From www.whatis.com
surveillance metadata
Metadata
summarizes basic information about data, which can make categorizing, finding
and working with particular instances of data easier. In the case of
surveillance – especially on the part of government agencies -- metadata not
only facilitates categorizing and retrieving content but provides information
on its own and may also be used to legitimize collecting and examining content.
Surveillance
metadata is usually associated with electronic communication channels, such as
phone, email and social media.
Data is collected through wiretapping
and other electronic surveillance methods, including government
Trojans, wiretap
Trojans and keyloggers.
Typically,
surveillance metadata is gathered by government or law enforcement pertaining
to a particular suspect or person of interest. Metadata related to a phone call,
for example, includes the date, time, call duration, calling / contacted party
and, in the case of mobile phones, location. The conversation itself is not
metadata but content, as is, for example, an email message.
The point that
collectors of surveillance metadata, such as the National Security Agency (NSA),
emphasize to justify continued monitoring is that they record only metadata and
not content. However, metadata has been shown to be quite revealing.
Furthermore, according to whistleblower
Edward Snowden, the NSA sometimes collects content as well as metadata, and the
agency has access to all email content.
Metadata has
become a household word since Snowden, a former NSA employee, reported that the
agency’s PRISM program was monitoring United States citizens. Snowden revealed
that the NSA collects metadata from many communication sources including:
- All credit card transactions.
- Phone records from all major providers.
- Facebook data.
- App data and GPS locations from cell phones.
Snowden also
reported that the NSA enlisted the cooperation of numerous trusted businesses,
creating a ubiquitous surveillance network and, in doing so, subverted the privacy
rights of individuals.
This was last
updated in August 2014
Contributor(s): Matthew Haughn
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In
addition to this blog, I have authored the premiere book on
Netiquette, "Netiquette IQ - A Comprehensive Guide to Improve, Enhance
and Add Power to Your Email". You can view my profile, reviews of the
book and content excerpts at:
www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.
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www.amazon.com/author/paulbabicki
If you would like to listen to experts in all aspects of Netiquette and communication, try my radio show on BlogtalkRadio and an online newsletter via paper.li.I have established Netiquette discussion groups with Linkedin and Yahoo. I am also a member of the International Business Etiquette and Protocol Group and Minding Manners among others. I regularly consult for the Gerson Lehrman Group, a worldwide network of subject matter experts and I have been contributing to the blogs Everything Email and emailmonday . My work has appeared in numerous publications and I have presented to groups such as The Breakfast Club of NJ Rider University and PSG of Mercer County New Jersey.
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Posted by: Margaret
Rouse
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