Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[MaximumZero]

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/report-nsa-intercepts-computer-deliveries-2D11820931

I wonder if a non-American company could make a business out of debugging hardware?

Maybe I should move to Canada and start a side business?

[Frumple]

http://www.nbcnews.com/technology/report-nsa-intercepts-computer-deliveries-2D11820931

I wonder if a non-American company could make a business out of debugging hardware?

An american one could probably make a bit of bank off of convincing paranoiacs that they're debugging hardware >_>

Probably already some out there, doing just that. "Send me your computer and X hundred dollah! We'll totally return it stripped of NSA bugging and not loaded down with our own back doors, keyloggers, and whatnot. Pinkie promise!"

After all, the biggest question regarding business like that is: How does the (presumable) layman patronizing them know they did, well, anything?

[Bauglir]

Here's a bigger question: Could you get funding from the NSA to defraud people this way, since you would arguably be making it easier for them to do their jobs by creating a false sense of security?

[MaximumZero]

Here's a bigger question: Could you get funding from the NSA to defraud people this way, since you would arguably be making it easier for them to do their jobs by creating a false sense of security?

Sounds like we need to start an LLC. Let's get on it, all.

[Bauglir]

I'm seriously considering sending them the email. On the other hand, they'd probably think I was mocking them. Or, worse, they'd think I have the resources to follow through. I'd really just like to know the answer.

[MaximumZero]

I'm seriously considering sending them the email. On the other hand, they'd probably think I was mocking them. Or, worse, they'd think I have the resources to follow through. I'd really just like to know the answer.

If all else fails, we could have RedKing do it. He's well connected with the gub'mint.

[Max White]

Australia recently got caught spying on Thailand or something.

They're quite unhappy.

Ok so here is how all that happened:
- Before a recent election Australian Opposition leader Tony Abbott makes all sorts of silly promises about how he will turn asylum seeker boats back to Indonesia. Indonesian officials shake their heads at this, and the Indonesian press start to see Abbott as somebody they can frame as a villain against their sovereignty for the sake of selling papers.
- Abbott wins the election and his first overseas trip as Prime Minister is to Indonesia to talk about various matters, such as cattle trade and also the boats on the side.
- While in Indonesia he does press conferences with Australian journalists who want to report on his amazing plans to stop the boats, but refuses to let the hostile Indonesian press in. This sort of discrimination of the press is illegal over there, and the Indonesian media gets pissed the fuck off.
- They start to report on the Australian spying known from the Snowden leaks. Nobody in the intelligence community is surprised at all, they all knew this was happening. Heck the Indonesian government sends our spies Christmas cards. It was always friends checking in on friends to ensure they were on the same page. The Indonesian public doesn't see it this way, especially their nationalist opposition party, and they start to call for blood.
- Now that the Snowden leaks have become a matter of public interest the Australian Broadcasting Commission (ABC), our government funded news source, actually puts the effort in to read through everything relating to Australian-Indonesian relations. Most of it is boring shit that was made publicly available weeks after the spying, but they do find an incident of phone tapping relating to various trade deals.
- Shit hits the fan. Indonesians are unhappy that there was actually the bad sort of spying going on, explanations are demanded.
- The Abbott government still thinks this is a case of the public being worked up over nothing, and shrugs it off. Indonesia responds by shutting down all join military operations (Including that thing about the boats) and putting up an embargo on live cattle imports. Woops!
- Australia goes into damage control mode and agrees to join together to write up a code of conduct on spying between the two nations.

And that is where we are now. So there you go, a lot of political saber rattling that had a lot more to do with tensions caused by what a man will say when he wants to take government.

[Helgoland]

code of conduct on spying between the two nations

I love humankind.

[Max White]

It is essentially a paper shield so that next time somebody kicks up fuss that spying is going on, the officials can point out that it is all legit and by the book.
We do spy on Indonesia, and they spy on us, and we are very happy that they do. The vast, vast majority of information that spies gather is in government sanctioned interviews between spies and public servants, kind of like a pre-release of a press conference. It makes sure that each nation knows what the other is about to announce so that they can prepare a response early.

[alway]

http://security.blogs.cnn.com/2014/01/04/nsa-wont-say-whether-it-spies-on-congress/?hpt=hp_t2
So, basically, the NSA is spying on elected officials too, though it won't directly say as much; even when asked directly by Congress.

Of course, that is to be expected given the methods used; they spy on everyone, regardless of who they are.

[SalmonGod]

Given their methods, it would probably be really difficult for them to specifically exclude members of congress (or anyone, really) from collection programs.

[Max White]

They most likely are. Heck it wouldn't surprise me if every member has done a check on themselves just to see what shows up, akin to googling your own name.

[Tack]

Well I'd imagine that you'd want to have a really clean slate if you're working in an area like that.

[Max White]

And the information they turn up will never be used, and they'll have just done it for the sake of doing it?

Maybe, maybe not. If the information was truly useless, it makes you wonder why they are spending money to collect it.

[DJ]

Barrels of pork.