From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 23 10:29:12 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 16:29:12 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - How a fight over Star Wars download codes could reshape copyright law Message-ID: How a fight over Star Wars download codes could reshape copyright law Legal scholar says Redbox's win over Disney is an "atomic bomb of a finding." Timothy B. Lee - 2/23/2018, 10:15 AM https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/judge-slaps-down-disney-effort-to-stop-resale-of-star-wars-download-codes/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 23 15:29:19 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 21:29:19 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fake Miami Herald screenshots are stoking fears of more school threats Message-ID: Fake Miami Herald screenshots are stoking fears of more school threats By Daniel Funke ? February 22, 2018 First, it was imposter tweets. Now, someone is making fake screenshots of a Miami Herald story about school threats following last week?s mass shooting. Monique O. Madan first noticed them on Monday. One parent reached out asking if W.R. Thomas Middle School in Miami-Dade County was actually under threat, which she saw in a story bearing Madan?s byline. Thinking it was an isolated incident, she said no and moved on. ?I said, ?This is false,?? the Herald breaking news reporter told Poynter. ?I didn?t bother tweeting about it until my phone started ringing.? Soon, Madan had a barrage of tweets, voicemails, messages and emails from parents and students asking her if the rumor was true. The story was circulating in a screenshot of a doctored Herald story about an increase in school threats following last week?s mass shooting at a high school in Parkland, Florida. That?s when she started to pay attention. ?It?s very concerning. I received calls from dozens of parents begging, ?Please answer me: Is this threat real or not? I?m scared to take my kid to school,?? said Madan, who tweeted a debunk of the screenshots on Tuesday morning. ?It was crazy to hear that ? to think someone went out and did that.? < - > https://www.poynter.org/news/fake-miami-herald-screenshots-are-stoking-fears-more-school-threats From rforno at infowarrior.org Sat Feb 24 06:22:40 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 12:22:40 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Judge_dismisses_coal_mogul=E2=80=99s_de?= =?utf-8?q?famation_lawsuit_against_John_Oliver?= Message-ID: (So sorry to hear that, BOB. You're still an obnoxious entitled twit, BOB. Or, as the ACLU actually said in its amicus brief, you can still eat s----t, BOB. -- rick) Judge dismisses coal mogul?s defamation lawsuit against John Oliver By Timothy Cama - 02/23/18 09:36 PM EST 239 http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/375397-judge-dismisses-coal-moguls-defamation-lawsuit-against-john-oliver A West Virginia judge dismissed a coal mogul?s defamation lawsuit this week against cable television host John Oliver and HBO. In a decision dated Wednesday, West Virginia Judge Jeffrey Cramer accepted HBO?s argument that Bob Murray, CEO of coal mining giant Murray Energy Corp., failed to show that Oliver had defamed him according to the law. Oliver dedicated an extended segment in June to criticizing the coal industry, with a focus on Murray, including his frequent criticisms of former President Barack Obama?s ?evil agenda,? his lawsuits challenging regulations and his closeness with President Trump. ?If you even appear to be on the same side as black lung, you?re on the wrong f---ing side,? Oliver said about one of Murray?s lawsuit against a federal rule meant to reduce black lung disease among coal miners. Murray sent Oliver a cease-and-desist letter before the show aired and threatened to sue him, taking the case up to the Supreme Court. Instead, Oliver dug in. ?I?m not going to say, for instance, that Bob Murray looks like a geriatric Dr. Evil, even though he clearly does,? he said. Oliver made extensive use of Mr. Nutterbutter, a squirrel character inspired by a report ? which Murray denied ? that Murray once said a squirrel told him to start a coal mining company. Murray and his company made good on the threat to sue. ?The false and defamatory statements in this broadcast severely and destructively impact Mr. Murray, and all of Murray Energy, particularly our mines in the state of West Virginia, where we are the largest coal mining employer in the state, as well as coal mining itself, one of the primary foundations of that state?s economy,? the company said in a statement at the time. HBO strenuously fought the claims. ?The fact that Murray found this speech embarrassing or disagreeable does not remove it from the broad protection of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court has stated time and again that the type of speech at issue here ? news and commentary about public figures and issues of public importance ? ?occupies the highest rung of the hierarchy of First Amendment values, and is entitled to special protection,?? the company said in asking the West Virginia judge to dismiss the case. From rforno at infowarrior.org Sat Feb 24 20:25:21 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sat, 24 Feb 2018 21:25:21 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - A cybersecurity style guide Message-ID: <298803D6-50B3-408B-AC0D-59CB5E9F22BD@infowarrior.org> (x-posted) Download the Bishop Fox Cybersecurity Style Guide (Version One) Here How do you pronounce SQL? Should you write denial of service with hyphens? Is it pen testing or pentesting? In the evolving world of information security, it?s hard to know who to turn to for answers to questions like these. Through research and internal discussions over the last two years, we?ve come to a consensus about how to answer these kinds of questions for ourselves. We?ve compiled 1,775 security terms into one document that we?re calling the Cybersecurity Style Guide, and we?re very excited to share Version 1 of that guide with you today.... < - > https://www.bishopfox.com/blog/2018/02/hello-world-introducing-the-bishop-fox-cybersecurity-style-guide/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 26 08:29:51 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:29:51 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Apple confirms it uses Google's cloud for iCloud Message-ID: <56789E28-23E9-4E78-B174-19BCA67D3CB6@infowarrior.org> Apple confirms it uses Google's cloud for iCloud https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/26/apple-confirms-it-uses-google-cloud-for-icloud.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 26 08:54:42 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2018 09:54:42 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - SCOTUS Looks at Data Stored Abroad Message-ID: Supreme Court Looks at Data Stored Abroad By Greg Stohr February 26, 2018, 4:00 AM EST https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-26/economists-take-dim-view-of-a-range-of-trump-policies-in-survey The tech industry takes on the Trump administration at the U.S. Supreme Court Tuesday in a high-stakes clash over digital privacy and government access to information stored on overseas servers. At issue is whether federal and state law enforcement officials can use a decades-old law to demand user emails and other data held abroad by domestic companies including Alphabet Inc.?s Google and Microsoft Corp. The case calls on the justices to decide how a law older than the World Wide Web itself applies in the era of cloud computing. What they say could have sweeping consequences -- that is, unless Congress acts on pending proposals to overhaul the law and set out a more nuanced approach. ?The court is presented with two pretty stark choices,? said Jennifer Daskal, a professor at American University?s Washington College of Law. There are ?problems with either side winning,? she said. The case stems from a federal effort to use the 1986 Stored Communications Act to get emails from an unidentified account kept on a Microsoft server in Ireland. The government, which says the emails would show evidence of drug trafficking, got a search warrant in 2013. Microsoft refused to turn over the information, deciding to fight the matter in court instead. Beyond U.S. Borders Microsoft says the government is improperly trying to use the 1986 law in a foreign country. The Supreme Court is generally loath to say a federal law applies beyond the U.S. borders. The government is trying to ?unilaterally reach into a foreign land to search for copy and import private customer correspondence physically stored in a digital lockbox on a foreign computer where it?s protected by foreign law,? said Joshua Rosenkranz, the lawyer who?ll will argue the case for Microsoft. The Trump administration, which inherited the case from President Barack Obama?s legal team, says it?s not trying to apply the U.S. law overseas. Officials served the warrant on Microsoft at its headquarters in Redmond, Washington, and disclosure of the email content would occur domestically as well, U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco said in court papers. The law ?focuses on disclosure, and the disclosure of records from Microsoft to the government would occur in the United States,? Francisco argued. Microsoft stores email content at more than 100 data centers in more than 40 countries. The company says it uses so many sites for the sake of speed, putting users as close as possible to their data. Most Frequent Location At the time of the search, Microsoft?s policy was to store email content in the data center nearest to the customer?s self-declared country of residence. The company has since changed its system so that it relies on the user?s most frequent location. Other companies store their data differently. Google breaks files into pieces that get stored separately and are constantly being moved from place to place. Google, Apple Inc. and Amazon.com Inc. are among the many tech companies supporting Microsoft. Business groups say a ruling in favor of the government would prompt users to shun U.S. cloud service providers in favor of foreign-based companies that could offer stronger privacy protections. Privacy advocates also say such a ruling would invite reciprocity by foreign governments, putting the data of American users at risk from those governments even if it?s held on servers in the U.S. ?If we say our process works abroad, you can bet that the rest of the world is going to say its process works here,? said Greg Nojeim, senior counsel at the Center for Democracy and Technology in Washington. ?Slow and Uncertain? The Trump administration says the consequences would be greater if the U.S. were to lose. Although the government would still be able to invoke treaties with some nations to get legal help, the administration says those cover less than half the world?s countries and often mean a ?slow and uncertain? process. States also can use the Stored Communications Act, and 35 of them -- though not tech-heavy California or Microsoft?s home state of Washington -- filed a brief backing the federal government. ?The business decisions of private corporations should not control whether law enforcement can obtain evidence of crimes committed in their jurisdictions,? the states argued. The all-or-nothing nature of the Supreme Court dispute is one reason people on both sides are urging Congress to step in, possibly even before the court can rule. A bipartisan proposal known as the Clarifying Lawful Overseas Use of Data Act, or Cloud Act, has support from both Microsoft and the Justice Department. It would make clear that U.S. warrants apply around the world, while also setting up a new process for providers to challenge warrants. The law also would put in place new rules for American companies when they receive information requests from foreign governments. ?The court doesn?t have the tools to figure out the best balance,? said Rosenkranz, the lawyer for Microsoft. ?It?s a policy decision that requires a scalpel, and all the court has is a meat cleaver.? The case is United States v. Microsoft, 17-2. ? With assistance by Ben Brody, and Dina Bass From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 26 09:24:25 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 26 Feb 2018 10:24:25 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Hoax attempts against Miami Herald augur brewing war over fake, real news References: <20180226152316.1418CA06D63@palinka.tinho.net> Message-ID: <88B6A711-D251-4D02-8885-7727A7958CDC@infowarrior.org> > Begin forwarded message: > > From: dan at geer.org > > [you know my position that algorithms protecting us from other > algorithms is the future, so this feeds my bias...] > > http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article201938144.html > Hoax attempts against Miami Herald augur brewing war over fake, real news > ... > Algorithms should be able to find an order of magnitude more > than they do now," Mele said, adding that more employees > would also be needed at the social media giants. > ... > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 27 14:49:53 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2018 15:49:53 -0500 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OT: Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence Message-ID: <14BEE5CD-EDC5-487B-9687-0508EE167040@infowarrior.org> (to quote Nelson, "ha-HAH!" --rick) Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence A memo sent Friday downgraded the presidential son-in-law and adviser and other White House aides who had been working on interim clearances. By ELIANA JOHNSON and ANDREW RESTUCCIA 02/27/2018 03:39 PM EST Presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded ? a move that will prevent him from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access. Kushner is not alone. All White House aides working on the highest-level interim clearances ? at the Top Secret/SCI-level ? were informed in a memo sent Friday that their clearances would be downgraded to the Secret level, according to three people with knowledge of the situation. < - > https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/27/jared-kushner-security-clearance-downgrade-427178 From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 1 11:57:36 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 01 Feb 2018 17:57:36 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Selective Declassification and the Nunes Memo Message-ID: Selective Declassification and the Nunes Memo https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2018/02/selective-declass/ https://fas.org/?post_type=secrecy&p=34256 If Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee want to publicly release a classified memo that they prepared on alleged misconduct in the FBI, what could be wrong with that? Quite a lot, actually. Even if the risks of disclosing classified information in this case are small (a point that is disputed), the selective disclosure of isolated claims is bound to produce a distorted view of events. The suppression of dissenting views held by Democratic members of the Committee only aggravates the distortion. ?Deliberately misleading by selectively declassifying is an established technique, and it is one that is both shady and dangerous,? said Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) on the Senate floor on Tuesday. ?This business of selectively cherry-picking things out of classified information to spread a false narrative has a very unpleasant echo for me because this is what the Bush administration was up to when it was trying to defend the torture program. They selectively declassified, for instance, that Abu Zubaydah had been the subject of what they called their enhanced interrogation techniques program and that he had produced important, actionable intelligence. What they did not declassify was that all the actionable intelligence he gave them had been provided before they started on the torture techniques.? Sen. Whitehouse said that the practice resembled Soviet and Russian information warfare activities that were used ?to poison the factual environment.? ?You start with the selective release of classified material that the public can?t get behind because the rest is classified, the false narrative that the ranking member has pointed out that that creates, the partisan and peculiar process for getting there, the ignoring of warnings from their own national security officials about how bad this is, the convenient whipping up of all of this in far-right media at the same time, the amplification of that actually by Russian bots and other sources, and the fact that this is all pointed, not coincidentally, at the agency and officials who are engaged in investigating the Trump White House and the Trump campaign, it is so appallingly obvious what the game is that is being played here.? Meanwhile, Sen. Whitehouse said, Congress has taken no action to protect against foreign interference in U.S. elections. ?We are warned that a hostile foreign power is going to attack our 2018 election. Where is the legislation to defend against that? Where is the markup of the legislation? Where is the effort to do what needs to be done to defend our democracy? Here we are just a few months out from the election. We are 9 months out. Do I have the math right? It is 9 months between here and there. Nothing.? Yesterday, the FBI put out a brief statement noting that ?we have grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo?s accuracy.? But as far as is known, no similar concerns have been expressed by intelligence community leaders. ?It is stunning to me,? Sen. Whitehouse said, ?that we have heard nothing?at least I have heard nothing? [?] from our Director of National Intelligence, DNI Coats, and I have heard nothing from CIA Director Pompeo for?how long it has been?? Yesterday, coincidentally, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence announced that DNI Coats had directed the declassification of classified intelligence records concerning the Tet Offensive launched by North Vietnamese forces in January 1968. An ODNI posting said that it is part of a ?New Transparency Effort To Share Historical Information of Current Relevance.? Any declassification of historical information is welcome. But for all of its historical gravity, the Tet Offensive could hardly have less ?current relevance.? From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 1 18:26:20 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2018 00:26:20 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - The Law and Order Party Has Turned on the Law and Order Agencies Message-ID: <04C4D83D-E81A-492F-ACFC-70BE409B0C79@infowarrior.org> The Law and Order Party Has Turned on the Law and Order Agencies By Jennifer Jacobs Billy House Chris Strohm February 1, 2018, 1:26 PM EST https://www.bloomberg.com/businessweek Aboard Air Force One during his flight to Davos on Jan. 24, President Trump erupted in anger. According to four people with knowledge of the matter, Trump got mad after learning that a top Department of Justice official had warned against releasing a memo prepared by Devin Nunes, the Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and a Trump supporter. The president had hoped the memo would undercut the Russia probe by showing FBI bias against him. In a letter to Nunes, Assistant Attorney General Stephen Boyd said it would be ?extraordinarily reckless? to release the classified memo, written by Republican staffers, which supposedly outlined alleged missteps at the FBI and Justice Department related to the Russia investigation. To Trump, Boyd?s letter was another example of the department undermining him and blocking GOP efforts to expose the political motives behind special counsel Robert Mueller?s probe. Trump?s fury set in motion a swift rebuke from White House officials, including chief of staff John Kelly, who lashed out at Justice Department officials, according to the people. Ultimately, the memo may be remembered less as a source of information and more as a symbol of how the Russia investigation devolved into a political fight. While some Republicans have hailed it as an eye-opener that will cast doubt on the entire rationale for the probe, Democrats have called it ?a partisan sham cooked up to undermine the FBI, DOJ, and the Mueller probe,? as Virginia Senator Mark Warner tweeted on Jan. 30. The temperature is certainly rising as Mueller?s probe gets closer to Trump. The special counsel appears to be wrapping up at least one key part of his investigation?whether Trump obstructed justice by, among other things, firing former FBI Director James Comey, according to current and former U.S. officials. Trump?s lawyers are said to be negotiating terms under which Mueller might be able to interview the president. In the end, the squabble over the memo?s release didn?t faze House Republicans. On Jan. 29, the House Intelligence Committee voted along party lines to release it. The White House has as many as five days to review the four-page document before deciding whether to make it available to the public. Also on Jan. 29, the GOP majority on the committee delayed the release of a competing memo drafted by committee Democrats, and FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, a frequent target of Trump criticism, resigned. It was all a fitting capstone to what had been a bizarre and often confusing few days of GOP efforts to discredit the FBI and Justice Department, filled with allegations of secret societies, missing text messages, and informants holding off-site meetings. It?s hard to tell what, if any, of this is based in fact. But what?s become clear is that the Republican Party, or certain elements of it, has marshaled a propaganda war against the country?s top two law enforcement agencies in defense of Trump. The noise has built into a conservative narrative of wrongdoing, including questions about the FBI?s dealings with a former British spy and whether top officials relied on his Democratic Party-financed work to cut corners to spy on Trump associates. Commentators on Fox News regularly talk of a ?deep state? plot against the president and argue that Mueller?s investigation should be shut down. This all makes some in the intelligence community uncomfortable, particularly because the release of a classified memo is a dramatic departure from normal procedure. Intelligence agencies usually conduct a declassification review before a vote to release a document. That didn?t happen this time. To release the memo, Nunes had to rely on a little-known procedure known as Rule X that, according to the Congressional Research Service, has never been used before and was designed to allow disclosures of classified information when it would serve an ?essential? public interest. Top law enforcement officials spent weeks lobbying against giving the panel classified information that may have become part of the basis for the memo. In early January, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein tried to persuade Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to stop Nunes from releasing the document. He ultimately sided with Nunes. Wray, who was allowed to read the memo the day before the vote to release it, told the White House it contained inaccurate information. In a Jan. 31 statement, the FBI said it had ?grave concerns about material omissions of fact that fundamentally impact the memo?s accuracy.? Three House lawmakers who?ve read the memo say it claims FBI officials didn?t provide all the relevant facts in requests made to a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court to obtain a surveillance warrant targeting Carter Page, a Trump campaign associate and former investment banker in Moscow. The memo claims important details were left out that might have kept a judge from issuing a warrant on Page, according to the lawmakers, who asked for anonymity to describe the sensitive document. One lawmaker added that he didn?t know if the memo?s claims are accurate. After the vote, Ryan defended the move, saying the memo raises ?legitimate questions? about possible official ?malfeasance? and whether an American?s civil liberties were violated. Those comments stand in contrast with the speaker?s strong defense in early January of a portion of the foreign surveillance law that was set to expire. Some conservatives had opposed the reauthorization, citing concerns about abuses they said may have led to improper surveillance of Trump. Some Republicans worry attacks on the FBI could backfire. ?We as Republicans have been the party of law enforcement at the state and local levels, as well as the federal level, and we were horrified by attacks from the far left on law enforcement a few years ago,? says Representative Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania. ?I don?t think it?s in our party?s interest to be at war with the FBI, or the DOJ, for that matter.? Representative Tom Marino, a Republican from Pennsylvania and a former U.S. attorney and local prosecutor, says he has ?significant reservations? about releasing the memo, in part because it would lack the context of a broader report that panel Republicans intend to issue on Russian election interference. Marino also says it?s dangerous for the GOP to be casting such broad allegations at the FBI. ?If you?re going to be critical, you got to make sure you?re not painting with a broad stroke and blaming everybody.? BOTTOM LINE - The GOP campaign to discredit Mueller?s Trump-Russia probe has Democrats?and some Republicans?worried. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 2 11:28:06 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2018 17:28:06 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - How the Spies Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fitbit Message-ID: How the Spies Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Fitbit The debate over whether fitness trackers should be allowed in sensitive areas has dragged on for years. By Jenna McLaughlin | February 1, 2018, 12:38 PM When researchers last weekend noticed that a private company had published a global heat map of people running and walking around, based on data uploaded from its fitness application, the news sparked renewed debate in the U.S. national security community about rules governing wearable devices that transmit data. What wasn?t disclosed by the intelligence and military officials reacting to the news is that the debate over whether fitness trackers should be allowed in sensitive spaces, particularly in intelligence outposts, has raged on for years. And many employees did in fact gain the right to wear certain types of trackers, even in the most sensitive locations. However, that decision has consistently led to internal disagreement. In some cases, military and intelligence officials have wide discretion over where and when their employees can use those devices. ?We are aware of the potential impacts of devices that collect and report personal and locational data, such as information contained in the Strava ?heat map? recently reported in the press,? a current U.S. intelligence official wrote in an email to Foreign Policy. ?The use of personal fitness and similar devices by individuals engaged in U.S. Government support is determined and directed by each agency and department.? < - > https://foreignpolicy.com/2018/02/01/how-the-spies-learned-to-stop-worrying-and-love-fitbit/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 2 11:37:07 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2018 17:37:07 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - "The Memo" is released Message-ID: <7705F692-3EF4-44CB-A08C-D2062DB7059A@infowarrior.org> I never thought I'd use the term 'nothingburger' but I would in reference to this latest political circus. --- rick Read the controversial memo just released by Republicans http://thehill.com/homenews/news/372022-read-the-controversial-memo-just-released-by-republicans The House Intelligence Committee on Friday released a classified memo alleging abuse of government surveillance powers by the Justice Department. The memo?s release follows authorization by President Trump, who was required to allow the public to see classified materials. The memo was compiled by House Intelligence Committee staff, led by chairman Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), from classified documents provided by the Department of Justice. The DOJ and the FBI strongly objected to its release. http://thehill.com/homenews/news/372022-read-the-controversial-memo-just-released-by-republicans From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 2 17:00:24 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 02 Feb 2018 23:00:24 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fear and Loathing at the San Antonio Border Security Expo Message-ID: <5E7EC61E-6535-494C-B7FF-EFBF2B1D5EA9@infowarrior.org> Fear and Loathing at the San Antonio Border Security Expo Immigration officials say they no longer ?distinguish between border security and interior enforcement? and aim to ?push the borders out.? < - > https://www.texasobserver.org/fear-loathing-san-antonio-border-security-expo/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 5 06:51:38 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 12:51:38 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Week ahead: Lawmakers zero in on cyber diplomacy Message-ID: <7DDDDE7A-CEE9-41B0-BEA7-092155819C27@infowarrior.org> Week ahead: Lawmakers zero in on cyber diplomacy By Morgan Chalfant - 02/05/18 06:00 AM EST 0 http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/372045-week-ahead-lawmakers-zero-in-on-cyber-diplomacy A panel of House lawmakers is set to explore how the United States engages with the international community on cybersecurity, a meeting that will feature testimony from the government's former top cyber diplomat. The hearing, scheduled for Tuesday, is the latest congressional effort to put an emphasis on cyber engagement abroad in the evolving digital age. "Authoritarian regimes and foreign actors are working overtime to impose more control online, including through censorship," House Foreign Affairs Committee Chair Ed Royce (R-Calif.) said when announcing the hearing. "These destructive efforts to weaponize the internet undermine America's foreign policy and security, as well as our economy. "As Americans become more and more connected with digital technology, the United States must ensure the internet remains open, reliable and secure," Royce added. The hearing follows scrutiny of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's decision to close the Office of Cybersecurity Coordinator at the State Department. As part of a broader reorganization effort, Tillerson folded the office's responsibilities into a bureau focused on economic and business issues. Lawmakers in both parties have expressed concerns with Tillerson's decision. Earlier this month, House lawmakers passed legislation that would effectively restore the office and give its leader the rank of ambassador. Chris Painter, the former cybersecurity coordinator, is scheduled to testify before the Foreign Affairs Committee alongside other experts on Tuesday. Painter left his position at the end of July, just before Tillerson formally notified Congress of his plans to close the cybersecurity office. State Department officials maintain that cyber remains a top priority despite the office's closure. The department's cyber diplomacy efforts are now spearheaded by Rob Strayer at the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs. On Thursday, Strayer met with European officials in Brussels as part of the 15th Information Society Dialogue between the EU and U.S. on topics that ranged from cybersecurity to international data flows. Meanwhile, a group of senators is poised to hear testimony in the coming week from a top Uber executive on the ride-share company's 2016 data breach that came to light late last year. John Flynn, Uber's chief information security officer, is slated to testify before a Senate Commerce subcommittee on Tuesday. The company faced massive scrutiny over reports that executives paid off the hacker behind the breach through a "bug bounty" program, which rewards researchers for finding previously unknown vulnerabilities. The coming week is likely to offer further developments stemming from the House Intelligence Committee's decision Friday to release a controversial memo that Republicans say shows the Justice Department's abuse of a critical foreign surveillance program. President Trump authorized the memo's release, despite fierce objection from the FBI. The developments have set Republicans and the Trump White House on a collision course with the bureau and the DOJ. Off Capitol Hill, House Homeland Security Chair Michael McCaul (R-Texas) will deliver his state of national security address on Monday at George Washington University's Center for Cyber and Homeland Security. His remarks are expected to focus on efforts to combat terrorism, border and aviation security, and cybersecurity. On Tuesday, the Atlantic Council is hosting an event on Russian cyber operations targeting Ukraine, which will feature remarks from Rep. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and a Ukrainian government official, along with other expert panelists. From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 5 10:20:50 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 16:20:50 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Cisco, Apple, Aon, Allianz introduce a first in cyber risk management Message-ID: <5F9B3817-B39E-4F4E-BB97-7129345D2CD0@infowarrior.org> Cisco, Apple, Aon, Allianz introduce a first in cyber risk management Combined Approach Integrates Technology, Services and Enhanced Cyber Insurance to Make Businesses More Resilient https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2018/02/cisco-apple-aon-allianz-introduce-a-first-in-cyber-risk-management/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 5 16:34:59 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 22:34:59 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - POTUS: Not clapping for him at SOTU should be 'treasonous' Message-ID: <381F2AA5-A63D-467D-A578-D404AC388AA8@infowarrior.org> 'Un-American' and 'treasonous': Trump goes after Democrats who didn't clap during State of the Union ? President Donald Trump says Democrats who didn't applaud his State of the Union are "un-American" and could be called "treasonous." ? Relations between the two major American parties are already delicate as Congress tries to strike government spending and immigration deals. Jacob Pramuk | @jacobpramuk Published 1 Hour Ago CNBC.com In the chamber of the U.S. House of Representatives January 30, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Donald Trump on Monday ripped into Democrats who held their applause during his first State of the Union address, saying the behavior could amount to "treason." In a speech in Ohio promoting the GOP tax law and Republican midterm candidates, the president questioned why Democrats in Congress refused to clap during many moments of his speech. Most of the caucus sat stone-faced during Trump's address last week as he promoted Republican economic policies and pushed for immigration changes that Democrats largely oppose. On Monday, the president lambasted Democratic lawmakers and called their behavior "un-American." He specifically pointed out a widely shared moment in which nearly all of a group of Congressional Black Caucus lawmakers did not react when Trump pointed out that the unemployment rate for black Americans was the lowest ever in December. "You're up there, you've got half the room going totally crazy ? wild, they loved everything, they want to do something great for our country," Trump said. "And you have the other side ? even on positive news, really positive news like that ? they were like death. And un-American. Un-American. Somebody said, 'treasonous.' I mean, yeah, I guess, why not? Can we call that treason? Why not! I mean they certainly didn't seem to love our country very much." In a tweet Monday afternoon, House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said "every American should be alarmed" by how Trump "is working to make loyalty to him synonymous with loyalty to our country." < - > https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/05/trump-calls-democrats-un-american-and-treasonous.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 5 17:23:10 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 05 Feb 2018 23:23:10 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - New CFPB chief gives up on punishing Equifax Message-ID: <5460A6AF-52EB-46DE-9CE9-464637869681@infowarrior.org> Mick Mulvaney, the former loan-shark lobbyist who killed plans to regulate payday lenders after being appointed chief of the Consumer Finance Protection Board, has effective abandoned the agency's efforts to punish Equifax for leaking the sensitive personal and financial information of at least 145,500,000 Americans. According to sources cited by Reuters, the agency "has not ordered subpoenas against Equifax or sought sworn testimony from executives, routine steps when launching a full-scale probe" and cancelled plans for "on-the-ground tests of how Equifax protects data." They've also turned down offers of assistance from the Federal Reserve, Federal Deposit Insurance Corp and Office of the Comptroller of the Currency..... < - > https://boingboing.net/2018/02/05/thanks-mick-mulvaney.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 6 06:27:48 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2018 12:27:48 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OII: Polarization, Partisanship and Junk News Consumption over Social Media in the US Message-ID: Polarization, Partisanship and Junk News Consumption over Social Media in the US What kinds of social media users read junk news? We examine the distribution of the most significant sources of junk news in the three months before President Donald Trump?s first State of the Union Address. Drawing on a list of sources that consistently publish political news and information that is extremist, sensationalist, conspiratorial, masked commentary, fake news and other forms of junk news, we find that the distribution of such content is unevenly spread across the ideological spectrum. We demonstrate that (1) on Twitter, a network of Trump supporters shares the widest range of known junk news sources and circulates more junk news than all the other groups put together; (2) on Facebook, extreme hard right pages?distinct from Republican pages?share the widest range of known junk news sources and circulate more junk news than all the other audiences put together; (3) on average, the audiences for junk news on Twitter share a wider range of known junk news sources than audiences on Facebook?s public pages. Vidya Narayanan, Vlad Barash, John Kelly, Bence Kollanyi, Lisa-Maria Neudert, and Philip N. Howard. ?Polarization, Partisanship and Junk News Consumption over Social Media in the US.? Data Memo 2018.1. Oxford, UK: Project on Computational Propaganda. comprop.oii.ox.ac.uk < - > http://comprop.oii.ox.ac.uk/research/polarization-partisanship-and-junk-news/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 6 08:40:52 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2018 14:40:52 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OT: Live by the Dow, Die by the Dow? Message-ID: <3C43CA65-9D2A-4E1B-BDC0-33B980836235@infowarrior.org> Live by the Dow, Die by the Dow? By Peter Baker and Binyamin Appelbaum Feb. 5, 2018 WASHINGTON ? As President Trump boasted about the economy during a speech on Monday, he left out one of his favorite lines. Nowhere did he mention the skyrocketing stock market. Viewers at home understood why. In the corner of their television screens, a graphic showed the Dow Jones industrial average seemingly in free fall ? down 500 points, down 600, down 800, down 1,000. By the time a bullish Mr. Trump was done speaking in Blue Ash, Ohio, the bearish market had plunged by nearly 1,600 points before recovering somewhat to close 1,175 points down. No president in modern times has connected his political fortunes to the stock market as much as Mr. Trump, who relentlessly cited its meteoric rise as a sign of his success at restoring confidence in the American economy. But the drastic sell-off on Friday and Monday demonstrated why most presidents scrupulously avoid talking about short-term gyrations in share prices: If you live by the Dow, you may die by the Dow. Barely a week went by last year when Mr. Trump did not crow about the rising market, making it a major talking point for his case to the country that he had made a difference. He took credit for the market at least 25 times in January alone. Even when the Dow fell 363 points on the day of his State of the Union address last week, Mr. Trump simply ignored the drop and talked about how the market had ?smashed one record after another? since his election. < - > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/05/us/politics/trump-stock-market-economy.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 6 17:21:56 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 06 Feb 2018 23:21:56 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Trump to the Pentagon: Plan a grand military parade Message-ID: Trump?s ?marching orders? to the Pentagon: Plan a grand military parade By Greg Jaffe and Philip Rucker February 6 at 6:03 PM President Trump?s vision of soldiers marching and tanks rolling down the boulevards of Washington is moving closer to reality in the Pentagon and White House, where officials say they have begun to plan a grand military parade later this year showcasing the might of America?s armed forces. Trump has long mused publicly and privately about wanting such a parade, but a Jan. 18 meeting between Trump and top generals in the Pentagon?s tank ? a room reserved for top secret discussions ? marked a tipping point, according to two officials briefed on the planning. Surrounded by the military?s highest ranking officials, including Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joe Dunford, Trump?s seemingly abstract desire for a parade was suddenly heard as a presidential directive, the officials said. ?The marching orders were: I want a parade like the one in France,? said a military official who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the planning discussions are supposed to remain confidential. ?This is being worked at the highest levels of the military.? < - big snip - > https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-marching-orders-to-the-pentagon-plan-a-grand-military-parade/2018/02/06/9e19ca88-0b55-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Feb 7 16:20:21 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2018 22:20:21 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - DHS exec: Russians penetrated US voter registrations in '16 Message-ID: <9CDC6D73-7CF8-4CD9-B4D4-4FFA0855321A@infowarrior.org> REAKING Politics Feb 7 2018, 5:01 pm ET Russians penetrated U.S. voter systems, says top U.S. official by Cynthia McFadden, William M. Arkin and Kevin Monahan The U.S. official in charge of protecting American elections from hacking says the Russians successfully penetrated the voter registration rolls of several U.S. states prior to the 2016 presidential election. In an exclusive interview with NBC News, Jeanette Manfra, the head of cybersecurity at the Department of Homeland Security, said she couldn't talk about classified information publicly, but in 2016, "We saw a targeting of 21 states and an exceptionally small number of them were actually successfully penetrated." Jeh Johnson, who was DHS secretary during the Russian intrusions, said, "2016 was a wake-up call and now it's incumbent upon states and the Feds to do something about it before our democracy is attacked again." "We were able to determine that the scanning and probing of voter registration databases was coming from the Russian government." NBC News reported in Sept. 2016 that more than 20 states had been targeted by the Russians. There is no evidence that any of the registration rolls were altered in any fashion, according to U.S. officials. < - > https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/eric-holder-leads-democrats-war-gerrymandering-n845576 From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Feb 7 16:42:10 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 07 Feb 2018 22:42:10 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - John Perry Barlow, Internet Pioneer, 1947-2018 Message-ID: <42920C53-3EE3-4477-B560-2DE5C0C90A5F@infowarrior.org> John Perry Barlow, Internet Pioneer, 1947-2018 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/john-perry-barlow-internet-pioneer-1947-2018 By Cindy Cohn February 7, 2018 With a broken heart I have to announce that EFF's founder, visionary, and our ongoing inspiration, John Perry Barlow, passed away quietly in his sleep this morning. We will miss Barlow and his wisdom for decades to come, and he will always be an integral part of EFF. It is no exaggeration to say that major parts of the Internet we all know and love today exist and thrive because of Barlow?s vision and leadership. He always saw the Internet as a fundamental place of freedom, where voices long silenced can find an audience and people can connect with others regardless of physical distance. Barlow was sometimes held up as a straw man for a kind of naive techno-utopianism that believed that the Internet could solve all of humanity's problems without causing any more. As someone who spent the past 27 years working with him at EFF, I can say that nothing could be further from the truth. Barlow knew that new technology could create and empower evil as much as it could create and empower good. He made a conscious decision to focus on the latter: "I knew it?s also true that a good way to invent the future is to predict it. So I predicted Utopia, hoping to give Liberty a running start before the laws of Moore and Metcalfe delivered up what Ed Snowden now correctly calls 'turn-key totalitarianism.'? Barlow?s lasting legacy is that he devoted his life to making the Internet into ?a world that all may enter without privilege or prejudice accorded by race, economic power, military force, or station of birth . . . a world where anyone, anywhere may express his or her beliefs, no matter how singular, without fear of being coerced into silence or conformity.? In the days and weeks to come, we will be talking and writing more about what a extraordinary role Barlow played for the Internet and the world. And as always, we will continue the work to fulfill his dream. From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 8 06:22:13 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2018 12:22:13 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Judge Tells CIA It Can't Hand Classified Info To Journalists And Pretend The Info Hasn't Been Made Public Message-ID: <22B6563D-C11E-4B95-8BFC-9B6E36AAC805@infowarrior.org> Judge Tells CIA It Can't Hand Classified Info To Journalists And Pretend The Info Hasn't Been Made Public https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180202/19344139143/judge-tells-cia-it-cant-hand-classified-info-to-journalists-pretend-info-hasnt-been-made-public.shtml < - > The opinion also contains this pointed footnote, appended to discussion of the CIA's assertion it can hand over classified info to journalists and still pretend the info hasn't been made public. I suppose it is possible that the Government does not consider members of the press to be part of "the public." I do. From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 8 06:29:43 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 08 Feb 2018 12:29:43 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Apple Facing Security Nightmare as iOS 9 Source Code Leaks Message-ID: (it's already off github but you can expect to find it elsewhere. --rick) Apple Facing Security Nightmare as iOS 9 Source Code Leaks The iBoot source code, which handles loading and verifying iOS, was uploaded to GitHub for all to see. By Matthew Humphries February 8, 2018 6:30AM EST https://www.pcmag.com/news/359090/apple-facing-security-nightmare-as-ios-9-source-code-leaks Apple is today facing up to a potential security nightmare due to source code from iOS 9 being uploaded to GitHub. The identity of the person who leaked the code is currently unknown. iOS 9 is old you may think, as we're now up to iOS 11, but that doesn't mean parts of the code from iOS 9 aren't still in use. As Motherboard explains, the situation is made worse for Apple because the source code that did leak is for iBoot. Apple uses iBoot to handle booting iOS when you first turn on your iPhone. It is the first process to run and it verifies iOS has been properly signed by Apple. In other words, it's the first security check performed by Apple, meaning the code will be of great interest to hackers who would like to jailbreak newer versions of the mobile operating system. Jonathan Levin, author of a trilogy of books on macOS and iOS internals, describes the source code leak as "the biggest leak in history" and "a huge deal." He has checked the code and believes it is the real iBoot code iOS 9 uses. It's also worth noting that Apple's bug bounty program pays out the most money ($200,000) for vulnerabilities discovered in the boot process. According to Levin, this leak means tethered jailbreaks could soon re-appear for iOS. Apple will by now be well aware of the leak and the software team who handle iBoot development will be reviewing what exactly leaked, what if anything it could reveal in terms of security vulnerabilities, and how to best mitigate any future hacks with an update to iOS 11. Apple needs to react quickly because this source code leak isn't exactly new. It was first posted last year on Reddit, but mostly went unnoticed. Now the code is available on GitHub many more will take notice of it, but some hackers/researchers may have been reviewing it for months already. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 9 06:49:37 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2018 12:49:37 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Why You Get Hooked on Candy Crush and Snapchat Message-ID: (I wouldn't know --- never used either of them. --rick) Why You Get Hooked on Candy Crush and Snapchat https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-09/why-it-s-hard-to-kick-candy-crush-stop-snapchatting-quicktake From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 9 09:36:33 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:36:33 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - How POTUS gets his intel briefing Message-ID: Breaking with tradition, Trump skips president?s written intelligence report and relies on oral briefings By Carol D. Leonnig, Shane Harris and Greg Jaffe February 9 at 10:02 AM https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/breaking-with-tradition-trump-skips-presidents-written-intelligence-report-for-oral-briefings/2018/02/09/b7ba569e-0c52-11e8-95a5-c396801049ef_story.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 9 09:37:49 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:37:49 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - ESPN Still Isn't Quite Getting The Message Cord Cutters Are Sending Message-ID: <468E2300-3194-44C4-8649-8524C80F82FB@infowarrior.org> ESPN Still Isn't Quite Getting The Message Cord Cutters Are Sending https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180207/08164239179/espn-still-isnt-quite-getting-message-cord-cutters-are-sending.shtml From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 9 09:38:47 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2018 15:38:47 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Cryptocurrency boom, a problem for gamers, is a bonanza for GPU makers Message-ID: Cryptocurrency boom, a problem for gamers, is a bonanza for GPU makers https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2018/02/nvidia-profits-soar-as-cryptocurrency-boom-creates-gpu-shortage/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 9 11:28:26 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2018 17:28:26 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - CLOUD Act: A Dangerous Expansion of Police Snooping on Cross-Border Data Message-ID: (again with the moronic cutesy acronyms that Congresscritters so love. --rick) The CLOUD Act: A Dangerous Expansion of Police Snooping on Cross-Border Data By Camille Fischer February 8, 2018 This week, Senators Hatch, Graham, Coons, and Whitehouse introduced a bill that diminishes the data privacy of people around the world. The Clarifying Overseas Use of Data (CLOUD) Act expands American and foreign law enforcement?s ability to target and access people?s data across international borders in two ways. First, the bill creates an explicit provision for U.S. law enforcement (from a local police department to federal agents in Immigration and Customs Enforcement) to access ?the contents of a wire or electronic communication and any record or other information? about a person regardless of where they live or where that information is located on the globe. In other words, U.S. police could compel a service provider?like Google, Facebook, or Snapchat?to hand over a user?s content and metadata, even if it is stored in a foreign country, without following that foreign country?s privacy laws.[1] Second, the bill would allow the President to enter into ?executive agreements? with foreign governments that would allow each government to acquire users? data stored in the other country, without following each other?s privacy laws. < - > https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/cloud-act-dangerous-expansion-police-snooping-cross-border-data From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 9 16:02:09 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2018 22:02:09 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?How_Partisan_Has_HPSCI_Become=3F_It?= =?utf-8?q?=E2=80=99s_Building_a_Wall?= Message-ID: <288FB52B-9E6D-4EE5-A240-12B31DBC5E35@infowarrior.org> How Partisan Has House Intelligence Panel Become? It?s Building a Wall By Sharon LaFraniere and Nicholas Fandos Feb. 8, 2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/08/us/politics/house-intelligence-committee-russia-nunes.html WASHINGTON ? Beneath the Capitol, in a secured room where the House Intelligence Committee is supposed to be pressing its inquiry into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, two dozen staff members await a construction crew. The workers will be erecting a physical barrier to separate the cubicles of aides who serve Republican members of the committee from those who serve Democrats. To committee members of both parties, the planned division of one room into two is emblematic of how far the panel, a longtime oasis of country-first comity in a bitterly divided Congress, has fallen since it began its Russia inquiry last year. Any pretense that committee members will come together to get to the bottom of that matter ? or any other ? has disappeared. ?I think that is a travesty,? said Mike Rogers, a Republican former House member from Michigan who was chairman of the committee from 2011 through January 2015, predicting that the ugly partisanship would erode the trust that the committee needs from intelligence agencies to do its job. Born four decades ago out of Congress?s determination to guard against abuses of the federal government?s covert intelligence-gathering powers, the committee has had troubles before. But Republicans and Democrats say it hit a new low in the past two weeks, one many predict will have enduring consequences. ?Certainly I?ve never heard of or seen it being this bad,? Mr. Rogers said. In recent days, the Republican-controlled committee has treated the public to a confusing round-the-clock spectacle over dueling staff-drafted memos that pitted Republicans? damning characterizations of classified documents against Democrats? benign ones.... < - > The legislation that set up both committees in the mid-1970s envisioned a compact: The nation?s intelligence and law enforcement agencies would share highly sensitive secrets with a select group of lawmakers and senior aides with the understanding that the information would be carefully protected. But the authors of the legislation deliberately included a check on the agencies. The committees could vote to release classified information if they deemed it to serve the public interest, as long as the president did not object. There is a long waiting list for a spot on the House panel, and a tradition to uphold. Legislators and staff members like to repeat the mantra that they check their politics with their cellphones when they enter the secure rooms to review classified information or interview witnesses. Those now seem like empty boasts. ?Everything now, you feel, is just being done to set up for the next political posturing,? Mr. Rooney said. Representative Jim Himes, Democrat of Connecticut, agreed. ?To do oversight, we need to be functional, and right now we are not functional,? he said. K. Michael Conaway, a Republican from Texas who has helped run the day-to-day Russia investigation, said he was hopeful that tensions would eventually fade. But at the moment, he acknowledged, it seems like ?the worst thing ever.? Some senior career officials at the government?s intelligence agencies, endowed with around $80 billion a year in funding, warn that the next time the House committee seeks classified materials or briefings, there will be more reluctance than usual to cooperate. When lawmakers suddenly declassify secret information over the objections of those who provided it, the reaction of agency officials, whistle-blowers and even intelligence officials in allied countries is predictable, said Steven Aftergood, the director of the Project on Government Secrecy at the Federation of American Scientists: ?Wait a minute. We had better think twice about what we share.? From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 9 16:04:27 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 09 Feb 2018 22:04:27 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - DOJ's #3 to retire Message-ID: No. 3 Official at the Justice Department Is Stepping Down By Katie Benner Feb. 9, 2018 WASHINGTON ? Rachel L. Brand, the No. 3 official at the Justice Department, plans to step down after nine months on the job as the country?s top law enforcement agency has been under attack by President Trump, according to two people briefed on her decision. Ms. Brand?s profile had risen in part because she is next in the line of succession behind the deputy attorney general, Rod J. Rosenstein, who is overseeing the special counsel?s inquiry into Russian influence in the 2016 election. Mr. Trump, who has called the investigation a witch hunt, has considered firing Mr. Rosenstein. Such a move could have put her in charge of the special counsel and, by extension, left her in the cross hairs of the president. Ms. Brand, who became the associate attorney general in May 2017, is leaving for a job as general counsel in the private sector. She has held politically appointed positions at the Justice Department over the past three presidential administrations. In her current job, she reports directly to Mr. Rosenstein and Jeff Sessions, the attorney general, who has recused himself from the Russia investigation. < - > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/09/us/politics/rachel-brand-justice-department.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Sat Feb 10 09:22:34 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sat, 10 Feb 2018 15:22:34 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - U.S. Spies, Seeking to Retrieve Cyberweapons, Paid Russian Peddling Trump Secrets Message-ID: <4936D413-9FFD-4678-A0F3-3490F510AB8A@infowarrior.org> U.S. Spies, Seeking to Retrieve Cyberweapons, Paid Russian Peddling Trump Secrets https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/09/us/politics/us-cyberweapons-russia-trump.html BERLIN ? After months of secret negotiations, a shadowy Russian bilked American spies out of $100,000 last year, promising to deliver stolen National Security Agency cyberweapons in a deal that he insisted would also include compromising material on President Trump, according to American and European intelligence officials. The cash, delivered in a suitcase to a Berlin hotel room in September, was intended as the first installment of a $1 million payout, according to American officials, the Russian and communications reviewed by The New York Times. The theft of the secret hacking tools had been devastating to the N.S.A., and the agency was struggling to get a full inventory of what was missing. Several American intelligence officials said they made clear that they did not want the Trump material from the Russian, who was suspected of having murky ties to Russian intelligence and to Eastern European cybercriminals. He claimed the information would link the president and his associates to Russia. Instead of providing the hacking tools, the Russian produced unverified and possibly fabricated information involving Mr. Trump and others, including bank records, emails and purported Russian intelligence data. < - > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/09/us/politics/us-cyberweapons-russia-trump.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Sun Feb 11 14:28:00 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sun, 11 Feb 2018 20:28:00 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Equifax Hack Might Be Worse Than You Think Message-ID: <789C64EF-48CD-4D91-9E86-DFC790B3BA9D@infowarrior.org> Equifax Hack Might Be Worse Than You Think https://archive.is/x4HBa#selection-2053.0-2285.269 Hackers accessed more records, including tax ID numbers and email addresses, than Equifax previously thought From left, Equifax?s interim CEO, Paulino do Rego Barros Jr.; former CEO Richard Smith; and Marissa Mayer, the former CEO of Yahoo, testified at a Nov. 8 hearing of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee on how to protect consumers in data breaches. PHOTO: ALEX WONG/GETTY IMAGES By AnnaMaria Andriotis Feb. 9, 2018 10:49 a.m. ET 0 COMMENTS Hackers in the Equifax Inc. EFX 0.48%? breach accessed more of consumers? personal information than the company disclosed publicly last year. Equifax said, in a document submitted to the Senate Banking Committee and reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, that cyberthieves accessed records across numerous tables in its systems that included such data as tax identification numbers, email addresses and drivers? license information beyond the license numbers it originally disclosed. The revelations come some five months after Equifax announced it had been breached and personal information belonging to 145.5 million consumers had been compromised, including names, Social Security numbers, dates of birth and addresses. The fact that hackers accessed even more data shows both the vast amount of information that Equifax holds and the risks at stake for consumers, given the level of personal information that has been compromised. It?s unclear how many of the 145.5 million people are affected by the additional data including tax ID numbers, which are often assigned to people who don?t have Social Security numbers. Hackers also accessed email addresses for some consumers, according to the document and an Equifax spokeswoman, who said ?an insignificant number? of email addresses were affected. She added that email addresses aren?t considered sensitive personal information because they are commonly searchable in public domains. ?We have complied with applicable notification requirements in the disclosure process,? the spokeswoman said, adding that the company has sent mail notices to consumers whose credit card numbers and certain other documents were impacted. As for tax ID numbers, the Equifax spokeswoman said they "were generally housed in the same field? as Social Security numbers. She added that individuals without a Social Security number could use their tax ID number to see if they were affected by the hack. Equifax also said, in response to questions from The Wall Street Journal, that some additional drivers? license information had been accessed. The company publicly disclosed in its Sept. 7 breach announcement that drivers? license numbers were accessed; the document submitted to the banking committee also includes drivers? license issue dates and states. The Equifax spokeswoman said the ?additional driver?s license information accessed other than the driver?s license number was extremely minimal? and ?anyone with a potentially affected driver?s license number? can also look up their status on an Equifax website. On Wednesday, Massachusetts Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who is on the banking committee, released a report on the Equifax hack and the company?s response. After disclosing the hack in September, Equifax announced that several executives, including chief executive Richard Smith, would retire. Mr. Smith was replaced by an interim chief executive, Paulino do Rego Barros Jr. In the weeks following, Mr. Smith and Mr. Barros appeared before congressional committees to discuss the breach; Mr. Barros stated that the company quadrupled spending on security and updated its security tools since the breach. In January, Equifax launched a free service allowing consumers to lock and unlock their Equifax credit report, a way to help limit access to it. The service is aimed at lessening the chances of fraudsters opening credit card accounts or other loans in consumers? names. From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 12 11:47:50 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 17:47:50 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - U.S. Intelligence Shuts Down Damning Report on Whistleblower Retaliation Message-ID: (c/o DM) U.S. Intelligence Shuts Down Damning Report on Whistleblower Retaliation A top watchdog investigated 190 cases of alleged retaliation against whistleblowers?and found that intelligence bureaucrats only once ruled in favor of the whistleblower. Kevin Poulsen 02.11.18 8:44 PM ET https://www.thedailybeast.com/us-intelligence-shut-downs-damning-report-on-whistleblower-retaliation From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 12 12:00:44 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 12 Feb 2018 18:00:44 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?b?4oCcU21hcnTigJ0gVFZzIGFyZW7igJl0IHNv?= =?utf-8?q?_smart_about_your_privacy?= Message-ID: <6BA28386-AD31-4BC3-A58B-61FD4699E09D@infowarrior.org> ?Smart? TVs aren?t so smart about your privacy: First findings of Consumer Reports? collaborative research with RDR and other partners https://rankingdigitalrights.org/2018/02/12/smart-tvs-arent-smart-privacy-first-findings-consumer-reports-collaborative-research-rdr-partners/ As everyday consumer appliances and devices like televisions are increasingly connected to the internet, concerns about privacy and security are mounting. Adding to growing consumer anxiety about the implications of bringing internet-connected appliances into our homes, on February 7th Consumer Reports reported that certain TV models sold by Samsung and TCL are vulnerable to hackers. The assessment, conducted in collaboration with Ranking Digital Rights (RDR) and Disconnect?a company that makes digital tools for preventing privacy invasions?revealed that security vulnerabilities in two of the five TV brands tested, Samsung and TCL, could allow a hacker to remotely take control of the TV. Researchers also found that all ?smart? or internet-connected TVs examined collect large amounts of information, which they send back to the TV manufacturers, software providers, and various third parties that deliver content, process payments and warranty claims, and provide marketing services. And yet, users do not always have the ability to control or minimize such data collection without losing the features of their TV that make them ?smart? in the first place, and that enable streaming or searching for content on various apps such as Netflix and YouTube. These unsettling findings are the first published results of an ongoing collaborative research and testing project that uses the Digital Standard to evaluate internet-connected products that make up what is often called the ?internet of things.? The Standard is an essential list of privacy and security criteria to assess smart devices, services and apps, developed in partnership with leading privacy, security, and human rights organizations, including Ranking Digital Rights. The goal is to encourage technology companies to prioritize consumers? security and privacy needs, and to help consumers make informed choices. Many of the privacy and security criteria included in the Digital Standard are either directly borrowed or adapted from RDR?s Corporate Accountability Index methodology. While RDR?s 35 indicators were developed to evaluate internet, mobile, and telecommunications companies, with some adaptation the methodology is proving to be equally suitable for assessing networked devices and services such as smart TVs. As part of the collaborative research and testing effort led by Consumer Reports, other types of networked devices and applications are also being evaluated against the Digital Standard. Thus, while the RDR Corporate Accountability Index focuses on 22 internet, mobile and telecommunications companies, the Digital Standard project demonstrates how the core principles underlying RDR?s methodology can be used to evaluate many more companies and product types across the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. The RDR indicators incorporated into the Digital Standard criteria focus on corporate disclosure of policies and practices around data collection and control, data use and sharing, and privacy and security oversight, among other issues. Collectively, these indicators have contributed to Consumer Reports? findings about the disturbing amount of data that TVs collect when connected to the internet. These data can include log information, device information, location information, as well as viewing information about the content users watch, which can be combined and shared for targeted advertising on TVs and other platforms with significant implications for privacy and security. More importantly, the findings reported this month by Consumer Reports highlight once again the importance of assessment tools such as RDR?s Index and the Digital Standard. Both provide companies with a roadmap to follow for establishing basic privacy and security standards. They also provide consumers with clear guidance for what they should be looking for in choosing internet-connected products. Furthermore, such evidence-based findings about privacy weaknesses and security vulnerabilities can be leveraged by advocacy organizations, shareholders, and users to demand more accountability from companies. They can also inform the work of policymakers as products from a growing number of industries get connected to the internet. From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 13 06:28:38 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 12:28:38 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Camera Makers Still Showing Zero Interest In Protecting Users With Built-In Encryption Message-ID: <271D2E61-83B1-4F29-A17C-F39073DBB8DC@infowarrior.org> Camera Makers Still Showing Zero Interest In Protecting Users With Built-In Encryption https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180204/07404639150/camera-makers-still-showing-zero-interest-protecting-users-with-built-in-encryption.shtml Digital cameras can store a wealth of personal information and yet they're treated as unworthy of extra protection -- both by courts and the camera makers themselves. The encryption that comes baked in on cellphones hasn't even been offered as an option on cameras, despite camera owners being just as interested in protecting their private data as cellphone users are. The Freedom of the Press Foundation sent a letter to major camera manufacturers in December 2016, letting them know filmmakers and journalists would appreciate a little assistance keeping their data out of governments' hands. < - > Unfortunately, it doesn't look like camera manufacturers are considering offering encryption. The issue still doesn't even appear to be on their radar, more than a year after the Freedom of the Press Foundation's letter -- signed by 150 photographers and filmmakers -- indicated plenty of customers wanted better protection for their cameras. Zack Whittaker of ZDNet asked several manufacturers about their encryption plans and received noncommittal shrugs in response. An Olympus spokesperson said the company will "in the next year... continue to review the request to implement encryption technology in our photographic and video products and will develop a plan for implementation where applicable in consideration to the Olympus product roadmap and the market requirements." When reached, Canon said it was "not at liberty to comment on future products and/or innovation." Sony also said it "isn't discussing product roadmaps relative to camera encryption." A Nikon spokesperson said the company is "constantly listening to the needs of an evolving market and considering photographer feedback, and we will continue to evaluate product features to best suit the needs of our users." And Fuji did not respond to several requests for comment by phone and email prior to publication. The message appears to be that camera owners are on their own when it comes to keeping their photos and footage out of the hands of government agents. This is unfortunate considering how many journalists and documentarians do their work in countries with fewer civil liberties protections than the US. Even in the US, those civil liberties can be waived away if photographers wander too close to US borders. If a government can search something, it will. Encryption may not thwart all searches, but it will at least impede the most questionable ones. From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 13 13:39:37 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 19:39:37 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - White Paper Points Out Just How Irresponsible 'Responsible Encryption' Is Message-ID: White Paper Points Out Just How Irresponsible 'Responsible Encryption' Is from the a-hole-for-one-is-a-hole-for-all dept In recent months, both Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein and FBI Director Christopher Wray have been calling for holes in encryption law enforcement can drive a warrant through. Both have no idea how this can be accomplished, but both are reasonably sure tech companies can figure it out for them. And if some sort of key escrow makes encryption less secure than it is now, so be it. Whatever minimal gains in access law enforcement obtains will apparently offset the damage done by key leaks or criminal exploitation of a deliberately-weakened system. Cryptography expert Riana Pfefferkorn has released a white paper [PDF] examining the feasibility of the vague requests made by Rosenstein and Wray. Their preferred term is "responsible encryption" -- a term that allows them to step around landmines like "encryption backdoors" or "we're making encryption worse for everyone!" Her paper shows "responsible encryption" is anything but. And, even if implemented, it will result in far less access (and far more nefarious exploitation) than Rosenstein and Wray think. < - > https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180208/11414739194/white-paper-points-out-just-how-irresponsible-responsible-encryption-is.shtml From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 13 16:59:41 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 22:59:41 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - POTUS to nominate Army cyber chief to lead NSA, official says Message-ID: Trump to nominate Army cyber chief to lead NSA, official says By Morgan Chalfant - 02/13/18 05:56 PM EST http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/373705-trump-to-nominate-army-cyber-chief-to-lead-nsa-official-says President Trump will nominate Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone to serve as the next leader of the National Security Agency, an administration official said Tuesday. ?Congratulations to Lt. Gen. Paul Nakasone, nominated as Director NSA & Commander, U.S. Cyber Command, a [position] that will earn him his 4th star!? Rob Joyce, a former NSA official who is serving as White House cyber coordinator, wrote on Twitter. ?An exceptional leader for two exceptional [organizations], he brings great experience and strong cyber background,? Joyce wrote. Nakasone, who currently leads the Army Cyber Command, will replace outgoing NSA Director Adm. Mike Rogers, who is expected to soon retire from his post. Nakasone will also helm U.S. Cyber Command in the dual-hat role. The White House has not yet sent out an official advisory on his nomination. A spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation. Nakasone has widely been rumored as a top choice for the role since news first broke that Rogers was expected to leave his post earlier this year. Politico reported last month that Trump was expected to choose Nakasone for the position. Nakasone will assume the role at a key moment for both the NSA and Cyber Command, the U.S. military?s offensive cyber unit. The clandestine spy agency has faced turmoil in recent years as a result of intelligence leaks and the loss of top-secret hacking tools. Meanwhile, Cyber Command will see its authorities grow in the coming year, after Trump moved to elevate it into a full combatant command last year. The Pentagon is current mulling whether and how to split NSA and Cyber Command, which will result in each having a different leader. The split is widely viewed as inevitable, though former officials and some lawmakers have warned it could have potentially negative consequences if done too swiftly. Rogers has helmed the NSA since 2014, and has presided over reorganization at the agency that has been unpopular among some officials. He delivered what is could to be his last public congressional testimony on Tuesday, appearing before the Senate Intelligence Committee for an annual hearing on worldwide threats. ?This will be Admiral Rogers's last visit before this committee on the threat assessment issue. He deeply regrets not having to come before you in the future years as he's enjoyed this process very much,? Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats quipped during opening remarks. From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 13 17:33:15 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 13 Feb 2018 23:33:15 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Salon to ad blockers: Can we use your browser to mine cryptocurrency? Message-ID: Salon to ad blockers: Can we use your browser to mine cryptocurrency? Salon?s optional coin mining lets you avoid ads, but eats up your CPU power. Jon Brodkin - 2/13/2018, 5:30 PM https://arstechnica.com/information-technology/2018/02/salon-to-ad-blockers-can-we-use-your-browser-to-mine-cryptocurrency/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Feb 14 08:30:42 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2018 14:30:42 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Google AMP for email is a terrible idea Message-ID: <0B252C4D-04A8-45F7-AD86-B480FB42BD67@infowarrior.org> AMP for email is a terrible idea Google just announced a plan to ?modernize? email with its Accelerated Mobile Pages platform, allowing ?engaging, interactive, and actionable email experiences.? Does that sound like a terrible idea to anyone else? It sure sounds like a terrible idea to me, and not only that, but an idea borne out of competitive pressure and existing leverage rather than user needs. Not good, Google. Send to trash. See, email belongs to a special class. Nobody really likes it, but it?s the way nobody really likes sidewalks, or electrical outlets, or forks. It not that there?s something wrong with them. It?s that they?re mature, useful items that do exactly what they need to do. They?ve transcended the world of likes and dislikes. As evidence consider the extreme rarity of anything other than normal versions of those things. Moving sidewalks, weirdo outlets, sporks ? they only exist in extreme niches like airports and lunchables. The originals have remained unchanged for as long as millennia for a good reason. Email too is simple. It?s a known quantity in practically every company, household, and device. The implementation has changed over the decades, but the basic idea has remained the same since the very first email systems in the ?60s and ?70s, certainly since its widespread standardization in the ?90s and shift to web platforms in the ?00s. The parallels to snail mail are deliberate (it?s a payload with an address on it) and simplicity has always been part of its design (interoperability and privacy came later). No company owns it. It works reliably and as intended on every platform, every operating system, every device. That?s a rarity today and a hell of a valuable one.... < - > https://techcrunch.com/2018/02/13/amp-for-email-is-a-terrible-idea/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Feb 14 10:53:04 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2018 16:53:04 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OMB Chief: POTUS' parade would cost between $10-$30 million Message-ID: <81C7FFAE-4EAC-40D4-A5D9-B09DB0ADEB4C@infowarrior.org> Trump?s military parade would cost between $10 million and $30 million, White House budget director says By Erica Werner February 14 at 11:21 AM https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2018/02/14/trumps-military-parade-would-cost-between-10-million-and-30-million-white-house-budget-director-says/ Trump?s military parade would cost between $10 million and $30 million, White House budget director Mick Mulvaney said on Wednesday. White House budget director Mick Mulvaney offered the estimate during questioning at the House Budget Committee. He said the White House hasn?t yet budgeted for the parade and would either rely on Congress to appropriate funds or find other funds that have already been appropriated. ?The estimates I?ve seen, they?re very preliminary, is between 10 [million dollars] and 30 [million dollars] depending upon the length, Mulvaney said. ?Obviously an hour parade is different from a five-hour parade in terms of the cost and the equipment and those types of things.? It was the first cost estimate of the military parade Trump has directed the Pentagon to plan later this year. From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Feb 14 14:37:06 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 14 Feb 2018 20:37:06 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Leaked chats show Wikileaks preference for GOP Message-ID: In Leaked Chats, WikiLeaks Discusses Preference for GOP Over Clinton, Russia, Trolling, and Feminists They Don?t Like Micah Lee, Cora Currier February 14 2018, 2:04 p.m. On a Thursday afternoon in November 2015, a light snow was falling outside the windows of the Ecuadorian embassy in London, despite the relatively warm weather, and Julian Assange was inside, sitting at his computer and pondering the upcoming 2016 presidential election in the United States. In little more than a year, WikiLeaks would be engulfed in a scandal over how it came to publish internal emails that damaged Hillary Clinton?s presidential campaign, and the extent to which it worked with Russian hackers or Donald Trump?s campaign to do so. But in the fall of 2015, Trump was polling at less than 30 percent among Republican voters, neck-and-neck with neurosurgeon Ben Carson, and Assange spoke freely about why WikiLeaks wanted Clinton and the Democrats to lose the election. ?We believe it would be much better for GOP to win,? he typed into a private Twitter direct message group to an assortment of WikiLeaks? most loyal supporters on Twitter. ?Dems+Media+liberals woudl then form a block to reign in their worst qualities,? he wrote. ?With Hillary in charge, GOP will be pushing for her worst qualities., dems+media+neoliberals will be mute.? He paused for two minutes before adding, ?She?s a bright, well connected, sadistic sociopath.? < - > https://theintercept.com/2018/02/14/julian-assange-wikileaks-election-clinton-trump/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 15 06:01:42 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2018 12:01:42 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - WH Science Advisor, Age 31, Has a Political Science Degree Message-ID: <12E4A398-8D25-4EB8-A522-A057B7C26884@infowarrior.org> Trump?s Science Advisor, Age 31, Has a Political Science Degree Because Trump has not nominated someone to head the Office of Science and Technology Policy, Michael Kratsios is the de facto leader ? By Scott Waldman, ClimateWire on February 14, 2018 A job that's been held by some of the nation's top scientists is now occupied by a 31-year-old politics major from Princeton University. And it's unlikely to change soon, observers say, leaving President Trump without a science adviser as the administration wrestles with a severe outbreak of the flu, lead-poisoned drinking water and record-breaking disasters that many scientists say are sharpened by rising temperatures. More than a year into his term, Trump hasn't identified a potential nominee for the key position held by prominent scientists in Republican and Democratic administrations alike. And it stands to get harder. There's a razor-thin margin for Senate approval, and Trump's critics and supporters could complicate the confirmation of anyone who rejects mainstream climate science. That means the job falls to Michael Kratsios, the deputy assistant in the Office of Science and Technology Policy. At least for now. Kratsios graduated from Princeton in 2008 with a political science degree and a focus on Hellenic studies. He previously served as chief of staff to Peter Thiel, the controversial Silicon Valley billionaire and Trump ally. The vacancy might reflect Trump's skepticism on climate change. If the president believes that the Senate would balk at a nominee who questions widely accepted views on climate change, he might prefer to leave the post open, said William Happer, an emeritus physics professor at Princeton University who is considered a leading candidate for the job. Happer says the Earth is experiencing a "CO2 famine." "There is no problem from CO2," Happer said last month in an interview with E&E News (Climatewire, Jan. 25). The Senate showed its disapproval with ideological science nominees earlier this month. Kathleen Hartnett White, Trump's pick to lead the Council on Environmental Quality, withdrew when faced with flagging Senate support. White denied that carbon dioxide was a pollutant, calling it the "gas of life" instead. < - > https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/trump-rsquo-s-science-advisor-age-31-has-a-political-science-degree/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 15 06:13:07 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2018 12:13:07 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - F.C.C. Watchdog Looks Into Changes That Benefited Sinclair Message-ID: <75E23D41-2A86-442D-BE10-17672C508776@infowarrior.org> F.C.C. Watchdog Looks Into Changes That Benefited Sinclair By Cecilia Kang Feb. 15, 2018 WASHINGTON ? Last April, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Ajit Pai, led the charge for his agency to approve rules allowing television broadcasters to greatly increase the number of stations they own. A few weeks later, Sinclair Broadcasting announced a blockbuster $3.9 billion deal to buy Tribune Media ? a deal those new rules made possible. By the end of the year, in a previously undisclosed move, the top internal watchdog for the F.C.C. opened an investigation into whether Mr. Pai and his aides had improperly pushed for the rule changes and whether they had timed them to benefit Sinclair, according to Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey and two congressional aides. ?For months I have been trying to get to the bottom of the allegations about Chairman Pai?s relationship with Sinclair Broadcasting,? Mr. Pallone, the top Democrat on the committee that oversees the F.C.C., said in the statement to The New York Times. ?I am grateful to the F.C.C.?s inspector general that he has decided to take up this important investigation.? It was unclear the extent of the inspector general?s investigation or when it might conclude, but the inquiry puts a spotlight on Mr. Pai?s decisions and whether there had been coordination with the company. It may also force him to answer questions that he has so far avoided addressing in public. The inquiry could also add ammunition to arguments against the Sinclair-Tribune deal. Public interest groups and Democratic lawmakers, including Mr. Pallone, are strongly opposed to the deal, arguing that it would reduce the number of voices in media and diminish coverage of local news. Sinclair?s chief executive, Chris Ripley, has called Mr. Pai?s relaxation of media ownership rules a ?landmark? development for his company and the industry. A union of Sinclair and Tribune would create the nation?s biggest television broadcaster, reaching seven out of 10 American homes. The F.C.C. and Justice Department are widely expected to approve the merger in the coming weeks. The office of F.C.C. inspector general, which is a nonpartisan role that reports to the agency and regularly updates Congress on some investigations, said it would ?not comment on the existence or the nonexistence of an investigation.? Mr. Pai?s office and Sinclair declined to comment. When the legislators called for an investigation in November, a spokesman for the F.C.C., representing Mr. Pai, said the allegations of favoritism were ?baseless.? ?For many years, Chairman Pai has called on the F.C.C. to update its media ownership regulations,? the F.C.C. spokesman said. ?The chairman is sticking to his long-held views, and given the strong case for modernizing these rules, it?s not surprising that those who disagree with him would prefer to do whatever they can to distract from the merits of his proposals.? A New York Times investigation published in August found that Mr. Pai and his staff members had met and corresponded with Sinclair executives several times. One meeting, with Sinclair?s executive chairman, took place days before Mr. Pai, who was appointed by President Trump, took over as F.C.C. chairman. Sinclair?s top lobbyist, a former F.C.C. official, also communicated frequently with former agency colleagues and pushed for the relaxation of media ownership rules. And language the lobbyist used about loosening rules has tracked closely to analysis and language used by Mr. Pai in speeches favoring such changes. < - > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/15/technology/fcc-sinclair-ajit-pai.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 15 06:46:09 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2018 12:46:09 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Judge Dismisses Playboy's Dumb Copyright Lawsuit Against BoingBoing Message-ID: Judge Dismisses Playboy's Dumb Copyright Lawsuit Against BoingBoing Well, that was incredibly quick. The district court judge hearing the case that Playboy filed against BoingBoing back in November has already dismissed it, though without prejudice, leaving it open for Playboy to try again. The judge noted that, given the facts before the court so far, it wasn't even necessary to hold a hearing, since BoingBoing was so clearly in the right and Playboy so clearly had no case. While the ruling does note that Playboy and its legal team can try again, it warns them that it's hard to see how there's a case here: < - > https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180214/14220139236/judge-dismisses-playboys-dumb-copyright-lawsuit-against-boingboing.shtml From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 15 14:30:46 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 15 Feb 2018 20:30:46 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Pirates_Crack_Microsoft=E2=80=99s_UWP_P?= =?utf-8?q?rotection=2C_Five_Layers_of_DRM_Defeated?= Message-ID: <374663E3-4997-4F4F-88F4-C50460644808@infowarrior.org> Pirates Crack Microsoft?s UWP Protection, Five Layers of DRM Defeated ? By Andy ? on February 15, 2018 https://torrentfreak.com/pirates-crack-microsofts-uwp-protection-five-layers-of-drm-defeated-180215/ Video games pirates have reason to celebrate today after scene cracking group CODEX defeated Microsoft's Universal Windows Platform system on Zoo Tycoon Ultimate Animal Collection. While the game it was protecting isn't exactly a fan favorite, it was reportedly protected by five layers of DRM within the UWP package, including the Denuvo-like Arxan anti-tamper technology. As the image on the right shows, Microsoft?s Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is a system that enables software developers to create applications that can run across many devices. ?The Universal Windows Platform (UWP) is the app platform for Windows 10. You can develop apps for UWP with just one API set, one app package, and one store to reach all Windows 10 devices ? PC, tablet, phone, Xbox, HoloLens, Surface Hub and more,? Microsoft explains. While the benefits of such a system are immediately apparent, critics say that UWP gives Microsoft an awful lot of control, not least since UWP software must be distributed via the Windows Store with Microsoft taking a cut. Or that was the plan, at least. Last evening it became clear that the UWP system, previously believed to be uncrackable, had fallen to pirates. After being released on October 31, 2017, the somewhat underwhelming Zoo Tycoon Ultimate Animal Collection became the first victim at the hands of popular scene group, CODEX. ?This is the first scene release of a UWP (Universal Windows Platform) game. Therefore we would like to point out that it will of course only work on Windows 10. This particular game requires Windows 10 version 1607 or newer,? the group said in its release notes. CODEX release notes CODEX says it?s important that the game isn?t allowed to communicate with the Internet so the group advises users to block the game?s executable in their firewall. While that?s not a particularly unusual instruction, CODEX did reveal that various layers of protection had to be bypassed to make the game work. They?re listed by the group as MSStore, UWP, EAppX, XBLive, and Arxan, the latter being an anti-tamper system. ?It?s the equivalent of Denuvo (without the DRM License part),? cracker Voksi previously explained. ?It?s still bloats the executable with useless virtual machines that only slow down your game.? Arxan features Arxan?s marketing comes off as extremely confident but may need amending in light of yesterday?s developments. ?Arxan uses code protection against reverse-engineering, key and data protection to secure servers and fortification of game logic to stop the bad guys from tampering. Sorry hackers, game over,? the company?s marketing reads. What is unclear at this stage is whether Zoo Tycoon Ultimate Animal Collection represents a typical UWP release or if some particular flaw allowed CODEX to take it apart. The possibility of additional releases is certainly a tantalizing one for pirates but how long they will have to wait is unknown. Whatever the outcome, Arxan calling ?game over? is perhaps a little premature under the circumstances but in this continuing arms race, they probably have another version of their anti-tamper tech up their sleeves?.. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 16 06:57:20 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2018 12:57:20 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Alzheimer's disease reversed in mice, offering hope for humans, new research shows Message-ID: Alzheimer's disease reversed in mice, offering hope for humans, new research shows By DR. JAY-SHEREE ALLEN Feb 15, 2018, 4:29 PM ET http://abcnews.go.com/Health/alzheimers-disease-reversed-mice-offering-hope-humans-research/story?id=53114260 "Remarkable" -- that?s how researchers are describing the results of a new study done on mice displaying traits associated with Alzheimer's disease. The deletion of just a single enzyme saw the near total reversal of the deposition of amyloid plaques found in brains of those with Alzheimer's, improving cognitive functions in the mouse subjects, according to the study from researchers at the Cleveland Clinic, published Feb. 14 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine. These promising research findings center around deleting a gene that produces an enzyme called BACE1, which helps make the beta-amyloid peptides that accumulate abnormally in the brains of people with Alzheimer?s disease. Studies have shown that stopping or reducing that enzyme?s activity dramatically reduces production of beta-amyloid peptides, which are toxic to the brain and lead to the symptoms -- including memory loss -- associated with Alzheimer's. By using BACE1 inhibitors to gradually lower the enzyme's levels, researchers saw reduced neuron loss and better brain function in the mice, offering hope for human subjects down the line, according to the study. However, researchers urge caution with the results as many Alzheimer?s discoveries seem to hold true in mice, then fail in people. Cleveland Clinic researcher Riqiang Yan, Ph.D., an author on the study, told ABC News that in the mouse model, the gene that produces the enzyme was deleted, completely stopping the enzyme's production. But in humans, it?s unlikely that BACE1 inhibitors would totally halt the enzyme's production, Yan said. Nonetheless, five BACE1 inhibitors are being tested in human subjects currently, Yan added. ?BACE1 inhibitors are still hopeful for AD patients if they have no unwanted side effects or can be tolerated for long-term use,? Yan said. Yan added researchers are currently in phase II and, in some cases, phase III clinical trials for the various compounds. Dr. Jay-Sheree Allen is a family medicine resident physician at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota and a resident at the ABC News Medical Unit. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 16 15:45:18 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 16 Feb 2018 21:45:18 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Russian troll farm, 13 suspects indicted for interference in U.S. election Message-ID: (so does this mean the proverbial 'hoax' is not a hoax after all? Imagine that. --rick) Russian troll farm, 13 suspects indicted for interference in U.S. election By Sari Horwitz, Devlin Barrett and Craig Timberg February 16 at 2:13 PM https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-troll-farm-13-suspects-indicted-for-interference-in-us-election/2018/02/16/2504de5e-1342-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html The Justice Department?s special counsel announced the indictment Friday of a notorious Russian troll farm ? charging 13 individuals with an audacious scheme to criminally interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. The Internet Research Agency, based in St. Petersburg, was named in the indictment as the hub of an ambitious effort to trick Americans into following Russian-fed propaganda that pushed U.S. voters toward then-Republican candidate Donald Trump and away from Democrat Hillary Clinton. The indictment charges that some of the Russian suspects interacted with Americans associated with the Trump campaign, but those associates did not realize they were being manipulated. Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein called the charges ?a reminder that people are not always who they appear on the Internet. The indictment alleges that the Russian conspirators want to promote social discord in the United States and undermine public confidence in democracy. We must not allow them to succeed.? Special Counsel Robert S. Mueller III did not attend the news briefing, but the 37-page indictment provides the most detailed description from the U.S. government of Russian interference in the election. Lawmakers release social media ads that Russians used to influence the 2016 presidential election. (Joyce Koh/The Washington Post) Prosecutors said the Internet Research Agency kept a list of real Americans who its employees had contacted using false personas and had asked to assist the effort. The list, which numbered over 100 people by late August 2016, included the U.S. citizens? contact information, a summary of each person?s political views and the activities the Russians had asked them to undertake. None of those charged are in custody, according to Peter Carr, a spokesman for the special counsel?s office. Russia does not typically allow any of its citizens to be extradited to the United States to face trial, so it is unlikely the individuals will be turned over, but it will likely prevent them from traveling outside Russia. Some of the Russians posed as U.S. people and, without revealing their Russian identities, ?communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities,? the indictment said. By February 2016, the suspects had decided whom they were supporting in the 2016 race. According to the indictment, Internet Research Agency specialists were instructed to ?use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump ? we support them.)? Prosecutors say some Russian employees of the troll farm were chastised in September 2016 when they had a ?low number of posts dedicated to criticizing Hillary Clinton? and were told it was ?imperative to intensify criticizing? the Democratic nominee in future posts. The charges include conspiracy to defraud the United States, conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud and aggravated identity theft. One of those indicted is Yevgeniy Viktorovich Prigozhin, who has long been identified in the Russian media as the financial backer of the Internet Research Agency. He is a caterer who has been nicknamed ?Putin?s chef? because of his close ties to the Russian president. Concord Consulting and Concord Catering, two Russian businesses also charged by Mueller?s team Friday, have previously been identified as Prigozhin vehicles. ?The Americans are very impressionable people, and they see what they want to see,? Prigozhin told Russia?s RIA Novosti state news agency in response to the indictment. ?I respect them very much.? Referring to the list of indicted individuals, he added: ?I am not at all disappointed that I appear in this list. If they want to see the devil ? let them.? The Internet Research Agency was at the center of Silicon Valley?s investigation into Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential election. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Google all found evidence that the private firm used social media to divide American voters across a range of polarizing issues, including race, religion, gun rights and immigration. Tweets and Facebook posts that have been made public as part of these investigations make clear that the Russian disinformation effort broadly sought to favor Trump and undermine the support for Clinton. This conclusion has been backed by the work of several independent researchers. Typically called a ?troll farm,? the Internet Research Agency is regarded as the most prominent part of the Russian disinformation campaign, though congressional investigators pushed for evidence of other operations, including from countries other than Russia, that shared the same purpose. Overall, Facebook acknowledged to Congress that the Internet Research Agency had bought 3,000 ads on its platform that reached 11.4 million users. The agency?s employees also reportedly made many free posts that reached 126 million users. In addition to polarizing online political conversation, Facebook reported that the Internet Research Agency used Facebook pages to organize 129 real-world events that drew the attention of nearly 340,000 Facebook users. One of these, organized by a group called Heart of Texas, took place on May 21, 2016, under the banner of ?Stop Islamization of Texas.? On that same day, another Russian-controlled Facebook group, called United Muslims of America, publicized a competing rally to ?Save Islamic Knowledge? at the same place and time. Twitter has acknowledged finding 3,814 accounts linked to the IRA, which together posted some 176,000 tweets in the 10 weeks preceding the election. The company also found 50,258 automated accounts it said were connected to the Russian government and tweeted more than a million times. One particularly notorious account linked to the Russian firm claimed to speak for Tennessee Republicans. It persuaded a wide range of American politicians, celebrities and journalists to share tweets with their own massive lists of followers. The list of prominent people who tweeted out links from the account, @Ten_GOP, which Twitter shut down in August, included political figures such Michael Flynn, who became Trump?s first national security adviser, and former Trump campaign adviser Roger Stone, celebrities such as Nicki Minaj and James Woods and media personalities such as Ann Coulter and Chris Hayes. The IRA Twitter accounts frequently used links from prominent American news organizations, including The Washington Post and the San Francisco Chronicle, to push particular narratives related to the campaign, according to research from Columbia University social media researcher Jonathan Albright. Twitter declined to comment Friday on the indictment. Anton Troianovksi in Berlin and Rosalind S. Helderman and Spencer S. Hsu. contributed to this report. From rforno at infowarrior.org Sat Feb 17 07:55:10 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2018 13:55:10 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - McMaster: Evidence is 'incontrovertible' that Russia interfered in 2016 election Message-ID: (Has 45 agreed yet? Or will we be getting more whining this is all 'fake news' during 'executive time' this weekend? -- rick) McMaster: Evidence is 'incontrovertible' that Russia interfered in 2016 election By Brandon Carter - 02/17/18 08:16 AM EST 178 http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/374352-mcmaster-evidence-is-incontrovertible-that-russia-interfered-in-2016 White House national security adviser H.R. McMaster said a new round of indictments in special counsel Robert Mueller?s investigation show ?incontrovertible? evidence that Russia meddled in the 2016 presidential election. Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, McMaster said ?with the FBI indictment, the evidence is now incontrovertible? that Russia interfered in the election, according to the Associated Press. The consensus of the U.S. intelligence community is that Russians did seek to influence the 2016 presidential election, although the investigation has yet to reach a conclusion on whether Russia influenced the outcome. McMaster also reportedly dismissed a question about future U.S. cooperation with Russia on cybersecurity. ?We would love to have a cyber dialogue when Russia is sincere about curtailing its sophisticated form of espionage,? McMaster said. McMaster spoke at the conference immediately after Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who said the new Mueller indictments were ?just blabber,? the AP reported according to a translation. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced the slew of indictments at a press briefing Friday. Thirteen Russian nationals and three Russian groups were charged with multiple counts as part of their attempts to interfere in the 2016 election. The indictment alleges the goal of the Russians was to support then-candidate Donald Trump and hurt Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton. Some of the Russians allegedly posed as U.S. people and communicated with ?unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activists to seek to coordinate political activities.? Rosenstein noted that there is no allegation in the indictment that Americans had any knowledge of the operation. Trump has repeatedly cast doubt on Russian interference in the 2016 election, calling it a ?hoax? crafted by Democrats. He?s also labeled Mueller?s investigation as a ?witch hunt.? In a tweet following the release of the indictments, Trump claimed the indictment showed his campaign ?did nothing wrong? and that there was ?no collusion? with Russia. From rforno at infowarrior.org Sat Feb 17 08:56:44 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2018 14:56:44 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - How Russia turned the internet against America Message-ID: How Russia turned the internet against America Some who value the online world's freedoms are 'at a loss' after Friday's indictment offered new details about how trolls exploited its weaknesses. By NANCY SCOLA 02/16/2018 08:28 PM EST https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/16/how-russia-turned-the-internet-against-america-353707 From rforno at infowarrior.org Sat Feb 17 15:02:56 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sat, 17 Feb 2018 21:02:56 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Parkland: How students are fighting lies, half-truths, and hypocrisy Message-ID: COURAGEOUS GRIEVING AND THE TRAGEDY IN PARKLAND How students are fighting lies, half-truths, and hypocrisy in the wake of the Florida school shooting AUTHOR: VIRGINIA HEFFERN ? IDEAS ? 02.16.18 ? 09:03 PM https://www.wired.com/story/courageous-grieving-and-the-tragedy-in-parkland/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Sun Feb 18 07:32:07 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2018 13:32:07 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?OT=3A_Institutions_can=E2=80=99t_save_A?= =?utf-8?q?merica_from_45?= Message-ID: <085B8257-A648-45E3-A745-E3DE001D8ED1@infowarrior.org> Institutions can?t save America from Trump by Quinta Jurecic February 16 Quinta Jurecic is the deputy managing editor of Lawfare. https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/institutions-cant-save-america-from-trump/2018/02/16/3fb9e5e0-100f-11e8-8ea1-c1d91fcec3fe_story.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Sun Feb 18 17:27:28 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Sun, 18 Feb 2018 23:27:28 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Federal Judge Says Embedding a Tweet Can Be Copyright Infringement Message-ID: Federal Judge Says Embedding a Tweet Can Be Copyright Infringement By Daniel Nazer February 15, 2018 https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/02/federal-judge-says-embedding-tweet-can-be-copyright-infringement From rforno at infowarrior.org Sun Feb 18 19:59:48 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2018 01:59:48 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - OT: oped: Whatever 45 Is Hiding Is Hurting All of Us Now Message-ID: Thomas L. Friedman Whatever Trump Is Hiding Is Hurting All of Us Now By Thomas L. Friedman https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/opinion/trump-russia-putin.html Feb. 18, 2018 Our democracy is in serious danger. President Trump is either totally compromised by the Russians or is a towering fool, or both, but either way he has shown himself unwilling or unable to defend America against a Russian campaign to divide and undermine our democracy. That is, either Trump?s real estate empire has taken large amounts of money from shady oligarchs linked to the Kremlin ? so much that they literally own him; or rumors are true that he engaged in sexual misbehavior while he was in Moscow running the Miss Universe contest, which Russian intelligence has on tape and he doesn?t want released; or Trump actually believes Russian President Vladimir Putin when he says he is innocent of intervening in our elections ? over the explicit findings of Trump?s own C.I.A., N.S.A. and F.B.I. chiefs. In sum, Trump is either hiding something so threatening to himself, or he?s criminally incompetent to be commander in chief. It is impossible yet to say which explanation for his behavior is true, but it seems highly likely that one of these scenarios explains Trump?s refusal to respond to Russia?s direct attack on our system ? a quiescence that is simply unprecedented for any U.S. president in history. Russia is not our friend. It has acted in a hostile manner. And Trump keeps ignoring it all. Up to now, Trump has been flouting the norms of the presidency. Now Trump?s behavior amounts to a refusal to carry out his oath of office ? to protect and defend the Constitution. Here?s an imperfect but close analogy: It?s as if George W. Bush had said after 9/11: ?No big deal. I am going golfing over the weekend in Florida and blogging about how it?s all the Democrats? fault ? no need to hold a National Security Council meeting.? At a time when the special prosecutor Robert Mueller ? leveraging several years of intelligence gathering by the F.B.I., C.I.A and N.S.A. ? has brought indictments against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian groups ? all linked in some way to the Kremlin ? for interfering with the 2016 U.S. elections, America needs a president who will lead our nation?s defense against this attack on the integrity of our electoral democracy. What would that look like? He would educate the public on the scale of the problem; he would bring together all the stakeholders ? state and local election authorities, the federal government, both parties and all the owners of social networks that the Russians used to carry out their interference ? to mount an effective defense; and he would bring together our intelligence and military experts to mount an effective offense against Putin ? the best defense of all. What we have instead is a president vulgarly tweeting that the Russians are ?laughing their asses off in Moscow? for how we?ve been investigating their interventions ? and exploiting the terrible school shooting in Florida ? and the failure of the F.B.I. to properly forward to its Miami field office a tip on the killer ? to throw the entire F.B.I. under the bus and create a new excuse to shut down the Mueller investigation. Think for a moment how demented was Trump?s Saturday night tweet: ?Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign ? there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!? To the contrary. Our F.B.I., C.I.A. and N.S.A., working with the special counsel, have done us amazingly proud. They?ve uncovered a Russian program to divide Americans and tilt our last election toward Trump ? i.e., to undermine the very core of our democracy ? and Trump is telling them to get back to important things like tracking would-be school shooters. Yes, the F.B.I. made a mistake in Florida. But it acted heroically on Russia. What is more basic than protecting American democracy? It is so obvious what Trump is up to: Again, he is either a total sucker for Putin or, more likely, he is hiding something that he knows the Russians have on him, and he knows that the longer Mueller?s investigation goes on, the more likely he will be to find and expose it. Donald, if you are so innocent, why do you go to such extraordinary lengths to try to shut Mueller down? And if you are really the president ? not still head of the Trump Organization, who moonlights as president, which is how you so often behave ? why don?t you actually lead ? lead not only a proper cyberdefense of our elections, but also an offense against Putin. Putin used cyberwarfare to poison American politics, to spread fake news, to help elect a chaos candidate, all in order to weaken our democracy. We should be using our cyber-capabilities to spread the truth about Putin ? just how much money he has stolen, just how many lies he has spread, just how many rivals he has jailed or made disappear ? all to weaken his autocracy. That is what a real president would be doing right now. My guess is what Trump is hiding has to do with money. It?s something about his financial ties to business elites tied to the Kremlin. They may own a big stake in him. Who can forget that quote from his son Donald Trump, Jr. from back in 2008: ?Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross section of a lot of our assets.? They may own our president. But whatever it is, Trump is either trying so hard to hide it or is so na?ve about Russia that he is ready to not only resist mounting a proper defense of our democracy, he?s actually ready to undermine some of our most important institutions, the F.B.I. and Justice Department, to keep his compromised status hidden. That must not be tolerated. This is code red. The biggest threat to the integrity of our democracy today is in the Oval Office. From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 19 06:34:35 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Mon, 19 Feb 2018 12:34:35 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fwd: Bitcoin Thieves Threaten Real Violence for Virtual Currencies References: <93492280-67BC-43AF-AE92-FF78B64AB26F@roscom.com> Message-ID: > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Monty Solomon > Subject: Bitcoin Thieves Threaten Real Violence for Virtual Currencies > Date: February 18, 2018 at 9:35:30 PM EST > > Bitcoin Thieves Threaten Real Violence for Virtual Currencies > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/18/technology/virtual-currency-extortion.html > > Criminals have been going after big holders of Bitcoin and Ether, taking advantage of the ease with which vast virtual currency riches can be transferred. > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Mon Feb 19 20:22:24 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 02:22:24 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?After_Florida_School_Shooting=2C_Russia?= =?utf-8?b?biDigJhCb3TigJkgQXJteSBQb3VuY2Vk?= Message-ID: After Florida School Shooting, Russian ?Bot? Army Pounced By Sheera Frenkel and Daisuke Wakabayashi Feb. 19, 2018 https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/technology/russian-bots-school-shooting.html SAN FRANCISCO ? One hour after news broke about the school shooting in Florida last week, Twitter accounts suspected of having links to Russia released hundreds of posts taking up the gun control debate. The accounts addressed the news with the speed of a cable news network. Some adopted the hashtag #guncontrolnow. Others used #gunreformnow and #Parklandshooting. Earlier on Wednesday, before the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., many of those accounts had been focused on the investigation by the special counsel Robert S. Mueller III into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election. ?This is pretty typical for them, to hop on breaking news like this,? said Jonathon Morgan, chief executive of New Knowledge, a company that tracks online disinformation campaigns. ?The bots focus on anything that is divisive for Americans. Almost systematically.? One of the most divisive issues in the nation is how to handle guns, pitting Second Amendment advocates against proponents of gun control. And the messages from these automated accounts, or bots, were designed to widen the divide and make compromise even more difficult. Any news event ? no matter how tragic ? has become fodder to spread inflammatory messages in what is believed to be a far-reaching Russian disinformation campaign. The disinformation comes in various forms: conspiracy videos on YouTube, fake interest groups on Facebook, and armies of bot accounts that can hijack a topic or discussion on Twitter. Those automated Twitter accounts have been closely tracked by researchers. Last year, the Alliance for Securing Democracy, in conjunction with the German Marshall Fund, a public policy research group in Washington, created a website that tracks hundreds of Twitter accounts of human users and suspected bots that they have linked to a Russian influence campaign. < - > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/technology/russian-bots-school-shooting.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 20 06:12:40 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:12:40 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - The Car of the Future Will Sell Your Data Message-ID: <3DB684C0-3B0D-4724-923F-BB4BD3B44C4E@infowarrior.org> The Car of the Future Will Sell Your Data As smarter vehicles become troves of personal information, get ready for coupon offers at the next stoplight. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-20/the-car-of-the-future-will-sell-your-data From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 20 06:41:03 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 12:41:03 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - State Officials Say They Are Told Too Little About Election Threats Message-ID: <0B4412EC-6E98-48F4-9AF6-1CA959517958@infowarrior.org> State Officials Say They Are Told Too Little About Election Threats By Michael Wines Feb. 19, 2018 WASHINGTON ? More than 15 months after a general election that was stained by covert Russian interference, the chief election officials of some states say they are still not getting the information they need to safeguard the vote. They say the federal government is not sharing specifics about threats to registered voter databases, voting machines, communication networks and other systems that could be vulnerable to hacking and manipulation. In some cases, the election officials say they have no legal access to the information: After a year of effort, only 21 of them have received clearance to review classified federal information on election threats. Top federal officials have promised to do better. Still, some leaders worry that there will not be enough time to protect the integrity of the midterm election season, which will kick off in some states in the next few weeks. ?It?s not about 2020, it?s not about November 2018 ? it?s about primaries that are upon us now,? said Alex Padilla, California?s secretary of state. The state officials expressed their unhappiness at a meeting of the National Organization of Secretaries of State that ended on Monday. The officials from Washington, West Virginia and other states complained openly about the quality and speed of federal cooperation. Their worries were underscored by the indictment of 13 Russians last week in connection with an elaborate online campaign to boost Donald J. Trump?s candidacy in 2016 and to demonize Hillary Clinton. Hours after the indictment was announced, President Trump?s national security adviser, Lt. Gen. H. R. McMaster, said it was ?incontrovertible? that Moscow was engaging in a campaign of ?disinformation, subversion and espionage? that he said Washington would continue to expose. Some state leaders said they were disappointed over a classified briefing they received on Friday on the threat posed by Russia, saying that senior intelligence officials left a great deal unclear, including the precise nature of the threat and exactly why state officials were being left in the dark. ?I would have thought that behind closed doors yesterday would have been the time to say, ?This is why this stuff has to be classified,? and I heard none of it,? Mac Warner, the Republican secretary of state in West Virginia, said on Saturday at a discussion of security preparations for the 2018 election season. ?The phrase ?rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic? comes to mind.? Department of Homeland Security officials acknowledged the need for improvement. ?That?s the No. 1 goal for us ? to make sure you get what you need,? Christopher Krebs, the department?s acting undersecretary for national protection, told the state officials. ?A year ago, I don?t think we had that self-awareness and humility, but things are a little bit different now.? Still, the federal officials urged the state secretaries to take their word that the threat from Russia and possibly other countries was substantial, even if they were not given specifics. < - > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/19/us/elections-states-hacking.html From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 20 16:20:27 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 22:20:27 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Military Industrial Powerpoint Complex Message-ID: <3482BC83-4EF1-4C92-8BF9-9BEFC118BD7D@infowarrior.org> Military Industrial Powerpoint Complex https://archive.org/details/MilitaryIndustrialPowerpointComplex&tab=about This collection was a special project originally done as part of the Internet Archive's 20th Anniversary celebration on October 26, 2016 highlighting IA's web archive. The collection consists of all the Powerpoint files (57,489) from the .mil web domain that were crawled from the public web (with no special login or credentials) by the Internet Archive and partners from 1996-2017. The original release in October 2016 featured 48,110 Powerpoint files. Another 9,379 unique new Powerpoint files, and 205 new hosts/domains, were added in May/June 2017 after the completion of IA's End of Term 2016 Web Crawls, a project that aims to preserve the U.S. federal government web presence (primarily the .gov and .mil web domains) at each change of administration. The Powerpoints were converted to PDF to make them readable and searchable and were organized by the publicly-accessible host domain from which they were originally collected. The project was originally inspired by writer Paul Ford's article, ?Amazing Military Infographics? which can be found in the Wayback Machine. Project team: Jefferson Bailey, Vinay Goel, Jake Johnson, and Bryan Newbold. We hope to update the collection periodicall https://archive.org/details/MilitaryIndustrialPowerpointComplex&tab=about From rforno at infowarrior.org Tue Feb 20 16:32:15 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Tue, 20 Feb 2018 22:32:15 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - How the House Intel Committee Broke Bad Message-ID: How the House Intel Committee Broke Bad It?s not just Devin Nunes. The House?s dysfunctional oversight has been decades in the making. By MIEKE EOYANG February 20, 2018 One committee?s leaders snipe at each other behind closed doors and trash each other openly on television. The other committee?s leaders pride themselves on mutual respect and rarely draw the media into their disagreements, to the extent there are any. One committee chairman has launched a parallel investigation into the FBI and the Department of Justice; the other has plowed ahead with what appears to be a serious look into what happened during the 2016 election. Both committees are run by Republicans. Both have been charged with leading the investigation into Russian meddling in U.S. politics, but their approaches have been radically, alarmingly divergent. Why? What makes the House and Senate intelligence committees?which were set up to improve congressional oversight in the wake of 1960s and 70s-era abuses by the executive branch agencies?such different beasts? The answer starts with Rep. Devin Nunes, but it doesn?t end there. For nearly a year now, those of us who want to get to the bottom of what happened in 2016 have been alternately baffled and outraged by the antics of Nunes, the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI). Nunes, a California Republican and member of Trump?s national security transition team, showed signs early on that he was not conducting a normal investigation. He dashed off into the night, sneaking into the White House to view classified files, and then publicly claimed that the arcane process known as ?unmasking? was used improperly?a claim rejected by his Senate counterparts and former administration intelligence officials. He then recused himself from HPSCI?s Russia investigation while the Ethics Committee looked into his behavior. Despite his recusal, he continued to investigate Russia matters, sending his staff to London to track down dossier author Christopher Steele and issuing subpoenas to some witnesses while denying others. He engineered the release of a memo claiming impropriety in the surveillance of former Trump adviser Carter Page that the president?s own FBI and Justice Department said were misleading. And then, amid the backlash, he threatened to build a wall at HPSCI to separate the Democratic and Republican staff. As a former HPSCI staffer, let me assure you?none of this is normal. Meanwhile, over in the Senate, the Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) is running an investigation that seems to operate in an alternate universe of bipartisanship and common purpose. When Chairman Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-Va.) give rare public updates, they appear side by side at the podium. At the recent hearing on worldwide threats to the U.S., Chairman Burr thanked intelligence agency heads for their cooperation with the Senate?s investigation and noted, ?The remarks of everyone who has come before us has commented on their [staffers?] professionalism, and at the end of 8 hours they couldn?t tell who is a Republican or a Democrat. The effort to be bipartisan isn?t just public, it is private as well, and has permeated all our efforts, down to our staff.? As stark as this distinction is, the House-Senate difference is not just a product of the different personalities of their respective chairmen. The roots of the current differences in the committee approaches can be seen in the history, rules and culture that govern each chambers? approach to intelligence oversight. These two committees were born different.... < - > https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2018/02/20/house-intel-committee-oversight-217033 From rforno at infowarrior.org Wed Feb 21 10:03:03 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2018 16:03:03 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Pence=E2=80=99s_space_council_is_big_on?= =?utf-8?q?_business=2C_small_on_science?= Message-ID: <8E2FC2AC-8C4C-4610-9DB9-77CC5112D717@infowarrior.org> Mike Pence?s space council is big on business, small on science Jonathan Ernst / Reuters https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/21/vp-mike-pence-space-council-commercial-interests/ Yesterday evening, Vice President Mike Pence announced the candidates asked to serve on the National Space Council's Users Advisory Group. Members will have to be officially selected by the Administrator of NASA (a position which remains open). The selections draw heavily from the space industry, including former astronauts and executives from private spaceflight companies, and a few conservative political appointees. < - appointee list - > There are definitely some expected names on this list: Executives from Blue Origin, Orbital ATK, SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Sierra Nevada, the United Launch Alliance and more are present to represent the interests of private spaceflight companies. There are also military interests, engineers and former astronauts. There isn't much science represented on this list (though Jack Schmitt was a scientist-astronaut); it makes clear that the focus of this administration in space is on commercial and military applications. And of course, there are also some conservative political appointments, such as Newt Gingrich, Steve Crisafulli and Dean Cheng from the Heritage Foundation. President Trump revived the National Space Council last year. It will advise the president on matters concerning space and coordinate different sectors, from commercial interests to exploration. The Council is chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. https://www.engadget.com/2018/02/21/vp-mike-pence-space-council-commercial-interests/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 22 06:59:37 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2018 12:59:37 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - very OT: empathy deficit on full display Message-ID: <7AC8D5A8-BD98-4DA4-8D03-00472C9FC190@infowarrior.org> If you need to have a crib sheet reminding you to tell your attendees that "I hear you..." and provide staged questions to show that you care and/or are interested in the matter, any hoped-for legitimacy to be gained from a photo-op "listening session" with school shooting victims goes out the window. It's utterly disgusting -- but sadly something not unexpected from this regime. crib sheet photos @ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/02/21/this-photo-of-trumps-notes-captures-his-empathy-problem-better-than-anything/ I'm surprised he didn't pose for another idiotic photo with his cheesy grin and dorky thumbs-up, too. From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 22 07:05:57 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2018 13:05:57 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Preparing for Malicious Uses of AI Message-ID: <61361E3D-BB01-48C6-8F3D-C6A6C5AA2EEF@infowarrior.org> Preparing for Malicious Uses of AI We?ve co-authored a paper that forecasts how malicious actors could misuse AI technology, and potential ways we can prevent and mitigate these threats. This paper is the outcome of almost a year of sustained work with our colleagues at the Future of Humanity Institute, the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk, the Center for a New American Security, the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and others. https://blog.openai.com/preparing-for-malicious-uses-of-ai/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 22 09:29:13 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2018 15:29:13 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Fwd: North Korea Repositions Hacking Unit for Global Cyberattacks References: <81A7DAB8-1BF9-4712-9414-41658E5398A5@roscom.com> Message-ID: <094A8DAA-B9D7-4912-A740-50399EF3510B@infowarrior.org> > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Monty Solomon > Subject: North Korea Repositions Hacking Unit for Global Cyberattacks > Date: February 21, 2018 at 10:13:30 PM EST > To: Richard Forno > > North Korea Repositions Hacking Unit for Global Cyberattacks > > ?Reaper? unit doesn?t try to cover its tracks in sophisticated cyberattacks, according to FireEye report > > https://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korea-repositions-hacking-unit-for-global-cyberattacks-report-says-1519129804 > > -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 22 15:33:39 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Thu, 22 Feb 2018 21:33:39 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - U.S. official focused on election security being shoved aside Message-ID: <4B8DA2CA-489F-4295-910B-EFD78D091374@infowarrior.org> Politics February 22, 2018 / 2:46 PM / Updated 2 hours ago Exclusive: U.S. official focused on election security being shoved aside Dustin Volz 6 Min Read WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The head of a federal agency who has helped U.S. states protect election systems from possible cyber attacks by Russia or others is being removed from his post by Republican House of Representatives Speaker Paul Ryan and the White House. Matthew Masterson, currently chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and a former Ohio state official, has been passed over for a second four-year term as one of the agency?s four commissioners, according to sources familiar with the matter. It is up the House speaker to recommend a nominee for the commissioner post that Masterson currently holds, with the president then making a formal nomination. Masterson has been a popular figure among state election officials, many of whom have praised his expertise and leadership on cyber security issues and expressed chagrin at his pending departure. The agency was created by Congress in 2002 to assist states in complying with federal election standards. The action raises fresh questions over the degree to which Republican President Donald Trump and his fellow Republicans who control Congress are taking steps to protect the security of American elections, and some state officials have accused them of doing too little to address the threat. U.S. voters in November will go to the polls in midterm elections, which American intelligence officials have warned could be targeted by Russia or others seeking to disrupt the process. There is intense scrutiny of the security of U.S. election systems after a 2016 presidential race in which Russia interfered, according to American intelligence agencies, to try to help Trump win with presidency. Trump in the past has been publicly skeptical about Russian election meddling. The reason for passing over Masterson and whether the decision originated with Ryan or the White House remained unclear. Some Republicans over the years have sought to eliminate or reduce the agency, arguing that it represents a federal overreach into the role of states in running elections. < - > https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-election-masterson-exclusiv/exclusive-u-s-official-focused-on-election-security-being-shoved-aside-idUSKCN1G62NI From rforno at infowarrior.org Thu Feb 22 18:04:50 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 00:04:50 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?Crazy_new_Swedish_bill_makes_sharing_mu?= =?utf-8?q?sic_and_TV_as_bad_a_=E2=80=9Ccrime=E2=80=9D_as_manslaughter?= Message-ID: <183E8DE7-DA16-4648-B40D-6BB7F31EDAB4@infowarrior.org> Posted on Feb 21, 2018 by Rick Falkvinge Crazy new Swedish bill makes sharing music and TV as bad a ?crime? as manslaughter (yes, really) https://www.privateinternetaccess.com/blog/2018/02/crazy-new-swedish-bill-makes-sharing-music-bad-crime-manslaughter-yes-really/ A new crazy bill in front of the Swedish parliament makes ordinary sharing of TV, music, and movies as severe a ?crime? as some types of homicide. The Swedish IT industry and net community is in shock and disbelief, while the copyright industry lobbyists are cheering. A new bill has been tabled in Sweden that triples the maximum prison sentence for infringement of the copyright monopoly, such as using ordinary BitTorrent, to a maximum of six years in prison. Typical imprisonment time for crimes varies across the world, so talking in terms of prison years becomes apples and oranges. In order to understand the perceived severity of a crime, and the harm this bill does to society, we need to compare it to another crime in the same jurisdiction. And in this particular jurisdiction, the maximum penalty for copyright infringement becomes as harsh as the maximum penalty for involuntary manslaughter, if this new crazy bill passes ? which it very well might. (The maximum sentence in question is six years in prison, which is a light sentence by US standards, but among the harshest in Europe and the Nordics.) Of course, there?s the usual disclaimers about how this only will be applied to the ?worst of the worst? of copyright monopoly offenders. We?ve heard it all before; after every single bill like this, it turns out that ordinary teenagers who use ordinary torrents are indeed very much part of the ?worst of the worst? as they?re uploading at the same time as downloading, because of the way ordinary torrents are designed. Apparently, 200 million Americans and 300 million Europeans ? more than one person in every household, on average ? are ?the worst of the worst?. The net community and IT industry in Sweden is in shock and disbelief, understandably. The only people who are quoted in media as finding this the slightest reasonable are, unsurprisingly, the people whose jobs it is to make the copyright industry happy at the cost of local IT talent. Actually, scratch that: make the copyright industry lobbies happy, who have little left to do except argue for harsher laws against the Internet. These people are quoted in media as saying this is ?very proportionate and we welcome all the Police measures that can be taken against people with this view on the severity of the crime?. Private libraries were originally a crime, too. But legislators came to their senses about 175 years ago, and not only made libraries legal, but opened public ones. And the only real difference between a public library and community file-sharing is that file-sharing is far more efficient. They do the same thing, perform the same service. Have you ever seen a lawmaker stand up and complain that libraries are too efficient in spreading knowledge and culture for free to the public? Privacy remains your own responsibility. From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 23 05:30:29 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 11:30:29 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - =?utf-8?q?US_Border_Patrol_Hasn=E2=80=99t_Validat?= =?utf-8?q?ed_E-Passport_Data_For_Years?= Message-ID: <4639135C-B1E2-40B0-8101-5CC3D89FEB74@infowarrior.org> US Border Patrol Hasn?t Validated E-Passport Data For Years ? Author: Lily Hay NewmanLily Hay Newman ? security ? 02.22.18 ? 07:08 pm US Customs and Border Patrol hasn't been verifying the cryptographic signatures on e-Passports?because they never installed the right software. Passports, like any physical ID, can be altered and forged. That's partly why for the last 11 years the United States has put RFID chips in the back panel of its passports, creating so-called e-Passports. The chip stores your passport information?like name, date of birth, passport number, your photo, and even a biometric identifier?for quick, machine-readable border checks. And while e-Passports also store a cryptographic signature to prevent tampering or forgeries, it turns out that despite having over a decade to do so, US Customs and Border Protection hasn't deployed the software needed to actually verify it. This means that since as far back as 2006, a skilled hacker could alter the data on an e-Passport chip?like the name, photo, or expiration date?without fear that signature verification would alert a border agent to the changes. That could theoretically be enough to slip into countries that allow all-electronic border checks, or even to get past a border patrol agent into the US. "The idea of these things is that they?re supposed to provide some additional electronic security over a standard passport, which can be forged using traditional techniques," says Matthew Green, a cryptographer at Johns Hopkins University. "The digital signature would provide that guarantee. But if it?s not checked it doesn?t." A letter to CBP on Thursday from senators Ron Wyden of Oregon and Claire McCaskill of Missouri highlights this crucial shortcoming. More than 100 countries now offer passports that come with a digital chip, and fewer than half of those include the capability to verify the integrity of data using a digital signature. But Wyden and McCaskill stress that while the US demands that countries in the Visa Waiver program put a chip in their passports, it has failed to fully realize its own e-Passport program. "CBP does not have the software necessary to authenticate the information stored on the e-Passport chips," the two Senators wrote. "Specifically, CBP cannot verify the digital signatures stored on the e-Passport, which means that CBP is unable to determine if the data stored on the smart chips has been tampered with or forged." < - > https://www.wired.com/story/us-border-patrol-hasnt-validated-e-passport-data-for-years/ From rforno at infowarrior.org Fri Feb 23 10:23:34 2018 From: rforno at infowarrior.org (Richard Forno) Date: Fri, 23 Feb 2018 16:23:34 -0000 Subject: [Infowarrior] - Confidential ICE Handbook Lays Out Paths for Investigators to Avoid Constitutional Challenges Message-ID: Confidential ICE Handbook Lays Out Paths for Investigators to Avoid Constitutional Challenges Eoin Higgins February 23 2018, 9:53 a.m. When U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents go after suspected violators of immigration and customs law, they do whatever they can to get consent from their targets. The idea is simple: By getting their targets? consent, ICE agents can avoid the complications that arise from the Fourth Amendment?s protections against unreasonable searches and seizures. Internal policies, laid out in documents reviewed by The Intercept, show how the agency?s investigative wing, Homeland Security Investigations, uses a complex web of civil and criminal warrants, statutory regulations, and legal tactics to effectively operate with as few restrictions as possible across the country. Protecting agents? work from constitutional challenges is one of the focuses of the ?HSI Search and Seizure Handbook.? The techniques laid out focus heavily on obtaining consent from investigative targets for searches. One method available to agents is to issue ?ICE warrants,? which do not carry the power of judicial warrants, but which immigration lawyers warn can be used to mislead or intimidate targets into granting consent for search and seizure. The handbook was published on Thursday by the independent media outlet Unicorn Riot. The August 18, 2010, version of the policy document published is no longer in use: A table of contents from the HSI?s 2016 Special Agents Manual shows that an updated edition, from 2012, was being used as recently as two years ago. ?ICE is known to use deceptive tactics.? The handbook lays out ICE?s underhanded methods, said immigration lawyers and experts contacted by The Intercept, stoking fears that ICE is willing to dismiss legal protections in the face of a single-minded drive to detain suspects. ?ICE is known to use deceptive tactics,? said Azadeh Shahshahani, the legal and advocacy director for Atlanta-based immigration organization Project South. ?These types of practices, bas < - > https://theintercept.com/2018/02/23/ice-search-seizure-handbook-manual-secret/