US military = guinea pigs??

You know those Security Clearance Forms that every military member MUST fill out when they enlist? They're about 15-20 pages of the most personal information plus phone numbers, addresses, jobs, family members, etc., and supposedly it can take years to get a security clearance.
To anyone who has more knowledge than I: does submitting this security clearance form automatically allow the government to snoop into your personal life? (I'm in the US military)
I got an error on my computer a month ago which cut off my internet connection (I have DSL)...DSL helpline could not fix it, so I reformatted my computer. As soon I was back online, a window with the yellow exclamation point popped up saying exactly this:

"Big Apple is watching you"

What the..?? Is the US government watching me??

-Disgruntled service member

[edit on 5/8/2005 by afsmurfette]

what is the OS you are running?

and yes they are

If your a service member, and had four or more, probably know what I'm talking about. An ex of mine was navy, and she would call some times really early inthe morning. Hinting at some of the odd happenings, my best guess is that she was trying to confirm if it was just them or not. I assured her we all were getting the same.

Overseas immunizations, or some other thing they won't tell you?

You know those Security Clearance Forms that every military member MUST fill out when they enlist? They're about 15-20 pages of the most personal information plus phone numbers, addresses, jobs, family members, etc., and supposedly it can take years to get a security clearance.

Ok, first of all.....what you are speaking of is a Standard Form 86, if my memoery serves me good, which from what I gather you had an SSBI (single scope back ground investigation) done on you.

every person in the military does not do one....only if you need one done and your job requires a clearance. Say pimple steve sings up for the corps and wants to be an 03 (infantry) he will not do one. But smarty bill signs up for Comm or intel...he will do one. see my point? Yeah there are some exceptions.....

It's all volunteer information...you do not have to do it, you will not get a clearance if you don't but in th end you provide the info. It is very neccassary because you might or will be handleing classified information or equipment........you just don't hand that over to some joe smoe off the street without checking him out first, making sure he does not have a history of espionage or his parents are former KGB (FSB these days).
Again, do you see my point?

You might as well do it and get the clearance.....cause they're gonna find out with or without your cooperation. Better to do it and reep the benifits than not do it and be stuck doing something you do not like...like admin or personel, or even a cook...blah!!!

Personnal....I can go on the internet and find the same stuff on just about anyone with a couple days to spare. Yeah it's personal info, but it is mainly stuff like past jobs and who's your relatives, ever smoked pot, ever sold secrets to a foreign nation...stuff like that

[edit on 9/5/2005 by SportyMB]

Originally posted by Wgatenson
what is the OS you are running?

I run Windows XP

So is our US government's watching just their service members or every US citizen?

If a service member leaves the military, does the government throw away your security clearance?

[edit on 5/9/2005 by afsmurfette]

Originally posted by afsmurfette

Originally posted by Wgatenson
what is the OS you are running?

I run Windows XP

So is our US government's watching just their service members or every US citizen?

I would not go as far as saying they are watching EVERY US citizen.....
Maybe alot.......or many but not every.
But I do believe they have the resources to watch anyone they wish to at anytime.

And I would not limit it to just US citizens as you said....anyone in the US is more like it, and even a few not in the US

ehhh I don't mean to pry, I just hate the fact that my country is looking over my shoulder at everything I do like I'm a potential criminal...if America's so intent on their policy of "innocent till proven guilty," then what are their reasons for being so nosy...

Originally posted by afsmurfette
ehhh I don't mean to pry, I just hate the fact that my country is looking over my shoulder at everything I do like I'm a potential criminal...if America's so intent on their policy of "innocent till proven guilty," then what are their reasons for being so nosy...

OK, for one thing you are appying for a clearance. check, are you with me so far?

A clearance grants people to view, access and store information from
confiden#al to secr*et all the way to top sec%ret......doing an SSBI or something of that nature is a must.......this is info that could potentially harm the nation. Do you want some joe smoe having access to it?
Do you want the plans to invade Canada all over the news? (joking)

I think not, right? There is a need to keep the public informed but the public does not need to know certain things. That is what seperates someone who has a clearance from some who does not. If do not have a clearance you cannot be punished for disclosing info of that nature...but of you do have one and you disclose it you are held liable as you should be and will face serious jailtime and possibly death.

Here is why we do not give clearances to just anyone:

Clayton J. Lonetree is the first US Marine to be convicted of spying against the United States. Lonetree who was stationed in Moscow as a guard at the US Embassy in the early 1980's confessed in 1987 to selling documents to the Soviet Union. These documents included the blueprints of the US Embassy buildings in Moscow and Vienna and the names and identities of US undercover intelligence agents in the Soviet Union.

Lonetree jeopardized not only the lives of American agents but also the lives of all the Americans working for or visiting the US Embassies in Moscow and Vienna.

Lonetree was convicted in 1987, the same year that Jonathan Pollard was sentenced. He received a 25 year sentence which was subsequently reduced to 20 years.

Lonetree was released in 1996 after serving only 9 years.

Seriously, why are you asking all this? Why bring up the clearance thing?
It is so common sense as to why you do the questionarre. Have you even gone to boot camp yet? Or are you just signed up? The choice was yours answer the questions........remember that

I've been in the military for the past two years...I've just noticed strange happenings on my home computer for the past 6 months; viruses I've never seen before, just weird stuff like someone's watching my computer.
And now my internet was disabled the other month and when I formatted my computer, I got a warning message that sounds eerily like the US government, and I think it's gotta do with me being in the military and submitting my security clearance two years ago...
US government is fishy and America isn't what America used to be...