The constitution says, “Congress shall make no law abridging freedom of the press.” That’s according to the US Constitution. Apparently, not all nations celebrate that kind of freedom.
The Turkish government, with the blessing of their prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan , are pushing for their government agency Telecommunications Communications Presidency (TIP) to block websites deemed…ahem…insulting. This is to be done without court authorization or any legal intervention. This adds to Turkish laws passed in 2007 which put Internet censorship almost to China’s level, one of the most censored nations in the world. Erdogan openly called social media sites like Twitter a menace, after these sites helped push protest throughout that nation last summer. Oh, one more thing…Erdogan’s political friends are facing corruption scandals. I’m just saying.
Of course, those in the Turkish government who oppose?Internet censorship are calling these bills and laws Orwellian. Some are even comparing Erdogan to some of the worst dictators of the 20th century. I don’t know if I’d go that far, but this could be a start to a disaster.?Learn a history lesson: If a?government is this?hardcore about censorship it means two things. It either?means they don’t want to be exposed or they’re slowly, systematically but surely?oppressing their own people. I’m not saying Turkey is doing that, but this is what it can lead to. But I do find it interesting this is happening at a time when political scandals and protests are?threatening?the ruling party, the?AKP Justice and Development Party. I also find it interesting this is the same Erdogan appeared?and spoke?in the?form of a?hologram. But this kind of censorship?is potentially very dangerous. Why am I talking about Turkey you may ask? Well, what if this mentality comes to America, or your own country?
Are you aware NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden is nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for exposing the NSA surveillance program last year? There is plenty more where that came from.
This surveillance thing isn’t limited to the USA. The CSEC is Canada’s version of?America’s??NSA. According to CBC,?Snowden’s documents reveals the CSEC uses?free Wi-Fi at?airports throughout that nation to track passengers coming and going. The tracking didn’t stop at the baggage claim; it lasted for days afterwards. Nonetheless, their?law prohibits them from targeting Canadian citizens. They’re only allowed to?track foreigners. The?CSEC responded, but in legalize. In?a statement, the agency said: “[We are]?mandated to collect foreign signals intelligence to protect Canada and Canadians. And in order to fulfill that key foreign intelligence role for the country, CSEC is legally authorized to collect and analyze metadata.”
It’s been over a decade since I’ve been to Canada, so I don’t know what the response will be. But I’m willing to bet it won’t be a positive one. Whether it be the US, Germany, China or Canada, people don’t like their rights being trampled on. And at least in the US they did have?a little?legal wiggle room. But from what I’m reading, the CSEC doesn’t even have that. And they statement issue is a poor excuse of explaining and poor excuse for covering up this act. I can about guarantee this isn’t over. What do you think the fallout will be like?
The NSA surveillance revelations of 2013 has been one of the most controversial issues of our day? Was it to protect our nation from terrorism? Or was it a violation of civil rights and liberties (those who follow me regularly know where I stand). Let’s see where a review board stand.
Before you ask, this review board, called Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board (PCLOB), is an independent board, not sponsored by any political party or organization, corporation. etc. In the wake of President Obama’s speech calling for phone records to be thrown out, this board says there’s no basis to support the NSA’s spying on our smartphones and computers. Their report says there is no instance the NSA’s phone data program has or will stop terrorism. There are some who say the program stopped a potential 2009 terror attack, in which terrorist plotted to bomb New York City’s transit system, but the PCLOB rejects this. They concluded the program raises ‘constitutional concerns’ and the phone data program should no longer exist.
Wow, this is powerful! This board wasn’t pulled from the street. This board includes federal judges and members of the George W. Bush, Clinton and Carter administrations. I’m sure this report will be debated over and over. I’m sure they are people on the other side of the debate whose credentials are just as great. But so does the PCLOB. Does this not give the civil libertarian argument at least a little credibility?
It’s only the second day of the new year and things are off to a flying start. Already, we have a breaking hacking and surveillance story going hand in hand.
Social media sites Skype, Twitter and Facebook were hacked into. A group called Syrian Electronic Army claimed responsibility. They’re calling for an end to spying, in the wake of Edward Snowden’s revelations of 2013. It’s reported no user information is at risk. But the SEA (Syrian Electronic Army) is not subtle or shy in voicing their intentions. One Skype blog from them says, “Stop Spying on People!” This isn’t the first time the SEA made their appearance known.
As most of you know, there is a bloody and deadly civil war going on in Syria with no end in sight. The SEA openly supports embattled Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Throughout 2013, they’ve hacked into New York Times, British Broadcasting Company (BBC), Financial Times, New York Stock Exchange and Twitter. But this is the first time they’ve addressed the spying controversy. Which makes me think. I agree with their stance on ‘stop spying’. But I’m skeptical of their motives. They could be using this subject to win people over in order to gain support for their cause. Al-Assad has allegedly done some terrible things (from what I’ve been hearing, the rebel fighters aren’t any better). So I need to be real careful before I pat these guys on the back for speaking what so many Americans are feeling. Is the SEA really sincere in their speaking out against government surveillance?
Are you a Snapchat user? You may or may not want to sit down to this one.
It’s been reported hackers broke into 4.6 million Snapchat accounts, getting ?usernames and phone numbers. But all things aren’t what they seem, well, not this time. It’s also reported hackers exploited the database to raise awareness of Snapchat’s security weaknesses. Despite this little awareness lesson, the concern is these numbers and usernames could get into the wrong hands. In December 2013 (wow it feels strange to say that) an Australian security watchdog reported that two exploits in Snapchat’s data could give hackers easy access to consumer info. Info like aliases and phone numbers could be collected through Apple and Android devices.
First off, it’s good to be updated on such things. It can be scary to talk about, but isn’t it better to be in the know than to find out about hacking the hard way? I can even have respect for those who were trying to raise awareness of Snapchat’s problems. I just hope that’s all they were doing. And it this was a drill, it needs to be done to make crystal sure nobody’s accounts gets compromised or put at risk. Do you think this alleged hacking was an awareness test or were the motives more sinister?
Have a safe, prosperous and blessed New Year, everybody!!
How does the NSA have enough money and manpower to go on it’s spying spree in an economy like this? How do they find the skills to watch everyone’s every move? Well I tell you one thing…they don’t just get them from the street.
Jacob Applebaum is the author of a ?Der Spiegel article that ?was the first to expose the NSA playbook. At a conference in Hamburg, Germany last week, he talked about his findings. The talked of world elite hackers using pre-packaged exploits to break into Apple devices and others communicating through GSM. He says they can use devices than can hijack someone’s WiFi up to 8 miles. ?Yes, the devices these hacker elitist use are mostly transported by van. But don’t be surprised if they’re soon transported by drone. They may be doing this already.
Should this surprise anyone? I wish I had more info and where and how these hackers were getting employed, but unfortunately, I don’t. I have a few speculations. But I’m almost there…almost at the point where I say let them do what they’re going to do anyway. I’m still opposed to these tactics, and the others that have been exposed. Truly I am. But what in the world can we do about it?
