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Feb 12 16 9:43 AM
James Clapper did not name specific agency as being involved in surveillance via smart-home devices but said in congressional testimony it is a distinct possibilityThe US intelligence chief has acknowledged for the first time that agencies might use a new generation of smart household devices to increase their surveillance capabilities. As increasing numbers of devices connect to the internet and to one another, the so-called internet of things promises consumers increased convenience – the remotely operated thermostat from Google-owned Nest is a leading example. But as home computing migrates away from the laptop, the tablet and the smartphone, experts warn that the security features on the coming wave of automobiles, dishwashers and alarm systems lag far behind.In an appearance at a Washington thinktank last month, the director of the National Security Agency, Adm Michael Rogers, said that it was time to consider making the home devices “more defensible”, but did not address the opportunities that increased numbers and even categories of connected devices provide to his surveillance agency. However, James Clapper, the US director of national intelligence, was more direct in testimony submitted to the Senate on Tuesday as part of an assessment of threats facing the United States. “In the future, intelligence services might use the [internet of things] for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials,” Clapper said. Clapper did not specifically name any intelligence agency as involved in household-device surveillance. But security experts examining the internet of things take as a given that the US and other surveillance services will intercept the signals the newly networked devices emit, much as they do with those from cellphones. Amateurs are already interested in easily compromised hardware; computer programmer John Matherly’s search engine Shodan indexes thousands of completely unsecured web-connected devices.
James Clapper did not name specific agency as being involved in surveillance via smart-home devices but said in congressional testimony it is a distinct possibility
The US intelligence chief has acknowledged for the first time that agencies might use a new generation of smart household devices to increase their surveillance capabilities.
As increasing numbers of devices connect to the internet and to one another, the so-called internet of things promises consumers increased convenience – the remotely operated thermostat from Google-owned Nest is a leading example. But as home computing migrates away from the laptop, the tablet and the smartphone, experts warn that the security features on the coming wave of automobiles, dishwashers and alarm systems lag far behind.
In an appearance at a Washington thinktank last month, the director of the National Security Agency, Adm Michael Rogers, said that it was time to consider making the home devices “more defensible”, but did not address the opportunities that increased numbers and even categories of connected devices provide to his surveillance agency.
However, James Clapper, the US director of national intelligence, was more direct in testimony submitted to the Senate on Tuesday as part of an assessment of threats facing the United States.
“In the future, intelligence services might use the [internet of things] for identification, surveillance, monitoring, location tracking, and targeting for recruitment, or to gain access to networks or user credentials,” Clapper said.
Clapper did not specifically name any intelligence agency as involved in household-device surveillance. But security experts examining the internet of things take as a given that the US and other surveillance services will intercept the signals the newly networked devices emit, much as they do with those from cellphones. Amateurs are already interested in easily compromised hardware; computer programmer John Matherly’s search engine Shodan indexes thousands of completely unsecured web-connected devices.
Read more @ http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/09/internet-of-things-smart-home-devices-government-surveillance-james-clapper
Sounds to me there will be a huge amount of money to be made in making cars and household equipment that are NOT connected.....
Covert cellphone tracking devices, which have proliferated in law enforcement agencies across the nation, have been used by the New York Police Department on at least 1,000 occasions since 2008 in the course of investigating rapes, murders and other crimes, as well as in searches for missing people, according to documents obtained by the New York Civil Liberties Union.The documents, which the civil liberties group released publicly on Thursday morning, offer the first glimpse into how the nation’s largest municipal police department has used the surveillance devices, known as StingRays, as frequently as 200 times a year, while avoiding any public debate or any major courtroom review of the constitutionality of its actions.“The N.Y.P.D. has been using StingRays since 2008, and yet this is the first time that the public is learning this information,” said Mariko Hirose, the civil liberties union lawyer who received the documents in response to a Freedom of Information Law request. “When local law enforcement agencies acquire invasive surveillance technologies like StingRays, communities should have the right to know basic information about what kind of surveillance powers those technologies give to the government and how those devices will be used.”
Covert cellphone tracking devices, which have proliferated in law enforcement agencies across the nation, have been used by the New York Police Department on at least 1,000 occasions since 2008 in the course of investigating rapes, murders and other crimes, as well as in searches for missing people, according to documents obtained by the New York Civil Liberties Union.
The documents, which the civil liberties group released publicly on Thursday morning, offer the first glimpse into how the nation’s largest municipal police department has used the surveillance devices, known as StingRays, as frequently as 200 times a year, while avoiding any public debate or any major courtroom review of the constitutionality of its actions.
“The N.Y.P.D. has been using StingRays since 2008, and yet this is the first time that the public is learning this information,” said Mariko Hirose, the civil liberties union lawyer who received the documents in response to a Freedom of Information Law request. “When local law enforcement agencies acquire invasive surveillance technologies like StingRays, communities should have the right to know basic information about what kind of surveillance powers those technologies give to the government and how those devices will be used.”
Read more @ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/12/nyregion/new-york-police-dept-cellphone-tracking-stingrays.html?mabReward=A6
"What lies behind us and what lies before us are small matters compared to what lies within us." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson ~
Interact
Feb 13 16 10:51 PM
Washington, Feb 10: Five years after Osama bin Laden's reported death, it has been claimed that he is still alive. The shocking statement came from Edward Snowden, a fugitive of the law from the United States. During an interview with Moscow Tribune, Snowden recently asserted that he has proof which can prove that Osama is alive and he along with his five wives and many children have been living together on the payroll of the CIA.While reasoning his claim, Snowden said, "Osama bin Laden was one of the CIA's most efficient operatives for a long time. What kind of message would it send to their other operatives if they were to let the SEALs kill him?" "They (CIA) organized his fake death with the collaboration of the Pakistani Secret Services, and he simply abandoned his cover. Since everyone believes he is dead, nobody's looking for him, so it was pretty easy to disappear. Without the beard and the military jacket, nobody recognizes him," Snowden added. During the interview, Snowden was also quoted as saying, "I have documents showing that Bin Laden is still on the CIA's payroll. He is still receiving more than $100,000 a month, which is being transferred through some front businesses and organizations, directly to his Nassau bank account. I am not certain where he is now, but in 2013, he was living quietly in his villa with five of his wives and many children."
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the actor set to depict former NSA-contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden in a forthcoming movie, has announced he will donate his entire acting fee from the film to "help facilitate the conversation" about the relationship between technology and democracy.Teaming up with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Gordon-Levitt announced a community-sourced video project that will be published by his production company hitRECord and will make a series of short films on the subject.
Joseph Gordon-Levitt, the actor set to depict former NSA-contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden in a forthcoming movie, has announced he will donate his entire acting fee from the film to "help facilitate the conversation" about the relationship between technology and democracy.
Teaming up with the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), Gordon-Levitt announced a community-sourced video project that will be published by his production company hitRECord and will make a series of short films on the subject.
Read more @ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/edward-snowden-movie-joseph-gordon-levitt-set-donate-acting-fee-1542596
Feb 16 16 11:02 AM
"He is really dedicated to trying to make our country and our world better for everyone." When Joseph Gordon-Levitt headed to Harvard University last Friday, he knew he’d have to make a fool of himself. But even he didn’t predict giving lap dances, pretending to drink milk from a cow’s udders (well, a student in a cow suit) and dropping his pants onstage. “I had seen some photos, and I knew I might have to dress up,” Gordon-Levitt said that evening at Harvard's Farkas Hall, where he was honored with the 50th “Man of the Year” award by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the university’s esteemed theatrical troop. In between jumping around in the audience wearing a spandex Robin costume and performing a spot-on impression of his friend Seth Rogen, Gordon-Levitt spoke earnestly about his own college experience at Columbia University. “I’ve spent the last two days here. I also went to a esteemed college in the Ivy League, and I ended up dropping out. I’ll be really really honest, I came out of that experience a little bit pessimistic about the people that were in my class. A lot of people that went and studied engineering and learning science, that sort of thing, ended up becoming [investment] bankers and gambling for a living, breaking the world a few years later,” Gordon-Levitt told the audience. “I really know the difference here. I really noticed a thoughtfulness, optimism, passion, worldliness and a sense of humor that leaves me feeling optimistic about people who are younger than I am. Having just bore a child half a year ago, it makes me feel really good that people who are younger than I am are doing great.” After the on-stage portion, Gordon-Levitt also spoke about his role as notorious National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone’s upcoming film, "Snowden." Joseph said he had spent with the real Snowden, and respects him. “We sat and talked for 4 hours,” said Gordon-Levitt. “We had a really great conversation. I’ve spoken with him a couple times since shooting the movie. Speaking of optimism, that guy is an optimist. He is really dedicated to trying to make our country and our world better for everyone. I personally really believe that’s what he’s dedicated to doing.”
When Joseph Gordon-Levitt headed to Harvard University last Friday, he knew he’d have to make a fool of himself. But even he didn’t predict giving lap dances, pretending to drink milk from a cow’s udders (well, a student in a cow suit) and dropping his pants onstage.
“I had seen some photos, and I knew I might have to dress up,” Gordon-Levitt said that evening at Harvard's Farkas Hall, where he was honored with the 50th “Man of the Year” award by the Hasty Pudding Theatricals, the university’s esteemed theatrical troop.
In between jumping around in the audience wearing a spandex Robin costume and performing a spot-on impression of his friend Seth Rogen, Gordon-Levitt spoke earnestly about his own college experience at Columbia University.
“I’ve spent the last two days here. I also went to a esteemed college in the Ivy League, and I ended up dropping out. I’ll be really really honest, I came out of that experience a little bit pessimistic about the people that were in my class. A lot of people that went and studied engineering and learning science, that sort of thing, ended up becoming [investment] bankers and gambling for a living, breaking the world a few years later,” Gordon-Levitt told the audience.
“I really know the difference here. I really noticed a thoughtfulness, optimism, passion, worldliness and a sense of humor that leaves me feeling optimistic about people who are younger than I am. Having just bore a child half a year ago, it makes me feel really good that people who are younger than I am are doing great.”
After the on-stage portion, Gordon-Levitt also spoke about his role as notorious National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden in Oliver Stone’s upcoming film, "Snowden." Joseph said he had spent with the real Snowden, and respects him.
“We sat and talked for 4 hours,” said Gordon-Levitt. “We had a really great conversation. I’ve spoken with him a couple times since shooting the movie. Speaking of optimism, that guy is an optimist. He is really dedicated to trying to make our country and our world better for everyone. I personally really believe that’s what he’s dedicated to doing.”
Read more @ http://www.metro.us/entertainment/joseph-gordon-levitt-says-edward-snowden-is-an-optimist/zsJpbh---bK4t6E5oGUSO/
OMG, Shame on you France!
Whistleblower Edward Snowden has warned the French people to think twice before giving up their freedoms for increased security. In a message on his Twitter account, Snowden also pointed out that France has passed controversial constitutional reform with over 75 percent of MPs absent. “Abandoning open society for fear of terrorism is the only way to be defeated by it,” Snowden tweeted, referring to the French lawmakers’ decision to pass highly criticized emergency powers.
Whistleblower Edward Snowden has warned the French people to think twice before giving up their freedoms for increased security. In a message on his Twitter account, Snowden also pointed out that France has passed controversial constitutional reform with over 75 percent of MPs absent.
“Abandoning open society for fear of terrorism is the only way to be defeated by it,” Snowden tweeted, referring to the French lawmakers’ decision to pass highly criticized emergency powers.
Read more @ https://www.rt.com/news/332128-france-snowden-liberties-criticism/
From Russia to Macky Auditorium, ex-NSA contractor to answer questions Students on the University of Colorado's Distinguished Speakers Board wanted to inspire conversation and, perhaps, even a bit of debate with their annual spring speaker this year. In Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked massive amounts of information about government surveillance programs, they found a perfect fit. Hero or villain? Whistleblower or traitor? Something in between? Those are questions for students and community members to sort through Tuesday evening when Snowden takes the stage at a sold-out Macky Auditorium by way of a live videostream from Russia. "Our mission as the board is to bring people who will challenge students and will present these different experiences," said Emma Woodyard, who chairs the student-run board. "We're not trying to say what he is, one way or another. We want to get that conversation started among students and get people thinking about what kind of world we live in."
Students on the University of Colorado's Distinguished Speakers Board wanted to inspire conversation and, perhaps, even a bit of debate with their annual spring speaker this year.
In Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who leaked massive amounts of information about government surveillance programs, they found a perfect fit.
Hero or villain? Whistleblower or traitor? Something in between?
Those are questions for students and community members to sort through Tuesday evening when Snowden takes the stage at a sold-out Macky Auditorium by way of a live videostream from Russia.
"Our mission as the board is to bring people who will challenge students and will present these different experiences," said Emma Woodyard, who chairs the student-run board. "We're not trying to say what he is, one way or another. We want to get that conversation started among students and get people thinking about what kind of world we live in."
Read more @ http://www.dailycamera.com/cu-news/ci_29520331/whistleblower-or-traitor-cu-boulders-edward-snowden-video
Everyone is familiar with the work of Edward Snowden, the chap that told the Guardian what the United States Government were clandestinely doing in the name of protecting the populace. To some, Edward is a hero, to others, he is a traitor. But, behind the leaks, there is a real life human being who at some point in his life made the decision to go against his contract and the law and it is this man that Whistleblower, The Edward Snowden Story at Waterloo East looks at in detail. Edward Snowden (Ruari Cannon) is a patriot. He comes from a family that has served the USA in various ways for a long time. In an effort to serve, Edward joins the army but fails to complete training. He then moves to the University of Maryland as a security guard and one night, he provides computer assistance to an NSA (National Security Agency) operative who is having issues with his PC. Realising that Edward has some excellent computer skills, the agency quickly move him from security guard and into the murky world of the spook. Edward has a pretty good career with the NSA and other agencies but is starting to have doubts about the methods used to gather data about potential terrorists. Eventually, Edward’s disillusionment is complete and he makes the difficult decision to let the public know what is being done in their name if not necessarily with their consent. It is pretty well known what happens next and Edward divulges information to the newspapers bringing a whole heap of trouble on himself.
Everyone is familiar with the work of Edward Snowden, the chap that told the Guardian what the United States Government were clandestinely doing in the name of protecting the populace. To some, Edward is a hero, to others, he is a traitor. But, behind the leaks, there is a real life human being who at some point in his life made the decision to go against his contract and the law and it is this man that Whistleblower, The Edward Snowden Story at Waterloo East looks at in detail.
Edward Snowden (Ruari Cannon) is a patriot. He comes from a family that has served the USA in various ways for a long time. In an effort to serve, Edward joins the army but fails to complete training. He then moves to the University of Maryland as a security guard and one night, he provides computer assistance to an NSA (National Security Agency) operative who is having issues with his PC. Realising that Edward has some excellent computer skills, the agency quickly move him from security guard and into the murky world of the spook. Edward has a pretty good career with the NSA and other agencies but is starting to have doubts about the methods used to gather data about potential terrorists. Eventually, Edward’s disillusionment is complete and he makes the difficult decision to let the public know what is being done in their name if not necessarily with their consent. It is pretty well known what happens next and Edward divulges information to the newspapers bringing a whole heap of trouble on himself.
Read more @ https://www.londontheatre1.com/news/128082/whistleblower-the-edward-snowden-story-waterloo-east-theatre/
The Earth has always been such…. Good and evil….. to use evil as an excuse to take away everyone’s right to privacy is Orwellian…. I firmly believe what Snowden said about the spying being about power and economic espionage….. and not about terrorism. I remember in one article he said he saw a program that was frightening….. so to say that encryption stops the spies from getting at information I believe could just be another lie. When you think about Clapper lying to the senate…. If he can do that with a straight face, what lies are the public being told? People he doesn’t have to answer too.
Read more @ http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/feb/9/islamic-state-supporters-share-snowden-video-expla/
He may be in isolation, but Edward Snowden has still found the time to revel in Kanye West's Twitter rants just like the rest of us. Snowden, known for leaking security documents on the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance practices, took to Twitter with a recipe of well-played wit. Kanye has been persistently flooding Twitter's feed since the release of his latest album, The Life of Pablo, making somewhat daring statements about comedian Bill Cosby, singer Taylor Swift and his financial status. The NSA whistleblower was quick to comment on Kanye's twitter rant, comparing his plea for fans to subscribe to TIDAL to the agonising and awkwardly infamous speech of Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush. "Please clap," Snowden tweeted, referencing Bush's dull speech to a crowd in New Hampshire where he had to personally ask the audience to applaud.
He may be in isolation, but Edward Snowden has still found the time to revel in Kanye West's Twitter rants just like the rest of us.
Snowden, known for leaking security documents on the National Security Agency's domestic surveillance practices, took to Twitter with a recipe of well-played wit.
Kanye has been persistently flooding Twitter's feed since the release of his latest album, The Life of Pablo, making somewhat daring statements about comedian Bill Cosby, singer Taylor Swift and his financial status.
The NSA whistleblower was quick to comment on Kanye's twitter rant, comparing his plea for fans to subscribe to TIDAL to the agonising and awkwardly infamous speech of Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush.
"Please clap," Snowden tweeted, referencing Bush's dull speech to a crowd in New Hampshire where he had to personally ask the audience to applaud.
Read more @ https://au.news.yahoo.com/a/30831061/edward-snowden-revels-in-kanyes-rants/
Read more @ http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/02/16/edward-snowden-takes-down-jeb-bush-and-kanye-west-one-tweet
Whistleblower Edward Snowden has inspired a new video game that aims to expose the “suffocating privacy invasions” carried out by intelligence agencies. Need to Know, developed by Australia-based Monomyth Games, requires players to climb the ranks of the Department of Liberty, a government agency based on the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), whose mass surveillance practises Snowden exposed through his 2013 leaks.
Whistleblower Edward Snowden has inspired a new video game that aims to expose the “suffocating privacy invasions” carried out by intelligence agencies.
Need to Know, developed by Australia-based Monomyth Games, requires players to climb the ranks of the Department of Liberty, a government agency based on the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA), whose mass surveillance practises Snowden exposed through his 2013 leaks.
Read more @ http://www.newsweek.com/edward-snowden-inspires-nsa-style-surveillance-video-game-425874
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a new, more computationally efficient way to process data from the Global Positioning System (GPS), to enhance location accuracy from the meter-level down to a few centimeters. The optimization will be used in the development of autonomous vehicles, improved aviation and naval navigation systems, and precision technologies. It will also enable users to access centimeter-level accuracy location data through their mobile phones and wearable technologies, without increasing the demand for processing power. The research, led by Jay Farrell, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering, was published recently in IEEE's Transactions on Control Systems Technology. The approach involves reformulating a series of equations that are used to determine a GPS receiver's position, resulting in reduced computational effort being required to attain centimeter accuracy. First conceptualized in the early 1960s, GPS is a space-based navigation system that allows a receiver to compute its location and velocity by measuring the time it takes to receive radio signals from four or more overhead satellites. Due to various error sources, standard GPS yields position measurements accurate to approximately 10 meters. Differential GPS (DGPS), which enhances the system through a network of fixed, ground-based reference stations, has improved accuracy to about one meter. But meter-level accuracy isn't sufficient to support emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles, precision farming, and related applications.
Researchers at the University of California, Riverside have developed a new, more computationally efficient way to process data from the Global Positioning System (GPS), to enhance location accuracy from the meter-level down to a few centimeters.
The research, led by Jay Farrell, professor and chair of electrical and computer engineering in UCR's Bourns College of Engineering, was published recently in IEEE's Transactions on Control Systems Technology. The approach involves reformulating a series of equations that are used to determine a GPS receiver's position, resulting in reduced computational effort being required to attain centimeter accuracy.
First conceptualized in the early 1960s, GPS is a space-based navigation system that allows a receiver to compute its location and velocity by measuring the time it takes to receive radio signals from four or more overhead satellites. Due to various error sources, standard GPS yields position measurements accurate to approximately 10 meters.
Differential GPS (DGPS), which enhances the system through a network of fixed, ground-based reference stations, has improved accuracy to about one meter. But meter-level accuracy isn't sufficient to support emerging technologies like autonomous vehicles, precision farming, and related applications.
Read more @ http://phys.org/news/2016-02-gps-tracking-centimeter.html
Feb 18 16 9:44 AM
The NSA is ludicrously bad at protecting the U.S. from enemy hackers, and it’s about to get worseWhen people I know who aren’t involved in information security think of the National Security Agency (NSA), they usually think of a secretive organization whose mandate is to spy on digital communication within and outside of the U.S. in the name of national security. The Snowden leaks, Glenn Greenwald’s obsessive reporting and wall-to-wall coverage by (though sometimes reluctant) mainstream media organizations have resulted in a mostly uncontested shared picture of the NSA’s work, though opinions on the legality, morality and efficacy of its efforts remain divided, to say the least.This common picture of the NSA as the warden of the digital Panopticon is, however, woefully incomplete. Like a poor, single mother abandoned by the United States’ broken social security system, the NSA works two jobs. Unfortunately, unlike our hypothetical parent, the NSA does not put a good-faith, conscientious effort into both its jobs to the material detriment of other organs of the U.S. government, private corporations and, ultimately, the American people.Most people don’t know that until as recently as two weeks ago, the NSA was divided into two parts — the Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) directorate (SID) and the Information Assurance directorate (IAD). The SIGINT directorate does all of the spying that people expect the NSA to be doing. The Information Assurance Directorate has a much less well-known mission — it aims to improve the security of digital information and networks controlled by U.S. entities, both public and private, from adversaries at home and abroad. Through its relationship with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the IAD is tasked with providing assistance on the establishment of cryptographic standards for this purpose — indeed, the NIST is required to consult with the NSA on any new cryptographic standard being considered.So how’s the NSA’s IAD doing on this front? Incredibly badly. Ludicrously, unconscionably badly. If the U.S. government was a basketball team, the NSA would be some sort of horrific amalgam of notorious free-throw bricking basketball players Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan — incredibly bad at a core part of what they’re paid stratospheric amounts of money to do.How bad is DeAndre at shooting free throws?
When people I know who aren’t involved in information security think of the National Security Agency (NSA), they usually think of a secretive organization whose mandate is to spy on digital communication within and outside of the U.S. in the name of national security. The Snowden leaks, Glenn Greenwald’s obsessive reporting and wall-to-wall coverage by (though sometimes reluctant) mainstream media organizations have resulted in a mostly uncontested shared picture of the NSA’s work, though opinions on the legality, morality and efficacy of its efforts remain divided, to say the least.
This common picture of the NSA as the warden of the digital Panopticon is, however, woefully incomplete. Like a poor, single mother abandoned by the United States’ broken social security system, the NSA works two jobs. Unfortunately, unlike our hypothetical parent, the NSA does not put a good-faith, conscientious effort into both its jobs to the material detriment of other organs of the U.S. government, private corporations and, ultimately, the American people.
Most people don’t know that until as recently as two weeks ago, the NSA was divided into two parts — the Signals Intelligence (SIGINT) directorate (SID) and the Information Assurance directorate (IAD). The SIGINT directorate does all of the spying that people expect the NSA to be doing. The Information Assurance Directorate has a much less well-known mission — it aims to improve the security of digital information and networks controlled by U.S. entities, both public and private, from adversaries at home and abroad. Through its relationship with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the IAD is tasked with providing assistance on the establishment of cryptographic standards for this purpose — indeed, the NIST is required to consult with the NSA on any new cryptographic standard being considered.
So how’s the NSA’s IAD doing on this front? Incredibly badly. Ludicrously, unconscionably badly. If the U.S. government was a basketball team, the NSA would be some sort of horrific amalgam of notorious free-throw bricking basketball players Andre Drummond and DeAndre Jordan — incredibly bad at a core part of what they’re paid stratospheric amounts of money to do.
How bad is DeAndre at shooting free throws?
Read more @ https://medium.com/@sohamsankaran/not-securing-america-5c7559684f21#.q2mt1k3ek
Feb 20 16 9:50 AM
A DRAMATIC showdown between the FBI and Apple chief executive Tim Cook just got a whole lot weirder.The battle between the world’s most valuable company and the American law enforcement agency is considered to have serious and lasting implications for personal privacy and the future of cyber security.In the latest development, John McAfee, the eccentric and wealthy computer programmer has entered the fray by making the extraordinary claim that he will crack the iPhone at the centre of the conflict, which belongs to one of the San Bernardino shooters.The FBI has ordered Apple to place a back door into its iOS software to allow federal agents to decrypt information on the iPhone.The device belonged to Syed Farook who carried out a shooting spree at a Californian medical facility with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, in December, killing 14 people.The FBI is invoking an obscure law from 1789 in its attempt to put pressure on Apple but Mr Cook has remained defiant and refused to acquiesce to authorities.Apple says that if it were to comply with the order it would seriously jeapordise the future security of its operating software.The FBI says it will use the backdoor just once and only for this particular case. But there is no way to guarantee that kind of control, opening up the possibility that “black hat” hackers could compromise the software — a scenario that would leave all iPhone users vulnerable.“The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals,” Mr Cook wrote in a letter posted online this week.Mr Cook compared it to a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks, and said there was no way to keep the technique secret once it was developed.Undeterred by those warning of dire consequences, the FBI refuses to back down. So far it’s remained a high stakes Mexican standoff — until now.In an article penned by the notorious John McAfee, the Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate and developer of the first commercial antivirus program said he would hack the iPhone on behalf of the FBI.“With all due respect to Tim Cook and Apple, I work with a team of the best hackers on the planet. They are all prodigies, with talents that defy normal human comprehension,” he wrote in the article published by Tech Insider.“I would eat my shoe on the Neil Cavuto show if we could not break the encryption on the San Bernardino phone. This is a pure and simple fact.”You’re probably thinking, if the FBI seems unable to do it with the resources of the world’s most powerful government, then what hope does anyone else have?Well, according to Mr McAfee his confidence comes from the knowledge that he wields the power of a motley crew of gifted hackers who would never choose a job with the government, let alone be offered one.“Because the FBI will not hire anyone with a 24-inch purple mohawk, 10-gauge ear piercings, and a tattooed face who demands to smoke weed while working and won’t work for less than a half-million dollars a year,” he wrote.The controversy has attracted input from industry insiders and politicians alike. Among them is Australian Attorney General George Brandis and former NSA analyst Edward Snowden who have championed opposing sides of the debate.Mr Brandis has encouraged Apple to comply with the FBI’s order while the exiled Mr Snowden has called the demand “dangerous” and called on Mr Cook to hold strong, labelling it “the most important tech case in a decade”.
A DRAMATIC showdown between the FBI and Apple chief executive Tim Cook just got a whole lot weirder.
The battle between the world’s most valuable company and the American law enforcement agency is considered to have serious and lasting implications for personal privacy and the future of cyber security.
In the latest development, John McAfee, the eccentric and wealthy computer programmer has entered the fray by making the extraordinary claim that he will crack the iPhone at the centre of the conflict, which belongs to one of the San Bernardino shooters.
The FBI has ordered Apple to place a back door into its iOS software to allow federal agents to decrypt information on the iPhone.
The device belonged to Syed Farook who carried out a shooting spree at a Californian medical facility with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, in December, killing 14 people.
The FBI is invoking an obscure law from 1789 in its attempt to put pressure on Apple but Mr Cook has remained defiant and refused to acquiesce to authorities.
Apple says that if it were to comply with the order it would seriously jeapordise the future security of its operating software.
The FBI says it will use the backdoor just once and only for this particular case. But there is no way to guarantee that kind of control, opening up the possibility that “black hat” hackers could compromise the software — a scenario that would leave all iPhone users vulnerable.
“The government is asking Apple to hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers — including tens of millions of American citizens — from sophisticated hackers and cybercriminals,” Mr Cook wrote in a letter posted online this week.
Mr Cook compared it to a master key, capable of opening hundreds of millions of locks, and said there was no way to keep the technique secret once it was developed.
Undeterred by those warning of dire consequences, the FBI refuses to back down. So far it’s remained a high stakes Mexican standoff — until now.
In an article penned by the notorious John McAfee, the Libertarian Party Presidential Candidate and developer of the first commercial antivirus program said he would hack the iPhone on behalf of the FBI.
“With all due respect to Tim Cook and Apple, I work with a team of the best hackers on the planet. They are all prodigies, with talents that defy normal human comprehension,” he wrote in the article published by Tech Insider.
“I would eat my shoe on the Neil Cavuto show if we could not break the encryption on the San Bernardino phone. This is a pure and simple fact.”
You’re probably thinking, if the FBI seems unable to do it with the resources of the world’s most powerful government, then what hope does anyone else have?
Well, according to Mr McAfee his confidence comes from the knowledge that he wields the power of a motley crew of gifted hackers who would never choose a job with the government, let alone be offered one.
“Because the FBI will not hire anyone with a 24-inch purple mohawk, 10-gauge ear piercings, and a tattooed face who demands to smoke weed while working and won’t work for less than a half-million dollars a year,” he wrote.
The controversy has attracted input from industry insiders and politicians alike. Among them is Australian Attorney General George Brandis and former NSA analyst Edward Snowden who have championed opposing sides of the debate.
Mr Brandis has encouraged Apple to comply with the FBI’s order while the exiled Mr Snowden has called the demand “dangerous” and called on Mr Cook to hold strong, labelling it “the most important tech case in a decade”.
Read more @ http://www.news.com.au/technology/online/hacking/eccentric-programmer-john-mcafee-has-claimed-he-will-crack-the-iphone-at-the-centre-of-a-war-between-apple-and-the-fbi/news-story/7bca775f5f1e5d549d91d93c78c3a16b
Feb 20 16 11:11 AM
"Ridiculously optimistic" machine learning algorithm is "completely bullshit," says expert.In 2014, the former director of both the CIA and NSA proclaimed that "we kill people based on metadata." Now, a new examination of previously published Snowden documents suggests that many of those people may have been innocent. Last year, The Intercept published documents detailing the NSA's SKYNET programme. According to the documents, SKYNET engages in mass surveillance of Pakistan's mobile phone network, and then uses a machine learning algorithm on the cellular network metadata of 55 million people to try and rate each person's likelihood of being a terrorist. Patrick Ball—a data scientist and the director of research at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group—who has previously given expert testimony before war crimes tribunals, described the NSA's methods as "ridiculously optimistic" and "completely bullshit." A flaw in how the NSA trains SKYNET's machine learning algorithm to analyse cellular metadata, Ball told Ars, makes the results scientifically unsound. Somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 people have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004, and most of them were classified by the US government as "extremists," the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported. Based on the classification date of "20070108" on one of the SKYNET slide decks (which themselves appear to date from 2011 and 2012), the machine learning program may have been in development as early as 2007. In the years that have followed, thousands of innocent people in Pakistan may have been mislabelled as terrorists by that "scientifically unsound" algorithm, possibly resulting in their untimely demise. The siren song of big data SKYNET works like a typical modern Big Data business application. The program collects metadata and stores it on NSA cloud servers, extracts relevant information, and then applies machine learning to identify leads for a targeted campaign. Except instead of trying to sell the targets something, this campaign, given the overall business focus of the US government in Pakistan, likely involves another branch of the US government—the CIA or military—that executes their "Find-Fix-Finish" strategy using Predator drones and on-the-ground death squads.
In 2014, the former director of both the CIA and NSA proclaimed that "we kill people based on metadata." Now, a new examination of previously published Snowden documents suggests that many of those people may have been innocent.
Last year, The Intercept published documents detailing the NSA's SKYNET programme. According to the documents, SKYNET engages in mass surveillance of Pakistan's mobile phone network, and then uses a machine learning algorithm on the cellular network metadata of 55 million people to try and rate each person's likelihood of being a terrorist.
Patrick Ball—a data scientist and the director of research at the Human Rights Data Analysis Group—who has previously given expert testimony before war crimes tribunals, described the NSA's methods as "ridiculously optimistic" and "completely bullshit." A flaw in how the NSA trains SKYNET's machine learning algorithm to analyse cellular metadata, Ball told Ars, makes the results scientifically unsound.
Somewhere between 2,500 and 4,000 people have been killed by drone strikes in Pakistan since 2004, and most of them were classified by the US government as "extremists," the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported. Based on the classification date of "20070108" on one of the SKYNET slide decks (which themselves appear to date from 2011 and 2012), the machine learning program may have been in development as early as 2007.
In the years that have followed, thousands of innocent people in Pakistan may have been mislabelled as terrorists by that "scientifically unsound" algorithm, possibly resulting in their untimely demise.
SKYNET works like a typical modern Big Data business application. The program collects metadata and stores it on NSA cloud servers, extracts relevant information, and then applies machine learning to identify leads for a targeted campaign. Except instead of trying to sell the targets something, this campaign, given the overall business focus of the US government in Pakistan, likely involves another branch of the US government—the CIA or military—that executes their "Find-Fix-Finish" strategy using Predator drones and on-the-ground death squads.
Read more @ http://arstechnica.co.uk/security/2016/02/the-nsas-skynet-program-may-be-killing-thousands-of-innocent-people/
Feb 20 16 4:48 PM
US, Apple ratchet up encryption rhetoricThe US Department of Justice has filed a motion seeking to compel Apple Inc to comply with a judge's order to unlock the encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, portraying the tech giant's refusal as a "marketing strategy".In response, a senior Apple executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, characterised the Justice Department's filing as an effort to argue its case in the media before the company has a chance to respond.The back and forth escalated a showdown between the Obama administration and Silicon Valley over security and privacy.The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the tech company's help to access shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's phone by disabling some of its passcode protections. The company has pushed back and on Thursday won three extra days to respond to the order.Another senior Apple executive said congress was the right place for a debate over encryption, not a courtroom.Apple was stunned that such a legal request had come from the US government rather than a country with weaker traditions of protecting privacy and civil liberties.The motion to compel Apple to comply did not carry specific penalties, and the Justice Department declined to comment on what recourse it was willing to seek.In the order, prosecutors acknowledged that the latest filing was "not legally necessary" since Apple had not yet responded to the initial order.A federal court hearing in California has been scheduled for March 22 in the case, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.The Justice Department said its Friday motion was a response to Apple CEO Tim Cook's public statement on Wednesday, which included a refusal to "hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers".
US, Apple ratchet up encryption rhetoric
The US Department of Justice has filed a motion seeking to compel Apple Inc to comply with a judge's order to unlock the encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino shooters, portraying the tech giant's refusal as a "marketing strategy".
In response, a senior Apple executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, characterised the Justice Department's filing as an effort to argue its case in the media before the company has a chance to respond.
The back and forth escalated a showdown between the Obama administration and Silicon Valley over security and privacy.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is seeking the tech company's help to access shooter Syed Rizwan Farook's phone by disabling some of its passcode protections. The company has pushed back and on Thursday won three extra days to respond to the order.
Another senior Apple executive said congress was the right place for a debate over encryption, not a courtroom.
Apple was stunned that such a legal request had come from the US government rather than a country with weaker traditions of protecting privacy and civil liberties.
The motion to compel Apple to comply did not carry specific penalties, and the Justice Department declined to comment on what recourse it was willing to seek.
In the order, prosecutors acknowledged that the latest filing was "not legally necessary" since Apple had not yet responded to the initial order.
A federal court hearing in California has been scheduled for March 22 in the case, according to Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the US Attorney's Office for the Central District of California.
The Justice Department said its Friday motion was a response to Apple CEO Tim Cook's public statement on Wednesday, which included a refusal to "hack our own users and undermine decades of security advancements that protect our customers".
Read more @ http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/us-apple-ratchet-up-encryption-rhetoric/news-story/c2bab0ec2ba7f9c708aa6108477ca26d
Feb 21 16 7:17 AM
The new mind control
The internet has spawned subtle forms of influence that can flip elections and manipulate everything we say, think and do
Excerpts:
Extreme forms of monitoring, whether by the KGB in the Soviet Union, the Stasi in East Germany, or Big Brother in 1984, are essential elements of all tyrannies, and technology is making both monitoring and the consolidation of surveillance data easier than ever. By 2020, China will have put in place the most ambitious government monitoring system ever created – a single database called the Social Credit System, in which multiple ratings and records for all of its 1.3 billion citizens are recorded for easy access by officials and bureaucrats. At a glance, they will know whether someone has plagiarised schoolwork, was tardy in paying bills, urinated in public, or blogged inappropriately online. As Edward Snowden’s revelations made clear, we are rapidly moving toward a world in which both governments and corporations – sometimes working together – are collecting massive amounts of data about every one of us every day, with few or no laws in place that restrict how those data can be used. When you combine the data collection with the desire to control or manipulate, the possibilities are endless, but perhaps the most frightening possibility is the one expressed in Boulding’s assertion that an ‘unseen dictatorship’ was possible ‘using the forms of democratic government’. Since Robertson and I submitted our initial report on SEME to PNAS early in 2015, we have completed a sophisticated series of experiments that have greatly enhanced our understanding of this phenomenon, and other experiments will be completed in the coming months. We have a much better sense now of why SEME is so powerful and how, to some extent, it can be suppressed.
Extreme forms of monitoring, whether by the KGB in the Soviet Union, the Stasi in East Germany, or Big Brother in 1984, are essential elements of all tyrannies, and technology is making both monitoring and the consolidation of surveillance data easier than ever. By 2020, China will have put in place the most ambitious government monitoring system ever created – a single database called the Social Credit System, in which multiple ratings and records for all of its 1.3 billion citizens are recorded for easy access by officials and bureaucrats. At a glance, they will know whether someone has plagiarised schoolwork, was tardy in paying bills, urinated in public, or blogged inappropriately online.
As Edward Snowden’s revelations made clear, we are rapidly moving toward a world in which both governments and corporations – sometimes working together – are collecting massive amounts of data about every one of us every day, with few or no laws in place that restrict how those data can be used. When you combine the data collection with the desire to control or manipulate, the possibilities are endless, but perhaps the most frightening possibility is the one expressed in Boulding’s assertion that an ‘unseen dictatorship’ was possible ‘using the forms of democratic government’.
Since Robertson and I submitted our initial report on SEME to PNAS early in 2015, we have completed a sophisticated series of experiments that have greatly enhanced our understanding of this phenomenon, and other experiments will be completed in the coming months. We have a much better sense now of why SEME is so powerful and how, to some extent, it can be suppressed.
We have also learned something very disturbing – that search engines are influencing far more than what people buy and whom they vote for. We now have evidence suggesting that on virtually all issues where people are initially undecided, search rankings are impacting almost every decision that people make. They are having an impact on the opinions, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of internet users worldwide – entirely without people’s knowledge that this is occurring. This is happening with or without deliberate intervention by company officials; even so-called ‘organic’ search processes regularly generate search results that favour one point of view, and that in turn has the potential to tip the opinions of millions of people who are undecided on an issue. In one of our recent experiments, biased search results shifted people’s opinions about the value of fracking by 33.9 per cent. Perhaps even more disturbing is that the handful of people who do show awareness that they are viewing biased search rankings shift even further in the predicted direction; simply knowing that a list is biased doesn’t necessarily protect you from SEME’s power.
We have also learned something very disturbing – that search engines are influencing far more than what people buy and whom they vote for. We now have evidence suggesting that on virtually all issues where people are initially undecided, search rankings are impacting almost every decision that people make. They are having an impact on the opinions, beliefs, attitudes and behaviours of internet users worldwide – entirely without people’s knowledge that this is occurring. This is happening with or without deliberate intervention by company officials; even so-called ‘organic’ search processes regularly generate search results that favour one point of view, and that in turn has the potential to tip the opinions of millions of people who are undecided on an issue. In one of our recent experiments, biased search results shifted people’s opinions about the value of fracking by 33.9 per cent.
Perhaps even more disturbing is that the handful of people who do show awareness that they are viewing biased search rankings shift even further in the predicted direction; simply knowing that a list is biased doesn’t necessarily protect you from SEME’s power.
We are living in a world in which a handful of high-tech companies, sometimes working hand-in-hand with governments, are not only monitoring much of our activity, but are also invisibly controlling more and more of what we think, feel, do and say. The technology that now surrounds us is not just a harmless toy; it has also made possible undetectable and untraceable manipulations of entire populations – manipulations that have no precedent in human history and that are currently well beyond the scope of existing regulations and laws. The new hidden persuaders are bigger, bolder and badder than anything Vance Packard ever envisioned. If we choose to ignore this, we do so at our peril.
Read more @ https://aeon.co/essays/how-the-internet-flips-elections-and-alters-our-thoughts
Feb 21 16 5:04 PM
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has chimed in on the escalating battle between the FBI and Apple over iPhone encryption. Describing the letter published by Apple's Tim Cook as "important," Pichai says that a judge's order forcing Apple to assist the FBI in gaining access to the data on a terrorist's iPhone "could be a troubling precedent." Seeing as Google oversees the Android operating system, Pichai is a crucial voice in this debate; Android also offers encryption to safeguard personal data. "We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders," Pichai tweeted moments ago. "But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data." Pichai seems to side squarely with Cook. "Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users’ privacy." Google's CEO said he's "looking forward to a thoughtful and open discussion on this important issue." That echoes the words of Cook, who in his letter wrote "This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake." At this point it seems like not a matter of if, but when other influential tech CEOs like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft's Satya Nadella will weigh in on the matter.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai has chimed in on the escalating battle between the FBI and Apple over iPhone encryption. Describing the letter published by Apple's Tim Cook as "important," Pichai says that a judge's order forcing Apple to assist the FBI in gaining access to the data on a terrorist's iPhone "could be a troubling precedent." Seeing as Google oversees the Android operating system, Pichai is a crucial voice in this debate; Android also offers encryption to safeguard personal data.
"We build secure products to keep your information safe and we give law enforcement access to data based on valid legal orders," Pichai tweeted moments ago. "But that's wholly different than requiring companies to enable hacking of customer devices and data." Pichai seems to side squarely with Cook. "Forcing companies to enable hacking could compromise users’ privacy." Google's CEO said he's "looking forward to a thoughtful and open discussion on this important issue."
That echoes the words of Cook, who in his letter wrote "This moment calls for public discussion, and we want our customers and people around the country to understand what is at stake." At this point it seems like not a matter of if, but when other influential tech CEOs like Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Microsoft's Satya Nadella will weigh in on the matter.
Read more @ http://www.theverge.com/2016/2/17/11040266/google-ceo-sundar-pichai-sides-with-apple-encryption?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link
Company executives said they had been helping federal officials with the investigation when the password change was discovered. [Update: San Bernardino County officials on Saturday tweeted new information about what they say happened to Syed Farook’s phone.] The Apple ID password linked to the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists was changed less than 24 hours after the government took possession of the device, senior Apple executives said Friday. If that hadn’t happened, Apple said, a backup of the information the government was seeking may have been accessible.Now, the government, through a court order, is demanding Apple build what the company considers a special backdoor way into the phone — an order that Apple is challenging. The government argues Apple would not be creating a backdoor.The Apple executives said the company had been in regular discussions with the government since early January, and that it proposed four different ways to recover the information the government is interested in without building a backdoor. One of those methods would have involved connecting the iPhone to a known Wi-Fi network and triggering an iCloud backup that might provide the FBI with information stored to the device between the October 19th and the date of the incident.
Company executives said they had been helping federal officials with the investigation when the password change was discovered. [Update: San Bernardino County officials on Saturday tweeted new information about what they say happened to Syed Farook’s phone.]
The Apple ID password linked to the iPhone belonging to one of the San Bernardino terrorists was changed less than 24 hours after the government took possession of the device, senior Apple executives said Friday. If that hadn’t happened, Apple said, a backup of the information the government was seeking may have been accessible.
Now, the government, through a court order, is demanding Apple build what the company considers a special backdoor way into the phone — an order that Apple is challenging. The government argues Apple would not be creating a backdoor.
The Apple executives said the company had been in regular discussions with the government since early January, and that it proposed four different ways to recover the information the government is interested in without building a backdoor. One of those methods would have involved connecting the iPhone to a known Wi-Fi network and triggering an iCloud backup that might provide the FBI with information stored to the device between the October 19th and the date of the incident.
Read more @ http://www.buzzfeed.com/johnpaczkowski/apple-terrorists-appleid-passcode-changed-in-government-cust#.qdrMgaxLj
Feb 22 16 9:15 AM
Former NSA contractor tells supporters he would present public interest defence if he appeared before American jury Edward Snowden has told supporters he would be willing to return to the US if the government could guarantee a fair trial. The former National Security Agency contractor, who has been living in Russia since June 2013, said he would present a public interest defence of his decision to leak thousands of classified intelligence documents if he appeared before a US jury. “I’ve told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defence of why this was done and allow a jury to decide,” Snowden told a libertarian conference, the New Hampshire Liberty Forum.
Former NSA contractor tells supporters he would present public interest defence if he appeared before American jury
Edward Snowden has told supporters he would be willing to return to the US if the government could guarantee a fair trial.
The former National Security Agency contractor, who has been living in Russia since June 2013, said he would present a public interest defence of his decision to leak thousands of classified intelligence documents if he appeared before a US jury. “I’ve told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defence of why this was done and allow a jury to decide,” Snowden told a libertarian conference, the New Hampshire Liberty Forum.
Read more @ http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/feb/21/edward-snowden-willing-to-return-to-us-fair-trial
No Edward…. Although you have done much to help people worldwide on this, do not forget what was said at the beginning when you first came out and disclosed the information…. And is still being said by politicians in the US. Remember there were those that wanted to kill you, and those that wanted you behind bars for life. Unfortunately for you, even though you have literally thousands and thousands of followers, they are not the ones in the courts making the decisions. The power brokers have a strangle hold and they are angry that you are thwarting them, and I must add that they are the ones, from all appearances, that run the justice system. You will NOT get a fair trial…… end of story. Maybe in 10-20 years from now...... when the current power brokers are pushing up daisies.
The Espionage Act, a law from the World War I era, essentially prohibits defendants from arguing that their actions were made in the public interest. Speaking to a New Hampshire audience on Saturday by Skype, Edward Snowden said he would come back to the United States to stand trial if the federal government guaranteed that it would be a fair one. "I've told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defense of why this was done and allow a jury to decide," Mr. Snowden, a US National Security Agency whistleblower, told an audience at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, an event organized by the Free State Project, a libertarian organization. Viewed as a traitor by some and a patriot by others after his 2013 revelations of mass surveillance by the US government, Snowden was charged with three felonies, including two under the Espionage Act. The law, dating back to World War I, has been used against federal whistleblowers such as Daniel Ellsberg, a former US military analyst who in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers, revealing to the US public that the government had misled it about the Vietnam war, and Chelsea Manning, a US Army intelligence analyst who handed over 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, revealing details about military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Speaking to a New Hampshire audience on Saturday by Skype, Edward Snowden said he would come back to the United States to stand trial if the federal government guaranteed that it would be a fair one.
"I've told the government I would return if they would guarantee a fair trial where I can make a public interest defense of why this was done and allow a jury to decide," Mr. Snowden, a US National Security Agency whistleblower, told an audience at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum, an event organized by the Free State Project, a libertarian organization.
Viewed as a traitor by some and a patriot by others after his 2013 revelations of mass surveillance by the US government, Snowden was charged with three felonies, including two under the Espionage Act. The law, dating back to World War I, has been used against federal whistleblowers such as Daniel Ellsberg, a former US military analyst who in 1971 leaked the Pentagon Papers, revealing to the US public that the government had misled it about the Vietnam war, and Chelsea Manning, a US Army intelligence analyst who handed over 700,000 classified documents to WikiLeaks in 2010, revealing details about military operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.
Read more @ http://news.yahoo.com/could-edward-snowden-fair-trial-returned-us-193715441.html
Read more @ https://www.rawstory.com/2016/02/edward-snowden-i-would-return-to-the-us-in-exchange-for-a-fair-trial/
NSA whistleblower, now in exile in Russia, visits Johns Hopkins virtually as part of Foreign Affairs Symposium A capacity crowd gathered at JHU's Shriver Hall on Wednesday night to hear NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden speak via live video conference from Russia as part of the student-run Foreign Affairs Symposium. Photos of the video broadcast were not permitted. Edward Snowden told a capacity crowd at Johns Hopkins on Wednesday night "it doesn't really matter what I think" about the covert surveillance data he exposed in June 2013. But Snowden's thoughts on intelligence gathering, data privacy, and other issues were precisely what everyone came to Shriver Hall to hear. "The focus on personalities really misses the point," Snowden said of the attention that has swirled around him over the past two and half years. "It's about us—it's about the world we want to live in." Exiled in Moscow, Snowden spoke live via video broadcast about both the international and personal ramifications of his role in one of the largest intelligence leaks in U.S. history, and more philosophically about the significance of privacy. The polarizing whistleblower, both glorified as a human rights activist and vilified as a national traitor, drew a crowd that fanned out across the Wyman Quad well before the venue's doors opened. The student-run Foreign Affairs Symposium arranged Snowden's talk to headline this year's speaker series.
A capacity crowd gathered at JHU's Shriver Hall on Wednesday night to hear NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden speak via live video conference from Russia as part of the student-run Foreign Affairs Symposium. Photos of the video broadcast were not permitted.
Edward Snowden told a capacity crowd at Johns Hopkins on Wednesday night "it doesn't really matter what I think" about the covert surveillance data he exposed in June 2013. But Snowden's thoughts on intelligence gathering, data privacy, and other issues were precisely what everyone came to Shriver Hall to hear.
"The focus on personalities really misses the point," Snowden said of the attention that has swirled around him over the past two and half years. "It's about us—it's about the world we want to live in."
Exiled in Moscow, Snowden spoke live via video broadcast about both the international and personal ramifications of his role in one of the largest intelligence leaks in U.S. history, and more philosophically about the significance of privacy.
The polarizing whistleblower, both glorified as a human rights activist and vilified as a national traitor, drew a crowd that fanned out across the Wyman Quad well before the venue's doors opened. The student-run Foreign Affairs Symposium arranged Snowden's talk to headline this year's speaker series.
Read more @ http://hub.jhu.edu/2016/02/18/edward-snowden-privacy-hopkins-fas
College senior Dan Swann stepped on stage, approached the laptop, and spoke to Russia. "Hello, Mr. Snowden. It's an honor." Behind him, the Johns Hopkins University auditorium was packed, some 1,300 who came to hear the former government contractor speak live from across the world. "What can future engineers do," asked Swann, a computer-science major from Annapolis, "to be sure the products they work on cannot be used to violate civil liberties?" Edward Snowden paused. "That's a good one." Hopkins students spent months arranging the live video conference Wednesday night with Snowden. In 2013, he leaked documents revealing the National Security Agency's massive telephone- and Internet-surveillance program. At Hopkins, he was greeted with applause. "He's a controversial figure," said Mona Jia, a junior who helped organize the video conference. "This was an important and timely topic." The conference came hours after the debate between privacy and security again made national news. Apple's chief executive said Wednesday his company would challenge a court order demanding the company's help in the San Bernardino attack investigation. Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said the FBI requested the company develop software to hack into an iPhone used by the gunman.
College senior Dan Swann stepped on stage, approached the laptop, and spoke to Russia. "Hello, Mr. Snowden. It's an honor."
Behind him, the Johns Hopkins University auditorium was packed, some 1,300 who came to hear the former government contractor speak live from across the world.
"What can future engineers do," asked Swann, a computer-science major from Annapolis, "to be sure the products they work on cannot be used to violate civil liberties?"
Edward Snowden paused. "That's a good one."
In 2013, he leaked documents revealing the National Security Agency's massive telephone- and Internet-surveillance program. At Hopkins, he was greeted with applause.
"He's a controversial figure," said Mona Jia, a junior who helped organize the video conference. "This was an important and timely topic."
The conference came hours after the debate between privacy and security again made national news. Apple's chief executive said Wednesday his company would challenge a court order demanding the company's help in the San Bernardino attack investigation. Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook said the FBI requested the company develop software to hack into an iPhone used by the gunman.
Read more @ http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/education/bs-md-snowden-hopkins-20160217-story.html
Whistleblower’s speech is part of Simon Fraser University program examining the opportunities and dangers of online data gathering. VANCOUVER—Edward Snowden, considered everything from a heroic whistleblower to a traitor, is making a cyber visit to British Columbia. Snowden will make the keynote presentation, via web link, as part of a Simon Fraser University program examining the opportunities and dangers of online data gathering. The presentation, at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Apr. 5, will be followed by a moderated discussion with expert panellists from SFU and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association. Snowden is a former employee of the National Security Agency in the United States.
VANCOUVER—Edward Snowden, considered everything from a heroic whistleblower to a traitor, is making a cyber visit to British Columbia.
Snowden will make the keynote presentation, via web link, as part of a Simon Fraser University program examining the opportunities and dangers of online data gathering.
The presentation, at Vancouver’s Queen Elizabeth Theatre on Apr. 5, will be followed by a moderated discussion with expert panellists from SFU and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association.
Snowden is a former employee of the National Security Agency in the United States.
Read more @ http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/02/19/nsa-whistleblower-edward-snowden-to-give-bc-keynote-on-online-data-gathering-via-web-link.html
Privacy is a fundamental human right essential for living in dignity and security. This is why it is necessary that European countries pause and get back on the right track. European countries have made remarkable progress in the last decades to ensure individual freedoms and shield people from undue state interference. The European system of human rights protection is today among the most advanced in the world. However, there is little room for complacency: a number of cracks have appeared in this system and are widening. One of the biggest comes from counter-terrorism measures considered or enacted across Europe, in particular those which increase mass surveillance. Many of these measures grant more intrusive powers to security services to snoop on our lives and centralise powers in the hands of the executive, thus circumventing judicial safeguards necessary in any democracy rooted in the rule of law. A number of countries are very active on this front. For example, France is discussing a criminal law reform which would enable the police to use very intrusive surveillance tools in criminal cases. This occurs a few months after it adopted two other highly controversial laws which permit major intrusions, without prior judicial authorisation, into the private lives not only of suspects but also of persons who communicate with them, live or work in the same place or even just happen to be near them. The Austrian Parliament has adopted a law which allows a new security agency to operate with reduced external control and to collect and store communication data for up to six years.
Privacy is a fundamental human right essential for living in dignity and security. This is why it is necessary that European countries pause and get back on the right track.
European countries have made remarkable progress in the last decades to ensure individual freedoms and shield people from undue state interference. The European system of human rights protection is today among the most advanced in the world. However, there is little room for complacency: a number of cracks have appeared in this system and are widening.
One of the biggest comes from counter-terrorism measures considered or enacted across Europe, in particular those which increase mass surveillance. Many of these measures grant more intrusive powers to security services to snoop on our lives and centralise powers in the hands of the executive, thus circumventing judicial safeguards necessary in any democracy rooted in the rule of law.
A number of countries are very active on this front. For example, France is discussing a criminal law reform which would enable the police to use very intrusive surveillance tools in criminal cases. This occurs a few months after it adopted two other highly controversial laws which permit major intrusions, without prior judicial authorisation, into the private lives not only of suspects but also of persons who communicate with them, live or work in the same place or even just happen to be near them.
The Austrian Parliament has adopted a law which allows a new security agency to operate with reduced external control and to collect and store communication data for up to six years.
Read more @ https://www.opendemocracy.net/digitaliberties/nils-mui-nieks/human-rights-in-europe-should-not-buckle-under-mass-surveillance
Apple has been directed by a federal court judge in the US to provide “reasonable technical assistance” to bypass the security features of an iPhone that is part of the evidence in the trial of Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the terrorists alleged to have been involved in an attack in San Bernardino, California last December. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, penned a public letter saying this creates a dangerous precedent that will compromise the security of every iPhone user on the planet. More broadly, if Apple is forced to comply with this curative then Google is likely to find itself in the same position in future as it uses similar means to protect Android devices. The issue is the iPhone’s encryption keys are not held by Apple in any way. The only way for Apple to access the data on your device is for it to create a hacked version of iOS with a backdoor, which is what US Attorney Patricia A Donahue is asking Apple to do. The US Government has taken some extraordinary steps to access the data of individuals and organisations. It has been reported that the NSA intercepts networking equipment en route to customers, installs hardware so it can spy on network traffic, and then reseals the equipment before delivering it to the actual customer. And there’s no doubt we are under more surveillance than ever before with metadata retention in Australia already undergoing scope creep.
Apple has been directed by a federal court judge in the US to provide “reasonable technical assistance” to bypass the security features of an iPhone that is part of the evidence in the trial of Syed Rizwan Farook, one of the terrorists alleged to have been involved in an attack in San Bernardino, California last December.
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, penned a public letter saying this creates a dangerous precedent that will compromise the security of every iPhone user on the planet. More broadly, if Apple is forced to comply with this curative then Google is likely to find itself in the same position in future as it uses similar means to protect Android devices.
The issue is the iPhone’s encryption keys are not held by Apple in any way. The only way for Apple to access the data on your device is for it to create a hacked version of iOS with a backdoor, which is what US Attorney Patricia A Donahue is asking Apple to do.
The US Government has taken some extraordinary steps to access the data of individuals and organisations.
It has been reported that the NSA intercepts networking equipment en route to customers, installs hardware so it can spy on network traffic, and then reseals the equipment before delivering it to the actual customer. And there’s no doubt we are under more surveillance than ever before with metadata retention in Australia already undergoing scope creep.
Read more @ http://www.macworld.com.au/news/apples-letter-to-customer-and-a-bigger-picture-141844/
The UK Joint Committee has revealed its long-awaited report into the feasibility of the surveillance proposals in the controversial draft Investigatory Powers Bill – also known as the Snoopers' Charter. The report is roughly 200-pages long and contains 86 recommendations in total to the government on issues such as bulk snooping, targeted surveillance and encryption. First unveiled in November last year by Home Secretary Theresa May, the bill aims to bolster the spying powers available to the UK government, police and intelligence agencies. The text includes proposals that would force service providers to store data for 12 months, allow cyber spooks to legally hack into targeted computers and expand the use of bulk spying capabilities. In many cases, it seeks to legitimise many of the powers exposed by former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden back in 2013.
The UK Joint Committee has revealed its long-awaited report into the feasibility of the surveillance proposals in the controversial draft Investigatory Powers Bill – also known as the Snoopers' Charter. The report is roughly 200-pages long and contains 86 recommendations in total to the government on issues such as bulk snooping, targeted surveillance and encryption.
First unveiled in November last year by Home Secretary Theresa May, the bill aims to bolster the spying powers available to the UK government, police and intelligence agencies. The text includes proposals that would force service providers to store data for 12 months, allow cyber spooks to legally hack into targeted computers and expand the use of bulk spying capabilities. In many cases, it seeks to legitimise many of the powers exposed by former NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden back in 2013.
Read more @ http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/encryption-bulk-spying-highlights-joint-committee-report-snoopers-charter-1543283
Edward Snowden is going to stay in hiding for four months longer than expected. Or the movie version of him, that is, played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in Oliver Stone’s biopic Snowden. Open Road Films, the indie distributor which scored its first best picture Oscar nomination last month with Spotlight, confirmed today that Snowden will open in theaters on Sept. 16 instead of its previously reserved date of May 13.
Read more @ http://www.ew.com/article/2016/02/19/snowden-movie-delayed
A bronze coloured bust by the artists Jeff Greenspan and Andrew Tider of the whistleblower Edward Snowden, has been unveiled at the Brooklyn Museum. The four-foot, 100-pound bespectacled statue was previously removed by police from a plinth on the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park. Originally it was placed anonymously but the artists revealed themselves when they tried to claim back the sculpture. “It would be a dishonour to those memorialised here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Snowden has by bringing the National Security Administration’s 4th amendment violating surveillance programmes to light,” the artists said in a statement. The statue was shown at the Postmasters gallery in New York last summer, and is now part of Agitprop!, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum (until 7 August).
A bronze coloured bust by the artists Jeff Greenspan and Andrew Tider of the whistleblower Edward Snowden, has been unveiled at the Brooklyn Museum. The four-foot, 100-pound bespectacled statue was previously removed by police from a plinth on the Prison Ship Martyrs’ Monument in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene Park. Originally it was placed anonymously but the artists revealed themselves when they tried to claim back the sculpture.
“It would be a dishonour to those memorialised here to not laud those who protect the ideals they fought for, as Snowden has by bringing the National Security Administration’s 4th amendment violating surveillance programmes to light,” the artists said in a statement. The statue was shown at the Postmasters gallery in New York last summer, and is now part of Agitprop!, an exhibition at the Brooklyn Museum (until 7 August).
Read more @ http://www.artlyst.com/articles/edward-snowden-bronze-bust-exhibited-at-brooklyn-museum-agitprop-exhibition
Feb 23 16 10:32 AM
No legal case applies in a vacuum, and in this case the FBI needs the precedent more than the evidence. On Tuesday, the United States District Court of California issued an order requiring Apple to assist the FBI in accessing a locked iPhone (PDF)—and not just any iPhone, but the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The order is very clear: Build new firmware to enable the FBI to perform an unlimited, high speed brute force attack, and place that firmware on the device. Apple is not only fighting the request, but posted a public letter signed by Tim Cook and linked on Apple’s front page. Make no mistake: This is unprecedented, and the situation was deliberately engineered by the FBI and Department of Justice to force a showdown that could define limits our civil rights for generations to come. This is an issue with far-reaching implications well beyond a single phone, a single case, or even Apple itself. As a career security professional, this case has chilling implications. Why now? I’ve been writing about Apple’s role in our digital civil rights since 2014, and specifically addressed why Apple is at the center of the battle over encryption last month on TidBITS. The short version is that Apple is one of the only companies with the technologies, high profile, and business model to both find themselves in the cross hairs, and take a strong position. Make no mistake, Apple has a long history of complying with court orders and assisting law enforcement. Previous to iOS 8, they could extract data off devices. Even today, data in most of their online services (iCloud, excluding iMessage and FaceTime) can be provided upon legal request. This case is different for multiple reasons: Apple is being asked to specifically create new software to circumvent their security controls. They aren’t being asked to use existing capabilities, since those no longer work. The FBI wants a new version of the operating system designed to allow the FBI to brute force attack the phone. The FBI is using a highly emotional, nationally infamous terrorism case as justification for the request. The request refers to the All Writs Act, which is itself under scrutiny in a case in New York involving Apple. Federal Magistrate Judge James Orenstein of the Eastern District of New York is currently evaluating if the Act applies in these cases.
On Tuesday, the United States District Court of California issued an order requiring Apple to assist the FBI in accessing a locked iPhone (PDF)—and not just any iPhone, but the iPhone 5c used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The order is very clear: Build new firmware to enable the FBI to perform an unlimited, high speed brute force attack, and place that firmware on the device.
Apple is not only fighting the request, but posted a public letter signed by Tim Cook and linked on Apple’s front page.
Make no mistake: This is unprecedented, and the situation was deliberately engineered by the FBI and Department of Justice to force a showdown that could define limits our civil rights for generations to come. This is an issue with far-reaching implications well beyond a single phone, a single case, or even Apple itself.
As a career security professional, this case has chilling implications.
I’ve been writing about Apple’s role in our digital civil rights since 2014, and specifically addressed why Apple is at the center of the battle over encryption last month on TidBITS. The short version is that Apple is one of the only companies with the technologies, high profile, and business model to both find themselves in the cross hairs, and take a strong position.
Make no mistake, Apple has a long history of complying with court orders and assisting law enforcement. Previous to iOS 8, they could extract data off devices. Even today, data in most of their online services (iCloud, excluding iMessage and FaceTime) can be provided upon legal request.
This case is different for multiple reasons:
Apple is being asked to specifically create new software to circumvent their security controls. They aren’t being asked to use existing capabilities, since those no longer work. The FBI wants a new version of the operating system designed to allow the FBI to brute force attack the phone.
The FBI is using a highly emotional, nationally infamous terrorism case as justification for the request.
The request refers to the All Writs Act, which is itself under scrutiny in a case in New York involving Apple. Federal Magistrate Judge James Orenstein of the Eastern District of New York is currently evaluating if the Act applies in these cases.
Feb 23 16 11:37 PM
Bill Gates sides with FBI against AppleBill Gates is siding against Apple in saying the firm should help the US government to hack into a locked iPhone as part of an investigation into the San Bernardino shooting, which left 14 people dead.Apple has resisted providing a piece of programming that would help the FBI access the phone.Apple argues that governments, both in the US and overseas, are likely to use the program in other cases, undermining data privacy.In an interview on Tuesday with the Financial Times, Microsoft founder Gates says "this is a specific case where the government is asking for access to information".He likened it to the police getting records from a phone company.The heads of many tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google have sided with Apple.Originally published as Bill Gates sides with FBI against Apple
Bill Gates sides with FBI against Apple
Bill Gates is siding against Apple in saying the firm should help the US government to hack into a locked iPhone as part of an investigation into the San Bernardino shooting, which left 14 people dead.
Apple has resisted providing a piece of programming that would help the FBI access the phone.
Apple argues that governments, both in the US and overseas, are likely to use the program in other cases, undermining data privacy.
In an interview on Tuesday with the Financial Times, Microsoft founder Gates says "this is a specific case where the government is asking for access to information".
He likened it to the police getting records from a phone company.
The heads of many tech companies like Facebook, Twitter and Google have sided with Apple.
Originally published as Bill Gates sides with FBI against Apple
Read more @ http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/bill-gates-sides-with-fbi-against-apple/news-story/4a8e254e3b1ed27314ff90425f563f73
Feb 24 16 10:58 AM
A US federal judge has ordered Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone of one of the attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California last December. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, said the company won’t help the FBI get past the passcode on the iPhone 5C belonging to one of the killers, Syed Rizwan Farook, as it would set a “dangerous precedent” for letting the government (and thus potentially anyone else) break into anyone’s phone. But information from a 2015 court case in New York, uncovered by the Daily Beast, suggests that Apple may have cooperated with the government and unlocked phones up to 70 times in the past. In other words, Apple may now be taking a strong stance on privacy as a public-relations tactic, rather than a deep desire to protect the privacy of the average citizen. The Daily Beast’s report also implies the government might have developed its own ways of getting into at least some iPhones. So if the Feds—or for that matter, criminals or other governments—can now or in the future crack iPhone passcodes, with or without Apple’s cooperation, how can you safeguard your data? The answer is pretty simple: just set a longer passcode.
A US federal judge has ordered Apple to help the FBI break into the iPhone of one of the attackers who killed 14 people in San Bernardino, California last December. Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, said the company won’t help the FBI get past the passcode on the iPhone 5C belonging to one of the killers, Syed Rizwan Farook, as it would set a “dangerous precedent” for letting the government (and thus potentially anyone else) break into anyone’s phone.
But information from a 2015 court case in New York, uncovered by the Daily Beast, suggests that Apple may have cooperated with the government and unlocked phones up to 70 times in the past. In other words, Apple may now be taking a strong stance on privacy as a public-relations tactic, rather than a deep desire to protect the privacy of the average citizen. The Daily Beast’s report also implies the government might have developed its own ways of getting into at least some iPhones.
Feb 25 16 3:54 PM
Science // “I am with [Neil deGrasse Tyson] on this one,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper typed, in response to Tumblr user BaeForHire, who asked if the Earth was flat. “Definitely a sphere.The Intelligence Community has high confidence. We take pictures of it every day,” Clapper continued, in a tone as breezy as the forum he was in. Participating in Tumblr's Answer Time, Clapper's answers drifted between light-hearted certainty and cagey push-back. Clapper answered questions about the definition of “intelligence community”, his favorite part of the job, and his daily routine. He got asked a lot of questions about aliens, and pointed readers to a CIA explanation of the X-Files, which probably only deepens the conspiracy. Asked about a different James, Clapper said the current Bond is his favorite, and provided both Goldfinger and Skyfall as his favorite films in the long-running franchise. But there were a few more substantive questions. Tumblr user mariokart64ost mentioned he was uncomfortable with secret courts, and asked what reforms for transparency Clapper would bring into being if given the chance. Clapper's answer focused on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court, and hinged on a technicality. FISA “is not secret in the sense that its existence is denied,” Clapper wrote, and continued: What is “secret” about this court is that much of the business it conducts pertains to classified programs. One way of looking at this is where you're coming from - that this makes the court's activities suspicious. But also consider that the court's ability to be “secret” means that it really does have access to the classified material necessary to make its determinations. In other words, a “secret” court is about the court itself having access to information - not hiding the role of the court. By design, a court that decides cases on sensitive information with classified material can't be and isn't transparent, which makes it a lot harder to enforce compliance with its own rules, since no one outside the community can even tell if they're being violated. The FISA court is a regular target of calls for reform from privacy advocates. Clapper was also asked about a moment on March 12, 2013, when Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon asked Clapper if the NSA collected information on Americans. At the time, Clapper responded with both “No, sir,” and “not wittingly.” These answers were thrust into a new light following the June 2013 revelations from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that the agency was, in fact, collection information on American citizens. In light of this, was what Clapper said back in March a lie? Politifact has a thorough accounting of this fight, with Clapper insisting that he didn't lie, he just misspoke, and Wyden unsatisfied with that explanation. Yesterday, asked on Tumblr if he had lied before Congress, Clapper had another opportunity to explain his answer. His response is worth quoting at length: When Senator Wyden asked me the question I simply didn't think of the business records telephony metadata, at the time stored by NSA and governed by Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Instead, I thought of content - given his reference to “dossiers” - which, in my mind, meant Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which governs collection on non-U.S. persons overseas. My statement about inadvertent collection could only apply when we incidentally collect on U.S. persons who are communicating with non-U.S. persons overseas. The statement makes no sense in the context of Section 215, which he was asking about, and only makes sense in the context of Section 702, which is what I was thinking about. Even if I had been on the same page with Senator Wyden, I would have still been in an awkward position because the existence of the program that he was asking about was classified. We were in an unclassified hearing, and I thought we were talking about an unclassified program. So, yes, I made a mistake. But I did not lie. There's a big difference. Like his answer on FISA courts, Clapper's answer hinges on an acceptance that there are different rules for what happens with secret information among the government, and requires people to simply trust that matters regarding secret information will be resolved only in forums where only people privileged by the government can see them. That's the fundamental tension of an intelligence service in a democracy, especially one that publicly commits to transparency yet regards many matters as too secret for people to safely know. It's a big question to answer, so it's understandable that Clapper spent the rest of his session answering questions like this, from an anonymous user.
“I am with [Neil deGrasse Tyson] on this one,” Director of National Intelligence James Clapper typed, in response to Tumblr user BaeForHire, who asked if the Earth was flat. “Definitely a sphere.The Intelligence Community has high confidence. We take pictures of it every day,” Clapper continued, in a tone as breezy as the forum he was in. Participating in Tumblr's Answer Time, Clapper's answers drifted between light-hearted certainty and cagey push-back.
Clapper answered questions about the definition of “intelligence community”, his favorite part of the job, and his daily routine. He got asked a lot of questions about aliens, and pointed readers to a CIA explanation of the X-Files, which probably only deepens the conspiracy. Asked about a different James, Clapper said the current Bond is his favorite, and provided both Goldfinger and Skyfall as his favorite films in the long-running franchise.
But there were a few more substantive questions. Tumblr user mariokart64ost mentioned he was uncomfortable with secret courts, and asked what reforms for transparency Clapper would bring into being if given the chance. Clapper's answer focused on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court, and hinged on a technicality. FISA “is not secret in the sense that its existence is denied,” Clapper wrote, and continued:
What is “secret” about this court is that much of the business it conducts pertains to classified programs. One way of looking at this is where you're coming from - that this makes the court's activities suspicious. But also consider that the court's ability to be “secret” means that it really does have access to the classified material necessary to make its determinations. In other words, a “secret” court is about the court itself having access to information - not hiding the role of the court.
By design, a court that decides cases on sensitive information with classified material can't be and isn't transparent, which makes it a lot harder to enforce compliance with its own rules, since no one outside the community can even tell if they're being violated. The FISA court is a regular target of calls for reform from privacy advocates.
Clapper was also asked about a moment on March 12, 2013, when Senator Ron Wyden of Oregon asked Clapper if the NSA collected information on Americans. At the time, Clapper responded with both “No, sir,” and “not wittingly.” These answers were thrust into a new light following the June 2013 revelations from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden that the agency was, in fact, collection information on American citizens. In light of this, was what Clapper said back in March a lie?
Politifact has a thorough accounting of this fight, with Clapper insisting that he didn't lie, he just misspoke, and Wyden unsatisfied with that explanation. Yesterday, asked on Tumblr if he had lied before Congress, Clapper had another opportunity to explain his answer. His response is worth quoting at length:
When Senator Wyden asked me the question I simply didn't think of the business records telephony metadata, at the time stored by NSA and governed by Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Instead, I thought of content - given his reference to “dossiers” - which, in my mind, meant Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which governs collection on non-U.S. persons overseas. My statement about inadvertent collection could only apply when we incidentally collect on U.S. persons who are communicating with non-U.S. persons overseas. The statement makes no sense in the context of Section 215, which he was asking about, and only makes sense in the context of Section 702, which is what I was thinking about. Even if I had been on the same page with Senator Wyden, I would have still been in an awkward position because the existence of the program that he was asking about was classified. We were in an unclassified hearing, and I thought we were talking about an unclassified program. So, yes, I made a mistake. But I did not lie. There's a big difference.
When Senator Wyden asked me the question I simply didn't think of the business records telephony metadata, at the time stored by NSA and governed by Section 215 of the Patriot Act. Instead, I thought of content - given his reference to “dossiers” - which, in my mind, meant Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which governs collection on non-U.S. persons overseas.
My statement about inadvertent collection could only apply when we incidentally collect on U.S. persons who are communicating with non-U.S. persons overseas. The statement makes no sense in the context of Section 215, which he was asking about, and only makes sense in the context of Section 702, which is what I was thinking about.
Even if I had been on the same page with Senator Wyden, I would have still been in an awkward position because the existence of the program that he was asking about was classified. We were in an unclassified hearing, and I thought we were talking about an unclassified program.
So, yes, I made a mistake. But I did not lie. There's a big difference.
Like his answer on FISA courts, Clapper's answer hinges on an acceptance that there are different rules for what happens with secret information among the government, and requires people to simply trust that matters regarding secret information will be resolved only in forums where only people privileged by the government can see them.
That's the fundamental tension of an intelligence service in a democracy, especially one that publicly commits to transparency yet regards many matters as too secret for people to safely know. It's a big question to answer, so it's understandable that Clapper spent the rest of his session answering questions like this, from an anonymous user.
Read more @ http://www.popsci.com.au/science/james-clapper-believes-the-earth-is-round-and-the-cia-is-transparent,415375
Feb 29 16 2:11 PM
Apple’s lawyers indicated yesterday that they plan to use a First Amendment defense in the San Bernardino iPhone case, arguing that if code is speech, then the government is compelling the company to say something it doesn’t want to by forcing it to cooperate in cracking the phone’s password. That might sound like a weak argument on which to hang a critical data privacy case. But, as Motherboard previously pointed out, experts say the company might actually be onto something.
Read more @ http://www.wired.com/2016/02/apple-may-use-first-amendment-defense-fbi-case-just-might-work/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link
Feb 29 16 7:23 PM
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is on the verge of permitting the National Security Agency to share more of the private communications it intercepts with other American intelligence agencies without first applying any privacy protections to them, according to officials familiar with the deliberations.The change would relax longstanding restrictions on access to the contents of the phone calls and email the security agency vacuums up around the world, including bulk collection of satellite transmissions, communications between foreigners as they cross network switches in the United States, and messages acquired overseas or provided by allies.The idea is to let more experts across American intelligence gain direct access to unprocessed information, increasing the chances that they will recognize any possible nuggets of value. That also means more officials will be looking at private messages — not only foreigners’ phone calls and emails that have not yet had irrelevant personal information screened out, but also communications to, from, or about Americans that the N.S.A.’s foreign intelligence programs swept in incidentally.Civil liberties advocates criticized the change, arguing that it will weaken privacy protections. They said the government should disclose how much American content the N.S.A. collects incidentally — which agency officials have said is hard to measure — and let the public debate what the rules should be for handling that information.
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is on the verge of permitting the National Security Agency to share more of the private communications it intercepts with other American intelligence agencies without first applying any privacy protections to them, according to officials familiar with the deliberations.
The change would relax longstanding restrictions on access to the contents of the phone calls and email the security agency vacuums up around the world, including bulk collection of satellite transmissions, communications between foreigners as they cross network switches in the United States, and messages acquired overseas or provided by allies.
The idea is to let more experts across American intelligence gain direct access to unprocessed information, increasing the chances that they will recognize any possible nuggets of value. That also means more officials will be looking at private messages — not only foreigners’ phone calls and emails that have not yet had irrelevant personal information screened out, but also communications to, from, or about Americans that the N.S.A.’s foreign intelligence programs swept in incidentally.
Civil liberties advocates criticized the change, arguing that it will weaken privacy protections. They said the government should disclose how much American content the N.S.A. collects incidentally — which agency officials have said is hard to measure — and let the public debate what the rules should be for handling that information.
Read more @ http://www.nytimes.com/2016/02/26/us/politics/obama-administration-set-to-expand-sharing-of-data-that-nsa-intercepts.html?_r=4&utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link
This has got so far out of hand I doubt there is any chance of reining it in...... God help us all!!
Feb 29 16 9:10 PM
NSA Spying, Privacy and the Fourth Amendment: The Views of U.S. Presidential Candidates
What are the positions of U.S. presidential candidates on NSA domestic spying, personal privacy and the Fourth Amendment? Putting the debate in perspective, we begin with the Snowden affair. In May 2013, explosive details about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance programs were revealed in documents provided by Edward Snowden to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Barton Gellman, and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras. Investigators claim Snowden began downloading government documents in 2012 while working with Dell, an NSA contractor. In March, 2013 – three days after what he later called his “breaking point” of “seeing the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, directly lie under oath to Congress” – Snowden quit his job at Dell and began work for Booz Allen Hamilton where his downloading resumed. Initial Snowden documents published in June 2013 by the Washington Post and The Guardian revealed the extent and expansive reach of the agency’s dragnet spy programs worldwide. In the same month, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Snowden of two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of US Government or foreign government property. Documents estimated to range from 250 thousand to 1.7 million disclosed NSA’s collection of domestic email, telephone metadata and revealed a top secret data mining and information sharing program named PRISM. Shock value was high leading calls for Congressional hearings and changes to the U.S. surveillance law. European reaction reached a zenith upon learning that the cell phone of Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, had been bugged. “Spying among friends” is unacceptable, she said. Leaked documents published by Der Spiegel in 2014 appeared to show that the NSA had targeted 122 “high ranking” leaders.
What are the positions of U.S. presidential candidates on NSA domestic spying, personal privacy and the Fourth Amendment?
Putting the debate in perspective, we begin with the Snowden affair.
In May 2013, explosive details about the National Security Agency’s (NSA) surveillance programs were revealed in documents provided by Edward Snowden to journalists Glenn Greenwald and Barton Gellman, and documentary filmmaker Laura Poitras.
Investigators claim Snowden began downloading government documents in 2012 while working with Dell, an NSA contractor. In March, 2013 – three days after what he later called his “breaking point” of “seeing the Director of National Intelligence, James Clapper, directly lie under oath to Congress” – Snowden quit his job at Dell and began work for Booz Allen Hamilton where his downloading resumed.
Initial Snowden documents published in June 2013 by the Washington Post and The Guardian revealed the extent and expansive reach of the agency’s dragnet spy programs worldwide.
In the same month, the U.S. Department of Justice charged Snowden of two counts of violating the Espionage Act of 1917 and theft of US Government or foreign government property.
Documents estimated to range from 250 thousand to 1.7 million disclosed NSA’s collection of domestic email, telephone metadata and revealed a top secret data mining and information sharing program named PRISM.
Shock value was high leading calls for Congressional hearings and changes to the U.S. surveillance law. European reaction reached a zenith upon learning that the cell phone of Angela Merkel, Chancellor of Germany, had been bugged. “Spying among friends” is unacceptable, she said.
Leaked documents published by Der Spiegel in 2014 appeared to show that the NSA had targeted 122 “high ranking” leaders.
Read more @ http://www.globalresearch.ca/nsa-spying-privacy-and-the-fourth-amendment-the-views-of-u-s-presidential-candidates/5510938
Such a nice person….. NOT. I guess they don’t like it that they were sprung...... If anything Snowden is an honest patriot….. and definitely not narcissistic….. or even insufferably self-important. He is doing what is right and just and needs to be done..... and he has given up his life to do it.
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/edward-snowden-naive-narcissistic-insufferably-self-important-defector-claims-former-nsa-1545685
MANCHESTER — Edward Snowden told a supportive, enthusiastic crowd at the New Hampshire Liberty Forum Saturday that he would return to the United States if the government guarantees him a fair trial, “where I can make a public interest defense of why this was done and allow the jury to decide if it was right or wrong.” A big cheer went up as Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who stole secret government documents that exposed mass surveillance programs, first appeared on a big screen via a video link from Russia, where he is living in exile. More than 400 people, most of them members of the Free State Project, crowded into a meeting room at the Radisson Center of New Hampshire to hear Snowden, who has attained folk-hero status among libertarians. Another 100 watched in another room.
Read more @ http://www.unionleader.com/NSA-whistleblower-Edward-Snowden-says-fixing-U.S.-is-his-first-duty
Italy’s foreign ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador John Phillips on Tuesday after WikiLeaks released top-secret documents showing how Washington had spied on the Italian prime minister. Foreign Minister Michele Valensise asked for “clarifications” about U.S. surveillance, the Italian ministry said in a statement. The Italian government also alluded to changes that the Obama administration made in 2014, on the heels of damaging leaks from Edward Snowden, to prohibit personal spying on friendly foreign leaders. In response, the American ambassador promised to “immediately” address Italy’s concerns, the foreign ministry claimed. The WikiLeaks documents, which date back to 2010 and 2011, show that the National Security Agency (NSA) secretly monitored communications of top Italian officials. One 2010 message appears to be based off intercepted discussions between then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The talks were focused on “smoothing out the current rift” between the U.S. and Israel, the message claimed. “Berlusconi promised to put Italy at Israel's disposal in helping mend the latter's ties with Washington,” the NSA said in the message. In a second message, from 2011, the NSA appeared to have snooped on a top Berlusconi adviser’s account of a meeting the Italian prime minister had with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about Italy’s financial health.
Italy’s foreign ministry summoned U.S. Ambassador John Phillips on Tuesday after WikiLeaks released top-secret documents showing how Washington had spied on the Italian prime minister.
Foreign Minister Michele Valensise asked for “clarifications” about U.S. surveillance, the Italian ministry said in a statement.
The Italian government also alluded to changes that the Obama administration made in 2014, on the heels of damaging leaks from Edward Snowden, to prohibit personal spying on friendly foreign leaders.
In response, the American ambassador promised to “immediately” address Italy’s concerns, the foreign ministry claimed.
The WikiLeaks documents, which date back to 2010 and 2011, show that the National Security Agency (NSA) secretly monitored communications of top Italian officials.
One 2010 message appears to be based off intercepted discussions between then-Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu. The talks were focused on “smoothing out the current rift” between the U.S. and Israel, the message claimed.
“Berlusconi promised to put Italy at Israel's disposal in helping mend the latter's ties with Washington,” the NSA said in the message.
In a second message, from 2011, the NSA appeared to have snooped on a top Berlusconi adviser’s account of a meeting the Italian prime minister had with French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel about Italy’s financial health.
Read more @ http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/270495-italy-summons-us-ambassador-over-reported-nsa-spying
Researchers have offered an up close look at Pine Gap, the humming military citadel in central Australia. It's the top secret spy base almost everyone knows exists but very few people get to see. Now, a group of determined researchers have offered an up-close look at Pine Gap, the humming military citadel in central Australia built to suck data from the skies. By using zoom lens digital photography and plotting the position in orbit of spy satellites, the researchers have also for the first time documented what they believe to be the function of the dozens of dishes, radar domes and antennae that bristle across base. The findings, released in a report by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability and led by renowned Australian defence academic Des Ball, chart the expansion of Pine Gap from its Cold War origins to monitor nuclear threats to suspected key role in deadly drone warfare of today. The report includes a series of photographs to be shown in an upcoming exhibition in Melbourne that offer a fascinating glimpse of the spy station jointly run by Australia and the United States. One photo of the southern end of the base shows the most recent additions to the 19 "radomes" at Pine Gap - more than twice the number found at Pine Gap 30 years ago.
Researchers have offered an up close look at Pine Gap, the humming military citadel in central Australia.
It's the top secret spy base almost everyone knows exists but very few people get to see.
Now, a group of determined researchers have offered an up-close look at Pine Gap, the humming military citadel in central Australia built to suck data from the skies.
By using zoom lens digital photography and plotting the position in orbit of spy satellites, the researchers have also for the first time documented what they believe to be the function of the dozens of dishes, radar domes and antennae that bristle across base.
The findings, released in a report by the Nautilus Institute for Security and Sustainability and led by renowned Australian defence academic Des Ball, chart the expansion of Pine Gap from its Cold War origins to monitor nuclear threats to suspected key role in deadly drone warfare of today.
The report includes a series of photographs to be shown in an upcoming exhibition in Melbourne that offer a fascinating glimpse of the spy station jointly run by Australia and the United States.
One photo of the southern end of the base shows the most recent additions to the 19 "radomes" at Pine Gap - more than twice the number found at Pine Gap 30 years ago.
Read more @ http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/rare-glimpse-at-the-secrets-of-pine-gap-spy-base-20160226-gn51oa.html
In a filing Thursday, US tech giant Apple laid out its case against a court order to bypass the security features of a phone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The company claims that its First Amendment rights are being violated and accuses the government of attempting to “conscript” the company into spying on the population, a move it called “unprecedented.” While government officials have claimed that the court order is narrowly focused only on Syed Farook’s phone, in reality the case has been seized upon by the federal government to renew its offensive against encryption technology, which it views as an intolerable restraint on its spying powers. Even the San Bernardino police chief has admitted to the press that Farook’s iPhone, a work phone issued to him by the county, probably contains “nothing of any value.”
In a filing Thursday, US tech giant Apple laid out its case against a court order to bypass the security features of a phone used by one of the San Bernardino shooters. The company claims that its First Amendment rights are being violated and accuses the government of attempting to “conscript” the company into spying on the population, a move it called “unprecedented.”
While government officials have claimed that the court order is narrowly focused only on Syed Farook’s phone, in reality the case has been seized upon by the federal government to renew its offensive against encryption technology, which it views as an intolerable restraint on its spying powers. Even the San Bernardino police chief has admitted to the press that Farook’s iPhone, a work phone issued to him by the county, probably contains “nothing of any value.”
Read more @ https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2016/02/27/appl-f27.html
Apple chief executive Tim Cook's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone used by a terrorist has put the technology company on a collision cause with the White House and sparked a raucous debate over striking the balance between national security and personal privacy. In an unprecedented ruling, a California judge ordered Apple to build new software to unlock an iPhone 5c used by terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook in the shooting spree with her husband that killed 14 people in San Bernardino in December. The Obama administration and Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump sided with security authorities and the court on the spat. "The Department of Justice and the FBI can rely on the full support of the White House as they conduct an investigation to learn as much as they can about this particular incident," President Barack Obama's spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday in Washington.
Apple chief executive Tim Cook's refusal to help the FBI unlock an iPhone used by a terrorist has put the technology company on a collision cause with the White House and sparked a raucous debate over striking the balance between national security and personal privacy.
In an unprecedented ruling, a California judge ordered Apple to build new software to unlock an iPhone 5c used by terrorist Syed Rizwan Farook in the shooting spree with her husband that killed 14 people in San Bernardino in December.
The Obama administration and Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump sided with security authorities and the court on the spat.
"The Department of Justice and the FBI can rely on the full support of the White House as they conduct an investigation to learn as much as they can about this particular incident," President Barack Obama's spokesman Josh Earnest said on Wednesday in Washington.
Read more @ http://www.afr.com/technology/apple-at-war-with-us-government-donald-trump-20160217-gmx145
What might happens at this week’s congressional hearing as the iPhone maker continues to defy last month’s court order over phone encryption? On Tuesday, Apple will face one of the biggest corporate challenges in its history, when it tells a US House of Representatives committee why it has refused to help law enforcement officers break into the iPhone of Syed Farook – one of the gunmen in the San Bernardino shooting in December that left 14 dead and 22 wounded. The technology giant will be represented by its top lawyer, Bruce Sewell; making the case against it will be FBI boss James Comey. Apple, the world’s most valuable private company, has come under fire from many in politics and law enforcement after refusing to comply with the 16 February court order. Described by Apple chief executive Tim Cook as “chilling”, the order would require the company to disable some of the phone’s security measures so the government can find Farook’s passcode. Normally an iPhone’s operating system slows it down every time a wrong passcode is used, so that it is effectively impossible to break in by systematically trying all combinations.
What might happens at this week’s congressional hearing as the iPhone maker continues to defy last month’s court order over phone encryption?
On Tuesday, Apple will face one of the biggest corporate challenges in its history, when it tells a US House of Representatives committee why it has refused to help law enforcement officers break into the iPhone of Syed Farook – one of the gunmen in the San Bernardino shooting in December that left 14 dead and 22 wounded. The technology giant will be represented by its top lawyer, Bruce Sewell; making the case against it will be FBI boss James Comey.
Apple, the world’s most valuable private company, has come under fire from many in politics and law enforcement after refusing to comply with the 16 February court order.
Described by Apple chief executive Tim Cook as “chilling”, the order would require the company to disable some of the phone’s security measures so the government can find Farook’s passcode. Normally an iPhone’s operating system slows it down every time a wrong passcode is used, so that it is effectively impossible to break in by systematically trying all combinations.
Read more @ http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/feb/27/apple-fbi-congressional-hearing-iphone-encryption
At this point it almost feels like we've been living with the Edward Snowden revelations all of our lives. While what was revealed scared many people, it also led to a lot of legal battles that are still raging on. At the forefront of those is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that tirelessly fights for people's rights. The foundation has had an ongoing case which has been termed Jewell v NSA, as well as Wikimedia v NSA. There are many irons in the fire in this battle and now the EFF has filed a new amicus brief in the Wikimedia case. On Wednesday the organization filed the brief, which urges the court to allow the various parties to continue their pursuit of the NSA for what the EFF terms "illegal surveillance". This has been filed with the Fourth Circuit Court, which could prove favorable as it allowed Jewell v NSA to go forward after quite a bit of stalling by the government. This case, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents nine plaintiffs, including Wikimedia, was rejected by a federal judge in Maryland. However the EFF hopes it can move forward on more favorable grounds. The court this was filed with has just recently ruled the Jewell case can continue, authorizing the EFF to begin discovery, which will compel the government to release documents pertaining to the spying. "We’re well past the point where the government can simply utter 'national security' and get these cases dismissed at their outset", claims EFF Staff Attorney Mark Rumold. "We battled back these arguments in Jewel, and now we are asking another appeals court to do the same thing in Wikimedia".
At this point it almost feels like we've been living with the Edward Snowden revelations all of our lives. While what was revealed scared many people, it also led to a lot of legal battles that are still raging on. At the forefront of those is the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a group that tirelessly fights for people's rights.
The foundation has had an ongoing case which has been termed Jewell v NSA, as well as Wikimedia v NSA. There are many irons in the fire in this battle and now the EFF has filed a new amicus brief in the Wikimedia case.
On Wednesday the organization filed the brief, which urges the court to allow the various parties to continue their pursuit of the NSA for what the EFF terms "illegal surveillance". This has been filed with the Fourth Circuit Court, which could prove favorable as it allowed Jewell v NSA to go forward after quite a bit of stalling by the government.
This case, brought by the American Civil Liberties Union, which represents nine plaintiffs, including Wikimedia, was rejected by a federal judge in Maryland. However the EFF hopes it can move forward on more favorable grounds. The court this was filed with has just recently ruled the Jewell case can continue, authorizing the EFF to begin discovery, which will compel the government to release documents pertaining to the spying.
"We’re well past the point where the government can simply utter 'national security' and get these cases dismissed at their outset", claims EFF Staff Attorney Mark Rumold. "We battled back these arguments in Jewel, and now we are asking another appeals court to do the same thing in Wikimedia".
Read more @ http://betanews.com/2016/02/26/eff-pushes-forward-with-new-amicus-brief-in-case-against-nsa-spying/
With the pubic distracted by the FBI battling Apple for an iPhone backdoor, President Obama is secretly working to trash President Ronald Reagan’s restrictions on the number of federal agencies that can spy on Americans and others. At a secret meeting of the United States National Security Council on Feb 25, President Obama approved a draft 21-page memo relaxing a Cold War Reagan-era directive called Executive Order 12333 that restricted the number of government agencies that can access, without court order or Presidential approval, the contents of phone calls, emails and data the U.S. National Security Agency vacuums up from around the world. The new Obama memo would allow numerous federal agencies to share bulk data from satellites, foreign communications crossing U.S. network switches, messages acquired overseas, and data shared by American allies, according to the New York Times. Sources indicate that the Obama administration initiative is being described as giving a number of U.S. government agencies direct access to the broad spectrum of electronic intercepts in the “hope that that they will recognize any possible nuggets of value.”
At a secret meeting of the United States National Security Council on Feb 25, President Obama approved a draft 21-page memo relaxing a Cold War Reagan-era directive called Executive Order 12333 that restricted the number of government agencies that can access, without court order or Presidential approval, the contents of phone calls, emails and data the U.S. National Security Agency vacuums up from around the world.
The new Obama memo would allow numerous federal agencies to share bulk data from satellites, foreign communications crossing U.S. network switches, messages acquired overseas, and data shared by American allies, according to the New York Times.
Sources indicate that the Obama administration initiative is being described as giving a number of U.S. government agencies direct access to the broad spectrum of electronic intercepts in the “hope that that they will recognize any possible nuggets of value.”
Read more @ http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2016/02/28/obama-to-trash-president-reagans-restrictions-on-domestic-spying/
Here’s what almost no one has been reporting. The Apple-FBI encryption flap is really all about Edward Snowden and the NSA, says Ted Rall. The fight between Apple and the FBI has been framed as an epic battle between big tech and big government. Apple, says the Obama Administration, is siding with “its business model and public brand marketing strategy” ahead of public safety. That’s not it, says Apple CEO Tim Cook. He says his company is “a staunch advocate for our customers’ privacy and personal safety.” Donald Trump has weighed in on the controversy, ad-libbing a call for a boycott of Apple products including the iPhone, the device at the center of the debate. The public side of the controversy began two weeks ago, when a federal court ordered Apple to write code that would allow the FBI to unlock an iPhone used by one of the gunmen in the San Bernadino mass shooting. Apple refused, saying the code could be used to unlock other iPhones, too, not just the one covered by the order. Though the FBI denied that, saying it just wanted to unlock the one gunman’s phone, a Wall Street Journal report that the feds are currently going after a dozen or so iPhones in other cases now seems to back up Apple’s argument.
Here’s what almost no one has been reporting. The Apple-FBI encryption flap is really all about Edward Snowden and the NSA, says Ted Rall.
The fight between Apple and the FBI has been framed as an epic battle between big tech and big government. Apple, says the Obama Administration, is siding with “its business model and public brand marketing strategy” ahead of public safety.
That’s not it, says Apple CEO Tim Cook. He says his company is “a staunch advocate for our customers’ privacy and personal safety.”
Donald Trump has weighed in on the controversy, ad-libbing a call for a boycott of Apple products including the iPhone, the device at the center of the debate.
The public side of the controversy began two weeks ago, when a federal court ordered Apple to write code that would allow the FBI to unlock an iPhone used by one of the gunmen in the San Bernadino mass shooting. Apple refused, saying the code could be used to unlock other iPhones, too, not just the one covered by the order. Though the FBI denied that, saying it just wanted to unlock the one gunman’s phone, a Wall Street Journal report that the feds are currently going after a dozen or so iPhones in other cases now seems to back up Apple’s argument.
Read more @ http://anewdomain.net/2016/02/28/why-the-apple-vs-fbi-flap-is-really-about-edward-snowden/
The legal showdown between Apple Inc and US law enforcement over encryption, no matter the outcome, will likely accelerate tech company efforts to engineer safeguards against government intrusion, tech industry executives say. Already, an emerging industry is marketing super-secure phones and mobile applications. An Apple executive said the company will strengthen its encryption if it wins its court battle with the federal government, which last week secured a court order requiring Apple engineers to help extract data from a phone associated with the mass shootings in San Bernardino. The executive spoke on condition of anonymity.
The legal showdown between Apple Inc and US law enforcement over encryption, no matter the outcome, will likely accelerate tech company efforts to engineer safeguards against government intrusion, tech industry executives say.
Already, an emerging industry is marketing super-secure phones and mobile applications.
An Apple executive said the company will strengthen its encryption if it wins its court battle with the federal government, which last week secured a court order requiring Apple engineers to help extract data from a phone associated with the mass shootings in San Bernardino.
The executive spoke on condition of anonymity.
Read more @ http://www.sbs.com.au/news/article/2016/02/24/experts-say-apple-showdown-could-speed-development-government-proof-devices
WarGames is an ’80s classic and, for many people, their first introduction to the concept of hacking. Matthew Broderick plays a hacker who thinks he’s found a fun war simulation, but is in fact talking to a NORAD supercomputer that controls the nukes, and nearly starts World War III. And believe it or not, it not only had a basis in reality, it set up how the government perceives, and deals with, cybersecurity. Why? Because Ronald Reagan saw it and, in a Joint Chiefs meeting, asked chairman John Vessey to investigate whether it was Hollywood fantasy or if American military systems could really be compromised by an industrious kid or a Soviet initiative. Vessey came back with an answer a week later: Not only was it possible, it was in fact becoming increasingly probable. In part, Vessey knew this because the United States was actively breaching the computer systems of the Soviet Union and other countries to gather intelligence, and there were very public instances of hackers cracking passwords and invading systems in the United States. And WarGames reflected the concerns of a group of computer scientists and intelligence officials worried about security, including, most importantly, Willis Ware. Ware is a rarely discussed, but important part of computer and Internet history. Ware was the first to realize that as computers become more commonplace and more connected, security and privacy concerns we could only dream of would not only suddenly manifest, but cause massive and dramatic changes in social and government policy. Despite working on highly classified systems, Ware was publicly available for comment in his role at the RAND Corporation, so when a few screenwriters asked whether the urban legend that government computers were connected to public phone lines was real, Ware cheerfully confirmed that they were. He’d know, as he built NORAD’s system, including the open phone lines employees could call into to work on the weekends.
WarGames is an ’80s classic and, for many people, their first introduction to the concept of hacking. Matthew Broderick plays a hacker who thinks he’s found a fun war simulation, but is in fact talking to a NORAD supercomputer that controls the nukes, and nearly starts World War III. And believe it or not, it not only had a basis in reality, it set up how the government perceives, and deals with, cybersecurity.
Why? Because Ronald Reagan saw it and, in a Joint Chiefs meeting, asked chairman John Vessey to investigate whether it was Hollywood fantasy or if American military systems could really be compromised by an industrious kid or a Soviet initiative. Vessey came back with an answer a week later: Not only was it possible, it was in fact becoming increasingly probable.
In part, Vessey knew this because the United States was actively breaching the computer systems of the Soviet Union and other countries to gather intelligence, and there were very public instances of hackers cracking passwords and invading systems in the United States. And WarGames reflected the concerns of a group of computer scientists and intelligence officials worried about security, including, most importantly, Willis Ware.
Ware is a rarely discussed, but important part of computer and Internet history. Ware was the first to realize that as computers become more commonplace and more connected, security and privacy concerns we could only dream of would not only suddenly manifest, but cause massive and dramatic changes in social and government policy. Despite working on highly classified systems, Ware was publicly available for comment in his role at the RAND Corporation, so when a few screenwriters asked whether the urban legend that government computers were connected to public phone lines was real, Ware cheerfully confirmed that they were. He’d know, as he built NORAD’s system, including the open phone lines employees could call into to work on the weekends.
Read more @ http://uproxx.com/gammasquad/was-wargames-real/
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States has set out limits to its use of data collected in bulk about European citizens after a new information-sharing pact was agreed this month, according to documents seen by Reuters. A clear explanation of what information could be used for -- preventing its "indiscriminate" and "arbitrary" use -- was a key condition of the new Privacy Shield framework that enables firms to easily transfer personal data to the United States. Under the deal, Washington agreed to create a specific new role within the State Department to deal with complaints and enquiries forwarded by EU data protection agencies. There will also be an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to resolve grievances and a joint annual review of the accord. In a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Robert Litt, General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, says data collected in bulk can only be used for six specific purposes, including counterterrorism or cybersecurity. Crucially, U.S. authorities would apply the same safeguards against indiscriminate data collection to information being transmitted through transatlantic cables. That addresses a key European concern that information gathered outside the United States was afforded fewer protections.
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The United States has set out limits to its use of data collected in bulk about European citizens after a new information-sharing pact was agreed this month, according to documents seen by Reuters.
A clear explanation of what information could be used for -- preventing its "indiscriminate" and "arbitrary" use -- was a key condition of the new Privacy Shield framework that enables firms to easily transfer personal data to the United States.
Under the deal, Washington agreed to create a specific new role within the State Department to deal with complaints and enquiries forwarded by EU data protection agencies. There will also be an alternative dispute resolution mechanism to resolve grievances and a joint annual review of the accord.
In a letter to the U.S. Department of Commerce, Robert Litt, General Counsel of the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, says data collected in bulk can only be used for six specific purposes, including counterterrorism or cybersecurity.
Crucially, U.S. authorities would apply the same safeguards against indiscriminate data collection to information being transmitted through transatlantic cables. That addresses a key European concern that information gathered outside the United States was afforded fewer protections.
Read more @ https://au.news.yahoo.com/technology/a/30945194/united-states-sets-out-limits-on-its-spying-as-part-of-new-data-pact-with-eu/
Snowden will appear via live weblink for a discussion moderated by the CBC's Laura Lynch NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will appear in Vancouver via live weblink for a keynote speech on technology and human rights. The SFU-hosted event, Edward Snowden: Big Data, Security and Human Rights, will take place April 5 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre. A panel discussion featuring experts from SFU and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association will be moderated by senior CBC correspondent and host, Laura Lynch. Snowden Surveillance Archive searchable databaseSnowden says Canadian spying has weakest oversight in Western worldAudience members will be able to pose questions during the discussion via Twitter. Snowden is a controversial figure. Documents he leaked to the Guardian newspaper in 2013 revealed the U.S. government has programs in place to spy on almost everything that hundreds of millions of people do online, including emails, social networking posts, online chat histories, phone calls and texts. Hailed by some as a civil rights hero, others condemn him as a traitor who compromised national security. He is wanted by the U.S. government on espionage charges.
NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden will appear in Vancouver via live weblink for a keynote speech on technology and human rights.
The SFU-hosted event, Edward Snowden: Big Data, Security and Human Rights, will take place April 5 at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre.
A panel discussion featuring experts from SFU and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association will be moderated by senior CBC correspondent and host, Laura Lynch.
Audience members will be able to pose questions during the discussion via Twitter.
Snowden is a controversial figure. Documents he leaked to the Guardian newspaper in 2013 revealed the U.S. government has programs in place to spy on almost everything that hundreds of millions of people do online, including emails, social networking posts, online chat histories, phone calls and texts.
Hailed by some as a civil rights hero, others condemn him as a traitor who compromised national security. He is wanted by the U.S. government on espionage charges.
Read more @ http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/edward-snowden-vancouver-sfu-1.3454096
Climate negotiations between the world’s powerhouses usually take place behind closed doors — unless, that is, the U.S. government is secretly listening in. A batch of documents released by WikiLeaks on Tuesday reveal that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) spied on communications regarding international climate change agreements, including negotiations in 2008 between United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom the NSA had reportedly been spying on for decades. The NSA listened in on a private meeting between the two leaders ahead of a 2009 conference in Copenhagen, and gleaned information about their hopes that the European Union play a major role in climate change mitigation, adding Merkel thought the “tough issue” would involve carbon trading. An excerpt from one of the NSA memos reads: Ban Ki-moon, in an exchange on 10 December with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pointed out that the world would be watching the EU with “keen interest” for reassurances that it will maintain its leadership role in combating climate change … Ban also maintained that since the new U.S. administration will have a very engaging and proactive attitude on the issue, the time is right for the EU and the whole world to create conditions necessary for reaching a meaningful deal at the 2009 UN Climate Talks … Merkel believed that the climate-change issue should be discussed at the heads-of-state level, otherwise it would not work. In a statement, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accused “a country intent on protecting its largest oil companies” of bugging Ki-moon’s efforts to save the planet.
Climate negotiations between the world’s powerhouses usually take place behind closed doors — unless, that is, the U.S. government is secretly listening in.
A batch of documents released by WikiLeaks on Tuesday reveal that the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) spied on communications regarding international climate change agreements, including negotiations in 2008 between United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, whom the NSA had reportedly been spying on for decades. The NSA listened in on a private meeting between the two leaders ahead of a 2009 conference in Copenhagen, and gleaned information about their hopes that the European Union play a major role in climate change mitigation, adding Merkel thought the “tough issue” would involve carbon trading.
An excerpt from one of the NSA memos reads:
Ban Ki-moon, in an exchange on 10 December with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, pointed out that the world would be watching the EU with “keen interest” for reassurances that it will maintain its leadership role in combating climate change … Ban also maintained that since the new U.S. administration will have a very engaging and proactive attitude on the issue, the time is right for the EU and the whole world to create conditions necessary for reaching a meaningful deal at the 2009 UN Climate Talks … Merkel believed that the climate-change issue should be discussed at the heads-of-state level, otherwise it would not work.
In a statement, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange accused “a country intent on protecting its largest oil companies” of bugging Ki-moon’s efforts to save the planet.
Read more @ http://grist.org/news/the-nsa-spied-on-top-secret-climate-negotiations-between-world-leaders/
This first appeared on OtherWords. The Obama administration’s ongoing crusade against government whistleblowers — which culminated last year in the imprisonment of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling — has reignited a debate over the role journalists should play in defending their profession and the sources and networks on which it depends. Sterling’s serving a three-and-half-year prison term for a conviction built primarily on circumstantial evidence — a heavy sentence, though less than the draconian 24 years the government originally sought. Sterling’s alleged crime was divulging a botched CIA operation to New York Times journalist James Risen. While the Times and other news organizations fought for their own — hiring a team of lawyers to defend Risen against a government subpoena — they did much less to advocate for the rights of whistleblowers, or to denounce the severe punishment meted out to Sterling himself. The case highlights the tension among journalists about their larger role in society. Do they merely hold up an objective window to the world, or should they advocate for the free flow of information and those who act as sources for their reporting? Reporters could learn a lesson from free speech and privacy advocates. We see our work as an essential collaboration among “what,” “why,” and “how” people. The “what” people are those who first identify a problem in society. They’re the whistleblowers — like former intelligence officer Edward Snowden, who alerted us to the alarming extent of mass government surveillance. The “why” people investigate the roots of a problem. Journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras have devoted their careers to analyzing the rise of the surveillance state. It’s natural that a “what” person like Snowden would seek out Greenwald and Poitras to explain the threat of wholesale surveillance to a wider audience.
This first appeared on OtherWords.
The Obama administration’s ongoing crusade against government whistleblowers — which culminated last year in the imprisonment of former CIA officer Jeffrey Sterling — has reignited a debate over the role journalists should play in defending their profession and the sources and networks on which it depends.
Sterling’s serving a three-and-half-year prison term for a conviction built primarily on circumstantial evidence — a heavy sentence, though less than the draconian 24 years the government originally sought.
Sterling’s alleged crime was divulging a botched CIA operation to New York Times journalist James Risen.
While the Times and other news organizations fought for their own — hiring a team of lawyers to defend Risen against a government subpoena — they did much less to advocate for the rights of whistleblowers, or to denounce the severe punishment meted out to Sterling himself.
The case highlights the tension among journalists about their larger role in society. Do they merely hold up an objective window to the world, or should they advocate for the free flow of information and those who act as sources for their reporting?
Reporters could learn a lesson from free speech and privacy advocates. We see our work as an essential collaboration among “what,” “why,” and “how” people.
The “what” people are those who first identify a problem in society. They’re the whistleblowers — like former intelligence officer Edward Snowden, who alerted us to the alarming extent of mass government surveillance.
The “why” people investigate the roots of a problem. Journalist Glenn Greenwald and filmmaker Laura Poitras have devoted their careers to analyzing the rise of the surveillance state. It’s natural that a “what” person like Snowden would seek out Greenwald and Poitras to explain the threat of wholesale surveillance to a wider audience.
Read more @ http://www.truthdig.com/report/item/journalists_should_stand_up_for_whistleblowers_20160227
The release from prison of two leading figures at a critical daily after Turkey's top court ruled that their detentions violated their human rights has been greeted with caution by the government, while pro-government journalists attacked the verdict, claiming that it would lead to spying no longer being considered a crime. The Cumhuriyet daily's Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and its Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül were set free from prison after midnight on Thursday after the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court acted on the verdict of the Constitutional Court hours earlier and ordered their release. The decision marks the end of three months in prison for the pair since their joint arrest at the end of last November. “The trial will continue [and] we will closely follow it,” İbrahim Kalın, presidential spokesperson, told reporters on Friday, noting that the release does not mean acquittal. At a press conference at the presidential palace, Kalın drew a parallel between the trial of the two journalists with judicial investigations launched by the US against figures such as Edward Snowden for leaking confidential documents over Wikileaks.
The release from prison of two leading figures at a critical daily after Turkey's top court ruled that their detentions violated their human rights has been greeted with caution by the government, while pro-government journalists attacked the verdict, claiming that it would lead to spying no longer being considered a crime.
The Cumhuriyet daily's Editor-in-Chief Can Dündar and its Ankara bureau chief Erdem Gül were set free from prison after midnight on Thursday after the İstanbul 14th High Criminal Court acted on the verdict of the Constitutional Court hours earlier and ordered their release. The decision marks the end of three months in prison for the pair since their joint arrest at the end of last November.
“The trial will continue [and] we will closely follow it,” İbrahim Kalın, presidential spokesperson, told reporters on Friday, noting that the release does not mean acquittal.
At a press conference at the presidential palace, Kalın drew a parallel between the trial of the two journalists with judicial investigations launched by the US against figures such as Edward Snowden for leaking confidential documents over Wikileaks.
Read more @ http://www.todayszaman.com/national_release-of-critical-journalists-blasted-by-pro-govt-media_413442.html
Mar 2 16 4:58 AM
The high-stakes legal fight between Apple and the US Justice Department over a locked iPhone is moving from the courts to Congress.FBI Director James Comey and Apple chief lawyer Bruce Sewell are appearing before the House Judiciary Committee for a hearing on encryption on Tuesday afternoon (Wednesday morning AEDT).The hearing comes amid two significant and conflicting court rulings in New York and California on whether Apple can be forced to help the FBI gain access to locked phones.
The high-stakes legal fight between Apple and the US Justice Department over a locked iPhone is moving from the courts to Congress.
FBI Director James Comey and Apple chief lawyer Bruce Sewell are appearing before the House Judiciary Committee for a hearing on encryption on Tuesday afternoon (Wednesday morning AEDT).
The hearing comes amid two significant and conflicting court rulings in New York and California on whether Apple can be forced to help the FBI gain access to locked phones.
Read more @ http://www.news.com.au/world/breaking-news/apple-fbi-in-encryption-debate/news-story/30a2308f45ea3ee35fbcbf519fc23050
Mar 2 16 7:37 AM
PHILADELPHIA (CNN) — Apple’s attorney painted a scary picture if Apple loses its fight with the FBI. In an interview with CNNMoney’s Laurie Segall on Friday, Ted Olson warned of a government with “limitless” powers that could “listen to your conversations.” READ: Apple Asks Judge To Vacate Order On Locked iPhone Olson said the demands would mount. “You can imagine every different law enforcement official telling Apple we want a new product to get into something,” Olson said. “Even a state judge could order Apple to build something. There’s no stopping point. That would lead to a police state.” The government is trying to force Apple to create new software allowing the FBI to break through the passcode of an iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter. A magistrate Judge initially ruled in the government’s favor, but a final hearing will be held on March 22.
PHILADELPHIA (CNN) — Apple’s attorney painted a scary picture if Apple loses its fight with the FBI.
In an interview with CNNMoney’s Laurie Segall on Friday, Ted Olson warned of a government with “limitless” powers that could “listen to your conversations.”
READ: Apple Asks Judge To Vacate Order On Locked iPhone
Olson said the demands would mount.
“You can imagine every different law enforcement official telling Apple we want a new product to get into something,” Olson said. “Even a state judge could order Apple to build something. There’s no stopping point. That would lead to a police state.”
The government is trying to force Apple to create new software allowing the FBI to break through the passcode of an iPhone used by the San Bernardino shooter. A magistrate Judge initially ruled in the government’s favor, but a final hearing will be held on March 22.
Read more @ http://philadelphia.cbslocal.com/2016/02/26/apple-police-state/?utm_source=fark&utm_medium=website&utm_content=link
Its like giving thousands and thousands of total strangers the keys to your house and car...... !!
Mar 2 16 5:25 PM
Is there such a thing as security so good it's a danger to society?That's the bigger picture at hand as Apple continues to fight an order to unlock a terrorist's iPhone.That fight made its way to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee, the government body that covers matters relating to how law and order is enforced in the US. Over the course of four meandering hours, representatives dived headfirst into the complexities of the case FBI director James Comey said is the most difficult issue he has ever had to deal with.He told the committee that his organisation was seriously concerned by the growth of what law enforcement describe as "warrant-proof spaces" - the term given for methods of communication or storage that, even with the correct permission from the court, can't be accessed. Not by police and not by technology companies.
Is there such a thing as security so good it's a danger to society?
That's the bigger picture at hand as Apple continues to fight an order to unlock a terrorist's iPhone.
That fight made its way to Capitol Hill on Tuesday for a hearing in front of the House Judiciary Committee, the government body that covers matters relating to how law and order is enforced in the US.
Over the course of four meandering hours, representatives dived headfirst into the complexities of the case FBI director James Comey said is the most difficult issue he has ever had to deal with.
He told the committee that his organisation was seriously concerned by the growth of what law enforcement describe as "warrant-proof spaces" - the term given for methods of communication or storage that, even with the correct permission from the court, can't be accessed. Not by police and not by technology companies.
Read more @ http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-35704103