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Secret terrorism court orders declassification of its own rulings

“Court cases before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court — the court that reviews requests by the NSA to wiretap suspected terrorists’ communications — are generally classified. But Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court ordered the government to review the court’s opinions on the meaning, scope, and constitutionality of Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which authorizes the government to obtain ‘any tangible things’ relevant to foreign-intelligence or terrorism investigations. Section 215 is the legal basis the NSA claims legitimizes its mass phone records collection program.” Continue reading →

Google Glass looks silly now, but we’ll all be wearing mini-computers soon

“Add new sensors, as well as imaginative software, into these mini-computers and the impact could be significant. Non-invasive blood testing will soon be a reality, transformative for diabetics who will no longer have to puncture themselves several times a day, as well as those who have to monitor cholesterol. Health apps will be able to monitor those blood test results, and sync with the restaurant as the wearer walks in, to suggest the most suitable low-GI or low-cholesterol meal. The behavioural implications could be profound, but we need to be interested in understanding and exploring the potential so that we are ready for the debate about who has access to this data.” Continue reading →

Gov. Standards Agency Suggests Dropping NSA-Influenced Algorithm

“Documents provided by Edward Snowden suggest that the NSA has heavily influenced the standard, which has been used around the world. In its statement Tuesday, NIST acknowledged that the NSA participates in creating cryptography standards ‘because of its recognized expertise’ and because NIST is required by law to consult with the spy agency. Various versions of Microsoft Windows, including those used in tablets and smartphones, contain implementations of the standard, though the NSA-influenced portion isn’t enabled by default.” Continue reading →

Bruce Schneier: iPhone Fingerprint Authentication

“Fingerprint readers have a long history of vulnerabilities as well. Some are better than others. The simplest ones just check the ridges of a finger; some of those can be fooled with a good photocopy. Others check for pores as well. The better ones verify pulse, or finger temperature. Fooling them with rubber fingers is harder, but often possible. [..] Apple’s move is likely to bring fingerprint readers into the mainstream. But all applications are not equal. It’s fine if your fingers unlock your phone. It’s a different matter entirely if your fingerprint is used to authenticate your iCloud account. The centralized database required for that application would create an enormous security risk.” Continue reading →

Students say they will continue protesting ‘war criminal’ David Petraeus

“Students at the City University of New York have said they will continue protesting against David Petraeus and pledged to ‘make his time in New York a living hell’ after a video emerged showing the former general being hounded as he left the university on Monday. Petraeus, who served as commanding general in Iraq, overseeing all coalition forces in the country, is teaching a course titled ‘Are We On the Threshold of the North American Decade?’ Hunter College professor Sandor John, who helped organise the protest, told CNN that ‘a lot of our students are from countries that have been targeted by the United States’. He added: ‘We don’t want someone like him on campus.'” Continue reading →

U.S. was ‘hair’s breadth’ from detonating nuclear bomb over North Carolina

“Days after the inauguration of John F. Kennedy in 1961, the American military came within a ‘hair’s breadth’ of detonating a nuclear explosion over North Carolina. A pair of Mark 29 hydrogen bombs — each of which was 250 times more powerful than the bomb that leveled Hiroshima — were accidentally deployed when the B-52 hauling them went into an uncontrolled spin. One of them fell to the ground unarmed, but the failsafe mechanisms in the other underwent a cascade of failure. Had the bomb exploded, the lethal fallout would have spread across the Eastern Seaboard, blanketing New York and Washington D.C.” Continue reading →

French navy intercepts Syrian ship carrying 20 tons of marijuana

“The French navy said Thursday it had made a record cannabis seizure in the Mediterranean sea after intercepting a ship carrying 20 tonnes of cannabis worth up to 50 million euros. ‘To the best of our knowledge it is the biggest seizure by the French state in the Mediterranean,’ vice-admiral Yves Joly told a news conference in Toulon. The market value of the cannabis was ‘between 40 and 50 million euros ($53 and 66 million),’ said regional customs head Hugues-Lionel Galy. The eight-member crew, who claimed to be Syrians, set the cannabis on fire and a part of the clandestine cargo was destroyed. The men will be tried in France and could face up to 10 years in prison, if convicted.” Continue reading →

Obama on Iran: Diplomacy can work when backed with military threats

“Barack Obama has revealed an exchange of letters with Iran’s new President Hassan Rowhani but warned his reluctance to strike Syria should not devalue US threats of force to thwart an Iranian nuclear bomb. The US president, in an interview aired Sunday, publicly confirmed the outreach to Rowhani for the first time, and said he believed the Syria chemical arms drama showed that diplomacy could work if backed by threats of military action. In his interview, Obama said that the outcome of the Syrian deal offered Iran a ‘lesson’ in the benefits of diplomacy.” Continue reading →