Quote:
Originally Posted by BarryLee
A few years ago I was given a tour of a large postal processing center. They have large machines that use some sort of camera to read the address, sort and route the mail. I’m sure they just maintain this stuff in a database for some period of time. In general I see no problem with them doing this, but would hope a warrant is required to review data on a specific individual.
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Whether or not they need a warrant to review the data on a specific individual, there is still (IMHO) a HUGE jump from this to the PRISM program. If the Feds want to actually read my mail, they have to get the warrant and put someone in the post office or processing center while my mail is passing through it. Once the mail has been delivered to me, they've lost their chance to read the content.
With PRISM (as it has been described), the NSA doesn't capture just the "metadata" pertaining to e-mails and tweets, they actually capture the entire message. So they don't have any need to be quick about getting a warrant to read your messages. They can wait six months, or six years, then get a warrant and go back as far as the data collection allows. The warrant process is no longer time-sensitive.
In other words, as others have pointed out, they are collective evidence on millions of people who are NOT suspects. The USPS address scanning doesn't even begin to compare with this.