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July 2018
- 1371 participants
- 9656 discussions
Re: Certicom? [...] [Fwd: NSA Turns To Commercial Software For Encryption]
by harleyï¼ argote.ch 06 Jul '18
by harleyï¼ argote.ch 06 Jul '18
06 Jul '18
RAH wrote:
> > FWIW, this is about going rate for RSA too, BTW.
> Was. RSA's patent has expired.
And ECC never has been and never can be patented. Some protocols and
implementation methods are (just as they are for RSA etc.)
>BTW, the only decent *software* ECC, FEE, is patented, by Apple.
Are you serious? So many holes... so little time...
Let's see. Are you talking about software or about technology?
Re: Software; I have never seen FEE software lauded. Apple uses an
implementation of it in MacOS... other than that... uh...???
Re: Technology; Apples uses it is as a minor PR opportunity to claim
that they are doing crypto research. The patent is an abusive one on
trivia (see below). One day Crandall thought of using simple primes
in ECC (like about 1000 other people) and patented it. NeXT used this
as a PR opportunity to claim that they had developed it on purpose to
avoid licensing RSA. They also said anybody could use FEE without
licensing it.
Then Apple bought NeXT. Dunno what their position is but it is
irrelevant. FEE is bog standard ECC over prime fields, using primes
of the form p = 2^d-c with small c such as 2^233-3. This makes
reduction simpler and speeds up operations a bit. It is absolutely
trivial to pick other simple primes not covered by the patent, such as
p = 2^248-2^100-1. All of the NIST curves over prime fields are of
this form, such as p = 2^224-2^96+1.
Personally, I would avoid such special cases anyway.
Regards,
Rob.
.-. .-.
/ \ .-. .-. / \
/ \ / \ .-. _ .-. / \ / \
/ \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \ / \
/ \ / \ / `-' `-' \ / \ /
\
\ / `-' `-' \ /
`-' `-'
_______________________________________________
FoRK mailing list
http://xent.com/mailman/listinfo/fork
----- End forwarded message -----
-- Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a>
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07078, 11.61144 http://www.leitl.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
[demime 0.97c removed an attachment of type application/pgp-signature]
1
0
http://xerobank.com/cryptorouter.php
Normal traffic goes in, encrypted traffic comes out.
Now it's easy to achieve communications integrity. Plug in a
CryptoRouter into your network, and all traffic passing through
it will be protected by XeroBank's Blacknet. CryptoRouters create
instant internet anonymity, and can be used to anonymously link
remote office environments through closed-group routing.
CryptoRouters are designed to be the ultimate network security
device. They extend the XeroBank network and it's protection to
wherever they are installed. All communications routed through
the CryptoRouter are transparently encrypted and anonymized. They
are equipped with the VIA Padlock encryption engine, allowing a
throughput of up to 20 Gbps of AES-256 encryption.
1
0
http://xerobank.com/cryptorouter.php
Normal traffic goes in, encrypted traffic comes out.
Now it's easy to achieve communications integrity. Plug in a
CryptoRouter into your network, and all traffic passing through
it will be protected by XeroBank's Blacknet. CryptoRouters create
instant internet anonymity, and can be used to anonymously link
remote office environments through closed-group routing.
CryptoRouters are designed to be the ultimate network security
device. They extend the XeroBank network and it's protection to
wherever they are installed. All communications routed through
the CryptoRouter are transparently encrypted and anonymized. They
are equipped with the VIA Padlock encryption engine, allowing a
throughput of up to 20 Gbps of AES-256 encryption.
1
0
i=====================================================
Tahoe-LAFS Weekly News, issue number 7, July 16, 2011
=====================================================
Welcome to the Tahoe-LAFS Weekly News (TWN). Tahoe-LAFS_ is a secure,
distributed storage system. `View TWN on the web`_ *or* `subscribe to
TWN`_.
.. _Tahoe-LAFS: http://tahoe-lafs.org
.. _View TWN on the web: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/wiki/TahoeLAFSWeeklyNews
.. _subscribe to TWN: http://tahoe-lafs.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tahoe-lafs-weekly-news
Announcements and News
======================
Andrew Miller covered `using Tahoe with Pagekite`_. This HOWTO allows
people to reach your Tahoe nodes even if they are behind a firewall or
NAT. Andrew, we would love to see this posted to `Tahoe-LAFS Tips &
Tricks`_.
.. _`using Tahoe with PageKite`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006534.html
.. _`Tahoe-LAFS Tips & Tricks`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/wiki/TipsTricks
Open Source Project of the Week
===============================
The Open Source Project of the Week is Freenet_. A question asked by
erniejunior in #tahoe-lafs inspired this choice. erniejunior asked "hi
guys short question. is tahoe as secure and anonymous as freenet? what
are the differences?" So we created ticket 1427_ to answer this
question in FAQ.rst.
"Freenet is free software which lets you anonymously share files, browse
and publish "freesites" (web sites accessible only through Freenet) and
chat on forums, without fear of censorship. Freenet is decentralised to
make it less vulnerable to attack, and if used in "darknet" mode, where
users only connect to their friends, is very difficult to detect." [1_]
.. _Freenet: http://freenetproject.org/
.. _1427: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/1427
.. _1: http://freenetproject.org/whatis.html
>From the tahoe-dev Mailing List
===============================
Shu Lin and sickness discussed running Tahoe as a `Windows service`_.
Greg Troxel posted the paper_, "Cost-Bandwidth Tradeoff In Distributed
Storage Systems" by Soroush Akhlaghi, Abbas Kiani and Mohammad Reza
Ghanavati.
Renat Garaev announced he made a `Live CD`_ with Tahoe-LAFS on it.
Zooko and bertagaz discussed the problem of `multiple introducers`_
(distributed introduction). Ticket 68_ has a patch for this. The patch
needs a unit to simulate the Myckel's Tahoe-LAFS grid's issue.
I volunteered to write patch for 1420_.
.. _`Windows service`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006528.html
.. _`Live CD`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006527.html
.. _`multiple introducers`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006532.html
.. _68: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/68
.. _paper: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006544.html
Patch Needing Review of the Week
================================
The Patch Needing Review of the Week is 1420_. I understand this is a
little premature, the patch won't be out until tomorrow. However, this
will be my first patch for Tahoe-LAFS. This patch will add a man page
for tahoe as written by bertagaz. I am really looking forward to
writing this patch.
.. _1420: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/1420
----
*The Tahoe-LAFS Weekly News is published once a week by The Tahoe-LAFS
Software Foundation, President and Treasurer: Peter Secor. Scribes:
Patrick "marlowe" McDonald, Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, Editor: Zooko.* `View
TWN on the web`_ *or* `subscribe to TWN`_ *. Send your news stories to*
marlowe(a)antagonism.org_ *b submission deadline: Friday night.*
.. _marlowe(a)antagonism.org: mailto:marlowe@antagonism.org
_______________________________________________
tahoe-lafs-weekly-news mailing list
tahoe-lafs-weekly-news(a)tahoe-lafs.org
http://tahoe-lafs.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tahoe-lafs-weekly-news
----- End forwarded message -----
--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
1
0
i=====================================================
Tahoe-LAFS Weekly News, issue number 7, July 16, 2011
=====================================================
Welcome to the Tahoe-LAFS Weekly News (TWN). Tahoe-LAFS_ is a secure,
distributed storage system. `View TWN on the web`_ *or* `subscribe to
TWN`_.
.. _Tahoe-LAFS: http://tahoe-lafs.org
.. _View TWN on the web: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/wiki/TahoeLAFSWeeklyNews
.. _subscribe to TWN: http://tahoe-lafs.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tahoe-lafs-weekly-news
Announcements and News
======================
Andrew Miller covered `using Tahoe with Pagekite`_. This HOWTO allows
people to reach your Tahoe nodes even if they are behind a firewall or
NAT. Andrew, we would love to see this posted to `Tahoe-LAFS Tips &
Tricks`_.
.. _`using Tahoe with PageKite`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006534.html
.. _`Tahoe-LAFS Tips & Tricks`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/wiki/TipsTricks
Open Source Project of the Week
===============================
The Open Source Project of the Week is Freenet_. A question asked by
erniejunior in #tahoe-lafs inspired this choice. erniejunior asked "hi
guys short question. is tahoe as secure and anonymous as freenet? what
are the differences?" So we created ticket 1427_ to answer this
question in FAQ.rst.
"Freenet is free software which lets you anonymously share files, browse
and publish "freesites" (web sites accessible only through Freenet) and
chat on forums, without fear of censorship. Freenet is decentralised to
make it less vulnerable to attack, and if used in "darknet" mode, where
users only connect to their friends, is very difficult to detect." [1_]
.. _Freenet: http://freenetproject.org/
.. _1427: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/1427
.. _1: http://freenetproject.org/whatis.html
>From the tahoe-dev Mailing List
===============================
Shu Lin and sickness discussed running Tahoe as a `Windows service`_.
Greg Troxel posted the paper_, "Cost-Bandwidth Tradeoff In Distributed
Storage Systems" by Soroush Akhlaghi, Abbas Kiani and Mohammad Reza
Ghanavati.
Renat Garaev announced he made a `Live CD`_ with Tahoe-LAFS on it.
Zooko and bertagaz discussed the problem of `multiple introducers`_
(distributed introduction). Ticket 68_ has a patch for this. The patch
needs a unit to simulate the Myckel's Tahoe-LAFS grid's issue.
I volunteered to write patch for 1420_.
.. _`Windows service`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006528.html
.. _`Live CD`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006527.html
.. _`multiple introducers`: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006532.html
.. _68: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/68
.. _paper: http://tahoe-lafs.org/pipermail/tahoe-dev/2011-July/006544.html
Patch Needing Review of the Week
================================
The Patch Needing Review of the Week is 1420_. I understand this is a
little premature, the patch won't be out until tomorrow. However, this
will be my first patch for Tahoe-LAFS. This patch will add a man page
for tahoe as written by bertagaz. I am really looking forward to
writing this patch.
.. _1420: http://tahoe-lafs.org/trac/tahoe-lafs/ticket/1420
----
*The Tahoe-LAFS Weekly News is published once a week by The Tahoe-LAFS
Software Foundation, President and Treasurer: Peter Secor. Scribes:
Patrick "marlowe" McDonald, Zooko Wilcox-O'Hearn, Editor: Zooko.* `View
TWN on the web`_ *or* `subscribe to TWN`_ *. Send your news stories to*
marlowe(a)antagonism.org_ *b submission deadline: Friday night.*
.. _marlowe(a)antagonism.org: mailto:marlowe@antagonism.org
_______________________________________________
tahoe-lafs-weekly-news mailing list
tahoe-lafs-weekly-news(a)tahoe-lafs.org
http://tahoe-lafs.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/tahoe-lafs-weekly-news
----- End forwarded message -----
--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
1
0
Hi,
I came across this page earlier https://guardianproject.info/wiki/Workplan_for_Year_2 and thought I'd post it incase anyone hadn't seen it. There are plans for a system to sync GPG keys across devices using a number of methods, including tor hidden services.
There is plenty of interesting and useful projects here including a full implementation of gpg for android.
- Graham
--
Contact me through a secure channel for my public signing / encryption key.
_______________________________________________
Freedombox-discuss mailing list
Freedombox-discuss(a)lists.alioth.debian.org
http://lists.alioth.debian.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/freedombox-discuss
----- End forwarded message -----
--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
1
0
06 Jul '18
[This is a remarkable statement, coming from a young person who has been
facing the most intense pressure over the last two years, which he largely
spent in solitary confinement with the perspective of life in prison, or
worse. His motivation, as he states it, was "revealing the true nature of
twenty-first century asymmetric warfare."
Another thing that struck me was that that Manning offered the material
first to the Washington Post and the NYT. But they were not interested.
Only then did he approach Wikileaks.
The statement shows both the failure of the mainstream press, and the
importance Wikileaks, no matter what one might think of the way the
operation has been run, or the people running it. Felix]
---------------
This statement below was read by Private First Class Bradley E. Bradley at
a providence inquiry for his formal plea of guilty to one specification as
charged and nine specifications for lesser included offenses. He pled not
guilty to 12 other specifications. This rush transcript was taken by
journalist Alexa O'Brien at the Article 39(a) session of United States v.
Pfc. Bradley Manning on February 28, 2013 at Fort Meade, MD, USA.
http://www.alexaobrien.com/secondsight/wikileaks/bradley_manning/pfc_bradle…
Judge Colonel Denise Lind: Pfc Manning you may read your statement.
Pfc Bradley Manning: Yes, your honor. I wrote this statement in the
confinement facility. The following facts are provided in support of the
providence inquiry for my court martial, United States v. Pfc Bradley E.
Manning.
Personal facts I am a 25-year-old Private First Class in the United States
Army currently assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, HHC, US
Army Garrison (USAG), Joint Base Myer, Henderson Hall, Fort Meyer,
Virginia.
My [missed word] assignment I was assigned to HHC, 2nd Brigade Combat
Team, 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, NY. My primary military
occupational specialty or MOS is 35 Foxtrot intelligence analyst. I
entered active duty status on 2 October 2007. I enlisted with the hope of
obtaining both real world experience and earning benefits under the GI Bill
for college opportunities.
__Facts regarding my position as an intelligence analyst
In order to enlist in the Army I took the Standard Armed Services Aptitude
Battery, My score on this battery was high enough for me to qualify for any
enlisted MOS positon. My recruiter informed me that I should select an MOS
that complimented my interests outside the military. In response, I told
him that I was interested in geopolitical matters and information
technology. He suggested that I consider becoming an intelligence analyst.
After researching the intelligence analyst position, I agreed that this
would be a good fit for me. In particular, I enjoyed the fact that an
analyst could use information derived from a variety of sources to create
work products that informed the command of its available choices for
determining the best course of action or COAs. Although the MOS required
working knowledge of computers, it primarily required me to consider how
raw information can be combined with other available intelligence sources
in order to create products that assisted the command in its situational
awareness or SA.
I accessed that my natural interest in geopolitical affairs and my
computer skills would make me an excellent intelligence analyst. After
enlisting I reported to the Fort Meade military entrance processing
station on 1 October 2007. I then traveled to and reported at Fort Leonard
Wood, Missouri on 2 October 2007 to begin basic combat training or BCT.
Once at Fort Leonard Wood I quickly realized that I was neither physically
nor mentally prepared for the requirements of basic training. My BCT
experience lasted six months instead of the normal ten weeks. Due to
medical issues, I was placed on a hold status. A physical examination
indicated that I sustained injuries to my right soldier and left foot.
Due to those injuries I was unable to continue "basic". During medical
hold, I was informed that I may be out processed from the Army, however, I
resisted being chaptered out because I felt that I could overcome my
medical issues and continue to serve. On 2[8 or 20?] January 2008, I
returned to basic combat training. This time I was better prepared and I
completed training on 2 April 2008.
I then reported for the MOS specific Advanced Individual Training or AIT
on 7 April 2008. AIT was an enjoyable experience for me. Unlike basic
training where I felt different from the other soldiers, I fit in did
well. I preferred the mental challenges of reviewing a large amount of
information from various sources and trying to create useful or actionable
products. I especially enjoyed the practice of analysis through the use of
computer applications and methods that I was familiar with.
I graduated from AIT on 16 August 2008 and reported to my first duty
station, Fort Drum, NY on 28 August 2008. As an analyst, Significant
Activities or SigActs were a frequent source of information for me to use
in creating work products. I started working extensively with SigActs early
after my arrival at Fort Drum. My computer background allowed me to use the
tools of organic to the Distributed Common Ground System-Army or D6-A
computers to create polished work products for the 2nd Brigade Combat Team
chain of command.
The non-commissioned officer in charge, or NCOIC, of the S2 section, then
Master Sergeant David P. Adkins recognized my skills and potential and
tasked me to work on a tool abandoned by a previously assigned analyst, the
incident tracker. The incident tracker was viewed as a back up to the
Combined Information Data Network Exchange or CIDNE and as a unit,
historical reference to work with.
In the months preceding my upcoming deployment, I worked on creating a new
version of the incident tracker and used SigActs to populate it. The
SigActs I used were from Afghanistan, because at the time our unit was
scheduled to deploy to the Logar and Wardak Provinces of Afghanistan.
Later my unit was reassigned to deploy to Eastern Baghdad, Iraq. At that
point, I removed the Afghanistan SigActs and switched to Iraq SigActs.
As and analyst I viewed the SigActs as historical data. I believed this
view is shared by other all-source analysts as well. SigActs give a first
look impression of a specific or isolated event. This event can be an
improvised explosive device attack or IED, small arms fire engagement or
SAF engagement with a hostile force, or any other event a specific unit
documented and recorded in real time.
In my perspective the information contained within a single SigAct or
group of SigActs is not very sensitive. The events encapsulated within
most SigActs involve either enemy engagements or causalities. Most of this
information is publicly reported by the public affairs office or PAO,
embedded media pools, or host nation HN media.
As I started working with SigActs I felt they were similar to a daily
journal or log that a person may keep. They capture what happens on a
particular day in time. They are created immediately after the event, and
are potentially updated over a period of hours until final version is
published on the Combined Information Data Network Exchange. Each unit has
its own Standard Operating Procedure or SOP for reporting recording
SigActs. The SOP may differ between reporting in a particular deployment
and reporting in garrison.
In garrison a SigAct normally involves personnel issues such as driving
under the influence or DUI incidents or an automobile accident involving
the death or serious injury of a soldier. The reports starts at the
company level and goes up to the battalion, brigade, and even up to the
division level.
In deployed environment a unit may observe or participate in an event and a
platoon leader or platoon sergeant may report the event as a SigAct to the
company headquarters and the radio transmission operator or RTO. The
commander or RTO will then forward the report to the battalion battle
captain or battle non-commissioned officer or NCO. Once the battalion
battle captain or battle NCO receives the report they will either (1)
notify the battalion operations officer or S3; (2) conduct an action, such
as launching a quick reaction force; or (3) record the event and report and
further report it up the chain of command to the brigade.
The reporting of each event is done by radio or over the Secret Internet
Protocol Router Network or SIPRNet, normally by an assigned soldier,
usually junior enlisted E-4 and below. Once the SigAct is recorded, the
SigAct is further sent up the chain of command. At each level, additional
information can either be added or corrected as needed. Normally within 24
to 48 hours, the updating and reporting or a particular SigAct is complete.
Eventually all reports and SigActs go through the chain of command from
brigade to division and division to corp. At corp level the SigAct is
finalized and [missed word].
The CIDNE system contains a database that is used by thousands of
Department of Defense (DoD) personel including soldiers, civilians, and
contractors support. It was the United States Central Command or CENTCOM
reporting tool for operational reporting in Iraq and Afghanistan. Two
separate but similar databases were maintained for each theater bCIDNE-I
for Iraq and CIDNE-A for Afghanistan. Each database encompasses over a
hundred types of reports and other historical information for access. They
contain millions of vetted and finalized directories including operational
intelligence reporting.
CIDNE was created to collect and analyze battle-space data to provide
daily operational and Intelligence Community (IC) reporting relevant to a
commander's daily decision making process. The CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A
databases contain reporting and analysis fields for multiple disciplines
including Human Intelligence or HUMINT reports, Psychological Operations
or PSYOP reports, Engagement reports, Counter Improvised Explosive Device
or CIED reports, SigAct reports, Targeting reports, Social and Cultural
reports, Civil Affairs reports, and Human Terrain reporting.
As an intelligence analyst, I had unlimited access to the CIDNE-I and
CIDNE-A databases and the information contained within them. Although each
table within the database is important, I primarily dealt with HUMINT
reports, SigAct reports and Counter IED reports, because these reports were
used to create a work-product I was required to published as an analyst.
In working on an assignment I looked anywhere and everywhere for
information. As an all-source analyst, this was something that was
expected. The D6-A systems had databases built in, and I utilized them on a
daily basis. This simply was b the search tools available on the D6-A
systems on SIPRNet such as Query Tree and the DoD and Intellink search
engines.
Primarily, I utilized the CIDNE database using the historical and HUMINT
reporting to conduct my analysis and provide a back up for my work
product. I did statistical analysis on historical data including SigActs
to back up analysis that were based on HUMINT reporting and produce
charts, graphs, and tables. I also created maps and charts to conduct
predictive analysis based on statistical trends. The SigAct reporting
provided a reference point for what occurred and provided myself and other
analysts with the information to conclude possible outcome.
Although SigAct reporting is sensitive at the time of their creation,
their sensitivity normally dissipates within 48 to 72 hours as the
information is either publicly released or the unit involved is no longer
in the area and not in danger.
It is my understanding that the SigAct reports remain classified only
because they are maintained within CIDNE b because it is only accessible
on SIPRnet. Everything on CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A to include SigAct reporting
was treated as classified information.
__Facts regarding the storage of SigAct reports
As part of my training at Fort Drum, I was instructed to ensure that I
create back ups of my work product. The need to create back ups was
particularly acute given the relative instability and reliability of the
computer systems we used in the field during deployment. These computer
systems included both organic and theater provided equipment (TPE) D6-A
machines.
The organic D6-A machines we brought with us into the field on our
deployment were Dell [missed word] laptops and the TPE D6-A machines were
Alienware brand laptops. The [M90?] D6-A laptops were the preferred
machine to use as they were slightly faster and had fewer problems with
dust and temperature than the theater provided Alienware laptops. I used
several D6-A machines during the deployment due to various technical
problems with the laptops.
With these issues several analysts lost information, but I never lost
information due to the multiple backups I created. I attempted to backup
as much relevant information as possible. I would save the information so
that I or another analyst could quickly access it whenever a 1machine
crashed, SIPRnet connectivity was down, or I forgot where the data was
stored.
When backing up information I would do one or all of the following things
based on my training:
1. Physical back up. I tried to keep physical back up copies of
information on paper so that the information could be grabbed quickly.
Also, it was easier to brief from hard copies of research and HUMINT
reports.
2. Local drive back up. I tried to sort out information I deemed relevant
and keep complete copies of the information on each of the computers I used
in the Temporary Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility or T-SCIF,
including my primary and secondary D6-A machines. This was stored under my
user profile on the desktop.
3. Shared drive backup. Each analyst had access to a T- drive b what we
called T-drive shared across the SIPRnet. It allowed others to access
information that was stored on it. S6 operated the T-drive.
4. Compact disk rewritable or CD-RW back up. For larger datasets I saved
the information onto a re-writable disk, labeled the disks, and stored
them in the conference room of the T-SCIF. This redundancy permitted us to
not worry about information loss. If the system crashed, I could easily
pull the information from a secondary computer, the T-drive, or one of the
CD-RWs.
If another analysts wanted to access my data, but I was unavailable she
could find my published products directory on the T-drive or on the
CD-RWs. I sorted all of my products or research by date, time, and group;
and updated the information on each of the storage methods to ensure that
the latest information was available to them.
During the deployment I had several of the D6-A machines crash on me.
Whenever one of the computer crashed, I usually lost information but the
redundancy method ensured my ability to quickly restore old backup data
and add my current information to the machine when it was repaired or
replaced.
I stored the backup CD-RW with larger datasets in the conference room of
the T-SCIF or next to my workstation. I marked the CD-RWs based on the
classification level and its content. Unclassified CD-RWs were only
labeled with the content type and not marked with classification markings.
Early on in the deployment, I only saved and stored the SigActs that were
within or near operational environment.
Later I thought it would be easier to just to save all of the SigActs onto
a CD-RW. The process would not take very long to complete and so I
downloaded the SigActs from CIDNE-I onto a CD-RW. After finishing with
CIDNE-I, I did the same with CIDNE-A. By retrieving the CIDNE-I and
CIDNE-A SigActs I was able to retrieve the information whenever I needed
it, and not rely upon the unreliable and slow SIPRnet connectivity needed
to pull. Instead, I could just find the CD-RW and open up a pre-loaded
spreadsheet.
This process began in late December 2009 and continued through early
January 2010. I could quickly export one month of the SigAct data at a
time and download in the background as I did other tasks.
The process took approximately a week for each table. After downloading
the SigAct tables, I periodically updated them, by pulling the most recent
SigActs and simply copying them and pasting them into the database saved on
the CD-RW. I never hid the fact that I had downloaded copies of both the
SigAct tables from CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A. They were stored on appropriately
labeled and marked CD-RW, stored in the open.
I viewed this the saving copies of CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A as for both for my
use and the use of anyone within the S2 section during the SIPRnet
connectivity issues.
In addition to the SigAct tables, I had a large repository of HUMINT
reports and Counter IED reports downloaded from CIDNE-I. These contained
reports that were relevant to the area in and around our operational
environment in Eastern Baghdad and the Diyala Province of Iraq.
In order to compress the data to fit onto a CD-RW, I used a compression
algorithm called "bzip2". The program used to compress the data is called
WinRAR. WinRAR is an application that is free, and can be easily
downloaded from the internet via the Non-Secure Internet Relay Protocol
Network or NIPRnet. I downloaded WinRAR on NIPRnet and transfered it to
the D6-A machine user profile desktop using a CD-RW. I did not try to hide
the fact that I was downloading WinRAR onto my SIPRnet D6-A machine or
computer.
With the assistance of the bzip2 algorithm using the WinRAR program, I was
able to fit All of the SigActs onto a single CD-RW and relevant HUMINT and
Counter ID reports onto a separate CD-RW.
__Facts regarding my knowledge of the WikiLeaks organization or WLO
I first became vaguely aware of the WLO during my AIT at Fort Huachuca,
Arizona, although I did not fully pay attention until the WLO released
purported Short Messaging System or SMS messages from 11 September 2001 on
25 November 2009. At that time references to the release and the WLO
website showed up in my daily Google news open source search for
information related to US foreign policy.
The stories were about how WLO published about approximately 500,000
messages. I then reviewed the messages myself and realized that the posted
messages were very likely real given the sheer volume and detail of the
content.
After this, I began conducting research on WLO. I conducted searched on
both NIPRnet and SIPRnet on WLO beginning in late November 2009 and early
December 2009. At this time I also began to routinely monitor the WLO
website. In response to one of my searches in 2009, I found the United
States Army Counter Intelligence Center or USACIC report on the WikiLeaks
organization. After reviewing the report, I believed that this report was
possibly the one that my AIT referenced in early 2008.
I may or may not have saved the report on my D6-A workstation. I know I
reviewed the document on other occasions throughout early 2010, and saved
it on both my primary and secondary laptops. After reviewing the report, I
continued doing research on WLO. However, based upon my open-source
collection, I discovered information that contradicted the 2008 USACIC
report including information that indicated that similar to other press
agencies, WLO seemed to be dedicated to exposing illegal activities and
corruption.
WLO received numerous award and recognition for its reporting activities.
Also, in reviewing the WLO website, I found information regarding US
military SOPs for Camp Delta at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba and information on the
then outdated rules of engagement for ROE in Iraq for cross-border pursuits
of former members of Saddam Hussein [missed word] government.
After seeing the information available on the WLO website, I continued
following it and collecting open sources information from it. During this
time period, I followed several organizations and groups including wire
press agencies such as the Associated Press and Reuters and private
intelligence agencies including Strategic Forecasting or Stratfor. This
practice was something I was trained to do during AIT, and was something
that good analysts were expected to do.
During the searches of WLO, I found several pieces of information that I
found useful in my work product in my work as an analyst, specifically I
recall WLO publishing documents related to weapons trafficking between two
nations that affected my OP. I integrated this information into one or more
of my work products.
In addition to visiting the WLO website, I began following WLO using
Instand Relay Chat or IRC Client called XChat sometime in early January
2010.
IRC is a protocol for real time internet communications by messaging and
conferencing, colloquially referred to as chat rooms or chats. The IRC
chat rooms are designed for group communication discussion forums. Each
IRC chat room is called a channel b similar to a Television where you can
tune in or follow a channel b so long as it is open and does not require
[missed word].
Once you [missed word] a specific IRC conversation, other users in the
conversation can see that you have joined the room. On the Internet there
are millions of different IRC channels across several services. Channel
topics span a range of topics covering all kinds of interests and hobbies.
The primary reason for following WLO on IRC was curiosity b particularly in
regards to how and why they obtained the SMS messages referenced above. I
believed that collecting information on the WLO would assist me in this
goal.
Initially I simply observed the IRC conversations. I wanted to know how
the organization was structured, and how they obtained their data. The
conversations I viewed were usually technical in nature but sometimes
switched to a lively debate on issue the particular individual may have
felt strongly about.
Over a period of time I became more involved in these discussions
especially when conversations turned to geopolitical events and
information technology topics, such as networking and encryption methods.
Based on these observations, I would describe the WL organization as almost
academic in nature. In addition to the WLO conversations, I participated in
numerous other IRC channels acros at least three different networks. The
other IRC channels I participated in normally dealt with technical topics
including with Linux and Berkley Secure Distribution BSD operating systems
or OSs, networking, encryption algorithms and techniques and other more
political topics, such as politics and [missed word].
I normally engaged in multiple IRC conversations simultaneously bmostly
publicly, but often privately. The XChat client enabled me to manage these
multiple conversations across different channels and servers. The screen
for XChat was often busy, but its screens enabled me to see when something
was interesting. I would then select the conversation and either observe or
participate.
I really enjoyed the IRC conversations pertaining to and involving the
WLO, however, at some point in late February or early March of 2010, the
WLO IRC channel was no longer accessible. Instead, regular participants of
this channel switched to using the Jabber server. Jabber is another
internet communication [missed word] similar but more sophisticated than
IRC.
The IRC and Jabber conversations, allowed me to feel connected to others
even when alone. They helped pass the time and keep motivated throughout
the deployment.
__Facts regarding the unauthorized storage and disclosure of the SigActs
As indicated above I created copies of the CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A SigAct
tables as part of the process of backing up information. At the time I did
so, I did not intend to use this information for any purpose other than for
back up. However, I later decided to release this information publicly. At
that time, I believe and still believe that these tables are two of the
most significant documents of our time.
On 8 January 2010, I collected the CD-RW I stored in the conference room
of the T-SCIF and placed it into the cargo pocket of my ACU or Army Combat
Uniform. At the end of my shift, I took the CD-RW out of the T-SCIF and
brought it to my Containerized Housing Unit of CHU. I copied the data onto
my personal laptop. Later at the beginning of my shift, I returned the
CD-RW back to the conference room of the T-SCIF. At the time I saved the
SigActs to my laptop, I planned to take them with me on mid-tour leave and
decide what to do with them.
At some point prior to my mid-tour, I transfered the information from my
computer to a Secure Digital memory card from my digital camera. The SD
card for the camera also worked on my computer and allowed me to store the
SigAct tables in a secure manner for transport.
I began mid-tour leave on 23 January 2010, flying from Atlanta, Georgia to
Reagan National Airport in Virginia. I arrived at the home of my aunt,
Debra M. Van Alstyne, in Potomac, Maryland and quickly got into contact
with my then boyfriend, Tyler R. Watkins. Tyler, then a student at Brandeis
University in Waltham, Massachusetts, and I made plans for me to visit him
him Boston, Massachusetts [missed word].
I was excited to see Tyler and planned on talking to Tyler about where our
relationship was going and about my time in Iraq. However, when I arrived
in the Boston area Tyler and I seemed to become distant. He did not seem
very excited about my return from Iraq. I tried talking to him about our
relationship but he refused to make any plans.
I also tried to raising the topic of releasing the CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A
SigAct tables to the public. I asked Tyler hypothetical questions about
what he would do if he had documents that he thought the public needed
access to. Tyler really didn't have a specific answer for me. He tried to
answer the questions and be supportive, but seemed confused by the
question in this context.
I then tried to be more specific, but he asked too many questions. Rather
than try to explain my dilemma, I decided to just drop the conversation.
After a few days in Waltham, I began to feel really bad. I was over staying
my welcome, and I returned to Maryland. I spent the remainder of my time on
leave in the Washington, DC area.
During this time a blizzard bombarded the mid-atlantic, and I spent a
significant period of time essentially stuck in my aunt's house in
Maryland. I began to think about what I knew and the information I still
had in my possession. For me, the SigActs represented the on the ground
reality of both the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan.
I felt that we were risking so much for people that seemed unwilling to
cooperate with us, leading to frustration and anger on both sides. I began
to become depressed with the situation that we found ourselves
increasingly mired in year after year. The SigActs documented this in
great detail and provide a context of what we were seeing on the ground.
In attempting to conduct counter-terrorism or CT and counter-insurgency
COIN operations we became obsessed with capturing and killing human
targets on lists and not being suspicious of and avoiding cooperation with
our Host Nation partners, and ignoring the second and third order effects
of accomplishing short-term goals and missions. I believe that if the
general public, especially the American public, had access to the
information contained within the CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A tables this could
spark a domestic debate on the role of the military and our foreign policy
in general as [missed word] as it related to Iraq and Afghanistan.
I also believed the detailed analysis of the data over a long period of
time by different sectors of society might cause society to reevaluate the
need or even the desire to even to engage in counterterrorism and
counterinsurgency operations that ignore the complex dynamics of the
people living in the effected environment everyday.
At my aunt's house I debated what I should do with the SigActs b in
particular whether I should hold on to them b or expose them through a
press agency. At this point I decided that it made sense to try to expose
the SigAct tables to an American newspaper. I first called my local news
paper, The Washington Post, and spoke with a woman saying that she was a
reporter. I asked her if the Washington Post would be interested in
receiving information that would have enormous value to the American
public.
Although we spoke for about five minutes concerning the general nature of
what I possessed, I do not believe she took me seriously. She informed me
that the Washington Post would possibly be interested, but that such
decisions were made only after seeing the information I was referring to
and after consideration by senior editors.
I then decided to contact [missed word] the most popular newspaper, The
New York Times. I called the public editor number on The New York Times
website. The phone rang and was answered by a machine. I went through the
menu to the section for news tips. I was routed to an answering machine. I
left a message stating I had access to information about Iraq and
Afghanistan that I believed was very important. However, despite leaving my
Skype phone number and personal email address, I never received a reply
from The New York Times.
I also briefly considered dropping into the office for the Political
Commentary blog, Politico, however the weather conditions during my leave
hampered my efforts to travel. After these failed efforts I had ultimately
decided to submit the materials to the WLO. I was not sure if the WLO would
actually publish these SigAct tables [missed a few words]. I was concerned
that they might not be noticed by the American media. However, based upon
what I read about the WLO through my research described above, this seemed
to be the best medium for publishing this information to the world within
my reach.
At my aunts house I joined in on an IRC conversation and stated I had
information that needed to be shared with the world. I wrote that the
information would help document the true cost of the wars in Iraq and
Afghanistan. One of the individuals in the IRC asked me to describe the
information. However, before I could describe the information another
individual pointed me to the link for the WLO web site online submission
system. After ending my IRC connection, I considered my options one more
time. Ultimately, I felt that the right thing to do was to release the
SigActs.
On 3 February 2010, I visited the WLO website on my computer and clicked
on the submit documents link. Next I found the submit your information
online link and elected to submit the SigActs via the onion router or TOR
anonymizing network by special link. TOR is a system intended to provide
anonymity online. The software routes internet traffic through a network of
servers and other TOR clients in order to conceal the user's location and
identity.
I was familiar with TOR and had it previously installed on a computer to
anonymously monitor the social media website of militia groups operating
within central Iraq. I followed the prompts and attached the compressed
data files of CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A SigActs. I attached a text file I
drafted while preparing to provide the documents to the Washington Post.
It provided rough guidelines saying: "It's already been sanitized of any
source identifying information. You might need to sit on this information b
perhaps 90 to 100 days to figure out how best to release such a large
amount of data and to protect its source. This is possibly one of the more
significant documents of our time removing the fog of war and revealing the
true nature of twenty-first century asymmetric warfare. Have a good day."
After sending this, I left the SD card in a camera case at my aunt's house
in the event I needed it again in the future. I returned from mid-tour
leave on 11 February 2010. Although the information had not yet been
publicly by the WLO, I felt this sense of relief by them having it. I felt
I had accomplished something that allowed me to have a clear conscience
based upon what I had seen and read about and knew were happening in both
Iraq and Afghanistan everyday.
__Facts regarding the unauthorized storage and disclosure of 10 Reykjavik 13
I first became aware of the diplomatic cables during my training period in
AIT. I later learned about the Department of State or DoS Net-centric
Diplomacy NCD portal from the 2/10 Brigade Combat Team S2, Captain Steven
Lim. Captain Lim sent a section wide email to the other analysts and
officer in late December 2009 containing the SIPRnet link to the portal
along with the instructions to look at the cables contained within them and
to incorporate them into our work product.
Shortly after this I also noticed the diplomatic cables were being
reported to in products from the corp level US Forces Iraq or US-I. Based
upon Captain Lim's direction to become familiar with its contents, I read
virtually every published cable concerning Iraq.
I also began scanning the database and reading other random cables that
piqued my curiosity. It was around this time b in early to mid-January of
2010, that I began searching the database for information on Iceland. I
became interested in Iceland due to the IRC conversations I viewed in the
WLO channel discussing an issue called Icesave. At this time I was not very
familiar with the topic, but it seemed to be a big issue for those
participating in the conversation. This is when I decided to investigate
and conduct a few searches on Iceland and find out more.
At the time, I did not find anything discussing the Icesave issue either
directly or indirectly. I then conducted an open source search for
Icesave. I then learned that Iceland was involved in a dispute with the
United Kingdom and the Netherlands concerning the financial collapse of
one or more of Iceland's banks. According to open source reporting much of
the public controversy involved the United Kingdom's use of anti-terrorism
legislation against Iceland in order to freeze Icelandic access for payment
of the guarantees for UK depositors that lost money.
Shortly after returning from mid-tour leave, I returned to the Net Centric
Diplomacy portal to search for information on Iceland and Icesave as the
topic had not abated on the WLO IRC channel. To my surprise, on 14 February
2010, I found the cable 10 Reykjavik 13, which referenced the Icesave issue
directly.
The cable published on 13 January 2010 was just over two pages in length. I
read the cable and quickly concluded that Iceland was essentially being
bullied diplomatically by two larger European powers. It appeared to me
that Iceland was out viable options and was coming to the US for
assistance. Despite the quiet request for assistance, it did not appear
that we were going to do anything.
>From my perspective it appeared that we were not getting involved due to
the lack of long term geopolitical benefit to do so. After digesting the
contents of 10 Reykjavik 13 I debated whether this was something I should
send to the WLO. At this point the WLO had not published or acknowledged
receipt of the CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A tables. Despite not knowing that the
SigActs were a priority for the WLO, I decided the cable was something that
would be important. I felt that I would be able to right a wrong by having
them publish this document. I burned the information onto a CD-RW on 15
February 2010, took it to my CHU, and saved it onto my personal laptop.
I navigated to the WLO website via a TOR connection like before and
uploaded the document via the secure form. Amazingly, when WLO published
10 Reykjavik 13 within hours, proving that the form worked and that they
must have received the SigAct tables.
__Facts regarding the unauthorized storage and disclosure of the 12 July
2007 aerial weapons team or AW team video
During the mid-February 2010 time frame the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 10th
Mountain Division targeting analysts, then Specialist Jihrleah W. Showman
discussed a video that Ms. Showman had found on the T-drive.
The video depicted several individuals being engaged by an aerial weapons
team. At first I did not consider the video very special, as I have viewed
countless other war porn type videos depicting combat. However, the
recording of audio comments by the aerial weapons team crew and the second
engagement in the video of an unarmed bongo truck troubled me.
As Showman and a few other analysts and officers in the T-SCIF commented
on the video and debated whether the crew violated the rules of engagement
or ROE in the second engagement, I shied away from this debate, instead
conducting some research on the event. I wanted to learn what happened and
whether there was any background to the events of the day that the event
occurred, 12 July 2007.
Using Google I searched for the event by its date by its general location.
I found several new accounts involving two Reuters employees who were
killed during the aerial weapon team engagement. Another story explained
that Reuters had requested for a copy of the video under the Freedom of
Information Act or FOIA. Reuters wanted to view the video in order to
understand what had happened and to improve their safety practices in
combat zones. A spokesperson for Reuters was quoted saying that the video
might help avoid the reoccurrence of the tragedy and believed there was a
compelling need for the immediate release of the video.
Despite the submission of the FOIA request, the news account explained
that CENTCOM replied to Reuters stating that they could not give a time
frame for considering a FOIA request and that the video might no longer
exist. Another story I found written a year later said that even though
Reuters was still pursuing their request. They still did not receive a
formal response or written determination in accordance with FOIA.
The fact neither CENTCOM or Multi National Forces Iraq or MNF-I would not
voluntarily release the video troubled me further. It was clear to me that
the event happened because the aerial weapons team mistakenly identified
Reuters employees as a potential threat and that the people in the bongo
truck were merely attempting to assist the wounded. The people in the van
were not a threat but merely "good samaritans". The most alarming aspect of
the video to me, however, was the seemly delightful bloodlust they appeared
to have.
The dehumanized the individuals they were engaging and seemed to not value
human life by referring to them as quote "dead bastards" unquote and
congratulating each other on the ability to kill in large numbers. At one
point in the video there is an individual on the ground attempting to crawl
to safety. The individual is seriously wounded. Instead of calling for
medical attention to the location, one of the aerial weapons team crew
members verbally asks for the wounded person to pick up a weapon so that he
can have a reason to engage. For me, this seems similar to a child
torturing ants with a magnifying glass.
While saddened by the aerial weapons team crew's lack of concern about
human life, I was disturbed by the response of the discovery of injured
children at the scene. In the video, you can see that the bongo truck
driving up to assist the wounded individual. In response the aerial
weapons team crew b as soon as the individuals are a threat, they
repeatedly request for authorization to fire on the bongo truck and once
granted they engage the vehicle at least six times.
Shortly after the second engagement, a mechanized infantry unit arrives at
the scene. Within minutes, the aerial weapons team crew learns that
children were in the van and despite the injuries the crew exhibits no
remorse. Instead, they downplay the significance of their actions, saying
quote "Well, it's their fault for bringing their kids into a battle"
unquote.
The aerial weapons team crew members sound like they lack sympathy for the
children or the parents. Later in a particularly disturbing manner, the
aerial weapons team verbalizes enjoyment at the sight of one of the ground
vehicles driving over a body b or one of the bodies. As I continued my
research, I found an article discussing the book, The Good Soldiers,
written by Washington Post writer David Finkel.
In Mr. Finkel book, he writes about the aerial weapons team attack. As, I
read an online excerpt in Google Books, I followed Mr. Finkel's account of
the event belonging to the video. I quickly realize that Mr. Finkel was
quoting, I feel in verbatim, the audio communications of the aerial weapons
team crew.
It is clear to me that Mr. Finkel obtained access and a copy of the video
during his tenue as an embedded journalist. I was aghast at Mr. Finkel's
portrayal of the incident. Reading his account, one would believe the
engagement was somehow justified as "payback" for an earlier attack that
lead to the death of a soldier. Mr. Finkel ends his account by discussing
how a soldier finds an individual still alive from the attack. He writes
that the soldier finds him and sees him gesture with his two forefingers
together, a common method in the Middle East to communicate that they are
friendly. However, instead of assisting him, the soldier makes an obscene
gesture extending his middle finger.
The individual apparently dies shortly thereafter. Reading this, I can
only think of how this person was simply trying to help others, and then
he quickly finds he needs help as well. To make matter worse, in the last
moments of his life, he continues to express his friendly gesture b only to
find himself receiving this well known gesture of unfriendliness. For me
it's all a big mess, and I am left wondering what these things mean, and
how it all fits together. It burdens me emotionally.
I saved a copy of the video on my workstation. I searched for and found
the rules of engagement, the rules of engagement annexes, and a flow chart
from the 2007 time period b as well as an unclassified Rules of Engagement
smart card from 2006. On 15 February 2010 I burned these documents onto a
CD-RW, the same time I burned the 10 Reykjavik 13 cable onto a CD-RW. At
the time, I placed the video and rules for engagement information onto my
personal laptop in my CHU. I planned to keep this information there until I
redeployed in Summer 2010. I planned on providing this to the Reuters
office in London to assist them in preventing events such as this in the
future.
However, after the WLO published 10 Reykjavik 13 I altered my plans. I
decided to provide the video and the rules of engagement to them so that
Reuters would have this information before I re-deployed from Iraq. On
about 21 February 2010, I described above, I used the WLO submission form
and uploaded the documents. The WLO released the video on 5 April 2010.
After the release, I was concern about the impact of the video and how it
would been received by the general public.
I hoped that the public would be as alarmed as me about the conduct of the
aerial weapons team crew members. I wanted the American public to know that
not everyone in Iraq and Afghanistan are targets that needed to be
neutralized, but rather people who were struggling to live in the pressure
cooker environment of what we call asymmetric warfare. After the release I
was encouraged by the response in the media and general public, who
observed the aerial weapons team video. As I hoped, others were just as
troubled b if not more troubled that me by what they saw.
At this time, I began seeing reports claiming that the Department of
Defense an CENTCOM could not confirm the authenticity of the video.
Additionally, one of my supervisors, Captain Casey Fulton, stated her
belief that the video was not authentic. In her response, I decided to
ensure that the authenticity of the video would not be questioned in the
future. On 25 February 2010, I emailed Captain Fulton, a link to the video
that was on our T-drive, and a copy of the video published by WLO that was
collected by the open source center, so she could compare them herself.
Around this time frame, I burned a second CD-RW containing the aerial
weapons team video. In order to made it appear authentic, I placed a
classification sticker and wrote Reuters FOIA REQ on its face. I placed
the CD-RW in one of my personal CD cases containing a set of "Starting Out
in Arabic" CD's. I planned on mailing out the CD-RW to Reuters after our
re-deployment, so they could have a copy that was unquestionably
authentic.
Almost immediately after submitting the aerial weapons team video and
rules of engagement documents I notified the individuals in the WLO IRC to
expect an important submission. I received a response from an individual
going by the handle of "Ox" - at first our conversations were general in
nature, but over time as our conversations progressed, I accessed this
individual to be an important part of the WLO.
Due to the strict adherence of anonymity by the WLO, we never exchanged
identifying information. However, I believe the individual was likely Mr.
Julian Assange [he pronounced it with three syllables], Mr. Daniel
Schmidt, or a proxy representative of Mr. Assange and Schmidt.
As the communications transfered from IRC to the Jabber client, I gave
"Ox" and later "pressassociation" the name of Nathaniel Frank in my
address book, after the author of a book I read in 2009.
After a period of time, I developed what I felt was a friendly
relationship with Nathaniel. Our mutual interest in information technology
and politics made our conversations enjoyable. We engaged in conversation
often. Sometimes as long as an hour or more. I often looked forward to my
conversations with Nathaniel after work.
The anonymity that was provided by TOR and the Jabber client and the WLO's
policy allowed me to feel I could just be myself, free of the concerns of
social labeling and perceptions that are often placed upon me in real life.
In real life, I lacked a closed friendship with the people I worked with in
my section, the S2 section.
In my section, the S2 section supported battalions and the 2nd Brigade
Combat Team as a whole. For instance, I lacked close ties with my roommate
to his discomfort regarding my perceived sexual orientation. Over the next
few months, I stayed in frequent contact with Nathaniel. We conversed on
nearly a daily basis and I felt that we were developing a friendship.
Conversations covered many topics and I enjoyed the ability to talk about
pretty much everything, and not just the publications that the WLO was
working on. In retrospect that these dynamics were artificial and were
valued more by myself than Nathaniel. For me these conversations
represented an opportunity to escape from the immense pressures and
anxiety that I experienced and built up through out the deployment. It
seems that as I tried harder to fit in at work, the more I seemed to
alienate my peers and lose respect, trust, and support I needed.
__Facts regarding the unauthorized storage and disclosure of documents
related to the detainments by the Iraqi Federal Police or FP, and the
detainee assessment briefs, and the USACIC United States Army
counter-intelligence center report
On 27 February 2010, a report was received from a subordinate battalion.
The report described an event in which the Federal Police or FP detained
15 individuals for printing anti-Iraqi literature. On 2 March 2010, I
received instructions from an S3 section officer in the 2nd Brigade Combat
Team, 10th Mountain Division Tactical Operation Center or TOC to
investigate the matter, and figure out who the quote "bad guys" unquote
were and how significant this event was for the Federal Police.
Over the course of my research I found that none of the individuals had
previous ties to anti-Iraqi actions or suspected terrorist militia groups.
A few hours later, I received several [playlist?] from the scene b from
this subordinate battalion. They were accidentally sent to an officer on a
different team on the S2 section and she forwarded them to me.
These photos included picture of the individuals, pallets of unprinted
paper and seized copies of the final printed material or the printed
document; and a high resolution photo of the printed material itself. I
printed up one [missed word] copy of a high resolution photo b I laminated
it for ease of use and transfer. I then walked to the TOC and delivered the
laminated copy to our category two interpreter.
She reviewed the information and about a half and hour later delivered a
rough written transcript in English to the S2 section. I read the
transcript and followed up with her, asking her for her take on the
content. She said it was easy for her to transcribe verbatim, since I blew
up the photograph and laminated it. She said the general nature of the
document was benign. The document, as I had sensed as well, was merely a
scholarly critique of the then current Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri
al-Maliki.
It detailed corruption within the cabinet of al-Maliki's government and
the financial impact of his corruption on the Iraqi people. After
discovering this discrepancy between the Federal Police's report and the
interpreter's transcript, I forwarded this discovery to the top OIC and
the battle NCOIC. The top OIC and the overhearing battle captain informed
me that they didn't need or want to know this information anymore. They
told me to quote "drop it" unquote and to just assist them and the Federal
Police in finding out, where more of these print shops creating quote
"anti-Iraqi literature" unquote.
I couldn't believe what I heard and I returned to the T-SCIF and
complained to the other analysts and my section NCOIC about what happened.
Some were sympathetic, but no one wanted to do anything about it.
I am the type of person who likes to know how things work. And, as an
analyst, this means I always want to figure out the truth. Unlike other
analysts in my section or other sections within the 2nd Brigade Combat
Team, I was not satisfied with just scratching the surface and producing
canned or cookie cutter assessments. I wanted to know why something was
the way it was, and what we could to correct or mitigate a situation.
I knew that if I continued to assist the Baghdad Federal Police in
identifying the political opponents of Prime Minister al-Maliki, those
people would be arrested and in the custody of the Special Unit of the
Baghdad Federal Police and very likely tortured and not seen again for a
very long time b if ever.
Instead of assisting the Special Unit of the Baghdad Federal Police, I
decided to take the information and expose it to the WLO, in the hope that
before the upcoming 7 March 2010 election, they could generate some
immediate press on the issue and prevent this unit of the Federal Police
from continuing to crack down in political opponents of al-Maliki.
On 4 March 2010, I burned the report, the photos, the high resolution copy
of the pamphlet, and the interpreters hand written transcript onto a CD-RW.
I took the CD-RW to my CHU and copied the data onto my personal computer.
Unlike the times before, instead of uploading the information through the
WLO website submission form. I made a Secure File Transfer Protocol or SFTP
connection to a file drop box operated by the WLO.
The drop box contained a folder that allowed me to upload directly into
it. Saving files into this directory. Allowed anyone with log in access to
server to view and download them. After uploading these files to the WLO,
on 5 March 2010, I notified Nathaniel over Jabber. Although sympathetic, he
said that the WLO needed more information to confirm the event in order for
it to be published or to gain interest in the international media.
I attempted to provide the specifics, but to my disappointment, the WLO
website chose not to publish this information. At the same time, I began
sifting through information from the US Southern Command or SOUTHCOM and
Joint Task Force Guantanamo, Cuba or JTF-GTMO. The thought occurred to me b
although unlikely, that I wouldn't be surprised if the individuals
detainees by the Federal Police might be turned over back into US custody b
and ending up in the custody of Joint Task Force Guantanamo.
As I digested through the information on Joint Task Force Guantanamo, I
quickly found the Detainee Assessment Briefs or DABs. I previously came
across the documents before in 2009 but did not think much about them.
However, this time I was more curious in this search and I found them
again.
The DABs were written in standard DoD memorandum format and addressed the
commander US SOUTHCOM. Each memorandum gave basic and background
information about a detainee held at some point by Joint Task Force
Guantanamo. I have always been interested on the issue of the moral
efficacy of our actions surrounding Joint Task Force Guantanamo. On the
one hand, I have always understood the need to detain and interrogate
individuals who might wish to harm the United States and our allies,
however, I felt that what we were trying to do at Joint Task Force
Guantanamo.
However, the more I became educated on the topic, it seemed that we found
ourselves holding an increasing number of individuals indefinitely that we
believed or knew to be innocent, low level foot soldiers that did not have
useful intelligence and would be released if they were still held in
theater.
I also recall that in early 2009 the, then newly elected president, Barack
Obama, stated that he would close Joint Task Force Guantanamo, and that the
facility compromised our standing over all, and diminished our quote "moral
authority" unquote.
After familiarizing myself with the Detainee Assessment Briefs, I agree.
Reading through the Detainee Assessment Briefs, I noticed that they were
not analytical products, instead they contained summaries of tear line
versions of interim intelligence reports that were old or unclassified.
None of the DABs contained the names of sources or quotes from tactical
interrogation reports or TIRs. Since the DABs were being sent to the US
SOUTHCOM commander, I assessed that they were intended to provide very
general background information on each of the detainees and not a detailed
assessment.
In addition to the manner in which the DABs were written, I recognized
that they were at least several years old, and discussed detainees that
were already released from Joint Task Force Guantanamo. Based on this, I
determined that the DAB's were not very important fro either an
intelligence or a national security standpoint. On 7 March 2010, during my
Jabber conversation with Nathaniel, I asked him if he thought the DAB's
were of any use to anyone.
Nathaniel indicated, although he did not believe that they were of
political significance, he did believe that they could be used to merge
into the general historical account of what occurred at Joint Task Force
Guantanamo. He also thought that the DABs might be helpful to the legal
counsel of those currently and previously held at JTF-GTMO.
After this discussion, I decided to download the data. I used an
application called Wget to download the DAB's. I downloaded Wget off of
the NIPRnet laptop in the T-SCIF, like other programs. I saved that onto a
CD-RW, and placed the executable in my "My Documents" directory on my user
profile, on the D6-A SIPRnet workstation.
On 7 March 2010, I took the list of links for the detainee assessment
briefs, and Wget downloaded them sequentially. I burned the data onto a
CD-RW, and took it into my CHU, and copied them onto my personal computer.
On 8 March 2010, I combined the Detainee Assessment Briefs with the United
States Army Counterintelligence Center reports on the WLO, into a
compressed IP file. Zip files contain multiple files which are compressed
to reduce their size.
After creating the zip file, I uploaded the file onto their cloud drop box
via Secure File Transfer Protocol. Once these were uploaded, I notified
Nathaniel that the information was in the X-directory, which had been
designated for my own use. Earlier that day, I downloaded the USACIC report
on WLO.
As discussed about, I previously reviewed the report on numerous occasions
and although I saved the document onto the work station before, I could not
locate it. After I found the document again, I downloaded it to my work
station, and saved it onto the same CD-RW as the Detainee Assessment Briefs
described above.
Although my access included a great deal of information, I decided I had
nothing else to send to WLO after sending the Detainee Assessment Briefs
and the USACIC report. Up to this point I had sent them the following: the
CIDNE-I and CIDNE-A SigActs tables; the Reykjavik 13 Department of State
Cable; the 12 July 2007 aerial weapons team video and the 2006-2007 rules
of engagement documents; the SigAct report and supporting documents
concerning the 15 individuals detained by the Baghdad Federal Police; the
USSOUTHCOM and Joint Task Force Guantanamo Detainee Assessment Briefs; a
USACIC report on the WikiLeaks website and the WikiLeaks organization.
Over the next few weeks I did not send any additional information to the
WLO. I continued to converse with Nathaniel over the Jabber client and in
the WLO IRC channel. Although I stopped sending documents to WLO, no one
associated with the WLO pressures me into giving more information. The
decisions that I made to send documents and information to the WLO and the
website were my own decisions, and I take full responsibility for my
actions.
__Facts regarding the unauthorized disclosure of other government documents
One 22 March 2010, I downloaded two documents. I found these documents
over the course of my normal duties as an analysts. Based on my training
and the guidance of my superiors, I look at as much information as
possible.
Doings so provided me with the ability to make connections that others
might miss. On several occasions during the month of March, I accessed
information from a Government entity. I read several documents from a
section within this Government entity. The content of two of these
documents upset me greatly. I had difficulty believing what this section
was doing.
On 22 March 2010, I downloaded the two documents that I found troubling. I
compressed them into a zip file named blah.zip and burned them onto a
CD-RW. I took the CD-RW to my CHU and saved the file to my personal
computer.
I uploaded the information to the WLO website using the designated prompts.
__Facts regarding the unauthorized storage and disclosure of the
net-centric diplomacy Department of State cables
In late March of 2010, I received a warning over Jabber from Nathaniel,
that the WLO website would be publishing the aerial weapons team video. He
indicated that the WLO would be very busy and the frequency and intensity
of our Jabber conversations decrease significantly. During this time, I had
nothing but work to distract me.
I read more of the diplomatic cables published on the Department of State
Net Centric Diplomacy. With my insatiable curiosity and interest in
geopolitics I became fascinated with them. I read not only the cables on
Iraq, but also about countries and events that I found interesting.
The more I read, the more I was fascinated with the way that we dealt with
other nations and organizations. I also began to think the documented
backdoor deals and seemingly criminal activity that didn't seem
characteristic of the de facto leader of the free world.
Up to this point,during the deployment, I had issues I struggled with and
difficulty at work. Of the documents release, the cables were the only one
I was not absolutely certain couldn't harm the United States. I conducted
research on the cables published on the Net Centric Diplomacy, as well as
how Department of State cables worked in general.
In particular, I wanted to know how each cable was published on SIRPnet
via the Net Centric Diplomacy. As part of my open source research, I found
a document published by the Department of State on its official website.
The document provided guidance on caption markings for individual cables
and handling instructions for their distribution. I quickly learned the
caption markings clearly detailed the sensitivity of the Department of
State cables. For example, NODIS or No Distribution was used for messages
at the highest sensitivity and were only distributed to the authorized
recipients.
The SIPDIS or SIPRnet distribution caption was applied only to recording
of other information messages that were deemed appropriate for a release
for a wide number of individuals. According to the Department of State
guidance for a cable to have the SIPDIS [missed word] caption, it could
not include other captions that were intended to limit distribution.
The SIPDIS caption was only for information that could only be shared with
anyone with access to SIPRnet. I was aware that thousands of military
personel, DoD, Department of State, and other civilian agencies had easy
access to the tables. The fact that the SIPDIS caption was only for wide
distribution made sense to me, given that the vast majority of the Net
Centric Diplomacy Cables were not classified.
The more I read the cables, the more I came to the conclusion that this
was the type of information that should become public. I once read a and
used a quote on open diplomacy written after the First World War and how
the world would be a better place if states would avoid making secret
pacts and deals with and against each other.
I thought these cables were a prime example of a need for a more open
diplomacy. Given all of the Department of State cables that I read, the
fact that most of the cables were unclassified, and that all the cables
have a SIPDIS caption.
I believe that the public release of these cables would not damage the
United States, however, I did believe that the cables might be
embarrassing, since they represented very honest opinions and statements
behind the backs of other nations and organizations.
In many ways these cables are a catalogue of cliques and gossip. I
believed exposing this information might make some within the Department
of State and other government entities unhappy. On 22 March 2010, I began
downloading a copy of the SIPDIS cables using the program Wget, described
above.
I used instances of the Wget application to download the Net Centric
Diplomacy cables in the background. As I worked on my daily tasks, the Net
centric Diplomacy cables were downloaded from 28 March 2010 to 9 April
2010. After downloading the cables, I saved them on to a CD-RW.
These cables went from the earliest dates in Net Centric Diplomacy to 28
February 2010. I took the CD-RW to my CHU on 10 April 2010. I sorted the
cables on my personal computer, compressed them using the bzip2
compression algorithm described above, and uploaded them to the WLO via
designated drop box described above.
On 3 May 2010, I used Wget to download and update of the cables for the
months of March 2010 and April 2010 and saved the information onto a zip
file and burned it to a CD-RW. I then took the CD-RW to my CHU and saved
those to my computer. I later found that the file was corrupted during the
transfer. Although I intended to re-save another copy of these cables, I
was removed from the T-SCIF on 8 May 2010 after an altercation.
__Facts regarding the unauthorized storage and disclosure of Garani, Farah
Province Afghanistan 15-6 Investigation and Videos
In late March 2010, I discovered a US CENTCOM directly on a 2009 airstrike
in Afghanistan. I was searching CENTCOM I could use as an analyst. As
described above, this was something that myself and other officers did on a
frequent basis. As I reviewed the incident and what happened. The airstrike
occurred in the Garani village in the Farah Province, Northwestern
Afghanistan. It received worldwide press coverage during the time as it was
reported that up to 100 to 150 Afghan civilians b mostly women and children
b were accidentally killed during the airstrike.
After going through the report and the [missed word] annexes, I began to
review the incident as being similar to the 12 July 2007 aerial weapons
team engagements in Iraq. However, this event was noticeably different in
that it involved a significantly higher number of individuals, larger
aircraft and much heavier munitions. Also, the conclusions of the report
are more disturbing than those of the July 2007 incident.
I did not see anything in the 15-6 report or its annexes that gave away
sensitive information. Rather, the investigation and its conclusions were
and what those involved should have done, and how to avoid an event like
this from occurring again.
After investigating the report and its annexes, I downloaded the 15-6
investigation, PowerPoint presentations, and several other supporting
documents to my D6-A workstation. I also downloaded three zip files
containing the videos of the incident. I burned this information onto a
CD-RW and transfered it to the personal computer in my CHU. I did later
that day or the next day b I uploaded the information to the WL website
this time using a new version of the WLO website submission form.
Unlike other times using the submission form above, I did not activate the
TOR anonymizer.
Your honor, this concludes my statement and facts for this providence
inquiry.
--
-|- http://felix.openflows.com ------------------------ books out now:
|
*|Cultures & Ethics of Sharing/Kulturen & Ethiken des Teilens UIP 2012
*|Vergessene Zukunft. Radikale Netzkulturen in Europa. transcript 2012
*|Deep Search. The Politics of Searching Beyond Google. Studienv. 2009
*|Mediale Kunst/Media Arts Zurich.13 Positions. Scheidegger&Spiess2008
*|Manuel Castells and the Theory of the Network Society.Polity P. 2006
*|Open Cultures and the Nature of Networks. Ed Futura / Revolver, 2005
|
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----- End forwarded message -----
--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
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Apparently, NIST has produced an interestingly optimized design for AES
S-box hardware implementations:
http://cryptome.org/0001/nist062309.htm
Perry
--
Perry E. Metzger perry(a)piermont.com
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--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com http://postbiota.org
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
1
0
Steve Gibson: MS WMF is a Backdoor, Not a Coding Mistake
http://www.groklaw.net/article.php?story=20060113111825193
http://www.grc.com/sn/SN-022.htm
Those of you using Microsoft Windows 2000 or XP will want to follow
this story: Steve Gibson has examined WMF and he now believes it
was deliberately coded. It looks to him that Microsoft put a
backdoor into Windows, which can be triggered even if Active X is
turned off and security is at high.
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----- End forwarded message -----
--
Eugen* Leitl <a href="http://leitl.org">leitl</a> http://leitl.org
______________________________________________________________
ICBM: 48.07100, 11.36820 http://www.ativel.com
8B29F6BE: 099D 78BA 2FD3 B014 B08A 7779 75B0 2443 8B29 F6BE
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Begin forwarded message:
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