Editor,
New revelations by the German publication, Der Spiegel, have provided details of a super secretive unit inside the National Security Agency (NSA), called the Office of Tailored Access Operations, or TAO (no connection to the Chinese spiritual path). TAO has developed new ways to invade our privacy, courtesy of Microsoft, by gaining access to Windows users who report technical problems (a frequent occurrence).
In addition, new computer orders are intercepted in transit and special malware is implanted to monitor all activity of unsuspecting users, all with a wink and nod from Federal Express and the United Parcel Service. Two federal judges have harshly admonished the NSA for its dragnet surveillance vastly exceeding its mandate and thus violating the Constitution. A panel appointed by President Obama issued a strong indictment calling for a major overhaul of the agency.
The congressional oversight committee has clearly failed in its mission and its chairman, U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, should resign. It is not surprising that her approval ratings have plummeted following her vigorous support for the NSA’s highly questionable activities. We need more whistleblowers like Snowden. Remember how thousands of Iraqis and Americans died based on false claims of weapons of mass destruction or the release of the Pentagon Papers which exposed the massive deceit of our government and halted the war in Vietnam?
In a landmark editorial, the New York Times has called for “some form of clemency that would allow Snowden to return home.”
Jagjit Singh
Los Altos
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