- cypherpunks-legacy - lists.cpunks.org

darknet into Syria
by Eugen Leitl 01 Dec '12

01 Dec '12

I've been thinking what a bunch of (camouflaged) Ubiquiti point to point links to Syria, running a darknet that obscures the gateways behind a few hops would do. Solar-powered, and installed so that there is no lead to a particular warm body. Rest goes over dynamical Serval-on-smartphone things, so that you can link up to meshed relays up there on house roofs. It seems that locating end users would be tricky, and taking the thing down or jamming it expensive. Thoughts?

2 1

Julian Assange: Cryptographic Call to Arms
by John Young 01 Dec '12

01 Dec '12

Julian's 7-page introduction to "Cypherpunks: Future and Freedom of the Internet," titled "A Cryptographic Call to Arms." http://cryptome.org/2012/12/assange-crypto-arms.htm Our review of the book: http://cryptome.org/2012/11/cypherpunks-ffi.htm A pretty good book well above the usual journalistic skim-coating of crypto influence on technology, politics, economics. Reminds that most publication on crypto is not by the actors but by word smith marketers of publicity and reputation. Some of that in the book, but offers exceptionally astute observations among the four panelists who don't always agree. A wee bit of humor, a bit more about Manning, a good bit of flattery of Julian, and zero about the Swedish cloud overhanging Julian in favor of obsession with US threats. Jeremie Zimmermann is quite thoughtful and eloquent. Pay attention to his comments. Jacob Appelbaum calls the three youngsters "third-generation cypherpunks." And pukes over the Navy cheerleading hacker trainees with patriotic bombast. Andy Muller-Murhgum notes the diversity in those opposing authority by contrasts Italian hackers love of food with the German hackers love of structure. Julian's cloaking the book in Cypherpunks couture is worth pondering.

1 0

Re: [tor-talk] William was raided for running a Tor exit node. Please help if you can.
by Eugen Leitl 01 Dec '12

01 Dec '12

----- Forwarded message from Joe Btfsplk <joebtfsplk(a)gmx.com> -----

1 0

Julian Assange now an official enemy of the US
by Tyler Durden 01 Dec '12

01 Dec '12

"The U.S. Defense Department has formally declared WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange an enemy on par with al-Qaida, according to documents that an Australian newspaper said Wednesday it had obtained under freedom of information laws." Hilarious.

5 6

Feds Monitor Facebook "Likes," Infiltrate Skype Chats To Build Terrorism Case
by Eugen Leitl 01 Dec '12

01 Dec '12

http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense/2012/11/29/facebook_likes_skype_use… Feds Monitor Facebook "Likes," Infiltrate Skype Chats To Build Terrorism Case By Ryan Gallagher Posted Thursday, Nov. 29, 2012, at 4:33 PM ET A "like" sign at the entrance of Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, Calif. Photo by Stephen Lam/Getty Images Be careful what you b likeb on Facebookbbecause the feds may be watching. Earlier this month, the FBIbs Los Angeles field office revealed it had charged four men over alleged involvement in an al-Qaeda inspired terror cell based in and around California. Since 2010, the men had, according to the feds, been plotting ways to help provide b material supportb to terrorists in order to kill American targets in Afghanistan. The FBIbs complaint against the group was under seal until it was released a few days ago, and it has since attracted attention from activists because of some of the shadowy law enforcement techniques it reveals. The document shows that aside from using the traditional method of paying a b confidential source,b the FBI was also trying to infiltrate the group electronically. Using an b online covert employee,b the feds posed as terrorism sympathisers in order to gauge the potential threat posed by certain individuals. In one case, they say they got a 21-year-old Mexico-born man to admit he was keen to pursue jihad in order to b stop the oppressors.b Other sections of the complaint detail how the FBI was somehow able to obtain audio and video recordings of Skype conversations in which their confidential informant participated. Given that it remains unclear whether it is technically possible to wiretap Skype due to its encryption, itbs possible that the FBI had installed some sort of spyware directly onto the terroristsb computer in order to bypass any eavesdropping barriers. But perhaps most interesting is how the feds monitored social networks. One part of the complaint, headed b DEFENDANTS' SOCIAL MEDIA,b lists Islamist content the men had b likedb, b sharedb, commented on or posted on their Facebook pages. The FBI details how Sohiel Omar Kabir, a U.S. citizen who appears to be the alleged ringleader of the group, posted b photographs of himself, non-extremist content, radical Islamist content, and items reflecting a mistrust of mainstream media, abuses by the government, conspiracy theories, abuses by law enforcement, and the war in Afghanistan.b It adds, in reference to two of the other suspects, b Kabir has bsharedb several postings with Santana and/or Deleon, both of whom have blikedb or commented on several other postings by Kabir.b This illustrates how important social media behavior is becoming for law enforcement agencies as they try to build cases against individuals. But it will also raise concerns about how social network monitoring could have a chilling effect on free speech, especially if b likingb or sharing any controversial content on Facebook becomes viewed by authorities as inherently suspicious or criminal. Other countries have already had to face up to controversy over how their law enforcement agencies monitor and penalize social network users. Earlier this month, for instance, two women were arrested in India: one for posting an b offensiveb comment on Facebook about a recently deceased political leader, the other for b likingb it. The women have since been released on bail and, the New York Times reports, a police investigation into why they were arrested in the first place has been ordered.

1 0

Daniel Jones sent you a message
by Daniel Jones 01 Dec '12

01 Dec '12

1 0

Some notes toward a fully distributed, serverless socnet/communications network using CouchDB.
by Eugen Leitl 30 Nov '12

30 Nov '12

----- Forwarded message from Bryce Lynch <virtualadept(a)gmail.com> -----

1 0

Dollar-Less Iranians Discover Virtual Currency
by Eugen Leitl 30 Nov '12

30 Nov '12

http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2012-11-29/dollar-less-iranians-discov… Dollar-Less Iranians Discover Virtual Currency By Max Raskin on November 29, 2012 Under sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies, dollars are hard to come by in Iran. The rial fell from 20,160 against the greenback on the street market in August to 36,500 rials to the dollar in October. Itbs settled, for now, around 27,000. The central bankbs fixed official rate is 12,260. Yet therebs one currency in Iran that has kept its value and can be used to purchase goods from abroad: bitcoins, the online-only currency. Created in 2009 by a mysterious programmer named Satoshi Nakamoto, bitcoins behave a lot like any currency. Their value is determined by demand, and they can be used to buy stuff. Bitcoin transactions are encrypted and handled by a decentralized global network of tens of thousands of personal computers. Merchants around the world accept the currency, from a bakery in San Francisco to a dentist in Finland. Individuals who own bitcoins and wish to exchange them for physical currencies like euros or dollars can use exchange sites such as localbitcoins.com, a Finland-based site founded by Jeremias Kangas. b I believe that bitcoin is, or will be in the future, a very effective tool for individuals who want to avoid sanctions, currency restrictions, and high inflation in countries such as Iran,b Kangas wrote in an e-mail. The advantage for Iranians is that bitcoins can be swapped for dollars that can then be kept outside the country. Another plus: Regulators canbt easily track the transactions, since bitcoins arenbt issued from a central server. Bitcoin users can conduct business on virtual private networks, which hide customersb identities. At online store coinDL.com, shoppers can use bitcoins to buy Beyond Matter, the latest album from Iranian artist Mohammad Rafigh. Anyone in the U.S. downloading songs, which fetch .039 bitcoins or 45B" each, risks violating U.S. sanctions. That doesnbt bother Rafigh, whobs studying computer engineering as well as playing music. b Bitcoin is so interesting for me,b Rafigh wrote in an e-mail. b I wish the culture of using digital money spreads all over the world, because it does not have any dependency on anything like politics.b Rafigh has translated some bitcoin software into Farsi for his friends. b I love Iran, and if bitcoin is good for me, it can be good for more Iranians like me.b Iranian-American bitcoin consultant Farzhad Hashemi recently traveled to Tehran and talked up bitcoin to his friends. b They are instantly fascinated by it,b he says. b Itbs a flash for them when they realize how it can solve their problems.b Iranians working or living abroad can send bitcoins to their families, who can use one of the online currency matchmaking services to find someone willing to exchange bitcoins for euros, rials, or dollars. Bitcoins are useful to Iranians wishing to move their money abroad, either to children studying in Europe or America or simply to stash cash in a safe place. As the value of the rial plunges, many Iranians are trying to acquire foreign currencies. b We have no idea what will happen,b says Amir-Hossein Madani, who says hebs traded tens of millions of street market dollars in Tehran over the past two years. b These days prices change every 10 minutes.b The uncertainty has led some Iranian software developers to ask clients to pay them in bitcoins. b Anyone with a computer is able to own, send, and receive them. You can be at an Internet cafe in Iran and managing a bitcoin account,b says Jon Matonis, a founding board member of the Bitcoin Foundation, a Seattle nonprofit that promotes the currency. The exchange rate in Iran is 332,910 rials per bitcoin. It isnbt known how many Iranians use bitcoins to skirt sanctions. According to localbitcoinsb Kangas, 32 people in Iran have contacted each other through his site. An internal FBI report in April expressed concern over the online currency. The report was leaked to Wired and Betabeat. b Since Bitcoin does not have a centralized authority, law enforcement faces difficulties detecting suspicious activity, identifying users, and obtaining transaction recordsbproblems that might attract malicious actors to Bitcoin,b says the report. For now, Iranians are using bitcoins to maintain a fragile connection to the outside world. The bottom line: Iranians are resorting to virtual currency to move money into and out of the country in a way that Western authorities find hard to detect. With Ladane Nasseri, Yeganeh Salehi, and Peter S. Green Raskin is a reporter for Bloomberg News.

1 0

Комик-дуэт "ОП-ПА!" Эксклюзивные номера для Вашего Новогоднего праздника (корпоратива).
by "Закажите себе праздник!" 30 Nov '12

30 Nov '12

1 0

Комик-дуэт "ОП-ПА!" Эксклюзивные номера для Вашего Новогоднего праздника (корпоратива).
by "Закажите себе праздник!" 30 Nov '12

30 Nov '12

1 0