Yearly Archives: 2013

Lawmakers propose cyber crime reforms inspired by Aaron Swartz

"Critics of the current law, called the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA), say it is far too vague and led to the overzealous prosecution of Swartz after he accessed an MIT database containing academic research papers, many of which were created with public funding. Aaron’s Law would also cut back on redundant penalties in the current CFAA that can see some offenders punished twice for the same crime. The bill also seeks to address a flaw in the current law that makes 'unauthorized access' of any kind a felony, whereas something as simple as lying about one’s age to Facebook could be considered unauthorized access." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLawmakers propose cyber crime reforms inspired by Aaron Swartz

Michael Hastings was researching Jill Kelley FBI lawsuit before death

"During the weeks before he was killed in a car crash in Los Angeles, reporter Michael Hastings was researching a story about a privacy lawsuit brought by Florida socialite Jill Kelley against the Department of Defense and the FBI. Hastings, 33, was scheduled to meet with a representative of Kelley next week in Los Angeles to discuss the case, according to a person close to Kelley. Kelley alleges that military officials and the FBI leaked her name to the media to discredit her after she reported receiving a stream of emails that were traced to Paula Broadwell, a biographer of former CIA director David H. Petraeus, according to a lawsuit filed on June 3." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMichael Hastings was researching Jill Kelley FBI lawsuit before death

Senator: Contractor that vetted Snowden is under investigation

"A company that conducted a 2011 background investigation into Edward Snowden, the source of recent leaks about U.S. secret surveillance programs, is itself under investigation, Senator Claire McCaskill said on Thursday. In her opening statement before a Senate homeland security subcommittee hearing, McCaskill said USIS is currently under investigation by the Office of Personnel Management’s Inspector General based on allegations is systemically failed to adequately conduct investigations under its contract. 'It is a reminder that background investigations can have real consequences for our national security,' McCaskill said." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSenator: Contractor that vetted Snowden is under investigation

Fact checking NSA’s 9/11 claim: U.S. already knew identity of Saudi hijacker

"Those making the argument have ignored a key aspect of historical record. U.S. intelligence agencies knew the identity of the hijacker in question, Saudi national Khalid al Mihdhar, long before 9/11 and had the ability find him, but they failed to do so. Mihdhar is at the center of the well-known story of the failure of information sharing between the CIA and FBI and other agencies. Indeed, the Obama administration’s invocation of the Mihdhar case echoes a nearly identical argument made by the Bush administration eight years ago when it defended the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFact checking NSA’s 9/11 claim: U.S. already knew identity of Saudi hijacker

Bush-Era NSA Whistleblower Makes Most Explosive Allegations Yet About Extent of Gov’t Surveillance

"Russ Tice, a former intelligence analyst and Bush-era NSA whistleblower, claimed Wednesday that the intelligence community has ordered surveillance on a wide range of groups and individuals, including high-ranking military officials, lawmakers and diplomats. He also made another stunning allegation. He says the NSA had ordered wiretaps on phones connected to then-Senate candidate Barack Obama back in 2004. FBI whistleblower Sibel Edmonds and Tice agreed that such wide-ranging surveillance of officials could provide the intelligence agencies with unthinkable power to blackmail their opponents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBush-Era NSA Whistleblower Makes Most Explosive Allegations Yet About Extent of Gov’t Surveillance

Spyware claims emerge in spat over Chinese dissident at NYU

"When Chinese activist Chen Guangcheng arrived in the United States in May last year he was given a fellowship at New York University, use of a Greenwich Village apartment, and a pile of gifts from supporters, including smartphones and an iPad. But at least two of the gadgets presented to Chen as gifts may not have been quite what they seemed: They included software intended to spy on the blind dissident, according to Jerome Cohen, an NYU professor who has been Chen’s mentor, and another source familiar with the episode." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSpyware claims emerge in spat over Chinese dissident at NYU

What the NSA Revelations Tell Us about America’s Police State

"Ongoing revelations by The Guardian and The Washington Post of massive, illegal secret state surveillance of the American people along with advanced plans for waging offensive cyberwarfare on a global scale, including inside the US, underscores what Antifascist Calling has reported throughout the five years of our existence: that democracy and democratic institutions in the United States are dead letters. If what the Bush and now, Obama regimes are doing is not Orwellian blanket surveillance of the American people, then words fail." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat the NSA Revelations Tell Us about America’s Police State

Excerpt from Michael Hastings’ “The Operators” Re: Death Threats

"I was standing outside the circle. Dave came up to me. 'You’re not going to fuck us, are you?' I answered what I always answer: 'I’m going to write a story; some of the stuff you’ll like, some of the stuff you probably won’t like.' Jake came up to me. 'We’ll hunt you down and kill you if we don’t like what you write,' he said. 'C. will hunt you down and kill you.' I looked at Jake. He had what I’d heard people in the military call retired colonel syndrome. A certain inferiority complex and bitterness about not rising to the rank of general. 'Well, I get death threats like that about once a year, so no worries.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingExcerpt from Michael Hastings’ “The Operators” Re: Death Threats

Rep. Peter King calls Rand Paul’s remarks on Snowden ‘absolutely disgraceful’

"'I think it is important for the American people to realize that this guy is a traitor, a defector, he’s not a hero,' the congressman added. 'And I heard Senator Rand Paul this morning actually compared Snowden to General Clapper. What’s happened to our country? This is a traitor, and for anyone to be comparing him to a U.S. military hero is absolutely disgraceful.' Speaking with CNN’s Candy Crowley, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) said that National Intelligence director James Clapper 'lied in Congress in defiance of the law in the name of security,' while 'Snowden told the truth in the name of privacy.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRep. Peter King calls Rand Paul’s remarks on Snowden ‘absolutely disgraceful’

Snowden’s Hasty Exit Started With Pizza Inside a Hong Kong Hideout

"Mr. Snowden wore a cap and sunglasses and insisted that the assembled lawyers hide their cellphones in the refrigerator of the home where he was staying, to block any eavesdropping. Then began a two-hour conversation during which Mr. Snowden was deeply dismayed to learn that he could spend years in prison without access to a computer during litigation over whether he would be granted asylum here or surrendered to the United States. Staying cooped up in the cramped Hong Kong home of a local supporter was less bothersome to Mr. Snowden than the prospect of losing his computer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden’s Hasty Exit Started With Pizza Inside a Hong Kong Hideout