eugene These programs will severely hurt our ability to export technology. I am COO at an Internet company that visualizes big data from customers through maps. In the last weeks foreign prospects have started to ask me if I can guarantee me that their private data will never enter the US. I can't and my company will

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lose sales over this. These programs could lead to a mass exodus of foreign customers using major Internet services by US corporations. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 12

Lucas Washington, DC Your concerns are valid and exactly why China and Russia are so eager for this story to come out in as sensational and exaggerated a manner as possible. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:14 p.m.

Richard Luettgen New Jersey It's bad enough that the billions that have been invested by industry to keep proprietary and sensitive communications safe are now rendered largely useless; but the elephant in the room is that if NSA has done it, you can bet that the Chinese and Russians have, as well, and perhaps others. How can this news NOT affect the candor business partners employ in everyday communications?

Someone surely will argue that de-encryption methods are secret, and to this one only needs to try not to suffer a stroke from laughing so hard -- they were so "secret" that a pimply consultant not yet 30 made off with them on notebooks and thumb drives.

Well, I guess we'll just need to re-invest those billions to come up with even tougher encryption methodologies; and, unlike the last time, we'll also need to treat the U.S. government as an adversary not to be handed a "back door" to encrypted communications. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Taurean Queens, NY The view that having achieved unique success in de-encryption methods, the United States can remain unchallenged in this achievement, is belied by the historical analogy of the development of atomic/nuclear weapons. As you state, "the elephant in the room is that if NSA has done it, you can bet that the Chinese and Russians have, as well, and perhaps others." There are no permanently held, proprietary secrets in this world. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 a.m.

Richard Luettgen New Jersey Taurean:

Yes, but your analogy may be a touch flawed, unless you assume that it's inevitable that spying and treason will invalidate secrets. Our monopoly on nuclear weapons was broken by both. Encryption methods, eventually, will be broken by less disageeable means, but the point is that those means shouldn't include government's introduction of weaknesses in software that others might exploit -- and they have no business reading my emails. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Nostranditmas Brooklyn What scares me most of all is how many people will be comfortable with this knowledge. Thanks to social media, the younger elements will be more accepting of a life transparent to invisible and capricious powers and being around longer, they will pave the way for this to become a universal norm. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Fred Cambridge, MA Gee, I wonder why the US is so hated by the rest of the world? Is it because we preach freedom and democracy to the rest of the world while continually undermining it, from CIA coups to cozying up to Saddam Hussein to spying on our allies as well as our enemies? I'm ashamed of my government, and especially of politicians like Barack Obama, who campaigned on a platform of openness and transparency, but who, once in office, found he loved his kill lists and his drone strikes and his proxy wars in Yemen and his detention without trial or even charge of anyone he pleases. Thank you, Edward Snowden, for blowing the whistle on the corruption in our own government. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 21

ScottW Chapel Hill, NC One thing is crystal clear--it is Dir. of Intel Clapper who belongs in jail for violating our rights to privacy, not Edward Snowden, who only exposed this corrupt, immoral, treasonous individual. Sadly, Pres. Obama supports Clapper and supports the complete destruction of any right to privacy. Both Obama and Clapper should be sent packing for the harm they have inflicted on this Country. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 18

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Alex S New York, N.Y. One of the troubling aspects of this is that once the technology ecosystem has been compromised, it's very hard to know that you've cleaned it up.

If your computer gets a virus, you can wipe it off and reinstall the operating system, but that assumes the fresh install was safe. We don't have a safe place to roll back to.

Years ago, a famous computer scientist named Ken Thompson told a story at his Turing Award acceptance speech, about how he built a back door into a C compiler. The compiler would put back doors into the Unix login program, and it would even install the ability to insert those backdoors into new C compilers that it was used to build.

The result of this was a system that would withstand code audits. Someone could look at all of the lines of code in the login program, as well as in the compiler, and see that there were no backdoors. Yet when the system was deployed, the backdoors would be there.

The people at the NSA are very clever, and that's a famous story in programming circles. So even open source systems like Linux or even OpenBSD could very well be compromised in ways that would be very difficult to detect.

The work done by the NSA to compromise computer security has been so broad and so pervasive that it will be very hard to figure out how to recover. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:49 p.m. RECOMMENDED 101

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Lizardo Prague Yes, Terrence, the world is messy. Why institutionalize making it more of a mess?

Maybe we can adopt some international open standard that can be audited. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:01 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Mats Stenfeldt Sweden You shall always perform your code audit with mixed c-code and assembly view then you have a chance. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m.

michael sangree connecticut from time to time i've heard stories re backdoors into ms-dos and windows, as well as intel chips. since these products have proven to be ridden with security flaws, it's plausible to imagine that some were intentional,

what-if games nowadays posit backdoors in adobe products, which certainly are ubiquitous. ditto for apple devices manufactured in china. with this latest news, there really isn't a conspiracy theory that can be proven patently false. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Michael Branagan Silver Spring, MD Then does this ability cause the gov't or encryption company some sort of criminal or civil liability in that the product does not perform as advertised? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Vincent Westfield, NJ I wonder if the liberals at the NYT now understand the paranoia of the right over the power of the federal government? Even they must be getting a bit nervous. What do you call a government that doesn't represent the will of the majority of the people? And now they want another war when the people are telling them to stop. Isn't this the prelude to revolution? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

P.Law Nashville Liberals and civil libertarians have been leading the charge against this, but we're glad to have any conservatives who want to join in. I hope it doesn't come to that, but it may indeed be the prelude to revolution. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

ronaldleewht661 Eufaula, AL Well, after all, the Internet, is owned, and maintained by The U. S. Department of Commerce. Is it reasonable, to have ever expected any privacy, from the outset?

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

William Payne New York I am struggling to comprehend the magnitude of this.

If back-doors have been inserted into a significant proportion of the cryptosystems that we use to secure our computing infrastructure, then our machines are a lot less secure than we thought, and the risk that they have been compromised (by the NSA or by somebody else) is consequently much higher.

So, the next time I make a decision based on a spreadsheet, or an email, or a word document, how do I know that the figures that I am reading have not been subverted somehow?

If the computer is a bicycle for the mind, a lot of us are going to have to learn to become pedestrians again. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 86

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Terrence Maryland Mr. Payne, You are trying to draw conclusions based on a few random facts and without understanding computer communications or intelligence. You leap from the defense of the US to your personal spreadsheet. How you manage that is anybody's guess, it makes no sense. Your last statement about dropping computer technology is just plain silly. How about we all try to read experts' analysis and conclusions,. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m.

Grace NY Wouldn't that be wonderful. It's our job to keep the internet "free" and not some tool of NSA wonks. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:16 p.m.

Desmo Hamilton, OH Or else finally realize that you have nothing worth being concerned about. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m.

Standards in Journalism New York We need to stop trying to give spy agencies total power to do their jobs, because that defeats the purpose of our spy agencies, which is to protect our rights and freedoms.

A smart intelligence agency excels with limited power; a dumb one needs to attack rights and freedoms in order to maintain an edge. A dumb one needs to become Big Brother -- and then what is the point??? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Priscilla Utah I was born in 1950 so I grew up during the Cold War. When I think of governments spying on their own citizens, the automatic mental response I have is of Soviet controlled governments thwarting the desire of their citizens to be free. That is not the government I want to pledge allegiance to.That is not the government I want to pay my considerable taxes to. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 35

Tim Lum Back from the 10th Century SO, the big news here is that the eavesdropping and electronic counter- measures agency is breaking codes? That's what they are supposed to do, right? I hope they do more of it to prevent Whacka-doodles like those wild and crazy Cechnyan Bros from Beanton blowing up and dismembering children. Didn't help much then. Maybe we would prefer paid neighborhood surveillance teams of informants? Criminals have privacy rights to assume our identities and empty our bank accounts, but NSA shouldn't have the right to crack codes? The NSA, CIA, DEA, FBI can steal my secret marinade recipe and posts to the NYTimes, but I doubt it would be a good career move. Go to work. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Rocketscientist Chicago, IL I find it ironic that the NSA has control of private communication and yet Wall Street bankers run free. Surely a communication between some fat cat in the Hamptons and his off-shore banker in the City of London can't have gone unnoticed. Or, does surveillance only apply to the "little people.?" Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

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steve Western MA . It's clearly unacceptable on a public safety and law enforcement level to allow instantaneous communications between multiple entities that are completely unreadable by law enforcement. Command, control, and organization through communication channels are the fundamentals of military (and any organizational) action. world where adversaries have the unrestrained ability to organize and collude without oversight or detection would be an alarming, chaotic world in which peace would be constantly undermined by adversarial group actions--whether criminal or military.Since there can be no putting the crypographic genie back into the bottle, cryptanalysis is here to stay, and I for one would choose the NSA over the Chinese intelligence agencies if i had the power to pick who has this ability. Indeed, it's not clear that restraining the NSA's ability would do anything to restrain our geopolitical adversaries' abilities in this realm, and would potentially leave the country blind informationally and strategically. Therefore, from even a strictly military or defense perspective, either a back door or other program elements that allow messages to be decrypted by appropriate agencies is necessary.

This certainly creates problems from the civil liberties standpoint (how to assure that these powers are not misused or abused--as they certainly will be) . But it seems to be the only realistic option on the plate, given the world we live in...and there is no turning back the clock. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

P.Law Nashville I'm sorry, the best "instantaneous communication" is a face-to-face conversation. Are you really suggesting that police should be able to intrude on those conversations? The only difference between that and your statement is the method. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Igidur Kansas City I'm curious in which Chinese province is Western MA? You write as if you are a Chinese Communist Party boss.

Your point about the communication control is straight out of Gestapo, KGB, and Stasi handbooks. Can't you see that desiring this total control will just make us (US that is) weaker? People will stop using our services. People will stop trusting us with information. This totalitarina approach will force them to develop new ways to avoid our "oversight" and ultimately will cause our own companies grave harm.

If we don't protect the companies and allow the NSA to insert back-door exploits, eventually the innovation will shift from US to other countries and THAT will spell our demise.

For all we know, the Chinese hackers have already used these "back doors" to steal our corporate secrets.

Something has to be done to reign in the secrecy because history has ALWAYS shown that it results in NOTHING good. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

iHeartChinese New York City Igidur, you are too hard on steve. Yes, he overreached a bit, but, generally, his analysis is quite shrewd. And I, for one, agree that, if a nation is to have this ability, I would prefer the us over China. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m.

Miketcha Higganum CT Rest assured, we have safeguards in place to protect our rights, I'm sure the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance court will be issuing a ruling any day now. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

YYL Florida Introducing vulnerabilities into international encryption standards in order to facilitate your own data collection, is evil in its very essence. It is evil regardless what kind of lofty ideals you claim to achieve. This is something that I used to think only terrorists would do. Now it is done by our own government. I am speechless. How did our government go so wrong? It seems that in the name of national protection, our government has forsaken the noble principles that this nation was originally founded on, and drooped down to the same level as the scoundrels that it is claiming to fight. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 26

Niklas Easton, PA They're ripping up the Constitution bit by bit. I find it amazing how they can keep committing these acts of treason and get away with it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 15

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Kty47 Boston, MA So a US spy agency has the ability to spy and spy well. I see this as a success story - the US spy agencies are maligned for their ineffectiveness and taxpayer waste. The NSA seems to have done a good job at what they've been tasked to do. What's the problem? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

P.Law Nashville Yay! They're great at trampling privacy and the Constitution! Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Charles Swanson Green Valley, AZ They are VIOLATING the Constitution ...... Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Laird100 New Orleans I am sure the editors believe that the public had a "need to know" about this, and acted in good faith when they published it. I have always been a big fan of the NYTimes because I trusted them to do just that. However with this decision the editors have lost their way. There are things we do not "need to know"--that we as a nation are better off not knowing about. This is one of them. I can understand that an immature boy like Snowden might not be able to discern between the two. But I had higher expectations for the Editors of the New York Times.

This decision to go public with this story, despite a request not to do so, is a terrible mistake, one that weakens the republic. I hope one day the editors who made this decision will understand just how badly they have mis-perceived the lay of the land. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Frank San Diego You may believe that we do not "need to know" that our Fourth Amendment right of privacy has been trash-canned by the government. A lot of others do think that is important. A great many people do not like their government, knowing the facts but lying to them...again and again and again. We were told our internet is secure. That was a lie as we know now. We were told that China "hacking" was a threat to our security. That was a lie as we know now. I think you have "misperceived the lay of the land." Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 14

Carolyn Saint Augustine I thank the New York Times. We are indebted to it and all the other news agencies that have exposed the NSA and by extension, our corrupt government. We are indebted to Edward Snowden. But I want to make sure that I thank the New York Times again for having the integrity to report on this issue. I pray you are never intimidated into secrecy. The majority of Americans stand with you, for that I am sure. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

Carolyn Saint Augustine If the government has the ability to pry into everything we do - and it does have that capability - then essentially, it has walked us into a cell. The only way to free ourselves is to disband or severely curtail the operations of this monster. The NSA's invasion is insidious; it's immoral in a free society, and what's more, the American people never gave permission to do it! We had no idea! Now, as more and more information is coming to light, we are finding that we are utterly vulnerable to the NSA, and the NSA is not even interested in American protection. It would rather have weakened encryption so that it can play peeping Tom instead of honorable cop. The NSA is a perverse entity.

This betrayal of American ideals is the result of too much power in the hands of too few, who operate in secret, and luxuriate in those secrets, like our corrupt president. We clearly have some evil people - and I don't use the term "evil" lightly - that are so anxious to dominate society, intimidate people and reduce sovereign nations to satellites, that they are willing to do anything. This practice is beyond just a shrug and an "oh well." If it doesn't stop, there will be no freedom, no privacy and no dignity for any of us or our children. I can't believe that any of this is legal in the true sense of the word. All of this happened through manipulated, twisted legalities and outright deceit. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 20

RMarc Albany NY "When fascism comes to America it will be wrapped in the flag and waving a cross"! Fascism is already here and it's the NSA! Americans should be in the streets but as usual, we are too busy shopping!

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 30

Bert Thomas KY The Snowden revelations are important for the public debate they are creating. I am not naive about NSA's capabilities and mission, but there is something deeply troubling to me about the increasing capabilities of our government to reach into the private business of individuals and corporations here and abroad, despite the assertions of built-in protections. The private company - NSA nexus to subvert privacy, even with supposed safeguards, has risen to a level much worse than the terror it was intended to prevent. Our personal communications conducted by electronic means should be, I believe, just as private as a conversation I might have during a walk in the woods. I have an expectation that my lawful business is as private as I want it to be, but when security vulnerabilities are built into software intentionally to make them transparent to those with the means to exploit them, something has gotten screwed up. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Norman Bloomfield, NJ The NSA's actions have now tainted every US technology company. World consumers will now assume, and rightly so, that all US software, computer systems and computer service companies are complicit in the spying and will avoid US products and services. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 30

Craig Killingly, CT The President and Congress need to stop this intrusion. This is not the America I know and love. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

J New York, NY Thanks NYT for pushing this issue.

The government's gathering of information is completely out of control.

The more we let it continue is the more our nation slips into a police state that currently is somewhat benign for most Americans but could easily be malignant with time.

Unless many of us get organized and start litigating with the NSA, which will be expensive and possibly dangerous, we are not likely to get any changes.

Our congress is rudderless, and our President thinks he can control it. You can't. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 27

Frank San Diego Our integrity as a world leader has been called seriously into question, particularly by young people around the world. We are so weakened even the UN's Ban Ki Moon opposes the military strike. President Obama, at the G20 summit, probably could not lead the hungry leaders to lunch. Parenthetically, while the intelligence services know what I had for dinner last night, they can't link the Syrian government to the Sarin attack. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

David Rea Boulder, CO If the U.S. government can do it, how can we be sure the Chinese can't?

I'd rather have the NSA work *with* companies to increase protection.

Typical government arrogance. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

GWS Southern California Government agencies have been tracking us digitally for the better part of 30 years. While concerns about privacy, surveillance and cybercrime are legitimate, the issues run much deeper than what we read or hear about in even the most "progressive" media outlets. This about us, and what we are willing to do as a People to protect our civil liberties and drive policy-decisions beyond what the buffoons in Congress are sitting on as a result of bribes and special lobbies. We need to wake up.

Between the NDAA language and myriad jabs at Constitutional amendments (1st, 4th, 10th and so on), you can read all about how we've been stymied by our "elected" leaders, on both sides of the aisle. Political parties mean nothing,

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just as government agencies -- lest the ones we know about -- are more or less rogue operations. This is about policy, advocacy, and most of all, personal responsibility. What are YOU willing to do to protect yourself, your friends and your family without having to pick up a gun or protest in the streets? Are you willing to do your research and network information?

Let's be honest: Terrorist networks and criminal organizations certainly exist, but do they necessitate the kind of controls that have been implemented? Further, what is the real context for those controls (i.e. is the government actually conducting a war on terror, and/or, are certain factions within it conducting a war on "us")?

Think and act accordingly. Peacefully. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Eric New York I say, great news! I'm glad an intelligence agency is collecting and analyzing this kind of information. It's used to identify potential threats. The people analyzing this information are a far cry from the Gestapo. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

P.Law Nashville It's not that they're bad people, it's that power corrupts, i.e. good people become corrupted by power. The Founders understood this.

You say it's used to identify potential threats, but how do you know what it's used for? You're buying the word of a government that has lied about, and continues to lie about to this day, this thing the whole time. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:00 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Tony California People here also seem to forget that the US government started the Internet. There would be no Internet without the US government money that funded it, directed the research to create it, and helped set it up before many of you folks were born. The ENTIRE original purpose of the Internet was to permit robust US government communications in a time of war. That's it. Nothing more. Solely for government communications. Not to watch videos of surfing dogs, not to email your mother, not to shop on Amazon. All you folks who are using the system that the US government put in place for its own purposes are now complaining that the government is using the Internet for its own purposes. This "mouth agape" stuff and "shocked and surprised" nonsense doesn't befit an educated and knowledgeable readership. Read your history books folks. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 119

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rms GOTL, OH Yes, read history.

The internet rests on three hundred years of science, mathematics, and engineering. NSA and its ilk stand wobbling on the shoulder of giants.

There would be no internet if it were not for.men like Gauss, Fourier, Ampere, Faraday, James Clark Maxwell, J. J. Thompson. (These men were not even Americans!). Would we have an internet without M. I. T., Cambridge University, and all the great German universities?

Where would the internet be without the invention of computing theory, vacuum tubes, transistors, printed circuits, and computers? Have you forgotten Bell Labs and Silicon Valley? If left unaided the Pentagon would be using slide rules and sending carrier pigeons.

The US government is us. We hire and pay it to do what we want. We direct it and give it the tools and know-how to carry of OUR work.

Beware, Dog, lest you bite the very hand that supplies your daily kibbles! Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m.

Khadijah Houston,TX "People here also seem to forget that the US government started the Internet. There would be no Internet without the US government money that funded it, directed the research to create it, and helped set it up before many of you folks were born."

Nonsense. The original purpose of ARPANET was file sharing between national labs. The core protocols for what we *today* call the Internet were developed not in the US, but in Switzerland. So, basically, we're driving a Swiss car down a government-built electronic highway.

It is patent nonsense to believe that if the government hadn't built the

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road, private interests would *not* have built it. Humans are too creative, and the internet too useful, for this not to occur. The US investment sped up the process, but the investment would have been made nontheless. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

Robert Klute San Jose, CA ARPAnet may have won, but there were other networks contending. Tymnet and BBN, as examples. So, even without government funding there would be a global network today. Even so, that the publicly funded technology prevailed implies no rights or entitlements are owed to government bureaucracies. Sept. 7, 2013 at 5:42 a.m.

Sarah New York, NY "Intelligence officials asked The Times and ProPublica not to publish this article, saying that it might prompt foreign targets to switch to new forms of encryption or communications that would be harder to collect or read. The news organizations removed some specific facts but decided to publish the article because of the value of a public debate about government actions that weaken the most powerful tools for protecting the privacy of Americans and others."

Thank you, New York Times, The Guardian, and ProPublica, for publishing this article! You are doing the public a great service. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 42

Cooky world citizen We sincerely appreciate the NYT's publishing this. We were concerned it would bend to govt. pressure, when we learned it had been provided some of Mr. Snowden's documents. There is a proposal to do DNA testing on every newborn (pilot programs already are in place). The data would go in one's medical file. Under Obamacare, one's medical data will be widely shared with all kinds of bureaucrats. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

John Granatino Texas Twelve years ago (next week), after planes were turned into bombs in Manhattan, Virginia and Pennsylvania, some blame was assigned to U.S. government agencies that did not fully anticipate the intent of the terrorists. The Patriot Act was quickly passed to make sure this would not happen again, and 9/11 became the end of an era, the era when we could assume that anonymous communications via the internet would stay anonymous. How is this a surprise to anyone today?

Do we need privacy? Absolutely. Do we need security? Unquestionably. We need both, not just one or the other. But the more we have of one, the less we have of the other. I of course reject the idea of an absolutist state in which our every thought is turned against us. But I also reject the idea of internet absolutists whose privacy-at-any-costs perspective could limit our ability to fend off attacks. Can we take the angst and outrage being expressed in the comments above and apply that energy toward achieving a world with room for both privacy and security? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:34 p.m.

Phat Pony colorado, USA I'd rather risk the safety of my family and myself to the *possibility" of a random act of terror (statistically less likely to happen than being struck by lightning) than the certainty of losing my "inalienable rights" to a police state.

The saddest thing about this are all those who have given their life and limbs to protect and uphold the Constitution and our way of life. This is how we honor their memory and sacrifice. Nice. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 43

Chris Koz Oregon I began to read this article thinking a traditional 'man in the middle' attack -compromising encryption protocols before or after data was encrypted; which is quite simple to execute.

But, I assumed the NSA was operating, at least to some degree, within the law. It is clear they are not...unless there's some secret constitution somewhere we, as Americans, have not been told about.

"...by getting their voluntary collaboration, forcing their cooperation with court orders or surreptitiously stealing their encryption keys or altering their software or hardware." Umm, so stealing encryption keys or black mailing, or using coercion are legal? In what sense?

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THIS goes far far beyond any mandate given by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). No reasonable person, upon a moment's reflection, can read this story and think it is legal.

Q.) Where are our law-makers? A.) Knee-deep in private sector collusion to their own benefit and/or afraid to protect our Democracy for fear of some 'terrorist' attack..and via their cowardice (or avarice) they destroy what this country tried to stand for more than two centuries.

The more I read the more I am convinced Snowden broke the law for the greater ideal of trying to save the Republic. Certainly that took more courage than our representatives exercise...they're too busy gutting head start, deregulating wall street, and planning for their next election. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 84

Bill Iowa What a disappointment the Obama administration and other branches of government have become, undermining U.S. corporations ability to compete in the global economy. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:33 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL Just like his predecessor George W. Bush. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:48 p.m.

SNA Westfield NJ Can this story get any worse? Nothing we were told initially about the limits of our privacy the NSA could breach has turned out to be true. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 32

Emad Calgary, Canada What if another "Snowden" appeard...but this time posting the decrypted data of citizens all over the world? Why the NSA be trusted? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

rwo Chicago This sort of "covert nonsense" started back in the 70's and was explored in the film, "Three Days of the Condor".

Near the end of the film CIA boss Cliff Robertson, explains to CIA employee, Robert Redford that the CIA is excused from murdering its employees to ensure that there is an uninterrupted stream of oil into the Unites States.

If the NSA is keeping us safe, I have no problem with them checking my emails or doing whatever it is they do. I have nothing to hide.

This "privacy this and constitutionally-guaranteed right that" nonsense gets so blown out of proportion.

Let these people do their job and quit complaining. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:28 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ross Salinger Carlsbad Ca It's really not the NSA you need to worry about here. It's what happens when the people inside the NSA look at what you're doing and decide to blackmail you or publish that politically incorrect comment you made (perhaps even in jest) to all your friends. They know your friends because they can see who you're sending email too and then hack into the email servers and so on. The other thing you need to worry about is when a whistleblower leaks your confidential information to Ruppert Murdoch's newspapers. To me I'd be happy to trust the NSA if (big if) it wasn't made up of twenty thousand individuals all with their own agendas. Information leaks -- it's inevitable so having it all collected like this is like building a nuclear power plant in an area plagued by earthquakes and tsunamis. We know that no one would ever do something like that, don't we. Rgrds-Ross Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:28 p.m.

Nancy Great Neck As though there were no privacy from government in America, let alone abroad. As though the Constitution were of no meaning. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:28 p.m.

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JG Denver, CO The answer to this invasion of privacy is very simple. Go back to printing on paper or memorize and send personal careers.

What is happening is an inherent consequence of using the digital medium. It may produce some super brains that resemble a chess game. Whoever is one step ahead will always win.

Even if we were to create the most sophisticated artificial language with the most complex letters and symbols, eventually the supercomputers will be able to figure it out.

Welcome to the dialectic of the mind. Humans are very creative they will always find a way to get out of their impasses.

We should limit the phone and the Internet to trivial transfer of information and messages. until there will come a time we're will be inserted with a chip into our brains, even this may not work.

For the time being joy that cat and mouse chase!. It has just taken a different shape. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:26 p.m.

Tony California To all the people who are surprised at this "revelation", do you know nothing about world history? Are you really that ignorant? Let me educate you briefly - the US, British (and German and Russian) governments have been cracking encryption (with and without help) since before WWI, refined it to a science during WWII, and turned it into an art form in the Cold War and afterwards. Did all you folks really think that the government couldn't crack the weak a_s encryption used in commercial products today when they've been cracking military grade encryption for more than decades? Get real folks! Life goes on. Children are born, grow old, and die. None of your stuff is that secret anyway. The government isn't wasting its time to see what you had for lunch last week and what friend you are badmouthing. The government thinks it is looking out for you, in the ham-handed, misguided way they've always done it.

It's amazing that people will share every detail of their lives on Facebook and Twitter, allow Google to scan every single email they send from their Android phone or on Gmail and then are up all night worrying that the government might look at their messages. So many other people are already looking at your communications, with your willing consent, might as well let the government in on the fun. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 255

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Indiana Kurt Bloomington The problem with your historical analogy is that all those efforts were against MILITARY communications. US citizens were not using Enigma machines to write correspondence between each other or to carry out bank transactions. The Enigma machine was not manufactured and maintained by American companies.

This. undermines US interests because US companies will not be trusted for any communications. This is precisely the problem that the US accuses China of in dealing with American companies. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Joe G Houston The human race has survived natural disasters, genocide, wars, slavery and tyrannies and probably can survive anything but do you want to live thru them? Life goes on you say.

Do you really want government and corporations to know every aspect of your life? Think of the power you would give them. Is giving up your freedom is worth it, to increase your purchasing power? Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:21 p.m.

Steve B. St. Louis, Missouri This analysis is very popular, but it conflates private companies with the GOVERNMENT. Private concerns do not have the power to incarcerate, tax, go to war, nor do many other life changing (or life ending, for that matter) things that governments can do. The constriction was not written to protect us from from our neighbors, banks, news companies, communication companies, etc.. The Bill of Rights was designed to protect us from the heavy hand of government. Period. If the Internet had not become so inextricably intertwined with most aspects of modern life throughout the world, perhaps NSA's antics would not be so troublesome. But living an internet free life is not a real option for most folks living in non-agrarian cultures. The nonchalance with which some view the loss of certain basic freedoms

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some of which were codified in the Magna Carta, for heaven's sake, is terrifying. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

SuperNaut The West Keep off the network and exchange physical messages - got it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Rich UES There's no such thing as privacy on the Internet. Period. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Sergey Hazarov Redmond, WA I don't care about this very much as long as my coputer standing in my bedroom does not record me when I have sex with my wife and it is not going to be published over internet for fun by another Snowden, just as a proove of concept.

The next post is going to be that all smatphones are a actually constantly listening to all conversations their respective owners do and record them in database. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

IowaBoy Heartland, USA Sergey, you know how your smartphone battery never seems to last as long as it used to? Yep. You got it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Uga Muga Miami With so much success in ongoing data capture by defeating encryption attempts combined with the premise that secrecy is imperative to the efforts, somehow those responsible for facets of NSA operations and internal mandates did not anticipate a Snowden event. Regardless of what anyone thinks about this agency, it needs to protect itself and the purposes it serves in the way its targets apparently can't. Obviously that includes protocols to control human interaction with its sensitive systems. I know this isn't a novel observation but there must be some pretty red faces behind the curtain. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:25 p.m.

Frank Batlimore None of this is good. Thanks, Snowden for opening up a dialog that the Government must now have with its citizens, Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 22

Benito Oakland CA This has been going on for decades. See the Puzzle Palace by James Bamford. What is new is that the NSA has been joined by other players. Are those who think they have nothing to hide from the US government also not worried about the Chinese and Russians governments? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:24 p.m.

C. Whiting Madison, WI "...the N.S.A. shares decrypted messages with other agencies only if the keys could have been acquired through legal means."

Is this statement, describing clearly ILLEGAl behavior, not enough to haul the NSA leadership into court? If not, we have now officially and on paper, become something other than a democratic republic. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 35

Jake New York Thanks so much for sharing this with us and with our enemies. Great work. Pulitzer in sight. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

J. H New Haven, CT First, a part of this debate should be whether we are OK with countries like China and Russia developing cryptology technology that far outstrips that of the U.S. China clearly is investing a lot in the ability to wage cyber espionage. Would it comfort people to know that the U.S. government is technologically unable to read their e-mail (or that of anyone else who uses the same encryption) but the governments of foreign countries can? How about criminal and terrorist groups? Yes, the risk to our liberty of U.S. government power is

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real, but please don't pretend like limiting the capabilities of the NSA would not also have risks.

Second, I think that whatever your feelings about this revelation that people are precise in how they react. What is revealed here is that the NSA has successfully been developing the capability of cracking encoded messages, not that it is spying on Americans and indiscriminately reading e-mails and other private information.That is as important a distinction as between developing advanced satellite technology (that can be used to monitor military movements abroad) and using that same technology to catch an American citizen cheating on their spouse. A tremendous number of people seem to be drawing conclusions that this article provides no evidence for. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

PK South Carolina If Watson can analyze 10,000,000 financial reports in 15 seconds, and 1,000,000 medial records and analyze trends in the same 15 seconds, why would any thinking person be surprised that the NSA can break an encryption without breaking a sweat? What is disappointing is that people are surprised, also that the government is obviously knowingly ignorant or willingly complicit in this violation of one of our most basic Constitutional rights. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:21 p.m.

Bill San Francisco The reason we're surprised is that, as Barbie once said, "Math is Hard!" Specifically, with encryption math, we can make accurate calculations about how hard it is to break a specific message or key, and design them to take hundreds of years, or in some cases billions of years, to decrypt. That assumes that there aren't fundamental breakthroughs in some particular math problems that we think are hard (and the academic world has far more mathematicians than NSA does), and more importantly, it assumes that they haven't found a way to simply steal the keys instead of cracking them.

If the NSA could get Microsoft or Intel to send them a copy of every key you hit on your keyboard, it doesn't matter how strong the encryption is, because they can get the keys when you type them. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Dying Gaul Vermont Distrust and deceit are not much to build a relationship on.

The paranoids are looking like the wise men, Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

Dennis MD "...publish the article because of the value of a public debate..."

A public debate is impossible. This article only reveals capabilities and techniques. A debate would need to examine: actual effective exposure of American privacy, operational successes against national security threats, program history of success and failure in protecting American privacy, and alternatives to NSA methods. The required information is classified. Like it or not, we have to rely on our elected representatives (intelligence oversight committees) to sort through this. It's not obvious to me that they have not already done so.

I am certain that other foreign intelligence services are as clever as NSA. Thanks to articles like this one they will probably be more successful in obtaining funding for their activities.

If you have sensitive financial, economic, technical and personal data of interest to a foreign intelligence organization, do not connect it to the Internet. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 52

scottie san jose With the size and scope of the burgeoning US legal system, and legislators who are paid to create more laws, Americans on average break two laws per day. Most of us NYT readers are more affluent, so we break far more laws, since we are involved in commerce, technology, have cars etc. So if you are an American, chances are you've broken a law or two today. That Government agents should drag you out of your home for violation of who knows what ...... that should be your main concern. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:14 p.m.

Phil SD, CA That's exactly what the US government did with their computers containing sensitive diplomatic cables, war reports, etc. They weren't

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connected to the Internet. Ask them how that worked out. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m.

Lynn S. Unless you're a drug dealer or other money launderer, there is no way to avoid "connecting it to the internet" and function in modern society.

What, use a piggy bank? Cash your paper check at a check cashing store to avoid online deposit or a bank and pay a huge fee - and probably they keep an electronic record of the transaction as well as the issuing bank.

The problem isn't with Americans "connecting to the internet" - the problem is with our own government searching and seizing our private records (as in we aren't doing business with the government when we make a banking transaction with a private company) without reasonable cause or warrant. They have no need for this and should be protecting us from such use of technology - not subjecting us to it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:09 p.m.

Independent Maine If we can't trust this government, then why should it be allowed to continue? Any attempts to change it may be met with the full force of the Police State, which obviously consider ALL of this country's citizens a threat. That's a sickness. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 21

Markus Boca Raton, Florida Thanks for this most interesting article!

Intellectually, I find the ability to analyse encrypted internet traffic in real time just amazing. It's a mind blowing feat.

Publicitywise, I am surprised that those programs coud be kept secret for so long. Ironically, I think that this secrecy has kept our private data safe for most, if not all, practical aspects.

Now however I am getting worried: Since everybody knows that private information can be extracted from the internet, I expect that many will want it. For example: government agencies (the IRS...), companies like your employer or business partners, perhaps even neighbours, friends and enemies. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

gnowxela NJ So the “S” in NSA now stands for domestic industrial Sabotage – not that different from (when you consider our increasing reliance on secure data systems) secretly doping all steel so that all bridges are easier to blow up, on the off chance that a bad guy might use a bridge somewhere. Problem is that it makes it easier for anyone to blow up any bridge. And now who’s going to trust you to build the next bridge? How much damage has this done to US industry? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Jon Webb Pittsburgh, PA Seriously, "gobsmacked"? I've always assumed the NSA was doing this. Otherwise, how could we possibly be listening in on foreign conversations? Do people really think that foreign governments cannot afford encryption technology? I find it amazing that intelligent people working in the area of encryption are surprised by the revelation. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

BBo Enter undefined I think the only people surprised were Snowden and the general public. Every country of any importance has known about this and a lot more. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:33 p.m.

FEDUP Sunshine State AMERIKA....no longer the land of the free!

Since 9/11 the intel budget has grown from approx. $20 billion a year to approx. $80 billion a year (Washington Post estimates)...... not including the dod and state department components which is likely to be another $20-30 billion ...... IMO an unmitigated waste of taxpayer dollars......

The time has come to both consolidate intel agencies/depts and as well cut by 50% or more their budget...enough baloney reports.....and sting type operations on entrapment and little fish...... end the intel fear factor madness along with the endless and senseless wars ruining our ethics and helping to

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ruin our economy.

Time to end these endless and senseless wars on all fronts and cut defense, 146 security forces and 16 intel agencies/depts in half or more and close nearly all 700+ foreign military bases and cancel all three new aircraft carriers - we have 11 and the rest of world has four....and planes and weapons systems and focus on becoming a peaceful nation.....developing trading partners instead of sabre rattling, bullying and invading and killing and maiming...... Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 13

eric selby miami beach, FL Ah, how beyond Orwell we have become! Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Other Jersey Guy Monmouth County, NJ The NSA has bullied Microsoft and other leading software companies into programing secret "back doors" to their applications. These back doors permit undetectable access to the information that is stored and/or transmitted. No need to "crack" the code when you can easily read the content. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

elim between the lines Enabren Tain would have been proud.

It is so sad to see that the wealth of information about the fall of freedom will be locked up in a computer system specifically designed to pry into every persons communications, without their knowledge nor consent. It seems not only information on the threats from abroad are locked up in these databases, but possibly any rational argument about how to deal with such eavesdropping between regular people. How long before these programs, with their lack of oversight, run amok, possibly independently, and are used for all the wrong reasons. Were the first targets of Bullrun and Manassas the people who could pull the plug? Isn't it expected of a group of code makers and spy masters to usurp the reigns from their bosses? Even if it's in name of a subjective greater good? Have they drawn blood to ensure their own machinations survive? Have they helped any of the regular people with their regular problems? Or is a missing girl, an escaped criminal, a wrongly imprisoned poor man too small to be considered worthy of their private journals? Privacy is their private enemy, don't let them hear you. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Bob Sallamack New Jersey "It does not appear that Mr. Snowden was among them, but he nonetheless managed to obtain dozens of classified documents"

The usual pretense of reporters of advoiding the fact that Snowden simply stole any document he could get his hands on.

And of course there is no mention that the United States for years have done what ever they could to break the codes of adversaries. World War II was shortened by the ability of the United States and England to break the codes of Japan and Germany.

Terrorists do not carry business cards that identify themselves as terrorists and almost the only way to identify terrorists is through being able to read the communications of terrorists.

But I forgot the reporters of this article want to pretend there is no valid reason for breaking the codes of adversaries. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Bill San Francisco Normally I'd call you on the usual pro-NSA troll of attacking Snowden rather than addressing the facts he's revealed, and for treating the American public like we're the "adversaries" here.

But if Snowden "simply stole any document he could get his hands on", that means that the NSA was amazingly incompetent by leaving highly classified documents in places that a newly hired contractor could get his hands on them. Have you ever actually had a security clearance? All that classification and "need to know" systems (and the fancier keyword-named projects) are designed so that people who don't need to know stuff can't get at it, and if a politically motivated patriot can easily get a job that allows him to expose massive unconstitutional NSA corruption, then a well-funded spy ought to be able to do a lot better job of it.

Furthermore, Snowden or the reporters he's been working with have been extremely careful in how they've picked the stories they've

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covered. They didn't just dump everything, exposing sources, methods, names of spies, names of compromised officials in other governments or in American, foreign, and multinational corporations, they've stuck to the important parts about how the NSA is spying on citizens and on "friendly" governments. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 14

barcelona41 New York When I began watching "Person of Interest" two years ago I thought it was just a really great drama. Now I realize it's actually a documentary. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

magicisnotreal earth This is a case of becoming complacent because of reliance on something unreliable to do the hard work. It seems our spies have now forgotten how to do their job. For all of history spying was done without having any way to "know" about the enemy or potential and that lack of knowledge served to cause all to be more cautious. With the advent of the interweb and what that series of tubes have given us we have the illusion of knowing that which we formerly could not know, which has lead our hired hands to making all sorts of bad choices. Even after 30 years they don't seem to have caught on to the fact that this illusory access to "secrets" has not improved the choices based on that information. In fact the "choices" being made are worse as are the results.

I say go back to relearn how they did it in 1960 with wits and courage and we will all be better off. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Philihp USA Is ANYONE going to hold Obama accountable for this outrage? Thank you, Mr. Snowden. Please come back to the U.S. All is forgiven. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

John Granatino Texas This is hardly a partisan question. The Patriot Act that enabled NSA's actions was signed into law by George W. Bush, and key portions were later extended by Barack Obama. Both parties deserve credit/blame for this one, depending on one's perspective. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Missouri Reader Missouri On the one hand, “In the future, superpowers will be made or broken based on the strength of their cryptanalytic programs,” but on the other hand the liberties of Americans are at risk by such programs.

In other words, we face a situation where the strongest, most secure nation can no longer be a nation that guarantees the rights of its citizens.

Privacy is not simply a convenience, but it is intimately linked to free speech and to the future prospects for democracy in America. Key elements of the Constitution provide a framework where incumbents can be challenged in free elections, ensuring that better ideas and better leaders will become available to guide the nation. But nobody can win an election against an incumbent with unlimited access to the communications of its rivals. We're not there yet, but the trend is in that direction.

It is high time that members of both parties in Congress get off of their high horses and address this growing threat to our democracy. Technical and legal hurdles must be cleared, and it may even be necessary to make significant changes in the way the internet works. But time passes very quickly in the technology world, and the clock has already been ticking for quite a long time. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 162

judiann1 The Great North Woods The core of our Congress is run by corporate corruption and they are not now or ever going to work for the people. The trend is in removing them because no prod will turn those high horses except more of the same fodder. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:49 p.m.

Marc S. Lawrence Chicago, IL Unfortunately, members of both parties are complicit in the crimes of the NSA. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:37 p.m.

Lizardo Prague It's not just a matter of free speech and privacy, but the act of

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introducing vulnerabilities into basic infrastructure makes us all vulnerable.

Once these vulnerabilities are understood by our enemies (and they will be) they can be exploited.

It's like building a dam with a self destruct button under the welcome mat. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:57 p.m.

Roger Milwaukee "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated"

I find it astonishing that anyone could argue that what the NSA is doing is not unconstitutional. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 63

Floridarooster Bonita Springs, FL This is real scary Orwellian stuff with Big Brother monitoring everything we do, everything we say, everything we write or text, everywhere we go, and all the money we spend or move. NSA, CIA, IRS and the rest of the federal government tell us it is for our protection. They tell us we can trust them not to misuse the information, and that if we aren't doing anything wrong, we have nothing to fear. Do not believe them. It is big step towards tyranny.

This is the same government that is trying to take away our guns and ammo for our own protection, yet domestic government agencies (mostly DHS) have been stockpiling billions of rounds of ammo.

Do you see a pattern here? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Alan Milwaukee, WI While I have been aghast to learn of some of the revelations of supposedly proscribed *domestic* surveillance/data collection, I continue to be deeply troubled by the Times' (et al.) seeming indifference to revealing intelligence/ cryptanalytic 'sources and methods' that are surely invaluable tools in largely non-controversial *foreign* intelligence gathering and analysis. It seems to me that a large percentage of the recent revelations (e.g., that NSA can eavesdrop on certain foreign leaders, or was able to set up compromised electronic chat rooms at foreign-sited diplomatic gatherings) amount to nothing more than sensationalism, unless the real agenda is to suggest there is no legitimate place in a democracy for clandestine foreign intelligence services. The latter seems to me a bit of a stretch for a supposedly mainstream news organization. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

timesrgood10 Atlanta Is this a good thing? At least they are letting us know how they're spending the billions of taxpayer dollars allotted to them. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:10 p.m.

Bob Chicago NYT: you did right thing to publish this, though it's probably only the tip of an iceberg. Remarkable that U.S. government overtly intervened to try to stop publication. What's next? Threats of prosecution of editors/journalists (actually already happening) a la turque? (Turkey holds about a hundred journalists in prison.) Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 36

Mudflats47 Alameda CA. There is no such thing as "privacy." Get over it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Charlie B USA Having cracked an enemy's codes, it is vitally important that he be kept unaware of that fact, so that he will therefore continue to use the compromised codes to communicate his plans. It is for that reason, for example, that the British project Ultra, which cracked the German Enigma machine, was among the most closely guarded secrets of its time.

Imagine if there had been a Snowden working at Ultra, and a New York Times to be an accessory to his crimes and publicize his stolen secrets.

I am not fully comfortable with NSA's use of its powers, but at least they are

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under the control of people that we elect to act in our best interests, however imperfectly. Who is Snowden to decide what's fair game just because he was clever enough to spy on his own country so successfully? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Huma Nboi Kent, WA We all expect our intelligence agencies to spy on foreign entities. Snowden leaked the information because the NSA has turned its spying apparatus on us, instead of them. Our government is supposed to be protecting our Constitution not subverting it any and every way it can get away with. When government trampels the rights of its citizens in this manner it isn't treason to betray such a government; it's patriotism. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:28 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Charlie B USA @Huma ----

People who object to government intrusion and repression don't take refuge in China and Russia, and attempt to do so in Cuba. What these governments have in common, aside from their iron-fisted approach to their own citizens, is antipathy to American values.

I think that tells us all we need to know about Snowden's real motives. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Neeraj Santa Clara, CA Enigma was encryption technology used by an enemy who was at war with Britain at the time. The NSA wants the capability to eavesdrop on every citizen. There is no reason to cede this power to the NSA. The very availability of this power can change your government's relationship with you, making it less and less benign. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:28 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Scott NY I agree with the posters who are taking apart the "If you are doing nothing wrong, you have nothing to fear" argument, as governments have a way of making previously legal activities (like protesting, see: Russia) into illegal activities and criticism can be called subversive. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 53

Frick Pittsburgh, PA Don't they understand how damaging this is to American business?

Why would a foreign company trust the NSA not to decrypt information for corporate espionage purposes? This gives foreign companies a reason not to buy American - no Microsoft, Apple, Dell, Google, etc.

And what right do we have to object to the Chinese government inserting backdoors into Chinese-produced electronics for corporate spying (which, for them, is not much different than government spying)? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:05 p.m. RECOMMENDED 52

hank oneill Why would any foreign corporation be so naive as to think the NSA doesn't already decrypt information? Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:34 p.m.

MKM New York I for one am very pleased the hard working, good looking and brilliant employees of NSA have done so much to protect us, right guys – you all agree too- right (wink). They really should pay these guys more. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:04 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Jim Ogle Baltimore Good! Its the marketers and commercial interests that bother me , not NSA Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:04 p.m.

Suresh Kamath Edison, NJ Remember Some years back Google dramatically withdrew from China as the Chinese government was trying to covertly access e-mails id dissidents? Remember how Hilary Clinton lectured china on Free speech and Human rights ? Now the same government wants has no qualms about covertly accessing e-mails and tapping into phone calls of millions. So when US does it is right and when china does it is a violation of Human right Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:03 p.m. RECOMMENDED 298

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pa2013 New York, New York I have wondered whether Google's withdrawal from China was engineered by the NSA, which wanted to maintain its exclusive access to Google's information troves. I suspect that China demanded periodic audits of Google's security infrastructure, which would have revealed the NSA backdoors. The NSA, feeling threatened, certainly had the means and motive to launch cyberattacks on Google and make it look as if China were the culprit. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Bing Seattle, WA I strongly disagree with the sentiment in your message. As an Chinese who left a country that is so used to heavy handed tactics against its own citizens, I really have to suppress my emotion writing this reply.

If your point is American grandstanding on Human Rights can be hypocritical - you are right and I agree. However, if you extrapolate it to extremes, you are really undermining your own argument.

You probably have never lived through the repression of dissent. I can tell you it is suffocating. It is worse than what you read in "1984" because it is real. Without that personal experience, I doubt you can ever understand (hence speak to) the difference between "here" and "there", thus equating one to the other.

What I am seeing in the NSA saga is not that different from the Gun Control debate: the clash of individual liberty vs. the constraints we are subject to once we agreed to form a Community (whether it is a condo building, a city, or a nation). The debate will be going on, through one topic or another, for as long as we call each "fellow-" something.

So let's temper down our passions and guard against paranoia, which quite frankly I am seeing too much of. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:53 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

J. Tse Flushing, NY False equivalence much? How many Americans are actually rotting in jail, under house arrest or torture for just talking about regime change? How many books, movies and websites are banned here? (note: banned, meaning you cannot access it, not porn, where you can still access it). Do we block weibo or xinhua? No. Do they block twitter, facebook, youtube, bbc, and a huge number of other "sensitive" search terms, or delete posts they find "unharmonious"?

No one is pretending America to be perfect example of democracy (I mean if you look at the least corrupt countries, we easily fall behind many scandinavian countries, canada and australia, though the US is still in the top quartile), but I can't believe how many readers are so gullible to such obvious false equivalence arguments.

At the end of the day, people vote with their feet, Mr. Kamath, from Edison, New Jersey, not from Edison province of China. Don't believe me? Go to chinatown and ask any Chinese immigrants, especially those who suffered under Mao, why they don't go back. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Victor Ginsburgh Brussels, Belgium I have absolutely no confidence in what these guys keep telling us. And this includes taping and interpreting Assad's army, that I certainly do not like. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:03 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

hank oneill At some point the citizens of this country will come to realize it doesn't matter who they elect or how loudly they complain- they have been had, had, had. The government never deserved our trust, and nothing could possibly restore faith that was misplaced to begin with. Focus on what matters- live life with compassion and kindness. Be of meaningful service to your community. Help those in need. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 31

Chase California I work in the IT industry. I don't want anyone here to underestimate what this means. The scope of this is absolutely horrifying. Your data is not safe.

This is just what was revealed by Snowden, but I guarantee you the scope is probably much greater. Everything you do online is being watched. And with their new datacenters and supercomputers... I doubt even major encryption standards like AES are safe.

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 227

Jack Illinois Then we must do what Chelsea and Eddie have recommended. Smash all the computers. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:31 p.m.

hhk1984 New Jesry I certainly agree. Everything that you type into the system is owned by the system. Google and all other US corporations are mining (as in data mining) what you think is private. E-mail, visits to sites, playing games, user-ids, passwords. We have handed it all over to the Corporations of America. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:34 p.m.

Lucas Washington, DC I am grateful for the NSA's capabilities and pleased that my hard earned tax dollars are going to such an effective agency. We live in a dangerous world and our nation is a constant target of espionage operations by hostile nation states. While the debate about privacy in the USA is worthwhile, the NSA should have free reign to collect intelligence abroad. I certainly have no expectation of privacy from the Russian and Chinese intelligence agencies, both of which are aggressive in their pursuit of American secrets.

As for Ed Snowden and Glenn Greenwald, they overstepped the bounds of journalism by colluding with foreign powers and revealing American international intelligence operations to foreign governments. I hope that both stand trial for treason. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

READ ALL 4 REPLIES

K Henderson NYC So what part of the USA govt do you work for?

"the NSA should have free reign to collect intelligence abroad"

Geez Lucas, the hot-topic issue has never been that the USA spies on other countries.

The issue is that the NSA broadly collects data from domestic American citizens. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

William Neil Rockville, Maryland Lucas:

Please refresh my memory, but was J. Edgar Hoover ever prosecuted for abuse of power, of collecting, how should I put it, "the moral debits" on so many in power, or those who would aspire to it, and essentially blackmailing them, if not conducting outright campaigns of character defamation? The new technologies, which Snowden and others have been slowly sketching out for us, offer the potential for similar abuses on a scale J. Edgar couldn't have imagined, although he seemed to have a file on nearly everyone in public life even without these technologies. Now we don't know if the current collection powers have been put to these uses, but it increasingly looks to me that Henry Adams was right in his "Education," civilizations are carried away, in directions they never imagined, by their ever increasing technological prowess. Goodbye democratic republic.

The temptations for abuse offered by the collections we have now learned about are a direct threat to the Fourth Amendment, and unnecessary, even in an age dominated about fears of terrorism. The FISA court has the power to tailor search and monitoring approvals, upon a showing of probable cause, to those individuals or groups directly involved. The notion that we should "sweep it all up" because we now can and it might prove useful sometime in the future, is a blatant invitation to construct a world we will all come to condemn. Stop it now, along with the commercial abuses of data collection.. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:28 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Lucas Washington, DC K Henderson---I do not and never have worked for the US government. I have no personal connections to anyone who works in intelligence or defense. I do, however, read widely and that includes the foreign press. Glenn Greenwald is gleefully sharing American intelligence secrets with the Brazilian government, which is a "hot-topic issue" indeed.

William Neil---Abuses of power are best addressed in the courts, not by activist journalists and thieves who circumvent the checks and balances

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of the American government. No one elected Greenwald or Snowden to represent the interests of the American people or scatter our national secrets abroad. Who is holding them accountable? Like it or not, the domestic aspect of the NSA's program was approved by the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government and the FISA court did curtail NSA activities that it believed had gone too far. If you are angered by the NSA surveillance, then contact your elected officials. Encouraging ego-maniacal, anarchistic individuals accountable to no one is not the way to address concerns in a democratic nation. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:01 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

John Cincinnati The U.S. government says it needs to spy on all communications to protect us from "terrorism." Thus, FREEDOM IS SLAVERY.

The U.S. government needs to attack Syria, because ... [reasons unclear]. Thus, WAR IS PEACE.

It is considered unpatriotic to doubt for even a second that the U.S. is the greatest nation on Earth. Thus, IGNORANCE IS STRENGTH.

Congratulations, my fellow Americans. You voted for this. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 81

Jrcync brooklyn I didn't vote for this. And, by the way, what's the choice? The other side?

New politicians are not going to get us out of this. We need new laws and systems of law enforcement. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:33 p.m.

J US of A Good. Keep at it NSA!

I prefer my fellow Americans not to be blown up on the streets where they live. Some others,presumably, would rather see attacks on our soil and make life easier for those that would harm us.

I have nothing to hide. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

William Ward New York, NY Good for you. Some of us do have things to hide. We were told from very young that the 4th Amendment would guarantee we could do so.

Not really "fair" to have the contract broken by the other party. Not very sporting of them to do it under the cover of darkness, and certainly bad for morale. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 15

AB Highland, NY J, the fact that I can reply to you is proof of at least a minimal amount of influence I can apply. Like the quote someone posted earlier said, like Lady Diana's death, the influence of others has an impact on each of us. Privacy is freedom from that influence. Without privacy there is no freedom. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m.

exilarch somewhere on this planet So you mean my gpg key is useless? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m.

BlueMoose Binghamton NY This is a complicated issue. On the one hand, law-abiding citizens of the US and other countries rely on Internet encryption to protect financial and other personal information. On the other, Internet encryption allows groups like al Qaeda the communicate freely without free of being intercepted. It is worth remembering that had the US and the UK not been able to break German and Japanese encryption systems during World War II the outcome of that conflict might have been very different. It seems to me that it is in the US national interest for NSA to be able to access encrypted Internet communications, so long as they do so only in accordance with US law. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 130

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GLC USA Who oversees the NSA to make sure that it acts only in accordance with US law? The CIA? The FBI?

That's right. The NSA oversees the NSA. No check or balance there. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:09 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

John Burke New York Exactly. It's only in the past 15 years that we have had internet communications available to everyone worldwide. Indeed, it's likely that a group like al Qaeda could not plan and inspire attacks globally without the internet! The failure to have the capacity to monitor their communications -- and those of other foreign targets -- would be intolerable incompetence. Al Qaeda is not going to communicate by phone over copper wires, send letters in the post or broadcast on radio, as if this were 1970.

But NSA's capacity to access communications does not mean that it does without legal authority. In 1970, it had the capacity to tap my phone but it didn't. This obvious, elementary fact is lost in ginned up hysteria. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:12 p.m.

Steve Calgary, AB, Canada But this article already shows that when the law gets in the way, they simply work around it. So how do you propose to keep them in check? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

dc lambert nj Top investigative reporting. Bravo.

This is frightening for any number of reasons--to be honest, I'm hesitant to post my thoughts here, for probably the first time ever. So it begins.

Knowledge is power. This is not just about the very serious issue of a government drunk on power, violating our Constitution & democracy.

Since absolute power corrupts absolutely, & technology is only in its infancy - right now it is almost an infinite tool for power - what we have is the potential for the most corrupt despotism & fascism aligned with oligarchic financial powers to transform our society into the dystopia many of us imagine in our worst nightmares. I'm not being hyperbolic.

Our entire world economy is increasingly reliant on the internet & computers, so in the short run, this has the power to destroy whole economies. And why would this technology stay in the NSA? Like a virus, it will spread.

But in the longer run, this has the power to make virtual slaves of us. For instance, many are predicting a fusion of internet/computers & human intelligence, if by actual implants or internet-controlled direction (like the latest breakthrough of one person giving another person the impulse to use their hand).

Who will control the technology? Who controls it has the potential to control the world. Civilizations will rise or fall, for good or evil, before this is stabilized. We can hasten the stabilization by shining a light on this as the Times does--evil thrives in darkness. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:01 p.m. RECOMMENDED 55

Tom Carberry Denver No one should expect any privacy in the American police state. Wealthy white Americans finally feel a tiny bit of the force of the American police state that has goose stepped its way through poor communities for generations. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:01 p.m. RECOMMENDED 13

blackh NOLA The government itself has a really cool coded communication system hiding in plain sight. It uses pictographs and photographic setups in newspapers and blogs. Street agents use coded apparel logos , coded catch phrases , sign language, licence plates and truck door graphics coordinated and combined to make picture sentances. If the message isnt intended for you , you dont see it. If you do see it and its not for you, you cant decode it. if you do decode it the government calls you nuts. Its mainly used for blackmarket coordinatiion and false flag attacks and government murder claims. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:01 p.m.

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Phil Greene Houston, Texas Apples new phone will be unlocked by your fingerprint and so the NSA will get your e-mail and your fingerprint too. A new data bank will contain the fingerprints for all users of Apple customer's prints. Of course Apple will sell this as a security measure as they comply with Secret Court Orders. That way we all will be kept safe???? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. RECOMMENDED 47

K. Liu US This article is nothing but a mess of generalities.

It mentioned PGP. It never mentioned whether PGP is still secure (it is). It mentioned the NSA internal e-mail that said "This can't be good." But did not elaborate.

As someone with extensive experience in cryptography and security, I want to point out a few things. Nobody, not even the NSA can arbitrarily crack anything. When done correctly, even if the NSA set every computer on the planet to work on brute-forcing an encrypted message, it won't be done in the next million years. If the NSA is able to break into communications, it does so through less magical means, like using a National Security Letter to demand that data be handed over, stealing a key from a user, even having agents who physically pilfer keys and data. While the NYT does make mentions of these alternate methods, it muddies it all up and fails to draw distinctions.

E.g.: the weaknesses in NSA-sanctioned algorithms like AES and SHA that the article alluded to? Yes, those can make brute-force cracking go much faster, but the attacks aren't practical because they will STILL take millions of years (if not much more).

The NSA story is important, and deserves the attention of the public. But the NYT does nobody a favor by presenting an article so fraught with technical ignorance that makes it sound like all encryption is down the drain (they're not) or that no web transactions are private (most still are) and that the sky is falling (nope). Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:00 p.m. RECOMMENDED 550

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Max Jersey I am astonished at the certainty that K Liu ascribes to the opinion that some codes remain and will remain unbreakable. The same was initially claimed for the (now) standard 125-bit encryption people use to shop on line or deal with their financial institutions. The claim preceded the publication of an obscure paper entitled "Polynomial-Time Algorithm for Breaking the Basic Merkle-Hellman Cryptosystem" which demolished the notion that brute force was the only and ultimately impracticable way to break a complex code. Things have come a long way since that paper was published in 1984. On the hardware side, advances have included the marketing of the first quantum based computers which, for certain operations, are anywhere from 30,000 to 40,000 times faster than the most powerful machines routinely used up until nowby the the NSA . These machines are just in their infancy. Therefore, PGP is nowhere near immune since part of its structure depends on Merkle-Hellman type keys. Be sure, then, that the fundamental right to privacy will only be protected by a public committed to it rather than by technology. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:17 p.m.

Jess New York It doesn't sound like they're using brute force in the instances cited int he article, it sounds like they're bullying companies into building back-doors into their products or handing over decryption keys so that more time-consuming methods of decryption won't be necessary. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:11 p.m.

Steve B. St. Louis, Missouri Unless you are intimately familiar with the NSA's cryptanalysis operations and capacities, how could you possibly know whether encryption is or is close to being "down the drain?" And if you are intimately familiar with NSA's efforts, then, ipso facto, you are not credible. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:50 p.m.

Nina New York, NY Wow. It's way past time to rise up and sabotage, hack, undermine by any means. 1984 was almost 30 years ago. If you don't hear from me any more it's because the NSA got rid of me. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 25

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craig geary redlands fl I'd recommend you but I'd be next. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:14 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Oort Cloud Boston This is Innuendo, speculation, and scare mongering.

- they built superfast computers to break code. Not from everything I've ever read. Technology is not yet up to breaking secure code for any signficant number of messages. That may change with quantum computing.

- "Some of the agency’s most intensive efforts have focused on the encryption in universal use in the United States, including Secure Sockets Layer, or SSL, virtual private networks, or VPNs, and the protection used on fourth generation, or 4G, smartphones." -- This says "EFFORTS" -- not "SUCCESSES." This is obviously sensationalist.

- "has been looking for ways into protected traffic of the most popular Internet companies" -- NO SUCCESS mentiond.

- "“The risk is that when you build a back door into systems, you’re not the only one to exploit it,” said Matthew D. Green, a cryptography researcher at Johns Hopkins University." -- This is HYPOTHETICAL.

-"The files show that the agency is still stymied by some encryption," = by how much? Most?

--"The full extent of the N.S.A.’s decoding capabilities is known only to a limited group of top analysts from the so-called Five Eyes:" = The NYT doesn't really know.

- "At Microsoft, as The Guardian has reported, the N.S.A. worked with company officials to get pre-encryption access to Microsoft’s most popular services, including Outlook e-mail, Skype Internet phone calls and chats, and SkyDrive, the company’s cloud storage service."

etc. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

K Henderson NYC - "“The risk is that when you build a back door into systems, you’re not the only one to exploit it,” said Matthew D. Green, a cryptography researcher at Johns Hopkins University." -- This is HYPOTHETICAL. "

Yikes.

IT guy here: Oort, by saying "hypothetical" to to this, truly you invalidate anything else you said.

Sorry but there are so many real-world instances to back-doors later being exploited. Google a bit to learn more. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Oort Cloud Boston Dear KH -- I did not mean that if a back door is there that they will not use it -- I meant that the existence of any back doors is hypothetical -- they identify none.

The last item on my list is the only thing actually identified.

The article had other sensationalist statements that were speculation. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:49 a.m.

Bob Bloomington, Indiana And the 2010 NSA slide stating, "Vast amounts of encrypted Internet data which have up till now been discarded are now exploitable." seems hypothetical, unsuccessful and theoretical to you also? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:11 p.m.

C. Whiting Madison, WI The article states: "Having lost a public battle in the 1990s to insert its own “back door” in all encryption, it set out to accomplish the same goal by stealth."

In other words: what the NSA couldn't do legally, with the consent of the public, it went ahead and did illegally. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 174

Steve Calgary, AB, Canada Is this a big surprise? It has been pretty obvious for a while that this is

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an agency that has run amuck from normal checks and balances, an agency that sets its own rules (despite protestations to the contrary) ... an agency that is totally out of control. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Lone_Observer UK We already know this, haven't you seen The Avengers? Most people assume that national security has the ability to monitor everything we do - I assume they're looking through my webcam right now, I'm waving at them now.

But, seriously folks, if they couldn't crack our email encryption codes wouldn't that be more concerning? We need to get clearer about what the 'good guys' look like, how they can operate and what they can use the information for.

Is it really so naive to believe that if I'm not doing anything wrong then I shouldn't have anything to worry about? Truth will out? No? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Cooky world citizen "Not doing anything wrong" is not the issue. Your communications reveal your associations. If you associate with folks the admin doesn't like, you can be targeted. Did you miss the IRS targeting the admin considered potential political adversaries?

Your financial transactions show what you buy. When you seek permission to get surgery or dental treatment, maybe you will be denied because there is a record that you bought too much sugary and fatty food. Your emails and social networking activity will show your hard partying ways. And what would be "wrong" with partying and eating candy bars?

It's not far-fetched at all. You may lead a squeaky clean life, whatever that is, but most people do things they wouldn't want disclosed, and I'm not talking about illegal activity. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Howie Lisnoff Massachusetts The NSA is as rogue an agency as there ever was! Their national police spying makes 1984 look like child's play! Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 23

Steve San Mateo, CA One of the many legacies of the attacks on 9/11 was to give the government carte blache to ride roughshod over whichever personal liberties they selected, all in the name of "security" - Benjamin Franklin warned us centuries ago that "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety." Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Tim Kern Indiana In real life, that's called blackmail, and it's illegal. When the N.S.A. does it, it's called "national security," and it's OK. Except for the Fourth Amendment in our pesky little Constitution.

Then, there's "Only a small cadre of trusted contractors were allowed to join Bullrun. It does not appear that Mr. Snowden was among them, but he nonetheless managed to obtain dozens of classified documents referring to the program’s capabilities, methods and sources."

But, but, but... So, it must not have happened. End of story?

No one knows who fed those items to Snowden. Presumably, that person is higher up, and still there. Sleep well, America. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Concernicus Southern Arizona So, theoretically my investment portfolio accumulated over 50+ years could vanish without a trace and the well known firm where that portfolio resides could be compelled not to help me when trying to figure "what happened to my portfolio?"

I must admit the "under the mattress" approach does have merit. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

dubious new york So who is happy with voting for the Democratic President Now? The Republicans may be worse but boy didn't this anti-war, pro-privacy President

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disappoint us all. It did me to an extent that as a protest vote I'll go Republican unless Nader runs again. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

djg Tuscon, AZ and this is the core of the problem - even voting based upon the lesser of two evils approach which many intelligent people made decisions by - is now confirmed NO difference whatsoever - the Fascists have complete control and are installing their systems and military for world wide lockdown Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Quisp New York, NY This structure was built by the Republicans and then happily inhabited by the Democrats.

And the rest of us are left out in the cold, exposed. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Hugo NYC I may be swimming against the tide here, but I'm pretty certain that if we had another terrorist attack here in the US and afterwards found out that the government failed to notice the internet traffic that occurred prior to the act, we'd all be screaming about our inept government agencies. Yes, I'd rather they just track/monitor the "bad" guys - but tell me how to pinpoint when a "good" guy becomes a "bad" guy? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Susan nyc And how, precisely, does NSA protect their illegal code-cracking systems? It hardly inspires confidence in the face of Snowdon, Manning, et al. God only knows who has access to your data, courtesy of the NSA. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:56 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Louis A Brooklyn NY Seriously, we need to tell our enemies more of our secrets. They have their constitutional rights too. Lets just take the entire curtain down and tell them everything. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:56 p.m.

Phil Greene Houston, Texas Our enemies are our government. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:04 a.m.

Steve Colorado I think its really important that the NY Times keeps publishing stories like this. It reminds America that the government doesn't always look out for our best interests. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:56 p.m. RECOMMENDED 26

Wendi Chico,ca There is this thing called the Patriot Act that renders American’s privacy null and void. Unless this Act is repealed Americans will continue to give up their privacy on a daily basis. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

FreeOregon Ectopia Without trade secrets and privacy businesses will need to find new ways to protect themselves.

Would you want an anonymous person to know your formulas, or the technical steps you've invented or the new process that give you an edge?

What happens when "proprietary" ceases to have meaning?

If you work years for your own benefit or for your company's benefit, do you want your work published without your consent?

How can anyone do business at all if there's a possibility, legal or otherwise, someone will know and give or sell your secrets to others?

Once there's no longer equal opportunity to excel, but rather equal opportunity to exploit, enterprise and free no longer link.

The NSA has disrupted the flow of information.

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The downward economic spiral is accelerating. The NSA is at least in part responsible. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Susan nyc Simple rule of thumb: don't put anything in email or on the internet that you wouldn't want to see on the front page of the New York Times. This includes internet shopping, internet banking, and personal or business matters that you prefer to keep private. The lunatics are running the asylum. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

SJK Nueva Jersey This encryption and whole folly of programs that General Alexander at the NSA runs is much wider than you think, Susan. This means don't use a telephone, don't use any internet connected devices, and don't use a personal computer. Cell phone networks are encrypted, WiFi signals are encrypted, and many files and drives on your computer can be encrypted. The NSA can snoop into all of these. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Tara Japan That is next to impossible in this day and age, and everybody knows it. We may have a few Luddite holdouts, but life is lived, at least in part, through the Internet.

That argument is as specious as those claiming that, by choosing to ride the NYC subway, you agree to have your bag searched. If there were an alternate subway system, then it would be a choice. Pretending that business or personal communications and tasks can be carried out equally well off-line is ridiculous. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Nina New York, NY This makes me furious. We should all send emails jammed full of homeland security's tagged words in order to run the NSA and its tentacles around a fast-turning axle. Unbelievable. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 22

Cooky world citizen Many have been doing that for quite a while. It's a good idea. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:25 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

MD in NYC New York, NY All patriots should make a point of creating fictional personas and populating social media, etc. on a daily basis. muddy the waters. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

usa world Nothing surprising here...

Who should decide what authorized data access or unauthorized data access is? These terms seem undefinable when a bomb may go off anywhere at any time based on collection or non-collection activities...or so we're told...

Fingers crossed that governmental unfettered access to (non-terrorist related) communications can be lessened sometime in the future... Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:52 p.m.

Chris Lang New Albany, Indiana Mr. Snowden has now done an extraordinary amount of damage to US intelligence capability by revealing this. We need oversight of the NSA and assurance that the agency will not violate Americans' rights and privacy. But we need effective signals intelligence and cryptography to protect our country, and allowing our enemies to know about the capabilities of the NSA damages this--just as the Walker spy case damaged our intelligence capabilities by revealing to the Soviets that our spy satellites used synthetic aperture radar to produce high-resolution imagery at night and in cloudy conditions. I no longer have sympathy to Mr. Snowden and his alleged desire to be a whistleblower. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Tom Carberry Denver And we should applaud Snowden for doing this damage. The US "intelligence" community acts as a force of repression and evil around the world. The US has murdered over 30 million innocent people since WWII, aided by this intelligence community.

People have a right to privacy. The US has become the most massive

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police state in the history of the world, all for the purpose of protecting a few elitist rich people, while the rest of the world, including most Americans, suffers in poverty. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:59 p.m. RECOMMENDED 26

cme seattle Frankly, good. Our country's intelligence agencies have led us down dark paths (or completely failed) as much if not more than they have succeeded. They need to be gutted and rebuilt to a much higher Constitutional standard. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:05 p.m. RECOMMENDED 17

Camilo Blanco Miami, Fl This is the kind of behaviour that no one has to accept, what has given the NSA to eavesdrop each of our communications, our payments, our private life, no one, but one General (in the same way Mr Curtis Lemay some years ago) tries to create the "fear of" in order to be able to violate the rights of each citizen in the world, being good or bad, just because each human being should be suspected of any subversive activity, when the subversives are the ones that try to create this unfounded fear. Mr Lemay thought that having the ability to wipe-out humanity from planet earth guaranteed the survival of the US, the Director of the NSA thinks that being able to spy on each one of us (by means of a robotic program) will give the advantage of security to the US, the problem is that this guy forgets that each one of us have a computer and that computer coupled with a brilliant mind will be able to thwart their efforts, leaving spies in the dark and allowing a technical prowess terrorist to attack the US or its "allies" with a clever cyber weapon...Mr Lemay had the advantage that not a lot of people was able to make nukes and planes, but in this era....all you need is a capable computer and your brain... Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Zac New York, NY The state has declared war on its citizenry and has thrown the constitution out the window. I posit that this is just the tip of the iceberg -- there are more egregious violations to come. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:51 p.m. RECOMMENDED 39

Michael S. Oak Park, IL Living in a corporatist country that remains in constant war and with the one percent holding most of the wealth, we gotta be dead serious about security. The one percent's property must be protected, at any cost. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:51 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Jeff Collins Woodstock, NY My biggest surprise is that people are surprised by this. So far as I know, there is no encryption algorithm currently in widespread use that is not able to be cracked by a sufficiently powerful computer. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Tracy Beth Mitrano Ithaca, New York For all of its faults, historic and contemporary, I am on balance relieved to know that the U.S. Government has this ability because I believe the threats to our national security are such that we would greatly handicap ourselves economically and militarily if we did not pursue these means -- encryption decoding -- to the ends of protecting our country and allies.

That said, I do not understand the persistent drive for secrecy about these operations. A democracy requires that the operations be transparent to the public.

I appreciate the efforts of the Fourth Estate, the Press, to bring this issue out in the open. And it remains to the Fifth Estate, citizens, to discuss the full scope and ramifications of these kinds of operations, keeping in mind all of the issues on the broad spectrum from personal privacy to national security.

Technology such as encryption decoding requires legal and policy balances from the Fourth Amendment to consumer protection to assure the public that these tools are being used to protect citizens and not against us by either terrorists or tyrannical government.

That is the key issue, not the technology per se. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 136

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Jerry Engelbach Pátzcuaro, México Sorry, but the government has no business cracking the codes that encrypt my private data.

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If you really believe they are doing this for "national security" you are hopelessly naive. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:12 p.m.

steve asheville I make a distinction between surveillance of everybody and everything and selective surveillance.

The listeners are after all humans with flaws. It is a given that some misuse will be made of the knowledge they gather.

I feel the same way about the government actions that the government feels about the activities of Manning, Snowden and Assange. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:31 p.m.

Absolute Relativity Pittsburgh, PA Do you realize how important simple and unbreakable encryption is to the US and global economy? Any online financial transaction is dependent on this technology. The NSA's decryption technology in the wrong hands could shut down Wallstreet and crash the global economy in a matter of hours. If they created such technology through illegal or covert means other people can do the same thing, but our national interests at risk. The national interest is best served by protecting US companies from such attacks, not by enabling them.

There are other ways for the NSA to access the communication of terror suspects that don't have the side of enabling criminals and foreign intelligence agencies. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:50 p.m.

Rich Philadelphia This is a living nightmare. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 34

Citizen Texas And you can bet that it's going to get a lot worse before it gets any better, if at all. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:10 p.m.

1leafar San Juan, PR This seems to be a point of no return: May God Bless Democratic America! Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

mattheww 90027 The overriding irony of the Snowden-NSA story is that both the agency and the public are freaking out over essentially the same thing: Our most closely- guarded information is being stolen and used against us!

It's hard to imagine anything successfully restraining the NSA over the long term, but proliferation of the technology they themselves spearhead may well lead to a day when the NSA knows everything, but everyone knows everything they know.

I will grant you that's a fairly dull-grey silver lining in the scheme of things. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 138

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danarlington mass Another irony: Seems like NSA doesn't encrypt its own stuff strongly enough to keep the Snowdens from reading it. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Lynn S. So true!!!! Thank you for pointing this out. Ironic that it's not working out for the NSA...to have no privacy. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:30 p.m.

Christopher Hobe Morrison Lake Katrine, NY "Ahh, but they know that you know, that they know..." Romanov and Juliet Sept. 6, 2013 at 11:09 p.m.

Josh Hill New London Thanks, guys, for publishing this.

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-Al Qaeda Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 13

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Michael S. Oak Park, IL Josh, I, as a taxpayer, prefer to know. I also believe that our growing police state is a belated victory for bin Laden. After the ugly McCarthy & Nixon years, It's difficult to understand that I have fellow citizens that welcome this invasion of privacy. The cost of total security costs too much for a democracy. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:55 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Josh Hill New London Michael S., *What* invasion of privacy? I keep asking that and getting no answer. I just read a tinfoil hat post in which people were afraid that the NSA was going to move money out of their bank accounts!

The government has *always* had the ability to spy on us using the technology of the time. What restrains it are law, ethics, and the fear of being found out, as Nixon was. That's all the NSA is doing here, maintaining the ability to spy. Which is its job. And it can't do that effectively if the terrorists and other targets know precisely what our capabilities are.

There's no evidence that the domestic activities of law-abiding American citizens are being snooped on as in the Hoover or Watergate eras -- but you'd never get that from these fear-mongering articles, or at least the way people interpret them.

As to knowing, some things have to be classified for fear of tipping off the enemy. So important was the WWII code breaking effort to the survival of Britain that Churchill made its disclosure a capital offense. Code breaking is one of the most powerful tools in the armory, one that has changed the outcome of major wars. And in this case, it can't be used effectively now that Al Qaeda and its ilk -- never the brightest to begin with -- know what some of our capabilities are. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:37 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Broom-Z Midwest I love it when people act like "the government" is this singular benevolent all-knowing Father in Heaven. All this work is contracted out. Some 200,000 or more contractors now have access to your financial and medical records. It was already revealed that the most common infringement (at least what was self-reported) by NSA employees was "relationship-spying". It is not wearing a tin-foil hat to imagine how ripe for abuses such a system is. You better hope you never have a divorce or child-custody lawsuit with an ex who has a friend or relative among these employees. I'm sure, given the opportunity to find out anything about anyone, none of these employees will ever transgress the proper use of their powers. Because that wouldn't be like human nature or anything. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:42 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Valerie Navarro Copenhagen I shared this on facebook and my contact stream suddenly faded out. Can someone explain this? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Richard Altman New York My reaction to this latest realization of the fantasy of total control of every authoritarian ruler in human history is summed up in this prescient comment from 1964:

"The man who is compelled to live every minute of his life among others and whose every need, thought, desire, fancy or gratification is subject to public scrutiny, has been deprived of his individuality and human dignity. Such an individual merges with the mass. His opinions, being public, tend never to be different; his aspirations, being known, tend always to be conventionally accepted ones; his feelings, being openly exhibited, tend to lose their quality of unique personal warmth and to become the feelings of every man. Such a being, although sentient, is fungible; he is not an individual." Bloustein, Privacy as an Aspect of Human Dignity: An Answer to Dean Prosser, 39 N. Y. U. L. Rev. 962, 1003 (1964).

Welcome to the cowardly new world. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 202

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Tim B Seattle A superb quote, timely in its day and so much so for our times. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:48 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

hhk1984 New Jesry Thank you. This is so true. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

jayhawkmd Kansas City After initially feeling that Snowden acted as a traitor to his country, I have increasingly become convinced that he is/was a whistleblower in the truest sense. The NSA and governmental agencies complicit with them are becoming the true traitors in this story. They have repeatedly and habitually violated the American public's trust and confidence, and deserved to be brought to account for doing so. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 611

Lucas Washington, DC What whistleblower flees to the protection of an authoritarian government that bears a deep grudge against his homeland and represents everything that Snowden claims he is against? How many journalists has Putin harassed, jailed, beaten and assassinated? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:28 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

C. Whiting Madison, WI The fact that you've come around on Snowden suggests that there remain open minds in America, and there is still some spark of freedom in the press.

We should blow on that glowing ember, so that reporters will no longer have to cower under the threat of an abused espionage act, and we should encourage more whistle-blowers like Snowden and Manning by treating these folks --who have paid an enormously high price for their acts of concscience-- as patriotic bell-weathers of the state of our democracy.

Thanks for your honesty. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:47 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

wizard149 New York So our government finally reaches a goal in a complete and effective way, exactly as required.

Why did it have to be this? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:43 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

SeattleExplorer Seattle Dear Mr President.

Please address the issue of the NSA's spying on Americans - your distractions are getting tiresome.

It's more the issue that we've been lied to by you, other leaders and the NSA that's disturbing. We need to have the information on programs like this (in general anyway) so as that when we vote, we can vote with full knowledge of what you and other elected officials are going to support.

Though I voted for you previously, I can say you mislead me on this and on your stance on helping Main Street America through the recession. These deceptions are not healthy for you nor the citizens of the US.

I stand very disappointed.

Rob Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 243

BlameTheBird Florida Geez, though I agree with your sentiments, in general, I sure hope you don't get a knock on the door. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:59 p.m.

The Almond Continental US Thank you Rob! Good wording! You might want to turn this into a white house petition! Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:55 p.m.

jenniferlila los angeles I stand with Rob as extremely disappointed and disillusioned with you

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Mr. President. And frankly, although Syria is not directly related to our out-of-control and unconstitutional spying programs, because you have allowed this to happen on your watch Mr. Obama, my trust in you is severely diminished. I may have considered standing by your decision to attack Syria for its use of CW -- but now I do not. And I don't think it's paranoid to consider your sudden decision to thrust Syria onto the front burner has something to do with diverting our attention from the NSA's mission to demolish any possibility of private communication. Please NYTimes, keep this surveillance issue front and center. Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Brett Houston Unreal. They hack into American companies to obtain encryption keys so that they can spy on those customer's communications? The NSA is absolutely lawless. Heads should be rolling for this -- people should be going to jail for ordering them to turn their powers on Americans. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 313

MD in NYC New York, NY Whose heads? Who is going to jail them? Why would they ever do that? Who do you think these people are working for?

Not saying it shouldn't happen, because it should, but let's not be naive about the whys and wherefores of what's going on. This genie is completely out of the bottle and there's no way to put this toothpaste back in the tube, and that's no accident. Sorry about the mixed metaphors. Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:10 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Thomas Oklahoma and New Hampshire Well, duh ... Ever since the Digital Millennial Act, if you paid attention, you would have realized that the NSA was extremely worried about effective encryption. As but one example, the "AES" encryption everyone uses on their home wireless routers is wide open to the NSA, and less secure than the older TKIP -- less secure in that the NSA has a 'back door' key that lets their machines decrypt it much faster. The introduction of AES by the government was one strong reason that law moved forward -- the NSA wanted an excuse to push the encryption scheme on the industry with less than obvious fanfare. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Fiona New York I think the choice of "Bullrun" an interesting one. However heartbreaking the recent massacres in Syria, I might suggest that President Obama and Congress turn their attention from civil wars in the Middle East and address the problems that their lies and abuse of power have created at home or they may face a civil war here. That is not, by the way, a threat, but simply an observation. I do not believe that individuals or business will allow themselves to be spied upon by unknowable agencies or committees that should not exist and that cannot be supervised because no one "needs to know." Our Constitution gives us the right to know and indeed depends on our exercising that right to avoid abuse of the power we give our government. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 85

Ken Belcher Chicago Having lost a public battle in the 1990s to insert its own “back door” in all encryption, it set out to accomplish the same goal by stealth.

The agency... began collaborating with technology companies in the United States and abroad to build entry points into their products.

This seems to me to amount to a crime. We "successfully" fought the "back door", "won" our battle, and they did it anyway.

We also desperately need to revisit the encryption standard. Much of our infrastructure (power, water, sewage, bridge lifts and traffic signals) is connected to the internet, as are the controls for heating and cooling in buildings, and security systems. All of these are vulnerable BECAUSE of a government program that had been forbidden. Our democracy does not mean anything if our supposedly successful campaigns are overridden in secret.

I want to see people go to jail over this. The first step is to defeat the reelection of all senators and representatives who vote to oppose shutting this whole program down.

But perhaps elections are no longer under our control, since of course many voting machines are also internet connected; if the NSA subverted the encryption standard "for our own good" how do we know they are not selecting members of congress and presidents with the same "admirable goal?"

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Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 190

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pa2013 New York, New York This is a very important point; the NSA obviously has the means and the motive to subvert the voting process. They can surreptitiously keep themselves and their allies in the finance, intelligence, and military communities in power indefinitely. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 10

Future Focused Syracuse,NY The statement " if you have nothing to hide then you should not care" is now finally laid to rest as false. We need to wake up and quick Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

jenniferlila los angeles There would have been a time when I would have called Ken Belcher a paranoid conspiracy theorist for saying electronic voting machines might be subverted "for our own good." Today, it's totally reasonable. I mean if the spy agencies are so concerned about their powers being limited, that the country's standing depends on being able to save and decode every single piece of communication, why wouldn't they fix an election, if they felt an outcome would constrain their powers??? I mean they already proved they are going to proceed with their diabolical plans no matter what the people say. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

furious usa This is disturbing beyond words. Tell me again what freedoms and rights we just spent trillions of dollars and thousands of American soldiers defending. It wasn't the right to a fair trial. It sure wasn't a country with equal justice under the law (0 bankers in jail for the crisis). You can now be illegally detained and tortured. And of course, you now have no right to privacy. Again, where, exactly, are all these rights and freedoms that make us feel holier-than-thou and entitled to export our democracy at gunpoint? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 572

Judy Sacramento, CA In my opinion, we only go to war to protect American interests (imperialism and/or corporate profits). Wars get sold (via lies) to the American public based on patriotism. Not having a draft makes it easy for most folks to feel a distance from all the wars we've been having....so easy to be misled. The supposed "free press" is now controlled by a handful of corporations.

Our infrastructure is crumbling....yet there is always money for war...look to see who profits. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:02 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

June Charleston, SC We still have our guns! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:19 p.m.

Saima Egypt or you can be killed by a drone without trial, if your king decides you are a threat to the country, and his word is all that matters. Welcome to Egypt... I mean US of A. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:50 p.m.

Sunny Edison, NJ Leaving NSA aside, one would be naive to believe that the data we send across the internet is really secure. In reality, we are just creating these barriers called "encryption" so that ordinary folks dont see our data and then we riding on luck hoping that the super genius guy who can break the encryption does not turn out to be an evil one. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

CL Boulder, CO And has the super genius guy not turned out to be an evil one? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:50 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

PBL St.John's, NL This information that the NSA has run roughshod over any privacy rights we as American citizens might think we have has changed everything. I'm going to stop using the Internet for bank transactions and private communications.

I also suspect that any corporation in the US that holds trade secrets must be

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concerned that they have laid those secrets bare to the whims of the NSA technocrats. Integrity is hard to earn, but once it is lost, there is little that can be done to bring it back. The NSA has lost its integrity in the name of terrorism and has become worse, far worse, than any threat that we could imagine or face.

Surely there was a way to maintain reasonable safety without annihilating our basic rights to privacy, as it seems the NSA has done.

It is certainly unfortunate that our government is non-functional---basically a failed state---and are impotent to take any believable measures to curb this unbridled , unprecedented power. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 661

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Publius New York What, you think if you stop using the Internet for bank transactions the NSA can't still grab all the information from the bank's computers? You cannot hide from them, unless you want to keep all your money in your mattress. So why give up the convenience of online banking? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:49 p.m.

ROB B SF Look, if you think that the NSA is the only one doing this then you are naive... the Chinese, and possibly a Latvian hacker, may know what's in your bank account. It's a new world , and everybody who thinks that the internet is such a whizzy good thing may have to think again. The cat's out of the bag. MY view is that we may want to use our post office and cash for transactions. And then take a nap and go for a walk. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:54 p.m.

Old Merchant Mariner Portland, Oregon One the Button- PBL. Additionally, there are two more points:

The integrity knot-knife. The people breaking the constitution ... in many cases ... have vowed to protect and defend it. Thus our protectors MUST have broken their integrity to work for us.

The time trap: What are tools for? Yes US taxpayers are paying for creating a violation of their founding document and violating everyone's privacy in doing so. But some people are focused vary narrowly and can only see what is down their own pipe. The NSA is producing tools to violate our privacy and sooner, or later someone will use them. It is in the nature of tools and man. Tools are used.

In my view only morality can stop this technological scope creep. We are paying for the creation of our own downfall. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

howard roark pittsburgh This article tips the balance for me as to whether Snowden is a criminal or a serious useful informant to the abuses of government. He is no longer a criminal to me. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 440

Carlos Long Island, NY Definitely is not a surprise at all but a renew indignation to know big government is breathing on my back. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Jeff Gudt My mouth is agape. With names like "Bullrun" and "Manassas" for these programs, NSA is now (inadvertently) telling us they consider themselves to be battling a civil war... with the citizens of the United States. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:40 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1210

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Uga Muga Miami Perhaps all the negative responders to NSA hegemony can grant their own code name for the perceived betrayal of public trust harking back to an earlier betrayal, The Trail of Tears. Sept. 6, 2013 at 7:07 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

YouNo NoWayLand ROB B- No, I'd be demanding the heads of the people who planned and acted

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the attack.

Your presumption is that Government is here to keep us safe.

That is flawed, since; 1. I am the only active protection I have 24/7. 2. I am the Government (We the People).

We organize government to better function in our own government, not to over-ride our own just government.

Thanks for asking. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:16 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

AKLady AK Yes, Jeff, some of the enemies this country faces are citizens -- they are traitors who care nothing for the freedoms they enjoy. Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m.

ando arike Brooklyn, NY What form of government do we have when the state considers all citizens to be potential enemies, and when it uses every tool its disposal to pry into their private correspondence? The ongoing revelations regarding the NSA describe a state not too much different from that of Orwell's "1984" -- i.e. totalitarian. Next thing you know, the president will be telling us that "War is peace"... Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 69

Daniel Earth They've been saying 'war is peace' for more than a decade now. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:24 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Steve Calgary, AB, Canada Well John Kerry is already saying that, after a fashion. After all "We are not going to war with Syria." Oh, yeah, and how do you rationalize that one when Obama is already calling for secondary targets? Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:18 p.m.

G. Brooklyn, NY Bravura reporting by the NYT. We live in a surveillance state - get used to it. If - heaven forbid - an executive with despotic tendencies gains control of the White House, you can kiss your constitutional rights goodbye (the ones that haven't already been shredded, that is).

I'm proposing a new literary genre: Sci-Non-Fi.

Welcome to the Panopticon. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 36

Vincent Westfield, NJ Ah, I think this scenario is already in place. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:49 p.m.

Myles Standish Massachusetts "If you haven't done anything wrong, you have no reason to be concerned."

Funny how the founders had a different idea when they wrote the Bill of Rights. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 362

Josh Hill New London You're saying that the founders didn't make provisions for law enforcement? They extended protections, yes, but not a right to criminality. Since a warrant is still required to spy on domestic communications, I see no evidence that the protections in the Bill of Rights are being circumvented here. The real threats to our privacy -- hackers, corporate snoops, the Chinese, for that matter police departments that consider the email on your email server public after six months -- are curiously absent from these fact-free posts. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:58 a.m.

kat New England That nonsense about only people who've done wrong need be concerned is just that, nonsense. Unless the writer of that thinks we should all be required to walk naked in the streets. I guess that's coming next. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 4

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Guy L. Smith New York Bumper sticker on my car: "If you have nothing to hide then your government has no reason to search you" Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:53 p.m.

ben commons philadelphia While I am a big supporter of freedom of the press and the need for an informed citizenry. I have to wonder about the value of printing in the newspaper the methodology that our law enforcement and, quite frankly national security apparatus uses to catch terrorists, money laundering and other assorted bad acts which can often only be caught by these very clandestine methods. Would you publish plan troop movements during war time if you could scoop the other papers by snagging a copy of the plans before the invasion? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

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SeattleExplorer Seattle Over the years we seem to have been able to catch terrorists, money launderers and other bad actors - without invading EVERYONE'S privacy.

The problem I have with this is - what's next? When are corporations going to be able to buy this information? How do we not know that Halliburton and others don't have spies in the NSA that are now able to gather details on our government? If Snowden took the information for "good" purposes - how many others are planted there who use the information they mine for bad purposes? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Cooky world citizen Law enforcement is subject to the limits in the Constitution. The spying is a violation of at least the Fourth Amendment. And this is not about terrorism--didn't you read? It's spying on every domestic email and transaction and phone call. It has access to all your financial data and health data.

Law enforcement can't monitor our every move 24/7, just waiting to catch us violating some law or regulation, not legally, anyway. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

Peter Metro Boston "I have to wonder about the value of printing in the newspaper the methodology that our law enforcement and, quite frankly national security apparatus uses to catch terrorists...."

Anyone who cares about protecting the secrecy of their communications will learn nothing from reading this article. There is no list of broken algorithms, for instance. Many of us have wondered for some time whether the NSA has the ability to break the AES256 algorithm that was adopted as the Federal encryption standard a few years back. Even as recently as a year ago, an expert like Bruce Schneier thought that AES256 was probably still secure (http://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2012/03 /can_the_nsa_bre.html) . I'll be curious to read what he thinks now.

I knew right away that the oversight panel recently appointed by the President is just a sham when it consists entirely of lawyers and Beltway insiders and includes no one with the technical expertise and independence of someone like Mr. Schneier. He would have been my number-one nominee for a seat at that table.

It's well known that the NSA decrypts large portions of Internet traffic in real-time, and that the construction of the large facility in Utah is designed to facilitate that activity ( http://www.wired.com/threatlevel /2012/03/ff_nsadatacenter/all/1) . For people who pay any attention at all to these issues, there is little new in this "revelation." Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

Amazed Ohio Sadly, all I can say is, "...whatever...."

Does anyone, anywhere, trust their Governments (and most Institutions) anymore?

I know that I have lost most faith, over the last 30 years. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 14

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Tara Japan No, we don't trust our governments - and that is exactly why we need to keep them from having these kinds of capabilities. No government can ever be trusted enough to merit handing over all of the secrets of our intellectual, social, and financial lives. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:17 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

CatChen Rockville, MD I"m not sure who is going to be hurt more, US companies like Cisco and Microsoft who will have more trouble selling their products abroad, or the US citizens who are going to watch what they write or say from now on. Today, the government is spying on terrorists, tomorrow they will spy on suspected communists and eventually, anyone who disagrees with the government. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 210

PierreGarenne France they will spy on suspected communists and eventually, anyone who disagrees with the government

Been there! Done that! Sept. 6, 2013 at 10:12 a.m.

kat New England "Today, the government is spying on terrorists"

No, today the government is spying on everyone. Did you miss that part? Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

lydgate Virginia You are quite the optimist if you think that the government is not already spying on anyone who disagrees or might disagree with any aspect of government policy: civil rights supporters, environmentalists, civil libertarians, Occupy Wall Street supporters, Syrians living in the United States, etc., etc.. Nothing new about that -- look at how the FBI spied on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and others in the 1960s -- but now the government has the capacity to do so on an unprecedented scale and without any of the traditional safeguards. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Susan nyc Regulations mandating electronic medical records must be rescinded until the absolute confidentiality of such sensitive data can be assured. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 80

Leo Florida There are no absolutes in computer security. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Jack Walsh Lexington, MA I'm sure we will be assured that the records are absolutely confidential. And, why on earth would NSA want to snoop in our medical records?

I'm old enough to remember when we all found out about Thomas Eagleton's depression when his records magically appeared in newspapers. McGovern was doomed, Nixon went on to Watergate, and the damn war continued for three more years.

Records were absolutely confidential then, too. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Ladislav Nemec Big Bear, CA I would like my recent medical records become 100% public to reveal misdiagnosis suppressed, so far, completely.

Opionions, obviously, vary. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:50 p.m.

too close for comfort Virginia Remember strong encryption appears to work, just encrypt the file yourself on a computer not connected to the internet before you send it. This is an insane state of affairs in a putatively "free country.' President Obama will go down in history with this as his legacy. What a tragedy for all concerned. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 67

Huma Nboi Kent, WA Strong encryption works, but which algorithms have the NSA had their

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hands in? And how can we be sure? No one sane is going to use AES anymore, but what else should we be avoiding? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:46 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

pa2013 New York, New York But this article argues that it is not so easy for us to know what counts as "strong encryption." The NSA has been working to muddy the waters and corrupt the algorithmic and hardware building blocks of strong encryption. We need to get the top cryptographers of the NSA in front of a special prosecutor testifying under oath as to what algorithms are safe for Americans to use to secure their Fourth Amendment rights. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Ken Belcher Chicago So save your old computers - they may be valuable in the future!

If you sufficiently strongly encrypt on pre-NSA infiltration hardware that might be safe, but if the keyboard you use stores your keystrokes, use of it on another computer would allow the keystrokes to be collected. The same applies to any transfer hardware you use (so use short messages and retype the encrypted results.) Sept. 5, 2013 at 11:13 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Neil Robbins Riverdale, Bronx,NY Privacy no longer exists anywhere in society. Thus I have no grave concerns regarding anything about me being available to my country.I also believe that there are internal guidelines and safeguards to keep any oversight on target and limit misuse. If this is what's needed to increase greater security and access for our Security agencies to protect us from those who wish our demise; so be it Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

AB Highland, NY Neil, is there any evidence "that there are internal guidelines and safeguards to keep any oversight on target and limit misuse"? Look around - the government does not have a good track record of funding oversight. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

chickenlover Massachusetts And now all we need is for another rogue agent or agency in the USA or in some other country to get access to this material! Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Christian Haesemeyer Los Angeles So suppose you believe that you "had nothing to hide". Well, this article implies that tens of thousands of spooks and contractors have access to Allstate information you don't have to hide: your credit information, bank account information, medical records... all the things you think are secure can be accessed by hordes of poorly supervised people, working in secret. If you believe some of tem won't make money out of this opportunity, you are naive. So even if your politics are the blandest white bread imaginable, you should be very afraid indeed. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 30

Ladislav Nemec Big Bear, CA And that's news? It has been generally known for some time that a brute computing power can crack virtually any code. Smarts also help, during WWII Turing helped to crack the German Enigma code and books have been written about that.

It is generally a good thing if you are not obsessed with your private secrets the NSA is definitely not after.

Repeating well known facts (with some details added) is probably necessary.

There is NO PRIVACY and we have to live with this basic fact. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Christian Haesemeyer Los Angeles Not true. Did you read the article? It is very clear that the NSA cannot in fact crack "virtually any code" which is why thy resort to theft, false flag lobbying and other blatantly illegal methods, alongside a use of the unlimited legal power of our authoritarian police state. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:44 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

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Ladislav Nemec Big Bear, CA To CH from LA: What is NOT TRUE?

So we are now a Police State? One learns something new every day from fellow readers if not from an article. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:48 p.m.

War Eagle Auburn, AL Our government can undertake these mind-boggling measures to spy on us, yet cannot prevent robo-calls?

Seems like misplaced priorities. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Bev New York Shocking I suppose..certainly questionable ethics.. on the other hand, now the government ought to be able to know who is hiding money in tax shelters overseas and how much back taxes they should pay. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Abraham Fremont, CA Duh... So what did you think? They would be negligent if they did not do it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:38 p.m.

drollere sebastopol the damage snowden has inflicted on the security interests of this country is incalculable. that is always the main theme.

the issues of oversight and legality fundamentally go to the issue of democratic governance and the electorate's trust in the rule of law, the judgment of elected representatives and the integrity of their appointees.

america now has two problems to solve, in governance and in security, where before we had only one. but it does show the 18th century lesson that when governance fails the security of the nation goes with it, almost as a law of nature. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Aristotle Washington The only thing surprising here is that people are still surprised by the espionage proclivities of the state. There is no reason to believe that these 'cryptanalysis' programs are limited to the national security sphere and do not extend into systematic warrantless purely domestic law enforcement surveillance. Forget the Fourth Amendment. Furthermore, Mr. Snowden has demonstrated what a savvy insider can do without authorization. It would be foolish to assume that he is the only person in the various intelligence agencies with such abilities -- this is his real message. That a liberal constitutional law professor like Mr. Obama merrily presides over this dangerous devolution of privacy is ironic and sad. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 57

pa2013 New York, New York And in addition to the "insider threats" that you allude to, imagine what could result should a hostile state, a greedy corporation, or organized crime launched a campaign to infiltrate the NSA. Who is to say it hasn't already happened? Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

AB Highland, NY @pa2013 - on the contrary, i'm sure it HAS already happened! Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m.

R.V.Garvin Sarasota, FL I am encouraged by the success and ingenuity of the NSA in its surveillance of electronic communications to and from suspicious cites outside the United States, and by its and the CIA's gathering of intelligence around the world. That's what I want from American intelligence services. Edward Snowden and PFC Manning have revealed that this goes on, and have probably made it more difficult to do successfully — a negative to the United States. The only "harm" they have revealed is that this surveillance is going on. I can accept that for the occasional benefit, about which we will never hear very much. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:38 p.m. RECOMMENDED 229

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kleeneth Montclair,NJ We should remember that the Second World War would probably have been lost to Germany and Japan had the British and Americans not successfully cracked enemy encryption with great investment of human and material resources. The emergence of severe terrorist threats from non-state actors combined with the availability of advanced encryption techniques to such individuals and groups means these recent activities by the NSA are regrettably necessary. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:45 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Absolute Relativity Pittsburgh, PA There is no way that creating vulnerabilities which enable identity theft, intellectual property theft, and increase cyber crime across the board are in the best interest of the United States. Even if the NSA is using such vulnerabilities for good (which I don't think they are), a lot of people out there (starting with foreign intelligence agencies) will use the same vulnerabilities for evil.

The NSA creating vulnerabilities for Chinese hackers to exploit is counter to US national interest no matter what your politics are, or what your view of the NSA is. Given the secrecy of this program the security holes the NSA created were probably used against other parts of the US government by foreign intelligence agencies. A program like this could not be more short sighted and counter to US long term national interests.

I have no problem the NSA attempting to do this, but the best things they could do with such information is publish which encryption methods and providers are vulnerable so US corporations and other branches of the government can take appropriate precautions against foreign intelligence agencies and malicious hackers exploiting the same vulnerabilities. Sept. 6, 2013 at 9:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

AKLady AK Amen.

We will never know the full extent of the benefit. To advertise the success would be to inform the enemy as to the manner in which they were identified and traced.

I have never considered computer communications to be private. The Internet is comprised of millions of computers, at every one of which there is someone who could access the communication. Sept. 7, 2013 at 12:00 a.m.

Rima Regas Mission Viejo, CA A nation is in serious trouble when it's elected leaders treat those who put them into office as the enemy.

Where are the philosophers and ethicists? Why aren't they weighing in on this and educating the people? The Times should commission a series of opinion pieces from the nation's best-known academics to write some of the same types of pieces first year philosophy students read and debate in their classes. This is a necessary discussion that no one is leading at the moment. Please do this, at the very least as a public service.

Thank you. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:35 p.m. RECOMMENDED 228

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AB Highland, NY @Josh Hill - What part of "absolute power corrupts" don't you understand? Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:57 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Roger Binion Moscow Josh,

You simply don't know who they are spying on because everything they do is secret.

And collecting Verizon phone records is spying on Al Qaeda how, exactly? Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

steve asheville I think a measure of the sad state plight of our nation that these obvious criminal acts would require any hard thinking to prevent, let

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alone "fix".

By the nation, I mean the voters who support political parties, vote against their own interests and place into office incompetent ideologues and attractive, "charismatic" boobs interested only in selling themselves to the highest bidder. Sept. 6, 2013 at 8:53 p.m.

Jonathan NYC The info they get could be used for security and counterespionage, but not for criminal cases. The opposing attornies would threaten to use discovery against them.

Of course, they could identify criminal activity and then gather evidence in other ways. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:34 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Web Alaska Bull Run and Manassas, LOL. Those are two names for the same battle location where in 1861-2 the rebels routed the Union forces. Now NSA aims to rout the Union, too. The Spy Agencies are the new Confederacy bent on subverting our constitutional government by shredding the Bill of Rights. Clapper spies and Obama claps. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

Josh Hill New London Yeah, right, they've violated the bill of rights. Except there's no evidence they have. Doesn't seem to matter anymore, I guess facts are passe. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:45 a.m.

John Swords Hoboken, NJ So are you saying that PGP AES encryption has a backdoor? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:32 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

John Doe Palo Alto This seems like a poorly reported / dumbed down story. Can we get details on what algorithms, key lengths, etc. were actually broken and how someone might protect against the NSA? Did the NSA develop implementation exploits or mathematical breakthroughs? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Josh Hill New London To the extent that information was in the document, it was likely in the information excised at the behest of the government. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:43 a.m.

Socrates Downtown Verona NJ At least change the name of the National Security Agency to the National Spying Agency.

There's nothing more irritating than doublespeak, euphemisms and verbal gymnastics. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:31 p.m. RECOMMENDED 319

Pete Southern Calif. And while we're at it, change the name of the "Defense Department" back to what it was originally, "The War Department". Truth in labeling. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:37 p.m. RECOMMENDED 31

Barbara L.A. It is all so creepy and scary. Small wonder they call them spooks. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:30 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Tibby Elgato West County If the NSA is storing the email of private citizens, not to mention members of Congress, it is probably engaged a criminal activitiy, in violation of the Constitution and also likely in violation of various treaties. Hopefully the Justice Department will quickly begin an investigation and prosecution. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

Citizen Texas Excuse me. You really think that the Justice Department is any less

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guilty than all the rest of these Cretans. This is why nothing ever gets done in Washington; they are all a bunch of crooks, liars and snake oil salesmen. None of them can be trusted to do their jobs. Period. The sooner we all realize this fact and try to do something about it, the better. These people in the government, that supposedly work for us, could care less about any of us, pure and simple. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:32 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

alansky Marin County, CA Unfortunately, the majority of Americans evidently don't care that the NSA is routinely engaging in criminal activity aimed at ordinary citizens who have done nothing wrong. They're much too busy tweeting inane messages to their equally clueless friends. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 11

Andrew Rodgers Brooklyn, NY Open Bag, Exit Cat Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:29 p.m. RECOMMENDED 31

Greg NY, NY Well, as a concerned citizen, the only response that comes to mind is to quote that internal N.S.A. memo, “This can’t be good.” Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

skier vermont Wow. So the NSA can go into my online bank account, with a backdoor, to SSL, and remove or transfer funds at will. Time to move my banking offline.. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 34

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Greg NY, NY Bank offline = money in mattress. Sept. 5, 2013 at 10:58 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Josh Hill New London Good Lord. Maybe it can, but why would it? It would be illegal and purposeless.

The real threat to your bank account is from hackers, many of them privateers in Russia. That's the real danger. But I guess it doesn't sell papers, because while one sees the occasional article on it, the news that the NSA is spying on Al Qaeda (oh horrors) is what's splashed across the front pages. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:27 a.m. RECOMMENDED 2

Andy Hain Carmel, CA Most offline banks went out of business. Exactly how does a bank earn a profit unless it's on a wire to somewhere? In addition, I'm guessing the NSA can crack the code and enter any bank vault door.

And, why would the NSA care about your account, as long as major companies have billions and billions just a keystroke away, with no more luck complaining to a bank about their missing funds than you would have? Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:52 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Harold R. Berk Ambler, PA So the N.S.A. is now working to "insert vulnerabilities in Internet protection products." When we acquire viruses and malware in our computers, we may have the N.S.A. to thank for inserting these vulnerabilities in products we bought to protect our Internet and computer systems. How exactly is this activity protecting the national interests of the United States when it interferes in commercially available Internet protection products that U.S. citizens buy and use thinking, apparently erroneously, that we are protecting our computers?

Did N.S.A. disclose this interference with Internet protection programs to the Congress? I doubt it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 719

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Jeff Utz Brooklyn, NY That's a secret that the NSA can't answer under law. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:48 p.m.

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ibeetb nj "...now working..?" This has been going on for years. The gov't was instrumental in creating the internet. They used it long before we consumers have. So if they created it, of course they would know its vulnerabilities. They have known since the 60s/70s when they were using it before we even knew what it was Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:11 p.m.

chris columbus marfa, texas Why report this NSA Internet interference to Congress ?? Congress don't work ..... Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:47 p.m.

Almost Anonymous Chicago "Intelligence officials asked The Times and ProPublica not to publish this article, saying that it might prompt foreign targets to switch to new forms of encryption or communications that would be harder to collect or read."

Or - more likely - it's because they didn't want people in this country learning even more about the depths to which these lies go.

The "terrorism" excuse is only going to get you so far, guys. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 58

multnomah9 Oregon This citizen wants them to do their work and thanks them for doing it. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 4

DaveD Wisconsin Then let them put a camera in your house. Sept. 6, 2013 at 1:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

AF Cincinnati, Ohio Good thing the NSA doesn't lie to congress or ingage in questionale collection of massive amounts of data. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

John Morristown, NJ Good for the NSA. They keep me safe and for that I am thankful. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 5

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Josh Hill New London JR, these article must be very poorly written because you don't seem to have read the parts about when they spy on Americans -- which is very limited. Basically with a warrant, or when making international communications.

And there is no violation of constitutional rights in that. It's no different than a wiretap or someone opening your mail.

I just don't get the disconnect between the typical comment here and reality. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:25 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Roger Binion Moscow But these warrants are secret, Josh. And even when they are issued, the company being given the warrant can't even say they received one.

That is a violation of every principle the US was founded on. It's worse than the Stasi in East Germany.

I'm, well, gobsmacked that you can't see that. Sept. 6, 2013 at 3:41 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

Citizen Texas Josh, Please. You and all the rest of us know they are breaking the laws and lying and spying. Your defense of their efforts is misguided and wrong. They have been caught lying. They need to be brought under control, pure and simple. If they are doing such a fantastic job in protecting this country, they need to prove it with something than a simple "trust us." They need to put up or shut up! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:52 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

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cme seattle Unsurprising and terrifying.

...in other words, business as usual with our government. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

gerry princeton It is interesting that the capacity to spy is similar to power. Power corrupts , absolute power corrupts absolutely. We are now in the " absolutely " stage of spying. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:27 p.m. RECOMMENDED 8

wut ...... We should be able to hide our stuff from them. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Sal Ruibal DC area It this is so, why couldn't they immediately "see" what was happening on Wall Street in the years, months before the Great Ripoff? Why aren't financial terrorists held to the same standard as other terrorists? How could Madoff be invisible to the NSA? The World Trade Center has been rebuilt, the Financial District is humming, yet the economy for the rest of us is still a smoking ruin. Why does President Obama stay silent about these people, who have killed the dreams and ambitions of many million Americans while he plans to enrich his own family and friends when he retires or is fired. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 16

John Cashman Boston "Who controls the past controls the future. Who controls the present controls the past."

Often quoted by Orwell by conspiracy theorists. The NSA has indeed shaped past decisions on security and will profit for decades. It is not practical to replace internationally accepted encryption standards. Bravo to the NSA, but it is a sad day for the Internet. Our technological future depends on trustworthy encryption and digital security. Thanks to the NSA our position as an Internet service superpower is in threat. 20 years from now, when the largest tech companies are no longer US-based, we will ask if it was worth it? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 6

Bill Austin, Texas "When the British analysts, who often work side by side with N.S.A. officers, were first told about the program, another memo said, “those not already briefed were gobsmacked!” This from a country bristling with government security cameras. You know things are screwed up when the American government intrudes more on Americans than the British government spies on their own citizens. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:26 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

Frank Princeton, NJ Why are we letting everyone know abut this? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:23 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

SL United States Because it's a "free" country. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:39 p.m. RECOMMENDED 22

viator1 Plainfield, NJ The part that worries me about this is "mission creep". What happens when "terrorist" is expanded to people who don't agree with the government and want to engage in non-violent protest? Or people who are on the wrong side of the Drug War? Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 59

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Huma Nboi Kent, WA Josh Hill, we've already seen mission creep and outright malfeasance in the terrorism fusion centers.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/10/03/us/inquiry-cites-flaws- in-regional-cou...

viator1 is right to worry. Trusting the government to get it right with this much information is a terrible mistake. The potential for abuse is overwhelming. The information simply should not be collected.

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Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 12

Josh Hill New London Huma Nboi,

That article is a source of concern, of course, and is precisely the kind of information that we do need to know. But I don't see that it has anything to do with these disclosures about the NSA, which, to the extent the disclosures in the article indicate was merely doing its very valuable job according to law.

Taking a slippery-slope approach here is I think like saying that soldiers shouldn't have rifles because they might use them irresponsibly. Well, occasionally they do, and in an ideal world, there would be no need for such tools. But as it is, we need the tools of spycraft to deal with Al Qaeda and other threats. Then it's our responsibility to insure that they're used according to the Constitution and the law. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:34 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

viator1 Plainfield, NJ The one example I can think of off the top of my head is RICO laws. Those were originally created to go after the Mafia and has since been used to go after a whole lot of non-mafia targets.

Another one specific to terrorism is the expansion of "terrorist" to include people who take unflattering pictures at animal factories.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/07/us/taping-of-farm-cruelty- is-becoming-...

The reason this is a concern in regards to the NSA is because it shows a pattern that repeats over and over again. When the government gets a power it does not only use it in the way that it says it will and we need to keep that in mind when we talk about what the government can and can't do. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:44 p.m.

Thomas Field Dallas You better watch out, you better not cry, you better be good I'm telling you why...the NSA is reading your mail. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

Arpit Chauhan United States THIS was one thing I thought will be a nightmare. If the NSA can really break the leading cryptographic standards like AES and RSA (which are utilized in SSL), then the whole point of encryption becomes moot. This is really horrifying.

Something really needs to be done to rein in the surveillance state. What I worry about is that I don't really expect that something substantive will happen unless an anti-surveillance President is elected in 2016.

Every new story makes me feel that the world is closer to 1984 than previously thought. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:22 p.m. RECOMMENDED 48

Concerned Citizen New York, NY There's nothing in this story that suggests that the NSA can "break" AES or RSA. All I'm reading is that they can go around it if it's through an American company (or British, or Canadian, etc.). Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:07 a.m.

emily Portland, OR My head is spinning...

Thank you Edward Snowden, and Glenn Greenwald, and The New York Times, and all who have assisted in bringing this to light. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 104

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Josh Hill New London Eli, I assumed they were putting in backdoors. That's a necessary strategy. Essentially, they did what an agency that was charged with their mandate would have to do, given the impossibility of a frontal assault on well-executed modern encryption.

This stuff becomes less frightening if you go back a few years and ask

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what the analogies were when technology was more primitive, e.g., what facilities the government used to tap phones. It really is no different. What matters is whether the activities are conducted according to law, the Constitution, and responsibly, and I haven't seen any significant evidence that they haven't been. And yet people here seem to think the NSA is reading their email and even taking money out of their bank accounts, or that they must be doing something illegal and nefarious -- otherwise, why the splashy headlines?

There's something seriously wrong with our country, but it isn't the NSA, it's us, and our compulsion to transmute a program that is protecting us from the likes of Al Qaeda into some kind of black helicopter conspiracy. We're literally eating ourselves alive with self-suspicion and hate, and that goes for the liberal Times reader as surely as it does for the rabid Tea Partier. Sept. 6, 2013 at 2:01 a.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Roger Binion Moscow Josh Hill,

The problem is how do you know they AREN'T breaking the law?

Do you just trust the government blindly? Do you just believe everything that comes out of DC? Did you believe that Saddam Hussein had WMDs?

Since the NSA is so cloaked in total secrecy, you would never even know if they were breaking the law. You would never even know if they had, in fact, invaded your privacy.

The NSA is overreaching and it basically out of control and needs to, must, be reined in. Sept. 6, 2013 at 4:36 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

db West Some people seem to think that subverting security so that it can be more easily cracked.... improves security... There's a certain illogic to all this... Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:12 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

scrappy Noho Being omniscient is a "vital capability?" It's a great argument--if coming from a supreme being. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:21 p.m. RECOMMENDED 7

db west And if there ever were such a supreme being, hopefully it would not be prone to abusing that power against us all, like it is prone for.. well.. all humans. That's why there's the saying "Power corrupts, absolute power corrupts absolutely" for us mortal humans. That's why this is a bad idea for governments made up of such humans. Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:11 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Lisa Ulery University School both names refer to the smae civil war battle. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:20 p.m. RECOMMENDED 2

mford ATL It's certainly fascinating, but again I say it is no great surprise. Who really assumed that certain government entities couldn't crack any codes they want on the Internet? They invented it for crying out loud! The spawn of DARPA is now the very thing on which most of us rely for entertainment and communication, not mention our very livelihoods.

There's no turning back the clock on this one folks. The Internet is the US govt's gift to the world. Use at your own risk! Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:20 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Huma Nboi Kent, WA If they were actually cracking codes I'd be impressed. What they are doing is bribing and theatening executives to a) hand over information, b) boobytrap their own products, and c) keep quiet about it, all in the name of national security. The mob could do that. Sept. 6, 2013 at 12:53 a.m. RECOMMENDED 16

Spirit Illinois I guess that I will stop using my Captain Crunch secret decoder ring. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:20 p.m. RECOMMENDED 22

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Adrianne Massachusetts And are we surprised? All that data storage is not for phone calls people. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 3

2L Boston What you're describing is exactly what I have always both assumed and wanted the NSA to be able to do.

Showing that the NSA has developed the potential to invade people's privacy does not bother me. If you show me that they wrongly exploited that potential, I'd be bothered.

None of Snowdon's "revelations" have done anything beyond describe a competent government agency. Where are Nixon's plumbers or the FBI's wiretaps of MLK? So far this just seems like good intelligence gathering. Sure we've snooped on allies, but that's what the NSA and CIA are suppose to be doing. Sept. 5, 2013 at 9:19 p.m. RECOMMENDED 9

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db West Josh, not according to the authors of those laws... Perhaps you've heard of Rep. Sensenbrenner? Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:08 p.m. RECOMMENDED 1

Citizen Texas Josh, Sounds to me that you are a lawyer on the payroll of the National Security Agency's General Council. If not, someone has certainly pulled the wool over your eyes. They are breaking the law and they lie! Sept. 6, 2013 at 5:46 p.m.

Citizen Texas Josh Hill, Just because it's a law, doesn't make it a good law. Some things need to be resisted and vigorously sometimes. This is one of those times. This organization is making J. Edgar look like a light weight. Sept. 6, 2013 at 6:34 p.m.

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