US Senator objects to Olympic spying
US SENATOR Sam Brownback, a Republican from Kansas, has objected to recent Chinese government moves to spy on visitors during the Olympic games.
China has ordered hotels in Beijing and Shanghai to install Internet monitoring equipment and software, according to a news release issued by the senator's office. It claims several hotel chains have confirmed the Chinese government's order and provided documentation.
Reuters independently obtained a copy of the Chinese security service's order, which says, "In order to ensure the smooth opening of Olympic in Beijing and the Expo in Shanghai in 2010, safeguard the security of Internet network and the information thereon in the hotels... it is required that your company install and run the Security Management System."
Many foreign-owned hotels inside China have their own Internet connections to the outside world through either dedicated fibreoptic cables or rooftop satellite links or both. The hotel systems will extend to foreign guests the 'Great Firewall of China' Internet monitoring and censorship that China imposes on its own citizenry.
"I am very disappointed that the Chinese government will not follow through on its promise to the International Olympic Committee to maintain an environment free of government censorship during the Games," Senator Brownback huffed in a statement.
"The Chinese government has put in place a system to spy on and gather information about every guest at hotels where Olympic visitors are staying. This means journalists, athletes' families and other visitors will be subjected to invasive intelligence gathering by the Chinese Public Security Bureau."
But then, the US National Security Agency has been illegally monitoring all US Internet traffic and phone conversations since shortly after President Bush took office in 2001 – not beginning after the events of September 2001 as is widely thought – with the willing collusion of most of the major US telecom companies.
Moreover, at the behest of the current US administration and Republican legislators, the US Congress recently passed an amendment to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act that granted the US telecom giants retroactive immunity from civil liability for their illegal wiretapping, which also, coincidentally enough, shields current US administration officials from the possibility that there might be any investigation or potentially, criminal charges.
So Senator Brownback's note of outrage at the Chinese government's planned Olympics spying rings rather hollow. He holds no higher moral ground from which to slam China. µ
See Also
Olympic
Games: Web censorship be damned
L'Inq
Informationweek
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How can you compare what the good guys do with what the bad guys do? The good guys are doing good spying, the bad guys are doing bad spying.

Next thing you'll be saying that good killing is no better than bad killing.
"But then, the US National Security Agency has been illegally monitoring all US Internet traffic and phone conversations since shortly after President Bush took office in 2001 – not beginning after the events of September 2001 as is widely thought"

I heard this back then and that it was suspected it was for insider trading. Rudy Giuliani Made a few million off the business deals helping get that all in place - pre-9/11. It was only made public by a snitch - or honestly a true patriot ratting on crime by the mega crooks in the US fedral jobs.

Google it.
oh my, you misunderstand entirely. You see the u.s. only spies in order to catch bad guys and punish evil doers. The Chinese government on the other hand has no such scruples. Chinese spies want to catch and punish freedom lovers and regular white folks like you and me. How many white people do you think the racist Chinese have elected? The u.s. almost has a black president, it is so egalitarian.

There is simply no way to compare the repressive regime of China with the freedom loving u.s. Don't forget, "Your either with us your with the Terrists." Take your pick. [/sarcasm]
that makes you the head hypocrite in the spying triumvirate? 

And do get your facts straight, I'm sure the democrats don't want to lose face, last time I looked both fences of the isle had set wonderful precedents on espionage. Each side just cries harder when the other gets caught with the cookies out of jealousy. It must be nice living in such a morally precise universe with clearly defined shades of right and wrong -- won't you share with the rest of us stuck in reality?
This was one individual expressing concern as opposed to the entire congress. It may very well be this congressman voted against allowing retr-immunity to the telecoms. I haven't researched to see if he did but I don't believe you did either. I agree with the rest of your article, just this one point.
As Vinster correctly points out (unlike NBC, ABC and CBS who don't even bother covering an important news fact like this), Bush started illegally wiretapping WAY before September 11th. So, "the u.s. only spies in order to catch bad guys [read: Democrats] and punish evil doers" is totally inaccurate at best, illegal at worse, and incompetent for sure, or else they would've caught everyone and prevented 9/11 altogether, especially after Rice was given the "Osama Bin Laden determined to attack" the US report from the Clinton administration. And for them [Bushies] to say that nobody EVER imagined they [terrorists] could've planned airplane hijackings is simply a lie: they were running hypothetical scenarios THAT VERY MORNING, and not even air traffic controllers were sure whether it was real or just a simulation, at which time VP Darth Cheney assured (read: lied to) them that it was all part of the simulation and sent the fighter jets into the middle of the ocean (read:nowhere, AKA away from the WTC).

As to how many white people I think racist Chinese have elected? That's like asking how many Uruguayans have the Americans elected. ROTFLMAO!!! Wow, calling someone a racist for not electing politicians who don't reside in that country: brilliant Republican tactic. Don't even know where to begin rebutting that allegation. No wonder Kerry lost in 2004--a logical human simply cannot defeat stupid (albeit daft) strategic mudslinging of THAT caliber!!!
You did notice the sarcasm tag, hmm ?
Or do you not know what the word means ?
Probably not.