GCHQ Advises Netherlands Spies on TEMPORA 3 November 2013 GCHQ Advises Netherlands Spies on TEMPORA Date: Sat, 2 Nov 2013 19:15:57 +0100 Subject: update From: xxxxx To: cryptome[at]earthlink.net On November 1st, the Guardian published the article "GCHQ and European spy agencies worked together on mass surveillance" that unmasks "close technical and loose alliance between British, German, French, Spanish and Swedish spy agencies" [0]. The topic is the Tempora program (=wiretapping fibre-optic cables that carry internet traffic [1]), and GCHQ providing advice to the Netherlands for setting up such a program: "GCHQ also maintains strong relations with the two main Dutch intelligence agencies, the external MIVD and the internal security service, the AIVD. Obviously said "legislative issues" include the Dutch WIV 2002 Article 27 (=SIGINT selection) restriction to non-cablebound communications [2]. Dutch readers are referred to Bits of Freedom [3]. [1]
'Courage Is Contagious': Additional NSA Employees Said to Be Following Snowden's Lead Homeland Security logo reflected in the eyeglasses of a cybersecurity analyst at the agency’s secretive cyber defense facility in Idaho. The Government Accountability Project's Jesselyn Raddack says that Snowden's courage has become contagious among other NSA employee.(Mark J. Terrill/AP)The "courage" of Edward Snowden is "contagious," according to lawyer and transparency advocate Jesselyn Radack, who says that additional employees at the National Security Agency are now coming forward with what they consider objectionable practices by their employer. Jesselyn Raddack, Government Accountability Project. According to Radack, several more whistleblowers have approached the Government Accountability Project (GAP)—the nation's leading whistleblower protection and advocacy organization where she is the director of National Security and Human Rights—since Snowden's story broke earlier this year. The Obama administration's "war on whistleblowers" is backfiring, said Radack.
German DPAs pass resolution on PRISM, Tempora and Xkeyscore On September 5, 2013, the 16 German state data protection authorities and the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection and Freedom of Information (the “DPAs”) passed a resolution concerning recent revelations about the PRISM, Tempora and XKeyscore surveillance programs. The DPAs were critical of the programs, indicating that more should be done to understand their scope, especially since the programs raise serious constitutional concerns in Germany. In particular, it remains unclear whether German federal authorities illegally shared personal data with other countries or used illegally obtained personal data for their own purposes. In the resolution, the DPAs advocate the following actions: Develop and implement national, European and international laws to ensure that privacy is fully protected, and to guarantee telecommunications secrecy and the fundamental rights to informational self-determination, confidentiality and integrity of IT systems.
Survey says 77% of Americans reject NSA mass electronic surveillance, of Americans [Update November 24: Added link to second part of "Snowden effect" survey results and a podcast: Is NSA Surveillance Affecting Online Behavior?] On October 26, the 12th anniversary of the signing of the USA Patriot Act, thousands of Americans joined the Stop Watching Us protest in Washington, D.C. The event garnered a lot of media attention and delivered 575,000 signatures on a petition demanding that the U.S. Congress reveal “the full extent of the NSA’s spying programs”. But do most Americans oppose the kind of mass electronic surveillance that has been revealed by “the Snowden papers”? The answer is a resounding Yes, according to recent survey commissioned by ESET 77% of American adults surveyed disagreed with the following statement: It is okay for my government secretly to monitor all of our communications. While one third said they simply disagreed, an impressive 44% said they strongly disagreed. The Terrorism Factor The Us v. The Economic Factor Author Stephen Cobb, ESET
Public Must Fight against Prism and Tempora Surveillance The term, "information superhighway" has always been insufficient to describe the Internet. In reality, the Web is a global communication space containing the private information of a large part of the population of every developed country. If someone were able to train an all-seeing eye onto the Internet, the blackmail potential would be almost limitless. It is precisely this all-seeing eye that the British intelligence agency Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ) and the American National Security Agency (NSA) have developed under the name Tempora. It sounds preposterous, but it is frighteningly close to the reality that was unveiled by the Guardian on Friday. Those behind this disgraceful program have not even bothered to deny what they are up to. But that's all just pretence. Would the public agree to the total video surveillance of their private living space because it could possibly also help in the pursuit of terrorists? Where is the Outrage? And for good reason.
NSA and Wall Street: online activity shrinks, changes post-Snowden Our recent survey about consumer opinion in the wake of the Snowden revelations about mass NSA electronic surveillance suggests that the economic implications could be deeper than experts have yet acknowledged, including negative impact on corporate profits and GDP. At the same time, like every economic challenge, the NSA revelations present some interesting opportunities for the enterprising. [Update November 15: A podcast on this topic is now online. Also, the first We Live Security article discussing these survey results is online here] The digital economy takes a hit How could the Snowden/NSA news damage GDP and profits? And retail banking is just one of many sectors of the economy that has been relying on ever-increasing levels of online activity to maintain profitability. Consumer spending drives the American economy and shifting that spending from brick-and-mortar stores to the digital realm has been a key strategy for retail firms. Giant feet of clay Ouch! Author Stephen Cobb, ESET
Kommentar zu Tempora: Ein Skandal von historischem Ausmaß Der Begriff "Datenautobahn" für das Internet griff schon immer zu kurz. In Wahrheit ist das Netz ein globaler Kommunikationsraum, in dem private und privateste Informationen über einen Großteil der Bevölkerung aller entwickelten Länder zu finden sind. Das Erpressungspotential jener, die auf ein allsehendes Internet-Auge zugreifen können, ist schier grenzenlos. Genau dieses allsehnde Auge haben der britische Geheimdienst GCHQ und die amerikanische NSA unter dem Namen Temporaoffenbar entwickelt. Die passende Realwelt-Metapher für dieses Ansinnen: In jedem Zimmer jedes Hauses und jeder Wohnung werden Kameras und Mikrofone installiert, jeder Brief wird geöffnet und kopiert, jedes Telefon angezapft. Alles, was geschieht, wird aufgezeichnet und kann bei Bedarf betrachtet werden. Wir schauen doch nur hin, wenn wir es für geboten halten Die Nutznießer dieses infamen Programms machten sich nun nicht einmal mehr die Mühe, zu dementieren, was sie da treiben.
Contagious Courage Contagious Courage An interview with Sarah Harrison of Wikileaks: Julian Assange’s associate and Snowden’s guardian angel By John Goetz and Bastian Obermayer There she sits: the woman who has spent the past four months at Edward Snowden’s side. Sarah Harrison, 31, a journalist and Wikileaks staffer, wears black leggings, a dark grey blouse and a wool cardigan as she sits on an old office chair in a basement meeting place, between file folders, tangled cables, blank CDs and computers. Who is this woman, who has spent so much time by Snowden’s side, resisting the pressures of the world power, the United States? Sarah Harrison closes her eyes. A statement? And then just three words: “Courage is contagious.” The reason for Harrison’s departure from Moscow is simple: Snowden doesn’t need anyone at hand in Moscow anymore. Back onto the world stage For Wikileaks, Snowden’s request for assistance was a matter of principle: Whistleblowers should be protected. A heroine? Terrorism? And Germany?