Panelists answered the following: Are you OK with the NSA’s program collecting millions of web images to find intelligence targets?
Nants Foley: “I am okay with it. I believe our information and image is so easily obtained these days by anyone. I will just make sure I do not sunbathe in the nude. Some images are better left unseen.”
Mary Zanger: “No. Americans are tired of a surveillance society and tired of wars. We are less safe now than before our wars. Every bomb from a drone dropped on Yemeni or Pakistani civilians creates more recruits for terrorism. The best way to end the need for surveillance and counter terrorist activities is to end our war on terrorism and to stop our own terrorist activities.”
Ruth Erickson: “International airport inspectors already have millions of images on their computer screens to check against passport photos on their ‘no fly’ lists. If it’s going to help identify terrorists, intelligence targets and other undesirables, then it’s a necessary inconvenience which can be used for safety purposes.”
Marty Richman: “Yes, but only if the material regarding Americans was legally obtained. Of course, that is really the key issue with almost everything the NSA does these days; they do not seem to care much about the legalities.”
Richard Place: “Not without a specific court order identifying the suspect. If the privilege is abused the employee should be imprisoned and lose all benefits. ”
Jim West: “To find intelligence targets that threaten the country – yes. To be my ‘Big Brother’ – no. But if you put it on the Internet it’s kind of hard to cry when someone else picks it up.”
