omnibus PRISM/NSA/free Edward Snowden/encryption tutorial thread

The new Wired has a big NSA piece:

http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/06/general-keith-alexander-cyberwar/all/

But just six months later, Alexander and the rest of the American intelligence community suffered a devastating defeat when they were surprised by the attacks on 9/11. Following the assault, he ordered his Army intercept operators to begin illegally monitoring the phone calls and email of American citizens who had nothing to do with terrorism, including intimate calls between journalists and their spouses. Congress later gave retroactive immunity to the telecoms that assisted the government.

Anyway, this all might explain why Americans don't seem to care too much about this stuff. We've been sort of primed for these sorts of revelations, which I suppose is another sign of how bad it's gotten. So is the fact that Snowden, hero or loser or whatever he is, is afraid to return home to America to "face justice," given he knows absolutely well what a sham that would be.

yeah i was working my way through that on the train this morning, need to finish it

http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2013/07/hacker-jester-targets-assange-snowden-ecuador

The Jester, who has one of his computers on display in the International Spy Museum, is famous for launching cyberattacks against WikiLeaks and Al Qaeda-linked web sites. According to a May story in Newsweek, he's also sought to reveal the identities of jihadists recruiting online and affiliates of the hacktivist group Anonymous. The Jester told the magazine that he views his hacking as an extension of his former military service (he claims that he was affiliated with a "rather famous" unit in Afghanistan), but he said that he has "no official relationship with law enforcement agencies." On his website he describes himself as "pro OUR Military, LEA [law enforcement agencies], & Intel Communities who do the same job no matter who is sitting in the big seat."

In a June 26 blog post, the Jester writes that Snowden "is not a goddam hero, here to save Americans from 'the government' because of privacy infringements and breaches of the 4th amendment, he is a traitor and has jeopardized all our lives." He launched a similar tirade against Assange, who has been living in London's Ecuadorean Embassy for more than a year to dodge extradition, writing, "Let's not forget Assange isn't seeking asylum because he's some heroic whistleblower or do-gooder. He's wanted for questioning on a rape charge."

On July 1, the Jester tweeted this:

http://www.motherjones.com/files/Screen%20shot%202013-07-02%20at%202.48.47%20PM.png

In a subsequent series of tweets, the Jester alluded to hacking into the embassy's fire alarm system to force Assange out of the building. If Assange were to leave the embassy compound, he would face extradition to Sweden—where he's under investigation for sexual assault—or potentially to the United States, where Assange fears he could be prosecuted in connection with the publication of classified information allegedly leaked by Bradley Manning.

Yesterday the Jester tweeted photos of what he believed to be fire alarms on the exterior of the Ecuadorean Embassy, asking locals to crowd-source the name and logo of the alarms. The Jester also tweeted the following map, isolating what he says are the wifi networks that Assange may be using within the embassy.

http://www.motherjones.com/files/Screen%20shot%202013-07-02%20at%202.45.45%20PM_1.png

In addition to targeting Assange and Ecuador, the Jester circulated a list of 52 servers used by the Venezuelan government, which Snowden has reportedly also petitioned for asylum. The hacker told FoxNews.com on Tuesday that he would treat countries that consider housing Snowden as "enemies" (Snowden is requesting asylum in at least 21 countries). The Jester did not respond to an interview request from Mother Jones.

The Jester, who has one of his computers on display in the International Spy Museum
The Jester, who has one of his computers on display in the International Spy Museum
The Jester, who has one of his computers on display in the International Spy Museum
The Jester, who has one of his computers on display in the International Spy Museum
The Jester, who has one of his computers on display in the International Spy Museum
The Jester, who has one of his computers on display in the International Spy Museum

this two-part piece on the history of the NSA and whistleblowers is a must-read:

https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/nsa-whistleblowers-for-dummies/412c6c31f2a8081c10456a2f2c1087f345176369/

https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/nsa-whistleblowers-for-dummies-ii/81bc80840972053356854f3ac8c87cc4834afb97/

Chris Hayes made a point of reminding people of Admiral Poindexter's efforts in 2002.

Slate:

http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/view_from_chicago/2013/07/edward_snowden_and_asylum_he_is_a_terrible_candidate.html

Snowden has few options left. Any country with an extradition treaty with the United States would probably extradite him—so his efforts to get into Germany or France are pretty pointless. Perhaps, if he reached Cuba or Bolivia, he could stay in one of those countries, in the process giving up the civil liberties that he holds so dear.

Even Snowden’s supporters realize that he must face the music. The Guardian, having wrung him dry of secrets, has solemnly declared that he should be tried albeit as a “whistleblower,” whatever that means. If he returns to the United States, prosecutors can and will charge him under whatever law he broke, and that includes the Espionage Act. He is likely to be convicted, but he has an outside chance of an embarrassing mistrial, a nullifying jury, even a sympathetic judge who goes easy on him in sentencing. Americans have a soft spot for people like Snowden. This country has a long history of unsuccessful prosecutions of dissenters, from the alleged Nazi sympathizer Elizabeth Dilling, to the Chicago Eight, to Daniel Ellsberg. Thoreau, abettors of fugitive slaves, civil rights protesters, and Vietnam-era draft dodgers are honored in historical memory. The founders themselves were traitors who made good. Today, secure but stifling in the embrace of a government that protects us from crime, terrorism, old age, and ill health by keeping track of our every move, we play Patrick Henry and enact harmless mini-rebellions by cheering on people like Snowden and Julian Assange. They defy the system without threatening it.

eric posner doesn't know what a 'whistleblower' is, huh?

I think he meant that he doesn't know what "being tried as a 'whistleblower'" means. Glad I could help.

Does contemporary Bolivia have a notably poor record on civil liberties?

lol did the guardian actually say he should be tried???

thank you us government for protecting me from ill health with cellphone metadata what a country

Protecting us from old age wtf?

Does contemporary Bolivia have a notably poor record on civil liberties?

Indeed. Morales seems to be even worse on this than his hero Chavez.

As a total aside, here's a site that streamlines the entire process of filing a FOIA request to pull FBI files: http://www.getgrandpasfbifile.com

It's fun! Getting an envelope in the mail addressed from the FBI (logo and all!) is such a cheap thrill.

this two-part piece on the history of the NSA and whistleblowers is a must-read:

https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/nsa-whistleblowers-for-dummies/412c6c31f2a8081c10456a2f2c1087f345176369/

https://www.nsfwcorp.com/dispatch/nsa-whistleblowers-for-dummies-ii/81bc80840972053356854f3ac8c87cc4834afb97/

― (The Other) J.D. (J.D.), Wednesday, July 3, 2013 5:30 PM (Yesterday)

thanks for this!

i'd never heard of this mag/blog before, but that was a really well-written piece. makes me want to finally pick up takeover and finish it for good. interesting thesis that it was the shift from economics to reacting against the expanding security state that led to the sorry democratic party we've got today (though the author doesn't go into how the democrats managed to reverse themselves on the former). teaser for morbs:

That turn against government and towards market solutions eventually led to where we are today under Obama, the worst of both the national security state and austerity politics, a smoldering toxic dump of all the worst that the Democratic Party has offered.

It's run by Mark Ames who used to do The Exile with Matt Taibbi - quite a few of the writers (Yasha Levine, etc) are the same. I've been meaning to get a subscription for a while.

ftr, that sentence i quoted isn't representative of the article itself at all; it's an excellent history

also the article does address the left's slide away from protecting leakers (with the ACLU as the vanguard!) - i hadn't finished the last section

http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/2013/07/05/french_surveillance_program_european_nation_has_similar_spying_program_as.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/07/us/in-secret-court-vastly-broadens-powers-of-nsa.html

NY Times sums up how FISA Court gave NSA more power; and how FISA Court is selected by Justice Roberts and is largely a rubberstamp despite its claims of being more than that

http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/daniel-ellsberg-nsa-leaker-snowden-made-the-right-call/2013/07/07/0b46d96c-e5b7-11e2-aef3-339619eab080_story.html?hpid=z2

Ellsberg editorial re Snowden being correct in fleeing

Part 2 of Snowden interview.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/video/2013/jul/08/edward-snowden-video-interview

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2013/07/10/196362/trapped-an-air-escape-from-moscow.html

Snowden’s best hope for breaking out of the transit area most likely hinges on whether he could sneak onto one of five weekly, direct flights to Havana, Cuba. One such flight landed Tuesday evening, another leaves Thursday afternoon. The main drawback? The path takes the plane directly over the United States, which could flout a standing treaty and force a regularly scheduled commercial flight to land.

Has everyone else amassed hundreds of links related to surveillance states due to Snowden's leaks? At one point I was reading about 5 articles about or related to it a day for a couple of weeks. Then I realised I wasn't reading anything else and couldn't really continue. But I keep all those links and many more to read for later.

I'm surprised no one has made a repository for links related to the surveillance state.

The NSA has done so.

So Snowden may just stay in Russia because its too difficult for him to fly anywhere

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/snowden-wants-meeting-with-human-rights-activists-lawyers/2013/07/12/237d5254-eac6-11e2-a301-ea5a8116d211_story.html?hpid=z1

Curmudgeon, link?

Here is Snowden's actual statement (far better to post the original, I feel):

http://wikileaks.org/Statement-by-Edward-Snowden-to.html

i think that's a joke about how the nsa has made a repository of links

xp

I can't imagine the NSA being objective. They would need some way to brainwash most of the people who work for them, so their links/info on surveillance states would be pretty bias and would not include one of the most dangerous organisations, in my opinion.

ts: waterface vs crimsonhexagon

Joking about NSA link list...

this belongs here:

http://www.avclub.com/articles/matmos-covers-bow-wow-wow,100019/

Olaf Koens @obk

Lukin adds: 'He doesn't look very well fed, a skinny guy. But he has a great haircut'

ts: waterface vs crimsonhexagon

― k3vin k., Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

taking sides

eliot argonaut

ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?

ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?

― the late great, Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

As we have seen, however, some governments in Western European and North American states have demonstrated a willingness to act outside the law, and this behavior persists today. This unlawful threat makes it impossible for me to travel to Latin America and enjoy the asylum granted there in accordance with our shared rights.

Man, what does the US have against this guy??

seems like the solution is a non-commercial flight (like morales's) where there might be some flexibility with the flight plan? i'm not sure how that works.

With Napolitano leaving, there are now 15 open top positions in DHS

_ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?

― the late great, Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink_

I am trying to interpret your tone. If what you say is taken at face value, yes. But I sense you're trying to convey some type of befuddlement, shock or surprise. Am I wrong? I had written a rant in response, in case I wasn't, but I don't fully understand ILXor dynamics, so I've chosen to censor myself.
--c21m50nh3x460n

I'm not sure why any reading of this post would merit a rant

eh no offense intended, it was an honest question

from what i can gather russia hasn't cleared him to leave yet?

_ok, so let me get this right: the reason he's stuck in russia is that there's literally no flight plan that doesn't go over a country that would force it to land so they could detain snowden?
― the late great, Friday, July 12, 2013 Bookmark Flag Post Permalink_

I am trying to interpret your tone. If what you say is taken at face value, yes. But I sense you're trying to convey some type of befuddlement, shock or surprise. Am I wrong? I had written a rant in response, in case I wasn't, but I don't fully understand ILXor dynamics, so I've chosen to censor myself.
--c21m50nh3x460n

I'm not sure why any reading of this post would merit a rant

Didn't mean to come off accusatory, so my apologies to the late great if I did.

Anyway, here is a video of Snowden's speech, from a Russian newspaper:

http://lifenews.ru/news/116311

How surreal is watching this?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXXshWGrDEQ

I'm waiting for all the nouveau NSA/PRISM fiction and movies to come out already.

Just look at that lady's eyes.

I'm waiting for all the nouveau NSA/PRISM fiction and movies to come out already.

Had to rewrite the first third of a story I'm working on.