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Intrusive USA government actions have again made the news.  USA high-tech internet-related businesses are complaining that the truth about NSA’s surveillance actions are hurting their businesses:

December 18, 2013

​Executives of major technology companies pressed Tuesday for reform of the NSA’s surveillance operations during a meeting with President Barack Obama that was initially to focus on the government’s maligned health care website.

Senior executives from Apple, Google, Yahoo, Netflix, Comcast, AT&T, Microsoft, Twitter, Facebook and others met privately Tuesday with Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and members of the White House’s national security team. The meeting, which lasted over two hours, came one day after a federal judge ruled the National Security Agency’s bulk collection of Americans’ telephone metadata is likely unconstitutional.

Obama is due next month to provide recommendations from an outside panel’s review of the NSA’s vast global spying programs revealed to the public by leaks from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden…

A US District Court judge found Monday that the NSA’s metadata collection of phone records may violate unreasonable searches and seizures protections vested in the Fourth Amendment. Judge Richard Leon also said the US Department of Justice has failed to show how the bulk sweep of metadata has helped interrupt any terror attacks.   http://rt.com/usa/nsa-obama-executives-meeting-404/

Leaders of the nation’s biggest technology firms warned President Obama during a lengthy meeting at the White House on Tuesday that National Security Agency spying programsare damaging their reputations and could harm the broader economy.

Cisco Systems has said it is seeing customers, especially overseas, back away from American-branded technology after documents revealed that the NSA enlisted tech firms and secretly tapped into their data hubs around the world as the agency pursued terrorism suspects. Companies such as IBM, AT&T and Verizon Communications are facing angry shareholders, some of whom have filed lawsuits demanding that the companies disclose their participation in NSA intelligence programs.  http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/technology/tech-executives-to-obama-nsa-spying-revelations-are-threatening-business/2013/12/17/6569b226-6734-11e3-a0b9-249bbb34602c_story.html

The reality is that the USA’s National Security Agency has repeatedly violated own rules, the intent of the Constitution of the USA, and various foreign laws. It has been able to force companies to collect and transmit data that they have not wanted to do.  By doing this, the NSA is, according to American-companies, apparently strengthening non-USA tech companies, which in turn, will make it harder for NSA to spy as much as it wants.  Ultimately, this will help the Europeans and result in disaster for the USA.  It is also not helpful for the economy of the USA.

As I have mentioned before, even if the NSA is ordered to stop all of it, it will be too little too late. The reality is that because of the Snowden disclosures, the USA has agreed to share intelligence, espionage, and data collection techniques with the Europeans and foreign companies are benefiting from the fear of many being involved with American software/etc.

Of course, it is not just the NSA that is too intrusive.  USA agencies such as the IRS also are allowed to use techniques and request certain data which I believe is unconstitutional.  Various financial institutions will no longer deal with USA citizens or USA residents because of these tactics.  Bringing this up does not mean that I am any type of a tax protestor (see the article Taxes and/or watch the video Should Christians Pay Taxes?).  But, basically my point is that the USA government thinks it can require people to collect data and/or show the government anything it wants–and this is hurting the USA internationally, as well as its own citizens.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is another case in point. I heard the then head of it a while back basically state that the TSA is not just for airport screening and can screen people for buses, trains, and even driving their own cars.  That official basically stated that the word “Transportation” in its title gave it broader latitude in surveillance, screening, and basically policing powers than the public tended to realize.  The fact that TSA has mainly focused on airport screening does not mean that someday it will not decide to have greater impact on other forms of travel.

The USA’s airport screening, which can include more than TSA, has just made the news for an international incident:

December 18, 2013

NEW YORK (Reuters) – An Indian diplomat arrested last week for allegedly committing visa fraud and underpaying her nanny was strip-searched, the U.S. the U.S. Marshals Service Office of Public Affairs confirmed on Tuesday.  http://in.reuters.com/article/2013/12/17/usa-india-diplomat-devyani-khobragade-idINDEE9BG0F820131217

December 18, 2013

An Indian diplomat arrested in the United States last week said she faced repeated handcuffing and cavity searches while being held on visa fraud charges in New York City, fueling a diplomatic dispute between the U.S. and India.

In an email published in Indian media Wednesday, Deputy Consul General Devyani Khobragade, said she broke down in tears multiple times while undergoing cavity searches and other indignities. She said she was also held in a space with common criminals and drug addicts despite her repeated assertions that she had diplomatic immunity.

India has reacted with outrage to Khobragade’s arrest. Supporters of a small opposition party staged an anti-U.S. protest in New Delhi on Wednesday. On Tuesday, Indian authorities asked U.S. consular officers to return their identity cards, rescinded airport passes and removed concrete security barriers from in front of the U.S. embassy in New Delhi.

The U.S. State Department has told India it does not want the incident to affect diplomatic ties between the two nations.  http://www.voanews.com/content/detained-diplomat-complains-about-treatment-in-us-custody/1812647.html

The fact that it was an adult woman possibly could have been a factor in the USA’s excessive tactics–hence this is not always about safety.  In addition to various forms of voyeurism that some officials may be involved in, I believe that certain TSA, NSA, IRS, and other government officials simply enjoy power and make people do things because they feel that they ‘legally’ can, despite the protections that were written into the Constitution of the USA, such as the Bill of Rights.

Yet, there are consequences for this abuse.  The consequences are starting to hurt the USA, its reputation, its economy, and its companies.  Ultimately, it will be even much worse.  It is not likely that USA government agencies want to give up power, and will likely attempt to make the most minor of adjustments to pretend that they are not as intrusive as they are or can be.

The USA will pay for its hypocrisy according to biblical prophecies (cf. Isaiah 10:6, KJV).  President Obama could try to truly reverse this, but I am not expecting much more than statements and limited changes, despite whatever rhetoric he or his administration will state.  Nor do I believe that a Republican administration will do that either.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, December 18th, 2013 at 7:42 am and is filed under Prophecy.

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