Episode 115: ”The Whole Haystack”

In recent years, Americans and global citizens have been made aware of government surveillance and data gathering programs. But the conversation surrounding the topic has died down for the most part. Many trend towards poles of paranoia or complacency with fewer individuals attempting to parse through the complex modern phenomenon. And admittedly, this would not be an easy task, as much of the necessary information is classified and well-guarded. This week Nico Hargreaves-Heald joins us to explore a particular case of NSA surveillance as used to track and convict Basaaly Moalin, who was found to have financed Somalian extremists. How should American citizens consider the measures taken by agencies such as the NSA? Is there a particular reason that technological monitoring has become such a prominent tool of the US government? How might the approach of sifting through metadata actually overwhelm or distract authorities from legitimate threats and criminal activity?