Prism NSA data collection

[sandybridge]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv...ion-documents/ to sum up its a surveillance program.

This and the fact wireless carriers seem no better. Absolutely insane. I am sure they got bigger fish to fry but if they wanna get ya guess they are gonna get ya.

[Coupe]

It wasn't that long ago that security mean protection from hakerz. Now it means protection from those who want to protect us. Welcome to Amerika.

[sandybridge]

Update http://www.washingtonpost.com/invest...497_story.html

They can deny all they want, but its pretty damning.

"Firsthand experience with these systems, and horror at their capabilities, is what drove a career intelligence officer to provide PowerPoint slides about PRISM and supporting materials to The Washington Post in order to expose what he believes to be a gross intrusion on privacy. “They quite literally can watch your ideas form as you type,” the officer said."

Apart from anything else this is an absolute outrage !

[sandybridge]

If its not clear totally clear to you

"extracting audio and video chats, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs"

"NSA extracts what it wants, according to the document: “Collection directly from the servers of these U.S. Service Providers: Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, PalTalk, AOL, Skype, YouTube, Apple.”

"Even when the system works just as advertised, with no American singled out for targeting, the NSA routinely collects a great deal of American content. That is described as “incidental,” and it is inherent in contact chaining, one of the basic tools of the trade. To collect on a suspected spy or foreign terrorist means, at minimum, that everyone in the suspect’s inbox or outbox is swept in. Intelligence analysts are typically taught to chain through contacts two “hops” out from their target, which increases “incidental collection” exponentially. The same math explains the aphorism, from the John Guare play, that no one is more than “six degrees of separation” from any other person."

All your shit belongs to them. Please read articles entirety.

[Coupe]

People have no idea. Everyone should have a plan to go off grid. I do, just "poof" and I cease to exist.

[ck1942]

Originally Posted by Coupe

People have no idea. Everyone should have a plan to go off grid. I do, just "poof" and I cease to exist.

I agree that we all should have a plan to go off grid.

However, whatever is on the 'net whenever is still there even after we leave.

Best advice I can give regarding the hobby "trail" is don't get into the hobby unless you realize that no matter how you play, the 'net is a living thing even if we personally "die"

Your computer leaves a trail everytime you log onto the 'net, even if your browser is "anonymous" and, worse still, unless you know how to perfectly clean your computer (handheld, iPhone, Android, etc.) the remnants of the trail still exist and persist.

All that said, not trying to scare anyone out of or into the hobby.... we all take risks and we all should be aware of the potential for disaster for better or worse.

[Coupe]

While it is true that everything lives forever on the net it is not necessary for anyone to be able to connect any data on you. If done correctly, not just browser on anonymous, you can move around the net at will. No one need know where you come from or where you go.

[TownCryer]

I was wondering do you have recommendations for moving off grid. It appears googling the subject is not a prudent method to find info on the subject.

[sandybridge]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1000...29112289298922 Just get worse and worse.

"The arrangement with Verizon, AT&T and Sprint, the country's three largest phone companies means, that every time the majority of Americans makes a call, NSA gets a record of the location, the number called, the time of the call and the length of the conversation, according to people familiar with the matter. The practice, which evolved out of warrantless wiretapping programs begun after 2001, is now approved by all three branches of the U.S. government.

"

Oh and surveillance includes credit card data. Details of which I am sure will be just as jaw dropping.

[sandybridge]

Originally Posted by TownCryer

I was wondering do you have recommendations for moving off grid. It appears googling the subject is not a prudent method to find info on the subject.

In all honestly, at this point, you can't, I don't think. If you actually want to live a normal life the best you can do is create alias, hide trail by proxy, secure info with encryption, use boot drives, but there will always be human element. You might make a mistake but even if you don't there are security cameras everywhere. Heck I was at the gym and some bro just had to take a self pic in the locker rooms and guess who was caught behind him.

And its not like they really have to try hard, we practically self report via social media. Have you heard about the new Xbox One that has a built in motion sensing camera that can tell how many people are in the room with a microphone that is always on and connected? At least you will get to say "Xbox on" and it turns on. Hurray screw buttons.

It just comes with the territory of modern convenience, and lets not fool ourselves modern technology rocks, but like everything else there are downsides.

[sandybridge]

I did not make it myself but here is a fantastically put together list that just about covers everything. By no means are these the only option but it's a pretty good place to stat.

• Browser Privacy: HTTPS Everywhere, AdBlockPlus + EasyList, Ghostery, NoScript (FireFox), NotScript(Chrome)
• VPNs: BTGuard (Canada), ItsHidden (Africa), Ipredator (Sweden), Faceless.me (Cyprus / Netherlands)
• Internet Anonymization: Tor, Tor Browser Bundle, I2P
• Disk Encryption: TrueCrypt (Windows / OSX / Linux), File Vault (Mac).
• File/Email Encryption: GPGTools + GPGMail (Mac), Enigmail (Windows / OSX / Linux)
• IM Encryption: Pidgin + Pidgin OTR
• IM/Voice Encryption: Mumble, Jitsi
• Phone/SMS Encryption: WhisperSystems, Ostel, Spore, Silent Circle ($$$)
• Google Alternative: DuckDuckGo
• Digital P2P Currency: BitCoin
• Live Anonymous/Secure Linux: TAILS Linux

If you have any problems installing or using the above software, please contact the projects. They would love to get feedback and help you use their software.
Have no clue what Cryptography is or why you should care? Checkout the Crypto Party Handbook or the EFF's Surveillance Self-Defense Project.
Just want some simple tips? Checkout EFF's Top 12 Ways to Protect Your Online Privacy.

For god sake, at minimum do everything in Browser Privacy. Very easy to set up and you don't see most ads, makes browsing so much more pleasant. Skip noscript, notscipt if you must as it blocks video plugins and it takes a bit to set up. They might break some sites you frequent but once you take the time to set them up you will wonder how you lived without them. If you are new just set them up one at a time and check your sites, it will be easier for you to figure out what to adjust. For Safari Adblock plus + easy list, Ghostery, and JavaScript Blocker. (For adblock, unblock sites you want to support so they can get ad revenue).

With all these communication options I find the use of burn phones pretty antiquated. Guess its from watching spy movies, it just looks cool when they demolish them.

Wished more people would use Bitcoin, with correct setup can have complete anonymous transaction arranged anywhere anytime. Yes it is a volatile market, but hey that doesn't mean it only goes down. Still can't beat the convenience of cash for better or worse.

You may decide you don't need it all but there are some awesome tools you would be foolish not to use.

[sandybridge]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013...r-surveillance

"Why should people care about surveillance?"
"Because even if you're not doing anything wrong you're being watched and recorded. The storage capability of the systems increases every year consistently by orders of magnitude where it's getting to the point you don't have to have done anything wrong. You simply have to eventually fall under suspicion by somebody - even by a wrong call. Then they can use the system to go back in time and scrutinise every decision you've ever made, every friend you've ever discussed something with and attack you on that basis to sort of derive suspision from an innocent life and paint anyone into context of a wrongdoer."

Whelp looks like the tin foil people were right. Only limited by the boots on the ground.

Wouldn't surprise me if technology companies eagerly handed the government as much info as they could and the government would look the other way or give a slap on the wrist regarding consumer protection/ price fixing/ anti competitive practices. Quid pro quo, companies get all the personal data they can sell to advertisers and government gets complete surveillance.

[Whirlaway]

This is what the electorate gets when they vote for big government politicians......without a big government mentality, these kinds of invasions couldn't exist...

When the extremes (Glen Beck and Daniel Ellsberg) agree that the Obama administration is dangerous; then you know it is serious.

[Coupe]

Originally Posted by sandybridge

In all honestly, at this point, you can't, I don't think. If you actually want to live a normal life the best you can do is create alias, hide trail by proxy, secure info with encryption, use boot drives, but there will always be human element. You might make a mistake but even if you don't there are security cameras everywhere. Heck I was at the gym and some bro just had to take a self pic in the locker rooms and guess who was caught behind him.

Honestly, if you have not plans to go off grid by now you probably can't. Off the top of my head here is a list of things you will need.

A place - self supporting and life sustaining. Unidentifiable from the air or under boot. Air filtration to the atomic level (remember radioactivity).

Life supporting materials - weapons and the knowledge of how they malfunction. Knowledge of improvising life supporting material.

Sustenance - food and water for extended stay. (3 to 6 months minimum)

Medical - antibiotics, bandages, sutures, narcotics, deadening agents, basic medical procedure knowledge.

Psychological - Ask yourself: Can I be by myself or can I spend the next three to six months in a small closed space with the other person? Be sure, cause once your in your in until the danger is over or minimized. Can I stand to eat the same thing every 5 to 7 days? Be sure, shit on a shingle gets old pretty fast. What are my addictions? You will either use your storage space for alcohol, cigarettes, or other drugs of choice or use will use the space for life supporting material.

Physical - what are my medical conditions? Can I provide for them during my stay. Your doctor is not going to write you a prescription or 1000 tablets of whatever keeps you alive. What is your physical condition. It is going to be a hard life both during and after the crisis. At the present time this is my weakness and I know it. I am working hard to correct it.

Communications - two way will be dangerous in the first months because a broadcast signal is easy to trace (triangulation). Radio receivers, AM, FM, and XM will be non existent. Short and long wave receivers, both analog and digital. Remember you have to have antennas outside, think about how they will not be discovered.

Can I use what I have to protect what I have? What will I do if I am about to be discovered or if I am wounded to the point of inability to protect what I have?

What will I do when it is all over? Can I be someone else? Who? How do I prove it? What skills do I have that can help me get started again?

Silver coins will be the means of payment in an underworld afterworld. Do I have enough? Where are they and will I be able to access them (a bank vault will be inaccessible).

This is by no means a definitive list. It should start you thinking.

[sandybridge]

Originally Posted by Whirlaway

This is what the electorate gets when they vote for big government politicians......without a big government mentality, these kinds of invasions couldn't exist...

When the extremes (Glen Beck and Daniel Ellsberg) agree that the Obama administration is dangerous; then you know it is serious.

I don't want to turn this into a political discussion but as stated by the articles these policies were, "approved by all three branches of the U.S. government." Every current representative, no matter which isle they may fall, has their hands dirty. They may try to feign innocence by saying they were ignorant but don't be fooled. That's basically pleading innocent by exposing yourself as incompetent and that's really no better. Every decision maker knew and went along with it and kept mostly silent.

Plus the issue isn't just about the government. These tech companies were collecting user data anyways "to personalize and better enhance your user experience" then they try their best to lock you into their ecosystem and sell your personal info. The actual surveillance were mostly done by public traded companies, the government was just like hey bro show us what ya got.

Conjecture on my part:
Tech companies: " Sure homie what's mine is yours but what you got for me"
Government: " Oh you know I always have your back. I see you are having some legal trouble, but I know you really aren't bad guys so I will just give you a slap on the wrist and look the other way"
Best friends forever.

There is already examples of targeting specific individual "CIA operatives were attempting to recruit a Swiss banker to obtain secret banking information. Snowden said they achieved this by purposely getting the banker drunk and encouraging him to drive home in his car. When the banker was arrested for drunk driving, the undercover agent seeking to befriend him offered to help, and a bond was formed that led to successful recruitment."

Would be very easy to do with companies already hounded by legal troubles from consumer protection groups.