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Snnowden and the breathtaking abuse of liberty

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    Snnowden and the breathtaking abuse of liberty

    Reading the interview on Spegel, it's hard to believe some of what I'm reading is true.

    For example the UK has the capability to record three days of internet traffic entering / exiting the country. Everything. How much data are we talking here?

    So even those of us using a VPN in the UK are probably not actually that private.

    nterviewer: What is the mission of America's National Security Agency (NSA) -- and how is the job it does compatible with the rule of law?

    Snowden: They're tasked to know everything of importance that happens outside of the United States. That's a significant challenge. When it is made to appear as though not knowing everything about everyone is an existential crisis, then you feel that bending the rules is okay. Once people hate you for bending those rules, breaking them becomes a matter of survival.

    Interviewer: Are German authorities or German politicians involved in the NSA surveillance system?

    Snowden: Yes, of course. We're 1 in bed together with the Germans the same as with most other Western countries. For example, we 2 tip them off when someone we want is flying through their airports (that we for example, have learned from the cell phone of a suspected hacker's girlfriend in a totally unrelated third country -- and they hand them over to us. They 3 don't ask to justify how we know something, and vice versa, to insulate their political leaders from the backlash of knowing how grievously they're violating global privacy.

    Interviewer: But if details about this system are now exposed, who will be charged?

    Snowden: In front of US courts? I'm not sure if you're serious. An investigation found the specific people who authorized the warrantless wiretapping of millions and millions of communications, which per count would have resulted in the longest sentences in world history, and our highest official simply demanded the investigation be halted. Who "can" be brought up on charges is immaterial when the rule of law is not respected. Laws are meant for you, not for them.

    Interviewer: Does the NSA partner with other nations, like Israel?

    Snowden: Yes. All the time. The NSA has a massive body responsible for this: FAD, the Foreign Affairs Directorate.

    Interviewer: Did the NSA help to create Stuxnet? (Stuxnet is the computer worm that was deployed against the Iranian nuclear program.)

    Snowden: NSA and Israel co-wrote it.

    Interviewer: What are some of the big surveillance programs that are active today and how do international partners aid the NSA?

    Snowden: In some cases, the so-called Five Eye Partners 4 go beyond what NSA itself does. For instance, the UK's General Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) has a system called TEMPORA. TEMPORA is the signals intelligence community's first "full-take" Internet buffer that doesn't care about content type and pays only marginal attention to the Human Rights Act. It snarfs everything, in a rolling buffer to allow retroactive investigation without missing a single bit. Right now the buffer can hold three days of traffic, but that's being improved. Three days may not sound like much, but remember that that's not metadata. "Full-take" means it doesn't miss anything, and ingests the entirety of each circuit's capacity. If you send a single ICMP packet 5 and it routes through the UK, we get it. If you download something and the CDN (Content Delivery Network) happens to serve from the UK, we get it. If your sick daughter's medical records get processed at a London call center … well, you get the idea.

    Interviewer: Is there a way of circumventing that?

    Snowden: As a general rule, so long as you have any choice at all, you should never route through or peer with the UK under any circumstances. Their fibers are radioactive, and even the Queen's selfies to the pool boy get logged.
    Interviewer: Do the NSA and its partners across the globe do full dragnet data collection for telephone calls, text and data?

    Snowden: Yes, but how much they get depends on the capabilities of the individual collection sites -- i.e., some circuits have fat pipes but tiny collection systems, so they have to be selective. This is more of a problem for overseas collection sites than domestic 6 ones, which is what makes domestic collection so terrifying. NSA isn't limited by power, space and cooling PSC constraints.
    "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

    #2
    Then get a Swedish VPN. iPredator is the way to go.

    All you ex-pats out there are stuffed if you still want BBC online though...
    "I can put any old tat in my sig, put quotes around it and attribute to someone of whom I've heard, to make it sound true."
    - Voltaire/Benjamin Franklin/Anne Frank...

    Comment


      #3
      The Germans are only pissed off because they've realised that as usual, since Enigma if not before, they're behind on the information/knowledge game.
      Personally it doesn't come as any kind of surprise - I'd have been surprised if the US/UK were NOT monitoring all comms.
      Hard Brexit now!
      #prayfornodeal

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by sasguru View Post
        The Germans are only pissed off because they've realised that as usual, since Enigma if not before, they're behind on the information/knowledge game.
        Personally it doesn't come as any kind of surprise - I'd have been surprised if the US/UK were NOT monitoring all comms.
        WHS

        If they can they will. The only question should be capability.

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by cojak View Post
          Then get a Swedish VPN. iPredator is the way to go.

          All you ex-pats out there are stuffed if you still want BBC online though...
          I can live without nanny state TV thank you!

          I use tunnel blink, can connect to most countries in the world with two clicks of the trackpad.
          "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

          Comment


            #6
            Originally posted by Old Greg View Post
            WHS

            If they can they will. The only question should be capability.
            Perhaps every time we press the send button we should just assume we're e-mailing the world.

            I'm going to the patio to sit by the river whilst it's still cool.
            "Never argue with stupid people, they will drag you down to their level and beat you with experience". Mark Twain

            Comment


              #7
              They are probably reading CUK right now!



              I'd love to know what they do with three days worth of internet data. Presumably every lolcat and youporn video has to be analysed for secret messages.

              I wish I had invented youporn, I'd be rich.
              While you're waiting, read the free novel we sent you. It's a Spanish story about a guy named 'Manual.'

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by doodab View Post
                They are probably reading CUK right now!



                I'd love to know what they do with three days worth of internet data. Presumably every lolcat and youporn video has to be analysed for secret messages.

                I wish I had invented youporn, I'd be rich.
                I think we need a thread to greet them!
                And what exactly is wrong with an "ad hominem" argument? Dodgy Agent, 16-5-2014

                Comment


                  #9
                  Originally posted by Mich the Tester View Post
                  I think we need a thread to greet them!
                  Consider it done.
                  Hard Brexit now!
                  #prayfornodeal

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Originally posted by cojak View Post
                    Then get a Swedish VPN. iPredator is the way to go.

                    All you ex-pats out there are stuffed if you still want BBC online though...
                    +1

                    Been using it for a number of years now.
                    Best Forum Advisor 2014
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