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From the Very Creation of the Internet, U.S. Spy Agencies Fought to Block Encryption
From the Very Creation of the Internet, U.S. Spy Agencies Fought to Block Encryption
American spy agencies have intentionally weakened digital security for many decades. This breaks the functionality of our computers and of the Internet. It reduces functionality and reduces security by – for example – creating backdoors that malicious hackers can get through.
The spy agencies have treated patriotic Americans who want to use encryption to protect their privacy as extremists … or even terrorists.
As Gizmodo’s Matt Novak points out, this attack started at the very birth of the internet:
In the 1970s, civilian researchers at places like IBM, Stanford and MIT were developing encryption to ensure that digital data sent between businesses, academics and private citizens couldn’t be intercepted and understood by a third party. This concerned folks inthe U.S. intelligence community who didn’t want to get locked out of potentially eavesdropping on anyone, regardless of their preferred communications method. Despite their most valiant efforts, agencies like the NSA ultimately lost out to commercial interests. But it wasn’t for lack of trying.
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When the NSA got wind of the research developments at IBM, Stanford and MIT in the 1970s they scrambled to block publication of their early studies. When that didn’t work, the NSA sought to work with the civilian research community to develop the encryption. As Stowsky writes, “the agency struck a deal with IBM to develop a data encryption standard (DES) for commercial applications in return for full pre-publication review and right to regulate the length, and therefore the strength of the crypto algorithm.”
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
Canadians to Spy Agencies: Get a Warrant!
Canadians to Spy Agencies: Get a Warrant!
Ranked first among privacy priorities, the people of Canada have spoken. Second in a series.
Do our digital homes deserve the same right to privacy as our brick-and-mortar homes?
This is one of the questions Canadians are asking after CBC News revealed that a government spy agency — the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) — targeted popular mobile browsers and apps, leaving millions at risk of having their private data hacked.
This is the latest in a long series of revelations about how the government has been spying on our private online activities on a massive scale — without ever going to a judge to ask for a warrant.
Earlier this week, we launched a crowdsourced pro-privacy action plan, to tackle these and other concerns. The early reception has been positive, with the federal privacy commissioner stating that he “shared many of the views expressed by participants in this project.”
As part of our crowdsourcing process, we presented participants with a range of privacy priorities, which we asked them to rank in order of preference. Top of Canadians’ list was “require a warrant for government to spy on personal information,” which barely edged out “end blanket surveillance” for the number one spot.
Tackling Canada’s privacy deficit starts with getting a warrant, finds new OpenMedia report.
We drilled down further by asking in what circumstances should the government be allowed to access Canadians’ personal information. Again we presented a range of options, and this time the result was overwhelming:
Over 93 per cent of participants said a warrant granted by a judge is a must when it comes to accessing your personal information. Independent studies, such as this one by the privacy commissioner and this one by Forum Research, reinforce these findings.
…click on the above link to read the rest of the article…
