Edit: Thanks to Lethn for reminding me to post the original article's link  http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/googlers-say-f-you-to-nsa-company-encrypts-internal-network/Google has started to encrypt its traffic between its data centers, effectively halting the broad surveillance of its inner workings by the joint National Security Agency-GCHQ program known as MUSCULAR. The move turns off a giant source of information to the two agencies, which at one point accounted for nearly a third of the NSA's daily data intake for its primary intelligence analysis database—at least for now. Yesterday, the Washington Post shared additional slides produced by the NSA on the MUSCULAR program, which tapped into the fiber-optic networks carrying traffic to and from Google's and Yahoo's overseas data centers. The slides indicated that data from the networks frequently reached the daily intelligence briefing provided to President Barack Obama. They cited the joint operation with GHCQ as the fifteenth-largest source of intelligence data for those briefings. The slides also revealed that the NSA obtained an intimate understanding of the internal operations of these networks, which suggests it either launched a significant reverse-engineering operation to pry apart Google's and Yahoo's secrets or it obtained this information from people who worked for the two companies (maybe even some combination of the two). Either way, the effort amounts to a major intelligence operation to discover the trade secrets of two major American companies. [...] “Fuck these guys” Last Thursday, as news started to emerge about the NSA's monitoring of traffic within the private networks of Google and Yahoo, Google security team engineer Brandon Downey wrote a post to Google+ expressing his personal opinion on the matter: "Fuck these guys." Yesterday, another Google security engineer, Mike Hearn, echoed the sentiment with substance: "I now join [Downey] in issuing a giant Fuck You to the people who made these slides," Hearn wrote. "I am not an American, I am a Brit, but it's no different—GCHQ turns out to be even worse than the NSA... The traffic shown in the slides is now all encrypted and the work the NSA/GCHQ staff did on understanding it, ruined." Hearn did not reveal how the traffic was being encrypted. But Google has been making an effort to encrypt its intra-data center traffic for over a year as it strove to deal with potential surveillance. That effort was accelerated this summer in the wake of the leaked information about the NSA/FBI PRISM program—the warrant-based program by which the NSA could obtain access to user data from Google, Yahoo, and other cloud providers. The company wanted to make broad surveillance of its own networks more difficult. Now, with the details of actual surveillance public knowledge, Google has moved to shut the door entirely to unfettered access to its networks. Google also started to encrypt all search requests from users by default in September, protecting users from surveillance outside its network. |
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Obamacare Girl was the face on this amazing great website, healthcare.gov. Her smile never broke down. She was telling you "Don't Worry! Be Happy!" Sadly without any explanation Obamacare Girl vanished with her smile without saying "Good Buy" on your new improved healthcare plan. I shall miss you Obamacare Girl. Stay safe and covered. https://i.imgur.com/vpg4usw.jpg http://youtu.be/dfghyfJEK-4 |
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http://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2013/11/swiss-telecos-cloud-aims-to-draw-customers-who-are-fearful-of-spying/A Sunday report from Reuters suggests that cloud computing services from Switzerland-based telco Swisscom might be the new Swiss bank account for some companies. In the wake of leaks from former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden, Swisscom, which is majority-owned by the Swiss government, has said that its cloud services might be more attractive to foreign companies seeking to keep business secrets away from prying eyes. Instead of choosing a giant American provider that might have an NSA siphon of data (through the MUSCULAR program, for example) a company could store its data in the “Swiss Cloud” from Swisscom. The company says it could offer a level of security from government watchers unavailable elsewhere in the world. Of course, that could only be true for data that moves locally in Switzerland. There are no guarantees of privacy as soon at the information crosses borders. ------------------------------------------------------------ Time for Swisscom to accept bitcoins
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http://thebellnews.com/2013/11/03/co-founder-of-the-apollo-alliance-supporter-of-wealth-redistribution-is-named-to-obamas-climate-task-force/Co-Founder Of The Apollo Alliance, & Supporter Of Wealth Redistribution, Is Named To Obama’s Climate Task Force Even while Climate Scientists are backing off from the dire predictions on Global Warming, President Obama has decided to double down on the junk science with an Executive Order. On Friday, President Obama once again bypassed Congress and signed an Executive Order creating a National Climate Task Force. This Task Force consists of 8 Democrat Governors, 16 Mayors (All but 3 are Democrats) and 2 Tribal Officials. While the Executive Order also directs Federal Agencies to take disturbing actions such as “Help Cities and Towns to Build Smarter” (So the Federal Government is going to dictate to States on how to build Smart Cities?) and to “Protect Carbon Sequestration Devices such as Trees” (Global Warming Freaks believe that Trees store carbon and preventing them from being cut down prevents that carbon from being released in to the atmosphere. So expect more Federal Land seizures in the near future), one of the most disturbing realizations to come from this latest Executive Order is that one of the “Advisers” on the President’s Task Force is a Co-Founder of the Communist Affiliated Apollo Alliance, Co-Architect of the President’s current “Green” economic plan and is a known supporter of Wealth Redistribution. That man is Governor of Washington State Jay Inslee. According to Key Wiki, Jay Inslee Co-Founded the Apollo Alliance (Funded by the Tides Foundation who is Funded by George Soros and is now apart of the Blue Green Alliance) which housed a number of radical leftists such as the former Green Jobs Czar, and self described Communist, Van Jones as well as a former founder of the Communist Terrorist group The Weather Underground, Jeff Jones. In 2007, then Congressman Jay Inslee Co-Authored a book with Apollo Alliance Executive Director and Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, Bracken Hendricks, titled Apollo’s Fire. Apollo’s Fire is the blue print (Which President Obama has been following to the letter) on how to fundamentally transform the United States into a “Clean Energy Economy” in order to save the world from the effects of Global Warming. This plan is known as The New Apollo Project.
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http://www.macrumors.com/2013/11/01/new-plugin-allows-developers-to-turn-ios-devices-into-bitcoin-mining-bots/Unity plugin developer Icoplay has come up with a new way for developers to monetize free apps on the App Store while avoiding in-app purchases, through the use of bitcoin mining. Bitcoin is a digital currency first developed in 2008 that has soared in value in recent years. While bitcoin value fluctuates wildly, a single bitcoin today is worth approximately $200, which makes Bitcoin mining a potentially lucrative endeavor. Because new bitcoins are generated via complex math problems, Bitcoin mining requires an incredible amount of processing power. Icoplay is aiming to use mining software hidden within apps and games to take advantage of the latent processing power of mobile devices, rewarding the developer with bitcoin. Like distributed computing projects such as SETI@home, Bitcoin mining can be done in small chunks over hundreds or thousands of devices.
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This is the new normal... http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-infiltrates-links-to-yahoo-google-data-centers-worldwide-snowden-documents-say/2013/10/30/e51d661e-4166-11e3-8b74-d89d714ca4dd_print.htmlAccording to a top secret accounting dated Jan. 9, 2013, NSA’s acquisitions directorate sends millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency’s Fort Meade headquarters. In the preceding 30 days, the report said, field collectors had processed and sent back 181,280,466 new records — ranging from “metadata,” which would indicate who sent or received e-mails and when, to content such as text, audio and video. The NSA’s principal tool to exploit the data links is a project called MUSCULAR, operated jointly with the agency’s British counterpart, GCHQ. From undisclosed interception points, the NSA and GCHQ are copying entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants… In an NSA presentation slide on “Google Cloud Exploitation,” … a sketch shows where the “Public Internet” meets the internal “Google Cloud” where their data resides. In hand-printed letters, the drawing notes that encryption is “added and removed here!” The artist adds a smiley face, a cheeky celebration of victory over Google security. Two engineers with close ties to Google exploded in profanity when they saw the drawing. “I hope you publish this,” one of them said… The Google and Yahoo operations call attention to an asymmetry in U.S. surveillance law: While Congress has lifted some restrictions on NSA domestic surveillance on the grounds that purely foreign communications sometimes pass over U.S. switches and cables, it has not added restrictions overseas, where American communications or data stores now cross over foreign switches. |
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There is an opportunity to win or lose some bitcoins. Google employees and people working on those barges should not participate  What is Google building on Treasure Island? http://youtu.be/RHz6WrjuCGQGoogle 'Floating Structures' on Both Coasts http://youtu.be/k5Gquqb-iQEPeople who live and work on California s Treasure Island thought a barge and four stories of cargo containers had something to do with the America s Cup, but as Allen Martin reports, the top-secret floating structure actually belongs to Google. People who live and work on California s Treasure Island thought a barge and four stories of cargo containers had something to do with the America s Cup, but as Allen Martin reports, the top-secret floating structure actually belongs to Google. People who live and work on California s Treasure Island thought a barge and four stories of cargo containers had something to do with the America s Cup, but as Allen Martin reports, the top-secret floating structure actually belongs to Google. |
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9iHYec8eFghttps://www.shtfplan.com/emergency-preparedness/mainstream-reports-dhs-battens-down-the-hatches-this-could-be-all-hell-breaks-loose-day_10282013November 1st could be a very, very iffy day. This could be ‘all hell breaks lose’ day. The Department of Homeland Security is spending $80 million on a wrath of armed guards to protect the IRS and other government buildings in New York, not from terrorist threats mind you, but from American citizens because on November 1st the food stamp program is set to start decreasing the amount that is allocated to food stamp recipients… and they’re worried that violence will ensue. I guess they’re preparing for the worst… … If we do not radically change our economy and revamp so that those nearly 50 million people have an opportunity to be liberated from food stamps to get $75, versus $70, versus $65. What these people need is economic opportunity and a good job so they can put food on their own table. You know, the slaves had food stamps too. It was called scraps from mazza’s table… we have a crisis within our country right now when you have 50 million people, nearly the entire West Coast, on food stamps.
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And I though that crazy idea was for our Euro friends only  http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-roads-black-boxes-20131027,0,6090226.story#axzz2iwNczDu0The devices would track every mile you drive —possibly including your location — and the government would use the data to draw up a tax bill. WASHINGTON — As America's road planners struggle to find the cash to mend a crumbling highway system, many are beginning to see a solution in a little black box that fits neatly by the dashboard of your car. The devices, which track every mile a motorist drives and transmit that information to bureaucrats, are at the center of a controversial attempt in Washington and state planning offices to overhaul the outdated system for funding America's major roads. The usually dull arena of highway planning has suddenly spawned intense debate and colorful alliances. Libertarians have joined environmental groups in lobbying to allow government to use the little boxes to keep track of the miles you drive, and possibly where you drive them — then use the information to draw up a tax bill. The tea party is aghast. The American Civil Liberties Union is deeply concerned, too, raising a variety of privacy issues. And while Congress can't agree on whether to proceed, several states are not waiting. They are exploring how, over the next decade, they can move to a system in which drivers pay per mile of road they roll over. Thousands of motorists have already taken the black boxes, some of which have GPS monitoring, for a test drive. "This really is a must for our nation. It is not a matter of something we might choose to do," said Hasan Ikhrata, executive director of the Southern California Assn. of Governments, which is planning for the state to start tracking miles driven by every California motorist by 2025. "There is going to be a change in how we pay these taxes. The technology is there to do it." ------------------------------------------------------------------ No wonder Elon Musk's concept of the Hyperloop, although open source and cheaper than anything else being built right now, is not going to fly. Government needs its taxes! http://youtu.be/I8sOxSa3j3g |
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So I watched this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGmiw_rrNxkThen I thought "Those people are mostly on the Big government centralized power b.wagon, but I have zero problem about what they are for in this video." Finally those with a more anarcho capitalist or libertarian blah blah views and Big-Hollywood-I-am-rich-but-you-should- not-be crowd agree on something from time to time. But then of course I was wrong: http://www.salon.com/2013/10/21/dont_ally_with_libertarians_ideologues_co_opt_an_anti_nsa_rally/ Don’t ally with libertarians: Ideologues co-opt an anti-NSA rally “We demand the U.S. Congress reveal the full extent of the NSA’s spying programs,” is the basic demand of Stop Watching Us. This is a vital cause, and I agree with it. Yet I cannot support this coalition or the rally. It is fatally compromised by the prominent leadership and participation of the Libertarian Party and other libertarian student groups; their hardcore ideology stands in direct opposition to almost everything I believe in as a social democrat. The Libertarian Party itself — inaccurately described by Stop Watching Us as a “public advocacy organization” — is a right-wing political party that opposes all gun control laws and public healthcare, supported the government shutdown, dismisses public education, opposes organized labor, favors the end of Social Security as we know it, and argues in its formal political manifesto that “we should eliminate the entire social welfare system” while supporting “unrestricted competition among banks and depository institutions of all types.” |
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This link is foxnews safe... http://rt.com/usa/facebook-police-social-lipp-743/A partnership between police departments and social media sites discussed at a convention in Philadelphia this week could allow law enforcement to keep anything deemed criminal off the Internet—and even stop people from organizing protests. A high-ranking official from the Chicago Police Department told attendees at a law enforcement conference on Monday that his agency has been working with a security chief at Facebook to block certain users from the site “if it is determined they have posted what is deemed criminal content,” reports Kenneth Lipp, an independent journalist who attended the lecture. Lipp reported throughout the week from the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference, and now says that a speaker during one of the presentations suggested that a relationship exists between law enforcement and social media that that could be considered a form of censorship. According to Lipp, the unnamed CPD officer said specifically that his agency was working with Facebook to block users’ by their individual account, IP address or device, such as a cell phone or computer. |
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http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2013/oct/24/fort-hood-army-warned-them-tea-party-christians/ Don’t donate to the tea party or to evangelical Christian groups — that was the message soldiers at a pre-deployment briefing at Fort Hood said they received from a counter-intelligence agent who headed up the meeting. If you do, you could face punishment — that was the other half of the message, as reported by Fox News. The briefing was Oct. 17, and about a half-hour of it was devoted to discussion about how perceived radical groups — like tea party organizations and the Christian-based American Family Association — were “tearing the country apart,” one unnamed soldier said, to Fox News. Among the remarks the agent allegedly made: Military members who donate to these groups would be subject to discipline under the Uniform Code of Military Justice, the soldier reported. Liberty Institute has stepped in to investigate. Michael Berry, one of the nonprofit’s attorneys, said he has been advising the soldier about his options — but that in the meanwhile, he said the American public should be on guard. “The American public should be outraged that the U.S. Army is teaching our troops that evangelical Christians and tea party members are enemies of America and that they can be punished for supporting or participating in those groups,” Mr. Berry said, in Fox News. “These statements about evangelicals being domestic enemies are a serious charge.” ------------------------------------------------ I had no idea the US Army was involved in selectively targeting US citizens or members of the soldier's family in many cases.
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EDIT and update (Oct 25th 2013): Here is the link and the description: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-us/firefox/addon/lightbeam/?src=searchLightbeam is a Firefox add-on that enables you to see the first and third party sites you interact with on the Web. Using interactive visualizations, Lightbeam shows you the relationships between these third parties and the sites you visit. http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/gadgets-and-tech/news/mozillas-lightbeam-tool-will-expose-who-is-looking-over-your-shoulder-on-the-web-8902269.htmlJust who is looking over your shoulder when you browse the Internet? Tomorrow, web users will be given a new tool to shine a light on the commercial organisations which track your every movement online. Lightbeam, a download produced by Mozilla, the US free software community behind the popular Firefox browser, claims to be a “watershed” moment in the battle for web transparency. Everyone who browses the Internet leaves a digital trail used by advertisers to discover what your interests are. Users who activate Lightbeam will be able to see a real-time visualisation of every site they visit and every third-party that is active on those sites, including commercial organisations which might potentially be sharing your data. Mozilla wants users who install the Lightbeam add-on to Firefox, to crowd-source their data, to produce the first “big picture” view of web tracking, revealing which third-parties are most active. Lightbeam promises a “Wizard of Oz” moment for the web, “where users collectively provide a way to pull back the curtains to see its inner workings,” Mozilla claimed. Mark Surman, Mozilla’s executive director, said: “It’s a stake in the ground in terms of letting people know the ways they are being tracked. At Mozilla, we believe everyone should be in control of their user data and privacy and we want people to make informed decisions about their Web experience.” Mozilla already offers users the ability to disable “cookies” - small files that download from websites onto a computer, allowing advertisers to target users based on their online activity – an option taken up by 18 per cent of UK Firefox users. Lightbeam will reveal the source of the third-party adverts, scripts and images stored on a web page which are linked to servers in other domains. An expanding graph visualises the interactions between the sites a user intentionally visits and the third parties which may not be welcome. Mozilla has come under “tremendous pressure” from trade bodies over its mission to bring transparency to the web, said Alex Fowler, the company’s Privacy Officer. The software company said it was responding to increased privacy concerns following the revelation that the US National Security Agency (NSA) had tapped directly into the servers of Internet firms including Facebook, to track online communication in a surveillance programme. |
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Chancellor Angela Merkel has spoken to President Barack Obama to complain about allegations her mobile phone was targeted by the US National Security Agency, according to a report on Wednesday.
Photo: DPA
News site Spiegel reported that Merkel's mobile may have been spied on by the US and the German Chancellor is taking the allegations seriously.
She demanded an explanation in the telephone conversation with Obama, Spiegel said.
Her spokesman Steffen Seibert said Merkel made it clear that she found such practices "completely unacceptable".
"The chancellor today telephoned President (Barack) Obama" and "made clear
that she unequivocally disapproves of such practices, should they be
confirmed, and regards them as completely unacceptable," he said.
The evidence for her mobile phone being targeted came from Spiegel which has broken a series of stories about a mass surveillance programme by the NSA.
A spokeswoman for the NSA told Spiegel that Obama reassured Merkel the US was not spying on her communications, but refused to elaborate whether it had done so or not in the past.
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