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NSA Converting Our Spoken Words Into Searchable Text

George Washington's picture




 

Dan Froomkin reports today at the Intercept:

Most people don’t realize that the words they speak are not so private anymore, either.

 

Top-secret documents from the archive of former NSA contractor Edward Snowden show the National Security Agency can now automatically recognize the content within phone calls by creating rough transcripts and phonetic representations that can be easily searched and stored.

 

The documents show NSA analysts celebrating the development of what they called “Google for Voice” nearly a decade ago.

 

***

 

The Snowden documents describe extensive use of keyword searching as well as computer programs designed to analyze and “extract” the content of voice conversations, and even use sophisticated algorithms to flag conversations of interest.

 

***

 

By leveraging advances in automated speech recognition, the NSA has entered the era of bulk listening.

 

And this has happened with no apparent public oversight, hearings or legislative action. Congress hasn’t shown signs of even knowing that it’s going on.

 

***

 

Jennifer Granick, civil liberties director at the Stanford Center for Internet and Society, told The Intercept …  “Once you have this capability, then the question is: How will it be deployed? Can you temporarily cache all American phone calls, transcribe all the phone calls, and do text searching of the content of the calls?” she said. “It may not be what they are doing right now, but they’ll be able to do it.”

 

And, she asked: “How would we ever know if they change the policy?”

 

Indeed, NSA officials have been secretive about their ability to convert speech to text, and how widely they use it, leaving open any number of possibilities.

 

That secrecy is the key, Granick said. “We don’t have any idea how many innocent people are being affected, or how many of those innocent people are also Americans.”

 

***

 

Voice communications can be collected by the NSA whether they are being sent by regular phone lines, over cellular networks, or through voice-over-internet services.

(Anyone who has tried dictating into their smart phone – or who uses modern dictation software – knows how incredibly accurate this kind of technology can be.)

The NSA refused to tell the Intercept how widely the speech-to-text programs are used on Americans.

But high-level NSA whistleblowers Bill Binney, Thomas Drake and Russell Tice have all told Washington’s Blog that NSA is recording the content – and not just the metadata – of Americans’ phone calls. And see this.

Indeed, any statements that content is only stored for some short period of time is moot, since transcripts of that content can easily be stored forever … without taking up much space.

Of course, the NSA voluntarily shares the raw data it collects on American citizens with Israel and likely also with Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the UK.   And see this.  So those countries might be doing voice-to-text transcription on Americans' conversations as well.

Update: After reviewing this story, NSA whistleblower Bill Binney told Washington’s Blog:

It sounds like they have achieved as least a working level of success at automatically translating speech.  This means to me that they use this capability to do a rough scan of unlimited numbers of phone calls to sample what is being said.  Add to that the ability to do digital recordings at the same time and keep for a short period (20-30 days) gives their analysts (as well as FBI/DEA/DOJ/IRS/DHS/CIA/etc.) a window of opportunity to select the recordings and have people do a final transcription for the record and files/storage.  Now they need to do a similar thing for video. For Americans, this has major implications when applied to the NSA FAIRVIEW program with its 80 to 100 taps on the fiber lines inside the lower 48 states. FAIRVIEW would enable them to capture rough translations of most calls made in the US.

As Binney previously explained:

BILL BINNEY:  Fairview is the program they use that produces most of the content and metadata on US citizens. Note the distribution of tape points in the lower 48 states.

 

 

WASHINGTON’S BLOG:  The US 990-Fairview slide certainly shows NSA sucking up alot of data from within America.

 

But the press characterizes Fairview as gathering info solely on foreigners. Sounds like this is false?

 

In other words, Fairview sucks up information – content and metadata – on Americans and foreigners, and then NSA simply retains and stores the info?

 

BILL BINNEY:  If NSA was after only foreigners, then they would have collection points on the east and west coasts at points where the transoceanic cables surface. Anything other than that is collecting domestic communications – the PSTN phone network and the world wide web.

 

You could argue that Stormbrew [another “upstream” collection program … see below] is targeted at foreign by the distribution. But, some of that is also questionable. This does not count input from cooperative countries (second and third parties) on domestic activity collected by them as well. To the point, they have done nothing but lie to us.

 

 

In other words, the Stormbrew map is a pretty good proxy for what foreign surveillance locations should look like. But the Fairview map shows many more collection points all over the country … proving that the NSA is specifically collecting information on Americans living on U.S. soil.

 

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Wed, 05/06/2015 - 09:57 | 6065422 shovelhead
shovelhead's picture

Jury nullification or a hung jury.

Terrorize the system using their own rules.

File at least 15 amendments to your tax returns.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:21 | 6063718 _SILENCER
_SILENCER's picture

If I mail them my feces, will they scan it for future ANALysis?

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:12 | 6063692 nmewn
nmewn's picture

"Nobody is listening to your telephone calls..." - Barack Insane O'Barry, 2013

"I think it is important to recognize that you can't have 100% security and then also have 100% privacy and zero inconvenience," O'Barry said. "You know, we are going to have to make some choices as a society." - Barack Insane O'Barry, 2013

"Transparency and the rule of law will be the touchstones of this presidency."-Barack Insane O'Barry, 2009

"AT&T, Verizon and Comcast declined to comment on the report Friday. Time Warner said it was unfamiliar with PRISM."

Apparently AT&T, Verizon, Comcast and Time Warner are held to a higher standard of "truthiness" or they were told to shut up ;-)

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 18:55 | 6063638 Pancho de Villa
Pancho de Villa's picture

Why can't we just abolish the NSA?

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:04 | 6063669 -_-
-_-'s picture

And let the muzzies win? I don't think so vato.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 23:50 | 6064521 Ms No
Ms No's picture

Your pretty sexy in those pants George.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:23 | 6063724 -_-
-_-'s picture

jklol buddy <:^)

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 18:16 | 6063533 blindman
blindman's picture

so, the digital revolution intersecting
with global gobble has entirely disabled
not only individual human consciousness, but
everything that hangs off it, necessarily.
have we lost our ground and neutral?

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 18:08 | 6063512 Joebloinvestor
Joebloinvestor's picture

Nitro methane.

Not just dragster or model airplane fuel.

 

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 06:56 | 6064867 neidermeyer
neidermeyer's picture

I prefer Normal Nitro Propanol NNP.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 18:00 | 6063487 mrdenis
mrdenis's picture

Iway onlyway useway igpay atinlay onway ethay onephay 

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 22:57 | 6064404 exomike
exomike's picture

Forget the Pig Latin, guys. NSA paid my private intelligence firm $74.8 million to build a backdoor into Pig Latin.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 21:00 | 6064079 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

What?  Did you just say you are going to blow up the NSA with a bomb for allah because you are a ISIS muslim?

PS - Salt EVERY conversation with similar things and this whole recording thing will get old fast.  Hell, make it translation for regular conversation.  Turn blow up into screw, the NSA into the missus, the bomb into dick, allah to orgasm, and isis/muslim to horny bastard.  I'm sure you creative ones can do better.  The important thing is to have fun when punking the government.

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 09:10 | 6065216 sleigher
sleigher's picture

I read somewhere that because of spam, the NSA filters will throw away emails that have the word Viagra in them.

 

So I made that my email signature.  Who knows...

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 21:01 | 6064077 Emergency Ward
Emergency Ward's picture

UtherMay UckFay oseThay ocksuckersCay atAy eThay esaNay.  Shit, you better hope they don't have pig-latin xlators.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 18:55 | 6063502 George Washington
George Washington's picture

[Deleted.]

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 21:00 | 6064080 Emergency Ward
Emergency Ward's picture

too late, they already have a screen capture!

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:28 | 6063391 InanimateCarbonRod
InanimateCarbonRod's picture

I said "I'd like to get into your fat pants.." not "I'd like to get into nuclear plants..."

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:40 | 6063785 MeelionDollerBogus
MeelionDollerBogus's picture

Damn that Siri

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:28 | 6063389 InanimateCarbonRod
InanimateCarbonRod's picture

I said "I'd like to get into your fat pants.." not "I'd like to get into nuclear plants..."

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:26 | 6063379 kchrisc
kchrisc's picture

Let them search this:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."

Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:22 | 6063364 monad
monad's picture

Boycott Telecomms, ISPs, propaganda producers and outlets, MSM. Just walk away.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:32 | 6063381 unplugged
unplugged's picture

better yet, employ countermeasures & counter-propaganda of your own

use 2 computers; one unplugged from internet for all your data, the other plugged in with none of your data on it

use 2 cell phones; doubles their effort needed to track you - and they will only be 50% correct

etc

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:28 | 6063746 El Vaquero
El Vaquero's picture

Flood them with data.  They'll wind burning up physical resources to chase around false positives.  Like that one where the couple had the FBI show up at her door because one had searched for pressure cookers and the other had searched for backpacks.  Very few of the people actually using these tools understand the nature of this, and it will lead to them either using it only in a targeted fashion (still not good,) or sending goons out to harass innocent person after innocent person. 

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 01:17 | 6064648 cigarEngineer
cigarEngineer's picture

A virus that infects computers and performs searches in the background for "high risk keywords." Indistinguishable from actual typed searches.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 23:11 | 6064440 SixIsNinE
SixIsNinE's picture

true, but not if you're the Brandon Raub type, ex- military posting unpleasantries on Farcebook, and wind up being SWAT teamed into the LooneyBin wing and have to have Whitehead of Rutherford get yer ass out of there....

I've told many folks who use the Fbook about what' we've learned over the past years about fbook being NSA gathering creating, but, alas, none have exited the addiction.... the water seems not to boil quite yet, though our Noble Sibel Edmonds has been on the scene for over a decade by now, yes ?....

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 23:35 | 6064494 El Vaquero
El Vaquero's picture

It takes a lot of those kinds of events to eventually shatter people's normalcy bias.  They don't want to believe that totalitarianism is creeping up on us, so they won't until they don't have a choice.  Once the normalcy bias is shattered, things get interesting. 

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 09:06 | 6065202 sleigher
sleigher's picture

"so they won't until they don't have a choice"

At which point it is already way too late.  The line of thought leads to we deserve what we get.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 21:34 | 6064183 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

Better yet, use every opportunity at work, parties, libraries... to seed false info that implicates other people. 

Now some might say this is not nice or honorable but IF people hadn't voted in the traitors who gave us the NSA they would not be implicated in the NSA dragnet.  Fuck 'em, fuck 'em all.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 22:54 | 6064394 Chauncey Gardener
Chauncey Gardener's picture

Look for your neighbors and co-workers cars with Obama stickers. Then report them. I hope I offend someone with this comment.

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 08:21 | 6065012 disgruntled hou...
disgruntled housewife's picture

If you think this all began with Obama you are naive. The whole nation has been duped for a long time. Targeting neighbors and co- workers who have commited no crime is chicken shit. If you are upset about the nation's direction target your parents, your grandparents, your great grandparents. Didn't Eisenhower wan about the military industrial complex? For that matter Smedley Butler's book "War is a Raquet" was published in 1935. What got your attention was a black man in office. Obama is no different than the rest.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 18:48 | 6063479 SHRAGS
SHRAGS's picture

Unfortunately many of live in one of the FVEYS vassel states where we need to multiple ID (driver's license, passport government issued ID cards) before a SIM card can be even activated.  The SIM card is the new "Australia Card" circa 1987.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:10 | 6063313 czarangelus
czarangelus's picture

Don't worry guys this will totally help. That's why the Stasi are still running East Germany today.

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 04:34 | 6064785 OldPhart
OldPhart's picture

Does anyone remember Report@whitehouse.gov was active just after that fucktoid took orifice?

I used to send copies of every spam recieved hoping they'd choke on it.

What brought the FBI to my door was a rant that started with "Bankers or Politicians...who do we kill first?"

So let me throw that challenge back out there...

BANKERS OR POLICITIANS...WHO DO WE KILL FIRST?

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:16 | 6063280 g'kar
g&#039;kar's picture

In the early 1980's my TI-99/4a (my first computer) had a speech synthesizer which converted text to speech (as well as providing speech during games). That was over 30 years ago. We in the serf world are probably 30-40 years behind in consumer technology as to what exists in the darker corners of things.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:24 | 6063370 SHRAGS
SHRAGS's picture

The Apple ][ had a card called RAM - Remote Automated Mouth.  I see someone has updated this project with Off The Shelf components & about 50 lines of code.  https://web.archive.org/web/20150502061332/http://vaxman.de/projects/dra...

Modern computing bought to you by NSA Inside

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 21:36 | 6064191 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

Remote Automated Mouth - sounds like a Jap sexbot.  Yeah, work was long and unamusing today.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:41 | 6063410 g'kar
g&#039;kar's picture

Honestly, with the money .gov has stolen over the decades, they probably have stuff so advanced stashed away in all areas of technology we cannot even conceive of it. The sci-fi shows and movies of the past probably gives a good insight.

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 06:52 | 6064859 neidermeyer
neidermeyer's picture

With very few exceptions the .gov types are functional morons, they may have a few people in labs that are good but I guarantee you most of their tech goodies are 1 or 2 steps ahead of commercial products developed by the same people in secret labs with agreements to keep the new stuff off the market for xx years. 

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:42 | 6063793 Thisson
Thisson's picture

Dont you think its much more likely that most of those resources have been looted?

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 19:47 | 6063813 g'kar
g&#039;kar's picture

No. The power derived from the tech is more valuable then the money spent.

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 21:37 | 6064194 TheReplacement
TheReplacement's picture

I knew a contractor and you, sir, are no contractor.

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 08:33 | 6064349 g'kar
g&#039;kar's picture

??????

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 16:56 | 6063254 unplugged
unplugged's picture

Dear NSA,

slkdja;lkj049751=uSKJAKUJ[9O34U091U509UHUSHF;A;JFKJ23YUGAKNGNQ-U7-34UUJKAHIFO7YQ-89KLHF. SLAKJH8AIDOOAFSAOA9Y1076YAHDFANKKJjKJAKLSJFU093U4EJKLFAKJKJDJKjjkjksdjfaki75ujkdjfskj478djqk
jdkjakjfakjklau84ujapu5ajajSJFA;LKJKJAKJSJkjsk4jk4j5858558u5947u359735ujkfsf%%&^*&^(^%)MHK

Have a nice day,
Unplugged

 

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 21:47 | 6064224 williambanzai7
williambanzai7's picture

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 17:39 | 6063432 kchrisc
kchrisc's picture

Dear NSA,

Decipher this: All of you will be held accountable for your crimes against the American people; treason.

278EF7FE205DD60BD39B47448FA31C61
An American citizen, not US subject.

Liberty is a demand. Tyranny is submission.

 

Tyranny is listening; Liberty is "listing."

Tue, 05/05/2015 - 20:54 | 6064058 ILLILLILLI
ILLILLILLI's picture

CHA-GEE BE-TKAH SHIL-LOH BE-TKAH SHUSH AH-LOSZ A-KHA GLOE-IH TSAH BE-TKAH TSA-E-DONIN-EE TLO-CHIN AL-NA-AS-DZOH BE-TKAH AH-YA-TSINNE NO-DA-IH NA-AS-TSO-SI NE-ZHONI DIBEH BE-TKAH A-KHA A-KEH-DI-GLINI DZEH AH-LOSZ BE-TKAH BE-TKAH NASH-DOIE-TSO TSE-NILL BESH-DO-TLIZ TSAH-AS-ZIH BE-TKAH LHA-CHA-EH TLO-CHIN AH-TAD KLESH

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 09:29 | 6065171 sleigher
sleigher's picture

All of you should learn PGP and use it.

 

-----BEGIN PGP MESSAGE-----

Version: GnuPG v1

 

hQIMA4QhyNB52p16AQ/+K8mAbN3/4TvjgjmsXABVf0SfUdXzNgiz6H6tVRVdGfFj

5WnQ7eZLuOPO2cIn2PmXS+/WoDaV8dM9cyJgVuZaMgseOg8Ep5IfhWDKPkYqgqFl

LzGMLstYldth29XuUp707JHpa+/IH/RD1oyPWiAWDLcpymXlc5dnNlMVx/0rfR8i

u2A2fquWXzD6ibRvFgdTPljTtXk7JEPAQ0nu4DyD9qEtpXk1f+iYNdBDBAoPqHhE

sqW+j6JZQS70rpitDst2ktQqupDOTe7FoWK8zdYWTmczMDMIe5GTUwJ+LU4P7BBk

1EkMmFb7Qv+vg2AKyHHkYW6pcj1xrjF7dblcdho/Orx7lLPxIWIU8nrIfKeVObSo

CcR++Q2kiDfEKLdnZ7ani9ImTvoLl92/wL276EYih4sS0cpE6hYPnk6M2DMdgFo6

kEUZsUyz7igSZKlGXXPPSq84MrkCXb2pdWUfOkGg4OiYyYQizKbTtdexL1y3iGSH

Jesv6b7xnRIfJcoYJNcXFEAGa1u7PSsymKcQ6VyXqJW0h/9RgERL+IthXFXtGQ1a

JkUg4U1WRoLzYo2rXwxycB71wbHTFRZz1yX8PPuZKYdx80OnZIVDoROKp/lv8q6w

iG2XugU2Lmfmb7Y090Z+fgLmIu4+CBN1aE+4dXxInVgp2ay1vV8JnipOOfdtRnLS

ZQErSUJj10vu28oi9yll4PEm8uMMpigSWgpB5UA1EO+M/wwZnCfaVhVlyDS82AVb

UCrSxdd5MSforCjYFY8eunpVtTUTeyxdEG9lQJnwFK75NXj/gOg9cJ+bkW9EHcrk

pSkPbAA0

=/jgv

-----END PGP MESSAGE-----

 

 

Wed, 05/06/2015 - 03:53 | 6064746 crazytechnician
crazytechnician's picture

.

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