Tag Archives: NSA

Arizona Bill to reduce metadata collection moves forward

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nsa-hubArizona Senator Kelli Ward introduced SB 1156 (HTML | PDF) which would prevent agencies and corporations of The Great State of Arizona from assisting in the metadata collection by the NSA and other agencies.

The Tenth Amendment web site calls it the first in the nation.

Arizona Senator Kelli Ward (Photo AZ Legislature web)

Arizona Senator Kelli Ward (Photo AZ Legislature web)

FOURTH AMENDMENT

The Fourth Amendment of the inalienable Bill of Rights provides:

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

The Supreme Court has so watered down most of the Bill of Rights through decisions based on ideology and not constitutionality that this provision is almost worthless. For example, TSA can violate your person without a warrant based on probable cause by Oath or affirmation by your simple act of buying a ticket for public transportation.

Apparently, however, the “fake” NSA spying scandal has finally pushed Senator Ward too far. The bill would not stop illegal data collection by the NSA and other agencies which has tapped into all forms of communications. It would only prevent the State agencies and corporations dealing with the State from providing any assistance to the federal government.
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N.S.A. Devises Radio Pathway Into Computers

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By DAVID E. SANGER and THOM SHANKERJAN. 14, 2014

WASHINGTON — The National Security Agency has implanted software in nearly 100,000 computers around the world that allows the United States to conduct surveillance on those machines and can also create a digital highway for launching cyberattacks.

While most of the software is inserted by gaining access to computer networks, the N.S.A. has increasingly made use of a secret technology that enables it to enter and alter data in computers even if they are not connected to the Internet, according to N.S.A. documents, computer experts and American officials.

The technology, which the agency has used since at least 2008, relies on a covert channel of radio waves that can be transmitted from tiny circuit boards and USB cards inserted surreptitiously into the computers. In some cases, they are sent to a briefcase-size relay station that intelligence agencies can set up miles away from the target.
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The radio frequency technology has helped solve one of the biggest problems facing American intelligence agencies for years: getting into computers that adversaries, and some American partners, have tried to make impervious to spying or cyberattack. In most cases, the radio frequency hardware must be physically inserted by a spy, a manufacturer or an unwitting user.

The N.S.A. calls its efforts more an act of “active defense” against foreign cyberattacks than a tool to go on the offensive. But when Chinese attackers place similar software on the computer systems of American companies or government agencies, American officials have protested, often at the presidential level.

Read more at The New York Times
Related: Obama to Place Some Restraints on Surveillance

Here’s Who Is Behind Those Creepy Billboards That Say ‘Your Data Should Belong To The NSA’

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In the past week, several online media outlets have noted a series of plain, white billboards that have popped up in New York and California bearing ominous surveillance-state messages like “YOUR DATA SHOULD BELONG TO THE NSA” and “THE INTERNET SHOULD BE REGULATED.”

Today, the peer-to-peer content sharing service BitTorrent claimed responsibility for the billboards, saying the Big Brother-esque statements reflect the harmful attitudes people have accepted in exchange for the convenience of using the internet.

In a post to the company’s blog, BitTorrent vice president of marketing Matt Mason said these attitudes are “an assault on freedom” that the public should refuse to accept.

Read more at Business Insider

Want to be Unsene on the Internet?

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SAN FRANCISCO—With recent revelations about the NSA spying and knowledge that Microsoft has left “backdoors” open for the government to enter and tamper with your computers, some may have decided to switch to the more secure Linux operating system.

Linux has advantages. Better security is the main feature. Depending on the version—called “distros” in Linux lingo; short for distribution—you can set up more effective firewalls. You can get programs that alert you when certain unwanted activities are going on in your computer. Linux has less problems with viruses. This is probably due to the fact that hackers are not so much interested in Linux as they are Microsoft. Because Microsoft equals Bill Gates.

One disadvantage of Linux is that it is a bit unwieldy for most computer users. They have neither the time nor the inclination to explore yet another operating system. Some cities have Linux Users Groups that may help, but that still takes time out of their schedule. Some distros are helping, such as Ubuntu, by making more user-friendly graphic interfaces.

Another is that much hardware is only Microsoft or MAC friendly unless the company has developed an alternative driver. That you may have to find and download.

There is a new open-source start-up which is seeking funding through Indiegogo. This group, associated with Chris Kitze of Beforeitsnews, has a web email and Skype alternative called Unsene. It is currently in the Beta web version and free. It will eventually ship as a program and Android and iPhone versions are planned.

The premium service is intended to allow for more features depending on the amount donated. Eventually it will be $47 per year, but people donating now will get a lifetime version for $37.

The full security features only work with Google Chrome. Beforeitsnews explains, “The text messaging and chat work with all browsers, but the audio and video calling and the encrypted file sharing require WebRTC, a new technology that is only available on Chrome. Support for Safari, IE and Firefox is expected soon. The Chrome browser is available for free download from Google.”

This program claims military-style encryption. “The service offers a basic level of encryption (AES256) and advanced encryption (xAES up to 4096 bits) and we’ve got some additional tricks up our sleeve for extremely secure encryption.”

See Also: Stop the Spying in Your Inbox