Thread: Inside America's $1.9 BILLION data mine in this vast NSA nerve center in Utah Valley

Inside America's $1.9billion data mine: How all your private details will soon be stored in this vast NSA nerve center in Utah Valley

• Government will complete its data storing facility in Utah this October
• Concerns about what personal information will be stored there as it emerged the government has been extracting data from big companies
  

By Lydia Warren
PUBLISHED: 07:40 EST, 7 June 2013 | UPDATED: 12:48 EST, 7 June 2013

The personal data and private online conversations that the National Security Administration is accused of mining could be stashed in a one million square-foot, $1.9 billion facility in the Utah Valley.
Concerns over what the government will store at the Utah Data Center have been reinvigorated by the revelation that U.S. intelligence agencies have been extracting audio, video, photos, e-mails, documents and other information to track people's movements and contacts.
Apple, Facebook, Microsoft, Google, Yahoo, YouTube, Skype, AOL and the lesser known Internet company PalTalk are all involved with the PRISM program, which the government insists is for national security.

The Utah Data Center which is being constructed on Camp Williams on the Salt Lake-Utah County line will be completed in October - but officials have been tight-lipped about what will be stored there.


Construction: The Utah Data near Bluffdale, where personal data extracted by the NSA could be stored


Storage: An aerial photograph shows the center, which is expected to be completed this October


Stash: The government has been tight-lipped about what will be stored in the center's four 'data halls'

Plans released by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, which is handling the construction, show the center will have four 'data halls' to store information and two substations to power the facility.


The spy center is being built at an estimated cost of $1.9 billion, and is expected to employ 100 to 200 permanent employees after its completion. The plans note they must all be U.S. citizens.
More...

• Leak of NSA order against Verizon could cause irreversible harm to national security, says top intelligence officer

Despite the boom for the local economy, the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah has expressed their fears over what will be stored at the center.

'We're mining data, we're gathering data and it's all done secretly,' ACLU of Utah director Karen McCreary told Fox13. 'We don't even know what's going on.'

Plans: Sketches released by Army engineers show the massive center, which is believed to cost $1.9 billion


Will your information be in there? Another drawing shows halls where the data will be kept


Site: The center overlooks the Utah Valley and will employ up to 200 people when it is complete

'When the NSA facility in Utah was announced, local officials praised it for the jobs it would bring,' Libertas director Connor Boyack added.

'As Americans are now learning, those jobs entail harvesting the data generated by innocent Americans not suspected of any crime, in contradiction to the Fourth Amendment.'

The fears come as The Washington Post reported that for the past six years, U.S. intelligence agencies have been extracting personal information from across the country.
The PRISM program was launched in 2007 with the blessing of special federal judges under the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act. The Post said that several members of the U.S. Congress were made aware of the classified data-gathering program, but were sworn to secrecy.



Mystery: A close-up section of NSA's Utah Data Center is shown in Bluffdale on Thursday


Powerhouse: The images came as it emerged the government is secretly collecting the telephone records of millions of Verizon customers, as well as data from companies including Facebook and Google

PRISM has been described by NSA officials 'as the most prolific contributor to the president's Daily Brief' and the 'leading source of raw material', the Post reported.
On Friday, President Obama delivered a passionate defense of national security programs that secretly acquire information about Americans' phone calls, saying criticism of them is all 'hype.'
'My assessment and my team's assessment was that [the programs] help us prevent terrorist attacks and that the modest encroachments on privacy that are involved in getting phone numbers or duration [of calls] without a name attached... It was worth us doing.'
In practice, if collection managers in the NSA's Special Source Operation Group, which manages PRISM, have suspicion that their target is a foreign national engaged in terrorism or a spy, they move ahead to draw in all the data which would often net in information on the suspect's contacts.



Bombshell: A leaked powerpoint slide shows how the NSA and FBI have been extracting audio, video, photos, e-mails, documents and other data from large Silicon Valley companies for six years
'I think it’s important to understand that you can’t have 100 percent security and then have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience,' Obama said. 'We’re going to have to make some choices as a society.'
Obama said the PRISM program does not involve monitoring the email content of U.S. citizens or anyone living in the U.S., and he repeatedly stated that both programs - the phone spying and PRISM - have been approved by Congress.
'You can complain about "big brother" and how this is a potential program run amuck,' Obama added, 'but when you actually look at the details, then I think we've stuck the right balance.'

The Post noted that the tech companies are knowingly taking part in PRISM, but The Guardian, which also received a leaked NSA report, reported than all nine pleaded ignorance of the program.
The companies denied any knowledge of the program, with spokespeople saying they had not even heard of it.


Read more:

• NSA data collection turns attention to Utah Data Center
• Documents: U.S. mining data from 9 leading Internet firms; companies deny knowledge

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...#ixzz2VajROTqT

http://www.alipac.us/f9/u-s-intellig...rogram-280274/

RELATED http://www.alipac.us/f9/obamas-bat-c...ctober-280443/

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They are monitoring 100 million people?
Sounds like they are acting on the Missouri Memo and the IRS, EPA,DOL,DOJ and every other agency headed by this REGIME is targeting patriot, conservative Americans or anyone that disagrees with the socialist takeover of this country, -- JMO (I am sure my buds over at the NSA GOT THIS ONE....)

HOMELAND SECURITY ON GUARD FOR 'RIGHT-WING EXTREMISTS'

Returning U.S. military veterans singled out as particular threats

Published: 04/12/2009 at 9:40 PM

WASHINGTON – A newly unclassified Department of Homeland Security report warns against the possibility of violence by unnamed “right-wing extremists” concerned about illegal immigration, increasing federal power, restrictions on firearms, abortion and the loss of U.S. sovereignty and singles out returning war veterans as particular threats.
The report, titled “Right-wing Extremism: Current Economic and Political Climate Fueling Resurgence in Radicalization and Recruitment,” dated April 7, states that “threats from white supremacist and violent anti-government groups during 2009 have been largely rhetorical and have not indicated plans to carry out violent acts.”

However, the document, first reported by talk-radio host and WND columnist Roger Hedgecock, goes on to suggest worsening economic woes, potential new legislative restrictions on firearms and “the return of military veterans facing significant challenges reintegrating into their communities could lead to the potential emergence of terrorist groups or lone wolf extremists capable of carrying out violent attacks.”

Are you ready for a second Declaration of Independence? Sign the petition promoting true freedom once again!

The report from DHS’ Office of Intelligence and Analysis defines right-wing extremism in the U.S. as “divided into those groups, movements and adherents that are primarily hate-oriented (based on hatred of particular religious, racial or ethnic groups) and those that are mainly anti-government, rejecting federal authority in favor of state or local authority, or rejecting government authority entirely. It may include groups and individuals that are dedicated to a single issue, such as opposition to abortion or immigration.”

“[T]he consequences of a prolonged economic downturn – including real estate foreclosures, unemployment and an inability to obtain credit – could create a fertile recruiting environment for right-wing extremists and even result in confrontations between such groups and government authorities similar to those in the past,” the report says.

It adds that “growth in these groups subsided in reaction to increased government scrutiny as a result of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing and disrupted plots, improvements in the economy and the continued U.S. standing as the pre-eminent world power.”

“Proposed imposition of firearms restrictions and weapons bans likely would attract new members into the ranks of right-wing extremist groups as well as potentially spur some of them to begin planning and training for violence against the government,” the report continues. “The high volume of purchases and stockpiling of weapons and ammunition by right-wing extremists in anticipation of restrictions and bans in some parts of the country continue to be a primary concern to law enforcement.”

Most notable is the report’s focus on the impact of returning war veterans.
“Returning veterans possess combat skills and experience that are attractive to right-wing extremists,” it says. “DHS/I&A is concerned that right-wing extremists will attempt to recruit and radicalize veterans in order to boost their violent capacities.”

The report cites the April 4 shooting deaths of three police officers in Pittsburgh as an example of what may be coming, claiming the alleged gunman holds a racist ideology and believes in anti-government conspiracy theories about gun confiscations, citizen detention camps and “a Jewish-controlled ‘one-world government.’”

It also suggests the election of an African-American president and the prospect of his policy changes “are proving to be a driving force for right-wing extremist recruitment and radicalization.”

The report also mentions “‘end times’ prophecies could motivate extremist individuals and groups to stockpile food, ammunition and weapons. These teachings also have been linked with the radicalization of domestic extremist individuals and groups in the past, such as the violent Christian Identity organizations and extremist members of the militia movement.”

“DHS/I&A assesses that right-wing extremist groups’ frustration over a perceived lack of government action on illegal immigration has the potential to incite individuals or small groups toward violence,” the report continues.
The report states the DHS will be working with state and local partners over the next several months to determine the levels of right-wing extremist activity in the U.S.

Last month, the chief of the Missouri highway patrol blasted a report issued by the Missouri Information Analysis Center that linked conservative groups to domestic terrorism, assuring that such reports no longer will be issued. The report had been compiled with the assistance of DHS.

The report warned law enforcement agencies to watch for suspicious individuals who may have bumper stickers for third-party political candidates such as Ron Paul, Bob Barr and Chuck Baldwin.

It further warned law enforcement to watch out for individuals with “radical” ideologies based on Christian views, such as opposing illegal immigration, abortion and federal taxes.

Chief James Keathley of the Missouri State Patrol issued a statement that the release of the report, which outraged conservatives nationwide, prompted him to “take a hard look” at the procedures through which the report was released by the MIAC.

“My review of the procedures used by the MIAC in the three years since its inception indicates that the mechanism in place for oversight of reports needs improvement,” he wrote. “Until two weeks ago, the process for release of reports from the MIAC to law enforcement officers around the state required no review by leaders of the Missouri State Highway Patrol or the Department of Public Safety.”
“For that reason, I have ordered the MIAC to permanently cease distribution of the militia report,” he said. “Further, I am creating a new process for oversight of reports drafted by the MIAC that will require leaders of the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Department of Public Safety to review the content of these reports before they are shared with law enforcement. My office will also undertake a review of the origin of the report by MIAC.”


Read more at http://www.wnd.com/2009/04/94803/#FPLImZJsUEDcdSdB.99

NSA OBTAINS DATA FROM 50 COMPANIES



by WILLIAM BIGELOW
9 Jun 2013, 1:24 AM

Two government officials have admitted that as many as 50 American companies are now feeding the analysts at the National Security Agency with real-time user data, including credit rating agencies and internet service providers. Some of the companies have been cooperating since 2006. What the NSA calls "domestic collection" is data that originates in the U.S. One of the officials said, "The idea is to create a mosaic. We get a tip. We vet it. Then we mine the data for intelligence." Director of National Intelligence James Clapper defended the practice, stating that programs collect communications "pursuant to section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, " and "cannot be used to intentionally target any U.S. citizen, any other U.S person, or anyone within the United States."

Clapper was furious at the leaks surrounding the NSA’s practices, calling them "reprehensible" and arguing that the program "is among the most important" sources of "valuable" intelligence information.

One official explained that the NSA has to use various collection tools. PRISM is valued because it can handle disparate types of data streams using different basic encryption methods. PRISM works with another NSA program to encrypt and remove from the analysts' screen data from someone not regarded as the target of investigation. Then a FISA order allows the monitoring and analysis of the datasets, although the monitoring can technically begin before an application package is submitted to FISA.

The NSA can use credit card purchases, the area where someone signs onto the internet, or local police arrest logs to track people in near-real time. Most of the collection is focused on subjects outside the U.S, but much of the data is gleaned through American companies with servers in the United States.

Because the NSA cannot use standard law enforcement transmission channels to get the data from companies, either the companies have granted access or the fact that company officials deny doing so is a result of only a select few knowing about it.

The protocol is this: according to law, if the agency believes that the parties involved in the suspicious activity are all in the U.S., the FBI is in charge. If one party is out of the country, then the NSA is in charge. Originally, the government could ask companies for records without telling the court because the PATRIOT Act had a "business records provision." But now, the FISA gives blanket approval.

Clapper said that the leaks "risk important protections for the security of Americans."

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Governm...m-50-Companies

If they have to stop spying what can we do with this nice new air conditioned building out in the middle of no where?

Intelligence contractors on the rise since 9/11
　
NBCNews.com-1 hour ago
5 million host security clearance . 1.4 million top secret . one-third held by private contractors. the check of a job site, www.monster.com , shows 796 jobs ...
　
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52162009/
VIDEO @
http://www.nbcnews.com/video/nightly-news/52162009/#52162009