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

Discussion in 'privacy general' started by Dermot7, Jun 6, 2013.

  1. Nebulus

    Nebulus Registered Member

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  2. Pinga

    Pinga Registered Member

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  3. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    GAWD! What's wrong with these people?

    One thing from the article that at first seems harmless and innocuous is very serious:

    "The secretive British spy agency GCHQ has developed covert tools to seed the internet with false information, including the ability to manipulate the results of online polls, artificially inflate pageview counts on web sites, “amplif[y]” sanctioned messages on YouTube, and censor video content judged to be “extremist.” The capabilities, detailed in documents provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, even include an old standby for pre-adolescent prank callers everywhere: A way to connect two unsuspecting phone users together in a call."

    https://firstlook.org/theintercept/...lls-ways-british-spies-seek-control-internet/

    Because of the FISA Court's approval of the "6-Hop" rule, NASA, in cooperation with GCHQ, this "prank" would allow NASA to make ANYONE and eventually EVERYONE, including ALL US citizens in the USA, a subject of targeted surveillance.

    The power of robo-calling, supported by uber powered super computers, and the exponential power of the FISA approved "6-hop" rule could very quickly allow an all encompassing result. Similar to the speed of infection of an hyper-accelerated spread of a world-wide pandemic of a new mutation of an airborne virus to which the human body has no established immunity.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2014
  4. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    Mostly true, except in rare exceptions where the US Government is now charging whistle blowers under The Espionage Act, which in combination with the National Defense Authorization Act of 2012, in effect upheld by the Supreme Court's recent refusal to entertain an appeal from an action taken against a reporter, can allow the Military, even on US soil, to "disappear" even a US Citizen on a whim. It is THE FEAR of such of such things in itself, that will have a chilling effect on the free flow of ideas across the internet, and limit important journalism that in the past had been based upon confidential information. Both of these elements are essential to a functional democracy. Fear based self-censorship is a powerful force.

    I believe that is the intent of the Government's actions. Those in the top echelons of economic, political, and militarty power know that eventually if things continue along their current track, unless preventive action is taken, the citizenry at some point in time, having little left to lose, will attempt to rise up, pitchforks in hand.
     
    Last edited: Jul 14, 2014
  5. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    From For the Record: Yes, the Government Really Did Trash-Talk Our FISA Story:
     
  6. guest

    guest Guest

    Please note that my posts in any privacy related threads, especially in this one is pretty much a kind of worthless troll. I shouldn't be posting here actually. I ended up here by accident. So people, please stop bringing them up again in here and continue to have a proper discussion. I'm outta here. :D
     
  7. noone_particular

    noone_particular Registered Member

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    There's a big difference between trolling and speaking out for what you believe in and against what is wrong. Yes, a certain amount of restraint is needed of which I'm no example. That said, it is the future of humanity and the planet itself that's the issue. One would have to exist in a vacuum to not care.
     
  8. Minimalist

    Minimalist Registered Member

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    Artist mails NSA ‘uncrackable’ mixtape
    http://www.welivesecurity.com/2014/07/16/encryption-tools/
     
  9. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    A troll is a person who sows discord on the Internet by starting arguments or upsetting people, by posting inflammatory,extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the deliberate intent of provoking readers into an emotional response or of otherwise disrupting normal on-topic discussion.

    I believe your overly harsh self-criticism is totally unwarranted. A sincere comment expressing one's views or beliefs that provokes intelligent debate is not trolling.
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2014
  10. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    Is there no end to thiso_O? Congress takes the Pee out of CIPSA

    Enter CISA, or The Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act.

    '
    'One of the most underrated benefits of Edward Snowden’s leaks was how they forced the US Congress to shelve the dangerous, privacy-destroying legislation– then known as Cispa – that so many politicians had been so eager to pass under the guise of “cybersecurity”. Now a version of the bill is back, and apparently its authors want to keep you in the dark about it for as long as possible.

    Now it’s called the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act (Cisa), and it is a nightmare for civil liberties. Indeed, it’s unclear how this kind of law would even improve cybersecurity. The bill was marked up and modified by the Senate intelligence committee in complete secrecy this week, and only afterward was the public allowed to see many of the provisions passed under its name..........

    The bill would create a massive loophole in our existing privacy laws by allowing the government to ask companies for ‘voluntary’ cooperation in sharing information, including the content of our communications, for cybersecurity purposes. But the definition they are using for the so-called ‘cybersecurity information’ is so broad it could sweep up huge amounts of innocent Americans’ personal data.

    'The Fourth Amendment protects Americans’ personal data and communications from undue government access and monitoring without suspicion of criminal activity. The point of a warrant is to guard that protection. CISA would circumvent the warrant requirement by allowing the government to approach companies directly to collect personal information, including telephonic or internet communications, based on the new broadly drawn definition of ‘cybersecurity information...............'

    '.... the bill is written broadly enough to permit your communications service providers to identify, obtain, and share your emails and text messages with the government. While business leaders have conceded that they do not need to share personally identifying information to combat computer threats, the bill provides an exception to existing law designed to protect your personal information......

    Once handed over, the government is able to use this information for investigating crimes that are unrelated to the underlying security threat and, more broadly, for “national security” purposes, which is a poorly defined term that includes “threats to the United States, its people, property, or interests” and “any other matter bearing on United States national or homeland security.

    Companies would also be immune from both civil and criminal liability for any action, including but not limited to violating a user’s privacy, as long as the company used the powers granted by CISPA in “good faith.'

    http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2014-07-16/meet-cisa-–-dianne-feinstein’s-latest-attack-privacy-civil-liberties-and-internet
     
    Last edited: Jul 17, 2014
  11. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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  12. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    From Outside Panel Finds Over-Reliance on NSA Advice Led to Dual EC Problems:
     
  13. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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  14. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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  15. lotuseclat79

    lotuseclat79 Registered Member

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  16. lotuseclat79

    lotuseclat79 Registered Member

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    A Convicted Hacker and an Internet Icon Join Forces to Thwart NSA Spying.

    -- Tom
     
  17. mirimir

    mirimir Registered Member

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    Go Ladar :thumb:
     
  18. Pinga

    Pinga Registered Member

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    http://www.theguardian.com/technolo...olitics-evgeny-morozov-algorithmic-regulation
     
  19. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    From Meet Executive Order 12333: The Reagan rule that lets the NSA spy on Americans:
     
  20. MrBrian

    MrBrian Registered Member

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    From Air Force research: How to use social media to control people like drones:
     
  21. hawki

    hawki Registered Member

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    More here:

    "New Surveillance Whistleblower: The NSA Violates the Constitution

    A former Obama administration official calls attention to unaccountable mass surveillance conducted under a 1981 executive order.

    John Napier Tye is speaking out to warn Americans about illegal spying. The former State Department official, who served in the Obama administration from 2011 to 2014, declared Friday that ongoing NSA surveillance abuses are taking place under the auspices of Executive Order 12333, which came into being in 1981, before the era of digital communications, but is being used to collect them promiscuously. Nye alleges that the Obama administration has been violating the Constitution with scant oversight from Congress or the judiciary. ...."

    Full Story:

    http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2014/07/a-new-surveillance-whistleblower-emerges/374722/
     
  22. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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  23. Dave0291

    Dave0291 Registered Member

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    And people will read that, and flock to Spideroak thinking nothing can happen only later finding out that they were wrong. The NSA is going to go where the masses are, that needs to be realized. Spideroak is a company ran by people, and people ~ Snipped as per TOS ~ up. I've also heard the "we couldn't see your files if we even wanted to" line from a lot of "security first" companies, and a lot of them were flawed. You can't go by what someone tells you, pretty graphs with techy terms, etc. Offline files are the only safe files.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 26, 2014
  24. Veeshush

    Veeshush Registered Member

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    I know it. All of these choices are just playing "best of the worst". If my life depended on this stuff, I'd be dead. I still like to try use things that attempt to provide something at least (which is what I thought Dropbox was, judging by the EFF reports I figured they were "good enough"- I never stored anything of value on it, nor have I ever elsewhere).

    I'd rather try a company that attempts than one that practically commits public image suicide in a time where people aren't trusting much of anything. I really hope at least there will be some competition and maybe some more privacy based things will pop up.
     
  25. Dave0291

    Dave0291 Registered Member

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    The EFF isn't all that great either. I've questioned their suggestions and work more than once. But, as you said, all the public can do for now is settle for the lesser evils and use the best of the worst. Our options have gotten limited, and we're left with going off the radar in a connected world or going about our business avoiding the most obvious of the minefields.
     
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