Monthly Archives: May 2014

Putin on Snowden: Russia not kind of country which gives up those who fight for human rights – Video

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Putin on Snowden: Russia not kind of country which gives up those who fight for human rights
The US is to blame for whistleblower Edward Snowden ending up in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday. "[Snowden] arrived at our transit zone and later it was explained that...

By: RT

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Putin on Snowden: Russia not kind of country which gives up those who fight for human rights - Video

Edward Snowden’s legacy? House passes curbs on NSA surveillance

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Edward Snowden disclosed the massivecollection and storage of US calling data by the NSA last year. Now mostHouse members can now say they voted to end what many critics consider the most troubling practiceSnowdendisclosed.

The House has moved the U.S. closer to ending the National Security Agency's bulk collection of Americans' phone records, the most significant demonstration to date of leakerEdwardSnowden'simpact on the debate over privacy versus security.

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But the final version of the legislation, "watered down" in the words of one supporter, also showed the limits of that impact. The bill was severely weakened to mollify U.S. intelligence agencies, which insisted that the surveillance programs that shocked many Americans are a critical bulwark against terror plots.

The bill was approved 303-121, which means that most House members can now say they voted to end what many critics consider the most troubling practiceSnowdendisclosed the collection and storage of U.S. calling data by the secretive intelligence agency. But almost no other major provision designed to restrict NSA surveillance, including limits on the secret court that grants warrants to search the data, survived the negotiations to get the bill to the House floor.

And even the prohibition on bulk collection of Americans' communications records has been called into question by some activists who say a last-minute change in wording diminished what was sold as a ban.

"People will say, 'We did something, and isn't something enough,'" said Steven Aftergood, who tracks intelligence issues for the Federation of American Scientists. "But this bill doesn't fundamentally resolve the uncertainties that generated the whole controversy."

Though some privacy activists continued to back the bill, others withdrew support, as did technology companies such as Google and Facebook.

Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said, "I believe this is a workable compromise that protects the core function of a counterterrorism program we know has saved lives around the world."

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Edward Snowden's legacy? House passes curbs on NSA surveillance

Letter: Americans should be furious over the extent of NSA spying

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Americans should be furious over the extent of NSA spying

Over the past two weeks, I watched the two-part PBS Frontline investigation broadcast locally on WNED titled, The United States of Secrets. This was an engrossing yet chilling report on the secret NSA spy program that encompasses the intrusions into the privacy of all U.S. citizens as well as foreign entities. This is the program that began after 9/11 under President George W. Bush and has been expanded upon under President Obama.

I found myself becoming very angry while watching this program, perhaps more for the fact that both presidents continue to mislead and even lie to the American public about the scope of the spying rather than the actual privacy intrusion itself. Yes, many people will say: Oh, it doesnt affect me. I have nothing to hide. But this country was built upon the Constitution and our rights are being trampled under the guise of security from terrorism. Major U.S. Internet and communications providers are cooperating with the NSA in granting access to our emails, phone calls, messages, Skype calls and even our financial transactions.

I think the thing that may disturb me the most is the silence over this issue from the American public. In my opinion, Edward Snowden is a whistle-blower and should be applauded for his disclosures rather than ostracized and condemned as a criminal. Wake up, America, before its too late.

Bill McCarthy

Orchard Park

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Letter: Americans should be furious over the extent of NSA spying

House Committee Puts NSA on Notice Over Encryption Standards

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Amendment would remove requirement that the National Institute of Standards and Technology consult with the NSA on encryption standards

Amendment would remove requirement that the National Institute of Standards and Technology consult with the NSA on encryption standards

by Justin Elliott ProPublica, May 23, 2014, 4:55 p.m.

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An amendment adopted by a House committee would, if enacted, take a step toward removing the National Security Agency from the business of meddling with encryption standards that protect security on the Internet.

As we reported with the Guardian and the New York Times last year, the NSA has for years engaged in a multi-front war on encryption, in many cases cracking the technology that is used to protect the confidentiality of intercepted communications. Part of the NSAs efforts centered on the development of encryption standards by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, which sets standards that are adopted by government and industry.

Documents provided by Edward Snowden suggest that the NSA inserted a backdoor into one popular encryption standard, prompting NIST to launch an ongoing review of all its existing standards.

The amendment adopted this week by the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology would remove an existing requirement in the law that NIST consult with the NSA on encryption standards.

In a Dear Colleague letter, the amendments sponsor, Rep. Alan Grayson (D-FL), quoted our story on the NSA from last year.

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House Committee Puts NSA on Notice Over Encryption Standards