Tag Archives: spying

Yanni or Morris? Who Sang it Better?

20 Sunday May 2018

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Yanni loves cats. Morris loves Yanni. Kim Kardashian. Dancing suspect. Royal wedding. Television. Alec Baldwin’s Trump. Cannes. Hairdo. Sports. Spike Lee. Starbucks. Idol. Riverdale. Jay-Z. Johnny Manziel. Billboard Music Awards. Taylor and Kelly. Prom. Solo. Beyonce. Not animals! Tide Pods. Guuurl! Hennessy. Miami. Gambling. Pruis. Hollingworth gap.

Sorry for the diversion; this was a FB algorithm test.*

In keeping with the pop culture theme, if the picture of Morris, below, isn’t enough, then here’s a link to something called TMZ.

But, since you’re here, food for thought for those on the right tail of the Bell Curve:

 

Deep State-Paid Professor Sought to Rig Election(s)?

 

A Cambridge professor with deep ties to American and British intelligence has been outed as an agent who snooped on the Trump presidential campaign for the FBI.

Multiple media outlets have named Stefan Halper, 73, as the secret informant who met with Trump campaign advisers Carter Page and George Papadopoulos starting in the summer of 2016. The American-born academic previously served in the Nixon, Ford and Reagan administrations.

Here is your collusion. Halper has a 38-year history of political espionage, having played the same game for the CIA in 1980. That case was against Carter and for the GOP. The 2016 work was against Trump and seemingly for the DNC. They call it the Uniparty for a reason. Vote “D” or “R” as you like but the machine wins every time.

Unless this time is different. The Trump Tweeted (always with a Tweet):

I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!

I don’t know what good having the FBI investigate crimes possibly committed by the FBI will accomplish. A fox will certainly guard the fox house. Of course, it might be a good sorting step before moving into Lincoln-Clinton-Bush-Obama “legal” territory. This all assumes much: 1) that Trump is a swamp plumber; 2) that the government is redeemable; 3) that anyone cares.

If no one does, then here’s cool Morris:

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Everyone loves a cat, right? Morris/9 Lives.

*If successful, testing may continue.

Did We Make the List?

30 Monday Apr 2018

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DHS to monitor the media:

The Department of Homeland Security sparked concerns among media circles after news spread that the agency was creating an online database to monitor journalists, bloggers, social media influencers and others.

Word got out after Bloomberg Government surfaced a job posting from DHS seeking a contractor for a “media monitoring services” project. The job entails creating a searchable database that has the ability to track about 290,000 news sources, both foreign and domestic, according to the DHS’s statement of work.

The contractor will help DHS monitor “traditional news sources as well as social media, identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event,” the job description reads.

“Services shall provide media comparison tools, design and rebranding tools, communication tools, and the ability to identify top media influencers.”

I’m not sure where this “highly respected web log” would fall on a list of 290,000 outlets. No lower than 291,305 I should think.

An astute member of the media brought this to my attention, seeking my opinion. And … as worrying as this might be I just can’t bring myself to worry about it. There’s already terrific monitoring going on – from the feds and elsewhere.

I suppose it would be an honor to be considered an “influencer” – right up until the time they link the list to the drone system or something.

One, giving the old Constitution an honest read, finds something about a right of and to the free press but nothing about government authority to monitor the same. That’s the real rebranding.

Of note though, DHS’s press secretary tweeted:

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Twitter Twit.

Which is basically what they said in the 90’s about Echelon and Carnivore (post initial denials, of course). That means the hype is true and should be worrisome. Still can’t worry here and no once else will likely even notice.

702 to Mordor

11 Thursday Jan 2018

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About a year ago Donald Trump raised a small ruckus when he asserted (as always, by Tweet…) that the previous administration had surveilled him at Trump Tower. The pooh-pooh heads pooh-poohed the idea. Andrew Napolitano was temporarily canned over the issue from Legs News. Then, it turned out to be true.

I and others pointed out, at the time, that Trump was far from the only American suffering from a good, old-fashioned trampling of his Fourth Amendment rights. Now, as then, few care. (There are 16 of us, at the least.)

But, now, there is a slim chance that Congress could act to remove one of the illicit tools of domestic surveillance – Section 702 of the Fisa Amendments Act. It’s set to expire. God, please let it.

A yearslong debate over National Security Agency surveillance and protections for Americans’ privacy rights will reach a climactic moment on Thursday as the House of Representatives takes up legislation to extend a program of warrantless spying on internet and phone networks that traces back to the Sept. 11 attacks.

There is little doubt that Congress will extend an expiring statute, known as Section 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, that permits the government to collect without a warrant from American firms, like Google and AT&T, the emails and other communications of foreigners abroad — even when they are talking to Americans.

But it is far from clear whether Congress will impose significant new safeguards for Americans’ privacy. A bipartisan coalition of civil-liberties-minded lawmakers are trying to impose such changes, while the Trump administration, the intelligence community and House Republican leadership oppose them.

I predict that, regardless of what Congress does or does not do today, that warrantless spying and other illegalities will continually be visited upon the people. We’ve reached that point and there’s really no going back.

Still, as Cliven Bundy will tell you, a little legal victory is a nice thing. Let’s have one!

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And that’s okay, too; no money and closed offices makes it harder to spy on us. Fox/YouTube.

Pokemon was Worse than We Imagined

13 Friday Oct 2017

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Last year I repeatedly warned about the threats of Pokemon Go! Both:

The sheer stupidity of it; and

The information security risks (corporate).

Yet even I did not suspect the ultimate purpose behind the game.

My dear liberal friends, you were on to something. The Russians used Pokemon to hack last’s year Black Mass and prevent the coronation of the Coughing Queen.

Russian efforts to meddle in American politics did not end at Facebook and Twitter. A CNN investigation of a Russian-linked account shows its tentacles extended to YouTube, Tumblr and even Pokémon Go.

One Russian-linked campaign posing as part of the Black Lives Matter movement used Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Tumblr and Pokémon Go and even contacted some reporters in an effort to exploit racial tensions and sow discord among Americans, CNN has learned.

I tried to warn everyone.

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Seriously … the Toaster is Spying on You

10 Tuesday Oct 2017

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It and all its little electronic friends.

With no witnesses other than Richard Dabate, detectives turned to the vast array of data and sensors that increasingly surround us. An important bit of evidence came from an unlikely source: the Fitbit tracking Connie’s movements.

Others from the home’s smart alarm systems, Facebook, cellphones, email and a key fob allowed police to re-create a nearly minute-by-minute account of the morning that they said revealed Richard’s story was an elaborately staged fiction.

Undone by his data, Richard was charged with his wife’s murder. He has pleaded not guilty.

The case, which is in pretrial motions, is perhaps the best example to date of how Internet-connected, data-collecting smart devices such as fitness trackers, digital home assistants, thermostats, TVs and even pill bottles are beginning to transform criminal justice.

The ubiquitous devices can serve as a legion of witnesses, capturing our every move, biometrics and what we have ingested. They sometimes listen in or watch us in the privacy of our homes. And police are increasingly looking to the devices for clues.

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Spying Little Toaster. Disney.

Every move you make
Every vow you break
Every smile you fake
Every claim you stake
I’ll be watching you

And, those robot cars everyone can’t get enough of? Evidence confirms they intentionally drive like little old ladies just to cause more wrecks.

Keep buying it. Keep funding Skynet.

Reality Winner on Not Talking to the Police

29 Friday Sep 2017

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Just don’t do it. Don’t ever answer their questions or give them statements. Just don’t talk. Reality Winner, alleged NSA leaker, could tell you about it.

In the interview [with the FBI], Winner at first denied several times that she leaked any secret documents. She said she had been trying to get an assignment working with U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

First she acknowledged printing a report that “looked like a piece of history.” She told the agents “I thought it would be cool if I had it on my desk for a couple of days.” But she insisted she dropped the report in a bin used for papers that were to be destroyed.

“I mean, I’m trying to deploy,” Winner said. “I’m not trying to be a whistleblower. That’s crazy.”

She changed her story after an agent asked bluntly how she got the document out of the office.

“Folded in half in my pantyhose,” Winner replied.

Winner at one point asked the agents, “This sounds really bad. Am I going to jail tonight?”

One of the agents replied, “I don’t know the answer to that yet.”

An interview (i.e. talking). One story. Another story. On and on. Yes, dear, it sounds bad – because it sounds. Because you’re talking. Period. Half the time they have no evidence other that what you volunteer. Give them anything and, as they WARN YOU, it “can and WILL be used against you in court.” Yes, you’re in jail, now. Judge Epps will probably keep you there after today’s hearing.

Actually, I’m not so sure Winner could put all this together even at this time. She has a history of talking. A lot. Little of it makes sense:

“Yeah, I screwed up royally.”

Saying anything is a bad idea. That one was really bad.

 

“Look, I only say I hate America like 3 times a day. I’m no radical. It’s mostly just about Americans obsession with air conditioning.”

Like, OMG, radicals at least attempt a little coherency.

“I mean yeah I do [America’s] literally the worst thing to happen on the planet. We invented capitalism the downfall of the environment.”

Give an SJW a little rope… Yeah, maybe that’s not fair, here. How about SJI = Social Justice Idiot?

 

“I’ve filed formal complaints about [the NSA] having Fox News on, you know? Uh, just at least, for God’s sake, put Al Jazeera on, or a slideshow with people’s pets.”

She needs to be re-educated for bringing God into this. People’s pets???

I’m starting to see a mental deficiency defense if nothing else. Something lacking in the amygdala or something…

For the rest of you: just don’t talk.

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In causally related news, the other day was the 230 anniversary of the U.S. Constitution. I missed it along with all the “fun”. Shame they didn’t miss it back in 1787. Proof some lies live forever a long time.

Another Rare (Odd) Victory for the Fourth Amendment

22 Friday Sep 2017

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Another court has quashed the warrantless use of “Stingray” devices by the police.

A device that tricks cellphones into sending it their location information and has been used quietly by police and federal agents for years, requires a search warrant before it is turned on, an appeals court in Washington ruled Thursday. It is the fourth such ruling by either a state appeals court or federal district court, and may end up deciding the issue unless the government takes the case to the U.S. Supreme Court or persuades the city’s highest court to reverse the ruling.

The case against Prince Jones in 2013 involved D.C. police use of a “StingRay” cell-site simulator, which enables law enforcement to pinpoint the location of a cellphone more precisely than a phone company can when triangulating a signal between cell towers or using a phone’s GPS function. Civil liberties advocates say the StingRay, by providing someone’s location to police without court approval, is a violation of an individual’s Fourth Amendment right not to be unreasonably searched. The D.C. Court of Appeals agreed in a 2 to 1 ruling, echoing similar rulings in the Maryland Court of Special Appeals and federal district courts in New York City and San Francisco.

For those only concerned with “law and order,” this was just a case of bad police work. That is why all of their evidence and any hope of subsequent conviction is gone. The perp had two stolen cellphones in his possession, either of which could have been tapped with explicit permission. Instead, they opted to spy directly on the bad guy’s phone, sans the warrant. You get what you pay for – or skip.

As a victory, I’m sure there is a technological way around all of this anyway. That, or the Supremes will ultimately find that such illegal spying is really just a tax or something.

For now, it’s another small victory for the Bill of Rights.

Mike Cernovich on the Absurd Reality Winner (Real Name) Case

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

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I’m glad I’m not the only one who thinks this whole thing feels like an episode from The Twilight Zone…

YouTube looted video from Periscope.

Cerno is brilliant and he can’t put his finger on it yet. Can anyone?

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Crazy agency. Crazy administrators. A crazy investigation. A crazy leak by a crossfit crazy with a crazy name. Call me crazy but there is just some little thing out of place here.

“Tangerine in Chief” – that’s funny, I don’t care who you are.

Hmmmm…..

Big Brother Forever! On With the FISA 702 Extension

07 Wednesday Jun 2017

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This would be the same Trump administration that, just a short while ago, complained about being spied upon by this very program…

The Trump administration endorsed a full extension of the intelligence community’s most controversial snooping powers Wednesday, saying that the public has gotten the wrong impression about tools that are designed to target foreigners but, increasingly, have ensnared Americans as well.

Thomas P. Bossert, President Trump’s top counterterrorism adviser, in an op-ed in the New York Times, said they are backing a new bill introduced this week to permanently extend Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act — the part of the law that allows snooping.

Mr. Bossert said the public will have to trust the government’s assertions that the program is valuable, since most of its successes have to remain classified. But he said Section 702 intelligence helped thwart the New York City subway bombing plot.

“Simply put, the use of this authority has helped save lives,” Mr. Bossert wrote.
Section 702 allows intelligence agencies to collect vast amounts of information from foreign sources located outside the U.S. as part of antiterrorism investigations. Communications with Americans can, however, be snared.

The section is slated to expire at the end of this year, and security hawks and civil liberties advocates are now battling over whether to extend it.

Extended it shall be! “Trust us, we’re from the government.”

Undoubtedly the program may have saved some lives. Others seem to have fallen between the cracks. There was that …. Fourth …. something? No mind.

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Telegraph.

Amazing. No, actually it’s typical. Back to the TeeVee (which is watched and watching…).

The Hammer-Back of Notre Dame

06 Tuesday Jun 2017

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I’m not aware of the IRA ever attacking Paris. ISIS does and did again today: Hammer-Wielding Jihadi hammered by police bullets.

French media cited a source close to the inquiry as saying the injured assailant claimed to be a “soldier of the Caliphate”, presumed to be a reference to Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isil).

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The Telegraph.

Come to think of it, the IRA never attacked Canada either. Guess who did? Also today.

These were small attacks, mere pin-pricks. 10,000 little pin-pricks punctuated by the occasional massacre, train bombing, or multiple jet strikes on skyscrapers.

It probably won’t make the news but AS ALWAYS the authorities in Paris and in Toronto were already aware of the assailants. Always.

Oh, and that fake indignation crap wasted no time in manifesting itself either.

***My short no-article on Reality “Crossfit” Winner (Real Name) garnered ridiculous interest today. No quite viral. Maybe bacterial. Thanks. I have a theory a-forming about the whole case. I think I shall keep that to myself. It also flashed through my mind to pay her attorney a visit and ask a few questions. Or even her. I know where she is and could easily get in. Not that she would tell me the truth of what transpired in Belize between her and her actual superiors. No matter.