Mukukumbukira pomwe akuluakulu a National Security Agency adalimbikira kuti "amangotenga" metadata kuchokera pamafoni anu? Chomwe amatanthawuza ndi chakuti sanali kumvetsera pamayitanidwe anu, kungodziwa yemwe mumayimbira komanso nthawi. Ndinanena panthawiyo kuti 'metadata' pama foni am'manja imaphatikizapo zambiri za komwe muli, kotero kuti akutsatira anthu.
Kotero zikuwoneka kuti NSA ikusonkhanitsa kwenikweni 5 biliyoni amalemba tsiku pamalowo ya mafoni padziko lonse lapansi, malinga ndi Washington Post, yomwe ikugwiritsa ntchito zikalata zotayidwa za Snowden. Akuluakulu a NSA amakana kuti akusonkhanitsa dala deta kuchokera ku mafoni aku America mkati mwa dzikoli, koma ndithudi momwe deta yamtunduwu imagwirira ntchito, n'zosapeลตeka kuti anthu ambiri aku America amatha kukhala ndi malo awo. Komanso mamiliyoni ambiri aku America amapita kunja chaka chilichonse. Kodi timasiya ufulu wathu wamalamulo okhudzana ndi boma lathu pomwe tichoka m'mphepete mwa US?
NSA ikuchita zofanana ndi kuika chipangizo cha Global Positioning Satellite (GPS) pa mamiliyoni a anthu aku America. A FBI adayesanso kuyika ma tracker a GPS pamagalimoto a anthu omwe amawafufuza ndikungowatsata kwa mwezi umodzi mpaka miyezi isanu ndi umodzi popanda chilolezo. Izi ndi zosaloledwa, monga bwalo la Third Circuit Federal Appeals ku Philadelphia walamulira posachedwapa. Boma likuti anthu akamayendayenda poyera ndi zovomerezeka kuwayang'anira ndipo sayembekezera kuti ali pachinsinsi. Oweruzawo apeza kuti anthu sayembekezera kuti wina azitsatira kusuntha kwawo 24/7 kwa miyezi ingapo, ndipo ali ndi ufulu wokhala ndi chinsinsi kuposa pamenepo pokhapokha apolisi angatsimikizire woweruza kuti pali chifukwa choperekera chilolezo. Vuto ndilakuti anthu aku America omwe akutsatiridwa nthawi zambiri samadziwa, ndipo mpaka pano makhothi ateteza boma kuti lisamayankhe milandu ya anthu omwe angakhudzidwe, chifukwa choti sikunatsimikizidwe. Koma palibe kusiyana kulikonse pakati pa kutitsata mosamalitsa momwe NSA imachitira komanso kutitsata ndi chipangizo cha GPS (zowonadi, NSA ikupeza zambiri za GPS).
Mukadanena kuti pamene mavumbulutso a Snowden adayamba kuti NSA ikuyang'ana mafoni a m'manja a 5 biliyoni akuyendayenda, anthu akanakutsutsani kuti ndinu openga. Mmodzi pambuyo pa mnzake, kutulutsa kwa Snowden kwawonetsa kuti zinthu ndizovuta kwambiri kuwirikiza kawiri kuposa zomwe zikuwonetsedwa ndi akuluakulu. Snowden adati NSA idalowa mu ma seva a Google, Yahoo ndi ena ndipo amatha kutiwona tikulemba imelo munthawi yeniyeni. Keith Alexander ndi James Clapper, onse abodza odziwika bwino komanso omwe akuwoneka kuti ndi achinyengo, adati Snowden samamvetsetsa momwe dongosololi limagwirira ntchito. Google ndi Microsoft ndi enawo adadabwa chifukwa, adati, sanapatse boma mwayi wogwiritsa ntchito maseva awo nthawi zambiri, koma kumaakaunti omwe akuwakayikira kuti akuwopseza chitetezo cha dziko. Koma kenako zinapezeka kuti NSA idagwiritsa ntchito zofooka pamayendedwe pakati pa ma seva kuti adzilowetse mumayendedwe a data. Iwo anali nazo zonse. Kenako zinadziwika kuti boma likuyang'anira maakaunti akubanki a aliyense ndi ma kirediti kadi.
Kenako zidapezeka kuti analibe metadata chabe. Adaphatikiza zonunkhiza ku zingwe za trans-Atlantic fiber optic zonyamula foni ndi imelo komwe adatuluka m'nyanja ku UK. Iwo ndi a GCHQ aku Britain adalanda zonse- zomwe zili ndi maimelo osati ma adilesi awo okha, komanso zomwe zili pamafoni. Popeza magalimoto aku US amayenda padziko lonse lapansi kudzera m'zingwezi, mosakayikira amalumikizana ndi anthu aku America popanda chilolezo.
Tsopano zikuwonekera kuti NSA ikufuna kudziwa komwe aliyense ali nthawi zonse. Mwachiwonekere iwo sangawone anthu onsewo, koma akhoza kukumba deta ndi zero pa munthu aliyense amene akufuna. Osagwiritsa ntchito GPS sangadziwike molondola, koma malo awo amatha kutsatiridwa katatu kuchokera pansanja. Ndikuganiza kuti NSA ikugwira data ya GPS komwe mbaliyo ikugwira ntchito, kuti anthuwo athe kuwatsata molondola.
Kumene iwo ali ("mosadziwa") akugwira ndi kusunga deta ya malo pa anthu osalakwa a ku America popanda chilolezo, NSA ikuphwanya (kachiwiri) Kusintha kwa Fourth Amendment, ndipo ikuphwanya chigamulo chaposachedwa cha khothi la apilo la Federal.