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Is Assange now unprosecutable?
by jim bell 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

That recent leak of America's hacking secrets comes at an opportune time for Assange. He may have to leave that embassy in London within a few months. Generally, and unlike MY trial, a Federal criminal defendant gets great leeway to call witnesses for his defense. Now that he has published the 'keys to the kingdom', I doubt whether it would even be possible to prosecute him. Imagine all the witnesses he could call just to verify the genuineness of those recent documents! No doubt the person or people who leaked that material to Wikileaks knew this. Somebody deserves some big congratulations. Jim Bell

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Donald Trump's Vote Fraud Criminals Discovered!
by Razer 14 Mar '17

14 Mar '17

17 year old Wisconsin kids who thought if they turned 18 by election day it was all good. ROTF! > MADISON, Wis. > > Dozens of 17-year-olds voted illegally across Wisconsin during last > spring's intense presidential primary, apparently wrongly believing > they could cast ballots if they turned 18 ahead of the November > general election, according to a new state report. > > Wisconsin Elections Commission staff examined voter fraud referrals > municipal clerks said they made to prosecutors following the 2016 > spring primary and general elections. The commission is set to approve > the findings during a meeting Tuesday and forward a report to the > Legislature. > > President Donald Trump has called for a "major investigation" into > voter fraud and alleged that 3 million to 5 million people may have > voted illegally in the November general election, a widely debunked > claim. The report lists no instances of underage voters casting > ballots in the general election. > > Republican Ted Cruz won the GOP primary in Wisconsin. Bernie Sanders > won the Democratic contest. The state ultimately voted for Trump in > the November general election, marking the first time a Republican > presidential candidate had won Wisconsin since Ronald Reagan in 1984. > > The report found at least 60 cases of 17-year-olds voting in the April > primary in 29 counties. Kewaunee County referred nine people to > prosecutors for voting as 17-year-olds, Rock County referred seven and > Racine County referred five. Brown County referred what the report > called "multiple" 17-year-olds to prosecutors. The report did not > track charging decisions or for whom the 17-year-olds voted. > > Commission spokesman Reid Magney said Monday that he'd never seen this > issue crop up before. The teenagers were likely encouraged to go to > the polls by messages flying around social media during the spring > primary season saying 17-year-olds can vote in some states as long as > they turn 18 before the November election, the report said. > > Some political campaigns were also spreading false information about > eligibility, the report said. The Sanders campaign specifically was > sending out national messages on social media about 17-year-olds being > able to vote in presidential primaries, Magney said, although > Wisconsin election officials didn't see any misinformation from that > campaign about Wisconsin. > > No one under 18 can vote in any Wisconsin election, but 17-year-olds > may have seen Sanders' messages and thought they could vote. Poll > workers may not have understood the law or may not have been paying > enough attention, he added. > > "It wasn't a case of anyone sneaking in," Magney said. "It was a > misunderstanding of the law." > > Sanders campaign officials didn't immediately respond to an email > Monday seeking comment. > > Kewaunee County District Attorney Andrew Naze said he chose not to > charge any of the 17-year-olds whom clerks referred to him. He said > they honestly thought they were eligible to vote and didn't intend to > break the law. > > Brown County District Attorney David Lasee said nine 17-year-olds were > referred to him but he decided not to file charges as well. Like Naze, > Lasee said the teens genuinely believed they could vote and there was > no intent to commit fraud. They told poll workers their ages and were > still allowed to cast ballots, Lasee said. > > Prosecutors in Rock and Racine counties didn't immediately respond to > messages Monday. > > The report noted that its findings aren't conclusive and it's possible > other instances of suspected fraud may have been referred to > prosecutors without the commission's knowledge or people may have > filed complaints directly with district attorneys. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/artic…

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Three challenges for the web, according to Sir Tim Berners-Lee #HappyBirthdayWWW
by Cecilia Tanaka 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

# http://webfoundation.org/2017/03/web-turns-28-letter "Three challenges for the web, according to its inventor." Web Foundation · March 12, 2017 Today is the world wide web’s 28th birthday. Here’s a message from our founder and web inventor Sir Tim Berners-Lee on how the web has evolved, and what we must do to ensure it fulfils his vision of an equalising platform that benefits all of humanity. This letter is also available en français, en español, em português and بالعربية. — Today marks 28 years since I submitted my original proposal for the world wide web. I imagined the web as an open platform that would allow everyone, everywhere to share information, access opportunities and collaborate across geographic and cultural boundaries. In many ways, the web has lived up to this vision, though it has been a recurring battle to keep it open. But over the past 12 months, I’ve become increasingly worried about three new trends, which I believe we must tackle in order for the web to fulfill its true potential as a tool which serves all of humanity. 1) We’ve lost control of our personal data The current business model for many websites offers free content in exchange for personal data. Many of us agree to this – albeit often by accepting long and confusing terms and conditions documents – but fundamentally we do not mind some information being collected in exchange for free services. But, we’re missing a trick. As our data is then held in proprietary silos, out of sight to us, we lose out on the benefits we could realise if we had direct control over this data, and chose when and with whom to share it. What’s more, we often do not have any way of feeding back to companies what data we’d rather not share – especially with third parties – the T&Cs are all or nothing. This widespread data collection by companies also has other impacts. Through collaboration with – or coercion of – companies, governments are also increasingly watching our every move online, and passing extreme laws that trample on our rights to privacy. In repressive regimes, it’s easy to see the harm that can be caused – bloggers can be arrested or killed, and political opponents can be monitored. But even in countries where we believe governments have citizens’ best interests at heart, watching everyone, all the time is simply going too far. It creates a chilling effect on free speech and stops the web from being used as a space to explore important topics, like sensitive health issues, sexuality or religion. 2) It’s too easy for misinformation to spread on the web Today, most people find news and information on the web through just a handful of social media sites and search engines. These sites make more money when we click on the links they show us. And, they choose what to show us based on algorithms which learn from our personal data that they are constantly harvesting. The net result is that these sites show us content they think we’ll click on – meaning that misinformation, or ‘fake news’, which is surprising, shocking, or designed to appeal to our biases can spread like wildfire. And through the use of data science and armies of bots, those with bad intentions can game the system to spread misinformation for financial or political gain. 3) Political advertising online needs transparency and understanding Political advertising online has rapidly become a sophisticated industry. The fact that most people get their information from just a few platforms and the increasing sophistication of algorithms drawing upon rich pools of personal data, means that political campaigns are now building individual adverts targeted directly at users. One source suggests that in the 2016 US election, as many as 50,000 variations of adverts were being served every single day on Facebook, a near-impossible situation to monitor. And there are suggestions that some political adverts – in the US and around the world – are being used in unethical ways – to point voters to fake news sites, for instance, or to keep others away from the polls. Targeted advertising allows a campaign to say completely different, possibly conflicting things to different groups. Is that democratic? — These are complex problems, and the solutions will not be simple. But a few broad paths to progress are already clear. We must work together with web companies to strike a balance that puts a fair level of data control back in the hands of people, including the development of new technology like personal “data pods” if needed and exploring alternative revenue models like subscriptions and micropayments. We must fight against government over-reach in surveillance laws, including through the courts if necessary. We must push back against misinformation by encouraging gatekeepers such as Google and Facebook to continue their efforts to combat the problem, while avoiding the creation of any central bodies to decide what is “true” or not. We need more algorithmic transparency to understand how important decisions that affect our lives are being made, and perhaps a set of common principles to be followed. We urgently need to close the “internet blind spot” in the regulation of political campaigning. Our team at the Web Foundation will be working on many of these issues as part of our new five year strategy – researching the problems in more detail, coming up with proactive policy solutions and bringing together coalitions to drive progress towards a web that gives equal power and opportunity to all. I urge you to support our work however you can – by spreading the word, keeping up pressure on companies and governments or by making a donation. We’ve also compiled a directory of other digital rights organisations around the world for you to explore and consider supporting too. I may have invented the web, but all of you have helped to create what it is today. All the blogs, posts, tweets, photos, videos, applications, web pages and more represent the contributions of millions of you around the world building our online community. All kinds of people have helped, from politicians fighting to keep the web open, standards organisations like W3C enhancing the power, accessibility and security of the technology, and people who have protested in the streets. In the past year, we have seen Nigerians stand up to a social media bill that would have hampered free expression online, popular outcry and protests at regional internet shutdowns in Cameroon and great public support for net neutrality in both India and the European Union. It has taken all of us to build the web we have, and now it is up to all of us to build the web we want – for everyone. If you would like to be more involved, then do join our mailing list, do contribute to us, do join or donate to any of the organisations which are working on these issues around the world. Sir Tim Berners-Lee The Web Foundation is at the forefront of the fight to advance and protect the web for everyone. We believe doing so is essential to reverse growing inequality and empower citizens. You can follow our work by signing up to our newsletter, and find a local digital rights organisation to support here on this list. Additions to the list are welcome and may be sent to contact(a)webfoundation.org Please share this letter on Twitter using the hashtag #HappyBirthdayWWW ------- "Don't let anyone rob you of your imagination, your creativity, or your curiosity. It's your place in the world; it's your life. Go on and do all you can with it, and make it the life you want to live." - Mae Jemison

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OpenOCD On-Chip Debugger
by grarpamp 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

http://openocd.org/ http://www.openocd.net/

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Zero Days, Thousands of Nights: The Life, Times, and Exploits of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities
by Razer 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

From the Intercept writeup: > Rand’s report is based on unprecedented access to a database of zero > days from a company that sells them to governments and other customers > on the “gray market.” The collection contains about 200 entries — > about the same number of zero days some experts believe the government > to have. Rand found that the exploits had an average lifespan of 6.9 > years before the vulnerability each targeted was disclosed to the > software maker to be fixed, or before the vendor made upgrades to the > code that unwittingly eliminated the security hole. https://theintercept.com/2017/03/10/government-zero-days-7-years/ > Zero Days, Thousands of Nights > The Life and Times of Zero-Day Vulnerabilities and Their Exploits > > by Lillian Ablon, Timothy Bogart > > Zero-day vulnerabilities — software vulnerabilities for which no patch > or fix has been publicly released — and their exploits are useful in > cyber operations — whether by criminals, militaries, or governments — > as well as in defensive and academic settings. > > This report provides findings from real-world zero-day vulnerability > and exploit data that could augment conventional proxy examples and > expert opinion, complement current efforts to create a framework for > deciding whether to disclose or retain a cache of zero-day > vulnerabilities and exploits, inform ongoing policy debates regarding > stockpiling and vulnerability disclosure, and add extra context for > those examining the implications and resulting liability of attacks > and data breaches for U.S. consumers, companies, insurers, and for the > civil justice system broadly. > > The authors provide insights about the zero-day vulnerability research > and exploit development industry; give information on what proportion > of zero-day vulnerabilities are alive (undisclosed), dead (known), or > somewhere in between; and establish some baseline metrics regarding > the average lifespan of zero-day vulnerabilities, the likelihood of > another party discovering a vulnerability within a given time period, > and the time and costs involved in developing an exploit for a > zero-day vulnerability. > Key Findings > Rand (PDF report link on right sidebar): http://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR1751.html

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[OT] [song] ytcracker - the hacker wars + Enforced Transparency – When Hacking Becomes Necessary
by Cecilia Tanaka 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

Bonus: "Enforced Transparency – When Hacking Becomes Necessary." https://hacktivistculture.com/2015/05/06/enforced-transparency-when-hacking… ========== ytcracker - the hacker wars (final V2.0) https://soundcloud.com/ytcracker/ytcracker-the-hacker-wars-final-v20 we run the gamut - freedom fighters griefers bandits hackers spammers phreakers gambit just how far back they can ram it some do damage from the pulpit claim they lead and theyre the culprit others do it from the shadows switching handles when convenient secret treatment question our agenda troll or internet defender? tango down a packet sender going on a ddos bender who intend to take a stand drawing lines in the sand in them silicon wafers and them fiberoptic cables trace enabled pick a side - more than two no black and white shades of gray its more like 50 kinky gifted play the system swiftly moving in and out and under groups to keep it undercover governments then wonder how to follow em like thunder so agents of the state coordinate attacks against their own and other teams compete against each other trying to take the throne motivations differ so the victory conditions shift battleground: the internet - fighting with our fingertips hacker wars - were engaged in a bit of them hacker wars (hacker wars) hacker wars - conflicting over broadband and data stores (hacker wars) hacker wars - were engaged in a bit of them hacker wars (hacker wars) hacker wars - the stakes are high and its a crime just to play on the course old spaghetti western good bad ugly pick your poison and each one makes their noise in different ways so let them boys in every system every outlet every avenue of avarice the mavericks of information face off with the candidates and cameras are there to document the struggle live in person take a peek behind the curtain situations worse than anything the casuals and NPCs could dream of cause this team of brilliant bastards go on tearing the whole scene up journalists in media dont buy what they are feeding ya depleting ya of truth because of influential groups they dont wanna lose their access so they dont care what the facts is let alone reporting pieces they dont preach nor do they practice let the hackers be the source of breaking news by breaking in to every system every outlet let me say it once again so those hackers with the badges keep their jobs and stay employed on that hacker war perpetual deep into the void

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DNA Abuse: Employer / Insurer Discrimination, Minor Crimes, Mandatory Extraction
by grarpamp 13 Mar '17

13 Mar '17

https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/5yzcpi/employees_who_decline_genetic… https://www.reddit.com/r/news/comments/5yz6ri/california_bill_would_extend_…

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FBI Infiltrated BestBuy GeekSquad to Infiltrate YOU
by grarpamp 12 Mar '17

12 Mar '17

http://www.ocweekly.com/news/fbi-used-best-buys-geek-squad-to-increase-secr… https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/if-a-best-buy-technician… https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13841504 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=13363669 Recently unsealed records reveal a much more extensive secret relationship than previously known between the FBI and Best Buy's Geek Squad, including evidence the agency trained company technicians on law-enforcement operational tactics, shared lists of targeted citizens and, to covertly increase surveillance of the public, encouraged searches of computers even when unrelated to a customer's request for repairs. Assistant United States Attorney M. Anthony Brown last year labeled allegations of a hidden partnership as "wild speculation." But more than a dozen summaries of FBI memoranda filed inside Orange County's Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse this month in USA v. Mark Rettenmaier contradict the official line... Other records show how [Geek Squad supervisor Justin] Meade's job gave him "excellent and frequent" access for "several years" to computers belonging to unwitting Best Buy customers, though agents considered him "underutilized" and wanted him "tasked" to search devices "on a more consistent basis"... evidence demonstrates company employees routinely snooped for the agency, contemplated "writing a software program" specifically to aid the FBI in rifling through its customers' computers without probable cause for any crime that had been committed, and were "under the direction and control of the FBI." "The end-run around the Constitution can be summed up in one terrifying word: Outsourcing. ... When the government trains, directs, and pays a "private citizen", that person becomes an agent of the government. This makes those persons subject to the same rules; probable cause, warrants, oath or affirmation. ... The admissibility of evidence found by a private citizen usually turns on the governments share of the search. In other words, how involved was the government? While cases where the government ordered or paid a citizen to conduct the search are fairly straightforward, others aren’t. In determining whether to admit the evidence in question, courts consider questions like: whether the government initiated the search how much control the government had over the private citizen who conducted the search, and what the private citizen’s purpose was in conducting the search. And what was the FBI doing? Oh yeah... paying them..training them...giving them lists of people to search"

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Daylight saving time is just one way standardized time zones oppress you
by Razer 12 Mar '17

12 Mar '17

"Ryan Hagen, a doctoral candidate in sociology at Columbia University, studies organizations and the sociology of science, knowledge and technology." > As a rational policy, daylight saving time may be ineffective. But as > a social ritual, it retains real value. Our biannual clock-tuning is a > slip of the mask, a glitch in the matrix that reminds us that clock > time is always artificial and arbitrary. > > Standardized clock time is immensely useful. It is no exaggeration to > say that the modern world depends on it: Ships once required it to > navigate. The GPS systems that guide our cars, planes and farm > combines count on standard time to calculate their positions. If you > think setting up a phone call between Washington and London is > difficult now because of differing time zones, imagine if local time > varied by a few minutes between Washington and Pittsburgh, a few > degrees of longitude west. In a society dependent on just-in-time > supply chains and automated trading that works in microseconds, > accurate, precisely calibrated time is as important as electricity. > > But standardized time can be, and has been, used against us. Whether > you get more out of clock time than it gets out of you is largely a > function of your economic security. Almost 90 years after John Maynard > Keynes’s prediction that the future would hold 15-hour workweeks and > lives of leisure, we feel increasingly time-starved. Sociologist Judy > Wajcman, in her book “Pressed for Time,” calls this the “time-pressure > paradox”: Standardized time — in which DST is an archaic wrinkle — > contributes to a world of labor-saving innovations. But the time they > free up is immediately filled by demands for more work, and greater > and more varied demands on our attention. > > We can sketch out three distinct eras of time reckoning between > antiquity and the present... https://www.washingtonpost.com/posteverything/wp/2017/03/10/daylight-saving…

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coinciding with the USA's next "debt ceiling deadline" - Fw: Julie Bishop summons all Aust Diplomats home]
by Zenaan Harkness 12 Mar '17

12 Mar '17

Anyone know what's really happening? Is this the big global reset? With China and Russia stacking up gold at a couple tonne a month each (roughly) for some time now, they're certainly well placed for the next transition, and it's likely the biggest ever in wealth terms... The below is unprecedented for Australia. And the USA's next debt ceiling deadline is coming up too (they're about to hit $20 trillion): http://russia-insider.com/en/tale-two-economies-us-braces-debt-ceiling-cris… Z http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/julie-bishop-to-recall-austr… ABC News FOREIGN Affairs Minister Julie Bishop will take the unprecedented step of recalling more than 100 of Australia’s senior diplomats in a bid to shape the Turnbull government’s foreign policy. A total of 113 ambassadors, high commissioners and consuls-general will return for three days next month in an Australian first, according to Fairfax Media. It’s estimated the meeting will cost almost $1.2 million, mostly in international flights and accommodation. The two-day meeting with the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister, Trade Minister Steve Ciobo and a representative from the opposition will be held in Canberra. “At a time of significant global uncertainty, it is vital that Australia harness the experience and intellect of our most senior diplomats,” Ms Bishop said. Julie Bishop says the meeting of Australian diplomats comes at a time of “significant global uncertainty”. “This meeting will be important in strengthening Australia’s influence and standing in the world.” Such meetings have become an established fixture on the calendar in other nations but Australia has traditionally flown staff to regional meeting points. Last year the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade copped criticism for flying nearly two dozen senior Canberra staff to Paris for a three-day regional conference, which partly looked at savings measures. Ms Bishop said the decision to recall the diplomats was “very efficient”. “There is no new money required and I believe it’s a very efficient and effective way of hearing from them on their experiences, observations, their real-time experiences,” she told reporters in Canberra this morning. “These are people situated in countries, in our missions across the globe, over 100 missions, and they are coming back to Australia to be part of our white paper on foreign policy.” _____________________________________ Larry's comments: They are being summonsed home from every country - hmmm ... never before on such a scale - even in WW1 and 2. I suggest potential currency collapse or WW3? or a little less - If it is not that, then why not use Skype or something to hold a worldwide meeting amongst Aust. Diplomats? When Trump brings in the gold standard for USD, every country who wants to buy from USA will need to pay in gold or have a gold based currency - China has been buying gold frantically too. Putin has been wanting the same for some time but it seems he waited to see who became the new USA President before he moves - Putin has been restoring church buildings that were decimated by the Communists right across Russia. He put the Lord's prayer back into Parliament and into all schools. I leave you with those thoughts .............. Larry

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