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United States

More Details Emerge On How the US Is Bugging Its European Allies 442

Posted by timothy from the bugging-is-the-polite-word dept.
dryriver writes with this excerpt from the Guardian: "U.S. intelligence services are spying on the European Union mission in New York and its embassy in Washington, according to the latest top secret U.S. National Security Agency documents leaked by the whistleblower Edward Snowden. One document lists 38 embassies and missions, describing them as 'targets.' It details an extraordinary range of spying methods used against each target, from bugs implanted in electronic communications gear to taps into cables to the collection of transmissions with specialised antennae. Along with traditional ideological adversaries and sensitive Middle Eastern countries, the list of targets includes the E.U. missions and the French, Italian and Greek embassies, as well as a number of other American allies, including Japan, Mexico, South Korea, India and Turkey. ... One of the bugging methods mentioned is codenamed Dropmire, which, according to a 2007 document, is 'implanted on the Cryptofax at the E.U. embassy, DC' – an apparent reference to a bug placed in a commercially available encrypted fax machine used at the mission. The NSA documents note the machine is used to send cables back to foreign affairs ministries in European capitals."

Comment Re:RMS and unintended outcomes (Score 1) 118

by game kid (#44117465) Attached to: RMS, Aaron Swartz Among 2013 Internet Hall of Fame Inductees

In retrospect, it would have been neat to have written that kind of thing into the GPL (the spooks would have run Windows servers instead, and our privacy would be safe if we used anything more complex than ROT13).

Even the FSF says the GNU AGPL addresses some, but not all, of their issues with software run over a network—best to just roll your own versions of the cloud stuff on your compy if you really give a fuck about not being mined and mailed out.

Comment Hoo boy. (Score 2) 629

From there:

[Ecuadoran Foreign Minister Ricardo] Patino said Ecuador was still considering Snowden’s request for asylum while also delivering what appeared to be an impassioned defense of former the CIA contractor. Patino, whose government has been sharply criticized for silencing journalists at home, insisted that Snowden’s case was fundamentally one based on the principle of human rights and praised Snowden for disclosing a surveillance program that had affected nations around the globe.

He cited U.S. refusals to extradite bankers convicted in crimes in Ecuador, saying Quito was now free to exercise its “sovereignty” in the same way. When asked if he was concerned about damaging his nation’s economic relationship with Washington, Patino remained adamant.

“Ecuador puts its principles above its economic interests,” he said.

Hoo boy. I'm almost beginning to feel sorry for the US diplomatic establishment. After HK's eloquent fuck-you-and-lolno to the states, EC brings a bigger one.

I don't think Clinton's ordering the spicy soup today—plain noodles will do. Something about the excess perspiration these past few days...
Privacy

NSA Releases Secret Pre-History of Computers 167

Posted by samzenpus from the please-forget-about-that-other-stuff dept.
An anonymous reader writes "The National Security Agency has declassified an eye-opening pre-history of computers used for code-breaking between the 1930s and 1960s. The 344 page report, entitled It Wasn't All Magic: The Early Struggle to Automate Cryptanalysis (pdf), it is available on the Government Attic web site. Government Attic has also just posted a somewhat less declassified NSA compendium from 1993: A Collection of Writings on Traffic Analysis. (pdf)"

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