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Tech Giants Previously Accused of NSA Collusion Now Slam U.S. Government over Encryption Backdoors

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By ZD Net. A coalition of Silicon Valley tech giants has doubled down on its criticism of encryption backdoors following a proposal that would give law enforcement access to locked and encrypted devices.

The group, which focuses on efforts to reform government surveillance, said in a statement that it continues to advocate for strong encryption, and decried attempts to undermine the technology.

“Recent reports have described new proposals to engineer vulnerabilities into devices and services — but they appear to suffer from the same technical and design concerns that security researchers have identified for years,” the statement read. . .

But security experts and cryptographers say that any kind of backdoor can’t be done without it risking being abused or exploited by hackers — and criticized Ozzie’s plan as flawed . . .

The tech coalition includes Microsoft — Ozzie’s former employer — as well as Apple, Facebook, and Google, and Verizon and Yahoo’s parent company Oath — all of which were hit by allegations of complicity with the government’s surveillance efforts. (Read more from “Tech Giants Previously Accused of NSA Collusion Now Slam U.S. Government over Encryption Backdoors” HERE)

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Judge Keeps Lawsuit Alive Claiming the NSA Spied on Everyone in SLC During the 2002 Olympics

By Fox 13. A federal judge has kept alive a lawsuit alleging the National Security Agency spied on everyone in the Salt Lake City area during the 2002 Winter Olympics.

In an order handed down on Tuesday, U.S. District Court Judge Robert Shelby formally denied a series of motions by both plaintiffs and the NSA until after evidence in the case had been exchanged. He then said motions to either dismiss the case or rule in the plaintiffs favor could then be reconsidered. (Read more from “Judge Keeps Lawsuit Alive Claiming the NSA Spied on Everyone in SLC During the 2002 Olympics” HERE)

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Big Three Networks’ Bias Conceals Facts About the NSA Leaker

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The establishment media’s reporting on NSA leaker Reality Winner has been skewed at best, and egregiously biased at worst.

NBC, CBS and ABC’s newscasts largely ignored the myriad tweets from Winner — highlighting her radical left-wing beliefs — with the intention of making her seem apolitical, bolstering the validity of the Trump-Russian meddling narrative.

Winner, a 25-year-old intelligence contractor working at the National Security Agency, allegedly leaked top secret documents to The Intercept. Just over an hour after it was published, Winner was arrested and charged with violating the Espionage Act.

When news broke, so did the evidence of her resentment for President Donald Trump, surfacing in past social media posts, with her going so far as to say that “being white is terrorism.” If you thought it stopped there, hold on to your hats.

Winner was more than explicit about her distaste for President Donald Trump in recent tweets, referring to him as an “orange fascist” and a “c**t.” She also tweeted that Trump’s appointment of “Confederate General” Jeff Sessions to the Attorney General post is “racism.” (Read more from “Big Three Networks’ Bias Conceals Facts About the NSA Leaker” HERE)

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Alleged NSA Leaker Vowed to Stand With Iranian Terror Regime

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A government contractor who was charged Monday with leaking top secret U.S. intelligence to the media appears to be a climate change activist and vociferous anti-Trump leftist who is sympathetic to the terrorist regime in Iran, according to her social media profiles.

Reality Leigh Winner, 25, was arrested by the FBI this weekend in Georgia and appeared in court Monday to face charges. Winner admitted that in early May, according to the Department of Justice affidavit, she “printed and improperly removed classified intelligence reporting” and sent that information to the media.

Also on Monday, The Intercept published a top-secret National Security Agency document related to Russian hacking efforts concerning the 2016 election. According to NBC News, Winner was the source of information for The Intercept, a far-left publication that supports American traitor Edward Snowden.

Why Winner had access to a top-secret document on Russian hacking initiatives remains a complete mystery. The DOJ affidavit did not specify how she accessed the information.

Winner’s photo was published by The Guardian’s Jon Swaine, who reported she is a former U.S. Air Force linguist who speaks Pashto, Farsi, and Dari, languages predominantly spoken in Afghanistan and Iran.

Winner’s Facebook profile showcases anti-Trump leanings and an apparent passion for climate-change activism.

In late January, shortly after Donald Trump became president, Winner changed her Facebook cover photo to an image of a tweet by “Rogue NASA” that stated: “Advocating for climate science and environmental protection is the most pro-life you can be. The future of the planet depends on it. #resist”

In February, Winner posted a photo of her visit to the local Georgia office of Republican Sen. David Perdue. In a comment on the visit, Winner claimed she had a “private 30 minute meeting” with Perdue in which she pleaded that “our senators not be afraid to directly state when our president or his cabinet tell outright lies.”

In another February post, she referred to President Trump as a “piece of shit.”

A Twitter account reportedly belonging to Winner announced that she would stand with the terrorist Iranian regime against the United States.

In March, she wrote a long letter to a Ms. Zoller in Georgia alleging a wild conspiracy about the “permanent war economy.” She assailed energy companies for creating the Middle East refugee crisis that she believes is further worsened by climate change .

Some of the political pages Winner “Liked” on Facebook include those of democratic socialist Senator Bernie Sanders, Koch Brothers Exposed, Media Matters for America, and the Natural Resources Defense Council.

She posted her last Facebook status on June 2, one day before she was arrested. “You are what you love, not who loves you,” she wrote.

Winner faces up to 10 years in jail for leaking classified information. (For more from the author of “Alleged NSA Leaker Vowed to Stand With Iranian Terror Regime” please click HERE)

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NSA Pins Another ‘Badge of Honor’ on Snowden

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hqdefaultIf the Director of National Intelligence “’blames” you for something, is that bad, or is it a badge of honor?

That would be the latter for Edward Snowden… again.

This time, he’s not getting the blame for a massive data dump proving that nefarious governments have been using computer technology to invade individuals’ privacy.

The director doesn’t like that Snowden’s recent revelations were an impetus for speeding up encryption technology. I would have praised Snowden, but Director James Clapper said in The Intercept recently:

“As a result of the Snowden revelations, the onset of commercial encryption has accelerated by seven years,” James Clapper said during a breakfast for journalists hosted by the Christian Science Monitor. (Read more from “NSA Pins Another ‘Badge of Honor’ on Snowden” HERE)

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Hacking Disaster: NSA’s Own Code Blamed for Vulnerability

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The House Oversight Committee has kicked off an investigation into reports the federal government’s official software may have been hit by hackers more than two years ago – and the feds may have gone on using it, unaware of the cyberattack.

The vulnerability is believed to have stemmed from the National Security Agency’s own encryption algorithm that created a “back door” for hackers, one security expert said.

But Americans may never know the full truth of the matter because security officials say the findings may be too sensitive to national security to share.

The breach could have compromised data across all major federal government agencies, from the Defense Department and the State Department to the Department of Health and Human Services and the Office of Personnel Management . . .

Green’s been working on reverse-engineering the encrypted code that’s believed to have been hacked. It’s suspected the defect in the government’s software originated from a “back door” encryption code created by the National Security Agency that was then allegedly repurposed by foreign cybersecurity hackers, the Hill said. (Read more from “Hacking Disaster: NSA’s Own Code Blamed for Vulnerability” HERE)

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Senate Panel Taking NSA Snooping on Lawmakers ‘Seriously’; Rubio Thinks It’s OK

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By Edwin Mora. Sen. Richard Burr from North Carolina, Republican chairman of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, told Breitbart News that his panel will investigate whether President Obama’s National Security Agency (NSA) broke the law by eavesdropping on private conversations between American lawmakers and Israel.

“The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence conducts, and will continue to conduct, vigorous oversight of intelligence community activities to ensure that they are lawful and appropriate, and that all policies and procedures are followed,” he told Breitbart News via email. “Allegations of wrongdoing, whether brought forward by whistleblowers, media reporting, executive branch notification, or through the work of the committee’s professional staff, are always taken seriously by this committee.”

Meanwhile, Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House intelligence panel, echoed Sen. Burr in a statement issued Wednesday, saying that his committee will investigate the allegations mentioned in a recent article by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ).

“The House Intelligence Committee is looking into allegations in the Wall Street Journal regarding possible Intelligence Community (IC) collection of communications between Israeli government officials and Members of Congress,” stated chairman Nunes. “The Committee has requested additional information from the IC to determine which, if any, of these allegations are true, and whether the IC followed all applicable laws, rules, and procedures.”

The Journal revealed Tuesday that the NSA has targeted private conversations between members of Congress and Israeli officials, namely Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a staunch opponent of the Iran nuclear deal largely brokered by the Obama administration and five other world powers. (Read more from “Senate Panel Taking NSA Snooping on Lawmakers ‘Seriously'” HERE)
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Rubio Defends NSA Snooping With Buddy Trey Gowdy in Private, Attacks it Publicly

By Patrick Howley. Republican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio privately defended the National Security Agency’s (NSA) spying on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, even as he publicly condemned the practice.

Rubio and his ally Rep. Trey Gowdy discussed the matter privately in a room away from reporters early Wednesday morning at the Royal Amsterdam Hotel in Pella, Iowa. The two men talked before they set out on a three-stop Iowa campaign tour to showcase Gowdy’s endorsement of Rubio. . .

“We spy on everyone,” Rubio told Gowdy, defending the practice of spying on a U.S. ally. “That’s the nature of intelligence”. . .

Rubio has reportedly locked up the support of neoconservative [and radical pro-homosexual] donor Paul Singer, and is competing for the support of neoconservative donor Sheldon Adelson. (Read more on Rubio’s support for NSA snooping HERE)

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U.S. Government Reveals Breadth of Requests for Internet Records

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The Federal Bureau of Investigation has used a secretive authority to compel Internet and telecommunications firms to hand over customer data including an individual’s complete web browsing history and records of all online purchases, a court filing released Monday shows.

The documents are believed to be the first time the government has provided details of its so-called national security letters, which are used by the FBI to conduct electronic surveillance without the need for court approval.

The filing made public Monday was the result of an 11-year-old legal battle waged by Nicholas Merrill, founder of Calyx Internet Access, a hosted service provider, who refused to comply with a national security letter (NSL) he received in 2004.

Merrill told Reuters the release was significant “because the public deserves to know how the government is gathering information without warrants on Americans who are not even suspected of a crime.”

National security letters have been available as a law enforcement tool since the 1970s, but their frequency and breadth expanded dramatically under the USA Patriot Act, which was passed shortly after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks. They are almost always accompanied by an open-ended gag order barring companies from disclosing the contents of the demand for customer data. (Read more from “U.S. Government Reveals Breadth of Requests for Internet Records” HERE)

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Amid New Battle, NSA to Shut Down Phone Records Program

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Major new restrictions on the National Security Agency will go into effect on Sunday, amid a rekindled debate about the spy agency’s powers.

When the clock strikes 12:01 a.m. on Sunday, the NSA will halt its sweeping collection of Americans’ phone records, in a major victory for civil libertarians who have pushed for the reforms since the program was first revealed by Edward Snowden more than two years ago . . .

National security hawks insist that ending the program will make America less safe by depriving intelligence agents of the ability of connect the dots between suspected terrorists precisely when fears about the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) are peaking.

The divide is coming into clear focus on the campaign trail, and promises to be a point of contention so long as public fears about terrorism remain high.

“I believe in the Constitution. I’ve spent my whole life fighting to defend the Bill of Rights and the Constitution, and the federal government has no right to be seizing, collecting and holding the phone metadata of hundreds of millions of law-abiding citizens,” Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said at a tele-forum hosted by the Washington Examiner this month. (Read more from “Amid New Battle, NSA to Shut Down Phone Records Program” HERE)

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Leaked NSA Doc Reveals ‘Sheer Luck’ Needed to Find Useful Info in Sea of Surveillance Data

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The NSA didn’t know it was already sitting on a “goldmine” of data on one of its targets until one of its analysts discovered it by “sheer luck,” according to an internal newsletter entry leaked by Edward Snowden.

The article, dated March 23, 2011, was written by a signals development analyst in SIDtoday, an NSA in-house newsletter. He explains how he discovered the contact and personal information for over 10,000 people, as well as some 900 account login details, after “a ton of hard work,” according to reports from The Intercept and teleSUR.

“By sheer luck, (and a ton of hard work) I discovered an important new access to an existing target and am working with TAO to leverage a new mission capability,” the analyst wrote to colleagues. TAO refers to Tailored Access Operations, an NSA hacking team which had collected the 900 usernames and passcodes . . .

Matthew Green, a Johns Hopkins Information Security Institute professor, told The Intercept it was “interesting” that the analyst used the word “discovered” because it means that either the NSA “didn’t realize” it had been collecting PDVSA’s information or that, perhaps, there had been a bureaucratic miscommunication on the subject . . .

An NSA review in 2010 found that its data on PDVSA had become “stagnant,” so it is clear why the analyst described the newly found materials as a “goldmine.” (Read more from “Leaked NSA Doc Reveals ‘Sheer Luck’ Needed to Find Useful Info in Sea of Surveillance Data” HERE)

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U.S. Court Will Not Halt NSA Phone Spy Program Before Ban

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A U.S. appeals court on Thursday refused to immediately halt the government’s bulk collection of millions of Americans’ phone records during a “transition” period to a new federal scheme that bans the controversial anti-terrorism surveillance.

The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New York said it would not disturb Congress’ decision to provide a 180-day period for an “orderly transition” to a new, targeted surveillance system from the sweeping National Security Agency program that the court found illegal on May 7.

“An abrupt end to the program would be contrary to the public interest in effective surveillance of terrorist threats, and Congress thus provided a 180-day transition period,” Circuit Judge Gerard Lynch wrote for a three-judge panel. “Under the circumstances, we will defer to that reasonable decision.”

The NSA program collected “metadata” such as phone numbers dialed and call durations, but not call contents. It was first disclosed in 2013 by former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Thursday’s decision rejected a request by the American Civil Liberties Union for a preliminary injunction to stop the program until the narrower scheme begins on Nov. 29. (Read more from “U.S. Court Will Not Halt NSA Phone Spy Program Before Ban” HERE)

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