James Risen on NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden: He Sparked a New National Debate on Surveillance – Video

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James Risen on NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden: He Sparked a New National Debate on Surveillance
http://democracynow.org - New York Times investigative reporter James Risen faces jail time if he refuses to name a whistleblowing source, but he insists the actual whistleblowers, including...

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James Risen on NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden: He Sparked a New National Debate on Surveillance - Video

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NSA Documents Suggest a Close Working Relationship Between NSA, U.S. Companies

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Documents describe "contractual relationships" between NSA and U.S. companies, as well as undercover operatives at some U.S. companies.

Documents describe contractual relationships between NSA and U.S. companies, as well as undercover operatives at some U.S. companies.

by Jeff Larson and Julia Angwin ProPublica, Oct. 15, 2014, 10:59 a.m.

ProPublica investigates the threats to privacy in an era of cellphones, data mining and cyberwar.

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Newly disclosed National Security Agency documents suggest a closer relationship between American companies and the spy agency than have been previously disclosed.

The documents, published last week by The Intercept, describe "contractual relationships" between the NSA and U.S. companies, as well as the fact that the NSA has "under cover" spies working at or with some U.S. companies.

While not conclusive, the material includes some clear suggestions that at least some American companies are quite willing to help the agency conduct its massive surveillance programs.

The precise role of U.S. companies in the NSA's global surveillance operations remains unclear. Documents obtained by Edward Snowden and published by various news organizations show that companies have turned over their customers' email, phone calling records and other data under court orders. But the level of cooperation beyond those court orders has been an open question, with several leading companies, such as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Facebook, asserting that they only turn over customer information that is "targeted and specific" in response to legal demands.

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NSA Documents Suggest a Close Working Relationship Between NSA, U.S. Companies

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Inside the Ring: Chinese company tried to hack NSA using U.S. defense contractor

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Chinese telecommunications equipment giant Huawei Technologies sought to gain access to National Security Agency computer networks this year in a failed cyberespionage attack, U.S. officials said.

The company, which the U.S. government has linked to Chinas military, sought to penetrate NSA networks through a U.S. defense contractor, officials familiar with intelligence reports said of the attempted cyberattack.

The attempted network penetration was discussed in mid-August during a meeting of an interagency security group called G-FIRST, for Government Forum of Incident Response and Security Teams.

The identity of the defense contractor could not be learned.

A Department of Homeland Security official declined to comment, citing a policy of not discussing defense contractor issues. He referred questions to the Pentagon. The Homeland Security Department coordinates the G-FIRST group.

NSA spokesman Mike Halbig said: We have nothing for you on this allegation.

While Huawei is challenged to respond to The Washington Times vague inquiry, the suggestion that a globally-proven and trusted $40 billion vender of commercial telecommunications gear would risk its very existence by attempting, in some unspecified fashion, to somehow access a government network through some unidentified third party, would seem nothing short of absurd, Huawei spokesman Bill Plummer told Inside the Ring in a statement.

The National Security Agency is the governments premier cyberwarfare and cyberintelligence-gathering agency, and analysts say it is one of the highest priority targets for Chinas aggressive cyberespionage efforts.

The Pentagons annual report to Congress on the Chinese military stated in 2010 that Huawei and two other Chinese telecommunications companies maintain close ties to the [Peoples Liberation Army] and collaborate on R&D.

The House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence warned in a 2012 report that the U.S. government and private U.S. companies should not use Huawei equipment because of cyberespionage concerns.

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Inside the Ring: Chinese company tried to hack NSA using U.S. defense contractor

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Sallie Helmer: Walker's cut taxes, protected gun rights, backs voter ID

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Dear Editor: Scott Walker is endorsed with an A+ rating by the NRA; he will protect your Second Amendment Rights. He signed Wisconsin's "concealed carry" law, making it clear you can protect yourself in public, and the "castle doctrine" law, making it clear you can protect yourself in your home. He supports the state constitutional amendment guaranteeing your right to keep and bear arms, and supports Wisconsin's hunting heritage.

Mary Burke will give us the same extremist Democrat ideology, more gun control, no enforcement of the laws on the books, budget deficits, less private-sector jobs, higher taxes. Burke shares Obama's "hope and change" philosophy, which tested becomes "despair and lawlessness."

Scott Walker cut taxes, reforms that give the average family an extra $322 to spend. Walker revealed his platform for a second term: more tax cuts, continue the freeze on UW System and technical college tuition, replace Common Core academic standards with an in-state alternative. Wisconsin's voter ID law is backed by Walker as well as drug testing for anyone requesting unemployment or food stamps. Taxpayers who pay the bill for those needing help want assurance those who seek help take steps to help themselves.

Sallie Helmer

Ripon

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Sallie Helmer: Walker's cut taxes, protected gun rights, backs voter ID

Plain Talk: Robin Vos gets First Amendment religion

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos insists he's a big fan of the First Amendment.

That's what the Republican legislator from Racine County said to justify his belief that corporations, businesses, labor unions or anyone else should be able to spend as much money as they want on political campaigns.

The Supreme Court's controversial Citizens United decision, the one that declared that corporations have the same First Amendment rights as individual citizens, was spot on, the speaker declared as he and Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca engaged in a debate before a packed WisPolitics.com luncheon last week.

Barca had just declared that the biggest threat to American democracy was the court's decision that money equals speech. The Kenosha Democrat added that it's critically important to overturn the decision that opened the floodgates to unlimited spending in political races.

But a smug and confident Vos, cocksure that Scott Walker would be re-elected governor and the Republicans would continue to control the Legislature after Nov. 4, was having none of it. He also declared that not only should corporations be able to give, the so-called independent issue groups should be able to collaborate with a candidate's campaign as well. (That's currently illegal under Wisconsin law and its alleged violation by Walker backers is behind the controversial John Doe investigation.)

I'm a huge believer in the First Amendment, he declared, as if there's no question that the Founding Fathers intended to include corporations in the Bill of Rights.

It was interesting to learn that Vos suddenly had such respect for the constitutional amendment authored by James Madison to protect minority views from "the tyranny of the majority." (It's apparently hard for Vos and the 5-4 majority on the Supreme Court to admit that the Founding Fathers only mentioned individual American citizens in their deliberations.)

Vos is the same guy, after all, who has been a consistent defender of secret legislative caucuses and was behind the move to forbid the Governmental Accountability Board from allowing online access to campaign contribution disclosure forms filed by legislators.

He was also one of the instigators of tough rules to limit demonstrations in the State Capitol during and after the protests in 2011, including prohibiting cameras and other recording devices in the Assembly balconies.

But when it comes to corporations-as-citizens, he's suddenly a firm believer in that First Amendment.

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Plain Talk: Robin Vos gets First Amendment religion

Award to honor James Foley's work telling the stories 'of people trapped by war'

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MANCHESTER James Foley, the New Hampshire journalist murdered by ISIS forces in Syria last summer, has been named this years recipient of the Nackey S. Loeb First Amendment Award.

The freelance journalist and videographer, who grew up in Wolfeboro, was announced yesterday as the recipient of the 12th annual award given by the Nackey S. Loeb School of Communications.

A panel of judges decided to honor Foley for his work in telling the personal stories of people trapped by war and senseless violence.

He gave voice to people in places where there is no free speech or free press, and he gave his life because of it, said school executive director David Tirrell-Wysocki.

The award will be presented posthumously at the Radisson Hotel in Manchester on Nov. 12. The evening event will also feature an address by Donald Trump, who joins a notable group of national figures who have donated their appearances on behalf of the nonprofit school.

The First Amendment Award was established to honor New Hampshire organizations or residents who protect or exemplify the liberties granted in the First Amendment.

Past honorees include former state Attorney General Philip McLaughlin, former Keene Sentinel Editor Thomas Kearney, state Rep. Daniel Hughes, Dover City Councilor David Scott, First Amendment attorney William Chapman, ConVal School Board member Gail Pierson Cromwell, The Portsmouth Herald, David Lang and the Professional Fire Fighters of New Hampshire, and The Telegraph of Nashua.

Foley had reported from Iraq and Afghanistan and was kidnapped in Libya for 44 days in 2011. His work appeared in Stars and Stripes and GlobalPost, among others. He went to Syria in 2012 to report on conditions there and was taken by militants at Thanksgiving that year. His parents, Dr. John and Diane Foley of Rochester, did not hear from him for more than a year.

He was executed in August of this year, becoming the first American civilian to be killed by Islamist fanatics called ISIS (Islamic State in Iraq and Syria). Foleys beheading shocked the world. His parents plan a funeral Mass for him in Rochester this Saturday, which would have been his 42nd birthday.

Nackey Loeb, the late president and publisher of the Union Leader Corp., founded the school in 1999 to promote understanding and appreciation of the First Amendment and to foster interest, integrity and excellence in journalism and other forms of communication. More than 7,000 people have participated in the schools media-related classes, workshops and other events.

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Award to honor James Foley's work telling the stories 'of people trapped by war'

Houston Mayor Says Citys Sermon Subpoenas Came as a Surprise

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An unusual First Amendment fight has erupted in Houston where lawyers for the city have raised alarm bells among conservative religious leaders after subpoenaing sermons delivered by several local pastors.

The legal clash stems from a voter lawsuit against the city over its rejection of citizen petitions that were filed to repeal an equal rights ordinance approved by Houstons City Council in May.

Pro bono attorneys representing Houston have demanded copies of sermons and other speeches given by five pastors and religious leaders who have spoken out against the ordinance, which bans racial and sexual orientation discriminationin city employment and contracting, housing and public accommodations.

A subpoena on Pastor Steve Riggle, senior pastor of Grace Community Church, asks for all speeches, presentations, or sermons related to [the equal rights ordinance], the Petition, Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality, or gender identity prepared by, delivered by, revised by, or approved by you or in your possession.

Alliance Defending Freedom, a national conservative legal group, filed a motion on Monday in Harris County district court objecting to the records request on First Amendment grounds.

City council members are supposed to be public servants, not Big Brother overlords who will tolerate no dissent or challenge, ADF senior legal counsel Erik Stanley said. In this case, they have embarked upon a witch-hunt, and we are asking the court to put a stop to it.

But in a breaking development Wednesday, Houston Mayor Annise Parker appeared to be backing away from the initial requests. Janice Evans, a city spokeswoman, told Law Blog in a statement:

Mayor Parker agrees with those who are concerned about the city legal departments subpoenas for pastors sermons. The subpoenas were issued by pro bono attorneys helping the city prepare for the trial regarding the petition to repeal the new Houston Equal Rights Ordinance (HERO) in January. Neither the mayor nor City Attorney David Feldman were aware the subpoenas had been issued until yesterday. Both agree the original documents were overly broad. The city will move to narrow the scope during an upcoming court hearing. Feldman says the focus should be only on communications related to the HERO petition process.

Houston City Attorney David Feldman suggested to the Houston Chronicle in a story published Tuesday that the documents demanded by the city could shed light on the extent to which signature gatherers opposing the ordinance were aware of the rules governing the referendum process.

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Houston Mayor Says Citys Sermon Subpoenas Came as a Surprise

Investors flock to tiny device that promises online anonymity

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A new gadget with the potential to strike terror into the hearts of online marketers has just set off a crowdfunding frenzy on Kickstarter.

The Anonabox is a tiny, 2.4 inch by 1.6 inch router that aims to anonymize online activity by redirecting Ethernet and Wi-Fi traffic through the Tor network. It launched its fund-raising campaign on Sunday night with a sub-$50 price target and smashed through its $7,500 goalin less than six hours. It has raised nearly $500,000 at the time of writing.

The Tor network is a chain of computers (or nodes) that act as a relay for Internet traffic. When using Tor, requests from your PC are bounced through this network rather than accessing a website or service directly. This masks IP addresses and other information that could be used to discover your identity.

Anonabox isnt the first bit of Tor-enabled hardware weve seen. Last year, the Tor Project announced the Torouter Dreamplug but youll be lucky to get your hands on one. According to the Tor website, Dreamplug is still highly experimental and while seemingly functional, we have lots of bugs to iron out and features to implement.

Another option is the Safeplug, which retails for $49. It adds in ad-blocking software, but doesnt encrypt network traffic as the Anonabox promises to do. Its also a bit on the hefty side, being the same size as your typical home router.

Of course, you can always download the Tor browser itself, but that will only anonymize your browsing your Skype chats, email client and other software will still be unprotected.

At the moment, the Anonabox appears to have a unique value proposition. Its plug-and-play and fits inside a shirt pocket for easy portability between home and office. It can also be installed between a router and a modem to anonymize all devices that connect to the router.

But the project is also drawing some criticism. In an ask me anything session on Reddit with Anonabox developerAugust Germar, several members pointed to similarities between Anonabox and a $20 mini router being sold on AliExpress. Germar insisted that his design is original, but critics said his answers were vague and unconvincing. For now, the mini-controversy isnt stopping Anonabox from continuing to sign up Kickstarter backers at the rate of $10,000 per hour.

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Investors flock to tiny device that promises online anonymity

Is bitcoin the cryptocurrency of the future what other cryptocurrencies are there – Video

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Is bitcoin the cryptocurrency of the future what other cryptocurrencies are there
Rodrigo #39;s Bitcoin start-up: http://www.blinktrade.com Apps, books courses for entrepreneurs: http://www.problemio.com In this video I ask Rodrigo whether B...

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Is bitcoin the cryptocurrency of the future what other cryptocurrencies are there - Video

Should I Invest in Bitcoin or other Crypto Currencies? – Free Talk Live 2014-09-28 – Video

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Should I Invest in Bitcoin or other Crypto Currencies? - Free Talk Live 2014-09-28
Liberty Bits from Free Talk Live. For the best in liberty talk catch Free Talk Live every night of the week at 7pm - 10pm Eastern at http://lrn.fm Be sure to...

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Should I Invest in Bitcoin or other Crypto Currencies? - Free Talk Live 2014-09-28 - Video