Feds Beg NY Times, Pro Publica Not To Reveal That They've Inserted Backdoors Into Internet Encryptio
41 replies, posted
[quote]As the NY Times report notes, there had been a public debate about all of this in the 90s, when there was the big fight over the Clipper Chip, an NSA-created form of encryption with backdoors. That fight ended with the NSA losing... and now it appears that they just ignored that and effectively spent the past few decades doing the same exact thing, but in secret. That deserves public exposure and discussion. [/quote]
[url]http://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130905/12484624418/feds-beg-ny-times-pro-publica-not-to-reveal-that-theyve-inserted-backdoors-into-internet-encryption.shtml[/url]
I just copied one important bit of the article, but you really should read the whole thing, it's only a page or so. Interesting to see how long it's been going on, especially under this much secrecy.
[editline]6th September 2013[/editline]
The original NYT article in case you haven't seen it: [url=http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/06/us/nsa-foils-much-internet-encryption.html?pagewanted=all]N.S.A. Able to Foil Basic Safeguards of Privacy on Web[/url]
Keep putting nails in the coffin, NSA. Better hope its big enough so the rest of the corrupt regime can fit in there with you when the American public decides to take back its country.
maybe
maybe gun control
is really to prevent us from taking back the country!!!!!
[QUOTE=Kuro.;42103112]Keep putting nails in the coffin, NSA. Better hope its big enough so the rest of the corrupt regime can fit in there with you when the American public decides to take back its country.[/QUOTE]
Yeah right they could organize a massive unconcealed genocide at this point and people would at most complain on twitter.
For me, the most interesting takeaway here is that the NSA is doing things that were EXPLICITLY VOTED DOWN BY CONGRESS a number of years ago. They fought for government-mandated backdoors into internet encryption and all-seeing Total Information Awareness programs after 9/11 and our representatives voted that shit down. Instead of complying, the NSA just moved everything over into the black budget, changed some names, and kept on doing whatever the fuck they felt like doing. Their entire modus operandi exists in clear defiance of the will of the people.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;42104395]For me, the most interesting takeaway here is that the NSA is doing things that were EXPLICITLY VOTED DOWN BY CONGRESS a number of years ago. They fought for government-mandated backdoors into internet encryption and all-seeing Total Information Awareness programs after 9/11 and our representatives voted that shit down. Instead of complying, the NSA just moved everything over into the black budget, changed some names, and kept on doing whatever the fuck they felt like doing. Their entire modus operandi exists in clear defiance of the will of the people.[/QUOTE]
It's impresive, in a sick kind of way, how dedicated they are to this.
Well then let's organize a mass protest requesting full disclosure of the extent, and destruction of the illegal records.
I am serious.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;42104395]For me, the most interesting takeaway here is that the NSA is doing things that were EXPLICITLY VOTED DOWN BY CONGRESS a number of years ago. They fought for government-mandated backdoors into internet encryption and all-seeing Total Information Awareness programs after 9/11 and our representatives voted that shit down. Instead of complying, the NSA just moved everything over into the black budget, changed some names, and kept on doing whatever the fuck they felt like doing. Their entire modus operandi exists in clear defiance of the will of the people.[/QUOTE]
it's not voted down by Congress, that's just a smokescreen to make people believe Congress is looking out for them.
Does anyone notice no one in power, Executive/Legislative/Judicial even mentions cutting funding for the NSA? With no money they can do nothing.
People will say that you can't cut funding because the legitimate work they do will be affected. Okay, but that means you can't 'vote down' ANYTHING they do since you are admitting that they must be allowed to operate with no real oversight or controls. Being able to vote no and stop them requires you know what the hell they are doing in the first place.
I seriously doubt there will be a massive protest, Simply because of the fact that nobody gives a shit.
Seriously, I don't know a single person that actually cares about this. But yet everyone is up in arms STILL about George Zimmerman and Obama's new dog.
wake up
wake up amemrcaica
wake up sheeple
wakeup
[QUOTE=cecilbdemodded;42104999]it's not voted down by Congress, that's just a smokescreen to make people believe Congress is looking out for them.
Does anyone notice no one in power, Executive/Legislative/Judicial even mentions cutting funding for the NSA? With no money they can do nothing.
People will say that you can't cut funding because the legitimate work they do will be affected. Okay, but that means you can't 'vote down' ANYTHING they do since you are admitting that they must be allowed to operate with no real oversight or controls. Being able to vote no and stop them requires you know what the hell they are doing in the first place.[/QUOTE]
Unless they sit on the intelligence committees, the rank-and-file congresspeople are simply instructed to vote for $50 billion plus in black budget spending without ever knowing what they're voting for. It's insane that anyone with a conscience can say "Well, all right then" and vote for it.
What's worse is that I suspect many of our representatives know all about this shit, and play dumb to the cameras. They know they're signing their constituent's privacy away to the NSA goons, and they couldn't care less.
God damn these slick motherfuckers for their nerds and computer skills and shit. It's like dealing with an invisible gun loaded with invisible bullets with possibly visible peelings in your head. It's completely liable to happen at any time, but all you know is that they're just buying more ammo.
It's a terrible example, but you have roughly 2/3 of the expected chance to understand that, [I]if you're an NSA agent.[/I]
[QUOTE=frozensoda;42104880]Well then let's organize a mass protest requesting full disclosure of the extent, and destruction of the illegal records.
I am serious.[/QUOTE]
We are way, way past the point where peaceful protest and civil disobedience are viable options. As pessimistic as it sounds, the only surefire solution to restore the full legal protections of the constitution and restore control of the government to the people, which said government exists to serve above all else, is the complete dissolution of the current regime and its instruments (including the NSA), and for all offending officials to be held accountable for their crimes. Whether it happens peacefully or by force is their choice.
I FUCKING KNEW IT!
They called me paranoid! They said that it would be too unlikely.
BUT I WAS FUCKING RIGHT!
[QUOTE=Blockhead;42105022]Seriously, I don't know a single person that actually cares about this. But yet everyone is up in arms STILL about George Zimmerman and Obama's new dog.[/QUOTE]
Call them out on it. Ask them what the fuck is wrong with them. Ask them why they care about a SINGLE man when there is this.
[QUOTE=Kuro.;42103112]Keep putting nails in the coffin, NSA. Better hope its big enough so the rest of the corrupt regime can fit in there with you when the American public decides to take back its country.[/QUOTE]
im more and more convinced you're alex jones
[QUOTE=Kuro.;42106577]We are way, way past the point where peaceful protest and civil disobedience are viable options. As pessimistic as it sounds, the only surefire solution to restore the full legal protections of the constitution and restore control of the government to the people, which said government exists to serve above all else, is the complete dissolution of the current regime and its instruments (including the NSA), and for all offending officials to be held accountable for their crimes. Whether it happens peacefully or by force is their choice.[/QUOTE]
You are never past the point of protest, that is fundamental to my belief system. Even if we don't change anything it will show that we are [i]starting[/i] to care. I am 100% serious but it doesn't seem like anyone else is down with the idea. Laziness, apathy, and defeatism have precluded this from being a viable option, not the government.
So what encryption is safest at the moment?
[QUOTE=Pepsi-cola;42109083]So what encryption is safest at the moment?[/QUOTE]
none
So when's this story gonna go viral or whatever?
[QUOTE=Disgruntled;42109189]So when's this story gonna go viral or whatever?[/QUOTE]
People are too buisy with stuff that is clearly meant to distract them such as syria etc.
[QUOTE=Disgruntled;42109189]So when's this story gonna go viral or whatever?[/QUOTE]
It's not, because a lot of this net privacy stuff is outside the understanding of the general public, they don't really comprehend how the breaking of encryption like this affects them.
[QUOTE=Used Car Salesman;42105221]Unless they sit on the intelligence committees, the rank-and-file congresspeople are simply instructed to vote for $50 billion plus in black budget spending without ever knowing what they're voting for. It's insane that anyone with a conscience can say "Well, all right then" and vote for it. [/QUOTE]
Covert action, the stuff that isn't publicly funded, has to go through Congress for funding. If Congress doesn't feel that it's being told the whole story, or they don't like what they've been told, they can simply refuse to approve the budget.
Don't let Congress pretend that they had no idea what was going on, they've been in on it from the start.
Already read the article on the paper. Too late NSA.
"Journalism is publishing something that someone else does not want published — everything else is just PR"
[QUOTE=Kuro.;42103112]Keep putting nails in the coffin, NSA. Better hope its big enough so the rest of the corrupt regime can fit in there with you when the American public decides to take back its country.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, that'll never happen. The US government and allies have been breaking encryption used by intelligence rivals for over a hundred years. The only reason it's becoming a scandal now is that commercial entities happen to be using the same encryption schemes, but there's enough public support for the job the NSA does that no matter how many Congressmen promise to 'get tough on the NSA', they'll never really be in jeopardy.
Instead of daydreaming fantasy populist uprisings, you should be focusing your effort on legislation to set hard limits and oversight on the activities of the NSA. They'll keep breaking security because that is literally their job. What matters is who they're directing that capability against.
[QUOTE=Pepsi-cola;42109083]So what encryption is safest at the moment?[/QUOTE]
Realistically, I'd suggest any newer methods developed by researchers before the intelligence agencies could get insiders to get their hands on it, but you can never really know.
Ken Thompson wrote a little article called "Reflections on Trusting Trust" where he points out that any time you try to compile your own program, in the hopes of trusting its behavior because, well, you've seen the source code, you're still trusting the compiler, and whatever compiler that compiler was compiled with, and so on, to not mess with the code of each subsequent compiler and your source itself before running the compile.
[url]http://cm.bell-labs.com/who/ken/trust.html[/url]
[QUOTE=Whiterfire;42103991]maybe
maybe gun control
is really to prevent us from taking back the country!!!!![/QUOTE]
are you serious
Instead of making another thread I'll post it here, Rush Holt sounds like he's really making noise about this, and created the "Surveillance State Repeal Act". Hopefully he can get enough attention to get that off the ground, or at least get more people thinking and bring us closer to a tipping point of actually having the majority intolerant of the self-expanding NSA.
[url]http://www.nytimes.com/2013/09/07/us/politics/legislation-seeks-to-bar-nsa-tactic-in-encryption.html[/url]
[QUOTE=Kuro.;42106577]We are way, way past the point where peaceful protest and civil disobedience are viable options. As pessimistic as it sounds, the only surefire solution to restore the full legal protections of the constitution and restore control of the government to the people, which said government exists to serve above all else, is the complete dissolution of the current regime and its instruments (including the NSA), and for all offending officials to be held accountable for their crimes. Whether it happens peacefully or by force is their choice.[/QUOTE]
"regime?" seriously?
the Syrian government is a regime. Nazi Germany was a regime. what you have right now is an overly apathetic and uncaring voting base in a democratic republic, not authoritarian rule and martial law. you're cheapening the term to justify your own paranoid and egocentric delusions about the people righteously seizing back power or some shit, when in reality actually starting a movement to forcefully take control of the US government would never get beyond the size of a small terrorist cell. that shit just is not going to work, and you're either dumb or insane if you think it would.
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