Tag Archives: Western Intel

Frustrated NSA Forced To Rely On Still-Secret Mass Surveillance Programs

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“Expressing frustration over Congress’ decision to let the provisions allowing the bulk collection of phone data expire, annoyed National Security Agency officials reported Monday that the organization would now be forced to rely exclusively on mass surveillance programs that have yet to come to light. ‘Unfortunately, lawmakers chose to limit our intelligence-gathering capabilities by discontinuing key sections of the Patriot Act, and now we have no choice but to depend on a number of other civilian-monitoring initiatives that continue to remain hidden from the public,’ said NSA director Michael Rogers.”

http://www.theonion.com/article/frustrated-nsa-now-forced-rely-mass-surveillance-p-50550

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Zombie Patriot Act Will Keep U.S. Spying—Even if the Original Dies

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“For starters, there will be what’s left of the Patriot Act itself. One former U.S. intelligence official told The Daily Beast that Section 214 of the law, which allows ‘pen register/trap & trace,’ could be used to collect phone and even email records. That former official and another both noted that there are other tools, including under different laws than the Patriot Act, for obtaining ‘roving wiretaps,’ which allow the government to monitor one person’s multiple communications devices.  Then there’s another powerful tool that the FBI and intelligence agencies have long had in their arsenal and still will—national security letters.”

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2015/05/31/zombie-patriot-act-will-keep-u-s-spying-even-if-the-original-dies.html

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You’re a Criminal in a Mass Surveillance World – How to Not Get Caught

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“To apologists of mass surveillance, what did Anne Frank have to hide? I ask because the person credited with popularizing the nothing-to-hide argument is none other than Joseph Goebbels, Minister of Public Enlightenment and Propaganda for the Third Reich.  Minister Goebbels would have wrung his hands with delight at having this depth of data on his regime’s citizens. But this data is absolutely trivial compared to what the U.S. government actually knows about you. Thanks to William Binney and Edward Snowden, we know that the U.S. regime has for many years been secretly constructing the means to monitor and record every aspect of our lives.”

https://bananas.liberty.me/youre-a-criminal-in-a-mass-surveillance-world-how-to-not-get-caught/

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Can you tell the difference between Bush and Obama on the Patriot Act?

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“Dick Cheney and George W Bush were widely condemned by Democrats for their baseless fear-mongering to pressure members of Congress into passing expansive surveillance laws that infringed on Americans’ civil liberties.  See if you can tell the difference between the Obama administration’s statements about the renewal of the Patriot Act and those from the Bush administration when they wanted Congress to renew some of the controversial mass surveillance authorities they passed after 9/11.”

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2015/may/29/quiz-tell-the-difference-bush-and-obama-patriot-act

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Senate Votes To Turn NSA Spying Back On, But With Reforms

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“After allowing portions of the Patriot Act to expire early Monday morning, lawmakers voted on Tuesday to reinstate the National Security Agency’s sweeping data collection programs, though with modest reforms to the agency’s programs and the secret court charged with keeping it in check.  In a 67-32 vote, the upper chamber agreed to pass the USA Freedom Act, effectively ending the two-day lapse in the NSA’s programs. The act re-establishes modified versions of the expired Patriot Act provisions.  White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest confirmed Tuesday that the administration was still issuing regular orders under the expired Section 215 of the Patriot Act.”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/02/nsa-surveillance-congress_n_7496100.html

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Jacob Hornberger, Rand Paul: A Profile in Courage

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“The U.S. Freedom Act is the reform of the Patriot Act that Obama, Clapper, and other warfare statists wanted. But Rand Paul would have no part of it. Let the Patriot Act expire — without reform — was his position.  The Patriot Act and the U.S. Freedom Act are two of the most anti-American schemes in U.S. history. Both schemes would fit in perfectly in any totalitarian regime. Moreover, employing fearmongering is a time-honored strategy of totalitarian regimes to scare people into trading away their freedom for the pretense of security.  Fear has been the coin of the realm of the U.S. national-security state apparatus since the day it was grafted onto America’s governmental system after World War II.”

http://fff.org/2015/06/01/rand-paul-profile-courage/

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Apple co-founder Wozniak: Snowden is a ‘total hero’

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“Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak gushed over former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, calling him a ‘total hero’ and saying he ‘gave up his life’ to reveal the agency’s surveillance programs.  Wozniak has been complimentary about Snowden before. Two years ago, he compared Snowden to Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg. Last year, Wozniak also told reporters that he briefly met Snowden at a small event in Moscow, where the former NSA employee is currently living.  Wozniak has expressed some regret in the past for the role technology has played in allowing the government to expand its surveillance efforts.”

http://rt.com/usa/262297-wozniak-snowden-total-hero/

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Surveillance Back Door Worse Than No Door

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“Tech industry giants say they are alarmed the federal government would demand back-door access to the encryption built into their products. Are they crying crocodile tears? Maybe, but the point is still a good one.  Imagine if, instead of memory chips, we were talking about your home’s back door. It most likely contains a lock. Your family members have keys. They can come and go freely while others cannot. This is how locks should work.  The FBI says it can’t do its job unless it has unimpeded access to your house, so it asks you to give it a spare key. The FBI further promises it will only use the key to enter your home in emergencies. Would you give it to them?”

http://www.thedailybell.com/news-analysis/36308/Back-Door-Worse-Than-No-Door/

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Why the Current PATRIOT Act Debate Doesn’t Matter Much

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“There were 180 orders authorized last year by the FISA Court under Section 215 — 180 orders issued by this court. Only five of those orders relate to the telephony metadata program. There are 175 orders about completely separate things. In six weeks, Congress will either reauthorize this statute or let it expire, and we’re having a debate — to the extent we’re even having a debate — but the debate that’s taking place is focused on five of the 180, and there’s no debate at all about the other 175 orders.”

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2015/05/why_the_current.html

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Snowden files reveal NSA plans to distribute malware via app stores

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“The US National Security Agency (NSA) planned to use smartphone app stores to propogate malware that it would later use to eavesdrop on users.  That is the latest claim from the trove of secret documents released by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.  Over the course of several workshops held in Canada and Australia in late 2011 and early 2012, a joint Five Eyes tradecraft team tried to find ways to implant spyware on smartphones by intercepting the transmissions sent when downloading or updating apps, it adds.  The project was integrated with the NSA’s spying system, XKEYSCORE, which searches smartphone and other traffic as it traverses the internet.”

http://www.computing.co.uk/ctg/news/2409622/nsa-planned-to-use-google-and-samsung-app-stores-to-spread-eavesdropping-malware

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