New leak shows feds can access user accounts for Google, Facebook and more

[ShyWriter]

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New leak shows feds can access user accounts for Google, Facebook and more...

Secret slides reveal massive government spying, tech companies dispute reports.

by Cyrus Farivar - June 6 2013, 7:47pm EST

The Washington Post

It’s worse than we thought.

Just one day after disclosing the existence of a secret court order between the National Security Agency (NSA) and Verizon, The Guardian and The Washington Post both published secret presentation slides revealing the existence of a previously undisclosed massive surveillance program called PRISM. The program has the capability to collect data “directly from the servers” of major American tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook and Yahoo. (Dropbox is said to be “coming soon.”)

The newspapers describe the system as one giving the National Security Agency and the FBI direct access to a huge number of online commercial services, capable of “extracting audio, video, photographs, e-mails, documents, and connection logs that enable analysts to track a person’s movements and contacts over time.”

Since the news broke, Apple, Google, and Facebook have all gone on the record. Apple told CNBC that it never heard of PRISM and did not grant the government such access. It echoed the same sentiment to the Wall Street Journal. Facebook told The Next Web that it also does not provide federal authorities with direct access to its servers. And Google told the site that it ”does not have a ‘back door’ for the government to access private user data.” It continued in a statement, "Google cares deeply about the security of our users’ data. We disclose user data to government in accordance with the law, and we review all such requests carefully."

Ars has reached out to Apple, Yahoo, Paltalk, AOL, and Facebook over e-mail for comment but did not hear back at the time of publication. A Google spokesperson—when asked if the company had heard of or participated in the PRISM program—responded with the same statement given to The Next Web.

A Dropbox spokesperson told Ars: "We’ve seen reports that Dropbox might be asked to participate in a government program called PRISM. We are not part of any such program and remain committed to protecting our users’ privacy." (More...)

Read the complete story at: http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2013/06/new-leak-feds-can-access-anything-in-your-google-facebook-and-more/

Steve

[Caxap]

Yea, ppl so stupid if usind and enter personal information in social networks

[exile360]

On a related note:

http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57590507-38/british-spy-agency-said-to-tap-worlds-phone-calls-e-mails/

[Firefox]

Well I would say, I am sure every country out there is doing this sort of thing.....

[Wide_Glide]

The newspapers describe the system as one giving the National Security Agency and the FBI direct access to a huge number of online commercial services

 

Lets also enter into this the Dept. Of Homeland Security and the CIA.   This is also being done as an attempt to track attacks coming from outside the USA.

[mountaintree16]

bah humbug

[GT500]

The government having easy routes of access to your data isn't anything new:

[David H. Lipman]

For those of you who may have misconceptions on what the NSA was doing, and the legality thereof,  I suggest all to view this recording of House Intelligence Committee grilling General Keith Alexander on "National Security Agency Data Collection Programs" which was held and recorded Jun 18, 2013.  I saw it live on the Pentagon Channel and it has been rebroadcasted on C-SPAN and is archived on C-SPAN.Org

 

http://www.c-spanvideo.org/program/AgencyOp

 

"Senior government officials involved with the National Security Agency (NSA) testified on the organization’s Internet and phone record data collection practices. They gave extensive explanations of the programs, connecting them to successful terrorism investigations and describing controls designed to prevent spying on Americans. General Keith Alexander said the intelligence community was conducting a review to see if any changes are warranted."

 

It is three hours long so get comfortable.  I think those who view it will get educated on what REALLY they are doing (not the media interpretation) and about all the checks and balances that go into this program.  The devil is in the details and it is, to say the least, enlightening.  I believe that is the reason why this session was held.  To enlighten the General Public on the actualities of the program.

[AdvancedSetup]

Sorry David but I'll have to disagree with you on this one.  Of the 200 million or so voters out there NONE were asked to vote on if we wanted this or not. 

And it has been going on a LOT longer than is reported.

 

 

 

"General Keith Alexander said the intelligence community was conducting a review to see if any changes are warranted."

 

And who died and made him the King?

[David H. Lipman]

Watch the video Ron.  Then you can make all the comments you want.

[mountaintree16]

Those who would give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. Benjamin Franklin, Historical Review of Pennsylvania, 1759

US author, diplomat, inventor, physicist, politician, & printer (1706 - 1790)

[AdvancedSetup]

Watch the video Ron.  Then you can make all the comments you want.

 

It has nothing to do with my feelings on the matter David.  Its the principle to me and they can make a hundred videos and it won't change the fact that in today's society we really don't need 500 or so people deciding on their own what we'll do or not do.  Won't go further as that would drag into politics.

[David H. Lipman]

Yes, that's a beautiful quote.  But what does it mean and HOW is the reality of the situation compare with that quote.

 

The meta data and call logs are anonymized and impersonal with no PII associated with the data and there are multiple levels of checks and balances and auditing such that liberty is not compromised.

 

Once again...  Watch the video.  I plan on watching it again.

[mountaintree16]

It has nothing to do with my feelings on the matter David.  Its the principle to me and they can make a hundred videos and it won't change the fact that in today's society we really don't need 500 or so people deciding on their own what we'll do or not do.  Won't go further as that would drag into politics.

This.

[mountaintree16]

Yes, that's a beautiful quote.  But what does it mean and HOW is the reality of the situation compare with that quote.

 

The meta data and call logs are anonymized and impersonal with no PII associated with the data and there are multiple levels of checks and balances and auditing such that liberty is not compromised.

 

 

Thank you

 

They say that it is anonymized... but can you always trust what they say??

[AdvancedSetup]

If we as a nation decided we wanted that then fine, but not 0.0000025 percent of the voting population deciding for us is my point.

I really don't care if they monitor my data per se its like monitoring someones Facebook - after a while its pretty boring - again though the fact that they can and do do it simply because members of the Government decided its okay is just wrong to me.

 

And if you really truly believe all this collected data is anonymous and means nothing then I have a bridge to sell you.  

[mountaintree16]

If we as a nation decided we wanted that then fine, but not 0.0000025 percent of the voting population deciding for us is my point.

I really don't care if they monitor my data per se its like monitoring someones Facebook - after a while its pretty boring - again though the fact that they can and do do it simply because members of the Government decided its okay is just wrong to me.

 

And if you really truly believe all this collected data is anonymous and means nothing then I have a bridge to sell you.  

100% agreed.

[David H. Lipman]

I just want people to watch the bloody video and GET THE FACTS.

[AdvancedSetup]

Well since you've watched it you tell me the facts. 

 

I'll watch it .... but when its done I can pretty much promise you that they don't answer my point.

 

Did or did not the 200 million or so US voters vote on the matter?  That is the fact that the entire debate seems to ignore and not if its a good thing or not.  

[David H. Lipman]

[GT500]

For those of you who may have misconceptions on what the NSA was doing, and the legality thereof,  I suggest all to view this recording of House Intelligence Committee grilling General Keith Alexander on "National Security Agency Data Collection Programs" ...

Do you have any proof that anything he says is true? For all we know, it could have all been lies to keep Congress from taking any action against the NSA.

[AdvancedSetup]

Well Europe pretty much says the US Intelligence agencies are liars.

 

Merkel: US spying has shattered allies' trust

 

 

[AdvancedSetup]

A Rally Against Mass Surveillance

[AdvancedSetup]

Funny image I saw over on the Bleepingcomputer site