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HELLFIRE
MVM
join:2009-11-25

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HELLFIRE

MVM

DEA hacked Blackberry for drugsmugglers raise HRW concerns on surveillance

»www.hrw.org/news/2018/07 ··· suspects
»www.theregister.co.uk/20 ··· tphones/
quote:
In an affidavit connected to Krokos' case, special agent Rachel Burkdoll revealed that she had sold encrypted BlackBerry phones to Krokos, which he then supplied to his colleagues as a way of communicating confidentially. He had no idea that Burkdoll was a government agent and the US government had retained all the phones' encryption keys – giving them access to all the content of email and text messages between the two.

...

All of which leads to Human Rights Watch's larger question: as useful as these techniques may be, what are the legal constraints around them? The DoJ has so far refused to provide its policies over the provision of cracked phones or the addition of malware to suspects' phones. The DEA may have cancelled its contract with Hacking Team when the details became public but it made no mention of the techniques behind the contract and it is all too probable that it currently has a different contract with another company to do the same thing. It's not clear what legal instruments and interpretations the DEA and other government department are using to authorize the real-time monitoring of suspects' phones, or what level of legal authority they are seeking beforehand. Human Rights Watch notes that the same techniques may be being used to monitor people that aren't smuggling drugs "including peaceful activists whose groups may be at risk of government monitoring and non-suspects who may obtain the compromised phones."
Much as I loathe going into tinfoil hat territory, some valid questions raised by Human Rights Watch here. Plus we don't have to go too far back to the whole FBI / Apple backdoor gongshow, never mind
NSA's own call records shenanigans, for a "won't SOMEone think of the [insert here] !" rationale for (more) 1984 / Big Brother governmental surveillance powers and authority.

Regards

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

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StuartMW

Premium Member

Related.

»The NSA is giving your phone records to the DEA.
Kearnstd
Space Elf
Premium Member
join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

4 recommendations

Kearnstd

Premium Member

I feel this shit show of information sucking both government and industry will go on as long as nobody regulates it and they will go as far as they can until its regulated. Pretty much like every industry in the past.
SipSizzurp
Fo' Shizzle
Premium Member
join:2005-12-28
Houston, TX

2 recommendations

SipSizzurp

Premium Member

said by Kearnstd:

I feel this shit show of information sucking by both government and industry will go on as long as nobody regulates it and they will go as far as they can until its regulated.

Hence our current conundrum. What authority source is in a position to regulate 3 letter agencies who classify everything they do ?

camper
just visiting this planet
Premium Member
join:2010-03-21
Bethel, CT

2 recommendations

camper to HELLFIRE

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to HELLFIRE
said by HELLFIRE:

Plus we don't have to go too far back to the whole FBI / Apple backdoor gongshow...

 

Or further back to the Microsoft rumors...
»www.heise.de/tp/features ··· 341.html

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

5 recommendations

StuartMW to SipSizzurp

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to SipSizzurp
said by SipSizzurp:

What authority source is in a position to regulate 3 letter agencies who classify everything they do ?

In theory Congress. Not that they'll do so. And the FBI is currently giving the middle-finger to Congress over oversight.

. o O ("We're a branch unto ourselves! We don't answer to you or anyone else!")
Kearnstd
Space Elf
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join:2002-01-22
Mullica Hill, NJ

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Kearnstd to HELLFIRE

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to HELLFIRE
Does classified matter in court? As in can a federal judge order the method be said in open court? I mean classified status or not a court order is a court order.

Is the only method appeal or can they blankly say no and not be in contempt.

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

5 recommendations

StuartMW

Premium Member

It goes something like this:

Court/Congress: We demand you tell us about XYZ.

3-Letter Agency: This is an ongoing/classified investigation.

Court/Congress: We have oversight and demand these documents.

3-Letter Agency: And your point is?

Court/Congress: We'll hold you in contempt!

3-Letter Agency: Ok then.

Court/Congress: Waaaaa! They won't give us the documents! Waaaa! I want my mommy! Waaaaa!

3-Letter Agency: . o O (Just as we thought. We can do whatever we want and no-one will do a thing about it)

former qwest
Premium Member
join:2014-01-04
out there

1 recommendation

former qwest

Premium Member

whole reminds me of COINTELPRO:»en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO

Ken1943
join:2001-12-30
Brighton, CO

5 recommendations

Ken1943 to HELLFIRE

Member

to HELLFIRE
Catch the bad guys anyway u can

wxboss
This is like Deja vu all over again.
Premium Member
join:2005-01-30
Fort Lauderdale, FL

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wxboss to Kearnstd

Premium Member

to Kearnstd
said by Kearnstd:

I feel this shit show of information sucking both government and industry will go on as long as nobody regulates it and they will go as far as they can until its regulated. Pretty much like every industry in the past.

Without regulation, it's a free-for-all until some authority asserts itself.

I think most of us can agree on that. What can't be agreed upon is who and how this should all be applied and enforced...and so the drama drags on.

Blackbird
Built for Speed
Premium Member
join:2005-01-14
Fort Wayne, IN

5 recommendations

Blackbird

Premium Member

said by wxboss:

said by Kearnstd:

I feel this shit show of information sucking both government and industry will go on as long as nobody regulates it and they will go as far as they can until its regulated. Pretty much like every industry in the past.

Without regulation, it's a free-for-all until some authority asserts itself.

I think most of us can agree on that. What can't be agreed upon is who and how this should all be applied and enforced...and so the drama drags on.

The core problem is that the Congress-critters of both parties and all "labels" are so divided amonst themselves on detail issues (and the 3-letter guys well know it) that they cannot agree to do the one thing they already have full authority to do: immediately defund the agencies unless/until the Congressional oversight is honored. No funding means no payroll... that means no jobs. I know - it'll never happen with the clown circus called Congress. But the solution path exists, nevertheless.

StuartMW
Premium Member
join:2000-08-06

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StuartMW

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said by Blackbird:

...immediately defund the agencies unless/until the Congressional oversight is honored.

I agree totally.

Court/Congress: We will cut your funding by 1%, in real terms, every day you delay. By the way you are fired. Have a nice day.

wxboss
This is like Deja vu all over again.
Premium Member
join:2005-01-30
Fort Lauderdale, FL

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wxboss to Blackbird

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to Blackbird
said by Blackbird:

The core problem is that the Congress-critters of both parties and all "labels" are so divided amonst themselves on detail issues (and the 3-letter guys well know it) that they cannot agree to do the one thing they already have full authority to do

I speak out of much frustration as we have a POTUS that is (rightly or wrongly I will not comment here) being decisive and aggressively (in some situations) propelling his agenda forward while Congress looks on drop-jawed, miffed and ineffectual with any proper response. But this is how things have been for some time now and why this Democratic Republic has been seemingly ineffectual and ripe for someone arrogant enough to challenge it. It is because our representatives no longer represent and the 'power' of Congress appears more and more (as time goes by) like a dreamy ideal instead of an enforceable reality.