From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 10 12:44:46 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 17:44:46 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fwd: This Sex Trafficking Law Could Ruin The Web As We Know It References: Message-ID: <515DE7DF-F57B-40C0-AA4A-41FF7F65D68E@infowarrior.org> > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Chris > > > From http://www.vocativ.com/417954/sex-trafficking-law-free-speech-online/ > > On Monday, Rep. Ann Wagner introduced a bill to fight child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. In an accompanying press release, the congresswoman spoke of ?modern slavery,? ?the retailers of America?s children,? and called for the need to ?provide a voice for the most vulnerable in our society.? Wagner is a Republican from Missouri who voted for Donald Trump and considers George W. Bush?s memoir to be her favorite book. But not too surprisingly, the legislation already has bipartisan support ? what Democrat could object to such an attempt to protect children? > > Hidden behind the moving rhetoric about child sexual exploitation, though, is the fact that Wagner?s bill could fundamentally change the internet as we know it. Legal experts say it would dramatically chill free speech on the web and expose websites to business-ending legal battles. The world?s most popular social media platforms ? from Facebook to Instagram to Snapchat ? might not look anything like they do today. > > This is because Wagner?s legislation ? which comes with the hard-to-disagree-with title of ?Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017? ? amends Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act. This small block of text is what the Electronic Frontier Foundation has called ?one of the most valuable tools for protecting freedom of expression and innovation on the Internet.? It protects websites from legal responsibility for user-generated content ? meaning, it holds that Facebook isn?t liable for status updates, Twitter isn?t answerable for tweets, Snapchat isn?t on the hook for snaps, and so on. It also protects news sites with commenting sections, like NYTimes.com, from being prosecuted for things their readers say. ?It is the infrastructure that enables all of the websites we love the most to exist,? said Eric Goldman, a law professor at Santa Clara University. > > Similarly, Emma Llans?, the director of Center for Democracy & Technology?s Free Expression Project, explains, ?One of the primary reasons that we enjoy the broad variety of sites that are able to host user-generated content online today and why U.S. companies are really leaders in the field around the world is because those sites can depend on the strong protections of Section 230. Starting to whittle those away or create exceptions really does undermine the whole foundation of that system.? > > Wagner?s bill removes the protections that websites currently enjoy when it comes to one area in particular: child sex trafficking. It amends the federal definition of child sex trafficking and allows for prosecution of websites related to the facilitation of that crime, with potential fines or imprisonment for up to 20 years. The legislation also allows for state prosecutions of websites for child sexual exploitation and sex trafficking. And, finally, Wagner?s text would pave the way for victims of sex trafficking to seek civil remedies from such websites. > > Presumably, the bill is meant to target online classified sites like Backpage ? whose CEO and co-founders were cleared of pimping charges relating to alleged user-generated sex trafficking ads, thanks to protection from Section 230 ? but it would apply to any site that hosts third-party content. That means websites like Twitter or Facebook could be held criminally or civilly responsible for content posted by users. > > If the bill became law, websites would have to weigh the risks of ending up in court. Many site operators would take a heavy hand with moderating user-generated content, warn several legal experts. Others might simply take the risk of continuing as usual, but potentially face ruinous legal fees and fines, or jail time. > > That is especially true when it comes to the way Wagner?s bill allows for state prosecutions of websites. As Llanso points out, there will be some states that define things like ?child sexual exploitation? very narrowly, but others will not. A website could investigate the state-by-state nuances of such laws and moderate user content accordingly, but Llanso says, ?Honestly, the easier thing would be to take down any speech that has even a whiff of child sexual exploitation. And what does that mean for somebody?s art work interpreting Nabokov?s ?Lolita??? > > Llanso argues that even introducing the seemingly smallest liabilities for websites, ?when multiplied at the scale that they?re working, will turn into an incredibly strong incentive to take down speech.? She adds, ?Under a bill like this which is framed as targeting the exploitation of children and sex trafficking, you could easily imagine the effect of that expanding to cover sexually oriented material in general,? she said. It?s possible that websites, anxious about potential prosecutions, would apply that to ?totally normal pornography or completely lawful businesses, like exotic dancing or massage.? > > Goldman agrees. ?Pay attention here,? he warned. ?This is not just about helping the kids, this is about all the ways in which the plaintiffs, the law enforcement, the state attorneys general could interpret regulations about the sexual exploitation of children or the sex trafficking of children to apply to things you wouldn?t think would have anything to do with them.? He added, ?Forget what the laws say today. Assume that you?re going to have parochial state legislators fueled by their state attorneys general saying, ?How can I crack down on the internet?? And this opens up the door for them to tell the sites we love the most ways they might need to run differently.? > > There is also significant ambiguity in the bill?s amendment of federal child sex trafficking law to include websites that exercise ?reckless disregard? in hosting criminal content. ?What?s the risk that we might be sweeping in a lot of people who thought they were innocent?? he asked. ?If there?s ads on Craigslist ? or Backpage, or pick your favorite online classified ad service ? that advertise services that would violate this crime, when does that become reckless disregard?? He adds, ?I have no idea what that could mean.? > > Of course, many websites don?t have the infrastructure for, or won?t be able to afford the cost of, such a wide scale venture in moderation. As David Greene, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, points out, ?Platforms, intermediaries that have tons of money generally can deal with these situations, but smaller ones, publications that don?t have the resources to do extensive vetting of all the user generated content that gets posted to them, will not,? he said. They either put themselves at legal risk, or they put an end to user-generated content. > > There are implications here not just for how online businesses are run, but whether they ever launch in the first place. ?It discourages entrepreneurship, because investors are not only risking their money but also their lives,? said Goldman, pointing to the potential for up to 20 years behind bars. > > Goldman believes the bill has a real chance in today?s political climate. In a more than 2,000-word blog post on the bill ? which he opened with the Drudge siren, just to communicate the gravity of the situation ? he pointed out all of the things it has going for it, from the Republican control of Congress to its positioning as a ?child protection measure, putting opponents in a potentially awkward position.? It?s possible that major Silicon Valley players will come out to oppose the legislation, but he sees it as equally possible that they will stay on the sidelines, much as they have during the legal attacks on Backpage. Either way, he says we can expect ?a major battle for Section 230?s soul.? > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 10 14:51:33 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 19:51:33 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - FCC chairman moves to block phone calls on airplanes Message-ID: FCC chairman moves to block phone calls on airplanes By Harper Neidig - 04/10/17 03:06 PM EDT 7 http://thehill.com/policy/technology/328143-fcc-chair-moves-to-kill-2013-proposal-to-allow-phone-calls-on-planes The Federal Communications Commission on Monday moved to end its push to allow people to use cellphones on flights. FCC Chairman Ajit Pai called for killing an abandoned 2013 proposal to relax the agency?s rules about the use of cellphones on flights. ?I stand with airline pilots, flight attendants, and America?s flying public against the FCC?s ill-conceived 2013 plan to allow people to make cellphone calls on planes,? Pai, a Republican, said in a statement. ?I do not believe that moving forward with this plan is in the public interest. Taking it off the table permanently will be a victory for Americans across the country who, like me, value a moment of quiet at 30,000 feet.? The proposal was first circulated in 2013 by former FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, a Democrat, who stepped down in January. It would have relaxed the agency?s rules on using certain frequencies on aircraft, allowing airlines to choose whether to enable mobile calls. The move was abandoned after it generated an uproar from people concerned about the prospect of hearing annoying phone calls on planes. Wheeler defended himself by arguing that the move was not about allowing people to talk on planes but by revising outdated technical regulations. "I do not want the person in the seat next to me yapping at 35,000 feet any more than anyone else," Wheeler said at a 2013 agency hearing. "But we are not the Federal Courtesy Commission." From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 10 14:51:48 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 19:51:48 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fwd: referral: Farmers Look For Ways To Circumvent Tractor Software Locks References: <20170410195002.46A2AA06F93@palinka.tinho.net> Message-ID: <74951578-3FA4-4E4E-976C-117BF20FF4DF@infowarrior.org> > Begin forwarded message: > > From: dan > > http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2017/04/09/523024776/farmers-look-for-ways-to-circumvent-tractor-software-locks > > Farmers Look For Ways To Circumvent Tractor Software Locks > All Things Considered, April 9, 20176:18 PM ET > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Apr 11 12:22:31 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 11 Apr 2017 17:22:31 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Spyware firms in breach of global sanctions Message-ID: Exclusive: Spyware firms in breach of global sanctions Undercover investigation exposes inner workings of spy equipment companies selling to clients from sanctioned countries. Al Jazeera Investigative Unit Spy equipment producers are breaking laws and circumventing international sanctions by agreeing to sell stock to countries known for human rights abuses, and to clients who do not declare the end user ? meaning surveillance tools could easily fall into the hands of armed groups, corporations, governments cracking down on dissent, or opposition leaders, an exclusive investigation by Al Jazeera reveals. During "Spy Merchants", a four-month undercover operation, Al Jazeera secretly filmed representatives of two Italian companies and one Chinese business agreeing to sell spyware that is capable of tracking millions of people online and able to intercept phone calls and text messages without anyone finding out. The vendors boasted of being able to side-step the law by using sister and shell companies and explained how to possibly circumvent export regulations by lying about the details of shipments and using third countries exempted from certain rules as stopping places. < - > http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/exclusive-spyware-firms-breach-global-sanctions-170405102959191.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Apr 12 06:32:58 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:32:58 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fwd: referral: "It's a battle between usability and security" References: <20170412110713.B9775A06E8D@palinka.tinho.net> Message-ID: <6C2E1169-C94C-41DF-8A7F-D7D032DD2846@infowarrior.org> > Begin forwarded message: > > From: dan > > How criminals can steal your PIN by tracking the motion of your phone > > http://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/news/2017/04/sensors/ > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Apr 12 06:33:04 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 12 Apr 2017 11:33:04 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Anthem to data breach victims: Maybe the damages are your own darned fault Message-ID: <683D512F-55C7-420A-B08B-AA3A2066E6FE@infowarrior.org> Trusted Third Party By Tim Greene, Senior Editor, Network World | Apr 10, 2017 10:24 AM PT Anthem to data breach victims: Maybe the damages are your own darned fault http://www.networkworld.com/article/3187522/security/anthem-to-data-breach-victims-maybe-the-damages-are-your-own-darned-fault.html Insurance giant Anthem has effectively scared off possible victims of a 2015 data breach by asking to examine their personal computers for evidence that their own shoddy security was to blame for their information falling into the hands of criminals. Some of the affected Anthem customers sued for damages they say resulted from the breach but then withdrew their suits after Anthem got a court order allowing the exams. The examiners would be looking only for evidence that their credentials or other personal data had been stolen even before the Anthem hack ever took place, according to a blog by Chad Mandell, an attorney at LeClairRyan. ?If that proved to be true, it would call into question whether the plaintiffs? alleged injuries had truly been caused by the Anthem hack,? he writes. In other words,they failed to properly secure their personal devices, so the damages they suffered might have been their own fault, not Anthem?s. After the forensic exams were ordered, several of those who filed suit asked the judge to drop their complaints, either because they suspected Anthem would find evidence the data was lost before the breach or because they didn?t want to submit to having their PCs snooped. Or perhaps they just didn?t want the inconvenience of giving up use of their machines for the duration of the search. Regardless, it proved an effective legal strategy for Anthem. If just a few of those who sue walk away, it still means fewer possible payouts. And it points out how difficult it is to prove that personal data used by criminals was stolen in a particular breach. Yes, the victim?s information was exploited, but how it got into the hands of the criminals is not so easily determined. It might be argued that seeking forensic analysis of victim?s computers could help set a lower bar for corporate security. Why should a company offer stronger protection for their customers than the customers provide for themselves? Given that not all customers practice poor cyber defense of their own computers, that argument probably won?t fly. But as Mandell notes, those customers who demanded perfect security from Anthem might have been asking too much. ?As a result, one has to wonder whether they had reasonable expectations regarding their personal privacy to begin with,? he writes. ?In suing Anthem, were they seeking to hold the company to an almost impossible standard?? From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 13 06:06:19 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2017 11:06:19 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?A_Who=E2=80=99s_Who_List_of_Agencies_Gu?= =?utf-8?q?arding_the_Powerful?= Message-ID: <1C1AEEA7-3E1B-4843-BC20-6A57E550028F@infowarrior.org> A Who?s Who List of Agencies Guarding the Powerful https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/12/us/politics/secret-service-protection-washington.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 13 14:51:48 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 13 Apr 2017 19:51:48 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - CIA Director: WikiLeaks a 'non-state hostile intelligence service' Message-ID: <0CE2BBF4-82BA-44CB-93CC-E09F938D95D5@infowarrior.org> CIA Director: WikiLeaks a 'non-state hostile intelligence service' By Morgan Chalfant - 04/13/17 03:44 PM EDT http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/328730-cia-director-wikileaks-a-non-state-hostile-intelligence-service CIA Director Mike Pompeo on Thursday hammered WikiLeaks, calling the organization a "non-state hostile intelligence service." In his first major public appearance since taking the top intelligence post in President Trump's administration, Pompeo took aim at WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and former NSA contractor Edward Snowden, who leaked confidential information to WikiLeaks before seeking refuge in Russia.. "It's time to call out Wikileaks for what it really is: A non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia,? he said. Pompeo said disclosures by Assange and Snowden have done "great harm to our nation?s national security and they will continue to do so in the long term." Trump?s administration has been publicly critical of WikiLeaks since inauguration, even though Trump staunchly backed them as a candidate. WikiLeaks targeted Trump?s opponent Hillary Clinton throughout the campaign, publishing hacked emails from her campaign chairman and the Democratic National Committee that led to damaging leaks. Trump declared on the campaign trail, ?I love WikiLeaks.? From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Apr 14 12:08:31 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 14 Apr 2017 17:08:31 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OT: The (official) Last Jedi Trailer drops Message-ID: Nice thing for a Friday! (via the official feed) Star Wars: The Last Jedi Official Teaser https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zB4I68XVPzQ From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Apr 19 18:18:57 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 19 Apr 2017 23:18:57 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Google Plans Ad-Blocking Feature in Popular Chrome Browser Message-ID: Google Plans Ad-Blocking Feature in Popular Chrome Browser Jack Marshall April 19, 2017 7:07 p.m. ET https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-plans-ad-blocking-feature-in-popular-chrome-browser-1492643233 Alphabet Inc.?s Google is planning to introduce an ad-blocking feature in the mobile and desktop versions of its popular Chrome web browser, according to people familiar with the company?s plans. The ad-blocking feature, which could be switched on by default within Chrome, would filter out certain online ad types deemed to provide bad experiences for users as they move around the web. Google could announce the feature within weeks, but it is still ironing out specific details and still could decide not to move ahead with the plan, the people said. Unacceptable ad types would be those recently defined by the Coalition for Better Ads, an industry group that released a list of ad standards in March. According to those standards, ad formats such as pop-ups, auto-playing video ads with sound and ?prestitial? ads with countdown timers are deemed to be ?beneath a threshold of consumer acceptability.? In one possible application Google is considering, it may choose to block all advertising that appears on sites with offending ads, instead of the individual offending ads themselves. In other words, site owners may be required to ensure all of their ads meet the standards, or could see all advertising across their sites blocked in Chrome. Google declined to comment. < - > https://www.wsj.com/articles/google-plans-ad-blocking-feature-in-popular-chrome-browser-1492643233 From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 20 16:11:02 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2017 21:11:02 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Trump blows his deadline on anti-hacking plan Message-ID: Trump blows his deadline on anti-hacking plan http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/20/trump-cybersecurity-hackers-237385 He pledged in January to quickly develop a program for countering hackers, but no one seems to know who's in charge of developing it or where it is. By Edward-Isaac Dovere , Eric Geller and Matthew Nussbaum 04/20/17 05:17 AM EDT President-elect Donald Trump was very clear: ?I will appoint a team to give me a plan within 90 days of taking office,? he said in January, after getting a U.S. intelligence assessment of Russian interference in last year?s elections and promising to address cybersecurity. Thursday, Trump hits his 90-day mark. There is no team, there is no plan, and there is no clear answer from the White House on who would even be working on what. It?s the latest deadline Trump?s set and missed ? from the press conference he said his wife would hold last fall to answer questions about her original immigration process to the plan to defeat ISIS that he?d said would come within his first 30 days in office. Since his inauguration, Trump?s issued a few tweets and promises to get to the bottom of Russian hacking ? and accusations of surveillance of Americans, himself included, by the Obama administration. Meanwhile, more contacts between Trump aides and Russian officials have surfaced ? including some omitted from sworn testimony and official forms ? and the committee chairman overseeing the inquiry being run by the House got so entangled with the Trump administration that he had to step aside. Trump did start early with an event on cybersecurity, convening a meeting on Jan. 31 in the Roosevelt Room featuring Rudy Giuliani, who?s leading a group tasked with building private sector partnerships on cybersecurity. ?We must protect federal networks and data. We operate these networks on behalf of the American people and they are very important,? Trump said in his remarks then, not addressing a coinciding executive order that was announced to be signed that day but that was abruptly pulled without explanation. That appears to have led to some confusion about responsibility for the anti-hacking plan in the White House. The National Security Council would normally be involved in creating such a report. But on Wednesday, a NSC spokesperson told POLITICO that he was unaware if the NSC was in charge of compiling it, or if that responsibility fell to Giuliani ? or if the report exists. Giuliani is continuing his work talking to the private sector, but a spokesperson for the former New York City mayor confirmed that he is not involved in any 90-day report. The White House spokesperson wouldn?t directly address why the deadline was missed. ?The president has appointed a diverse set of executives with both government and private sector expertise who are currently are working to deliver an initial cybersecurity plan through a joint effort between the National Security Council and the Office of American Innovation,? said Trump deputy press secretary Lindsay Walters, referring to the office run by Trump?s son-in-law and top aide Jared Kushner. Trump made the deadline promise repeatedly. A week after the initial statement, he tweeted on Jan. 13, ?My people will have a full report on hacking within 90 days!? Given the issues at play, cyber security experts worry that missing this particular set deadline could have significant consequences and speaks to deeper concerns about the White House not grappling with clear threats. ?It would set an unfortunate precedent to miss the president?s first important cyber-related deadline,? said Michael Sulmeyer, director of the Harvard Belfer Center?s Cyber Security Project and former director of Cyber Policy Plans and Operations at the Defense Department. ?Ever the critic on the campaign trail, Trump and his cyber team now have the responsibility to keep the country safe from cyberattacks,? Sulmeyer said. ?Given so much attention on North Korea this past week, and that North Korea conducted one of the most serious cyberattacks against the United States, we should expect the new administration to be on the case.? This isn?t the first time Trump has promised more information about intelligence that never materialized. Speaking to reporters pressuring him for answers on New Year?s Eve, the then-president-elect said he knew ?things that other people don?t know? that he?d reveal ?on Tuesday or Wednesday.? He didn?t. Trump said Tuesday a tax reform plan would plan would be ready ?very soon,? but Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin has said a previously-stated goal of an August roll-out was unrealistic. And then there are Trump?s tax returns, which he repeatedly said he would release after the completion of an audit. The White House acknowledged recently that Trump might never release his tax returns as promised. Officials on the Hill say they haven?t seen any sign of the promised cybersecurity report, either. A spokesman for Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) said ?I don?t have anything on the record at this time.? A spokesperson for ranking member Mark Warner (D-Va.) declined comment. ?We have little visibility into what they might be working on,? said a Democratic staffer for a committee with jurisdiction, when asked about any familiarity with the report. Missing the announced deadline demonstrates ?a lackadaisical approach to what intelligence officials have routinely said is our biggest national security threat,? said Ned Price, who was a spokesman for the National Security Council in the Obama White House and worked for the CIA during George W. Bush?s presidency. ?It speaks to the level of priority that this administration apparently has attached to cybersecurity, which apparently isn?t much ? that is in stark contrast to the way the Obama administration addressed this issue over eight years, and especially during the last stretch.? While the 90-day plan languishes, that vanished executive order on cybersecurity has been making progress. The National Security Council?s cyber directorate is finalizing a multipronged executive order, which experts see as the administration?s chance to declare its cyber agenda. The latest leaked draft, from early February, directs agency heads to use the National Institute of Standards and Technology?s cyber risk management framework to manage their technology assets. The framework lays out best practices for assessing which computer systems are most important and most vulnerable, and it recommends ways to better protect them. The draft executive order directs the Office of Management and Budget to provide risk assessments of every agency, although sources said that provision could be changed, as it overlaps with existing requirements under the Federal Information Security Management Act. The leaked draft also includes a provision focusing on the security of critical infrastructure sectors like the energy grid, in addition to sections on the Pentagon?s cyber capabilities and the need for a national cyber-deterrence strategy. ?There was certainly a desire, particularly during the campaign, to do a top-to-bottom review of where things stand. My sense is that will probably be how the executive order is sold, regardless of whether that is exactly how it was conceived or not,? said R. David Edelman, former cyber official at the NSC and the National Economic Council during the Obama administration. Price said that from his experience, if there isn?t significant work underway toward producing a report and plan, the White House could be at least another 90 days away from finishing one. ?This is not a simple issue,? Price said. ?If the clock really is at zero, we shouldn?t expect a well-produced report any time soon.? From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 20 16:50:29 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 20 Apr 2017 21:50:29 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - DHS Boss Calls For More Fear, Less Encryption Message-ID: <1B601F2D-E3C4-4BA6-A31F-A50C558BECD9@infowarrior.org> DHS Boss Calls For More Fear, Less Encryption from the Frightened-States-of-America dept https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170419/09500037187/dhs-boss-calls-more-fear-less-encryption.shtml The Trump administration is rebranding the country: Make America Fear Again. In response to a national crime wave that doesn't exist, the head of the DOJ is rolling back police reform and replacing it with extra "toughness." Under the new regime, law enforcement officers will have the full (and, apparently, unconditional) backing of the White House. The DHS is joining the DOJ in flexing its new muscle. DHS Secretary John Kelly has already stated he's looking to turn requests for visitors' social media/email account information into demands, which would include the mandatory relinquishment of account passwords. < - > Between John Kelly, AG Jeff Sessions, and CIA head Mike Pompeo, the administration seems interested in sacrificing citizens' freedoms and protections on the altar of national security. All three are hoping loaded, hyperbolic language will convince more Americans to give up these protections willingly. Those who don't will probably be viewed as enemies of the nation -- and that includes any legislators who appear reluctant to give these agencies everything they want. Kelly again: ?If lawmakers do not like the laws they?ve passed and we are charged to enforce ? then they should have the courage and skill to change the laws. Otherwise they should shut up and support the men and women on the front lines,? Kelly said, to a burst of applause in the auditorium. This is wonderful stuff if you're a fan of authoritarianism. Shut up and show your support. It's a message that's been sent several times by the new president. Now, it's being echoed by his top officials. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Apr 21 05:55:00 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 21 Apr 2017 10:55:00 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Sessions wants to put people 'in jail' for leaks Message-ID: <4562F89B-9F35-4773-9C53-B674B573B39A@infowarrior.org> Sessions wants to put people 'in jail' for leaks By Josh Gerstein http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/04/20/jeff-sessions-leaks-secrecy-237425 Attorney General Jeff Sessions says the Justice Department is aggressively investigating recent leaks of classified information and wants to put "some people in jail" over the disclosures. "Whenever a case can be made, we will seek to put some people in jail," Sessions said in El Paso, Texas, during a border-security visit with Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. President Donald Trump has repeatedly urged investigations into national security leaks, particularly those related to the ongoing FBI probe of possible ties between Trump campaign officials and the Russian government. ?I?ve actually called the Justice Department to look into the leaks,? Trump said during a news conference in February. ?Those are criminal leaks.? Asked about the administration's approach to leaks Thursday, Sessions did not mention Trump or his request, but the former Alabama senator and former U.S. attorney said he believes the volume and seriousness of recent leaks have been unprecedented. "We are going to step up our efforts and already are stepping up our efforts on all leaks," the attorney general said. "This is a matter that has gone beyond anything I?m aware of. We have professionals who have been in the security business of the United States for many years that are shocked by the number of leaks. Some of them are quite serious. So, yes it is a priority." Sessions call for a more vigorous approach to leak cases came shortly before a Washington Post report Thursday that prosecutors are taking a fresh look at bringing criminal charges against people affiliated with the pro-transparency organization WikiLeaks. The Post reported that federal prosecutors are considering whether to bring charges against members of the group in connection with the disclosure in 2010 of hundreds of thousands of military reports and diplomatic cables. A Justice Department spokesman declined to comment on the Post report. A military judge overseeing a court martial convicted Army Private Chelsea Manning of the leaks, but no charges were ever filed against any others, including WikiLeaks or its leader Julian Assange. Manning was sentenced to 35 years, but just before leaving office in January President Barack Obama commuted the sentence to end in May. WikiLeaks has again been in the spotlight in the past year as a vehicle for the disclosure of hacked emails that rocked the U.S. presidential campaign. U.S. intelligence agencies say those disclosure were part of a Russian effort to interfere in the election, but officials have stopped short of claiming that WikiLeaks or Assange were aware they were part of a Russian government operation. Assange has said he's certain that Russia was not the source of the hacked emails. A grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, is known to have investigated WikiLeaks and its associates. However, the attorney general at the time of the 2010 disclosures, Eric Holder, indicated publicly that people acting in a journalistic capacity were unlikely to face charges under the Espionage Act. Despite the lack of charges against WikiLeaks or others connected to the group, the Obama administration faced criticism from First Amendment groups and whistleblower advocates for launching an unprecedented number of leak prosecutions?as many as 10 during the Obama years. Now, Sessions appears to be promising to be even more aggressive in pursuing leak cases than Obama was. From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 24 11:45:52 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 24 Apr 2017 16:45:52 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - UK Crime Agency's Latest Moral Panic: Kids Modding Videogames May Be A Gateway To Becoming Criminal Hackers Message-ID: <1572EE9F-2068-44C6-9240-F20CD1E75BD9@infowarrior.org> UK Crime Agency's Latest Moral Panic: Kids Modding Videogames May Be A Gateway To Becoming Criminal Hackers from the and-reporters-lap-it-up dept Well, it looks like we may have our latest moral panic to deal with. The UK's National Crime Agency is warning that kids modding video games may be a gateway to becoming criminal hackers: < - > https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170421/13435537210/uk-crime-agencys-latest-moral-panic-kids-modding-videogames-may-be-gateway-to-becoming-criminal-hackers.shtml From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Apr 25 10:43:09 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 25 Apr 2017 15:43:09 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Google Rewrites Its Powerful Search Rankings to Bury Fake News Message-ID: <8A60DF1A-7128-4531-851C-F0913557F70F@infowarrior.org> Google Rewrites Its Powerful Search Rankings to Bury Fake News by Mark Bergen April 25, 2017, 10:00 AM EDT https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-25/google-rewrites-its-powerful-search-rankings-to-bury-fake-news Google isn?t planning to rid fake news from its search results -- but it?s trying to purge it from the top. The Alphabet Inc. company is making a rare, sweeping change to the algorithm behind its powerful search engine to demote misleading, false and offensive articles online. Google is also setting new rules encouraging its ?raters? -- the 10,000-plus staff that assess search results -- to flag web pages that host hoaxes, conspiracy theories and what the company calls ?low-quality? content. The moves follow months after criticism of Google and Facebook Inc. for hosting misleading information, particular tied to the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Google executives claimed the type of web pages categorized in this bucket are relatively small, which is a reason why the search giant hadn?t addressed the issue before. ?It was not a large fraction of queries -- only about a quarter percent of our traffic -- but they were important queries,? said Ben Gomes, vice president of engineering for Google. While Facebook has faced a backlash for the spread of fake news across its social network, Google has been criticized for results that leap to the top for specific queries. For example, last month for the search query, ?is Obama planning a coup,? the top result produced a blatantly wrong article, and did so in a feature snippet -- a text box that Google uses to give quick, authoritative answers. Gomes used this as an example of the type of search result the changes are meant to bury. ?We were highlighting low-quality content in search results,? he said. Additionally, Google is applying the same new parameters for its ?auto-complete? function, which finishes search questions based on popularity. Some of the auto-completes that are deemed offensive (such as ?are women evil?) will be eliminated. Google is adding a feature to allow searchers online to flag these instances with a feedback form. Earlier this month, the company introduced a tool allowing publishers to fact-check articles in its search rankings. The newer changes apply to the secretive, core algorithm behind all Google search rankings. The alterations were devised in an internal group called ?Project Owl? started in December, Gomes said. For years, the company gave more care to making sure there wasn?t misleading information in response to two types of queries: those for personal health and finance. Now it?s adding news as a third category. ?Until recently, we thought we didn?t need to do that for news because news typically comes from high authority pages,? Gomes said. From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 27 06:49:01 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 27 Apr 2017 11:49:01 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?The_Tech_Challenge_of_Reporting_Under_C?= =?utf-8?q?hina=E2=80=99s_Watchful_Eye?= Message-ID: <3B828B7D-B095-4EE9-9BC9-6357802D1C5B@infowarrior.org> The Tech Challenge of Reporting Under China?s Watchful Eye Jane Perlez https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/technology/personaltech/china-internet-controls-reporting.html?partner=rss&emc=rss But we are not the only ones affected. Businesses operating in China have the same problems. So do researchers, scholars and scientists, all people who need to get information from websites ? including Twitter, Facebook and Google ? that the government blocks. What story was your greatest challenge working with these restrictions? All stories are a challenge. Everything. That?s the point ? the Great Firewall blocks so much. The internet always slows to a crawl during Communist Party congresses, when the government believes it must keep everything controlled and calm. We are expecting the internet to be particularly slow this fall when the party holds a major meeting to re-elect President Xi Jinping as leader. What tools do you use to overcome the Great Firewall? What could be better about the tools, if anything? I would like to see faster, more efficient VPNs that are not so vulnerable to Chinese hackers, who are world champions. Is government surveillance a concern for you? If so, how do you keep your work and communications private? Surveillance in China is all-encompassing. There is no foolproof way to elude it. We are just reporters and we don?t have anything to hide. There are CCTV cameras everywhere. We do take steps to protect our sources. The Chinese were way ahead of Americans in adopting messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat. What messaging app do you use the most? I use both WeChat and WhatsApp, though not a lot. By not using WeChat too much, I deny the prying eyes of the government the pleasure of knowing instantly whom I am talking to. But I do not try to hide anything. That?s impossible. Last month, I was in the provinces and when I started to talk to someone on WhatsApp, I was immediately disconnected. Beyond your job, what tech product are you currently obsessed with using in your daily life and why? Air Matters is a vital app for checking pollution levels. I can tell in the morning from my apartment in a high-rise building what the air is like. My measure is whether I can see the beautiful Beijing hills in the distance. On clear days, they stand out as a jagged ridge of blue. On bad days, you can?t see them. Today the A.Q.I. (air quality index) in Beijing is 188, or moderately polluted. On Air Matters you can see the A.Q.I. in other Chinese cities ? most are over 100 today. And you can see the worst polluted place in the world. Today it is a city in the west of China, Aksu, with a level of 900 because of a sandstorm. I am glad I am not there. What Chinese online service or app do you use that Americans may not know about and why do you like it? I like Didi, the ride-hailing service. It?s better than Uber. You can get an ordinary Beijing taxicab with a pleasantly cranky driver, grungy interior and an ultracheap fare. Or you can go high end, and get a Didi driver who comes in a spiffy car with a clean interior and bottled water. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Apr 28 15:12:27 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 20:12:27 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?N=2ES=2EA=2E_Halts_Collection_of_Americ?= =?utf-8?q?ans=E2=80=99_Emails_About_Foreign_Targets?= Message-ID: <7C723F9B-6A6F-4D87-ACF7-2F64EBAEC261@infowarrior.org> N.S.A. Halts Collection of Americans? Emails About Foreign Targets Charlie Savage https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/us/politics/nsa-surveillance-terrorism-privacy.html WASHINGTON ? The National Security Agency has halted one of the most disputed practices of its warrantless wiretapping program: collecting Americans? emails and texts to and from people overseas that mention foreigners targeted for surveillance, according to officials familiar with the matter. National security officials have argued that such surveillance is lawful and helpful in identifying people who might have links to terrorism, espionage or otherwise are targeted for intelligence-gathering. The fact that the sender of such a message would know an email address or phone number associated with a surveillance target is grounds for suspicion, these officials argued. The decision is a major development in American surveillance policy. It brings to an end a once-secret form of wiretapping that privacy advocates have argued overstepped the Fourth Amendment?s ban on unreasonable searches ? even though the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court upheld it as lawful ? because the government was intercepting communications based on what they say, rather than who sent or received them. Senator Ron Wyden, an Oregon Democrat who has long been a critic of N.S.A. surveillance, said that he would introduce legislation codifying the new limit. The law that authorizes the program, the FISA Amendments Act, is up for renewal at the end of 2017. ?This change ends a practice that allowed Americans? communications to be collected without a warrant merely for mentioning a foreign target,? Mr. Wyden said. ?For years I?ve repeatedly raised concerns that this amounted to an end-run around the Fourth Amendment. This transparency should be commended.? The existence of this so-called ?about the target? collection was first reported by The New York Times in 2013. The N.S.A. made the change to resolve problems it was having complying with special rules imposed by the surveillance court in 2011 to protect Americans? privacy. For technical reasons, the agency ended up collecting messages sent and received domestically as a byproduct of such surveillance, the officials said. The problem stemmed from certain bundled messages that internet companies sometimes packaged together and transmitted as a unit. If even one of them had a foreign target?s email address somewhere in it, all were sucked in. After the N.S.A. brought that issue to the court?s attention in 2011, a judge ruled that it violated the Fourth Amendment, which bars unreasonable searches. The agency then proposed putting the bundled messages in a special repository to which analysts, searching through intercepts to write intelligence reports, would generally not have access. The court permitted that type of collection to continue with that restriction. But last year, officials said, the N.S.A. discovered that analysts were querying the bundled messages in a way that did not comply with those rules. The agency brought the matter to the court?s attention, resulting in a delay in reauthorizing the broader warrantless surveillance program until the agency proposed ceasing this collection practice. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Apr 28 18:25:12 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 28 Apr 2017 23:25:12 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Top Obama official to replace Chris Dodd as MPAA head Message-ID: <30355955-4436-4E9D-95D3-8F63C1B33E15@infowarrior.org> Top Obama official to replace Chris Dodd as MPAA head By John Bowden - 04/28/17 06:11 PM EDT 39 http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/331176-top-obama-official-to-take-over-mpaa-from-retiring-chris-dodd Former Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) is leaving the Motion Picture Association of America, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. The decision to step down from the lobbying arm for top Hollywood studios was mutual and Dodd was ready to retire, one source told the paper. However, some studio executives were unhappy with Dodd's leadership, according to the report. Dodd will be replaced by Charles Rivkin, a top official at the State Department under former President Barack Obama. Dodd took over the organization at the request of the six major film studios in 2011 after serving 36 years in Congress. Dodd's salary at the MPAA was a reported $3.3 million in 2013, according to his tax records. His replacement is no novice in the entertainment industry. Rivkin, who also served as ambassador to France and Monaco, formerly ran Jim Henson Co., the namesake company of Jim Henson, creator of "The Muppets." From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 3 09:14:33 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2017 14:14:33 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Privacy And National Security Concerns Play Second Fiddle To Administration's Attempts To Control The Narrative Message-ID: Privacy And National Security Concerns Play Second Fiddle To Administration's Attempts To Control The Narrative https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170331/13590637051/privacy-national-security-concerns-play-second-fiddle-to-administrations-attempts-to-control-narrative.shtml From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 3 09:15:41 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2017 14:15:41 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Github Repository Owners Targeted by Data-Stealing Malware Message-ID: Github Repository Owners Targeted by Data-Stealing Malware https://threatpost.com/github-repository-owners-targeted-by-data-stealing-malware/124656/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 3 15:00:11 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2017 20:00:11 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - NAFTA Renegotiation Will Resurrect Failed TPP Proposals Message-ID: <6B516AA7-E24E-4865-BCC4-3E1753B7669B@infowarrior.org> NAFTA Renegotiation Will Resurrect Failed TPP Proposals Yesterday a draft letter was leaked from acting USTR Stephen Vaughn to Congress on the Trump administration's intentions towards NAFTA. The letter describes the administration's intention to "update" NAFTA to include provisions on topics such a < - > https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/nafta-renegotiation-will-resurrect-failed-tpp-proposals From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 3 18:47:06 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 03 Apr 2017 23:47:06 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - POTUS Signs Bill to Roll Back Privacy Rules into Law Message-ID: <4824F5A5-E944-4182-85F7-4B9784676B8E@infowarrior.org> (And yet *he* continues to squeal about his own privacy worries and how allegedly his 'wires were tapped' by someone. Sad! -- rick) April 3, 2017 | By Kate Tummarello Trump Signs Bill to Roll Back Privacy Rules into Law https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/04/trump-signs-bill-roll-back-privacy-rules-law A measure to roll back crucial privacy protections has crossed the finish line, and Internet users are worse off for it. Despite massive backlash from the American people, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law a resolution that repeals the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) rules to protect consumers from privacy invasions by their Internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast, AT&T, Verizon, and Time Warner Cable. The rules?which codified and expanded on existing online privacy protections?were passed by the FCC in October of last year and set to go into effect later this year. They would have kept ISPs from selling customers? data and using new invasive ways to track and deliver targeted ads to customers. Additionally, the rules would have required those companies to protect customers? data against hackers. Tens of thousands of people called on lawmakers to protect those rules, but Republicans in Congress repealed them by narrowly passing a Congressional Review Act resolution. That measure not only repeals the rules, it also prevents the FCC from writing similar rules in the future, throwing into question how much the FCC can do to police ISPs looking to trade off their customers? privacy for higher profits. Because of the current legal landscape, the FTC can?t police ISPs either, leaving customers without a federal agency that can clearly protect them in this space. We?ll continue pushing for these specific privacy protections where we can. We urge state lawmakers and technology providers to look for ways to shore up individual privacy until Congress is ready to listen to the consumers who don't want to trade away their basic privacy rights in order to access the Internet. We?ve spoken up, and many lawmakers got the message that privacy is important to their constituents. Thanks to your actions, we?ve together laid the groundwork to keep fighting for privacy protections. From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Apr 4 06:29:07 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2017 11:29:07 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Honey Trap Exposes Israeli Army's Vulnerability to Social Media Message-ID: Honey Trap Exposes Israeli Army's Vulnerability to Social Media @GwenSahar More stories by Gwen Ackerman by and April 3, 2017, 5:00 PM EDT https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-04-03/honey-trap-exposes-army-s-vulnerability-to-social-media-risks It was a 21st-century twist on an age-old espionage trick: An attractive woman strikes up a relationship on social media with an Israeli soldier, who doesn?t realize his new sweetheart is a Palestinian militant tapping into his phone. Hundreds of Israeli soldiers were stung in an operation carried out mostly on Facebook Inc?s Messenger, designed to gather information on military plans and deployments, a senior Israeli intelligence officer told Bloomberg, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters. Israel says the deception was masterminded by Hamas, the Palestinian militant group that rules the Gaza Strip. Computer security company Kaspersky Lab said the cyberattacks were first detected in July, and as recently as February. Hamas?s achievement shows how even a military renowned for its cyber prowess is vulnerable to relatively simple technology, and highlights the threat social media can pose to any institution. It?s almost impossible to set up an airtight defense against such cyber incursions, said Aaron Joseph, Cisco Systems?s technology director for southern Europe. ?Today the hacking organizations, and in this specific instance terror organizations, will try to get information any way they can, and all of us have some kind of connection to social media,? Joseph said. ?It?s something continuous and happens all the time. You can?t prevent it.? Cyberspace Precedent Enemy intelligence had never before made direct contact with Israeli troops in cyberspace, and the ruse triggered a military campaign to raise troop awareness of how social media can be used as a weapon, the officer said. Hamas officials and militants declined to comment. Facebook didn?t respond to a request for a reaction. According to the officer?s account, Hamas created about 40 fake profiles of young women ostensibly born in Europe and the U.S. The profiles presented the women as Israeli military veterans who were currently overseas but planned to return to Israel. The initial approach was a ?friend? request, followed by a photo of an attractive woman. If the soldier suggested they talk on the phone, the spy would claim to have no number and suggest another application instead, which inserted malicious code on the soldier?s phone. Mobile devices were soon sending Hamas the soldiers? locations, taking photos and recording conversations, and sending the information to a Hamas server. Suspicions Roused The operation was uncovered after the same ?woman? approached several soldiers in the same unit, who alerted the military?s data security investigation team. In some cases operational plans had to be modified or canceled, the officer said, without elaborating. The IDF also uses social media to seek information on its enemies, according to the military officer, and Israeli security services also have used comely young women as bait. That?s how the Mossad espionage agency in 1986 trapped former nuclear technician Mordechai Vanunu, who was imprisoned for 18 years for disclosing nuclear secrets. Still, the current case is unique, said Ido Naor, a senior security researcher at Kaspersky. He called it ?a rare case of attackers using such persistence in impersonating and social engineering,? and said he couldn?t remember examples of other armies being similarly targeted. Hackathon After the deception was exposed, the army?s data security investigative unit sent people around the country to educate soldiers about the incident and reformat phones that might have been compromised. Advertisements, lectures and an Internet campaign were launched, and photos of the fake paramours were posted at every army base. Facebook, meanwhile, was asked to remove the fake profiles. The company said in early 2016 that about 2 percent of the profiles on its platform are bogus. The incident inspired a group of programmers at a military hackathon to design a program that identifies fake profiles and gives real-time warnings, according to an officer cadet who helped organize the event, who couldn?t be identified in accordance with military policy. But no software can stop Hamas or another militant group from trying again, Cisco?s Joseph said. ?Cyber is another front? of modern warfare, he said. ?It?s a given.? From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Apr 4 17:08:40 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 04 Apr 2017 22:08:40 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Administration_Considers_Far-Reaching_S?= =?utf-8?b?dGVwcyBmb3Ig4oCYRXh0cmVtZSBWZXR0aW5n4oCZ?= Message-ID: Trump Administration Considers Far-Reaching Steps for ?Extreme Vetting? Foreigners entering U.S. could be forced to hand over phones, answer questions on ideology; changes could apply to allies like France and Germany By Laura Meckler Updated April 4, 2017 8:57 a.m. ET https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-considers-far-reaching-steps-for-extreme-vetting-1491303602 Foreigners who want to visit the U.S., even for a short trip, could be forced to disclose contacts on their mobile phones, social-media passwords and financial records, and to answer probing questions about their ideology, according to Trump administration officials conducting a review of vetting procedures. The administration also wants to subject more visa applicants to intense security reviews and have embassies spend more time interviewing each applicant. The changes could apply to people from all over the world, including allies like France and Germany. The measures?whose full scope haven?t yet been publicly discussed?would together represent the ?extreme vetting? President Donald Trump has promised. The changes would be sure to generate significant controversy, both at home, from civil libertarians and others who see the questions as overly intrusive, and abroad, with experts warning that other nations could impose similar requirements on Americans seeking visas. ?If there is any doubt about a person?s intentions coming to the United States, they should have to overcome?really and truly prove to our satisfaction?that they are coming for legitimate reasons,? said Gene Hamilton, senior counselor to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. Administration officials say fighting terrorism is an urgent task that justifies tough rules. The review under way aims to replace what the Trump administration sees as a presumption toward letting people into the country toward a more skeptical outlook. The review was called for in an executive order Mr. Trump signed last month banning travel from six-majority Muslim countries, which he said was needed to guard against terrorism. The order also directed security officials to implement a vetting program that allows for a ?rigorous evaluation? of whether applicants support terrorism or present a risk of causing harm. While much of the order was put on hold by a federal judge in Hawaii, the work to enhance vetting procedures was allowed to proceed. Homeland Security officials say the agency is planning to significantly increase demands for information from all visa applicants, including visitors, refugees and others seeking to immigrate. The changes might even apply to visitors from the 38 countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program, which requires adherence to strict U.S. standards in data sharing, passport control and other factors, one senior official said. That includes some of the U.S.?s closest allies, such as the U.K., Japan and Australia. The biggest change to U.S. policy would be asking applicants to hand over their telephones so officials could examine their stored contacts and perhaps other information. Visitors have had their phones examined at ports of entry, but that isn?t routinely requested during the application stage. The goal is to ?figure out who you are communicating with,? the senior DHS official said. ?What you can get on the average person?s phone can be invaluable.? A second change would ask applicants for their social-media handles and passwords so that officials could see information posted privately in addition to public posts. DHS has experimented with asking for people?s handles so they can read public posts, but not those restricted to friends. ?We want to say for instance, ?What sites do you visit? And give us your passwords,? so that we can see what they do on the internet,? Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said at a congressional hearing in February. ?If they don?t want to give us that information then they don?t come.? In response to Mr. Kelly?s hearing, a coalition of about 50 civil liberties and other groups issued a statement that month saying requiring passwords is ?a direct assault on fundamental rights,? including freedom of expression. They also complained that the policy could be mirrored by foreign governments demanding passwords from Americans. In addition, a DHS inspector general?s report this year found that the agency didn?t properly measure the effectiveness of pilot programs that used social media in visa-application reviews, making it hard to determine if they should be expanded. Former DHS officials who worked on these issues during the Obama administration said that the information gleaned from telephones and social media could be helpful in assessing threats posed by applicants, but they said there are downsides, too. The effort?particularly the social-media hunt?would be time-consuming, they said, and it could drive people with bad intentions to change their practices. ?The real bad guys will get rid of their phones. They?ll show up with a clean phone,? said Leon Rodriguez, who headed the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services until January and was deeply involved in refugee screening. ?Over time, the utility of the exercise will diminish.? Still, one Obama official said, telephone contacts could be particularly helpful in identifying terrorist ties, as their phone numbers could be run against various U.S. databases. Already, the State Department has taken small steps toward tighter vetting, according to cables sent from Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to embassies and consulates. In them, he orders officials to identify ?applicant populations? that warrant additional scrutiny, according to documents posted by Reuters in March. The department hasn?t disputed their contents. He also directs offices to limit the number of interviews scheduled each day to ensure each application is properly scrutinized. Mr. Tillerson instructed officials to ask visa applicants additional questions, such as listing all email addresses and social-media handles used in the past five years, as well as the applicant?s travel history, employers and addresses over the past 15 years. But after the federal court put the travel ban on hold, Mr. Tillerson said in another message that to be cautious, those instructions should be put on hold as well. The administration is also working to implement an idea first raised by Mr. Trump as a presidential candidate last August for an ?ideological test? for people coming to the U.S. Such tests have been used before?for instance, to screen out anarchists, or members of the Communist Party. ?Those who do not believe in our Constitution, or who support bigotry and hatred, will not be admitted for immigration into the country,? Mr. Trump said in an August speech. The DHS official working on the review said the types of questions under consideration now include whether visa applicants believe in so-called honor killings, how they view the treatment of women in society, whether they value the ?sanctity of human life? and who they view as a legitimate target in a military operation. The goal, he said, isn?t to filter out people with contrary thoughts but people who might act on them. That notion draws criticism from civil libertarians. ?It could deprive American citizens with the ability to interact and gain knowledge from the full spectrum of individuals and people who hold diverse beliefs world-wide,? said Hugh Handeyside, a staff attorney with the ACLU?s National Security project. ?Our views and beliefs and opinions are protected,? he said. ?Those same principles should drive our decisions about whether people would be permitted to visit the United States.? Write to Laura Meckler at laura.meckler at wsj.com From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Apr 5 08:14:15 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2017 13:14:15 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Alzheimer=E2=80=99s=3A_ultrasound_safel?= =?utf-8?q?y_delivers_drugs_to_damaged_brains_of_mice?= Message-ID: <48136062-5904-4792-940C-8C476B7D463A@infowarrior.org> Alzheimer?s: ultrasound safely delivers drugs to damaged brains of mice Scientists at Queensland Brain Institute find noninvasive technique slows progression of Alzheimer?s disease in mice https://www.theguardian.com/society/2017/apr/05/alzheimers-ultrasound-safely-delivers-drugs-to-damaged-brains-of-mice Tuesday 4 April 2017 23.02 EDT Last modified on Tuesday 4 April 2017 23.07 EDT Australian researchers say they have made a promising step in the future treatment of Alzheimer?s disease after discovering ultrasound can effectively and safely deliver drugs to the damaged brain. Scientists at the Queensland Brain Institute found the noninvasive technique successfully penetrated the blood-brain barrier to deliver a therapeutic antibody to the brain. This then slowed the progression of Alzheimer?s disease in mice, according to a study published in the journal Brain. New Alzheimer's test can predict age when disease will appear One of the major challenges inhibiting the treatment of Alzheimer?s is that the majority of drugs designed to treat the brain disease do not make it into the brain. ?Ultrasound safely opens up the blood-brain barrier just a tiny bit and just for short time to let the antibody into the brain and, importantly, into the nerve cells where the damage occurs,? said Prof Jurgen Gotz, the lead researcher at QBI. Alzheimer?s disease is the most common form of dementia, with the number of dementia cases in Australia expected to rise to 900,000 by 2050. Using scanning ultrasound technology, researchers at QBI delivered an antibody that specifically binds to a protein called tau implicated in the progression of Alzheimer?s. Combining ultrasound with the antibody treatment is more effective than either treatment alone in removing the toxic protein clumps, say the researchers. ?We ultimately hope in the coming years to develop an ultrasound device that is not too bulky and can also be used to treat local patients,? Gotz said. ?This device may clear toxic tau in patients on its own or it may be used by delivering therapeutic agents such as drugs or antibodies.? The lead author of the study, Dr Rebecca Nisbet, said this would have enormous benefits by making expensive treatment more cost-effective. ?You?re increasing the amount of therapeutic agents that can enter the brain, thereby reducing the number of a doses and the amount that needs to be delivered,? she said. The ultimate hope is the technique will also allow for the effective treatment of other brain diseases such as Parkinson?s and motor neurone disease. From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Apr 5 09:17:24 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2017 14:17:24 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Microsoft finally reveals what data Windows 10 really collects Message-ID: <933B3EB0-B78D-42FD-B4D2-BE19C497C6BB@infowarrior.org> Microsoft finally reveals what data Windows 10 really collects http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/5/15188636/microsoft-windows-10-data-collection-documents-privacy-concerns From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Apr 5 16:05:03 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2017 21:05:03 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - changes to the NSC Message-ID: <34F06DC8-6602-4780-A64B-FC095420D0D2@infowarrior.org> Bannon ousted from National Security Council The Trump administration initially faced a bipartisan wave of complaints over a political official serving in a national security role. By Shane Goldmacher, Josh Dawsey, Tara Palmeri and Bryan Bender 04/05/17 11:54 AM EDT Updated 04/05/17 12:26 PM EDT White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been removed from an important seat on the National Security Council ? a posting that had stirred controversy for placing one of President Donald Trump?s top political hands in a key national security position. The change represents the first real diminution of authority for Bannon, who has been cast as an all-powerful whisperer to Trump in the administration?s first 75 days, mocked by his critics as ?President Bannon.? In recent weeks, Jared Kushner, Trump?s son-in-law and senior adviser, has asked searching questions ? sometimes for hours ? of inside and outside advisers about the White House's performance and complained about Bannon in particular, according to people who have spoken with Kushner. Kushner, a onetime New York Democrat, and Bannon, a hard-right nationalist, have clashed as Kushner has told people that Bannon?s desire to deconstruct the government is hurting the president. One person familiar with Kushner's thinking says Kushner believes Bannon is more of a problem than Reince Priebus, the chief of staff. ?Big fight is between nationalists and the ?West Wing Democrats,'? one senior administration official said. The White House tried to downplay the significance of Bannon?s removal from the NSC ? it went unannounced by the press office ? depicting him as simply moving on after successfully completing limited tasks. ?It?s not like this is a major shake-up,? said another administration official. But Bannon?s exit, revealed in a federal register filing and confirmed by multiple White House officials, is perceived to represent a significant long-term increase in authority for H.R. McMaster, Trump?s new national security adviser, who now has greater authority over the council?s agenda without one of Trump?s closest aides watching closely over him. ?McMaster won,? one NSC official said. One White House official said Bannon was placed on the NSC to ?babysit" Trump?s first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who resigned in mid-February after misleading Vice President Mike Pence about his conversations with Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak. This official said Bannon?s role was also to ensure that the NSC was ?de-operationalized? following the Obama administration. ?That job is done,? the official said. ?It?s not like he?s been in principal committee meetings constantly saying [to McMaster], ?You can?t do this, you can't do that,?? another of the officials said. ?That hasn?t happened.? Bannon had not been a regular attendee of NSC principals meetings. One person said he attended one meeting; another said he hadn?t attended any. < - > https://secure.politico.com/story/2017/04/bannon-ousted-from-national-security-council-236908 From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Apr 5 18:41:51 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 05 Apr 2017 23:41:51 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Can hack but not shoot? FBI may ease entry for cyber agents Message-ID: <8CA2A205-E84F-4ADD-B343-C4FA2CC06E81@infowarrior.org> Can hack but not shoot? FBI may ease entry for cyber agents By ERIC TUCKER Associated Press WASHINGTON http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/science-technology/article142871814.html Aspiring federal agents who can hack a computer with ease but can't shoot their way out of a paper bag could soon find the FBI to be more welcoming. In a series of recent speeches, FBI Director James Comey has hinted the bureau may adjust its hiring requirements to attract top-notch cyber recruits, the better to compete with private sector companies who can lure the sharpest technical minds with huge salary offers. He's floated the idea of scrapping a requirement that agents who leave the FBI but want to return after two years must re-enroll in the bureau's storied but arduous Quantico, Virginia, training academy. He's also lamented, half-jokingly, that otherwise qualified applicants may be discouraged from applying because of a fondness for marijuana. "We will find people of integrity who are really smart, who know cyber ? and can't do a pushup. Or we'll find people, maybe they can do a pushup, they're smart and they can do cyber ? but they want to smoke weed on the way to the interview," the FBI director has said. The rethinking on recruitment comes as the FBI confronts increasingly complex cyber challenges, including crippling state-sponsored attacks, and as it's racing to develop more sophisticated techniques for combating internet-based threats. Law enforcement has struggled to break into encrypted cellphones of criminal suspects and the Justice Department sued Apple last year after agents could not access a locked iPhone used by a mass shooter in San Bernardino, California. Though an unidentified third-party vendor ultimately came forward with a tool to open the phone, law enforcement officials remain concerned about electronic terrorism recruitment that occurs through encrypted channels and out of sight of investigators. Even crimes that investigators have tackled for decades, like child pornography, have grown more complicated as suspects trade images through hidden internet browsers that shield their locations and identities. The Justice Department has been developing ways through bulk hacking to uncover the users' locations, though defendants have repeatedly ? and with some success ? challenged the use of that tactic. "The world's not coming back. The old school stuff that I did 20, 30 years ago in the State Police and the FBI, all those crimes nowadays have a major cyber component to it," said Robert Anderson, a retired FBI executive assistant director who oversaw cyber investigations. Comey has suggested the FBI may need to build its own university to groom cyber talent and questioned whether every member of a cyber squad actually needs to be a gun-carrying agent. "Our minds are open to all of these things because we are seeking a talent ? talent in a pool that is increasingly small. So, you're going to see us experiment with a number of different approaches to this," Comey said last week at a gathering of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance. He's floated different possible solutions, but he's returned several times to the idea of waiving the requirement that people who want to return to the FBI after two years outside the bureau re-enroll in Quantico. "Our people leave, go to the private sector, discover it's a soulless, empty way to live ? and then they realize, 'My life is empty, I need moral content in my work,'" Comey said, light-heartedly and to laughter, in a recent speech at the University of Texas at Austin. He added: "I gave the creds for the second time to a 42-year-old cyber agent, and I said, 'So, how was Quantico?' He said, 'It was a nightmare, it was a nightmare.' And so we're trying to figure out, are there ways we should approach this differently to recognize the challenge we have in attracting talent?" Comey made headlines on the topic in 2014 when, in response to a question, he said that a prospective candidate who had previously smoked marijuana should go ahead and apply anyway. FBI rules disqualify applicants who have smoked marijuana within the last three years, and there's been no sign that that policy will change. He was chastised soon at a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing by then-Sen. Jeff Sessions, now the United States attorney general and Comey's boss, about whether he understood that those comments could "be interpreted as one more example of leadership in America dismissing the seriousness of marijuana use." Comey replied that he had tried to be "both serious and funny" and was merely remarking on the FBI's challenges in developing a cyber workforce at a time when "more and more" young people were trying marijuana. He pronounced himself "absolutely dead-set against using marijuana" and noted that he had not said that he would change the FBI's policy. Anderson said, "Anything new in the government is like getting your wisdom teeth pulled out. Anything new takes a while for the culture of the FBI to adjust to it." But, he added, "If the strategic vision is to create a mecca for cyber, we're going to have to change." From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 6 07:09:43 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2017 12:09:43 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Leaked_document_shows_how_gig_economy_c?= =?utf-8?q?ompanies_avoid_the_term_=E2=80=98employee=E2=80=99?= Message-ID: Leaked document shows how gig economy companies avoid the term ?employee? That?s not a uniform, that?s just ?branded clothing? by James Vincent at jjvincent Apr 6, 2017, 7:51am EDT http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/6/15204098/deliveroo-gig-economy-language-dos-donts-workers When is a worker not a worker? When they?re an ?independent supplier,? says UK takeout service Deliveroo. This is according to the company?s vocab ?crib-sheet,? which features a six-page list of do?s and don?ts, guiding staff on how to talk about the business. The internal document was seen by a number of publications, and makes for some awkward reading. It says bicycle couriers who work for Deliveroo are never to be referred to as workers, employees, or staff, and that the Deliveroo jackets they have to wear on the job are not uniforms but ?branded clothing.? These workers don?t have ?contracts,? says the document, but ?supplier agreements.? They don?t ?schedule shifts,? but ?indicate their availability.? And they can never get sacked ? instead, they?re ?terminated.? A spokesperson for Deliveroo said: ?We have almost 1,000 full-time staff and work with over 15,000 riders in the UK. We ensure that employees know how to work with our partners, which includes training and guidelines to follow when talking to customers, restaurants, and of course self-employed riders.? But the contortion of language in this document shows how wary Deliveroo is of presenting itself as a regular employer. Like Uber, Deliveroo?s business model relies on access to a flexible supply of labor, to which it doesn?t owe employment benefits like sick pay and holidays. And, as with Uber, this arrangement is being challenged. In the UK, politicians have criticized both Deliveroo and Uber for their business practices. The language they use in their dealings with workers has also came under fire, with one MP describing Uber?s contracts as ?gibberish? and ?almost unintelligible.? (Uber responded to this criticism by saying: ?We recognize our terms could be written in plainer English and we started the process of revising them some time ago.?) Currently, Deliveroo?s riders are treated as self-employed contractors in the UK, but this could change with a pair of ongoing legal challenges. In one, a group of London couriers are demanding union recognition from Deliveroo; and in another, a separate group are demanding workers? rights including holiday pay and minimum wage. Uber lost a similar challenge last year, which it?s currently in the process of appealing. Deliveroo could be next, despite its do?s and don?ts. From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 6 16:14:41 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 06 Apr 2017 21:14:41 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Twitter sues US government over attempt to unmask anti-Trump account Message-ID: Twitter sues US government over attempt to unmask anti-Trump account by Colin Lecher and Russell Brandom Apr 6, 2017, 3:53pm EDT Twitter has launched a lawsuit against the Trump administration, after the Department of Homeland Security sought to unmask an anonymous user of an anti-Trump account. According to Twitter?s suit, filed today in Northern California District Court, US Customs and Border Protection has attempted to use a ?limited-purpose investigatory tool? to unmask the owner of the Twitter account ?@ALT_uscis.? The account, one of several ?alt? or ?rogue? government accounts that appeared in the wake of Trump?s ascent to the presidency, was used ?to express public criticism of the Department and the current Administration,? according to Twitter?s complaint. In the suit, Twitter writes that @ALT_uscis has purported to be a dissenting member of US Citizenship and Immigration Services. On March 14th, Twitter received a summons from Customs requesting records that could reveal the identity of the account?s operator, including IP logs and any associated phone number or mailing address. Twitter writes that it later informed the account holder of the summons, and told the agency of its intent to fight the order in court. <- > http://www.theverge.com/2017/4/6/15211092/twitter-trump-lawsuit-customs-alt-government From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Apr 6 20:22:35 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2017 01:22:35 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - U.S. Launches Missile Strike on Syria in Response to Gas Attack Message-ID: U.S. Launches Missile Strike on Syria in Response to Gas Attack by Nick Wadhams and Anthony Capaccio April 6, 2017, 9:17 PM EDT The U.S. launched a cruise missile attack against Syria two days after Bashar al-Assad?s regime used poison gas to kill scores of civilians, an act that drew international condemnation and that President Donald Trump called ??an affront to humanity.? The strike early Friday morning in Syria targeted hangars, planes and fuel tanks at one Syrian military airfield, according to a U.S. official. The U.S. attacked with about 60 Raytheon Tomahawk cruise missiles fired from two Navy destroyers. The task of military planners was made riskier by the presence of Russian forces in Syria to support Bashar al-Assad?s regime in its battle against rebel groups that include Islamic State and al-Qaeda fighters but also some backed by the U.S. The decision to strike in Syria marked a stark reversal for Trump, who during his presidential campaign faulted past U.S. leaders for getting embroiled in conflicts in the Middle East. But he said this week that deaths of children among the more that 70 killed in the April 4 attack, images of which were broadcast worldwide, crossed ?beyond red lines? and changed his thinking. < - > https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-04-07/u-s-launches-missile-strike-on-syria-in-response-to-gas-attack From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Apr 7 13:15:51 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2017 18:15:51 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - USG drops attempt to unmask anti-Trump Twitter account Message-ID: <8F3EBA4A-0A12-4FC9-833E-5290E6BF0294@infowarrior.org> Homeland Security has dropped its attempt to unmask anti-Trump Twitter account by Russell Brandom at russellbrandom Apr 7, 2017, 1:17pm EDT https://www.theverge.com/2017/4/7/15222298/homeland-security-twitter-lawsuit-dropped Just one day after being sued in federal court, the Department of Homeland Security has withdrawn its order to unmask the @Alt_USCIS account, a harshly critical account nominally run by an anonymous Homeland Security staffer. In March, two agents of Customs and Border Protection had served Twitter with an order for IP logs, phone numbers, and other identifying information associated with the account. Twitter declined to comply with the request, and argued in its complaint that the order was unconstitutional, and relied on an unconventional statute insufficient for unmasking an individual user. Now, that order is being withdrawn. Twitter learned of the withdrawal in a meeting with the Department of Justice earlier today, and has subsequently withdrawn its lawsuit. Reached by The Verge, the company declined to comment. It?s unclear whether the government will make further attempts to unmask the user. Because the March order was made by Customs agents, it relied on an unusual statute largely related to taxes on the importation of merchandise, which Twitter argued was insufficient. If the Department of Justice is committed to unmasking the user, it might request a court order for the same information under a statute that?s more in-line with Twitter?s law enforcement guidelines, which acknowledge that private information may be disclosed in response to a valid legal request. @Alt_USCIS is one of a number of ?rogue? accounts that have sprung up under President Trump, offering a critical perspective on the policies of the new administration. It is unclear which if any of the accounts are genuine, but they have drawn both attention and scrutiny as the administration has sought to crack down on unauthorized leaks to the press. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Apr 7 13:15:54 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2017 18:15:54 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fact Check now available in Google Search and News around the world Message-ID: Fact Check now available in Google Search and News around the world Google was built to help people find useful information by surfacing the great content that publishers and sites create. This access to high quality information is what drives people to use the web and for contributors to continue to engage and invest in it. However, with thousands of new articles published online every minute of every day, the amount of content confronting people online can be overwhelming. And unfortunately, not all of it is factual or true, making it hard for people to distinguish fact from fiction. That?s why last October, along with our partners at Jigsaw, we announced that in a few countries we would start enabling publishers to show a ?Fact Check? tag in Google News for news stories. This label identifies articles that include information fact checked by news publishers and fact-checking organizations. After assessing feedback from both users and publishers, we?re making the Fact Check label in Google News available everywhere, and expanding it into Search globally in all languages. For the first time, when you conduct a search on Google that returns an authoritative result containing fact checks for one or more public claims, you will see that information clearly on the search results page. The snippet will display information on the claim, who made the claim, and the fact check of that particular claim. < - > https://blog.google/products/search/fact-check-now-available-google-search-and-news-around-world/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Apr 7 13:24:52 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 07 Apr 2017 18:24:52 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - The iPhone 7 Has Arbitrary Software Locks That Prevent Repair Message-ID: <49635E91-3CB7-4587-ACAF-0C04DE396496@infowarrior.org> The iPhone 7 Has Arbitrary Software Locks That Prevent Repair https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/iphone-7-home-button-unreplaceable-repair-software-lock From rforno at infowarrior.org Sat Apr 8 14:15:38 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sat, 08 Apr 2017 19:15:38 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Shadowbrokers releases NSA exploit auction trove Message-ID: <9F8740C0-0EB6-47F0-B91B-44ABD32E18C4@infowarrior.org> (c/o multiple sources) Text of NSFW letter "Don?t Forget Your Base" from Shadowbrokers to POTUS.... https://medium.com/@shadowbrokerss/dont-forget-your-base-867d304a94b1 Decrypted archive ... https://github.com/x0rz/EQGRP From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 10 05:54:50 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 10:54:50 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - 21 things we miss about old computers Message-ID: <6D19B30F-6A81-447F-A8B1-948128EF016E@infowarrior.org> Ahh, memories. 21 things we miss about old computers http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/games/retro-computers/48484/21-things-we-miss-about-old-computers From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 10 09:04:45 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 14:04:45 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Russian-Owned LiveJournal Bans Political Talk, Adds Risk of Spying Message-ID: <7D49AA37-9742-4A79-9CE9-E278DD9E5139@infowarrior.org> Russian-Owned LiveJournal Bans Political Talk, Adds Risk of Spying http://io9.gizmodo.com/russian-owned-livejournal-bans-political-talk-adds-ris-1794143772 LiveJournal, a blog community that?s hosted a lot of science fiction authors and fans (including George RR Martin), has officially banned ?political solicitation?? which can mean anything that criticizes the Russian government, as well as pro-LGBTQ discussions. There are also concerns users can be subject to Russian spying. The service grew in popularity as a social network in the early 2000s, especially among former members of SFF Net. LiveJournal?s popularity shrank with the rise of social networks like Facebook and Snapchat, and it was bought by a Russian company in 2007. However, since the servers were based in the United States, users weren?t subject to Russian censorship. Until now. In December, the servers were relocated to Russia, and earlier this week the user agreements were changed to prohibit ?post[ing] advertising and/or political solicitation materials unless otherwise directly specified in a separate agreement between User and the Administration,? or ?perform[ing] any other actions contradictory to the laws of the Russian Federation.? In addition, any blogs that get over 3,000 visitors per days are now classified as media outlets, so they can no longer publish anonymously, use obscene language or share ?extremist materials.? The new agreement is designed to put the site in compliance with Russia?s internet laws, which are subject to extreme censorship under the guise of protecting children. The term ?political solicitation? can be open to interpretation, as some have argued it?s not an exact term in Russian federal law. In the past, similar phrases have been used to condemn conversations about LGBTQ issues as ?gay propaganda,? as well as prevent people from sharing the image of Putin as a clown in makeup. Specifically, in this case, the Washington Times mentioned how the Russian government censored five websites that were calling for a mass protest, including a LiveJournal posting. This happened two days before the updated rules were put in place. There?s also a big concern about data and privacy. Critics have claimed the user agreement puts users at risk of having their data accessible to Russian intelligence, in accordance with anti-terrorism legislation. The agreement does say it?s not subject to federal laws requiring companies to store personal data on their users, but plenty of other information can be subject to observation and scrutiny... and that?s not even going into Russian cyber espionage. It?s unclear whether users in Russia can face prosecution from the government for violating the terms of the agreement (although it looks like they can), but anyone outside of the country isn?t subject to the Russian legal bindings. However, they can be kicked off LiveJournal at any time for not complying with the new agreement. From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Apr 10 10:51:56 2017 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 10 Apr 2017 15:51:56 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Sessions orders DOJ to end forensic science commission, suspend review policy Message-ID: <594560E2-BD76-41A8-9081-20324DC7E7C7@infowarrior.org> Sessions orders Justice Dept. to end forensic science commission, suspend review policy Attorney General Jeff Sessions will end a Justice Department partnership with independent scientists to raise forensic science standards and has suspended an expanded review of FBI testimony across several techniques that have come under question, saying a new strategy will be set by an in-house team of law enforcement advisers. In a statement Monday, Sessions said he would not renew the National Commission on Forensic Science, a roughly 30-member advisory panel of scientists, judges, crime lab leaders, prosecutors and defense lawyers chartered by the Obama administration in 2013. A path to meet needs of overburdened crime labs will be set by a yet-to-be named senior forensic adviser and an internal department crime task force, Sessions?s statement said. The announcement came as the commission began its last, two-day meeting before its term ends April 23 and as two of its most wide-reaching final recommendations remain hanging with the department. Two officials said no decision has been made one calling for the Justice Department to set written standards for examining and reporting forensic evidence in criminal courts across the country. A second proposal to more fully disclose the statistical limits of results is to be voted on by the commission Monday. < - > https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/sessions-orders-justice-dept-to-end-forensic-science-commission-suspend-review-policy/2017/04/10/2dada0ca-1c96-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html