Trump Was Worried HR McMaster or Fiona Hill Would Spy on His Conversation with Putin
There were two infuriating stories earlier this week in preparation of today's meeting between President Trump and Vladimir Putin.
The Daily Beast reported that Trump's aides wanted Fiona Hill in the meeting between the presidents.
According…
The Back Story for Why Reality Winner Is Still in Jail
Rachel Maddow suspects that she got a forgery cut and pasted off the document Reality Winner shared with the Intercept. Except the document appears to have been created between the time Winner was arrested and the Intercept published the document.
In Mistaking Surveillance for Sabotage, NYT Fearmongers Nukes Again
The NYT just conflated "hunting SysAdmins" with StuxNet.
Death of the Car(go) Cult(ure)
I had an economic and philosophic epiphany recently. It sneaked up on me, right about the time I let go of my comfortable illusion of middle-class security.
The Dialectical Imagination by Martin Jay: Human Nature is more than Producing Stuff
Human beings are more than their value in production of goods. And what's all this talk about the glories of work, and how does it relate to freedom?
Nyetya: Sanctions and Taxes
Perhaps Nyetnya is just Vladimir Putin's way of imposing reciprocity in sanctions.
Curiouser: The Blindsiding of Sally Yates
Looks like former Deputy Attorney General Sally Yates was completely blindsided by the travel ban.
Revisiting Obama on the Weakness of American Democracy
Happy Fourth of July. May we find a way to keep the Republic.
Did NSA Start Using Section 702 to Collect from VPNs in 2014?
It appears likely that a challenge to a new kind of 702 collection in late 2014 pertained to collection that would obtain, but not use, US person collection.
NotPetya: Why Would Russia Target Kaspersky AV?
Both the US and Ukraine are blaming Russia for the NotPetya attack on Ukraine last week. But if that's true, why did the attack specifically target Kaspersky AV?
Democrats Need a Plan for National Voter Protection
Two noted racists are about to try to rebrand cheating as "integrity." It's time for the Democrats to do more than simply resist, but instead to lay out what real election integrity would look like in this country.
Does Maersk Count as US Critical Infrastructure?
The slowdown of privately held Danish company Maersk shipping as a result of the Nyetna cyberattack slowed down at least three ports in the US. Does that make Maersk part of America's critical infrastructure, entitled to heightened cybersecurity protection and response?
Minority Report: An Alternative Look at NotPetya
Tuesday's 'Petya/Petna/NotPetya' malware attacks generated a lot of misleading information and assumptions. This post looks at a prevailing assumption arising from the impact on Ukraine.
The Dialectical Imagination by Martin Jay: Truth and Facts
Critical Theory starts from the premise that there are no absolutes, in contrast to the way many people, especially conservatives, think.
What Would a Digital Sanctions Regime Relying on Malware Look Like?
If an entity wanted to use malware to counter the hegemonic financial community's ability to impose financial sanctions, the NotPetya ransomware/wiper attack is what it might look like.
When NSA Talks about Unintended Consequences, You Need to Ask a Follow-Up Question
NSA doesn't want to be "boxed in" by any technically meaningful definition of the "abouts" collection that has purportedly been prohibited. That suggests they're still doing something that has the same effect as "abouts" collection.
Confirmed: The FISA Court Is Less of a Rubber Stamp than Article III Courts
In 2016, FISC denied .5% of all domestic warrant requests. Article III courts denied just .06%.
NSA's Unsatisfying Response to Rosemary Collyer's "Lack of Candor" Accusations
The NSA denied Rosemary Collyer's accusation that it has an institutional lack of candor. If that's the case, then we're left with two years of spying on Americans that should have been avoided.
The FBI's Standards for Ingesting Raw 702 Data
In a rare FBI appearance at a 702 hearing, FBI's EAD for NSD, Carl Ghattas explained precisely what the standard is for obtaining raw data: a full investigation.
The Willful FBI 702 Violation No One Admitted
Witnesses discussing 702 like to pretend there have been no willful violations of Section 702. I don't think they can make that claim anymore.