Category: Spying

How Israel Regulates Encryption – Schneier on Security

Basically, it looks like secret agreements made in smoke-filled rooms, very discreet with no oversight or accountability. The fact that pretty much everyone in IT security has served in an offensive cybersecurity capacity for the Israeli army helps. As does the fact that the country is so small, making informal deal making managable. It doesn’t scale.

Why is this important?

…companies in Israel, a country comprising less than 0.11% of the world’s population, are estimated to have sold 10% ($6 billion out of $60 billion) of global encryption and cyber technologies for 2014.

Source: How Israel Regulates Encryption – Schneier on Security

James Clapper has found another reason why he lied about NSA spying • The Register


Yep: he had actually forgotten about the storing of all Americans’ phonecalls

Source: James Clapper has found another reason why he lied about NSA spying • The Register

German Parliament Spy Oversight Board Sues German Government Over Data Sharing With NSA | Techdirt

The German Foreign Intelligence Services, supported by the government, tapped the German Internet Exchange Point Decix, the largest internet exchange point globally. While the G10 Commission had approved the blanket tapping, they were unaware that some of the tapped data were forwarded to the NSA, the US National Security Agency, based on a list of so-called “selectors” — names or numbers the NSA sent to their German colleagues.

Source: German Parliament Spy Oversight Board Sues German Government Over Data Sharing With NSA | Techdirt

The Nation’s Criminals Can’t Keep Up With The Government’s Legalized Theft Programs | Techdirt

A comment to this story hit the bullseye:

In the 1980s we passed forfeiture laws to battle the largest criminals but look where we are now. If you want to know how the special powers we’re giving government to battle terrorism will end up, just look at this program.

Source: The Nation’s Criminals Can’t Keep Up With The Government’s Legalized Theft Programs | Techdirt

NSA Collected Americans’ E-mails Even After it Stopped Collecting Americans’ E-mails – Schneier on Security

The NSA continually plays this shell game with Congressional overseers. Whenever an intelligence-community official testifies that something is not being done under this particular program, or this particular authority, you can be sure that it’s being done under some other program or some other authority. In particular, the NSA regularly uses rules that allow them to conduct bulk surveillance outside the US — rules that largely evade both Congressional and Judicial oversight — to conduct bulk surveillance on Americans. Effective oversight of the NSA is impossible in the face of this level of misdirection and deception.

Source: NSA Collected Americans’ E-mails Even After it Stopped Collecting Americans’ E-mails – Schneier on Security

Venezuelan President Calls NSA Spying on State Oil Company “Vulgar,” Orders Official Inquiry

Nicolas Maduro called monitoring of state oil-company emails — revealed by The Intercept and teleSUR — “illegal action in light of international law.”

Source: Venezuelan President Calls NSA Spying on State Oil Company “Vulgar,” Orders Official Inquiry

DOJ Has Blocked Everyone In The Executive Branch From Reading The Senate’s Torture Report | Techdirt

the new head of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Richard Burr, demanded that all the federal government agencies that received the report should return it to him so he can destroy it and make sure that no one ever sees what’s in the report.

Source: DOJ Has Blocked Everyone In The Executive Branch From Reading The Senate’s Torture Report | Techdirt