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After the Manning verdict, four big issues remain untouched

"Mr. Manning’s lawyer, David Coombs, was ambiguous: 'We won the battle, now we need to go win the war... Today is a good day, but Bradley is by no means out of the fire.' WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, himself a fugitive and holed up in the Ecuadorean embassy in London, described the verdict on Twitter as 'dangerous national security extremism.' If reflecting on what to make of the verdict seems difficult, consider this. The most critical issues of public policy raised by the Manning case have yet to be broached." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfter the Manning verdict, four big issues remain untouched

Now They Want Your Passwords

"For a dozen years, the FBI and NSA have spied on Americans and shredded the Constitution. They say the Patriot Act “authorizes” their abuses. That means... If you repeal the Patriot Act, they have NO authorization! This is increasingly urgent, because their snooping is only getting worse... The feds are demanding web firms hand over master encryption keys that shield my private Internet activities (http://shar.es/kR364) - and they even want my passwords! (http://shar.es/kRHgV) Hacking into my private data and communications is THE SAME THING as going through my possessions and papers without a court-issued search warrant." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNow They Want Your Passwords

Moscow Subway To Use Devices To Read Data On Phones

"The head of police for Moscow's subway system has said stations will soon be equipped with devices that can read the data on the mobile telephones of passengers. In the July 29 edition of 'Izvestia,' Moscow Metro police chief Andrei Mokhov said the device would be used to help locate stolen mobile phones. Mokhov said the devices have a range of about 5 meters and can read the SIM card. According to experts, the devices can be used more widely to follow all passengers. Mokhov said it was illegal to track a person without permission from the authorities, but that there was no law against tracking the property of a company, such as a SIM card." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMoscow Subway To Use Devices To Read Data On Phones

Edward Snowden granted refugee status in Russia, leaves airport

"Fugitive former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden slipped quietly out of Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport on Thursday after Russia granted him temporary asylum, ending more than a month in limbo in the transit area.A Russian lawyer who has been assisting Snowden said the American, who is wanted in the United States for leaking details of secret government intelligence programmes, had gone to a secure location which would remain secret. After weeks staying out of sight from hordes of reporters desperate for a glimpse of him, Snowden managed to slip away in a taxi without being spotted." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEdward Snowden granted refugee status in Russia, leaves airport

Think your password is secure from the NSA? Try this.

"Seven minutes. That’s how long it would take to crack one of the passwords I had been using for more than ten years, according to the crypto experts at Silent Circle. I’ve been using eight or ten different passwords for several years, some of them going back to my days as an intelligence officer. I had always thought they were secure– letters and numbers that I’ve been typing so long, they’re committed to muscle memory. But a few months ago when I signed up for my Silent Circle account, I was surprised to see the results when I tested one of my passwords against their crypto analysis tool. You can try it for yourself here." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThink your password is secure from the NSA? Try this.

Government releases declassified documents on NSA spying authorization

"The U.S. Director of National Intelligence released three declassified documents that authorized and explained the bulk collection of phone data, one of the secret surveillance programs revealed by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. The declassification was made in the 'interest of increased transparency,' the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said in a statement. Much of what is contained in the documents has already been divulged in public hearings by intelligence officials as they sought to detail what was initially disclosed by Snowden." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovernment releases declassified documents on NSA spying authorization

Report: TSA employee misconduct up 26% in 3 years

"The Transportation Security Administration is probably not going to top anyone's list of Favorite Federal Government Agencies. And the stories of its failures spread faster than a speeding jetliner: TSA officers stealing money from luggage, taking bribes from drug dealers, sleeping on the job. So it shouldn't come as any surprise that a new Government Accountability Office report, citing a 26% increase in misconduct among TSA employees between 2010 and 2012, is striking a nerve with some travelers who've had to endure the shoeless, beltless shuffle on the trip through security." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingReport: TSA employee misconduct up 26% in 3 years

ObamaCare Dropping Full-Timers at Schools, Local Governments

"School districts in states like Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Utah, Nebraska, and Indiana are dropping to part-time status school workers such as teacher aides, administrators, secretaries, bus drivers, gym teachers, coaches and cafeteria workers. Cities or counties in states like California, Indiana, Kansas, Texas, Michigan and Iowa are dropping to part-time status government workers such as librarians, secretaries, administrators, parks and recreation officials and public works officials. The federal law forces employers with at least 50 full-time workers to cover at least 60% of health-care costs for employees who work 30 hours or more per week." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObamaCare Dropping Full-Timers at Schools, Local Governments