December 2003 - cypherpunks-legacy

[Noise] William Safire on the GAK bastards' other privacy violations.
by eric＠clever.net 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

WILLIAM SAFIRE: Shame on the FBI WASHINGTON (Jun 10, 1996 12:00 p.m. EDT) -- Overlooked in the scandal of Travelgate has been the failure of FBI Director Louis Freeh to protect the confidential files of citizens from political snoops. Say what you like about J. Edgar Hoover -- he never let the bureau become a doormat for White House aides. The background: when President Clinton claimed "executive privilege" to keep 3,000 embarrassing documents from investigators, Congress threatened White House Counsel Jack Quinn with criminal contempt. To avoid jail, he forked over a thousand of the least damning documents. One of them illuminates why Clinton has been stonewalling for years on the rest of the subpoenaed files. It is a requisition to the "FBI Liaison," ostensibly from then-White House Counsel Bernard Nussbaum, for the confidential files on Billy Ray Dale, the travel office employee who had been fired seven months earlier to make room for a Clinton cousin. The FBI disgorged 22 letters and reports on Ray alone; he was then besmeared by White House officials in the press, unjustly prosecuted and financially ruined, before being acquitted by a jury in two hours. The requisition for the confidential FBI files was unsigned. The name typed on it was Bernard Nussbaum, but Nussbaum now says he had "absolutely no knowledge" of such a request, and would presumably swear to that. The reason given on the fraudulent requisition was "access" -- as if Ray were trying to get back into the White House, which was untrue. That was the tip of the iceberg. Despite "executive privilege," Congressman William Clinger learned that as many as 341 such fraudulent, unsigned requests for confidential files and name checks were sent under the Nussbaum typed name to FBI headquarters. Apparently the snoop was a Clinton political appointee who preferred anonymity. The cover story peddled by Clinton aides is that this was a "routine" updating of White House files by a stupid clerk that just happened to focus on holdover Republicans, as well as other Republican political suspects -- including a former secretary of state whose aides once improperly snooped into Clinton passport files. Clinton's lawyers claim that the fraudulently obtained FBI dossiers were put in a White House vault and nobody looked at them. What's being done in response to the most egregious invasion of privacy of U.S. citizens in a generation? Not much. President Clinton says he's sorry, but continues to stonewall on 2,000 documents; the independent counsel adds this mess to his Travelgate list; and the FBI announces a "thorough" investigation by its in-house counsel, who will rebuke some low-level agent and absolve the boss. Not good enough. After FBI agents were jerked around to provide political cover for Clinton patronage moves in 1993, Attorney General Reno and Freeh promised strict scrutiny of White House requests. They failed abysmally to keep citizens' confidential files safe from politicians' eyes. Think of it: Unverified slanders and gossipy tidbits in your FBI file have been vulnerable to an unsigned form letter from a political partisan hiding behind another person's name. Under Freeh, the anti-encryption zealot hand-picked by the man whose name was used on the phony requisitions, the Justice Department's most confidential file room has become a walk-in closet for White House pols. Nobody at Freeh's unbuttoned FBI bothered to ask: What individual wants this and for what lawful purpose? Can any anonymous bureaucrat requisition, rifle through and remove confidential records? How come not one agent was required by bureau policy to ask why not even initials appeared on hundreds of requests to check up on Republicans? What a scandalously sloppy way to run a police agency. To entrust the investigation of this unprecedented hemorrhage of FBI confidentiality to the same easily manipulated Justice Department invites a whitewash. Summer civil libertarians shade their eyes when personal privacy is invaded by political allies, but this top-level failure to resist an abuse of power dismays FBI agents in the field. When Clintonites send over for the file on me, Director Freeh, don't buy their baloney about "seeks access" -- I won't be going to the White House picnic this summer.

2 1

Re: lambda 2.08 (1/2) - Surveillance du contenu : l'oeil biais_
by Jean-Francois Avon 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

On 10 Jun 96 at 19:08, Jerome Thorel wrote: > DANS LE NUMERO --> 2.08 <-- du bulletin lambda > http://www.freenix.fr/netizen/ <snip> > - Les agents, lors des PV, ne signent plus par leur nom, mais par > des numeros d'immatriculation, a remarque la revue Chroniques Bonjour Jerome! Que signifie PV? Traduction libre par: / non-official translation by: jf_avon(a)citenet.net ... The agents, during PVs(?), are not signing with their own names anymore but with an ID number, pointed out "Chroniques" magazine... La version anglaise de ce texte a-t-elle ete envoye a cypherpunks(a)toad.com? Si non, pourriez-vous l'y envoyer. Aussi, en faire parvenir une copie anglaise a jimbell(a)pacifier.com, ca sera du plus grand interet pour lui. Salutations JFA DePompadour, Societe d'Importation Ltee; Limoges porcelain, silverware and crystal JFA Technologies, R&D consultants: physicists, technologists and engineers. PGP keys at: http://w3.citenet.net/users/jf_avon ID# C58ADD0D : 529645E8205A8A5E F87CC86FAEFEF891

1 0

USS_hit
by jya＠pipeline.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

6-11-96. FiTi: "US squares up to cyberterrorists." Until recently, the concept of "information warfare" has been widely dismissed as alarmist rhetoric and viewed as "post Cold War hysteria" generated by those with an interest in maintaining the vast US intelligence apparatus. But the potential use of computer networks to undermine public confidence, disrupt essential services, play havoc with the economy or damage military capabilities is now being taken seriously in Washington. Encryption may be just one of many battlegrounds -- others include: proposals for mandatory reporting of corporate computer intrusions and for exceptions to US laws that prohibit intelligence agencies from snooping on domestic communications; the forthcoming ruling by US courts on free speech on the Internet, in response to laws aimed at stopping distribution of pornographic material; and possible limits on information that marketers may gather and use about children who surf the Internet. Also the Clinton administration is planning a rapid-response team to take charge in the event of a cyberterrorist attack. USS_hit

1 0

Re: USS_hit
by jim bell 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

At 01:58 PM 6/11/96 GMT, John Young wrote: > 6-11-96. FiTi: > > "US squares up to cyberterrorists." > > Until recently, the concept of "information warfare" has > been widely dismissed as alarmist rhetoric and viewed as > "post Cold War hysteria" generated by those with an > interest in maintaining the vast US intelligence > apparatus. But the potential use of computer networks to > undermine public confidence, The government is doing an excellent job `"undermining public confidence" all by itself! >disrupt essential services, "essential" in whose opinion? > play havoc with the economy Like maybe massive deficit spending, high taxes, etc for decades? >or damage military > capabilities is now being taken seriously in Washington. How about "damage military NEEDS"? Jim Bell jimbell(a)pacifier.com

1 0

Re: Kahn's "The CodeBreakers"
by Brad Shantz 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Good call, Tim. That is correct. I had forgotten. > Ah, but it does have some significance. "Liberty" is published out of Port > Townsend. (More precisely, it was the last time I looked.) > And it's near Hump Tulips, Sequim, and Chimicum (sp?). Ma and Pa Kettle country. Sequim is further west along the Olympic Peninsula, and Chimacum is just south of Port Townsend towards Port Hadlock and the Hood Canal bridge. Once again, good call, Tim.

1 0

Re: A guide to self control (Was funny underwear)
by attila 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

** Reply to note from nobody(a)REPLAY.COM 06/11/96 09:58am +0200 = To: Cypherpunks(a)toad.com = From: nobody(a)REPLAY.COM (Anonymous) = = A Guide to Self-Control = = Subject: Steps in Overcoming Masterbation = = Excerpt from a Mormon missionary guide, circa 1970: Steps in = Overcoming Masterbation, Mark E. Petersen = = 1. Never touch the intimate parts of your body except during normal = toilet processes. = you forgot to add the dictum on how long you are allowed to wash it in the shower... -- "Privacy Through Cryptography." "Communicate Globally, Censor Locally." I think an old Doonesbury cartoon that had Duke (representing the NRA) testifying before a Senate subcommittee summed it up quite nicely..... Senator: "And we and the American people have had enough of you and your fanatic organization!" Duke: "I see Senator, shall I put you down for a million postcards?" Senator: "Don't you threaten me mister!" Politicians only understand one thing.

1 0

Re: Terrorism Hysteria on the net
by talon57＠well.com 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

snow wrote: >>Give me 15 well trained soldiers(near special forces level) and >>I can do it in less than 60 days. Without touching a computer. Gary Howland <gary(a)systemics.com> adds: >Give me 10 well trained biological warfare scientists and I'll do >it in 30 ... >Anymore bids? :-) Yeah, Give me one really sick monkey ..... Brian

1 0

HomePage
by WICKERT＠vortex.ufrgs.br 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

Have Toad Hall a HomePage? I tried http://www.toad.com but I got no response! Best Regards, Ricardo Wickert

1 0

RE: ANNOUNCEMENT: HACKERPUNKS MAILING LIST
by Blake Coverett 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

> H A C K E R P U N K S > "Obscurity through Security!" > > > Hi! We are delighted to announce a new mailing list, Hackerpunks! This list > is for serious folks who know stuff about computers _AND_ want to keep > their privacy. Oooo. Folks who know 'stuff' about computers. The free world is in danger now. > This list is UNMODERATED. Due to our organization, we are unable to > find out your true identity, and you are unable to find out where > our list-bot resides. So - you can now have free discussion about all > exploits and great hacks! Just use remailers and be safe... Smells like 'elite'punks to me -Blake (in a cranky mood)

1 0

Britain to control crypto - official (fwd from Usenet)
by David Lesher 17 Dec '03

17 Dec '03

The British government quietly announced yesterday that it will legislate to restrict crypto. The details are in the attached Reuters and PA newswires. Fuller details will no doubt be available at a one day workshop that the Ministry of Defence is organising at the IEE in Savoy Place on the 27th June. The speakers will include directors of both CESG (GCHQ's front operation) and DRA, as well as a policeman and the data protection registrar. The IEE's phone number is 0171 240 1871. Ross RTf 06/10 1355 UK to license information encryption services LONDON, June 10 (Reuter) - The British government unveiled proposals on Monday aimed at meeting the demand for encryption services to safeguard the confidentiality of electronic information transmitted on public telecommunications networks. Technology minister Ian Taylor published a paper proposing a licensing system for so-called "Trusted Third parties," or TTPs, to provide encryption services. "The TTPs would offer digital signature, data integrity and retrieval, key management and other services for which there is a commercial demand," Taylor said in a written parliamentary answer. Taylor said encryption services would facilitate the development of electronic commerce, thus helping to maintain Britain's competitiveness. The licensing policy would aim to protect consumers as well as to preserve the ability of intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight serious crime and terrorism, Taylor said. This would be done by establishing procedures for disclosure to them of the encryption keys, under safeguards similar to those which already exist under the Interception of Communications Act, he added. Taylor said officials in his department had already held preliminary discussions with industry groups on the concepts set out in Monday's paper. Following consultation by the Department of Trade and Industry on detailed proposals, the government intends to bring forward legislation, Taylor added. PA 06/10 1808 MOVE TO STRENGTHEN INFORMATION SECURITY By Parliamentary Staff, PA News The Government tonight announced plans to strenthen the security of information sent electronically over public telecommunications networks. Technology Minister Ian Taylor, in a Commons written reply, disclosed proposals to licence trusted third parties to provide encryption services -- the process of transforming text into an unintelligible form that can only subsequently be recovered by someone possessing the corresponding decryption key. These services cover the digital signature, an electronic equivalent of a hand-written signature, of electronic documents and the protection of the accuracy and privacy of contents. Mr Taylor said: "There is a growing demand for encryption services to safeguard the integrity and confidentiality of electronic information transmitted on public telecommunications networks. "The Government therefore proposes to make arrangements for licensing trusted third parties who would provide such services." These would include digital signature, data integrity and retrieval and key management services. "The licensing policy will aim to protect consumers as well as to preserve the ability of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies to fight serious crime and terrorism by establishing procedures for disclosure to them of the encryption keys, under safeguards similar to those which already exist for warranted interception under the Interception of Communications Act." Mr Taylor, who disclosed publication of a paper, said it was intended to bring forward proposals for legislation after consultation on detailed policy proposals. The Trade and Industry Department said increased use of IT systems by British business and commerce was a major factor in their improved competitive position, but had brought increased security risks -- especially concerning integrity and confidentiality of information passed electronically between trading bodies. Prime candidates to be trusted third parties could include banks, network operators and trade associations. -- A host is a host from coast to coast.................wb8foz(a)nrk.com & no one will talk to a host that's close...........(v)301 56 LINUX Unless the host (that isn't close).........................pob 1433 is busy, hung or dead........vr vr vr vr.................20915-1433

4 4