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

After enough people will switch, Spideroak will also become an NSA target... Moral of the story: encrypt all the files before storing them in the cloud, or keep them offline.

 

EFF asks judge to rule NSA spying on Internet backbone undermines 4th Amendment.

-- Tom

 

Thanks to Spying, No One Talks to Reporters Anymore

 

This subject simply and positively underscores the reason for a solid VPN tunnel while traveling along and through the "backbone". Surveillance means nothing at that point.

 

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2014/07/the_costs_of_ns.html

 

The U.S. Economy Is A Casualty Of NSA Surveillance Programs.

-- Tom

 

There's interesting tension between this "local control vs NSA" issue, and the "EU privacy law vs Google" issue about the right to be forgotten. Wearing my privacy hat, I totally get the anti-NSA/anti-Google perspective.

But the NSA and Google are different. First, while Google may know a great deal about everyone, there's no way that they can know as much as the NSA does. Second, at issue for the right to be forgotten is what Google shows in its search results. That's arguably based entirely on public data. And so it's very different from a privacy perspective.

In other words, I fear that revelations about the NSA may lead to increased censorship.

 

Former NSA director will file “at least” 9 patents to detect malicious hackers

 

From the article

A safe and reasonable assumption. Classified or not, anything owned by the NSA is owned by the people. That makes Alexander guilty of stealing the intellectual property of the people.

 

CIA admits it broke into Senate computers; senators call for spy chief’s ouster

 

"Microsoft's Euro cloud darkens: Redmond must let feds into foreign servers

Microsoft has lost the first round in its fight to prevent US authorities from seizing customer data stored in its overseas data centers.

Following a two-hour hearing before the US District Court for the Southern District of New York on Thursday, District Judge Loretta Preska ruled that a US warrant ordering Microsoft to hand over its customers' emails and other data was valid, even though the data in question was stored on servers in Dublin, Ireland.

Redmond had argued that because the data was managed by one of its foreign subsidiaries, local law and not US law should apply. Judge Preska disagreed."
. . .
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2014/07/31/microsoft_overseas_data_ruling

 

Snowden's temporary asylum in Russia has expired (Thursday). His lawyer said that he can stay in Russia while his appeal is being reviewed. If the appeal is rejected he will have to leave Russia, which raises a slew of obvious questions ... what will happen to all the data that he still has in his possession that has not yet been released? will that exit date be kept under wraps? how can he leave unnoticed? where next? how can he possibly avoid the NSA net?

 

I don't think he's that much safer in Russia- their internet censorship among other happenings would make me want to get out.

 

From what I've read, he has no data. It was all given to the journalists.

 

Whatever he has in Russia has got to be better than US federal (or maybe military) prison, no?

 

Reference: Russia enacts 'draconian' law for bloggers and online media.

-- Tom

 

@Tipsy, I do wonder how the European authorities will take that.

(Probably with a curtsy and a smile, because after all we have the nukes. International politics makes me sick to the stomach.)

@MrBrian, re the CIA breaking into senate computers: funny that they should be so annoyed, they're only getting the same treatment as everyone else. That said, I'd love to see this used as an excuse to really reign in the CIA and the NSA.

Civilian intelligence agencies in the US have a long and sordid history of considering themselves above the law. IMO it's time someone gave these self-righteous twits a political (and financial) pounding. Maybe with a side of prison sentences.

 

The NSA is military, not civilian. And the US has officially (but quietly) been at war for decades. The NSA does indeed consider itself to be above civilian law. So it probably is, no?

 

@mirimir: Umm yeah, please forgive my ignorance there. I was thinking of MKULTRA et. al. in the 60s, and various other crimes committed by the CIA.

Re being above the law, we do have laws governing the conduct of the military, and it seems to me that not spying on the entire civilian population ought to fit in somewhere. Giving a military organization that much power over the public, including elected officials, is insane.

Edit: and thank you BTW for making the magnitude of this problem clearer. Having the military running the show is pretty grave.

 

I think the Microsoft decision will mean that if VPN company has any foot in US, the US government can require the company to monitor customers's data even if the data only passes through servers in countries outside the US.

 

Yes, good point

 

Right. It's the old "iron fist / velvet glove" thing We won't get fooled again! Always do, though

 

what's your problem with EFF?

 

A new leaker is around.

http://rt.com/usa/178232-us-national-security-leaker-snowden/

 

http://www.net-security.org/secworld.php?id=17214