Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
WillyT
WillyT's Journal
WillyT's Journal
January 3, 2014
By: Kevin Gosztola - FDL
Friday January 3, 2014 11:40 am
<snip>
At the annual Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg, Germany, journalist and security researcher Jacob Appelbaum gave a talk where he revealed various spy tools the National Security Agency (NSA) has for conducting surveillance. He told the audience that top secret documents detailing these spy tools were being published by German newspaper Der Spiegel.
What received the most attention in his talk was “DROPOUTJEEP,” spyware which allows the NSA to have total access to a user’s iPhone. But, as Appelbaum pointed out, this obscures the reality that the NSA does not need physical access to compromise electronic devices. The agency is capable of compromising devices through the network.
By far the most stunning aspect of his talk is one which has received minimal attention. As his talk was about to finish, he asked, “What if I told you that the NSA had a specialized technology for beaming energy into you and into the computer systems around you? Would you believe that was real or would you believe that was paranoid speculation of a crazy person?”
Appelbaum then informed the audience that such a device actually exists. It is a portable continuous wave generator or continuous wave radar unit. (He also called it a “Philip K. Dick-inspired nightmare.”)
Here’s the document for the spy tool from Der Spiegel:
<snip>
More: http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2014/01/03/the-nsa-has-special-technology-for-beaming-energy-into-computer-systems-you/
The NSA Has Special Technology for Beaming Energy Into Computer Systems & You - FDL
The NSA Has Special Technology for Beaming Energy Into Computer Systems & YouBy: Kevin Gosztola - FDL
Friday January 3, 2014 11:40 am
<snip>
At the annual Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg, Germany, journalist and security researcher Jacob Appelbaum gave a talk where he revealed various spy tools the National Security Agency (NSA) has for conducting surveillance. He told the audience that top secret documents detailing these spy tools were being published by German newspaper Der Spiegel.
What received the most attention in his talk was “DROPOUTJEEP,” spyware which allows the NSA to have total access to a user’s iPhone. But, as Appelbaum pointed out, this obscures the reality that the NSA does not need physical access to compromise electronic devices. The agency is capable of compromising devices through the network.
By far the most stunning aspect of his talk is one which has received minimal attention. As his talk was about to finish, he asked, “What if I told you that the NSA had a specialized technology for beaming energy into you and into the computer systems around you? Would you believe that was real or would you believe that was paranoid speculation of a crazy person?”
Appelbaum then informed the audience that such a device actually exists. It is a portable continuous wave generator or continuous wave radar unit. (He also called it a “Philip K. Dick-inspired nightmare.”)
Here’s the document for the spy tool from Der Spiegel:
<snip>
More: http://dissenter.firedoglake.com/2014/01/03/the-nsa-has-special-technology-for-beaming-energy-into-computer-systems-you/
January 3, 2014
By Greg Sargent - WaPo
January 2 at 3:54 pm
<snip>
The argument over Edward Snowden intensified today in the wake of a New York Times editorial calling for “some form of clemency” for the leaker.
The Times argued that NSA surveillance has already drawn rebukes from federal judges, and far-reaching calls for reform from the new panel appointed by Obama, “entirely because of information provided to journalists by Edward Snowden,” info that has “enormous value.”
Kevin Drum has similar thoughts: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/01/if-you-think-nsa-debate-has-been-valuable-you-have-edward-snowden-thank
Yup. Of course Snowden is the reason why the debate unfolded as it has. Indeed, you don’t have to look any farther than the initial pages of the report released by the Obama-appointed panel for clear proof of this: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2013-12-12_rg_final_report.pdf
<snip>
More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/01/02/yes-we-have-snowden-to-thank-for-nsa-surveillance-debate/
Yes, We Have Snowden To Thank For NSA Surveillance Debate - Greg Sargent/WaPo
Yes, we have Snowden to thank for NSA surveillance debateBy Greg Sargent - WaPo
January 2 at 3:54 pm
<snip>
The argument over Edward Snowden intensified today in the wake of a New York Times editorial calling for “some form of clemency” for the leaker.
The Times argued that NSA surveillance has already drawn rebukes from federal judges, and far-reaching calls for reform from the new panel appointed by Obama, “entirely because of information provided to journalists by Edward Snowden,” info that has “enormous value.”
Kevin Drum has similar thoughts: http://www.motherjones.com/kevin-drum/2014/01/if-you-think-nsa-debate-has-been-valuable-you-have-edward-snowden-thank
Without Snowden, there was zero chance of any serious discussion of NSA surveillance taking place. Regardless of what you think about Snowden personally, you have him to thank if you believe this debate has been valuable. If it had been left up to President Obama and the security establishment, we wouldn’t know a hundredth of what Snowden has revealed.
I wouldn’t defend every last thing Snowden has done. But life is messy, and you don’t always get to control events with precision. Realistically, your choice is between (a) approving of what Snowden did, warts and all, or (b) approving of the status quo, with all of us none the wiser about what our government is doing. I’d say the choice is obvious.
I wouldn’t defend every last thing Snowden has done. But life is messy, and you don’t always get to control events with precision. Realistically, your choice is between (a) approving of what Snowden did, warts and all, or (b) approving of the status quo, with all of us none the wiser about what our government is doing. I’d say the choice is obvious.
Yup. Of course Snowden is the reason why the debate unfolded as it has. Indeed, you don’t have to look any farther than the initial pages of the report released by the Obama-appointed panel for clear proof of this: http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/docs/2013-12-12_rg_final_report.pdf
<snip>
More: http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2014/01/02/yes-we-have-snowden-to-thank-for-nsa-surveillance-debate/
January 3, 2014
Bakken oil safety warning issued by federal government
By: Patti Domm | CNBC Executive News Editor
Published: Thursday, 2 Jan 2014 | 1:23 PM ET
?v=1388687102
<snip>
Following this week's fiery train crash in North Dakota, federal regulators on Thursday issued a safety alert that crude oil being transported from the Bakken region, which stretches through swaths of North Dakota and Montana, may be more flammable than traditional heavy crude.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said it issued the alert to notify the public, emergency responders, shippers and carriers as a result of its preliminary inspections after recent train derailments and resulting fires in North Dakota, Alabama and Canada.
The most serious of these derailments was in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, where last July a runaway train speeded for seven miles into the town and crashed into a nightclub, killing dozens. Part of the Department of Transportation, the PHMSA said it is reinforcing the requirement that hazardous materials be properly tested, characterized, classified and where necessary, degasified.
About 700,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude is carried by rail—a fast-growing, flexible alternative to pipelines for transporting the landlocked oil to the Gulf Coast and East and West Coast refineries. A total 900,000 barrels a day of crude moved by rail in North America during the third quarter, according to IHS.
The hazards of rail shipping are expected to give more weight to the argument for pipelines, including the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, under review by the State Department. That pipeline would carry crude from the Canadian sands to a southern extension that would bring it into the Gulf Coast refining region.
The pipeline agency, along with the Federal Railroad Administration, said...
<snip>
More: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101306310
Well, That Tears It... We MUST Build The Pipeline...
Bakken oil safety warning issued by federal government
By: Patti Domm | CNBC Executive News Editor
Published: Thursday, 2 Jan 2014 | 1:23 PM ET
?v=1388687102
<snip>
Following this week's fiery train crash in North Dakota, federal regulators on Thursday issued a safety alert that crude oil being transported from the Bakken region, which stretches through swaths of North Dakota and Montana, may be more flammable than traditional heavy crude.
The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said it issued the alert to notify the public, emergency responders, shippers and carriers as a result of its preliminary inspections after recent train derailments and resulting fires in North Dakota, Alabama and Canada.
The most serious of these derailments was in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, where last July a runaway train speeded for seven miles into the town and crashed into a nightclub, killing dozens. Part of the Department of Transportation, the PHMSA said it is reinforcing the requirement that hazardous materials be properly tested, characterized, classified and where necessary, degasified.
About 700,000 barrels per day of Bakken crude is carried by rail—a fast-growing, flexible alternative to pipelines for transporting the landlocked oil to the Gulf Coast and East and West Coast refineries. A total 900,000 barrels a day of crude moved by rail in North America during the third quarter, according to IHS.
The hazards of rail shipping are expected to give more weight to the argument for pipelines, including the controversial Keystone XL pipeline, under review by the State Department. That pipeline would carry crude from the Canadian sands to a southern extension that would bring it into the Gulf Coast refining region.
The pipeline agency, along with the Federal Railroad Administration, said...
<snip>
More: http://www.cnbc.com/id/101306310
January 3, 2014
2014... Is It Just The GOP That Will Be Warring With Itself In 2014 ???
I'm thinking that the Democrats may have a similar, if not lesser, fight on their hands,
What say you ???
January 3, 2014
For Wolfgang Schmidt, who used to head East Germany's feared spy service, the NSA's reported spy program "would have been a dream come true."
by Charles Cooper -CNet
June 28, 2013 11:22 AM PDT
<snip>
For Wolfgang Schmidt, it was just bad luck that he was 20 years too late and living on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain.
The former head of the Stasi, which was East Germany's secret police force, betrayed a fair bit of envy about the powers enjoyed by his former Cold War nemesis in the aftermath of revelations about the extent of the National Security Agency's surveillance powers.
"You know, for us, this would have been a dream come true," he said in a wide-ranging interview with McClatchy.
As a former top spook in his nation's security bureaucracy, Wolfe also weighed into the domestic debate about whether the NSA has crossed any lines. Privacy advocates have expressed concerns about whether the agency went beyond collecting phone and Internet metadata and snooped on Americans' domestic communications.
For Schmidt, who recalled that during the Trabant era, the Stasi could only tap 40 phones at a time. Reading the seemingly daily disclosures about the NSA, he says there's little doubt about what's going on behind closed doors.
"It is the height of naivete to think that once collected this information won't be used," he said. "This is the nature of secret government organizations. The only way to protect the people's privacy is not to allow the government to collect their information in the first place."
<snip>
More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57591551-83/ex-stasi-boss-green-with-envy-over-nsas-domestic-spy-powers/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Security&Privacy
In Case You Missed This...
Ex-Stasi boss green with envy over NSA's domestic spy powersFor Wolfgang Schmidt, who used to head East Germany's feared spy service, the NSA's reported spy program "would have been a dream come true."
by Charles Cooper -CNet
June 28, 2013 11:22 AM PDT
<snip>
For Wolfgang Schmidt, it was just bad luck that he was 20 years too late and living on the wrong side of the Iron Curtain.
The former head of the Stasi, which was East Germany's secret police force, betrayed a fair bit of envy about the powers enjoyed by his former Cold War nemesis in the aftermath of revelations about the extent of the National Security Agency's surveillance powers.
"You know, for us, this would have been a dream come true," he said in a wide-ranging interview with McClatchy.
As a former top spook in his nation's security bureaucracy, Wolfe also weighed into the domestic debate about whether the NSA has crossed any lines. Privacy advocates have expressed concerns about whether the agency went beyond collecting phone and Internet metadata and snooped on Americans' domestic communications.
For Schmidt, who recalled that during the Trabant era, the Stasi could only tap 40 phones at a time. Reading the seemingly daily disclosures about the NSA, he says there's little doubt about what's going on behind closed doors.
"It is the height of naivete to think that once collected this information won't be used," he said. "This is the nature of secret government organizations. The only way to protect the people's privacy is not to allow the government to collect their information in the first place."
<snip>
More: http://news.cnet.com/8301-1009_3-57591551-83/ex-stasi-boss-green-with-envy-over-nsas-domestic-spy-powers/?part=rss&tag=feed&subj=News-Security&Privacy
January 2, 2014
It's not just the NSA anymore. Here's how local law enforcement collects your call data, even if unrelated to crime
Michael Price - Salon
Thursday, Jan 2, 2014 09:32 AM PST
<snip>
By now, it’s well known that the National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting troves of data about law-abiding Americans. But the NSA is not alone: a series of new reports show that state and local police have been busy collecting data on our daily activities as well — under questionable or nonexistent legal pretenses. These revelations about the extent of police snooping in the U.S. — and the lack of oversight over it — paint a disturbing picture for anyone who cares about civil liberties and privacy protection.
The tactics used by law enforcement are aggressive, surreptitious, and surprising to even longtime surveillance experts. One report released last month made front page news: an investigation by more than 50 journalists that found that local law enforcement agencies are collecting cell phone data about thousands of innocent Americans each year by tapping into cellphone towers and even creating fake ones that act as data traps.
A new report by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law details how police departments around the country have created data “fusion centers” to collect and share reports about residents. But the information in these reports seldom bears any relation to crime or terrorism. In California, for example, officers are encouraged to document and immediately report on “suspicious” activities such as “individuals who stay at bus or train stops for extended periods while buses and trains come and go,” “individuals who carry on long conversations on pay or cellular phones,” and “joggers who stand and stretch for an inordinate amount of time.” In Houston, Texas, the criteria are so broad they include anything deemed “suspicious or worthy of reporting.” Many police departments and fusion centers have reported on constitutionally protected activities such as photography and political speech. They have also demonstrated a troubling tendency to focus on people who appear to be of Middle Eastern origin.
Like the NSA – their heavy-handed Big Brother – these fusion centers cast a wide net and risk civil liberties for paltry returns. And all of it is happening without sufficient oversight or accountability. In other words, no one is watching Little Brother.
How did it come to this?
<snip>
More: http://www.salon.com/2014/01/02/big_brothers_little_siblings_how_local_police_departments_are_spying_on_us_now_too/
Big Brother’s Little Siblings: How Local Police Departments Are Spying On Us Now, Too - Salon
Big Brother’s little siblings: How local police departments are spying on us now, tooIt's not just the NSA anymore. Here's how local law enforcement collects your call data, even if unrelated to crime
Michael Price - Salon
Thursday, Jan 2, 2014 09:32 AM PST
<snip>
By now, it’s well known that the National Security Agency (NSA) is collecting troves of data about law-abiding Americans. But the NSA is not alone: a series of new reports show that state and local police have been busy collecting data on our daily activities as well — under questionable or nonexistent legal pretenses. These revelations about the extent of police snooping in the U.S. — and the lack of oversight over it — paint a disturbing picture for anyone who cares about civil liberties and privacy protection.
The tactics used by law enforcement are aggressive, surreptitious, and surprising to even longtime surveillance experts. One report released last month made front page news: an investigation by more than 50 journalists that found that local law enforcement agencies are collecting cell phone data about thousands of innocent Americans each year by tapping into cellphone towers and even creating fake ones that act as data traps.
A new report by the Brennan Center for Justice at NYU School of Law details how police departments around the country have created data “fusion centers” to collect and share reports about residents. But the information in these reports seldom bears any relation to crime or terrorism. In California, for example, officers are encouraged to document and immediately report on “suspicious” activities such as “individuals who stay at bus or train stops for extended periods while buses and trains come and go,” “individuals who carry on long conversations on pay or cellular phones,” and “joggers who stand and stretch for an inordinate amount of time.” In Houston, Texas, the criteria are so broad they include anything deemed “suspicious or worthy of reporting.” Many police departments and fusion centers have reported on constitutionally protected activities such as photography and political speech. They have also demonstrated a troubling tendency to focus on people who appear to be of Middle Eastern origin.
Like the NSA – their heavy-handed Big Brother – these fusion centers cast a wide net and risk civil liberties for paltry returns. And all of it is happening without sufficient oversight or accountability. In other words, no one is watching Little Brother.
How did it come to this?
<snip>
More: http://www.salon.com/2014/01/02/big_brothers_little_siblings_how_local_police_departments_are_spying_on_us_now_too/
January 2, 2014
The Huffington Post | By Mark Gongloff
Posted: 01/02/2014 11:46 am EST | Updated: 01/02/2014 11:46 am EST
<snip>
Breaking news: The Wall Street Journal editorial page is full of it.
OK, that's not really news. But an unusually flagrant example of the WSJ editorial page's hogwash artistry caught the world's eye on Thursday, when New York Times columnist Paul Krugman pointed out several big problems with a column published this week by the WSJ's Bret Stephens. Krugman cited an earlier blog post from economist Miles Kimball, who first noted what he called the WSJs "analytical errors."
Stephens, who won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, on Monday declared that the United States does not have an income inequality problem, but rather an envy problem. In other words, all of us Poors and Middles are merely jealous of those Riches who are constantly straining their trapezius muscles from nodding too vigorously when reading Stephens' columns. To prove his point, Stephens accused President Obama of misleading the public in a big speech last month about economic mobility and inequality.
"The top 10 percent no longer takes in one-third of our income -- it now takes half," Obama said in the speech.
Stephens declared this statement incorrect in several ways:
<snip>
The Rest: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/02/krugman-wall-street-journal-inequality_n_4531338.html
Krugman Nails WSJ Pulitzer Winner For Misleading Inequality Claim - HuffPo
Krugman Nails WSJ Pulitzer Winner For Misleading Inequality ClaimThe Huffington Post | By Mark Gongloff
Posted: 01/02/2014 11:46 am EST | Updated: 01/02/2014 11:46 am EST
<snip>
Breaking news: The Wall Street Journal editorial page is full of it.
OK, that's not really news. But an unusually flagrant example of the WSJ editorial page's hogwash artistry caught the world's eye on Thursday, when New York Times columnist Paul Krugman pointed out several big problems with a column published this week by the WSJ's Bret Stephens. Krugman cited an earlier blog post from economist Miles Kimball, who first noted what he called the WSJs "analytical errors."
Stephens, who won the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for commentary, on Monday declared that the United States does not have an income inequality problem, but rather an envy problem. In other words, all of us Poors and Middles are merely jealous of those Riches who are constantly straining their trapezius muscles from nodding too vigorously when reading Stephens' columns. To prove his point, Stephens accused President Obama of misleading the public in a big speech last month about economic mobility and inequality.
"The top 10 percent no longer takes in one-third of our income -- it now takes half," Obama said in the speech.
Stephens declared this statement incorrect in several ways:
<snip>
The Rest: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/02/krugman-wall-street-journal-inequality_n_4531338.html
December 31, 2013
By Scott Kaufman - HuffPo
Monday, December 30, 2013 22:39 EST
<snip>
In an interview on CNBC on Monday, Home Depot founder and devout Catholic Ken Langone said that the Pope’s statements about capitalism have left many potential “capitalist benefactors” wary of donating to the Church or its fundraising projects.
According to Langone, an anonymous, “potential seven-figure donor” for the Church’s restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral is concerned that the Pope’s criticism of capitalism are “exclusionary,” especially his statements about the “culture of prosperity” leading to the wealthy being “incapable of feeling compassion for the poor.”
Langone said he’s raised this issue with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who yesterday praised Pope Francis for “shattering the caricature of the Church.”
“I’ve told the Cardinal,” Langone said, “‘Your Eminence, this is one more hurdle I hope we don’t have to deal with. You want to be careful about generalities. Rich people in one country don’t act the same as rich people in another country.’”
<snip>
More: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/30/home-depot-founder-worries-pope-francis-neither-loves-or-understands-rich-americans/
Home Depot Founder Worries Pope Francis Neither Loves Nor Understands Rich Americans - RawStory
Home Depot founder worries Pope Francis neither loves nor understands rich AmericansBy Scott Kaufman - HuffPo
Monday, December 30, 2013 22:39 EST
<snip>
In an interview on CNBC on Monday, Home Depot founder and devout Catholic Ken Langone said that the Pope’s statements about capitalism have left many potential “capitalist benefactors” wary of donating to the Church or its fundraising projects.
According to Langone, an anonymous, “potential seven-figure donor” for the Church’s restoration of St. Patrick’s Cathedral is concerned that the Pope’s criticism of capitalism are “exclusionary,” especially his statements about the “culture of prosperity” leading to the wealthy being “incapable of feeling compassion for the poor.”
Langone said he’s raised this issue with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, who yesterday praised Pope Francis for “shattering the caricature of the Church.”
“I’ve told the Cardinal,” Langone said, “‘Your Eminence, this is one more hurdle I hope we don’t have to deal with. You want to be careful about generalities. Rich people in one country don’t act the same as rich people in another country.’”
<snip>
More: http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2013/12/30/home-depot-founder-worries-pope-francis-neither-loves-or-understands-rich-americans/
Profile Information
Member since: 2002Number of posts: 72,631
