Government snooping, backdoors and #necessaryhashtags

[kladner]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Anyone want to open a book that there are backups somewhere?

IMO, this is simply pathetic. And not useful to anyone's cause.

I have heard the Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian state specifically that there are copies (at least) in the States, and in Brazil. He said that destruction of particular HDDs would not stop them from reporting on the Snowden story. They just won't be doing it from the UK. He seemed almost bemused by the naivete of the spooks in this regard.

[only_human]

Originally Posted by kladner

I have heard the Editor-in-Chief of The Guardian state specifically that there are copies (at least) in the States, and in Brazil. He said that destruction of particular HDDs would not stop them from reporting on the Snowden story. They just won't be doing it from the UK. He seemed almost bemused by the naivete of the spooks in this regard.

The spooks understand this completely. This is just another step in suppression. Next will be coping with the disturbing situation that UK companies are skirting and evading national laws with suspicious international operations.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Anyone want to open a book that there are backups somewhere?

IMO, this is simply pathetic. And not useful to anyone's cause.

There are known to be backups. The Grauniad has said so explicitly. It also says that analysis will continue, just not in London.

[xilman]

Originally Posted by only_human

The spooks understand this completely. This is just another step in suppression. Next will be coping with the disturbing situation that UK companies are skirting and evading national laws with suspicious international operations.

Another countermeasure is that AMS, CDG and FRA will be picking up rather more transit business than LHR and LGW.

[Brian-E]

Originally Posted by xilman

Another countermeasure is that AMS, CDG and FRA will be picking up rather more transit business than LHR and LGW.

Maybe they'll get more transits between South America, Canada, Africa, Asia, Australasia and elsewhere in Europe, but United States airlines will focuss on the London hubs under pressure of the US government.

[only_human]

Originally Posted by Brian-E

Maybe they'll get more transits between South America, Canada, Africa, Asia, Australasia and elsewhere in Europe, but United States airlines will focuss on the London hubs under pressure of the US government.

Certainly people are going to travel with less electronics or data of any kind. Workflows are going to adjust so that things are shipped ahead if necessary, work in transit will be done more cautiously in a generic environment on inessential equipment. There are numerous reasons to do that anyway. Professional photographers have had to adapt travel methods to protect equipment (primarily from theft) involving methods like traveling with a packed, declared starter's pistol in a sealed case so that a more supervisory level of equipment inspection is performed (or so I've read somewhere or other). People should travel with dumb phones IMO.

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by only_human

Certainly people are going to travel with less electronics or data of any kind. Workflows are going to adjust so that things are shipped ahead if necessary, work in transit will be done more cautiously in a generic environment on inessential equipment. There are numerous reasons to do that anyway.

Indeed.

I personally never travel with anything (including locally within Barbados) except for a pad of paper and a pen, and cell phone which contains no sensitive information.

IMO, what is amusing is there are soooo many ways to send sensitive information securely which can't be detected.

I suspect (but do not know) that everyone serious knows this, and this excuse is simply being used by the "West" to collect industry (rather than Terrorism or Drug Crime related) data and traffic....

[xilman]

Originally Posted by chalsall

IMO, what is amusing is there are soooo many ways to send sensitive information securely which can't be detected.

Which are difficult to detect without additional, possibly inside, information.

Originally Posted by chalsall

I suspect (but do not know) that everyone serious knows this, and this excuse is simply being used by the "West" to collect industry (rather than Terrorism or Drug Crime related) data and traffic....

I suspect, but do not know, that you are very wrong. Just because something is possible does not that everyone will use it faultlessly on every occasion. Just one screw-up can be all you need. History is full of examples. Venona ring a bell?

[kladner]

Originally Posted by chalsall

Indeed.

I personally never travel with anything (including locally within Barbados) except for a pad of paper and a pen, and cell phone which contains no sensitive information.

IMO, what is amusing is there are soooo many ways to send sensitive information securely which can't be detected.

The first point is mighty hard for me to observe. I'm a photographer. While I enjoy seeing different places, it would take a great deal of the joy, which compensates for the hassles, out of travel if I could not bring my camera and associated storage media. (.....and make it home with those items intact.)

On the second, I am intrigued by methods which imbed data in places like JPEG images.

[firejuggler]

it's called stenganography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steganography
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BPCS-Steganography
http://lifehacker.com/230915/geek-to...nography-tools

[chalsall]

Originally Posted by xilman

Which are difficult to detect without additional, possibly inside, information.

I challenge you to find the secret (and encrypted) messages to eight different agents in the attached image.

Please note that even if one agent is compromised, the messages to the other seven won't be able to be identified nor decrypted.