Daily Archives: March 8, 2017

Republicans have long supported the sweeping surveillance capabilities of the NSA and have insisted theyre vitally important to national security. But with their man Trump caught up in multiple scandals that may involve intelligence services targeting his communications, privacy is suddenly a top priority.

The NSAs Prism and upstream data collection programs first hit the public consciousness when Edward Snowden fled the country and revealed extensive details about the agencys enormous powers to intercept foreign and domestic communications. The programs fall under Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act which is up for renewal at the end of the year. Just last week, officials from the Trump administration said that the White House supports the clean reauthorization [of Section 702] and the administration believes its necessary to protect the security of the nation. But that may have changed.

Devin Nunes is the Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee. He was part of the Trump transition team and has reportedly developed a close relationship with the president. He also is one of the few members of congress that seems to take Trumps allegation that Obama illegally wiretapped him seriously. Asked today about the renewal of Section 702 in the midst of continued intelligence leaks about Trump and Russia, Nunes said, I think its very problematic.

Many people feel that the investigation of the Trump campaigns relationship with Russia should be handled by an independent commission, rather than the House intelligence committee. Nunes has fought back against that suggestion. They can say whatever they want, but at the end of the day, I hold the gavel, theyre in the minority and were going to do what we want to do, he told CNN. We are not going to give up that jurisdiction to anyone else as long as Im here.

Nunes absolute refusal to acknowledge the growing body of evidence that Trump and his team have repeatedly lied about contacts with the Russian government has led to the impression that he is acting as a shield for the administration. And now, he thinks that the NSAs ability to surveil foreign powers and any American communications that might come up in that surveillance might be a problem. He elaborated at todays press conference:

Ive expressed this concern to the IC [intelligence community]. We have sent them many followup questions as it relates to intelligence thats been collected. And we expect prompt answers. I think we also expect unprecedented answers from them of the information that were going to be asking for.

Democrats have typically agreed with Republicans that the NSA programs are necessary and that doesnt seem to have changed. Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, told the Guardian today that Section 702 has been a far more impactful and important counterterrorism program and tool. But, That doesnt mean though that we shouldnt explore whether there are ways to improve any of the protections in existing law or whether there are any changes that we need to make to the structure of the program.

No one knows how many American citizens communications have been caught up in the NSAs net at this point. In 2014, The Guardian found tens of thousands of Americans emails were intercepted under one program. Lawmakers have shown little concern. Maybe Trumps relentless self-interest will finally result in something good being done about this egregious overreach. More likely hell find a way to make it more horrible, if not through intent, through incompetence.

[The Guardian]

Here is the original post:
Republicans Starting to Think the NSA Has Too Much Surveillance Power - Gizmodo

Washington Times

FBI, NSA called to testify on Trump-Russia investigation Washington Times FBI Director James B. Comey and NSA Director Mike Rogers are invited, as are Mr. Obama's CIA director, national intelligence director and deputy attorney general, each of whom has been critical of President Trump in recent weeks. Top officials from ... FBI Director James Comey was 'incredulous' over Trump's tweetsCNN all 109 news articles »

Here is the original post:
FBI, NSA called to testify on Trump-Russia investigation - Washington Times

Former CIA and NSA director Gen. Michael Hayden said Tuesday there was no body of evidence for President Trump to make the claim that former President Barack Obama ordered wiretaps of his phones during the election.

What was claimed is inconsistent with the way I know the system works, Hayden told FOX Business Neil Cavuto.

According to Hayden, the president hasnt had the authority to order a wiretap since the 1970s. Instead, the request would need to go through a court, he said.

Since the president took office, the White House has been plagued with intel leaks. Hayden, who took over as CIA director in May 2006, said he faced a similar issue.

"One of the biggest problems we had was leaks. And my first speech to the workforce was: this is stopping. We are out of this as source or subject, Hayden said, adding that he does not believe people within the intelligence community should immediately be blamed.

I would not automatically assume that the source of this are intel people, even when the data being leaked is intelligence, he said.

Continue Reading Below

ADVERTISEMENT

Furthermore, Hayden offered advice to the administration, based on his past experience.

My tool though wasnt a vendetta, wasnt an investigation, wasnt beating people up, he said. My tool was openness within the agency, so that people actually felt they had a place in which their views were valued. Id suggest that approach for the administration.

He added: What youve got is a situation that we as Americans have to agree is really bad. We cannot have the permanent government at war with the incoming administration. Both sides need to step back, take a breath.

Read the original:
No Evidence for Trump's Wiretap Claims, Former CIA, NSA Chief Says - Fox Business

Section 702 permits the NSA to collect communications and associated data from targets it reasonably believes to be non-Americans overseas suspected of contact with a foreign power. Photograph: Patrick Semansky/Associated Press

The escalating feud between Donald Trump and US intelligence is now putting the top 2017 legislative priority of the intelligence agencies at risk.

At the end of the year, a broad legal authority permitting sweeping surveillance is set to expire. The National Security Agency considers the authority, known as Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa), pivotal to fighting terrorism and stopping espionage. Civil libertarians consider the measure the wellspring of the NSAs Prism and upstream mass communications-data collection unconstitutional.

The typical balance of power on Capitol Hill over surveillance is such that opponents of renewing Section 702 face strong political headwinds. The measure was reauthorized with minimal challenge in 2012.

Now the Republican chairman of the House intelligence committee has thrown reauthorization into question after extensive leaking about Trump and Russia that the president and his Capitol Hill allies have blamed on the US intelligence community.

Asked at a Tuesday press conference about the renewal of section 702 in light of ongoing leaks concerning Trump and Russia, Devin Nunes said, I think its very problematic.

He continued: Ive expressed this concern to the IC [intelligence community]. We have sent them many followup questions as it relates to intelligence thats been collected. And we expect prompt answers. I think we also expect unprecedented answers from them of the information that were going to be asking for.

First passed in 2008 to give legal cover to George W Bush-era warrantless surveillance, Section 702 permits the NSA to collect communications and associated data from targets it reasonably believes to be non-Americans overseas suspected of contact with a foreign power, even if they are in communication with Americans. The surveillance does not require a court order specifying its targets, purposes, or time frame; only the reapproval of the attorney general and the director of national intelligence.

NSA interception of communications between Russian officials or suspected operatives and Trumps associates would not necessarily involve using Section 702. The NSA or FBI can acquire such communications under the terms of the original 1978 Fisa law. Because of a provision in the law about understanding the foreign-intelligence value of the intercepted communications, neither agency would necessarily have to purge references to Americans.

It is not only the NSA that values Section 702 ardently. The FBI director, James Comey, last year called the surveillance activities permitted by Section 702 far more important than the bulk domestic phone-records data program that Congress curtailed in 2015. The FBI is permitted to warrantlessly search through the NSAs hoards of foreign-focused data with few restrictions.

Last week, as the House judiciary committee began hearings over the expiring provision, the Trump administration told Reuters it favors Section 702 reauthorization.

We support the clean reauthorization and the administration believes its necessary to protect the security of the nation, an anonymous official said.

Trumps nominee for director of national intelligence, Dan Coats, testified that he agreed Section 702 is the crown jewels of US intelligence and the intelligence community also sees it that way, the entire community.

Throughout Barack Obamas presidency and the Edward Snowden leaks, the vast majority of national-security-focused Republicans embraced the measure without reservation, with Republicans on the intelligence committee leading the way.

Nunes himself has been a full-throated defender of Section 702. Last year, he and colleague Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia took point in opposing a civil-libertarian effort to block it through an amendment to a defense-spending bill.

Citing the then recent case of Orlando nightclub murderer Omar Mateen, Nunes and Westmoreland circulated a letter to colleagues claiming the loss of 702 would deprive the intelligence community of the authorities it needs to detect and stop terrorist attacks.

But since then, Nunes has become a crucial ally to Trump. Nunes served on Trumps transition team, a closeness that has raised questions about Nunes independence as his committee investigates Trump associates ties to Russia.

Nunes has ardently defended Trumps first national security adviser, Michael Flynn, and implied without evidence that the intelligence agencies abused their surveillance powers in leaking accounts of Flynns December conversations with the Russian ambassador, Sergey Kislyak, that proved to be his downfall.

Trump has blamed the intelligence agencies for the leaks, in particular the FBI and NSA, and his administration has suggested that career intelligence officials are in league with former Obama officials. He has recently taken to claiming, baselessly, that Obama ordered Trump to be surveilled, an act that would be illegal if true.

There is no evidence to support that claim of Obama ordering Trump to be wiretapped, a US official told the Guardian over the weekend.

But Nunes has given the accusation credence. His committee on 1 March added the possible leaks of classified information that Trump wants investigated to its inquiry on Russian measures to interfere with the 2016 election, which the intelligence agencies publicly assessed in January were for Trumps benefit.

Typically weve had great trust with our intelligence agencies, Nunes said on Tuesday.

And I continue to have that trust, but we have to verify, in fact, that all of the tools that are in place, that we oversee, are being used ethically, responsibly and by the law. And if anybody has abused those, we want to know about that. And thats part of the reason why its important for us to know whether or not, as some press reports have indicated, the Department of Justice or any other agency tried to get the warrant on anybody related to the Trump campaign or any other campaign for that matter.

Adam Schiff, the top Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said the authority under Section 702 would be preserved when asked by the Guardian on Tuesday about Nunes comments. But he did not rule out potential reforms to the law if necessary.

Section 702 has been a far more impactful and important counter-terrorism program and tool, Schiff said during a press conference on Capitol Hill.

That doesnt mean though that we shouldnt explore whether there are ways to improve any of the protections in existing law or whether there are any changes that we need to make to the structure of the program.

Schiff said the intelligence committee had been engaged in periodic briefings with members, given the law is poised to sunset this year. Should any questions come up in the same context that are pertinent to the Russia investigation, he added, they ought to be answered so members understand how the program works [and] that its conducted in a lawful way.

See more here:
Trump v US intelligence: growing feud puts NSA's legislative priority at risk - The Guardian

Central Tech is proud to announce the NSA CyberPatriot Team earned a spot as a national finalist in the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. The competition will be held April 2-6, 2017 in Baltimore, MD.

CyberPatriot is an excellent opportunity for students to learn how to solve real world problems using real world solutions. CyberPatriot teams must learn to work together to overcome challenges that could not be completed by individuals, said Nick Gaunt, NSA instructor, Central Tech.

Central Tech was the only Oklahoma school to finish in the top twelve in their division and will move on to the national competition.

With over 4,400 teams representing all 50 States, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Northern Mariana Islands, U.S. Department of Defense schools in Europe and the Pacific, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and Hungary, this years competition was record-breaking. All teams competed in a series of online rounds hoping to secure a top twenty-eight finalist spot and a chance for an all-expenses paid trip to the competition.

We are thrilled to see both returning teams, who continue pushing for excellence in defending their titles, as well as so many new teams qualify for National Finals, said Diane Miller, Director, Global Cyber Education and Workforce Development Programs, Northrop Grumman. Year-over-year, CyberPatriot demonstrates that it is truly accessible to all, creating a much-needed diverse and highly skilled cyber workforce to protect and defend our nations systems. We are so proud to be part of this national imperative and wish the competitors all the best!

CyberPatriot, an education initiative established by the Air Force Association and presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation, is a one-of-a-kind cyber defense competition designed to inspire students toward futures in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. Other program sponsors include Cyber Diamond sponsors AT&T Federal and the AT&T Foundation, Cisco, Microsoft, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the Office of the Secretary of Defense; Cyber Gold sponsors Facebook, Riverside Research, Splunk, and Symantec; and Cyber Silver sponsors Air Force Reserve, American Military University, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Leidos, and University of Maryland University College. For more information about the CyberPatriot competition; visit their website http://www.uscyberpatriot.org.

Central Tech would like to congratulate our CyberPatriot team and wish them well at national finals. For more information about Central Tech or the NSA program, visit CentralTech.Edu.

Follow this link:
Central Tech's NSA CyberPatriot Team Is Only Oklahoma Team Going To National Competition - Cleveland American