Is Domestic Spying a good or bad thing?

Note: Please take this brief Poll: What is your opinion on domestic spying?  See how your opinion compares with others.  

Issue 9/3/16 “Spy Agency Happenings!” newsletter focuses on domestic spying in the U.S., Germany, and the UK. Here are some of the highlights:

• The FBI has an entire army of people whose sole job is to do surveillance. Whether they are tracking a terrorist suspect or mobster or potential spy.
• In 2013, the world was outraged to learn that the National Security Agency (NSA) had been spying on private communications on a mass scale. Do they still feel that way today?
• The domestic spying argument doesn't have to be 'national security vs. Civil liberties'- both can exist together. You CAN have national security while preserving civil liberties.
• The U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) may have taken some fairly extreme liberties when it comes to collecting user data, but the organization hasn't acted on a whim. There was good reason for it to do so.

Enjoy the Caribbean islands? Like spy thrillers? Journey through the Caribbean with "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean" for free! Check out the fun!

• The NSA’s domestic spying program, known in official government documents as the “President’s Surveillance Program,” ("The Program") was implemented by President George W. Bush.
• The British spy agency GCHQ spies on Americans more than the NSA does.
• Revelations of widespread U.S. spying on foreign Internet communications put a damper on President Obama's first state visit to Berlin. 
• After Germany halted its internet surveillance targeting German companies and officials last May, their spy agency BND has resumed its spying operations in collaboration with the NSA.
• Obama justifies NSA spying, reminding us that Paul Revere did it first. The POTUS argues that the US has always defended freedom through surveillance. President Obama said this in 2014 In a speech that was billed as an announcement of “reforms” to the NSA’s mass spying practices.
• The director of the National Security Administration told Congress that more than 50 potential terrorist attacks have been thwarted by two controversial tracking programs.
• The death of Osama bin Laden marked an important victory in the long war on terrorism. This article tells why.
• Does spying on Americans protect the US? The NSA Director says it does. This article explains why.
• Ever wonder how the NSA Domestic Spy Grid Works? This ex-military insider reveals how it functions.
• The Intelligence Community (IC) focuses on data security and as a group of agencies, it has been spotlighted recently as being more open to sharing. Is there a controversy here?

     Don’t forget to express your opinions in the “Discussion Corner” inside the Issue 9/3/16 “Spy Agency Happenings!” newsletter and please take the short poll above. Thank you! 

     Not subscribed to the "Spy Agency Happenings!" newsletter? Subscribe below!

Robert Morton, M.Ed., Ed.S. is a member of the Association Of Former Intelligence Officers (AFIO) and writes the online spy novel series "Corey Pearson- CIA Spymaster in the Caribbean".  The views expressed on this site do not represent those of any organization he is a member of. Contact him on the Secure Contact Form