NSA has direct access to tech giants' systems for user data, secret files reveal

It's interesting that the redacted XKeyscore presentation is on Amazon AWS

-http://www.theguardian.com/world/interactive/2013/jul/31/nsa-xkeyscore-program-full-presentation

Page 17 of the presentation is relevant for VPN users:

I wonder how "decrypt and discover the users" works. Seeing IP addresses of VPN clients and servers is trivial. But not all VPNs employ username-password authentication. And, for those that do, could the information really be encrypted so weakly as that?

Also, browsing VPN startups in technologically advanced countries would be very tedious

 

1) Nobody seems to ask himself/herself if the content of the slides is actually happening right now or if it is a future project. Even more, is their content truthful? (just because they were leaked, that doesn't mean the things presented in them are real).

2) Also, everything that is shown in the XKEYSCORE seems related to a huge database, and not to the "real time" internet. So I would read the above statement this way: "Show me all the VPN startups in country X that are available in the database, and give me the data so I can decrypt and discover the users if that data exist in our database".

 

Here's what real reform of the NSA looks like

 

Woaaaa.... Intellectual clarity... Understanding of the issues, even open displays of intelligence?

How unusual...

 

i've never seen anything like whats going on in the u.s. now - it goes thru all levels of current admin and the state dept, the IRS, the military, the intelligence community, all lying to congress and the public over and over and over again - and when they get caught there's no shame or remorse or fear that they might lose their jobs or actually be prosecuted, instead its more like "how dare you question me!"

 

This is the end of democracy, the empowerment of the fanatics, and the precursor of things to come...

It's time to flail your arms, scream hysterically and abandon all hope, run, (nowhere to hide?) they control everything, they empower themselves over everything, give themselves all authority, and you... You will be nothing if you are not already nothing but one of the new, and improved, well programed generation of useful idiots to serve their every whims...

Now go watch the news, get appropriately terrified, then switch all your attention to religion, sports and video games, refuse to think independently, and strive to become the good hypnotically controlled mindless consumer you where designed and socially engineered to be!

Or perhaps it's time to create an alternate society, Perhaps one where the many actually count instead of the tiny few who already control everything. One where corporations are not people, corporate lobby groups are illegal, and where money is not free speech!

Where poor weak or disenfranchised people are not disposable, the rich are made accountable, and politicians taken to task for dishonesty, and human rights abuses...

I think it's time for the world to wake up!

 

Glenn Greenwald does a good job of explaining how we got to this point in his book, With Liberty and Justice for Some: How the Law Is Used to Destroy Equality and Protect the Powerful. I'm afraid this thread is going to be closed due to constantly veering off into political discussions, so I'll just leave it at that. Take a look into the book in more detail if it interests you. It was a good read.

 

It looks cool, but getting it without pwning myself won't be easy

 

The sneaky switch that set the stage for the NSA’s call records program.

-- Tom

 

Not even Congress knows how the NSA works.

http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/5/4589804/not-even-congress-knows-how-the-nsa-works

 

And here is why the members of Congress may not know:

House Intelligence Committee Threatens Rep. Grayson For Informing Other Reps About Leaked NSA Docs From The Guardian.

-- Tom

 

HOWTO reform the NSA.

Reference: What Should, and Should Not, Be in NSA Surveillance Reform Legislation.

-- Tom

 

The Virtues of Government Secrecy.

-- Tom

 

NSA Aftermath: German Firms Scramble to Boost Data Protection

German companies have long suspected China and Russia of trying to steal their secrets. But the NSA scandal has turned their attention west, forcing them to worry about prying American eyes and to rapidly bolster security measures.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/companies-in-germany-scramble-to-strengthen-data-protection-abilities-a-914922.html

 

Hi All, I am a newbie today (Tues, 6Aug13)

I have a question:

The news said Microsoft and other companies "gave" the backdoors to their operating systems to the peeping-Tom Feds.

Is their anything we can do? (besides limit our political exposure while online)

Please explain your answer as I do not know computers --except when I took a course in Basic 35+ years ago.

 

This and the whole x-y-z mess bothers me, but I did think of one reform:

Change the "rubber stamp" FISA Court to a Grand Jury system.

 

Excerpts from ANGELS DON‘T PLAY THIS HAARP

The future has arrived, & did so some time ago ! Welcome to the "Brave New World/Order"

 

That presentation was from 2008 IIRC. They *may* have been talking about the fabulously broken PPTP

PD

 

Good point. Only paranoids were using OpenVPN in 2008

 

Evidently Eric Holder went to 3 different judges to gain access to a FOX reporter's phone bill to see a list of calls. And this was concerning a national security leak. Why would he need to jump through all of those hoops? Couldn't he have just given Snowden a phone call?

-http://newsbusters.org/blogs/nathan-roush/2013/05/29/holder-scrambled-find-judge-approve-rosen-subpoena-after-rejected-twic

And if low level employees of the NSA have direct access to all of the communications of the world, all chats and emails in real time (no problem), and can even casually listen in on the President, then why did they need Yahoo's help in handing over requested information.

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2013/07/yahoo-fight-for-users-earns-company-special-recognition

Ever see a cow jump over the Moon?... Me neither.

 

If Bruce Schneier ran the NSA, he’d ask a basic question: “Does it do any good?”.

-- Tom

 

Because this doesn't have anything to do with the NSA nor FISA section 702. This was a Justice Department investigation or probe of leaked information within the government itself. An indictment against a U.S. citizen residing within the U.S. who was working for the government violating U.S. Laws by leaking information to the press. This would require them to seek a subpeona by a judge to obtain these records.

This was not a surveillance of individuals communicating with foreign nationals outside of the U.S

 

The Eric Holder incident was about a national security leak. So I would think that this could involve the National Security Agency.

But the comment that you responded to was not about Eric Holder. It was about the NSA demanding data from Yahoo through FISA. And my question was if even low level employees of the NSA, like Snowden, have all of this magic at their fingertips and can casually gather any information that they want sitting at their desk, then why did they need Yahoo to comply?

 

NSA Conducting Broader Email And Text Data Collection Linked To Foreigners: Report

WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency is searching the contents of vast amounts of Americans’ e-mail and text communications into and out of the country, hunting for people who mention information about foreigners under surveillance, according to intelligence officials.

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/08/us/broader-sifting-of-data-abroad-is-seen-by-nsa.html?hp

 

Ed Snowden’s e-mail service shuts down, leaving cryptic message.
http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/...l-service-shuts-down-leaving-cryptic-message/

Edward Snowden’s Email Provider Shuts Down Amid Secret Court Battle.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/08/lavabit-snowden/

Email service used by Edward Snowden abruptly shuts down, to avoid 'crimes against the American people'.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/8/46...y-edward-snowden-abruptly-shuts-down-to-avoid

Silent Circle sees 'writing on the wall,' shuts down secure email service.
http://www.theverge.com/2013/8/8/46...s-down-secure-email-following-lavabit-snowden