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Al-Qaeda’s new homebrew crypto apps may make US intel-gathering easier

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Terrorists loyal to al Qaeda and its offshoots are using new encryption software, most likely in response to revelations that the National Security Agency is able to bypass standard cryptographic protections as part of an expansive surveillance program, according to a recently released report from intelligence firm Recorded Future.

Supercomputers, trickery, court orders, and persuasion defeat widely used crypto.

The influx of new programs for al Qaeda members came amid revelations that the NSA was able to decode vast amounts of encrypted data traveling over the Internet. Among other things, according to documents Snowden provided, government-sponsored spies exploited backdoors or crippling weaknesses that had been surreptitiously and intentionally built in to widely used standards.

Cryptography and security expert Bruce Schneier said the release of new crypto tools wasn't likely to adversely affect US intelligence agents monitoring al Qaeda.

"I think the reverse is true. I think this will help US intelligence efforts," he wrote in a blog post published Wednesday. "Cryptography is hard, and the odds that a home-brew encryption product is better than a well-studied open-source tool is slight. Last fall, Matt Blaze said to me that he thought that the Snowden documents will usher in a new dark age of cryptography, as people abandon good algorithms and software for snake oil of their own devising. My guess is that this an example of that."

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Al-Qaeda’s new homebrew crypto apps may make US intel-gathering easier

AMD cuts Radeon R9 280 price as inflation woes die down

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AMD's cryptocurrency nightmare appears to be over, as prices for the company's graphics cards have fallen back to earth.

The chipmaker is now claiming that all of its R9 series GPUs are back in stock at retailers, and at normal prices. As Forbes points out, a quick check of online retailers such as Newegg shows a wide range of AMD cards available at normal prices.

AMD has never directly explained the recent supply shortages and inflated prices for its high-end cards. Still, it's widely believed that miners of alternative cryptocurrency (such as Dogecoin and Litecoin) were gobbling up the supply in bulk, causing AMD's partners to jack up their prices.

It's unclear exactly why demand has subsided, but a recent IRS ruling that cryptocurrency counts as taxable gross income may have helped cool the mining craze, along with the rise of hyper-efficient, mining-dedicated ASIC hardware. Whatever the cause, it's ultimately good news for PC gamers, who can now have a more realistic choice between AMD and Nvidia cards. It's probably good news for AMD as well, as the company can go back to focusing on its core audience.

Along that line, AMD has just cut the price of its Radeon R9 280 graphics card from $279 to $249. The old price made sense while AMD's higher-tier R9 280X was suffering from inflation. Now that asking prices are back in the $299 range, there needs to be a bigger price gap to make the R9 280 worth considering.

As AnandTech points out, the R9 280 still falls into the Gold tier of AMD's Never Settle bundle, so it may be worth the extra $50 over an R9 270 card if any of the free games on the list sound appealing.

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AMD cuts Radeon R9 280 price as inflation woes die down

Chelsea Manning Doesn’t Want Move to Civilian Prison

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U.S. LGBT Artist rendering of how Chelsea Manning sees herself. Alicia NealChelsea Manning Support Network

Updated at 5:36 p.m.

Chelsea Manning, the transgender soldier serving a 35-year sentence for leaking state secrets to WikiLeaks, has rejected a Pentagon plan to move her to a civilian facility in order to receive the hormone therapy she requested 10 months ago.

The Department of Defense was considering transferring Manning, formerly known as Bradley, from a military prison at Fort Leavenworth to a facility run by the civilian Federal Bureau of Prisons, the Associated Press reported earlier Wednesday, citing two anonymous defense officials. In the past, inmates in the Bureau of Prisons system have received hormone therapy for gender identity disorder.

For almost a year, the military declined to act on the request for hormone therapy, standard medical treatment for transgender individuals. Military prisoners have not requested such treatment in the past, according to the AP, and transgender individuals are unaffected by the repeal of Dont Ask, Dont Tell and barred from serving openly in the armed forces.

In a strongly-worded statement released Wednesday, Mannings attorney David Coombs blasted what he called the Pentagons strategic leak, calling it a transparent attempt to pressure Chelsea into dropping her request for needed treatment under the artificial guise of concern for her medical needs.

Coombs said his client would be unsafe in a civilian federal prison.

The Pentagons leak, he said, is intended to strong-arm Chelsea into backing down in her requests for medical treatment, ironically using the same method (leaking information) that sent Chelsea to prison for 35 years. Manning was sentenced in 2013 for leaking more than 700,000 military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks while stationed as an Army intelligence analyst near Baghdad.

The Pentagons position on transgender personnel has garnered attention in recent days, after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel said Sunday hes open to re-evaluating the militarys ban on openly transgender servicemembers. AP reports that the military is considering transferring Manning. If true, that could suggest that such a review should not be expected any time soon.

On Tuesday, Hagel told reporters there is nothing concrete in the works about reconsidering the policy.

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Chelsea Manning Doesn’t Want Move to Civilian Prison

Pentagon weighs sending Manning to civilian prison for gender treatment

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The Pentagon is considering transferring Pvt. Chelsea Manning, convicted of leaking national security materials, to a civilian prison for treatment of her gender disorder, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, Pentagon spokesman Rear Adm. John F. Kirby said the Defense Department is considering a request to transfer Manning, formerly known as Bradley. Kirby spoke with reporters who were traveling with Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in Jidda.

"The Secretary approved a request by Army leadership to evaluate potential treatment options for inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria," Kirby stated.

According to the Associated Press, which reported on the transfer, Hagel last month gave the Army approval to try to work out a transfer plan with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which provides medical treatment to transgender people.

Manning, formerly named Bradley, was convicted of sending classified documents to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. The soldier, who worked as an intelligence analyst in Iraq in 2009 and 2010, has asked for hormone therapy and to be able to live as a woman.

Manning was sentenced in August to 35 years in prison for giving WikiLeaks more than 700,000 secret military and U.S. State Department documents. An Army general later upheld the convictions, clearing the way for an appeal at the Army Court of Criminal Appeals.

After he was convicted, Manning successfully sought a name change to Chelsea to reflect his desire to live as a woman. Manning has been diagnosed with gender dysphoria, the sense of being a woman in a man's body.

Dealing with such issues is a problem for the military because transgender people are not allowed to serve in the military, so getting treatment is a problem. Manning is serving her sentence at the military prison in Leavenworth, Kan.

The transfer request was condemned by Manning's lawyers, who want Manning to be treated at a military facility for security reasons.

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Pentagon weighs sending Manning to civilian prison for gender treatment

Chelsea Manning transfer for gender treatment is backed by Pentagon

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By Pauline Jelinek and Lolita C. Baldor

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) -- In an unprecedented move, the Pentagon is trying to transfer convicted national security leaker Pvt. Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison so she can get treatment for her gender disorder, defense officials said.

Manning, formerly named Bradley, was convicted of sending classified documents to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks. The soldier has asked for hormone therapy and to be able to live as a woman.

The request was the first ever made by a transgender military inmate and set up a dilemma for the Defense Department: How to treat a soldier for a diagnosed disorder without violating long-standing military policy. Transgender people are not allowed to serve in the U.S. military and the Defense Department does not provide such treatment, but Manning can't be discharged from the service while serving her 35-year prison sentence.

Pfc. Chelsea Manning poses for a photo wearing a wig and lipstick. (U.S. Army)

Some officials have said privately that keeping the soldier in a military prison and unable to have treatment could amount to cruel and unusual punishment.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel last month gave the Army approval to try to work out a transfer plan with the Federal Bureau of Prisons, which does provide such treatment, two Pentagon officials said on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the record.

"No decision to transfer Pvt. Manning to a civilian detention facility has been made, and any such decision will, of course, properly balance the soldier's medical needs with our obligation to ensure Pvt. Manning remains behind bars," Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby said.

The two agencies are just starting discussions about prospects for a transfer, the two officials said.

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Chelsea Manning transfer for gender treatment is backed by Pentagon

Chelsea Manning Looks To Transfer To Civilian Prison For Hormone Therapy

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Chelsea Manning, formerly Bradley Manning, is serving a 35 year prison sentence at a military detention center for leaking classified military documents to Wikileaks. Shortly after she was sentenced, Chelsea revealed that she was transgender and would like everybody to address her by her new chosen name. She also requested that she receive hormone therapy while in prison a request the military may finally oblige.

Reuters reports that the military may transfer Manning to a civilian prison. As it currently stands, Manning can not receive the treatment she desires in a military prison as its not outfitted to address transgender needs. At a civilian prison, the options available to Manning are greatly expanded.

So, why is Manning requesting hormone treatment in the first place? She currently has what medical professionals call gender dysphoria a condition where one is not happy with the gender they born into. For those who have the condition, they can either seek hormonal therapy, psychotherapy or both. At a civilian prison, Manning would be able to receive both as she embraces the gender she always felt she should be.

Of course, none of this is set in stone for now. In a statement released to the press, Rear Admiral John Kirby said the military is currently weighing its options:

No decision to transfer Private Manning to a civilian detention facility has been made, and any such decision will, of course, properly balance the soldiers medical needs with our obligation to ensure Private Manning remains behind bars.

Understandably, the military is concerned that Manning may slip through the cracks if she transfers. Still, it would be inhumane to not give Manning the treatment she needs. In a world where transgender rights are still woefully ignored and belittled, the military can set a good example for the rest of the nation by treating Manning with respect and dignity in regards to her needs.

Image via Wikimedia Commons

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Chelsea Manning Looks To Transfer To Civilian Prison For Hormone Therapy

Transgender Leaker Chelsea Manning Could Get Transfer to Civilian Prison

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Convicted national security leaker Pvt. Chelsea Manning might get treatment for gender dysphoria in an unprecedented case that sheds new light on how the military treats transgender soldiers -- a small minority who serve invisibly for fear of reprisal.

Born male as Bradley Manning, she was convicted of sending classified documents to the anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks and sentenced in 2013 to the all-male federal prison in Leavenworth, Kansas, for 35 years.

Who is Bradley Manning?

But because transgender Americans are barred from serving in the armed forces, Department of Defense spokeswoman Catherine T. Wilkinson told ABC News at the time, "There is no mechanism in place for the U.S. military to provide hormone therapy or gender-reassignment surgery for inmates."

Now, just a week after Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel approved a request by Army leadership to evaluate potential treatment for inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria, Manning may be transferred to a civilian prison, according to DOD.

Manning has asked for hormone therapy to live as a woman. Her request was the first ever made by a transgender military inmate and seemingly conflicted with long-standing policy. Manning cannot be discharged while serving her sentence.

During court martial and pre-trial hearings, Manning referred to herself using the female name Breanna. Her lawyers argued that her judgment had been clouded by a struggle with gender identity problems. Photos that Manning took of herself dressed as a woman were used as evidence.

Chelsea Manning fights to live as a woman.

Pentagon press secretary RDML John F. Kirby released this statement on the matter: The secretary approved a request by Army leadership to evaluate potential treatment options for inmates diagnosed with gender dysphoria. No decision to transfer Pvt. Manning to a civilian detention facility has been made, and any such decision will, of course, properly balance the soldier's medical needs with our obligation to ensure Pvt. Manning remains behind bars."

Transgender ex-Navy SEAL says military is 'going through puberty'

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Transgender Leaker Chelsea Manning Could Get Transfer to Civilian Prison

Pentagon OK with Manning gender treatment

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by Tom Vanden Brook, USA TODAY

NWCN.com

Posted on May 14, 2014 at 11:05 AM

WASHINGTON The Pentagon is trying to transfer convicted national security leaker Pvt. Chelsea Manning to a civilian prison so she can get treatment to transition to a woman, a Defense official said Wednesday.

The soldier, formerly named Bradley Manning, was convicted of sending classified documents to anti-secrecy website WikiLeaks.

The Associated Press first reported Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel's decision to move Manning early Wednesday.

The Army has asked the Pentagon to approve moving Manning to a federal prison. Manning is serving a 35-year prison sentence and is eligible for parole in seven years.

The soldier has asked for hormone therapy and to be able to live as a woman. Transgenders are not allowed to serve in the U.S. military and the Defense Department does not provide such treatment. The Department of Veterans Affairs, however, does provide the treatment for veterans.

Granting Manning's request is the humane thing to do, said Allyson Robinson, policy director for SPARTA, an advocacy group for LGBT troops and veterans.

"It is the constitutional right of every American to be spared cruel and unusual punishment for their crimes," Robinson said. "The Pentagon's decision reflects their acknowledgement that the treatments Manning requires are medically necessary, and that withholding them would be cruel and unusual, a violation of her Eighth Amendment rights. We should expect an institution charged with defending our Constitution to do no less."

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