Spying in America

A firestorm continues to rage in America over a series of published leaks regarding a top-secret domestic and foreign cyber-surveillance project by the US National Security Agency. Code-named “PRISM,” the existence of the highly classified project was disclosed in a series of news reports by the British paper Guardian and Washington Post about the extraction of information from telephone providers and Internet companies (such as Yahoo, Google, Facebook), with the raw data used as basis for daily intelligence reports to the US president, the reports said.

The disclosures – in particular about the collection of phone records (including the time and duration of such calls) of millions of subscribers of Verizon reportedly on a daily basis – triggered calls for an investigation, with civil liberties advocates calling for a class action suit for what they described as an abuse and violation of privacy rights. National Intelligence director James Clapper admitted the existence of PRISM, assailing what he called reckless disclosures that misrepresent the measures taken by the intelligence community to keep Americans safe.

Clapper said the surveillance activities were all legal, saying the US government does not unilaterally get information from telecoms companies and from the servers of Internet service providers. The data extraction and monitoring activities, he said, were done with approval from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA). Former NSA and Central Intelligence Agency chief Gen. Michael Hayden also defended the program, saying it was effective and not abusive, arguing that the records of individuals who have no known links to terrorism are not touched. It’s ironic however that Hayden’s nomination as CIA chief was thumbed down by then-Senator Barack Obama because of the four-star general’s NSA stint.

A few days ago, the person responsible for the leaks came out into the open – former NSA contractor and CIA computer specialist Edward Snowden, a 29-year-old high-school drop out who has since fled to Hong Kong which he lauded for its commitment to free speech. Snowden has reportedly racked up high hotel bills, barricading his room with pillows and putting on a red hood to cover his head and his laptop supposedly to thwart attempts to crack his passwords.  Naturally, the hunt is on for the whistleblower, with the NSA mulling charges to be filed against him.

Obama, who has expanded the initial surveillance program started by his predecessor George W. Bush under the highly-controversial USA PATRIOT Act (Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism Act of 2001), strongly defended PRISM, saying people can complain about “Big Brother” but that the government surveillance of Americans’ telephone and Internet activities is a “modest encroachment” and a small tradeoff for keeping the US safe from terrorist attacks.

“Nobody is listening to your phone calls. This is not what the program is about,” he explained, adding that, “You can’t have 100 percent security and then also have 100 percent privacy and zero inconvenience.”

Cellphones connected to cancer cells

Yesterday the Philippine Star ran a banner story about the dangers posed by cellphone use, among them the potential to trigger combustion. Oil industry players warned people to be mindful of safety measures when using fuels like gasoline and liquefied petroleum gas or LPG, which is being pinpointed as the likely cause of the explosion at the Serendra condominium in Global City.

Just like smoking, excessive use of cellphones can be dangerous to health, with numerous studies citing a likely connection between cellphones and certain types of cancer. While cellphones emit low levels of electromagnetic radiation, experts say prolonged use as well as carrying them close to the head and the body for long periods of time can cause medical conditions including infertility as well as cancer.

Lee Atwater, whom we knew personally and was the Republican National Committee chairman and a close adviser to President George H. W. Bush, died at a very young age – 41 in fact – due to an aggressive type of brain cancer known as astrocytoma. Lee was known to be an excessive cellphone user, and he just suddenly collapsed one day during a 1990 fundraising event for a senatorial candidate. Lee underwent radiation therapy and was bound to a wheelchair until his death in March 1991.

Experts recommend a few simple tips that could help reduce exposure to cellphone radiation, among them the use of the speakerphone or an earpiece and refraining from keeping the cell in your pocket or belt loop. Lastly, they advise putting the cellphone to the ear only after the call connects – not before – and to utilize text messaging more than calls.

Note from Ambassador Lopez

Our Philippine Ambassador to Japan Manolo Lopez sent us a note thanking us about our June 6 story on the recovery of our patrimonial property in Nampeidai, saying the Filipino community was very touched, recalling how all the Tokyo-based staff had tears in their eyes while they were singing the national anthem. It was a very emotional moment as everyone entered the gates of the recovered property, the Ambassador said. He also disclosed that President Noynoy Aquino will be going to Tokyo late this year for the conferment of an honorary degree by Sophia University. 

***

Email: [email protected]