How The NSA Spies On Your Google And Yahoo Accounts

[edwardsnowden]

How The NSA Spies On Your Google And Yahoo Accounts
2013.10.30

Google PrISM

It's quite simple really, and as the WaPo explains, the NSA "has secretly broken into the main communications links that connect Yahoo and Google data centers around the world, according to documents obtained from former NSA contractor Edward Snowden and interviews with knowledgeable officials. By tapping those links, the agency has positioned itself to collect at will from among hundreds of millions of user accounts, many of them belonging to Americans. The NSA does not keep everything it collects, but it keeps a lot."

In a nutshell -181,280,466 new records in 1 month:

According to a top secret accounting dated Jan. 9, 2013, NSA’s acquisitions directorate sends millions of records every day from Yahoo and Google internal networks to data warehouses at the agency’s Fort Meade headquarters. In the preceding 30 days, the report said, field collectors had processed and sent back 181,280,466 new records — ranging from “metadata,” which would indicate who sent or received e-mails and when, to content such as text, audio and video.

The NSA’s principal tool to exploit the data links is a project called MUSCULAR, operated jointly with the agency’s British counterpart, GCHQ. From undisclosed interception points, the NSA and GCHQ are copying entire data flows across fiber-optic cables that carry information between the data centers of the Silicon Valley giants.

The infiltration is especially striking because the NSA, under a separate program known as PRISM, has front-door access to Google and Yahoo user accounts through a court-approved process.

So, front door for whatever the "court" allows, back door MUSCULAR for everything else.

Visually:

It gets better:

In an NSA presentation slide on “Google Cloud Exploitation,” however, a
sketch shows where the “Public Internet” meets the internal “Google
Cloud” where their data resides. In hand-printed letters, the drawing
notes that encryption is “added and removed here!”
The artist adds a smiley face, a cheeky celebration of victory over Google security.

Two engineers with close ties to Google exploded in profanity when they saw the drawing.“I hope you publish this,” one of them said.


And a comprehensive schematic:

Keith Alexander's response was simple: it would be illegal for the NSA to break into Google or Yahoo databases. Because the threshold of illegality always stopped the NSA before and because spies never lie...



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-30/how-nsa-spies-your-google-and-yahoo-accounts


________________________
"A few agents of the Thought Police moved always among them, spreading false rumours and marking down and eliminating the few individuals who were judged capable of becoming dangerous..."

"What can you do against the lunatic who is more intelligent than yourself, who gives your arguments a fair hearing and then simply persists in his lunacy?"

"Who controls the past controls the future; who controls the present controls the past."

"For the first time he perceived that if you want to keep a secret you must also hide it from yourself.”

A society becomes totalitarian when its structure becomes flagrantly artificial. That is when its ruling class has lost its function but succeeds in clinging to power by force or fraud."

"Whoever is winning at the moment will always seem to be invincible."

"If you want a vision of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face - forever."

~~ George Orwell, English Novelist and Essayist, 1903-1950 in "1984" - Welcome to Oceania - http://www.george-orwell.org/1984/0.html


Aldous Huxley vs. George Orwell: "Amusing Ourselves To Death" - http://bit.ly/VG9cXa
Aldous Huxley, author: "Brave New World" -- George Orwell, author: "Nineteen Eighty-Four"



http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-10-30/how-nsa-spies-your-google-and-yahoo-accounts

 

[edwardsnowden]

The NSA's problem? Too much data | The Washington Post

The National Security Agency's Special Source Operations branch manages "partnerships" in which U.S. and foreign telecommunications companies allow the NSA to use their facilities to intercept phone calls, e-mails and other data. This briefing describes problems with overcollection of data from e-mail address books and buddy lists, as well as NSA efforts to filter out what it does not need.

What is a "session"?

A session is another term for a data interchange between two computers, such as when you log into a service or mail is transfered. Each of these "sessions" crosses the NSA's collection points, filling storage repositories with redundant data.

"Selectors detasked"

Selectors are the NSA's term for what it is searching for — such as an e-mail address or phone number. Detasking means the agency stops collection. This slide laments that the Yahoo Messenger problem forced it to stop collecting important information about Greece and Libya.

How many address books are collected?

This slide sets out the number of contact lists collected on a single day, Jan. 10, 2012, from the six top overseas access points, which are designated by alphanumeric codes. The "US" prefix denotes an NSA access point and "DS" refers to the NSA's British counterpart. (CORRECTION: An earlier version of this annotation incorrectly stated that “DS” referred to the NSA’s Australian counterpart.)

MARINA/MAINWAY/PINWALE

MARINA is an NSA database and analysis tool for internet metadata. MAINWAY is primarily for telephone metadata for contact chaining, and PINWALE for written content.

"Attributable"

Address books make up an unexpectedly large share of information pulled in by the NSA. Many of them are less useful to the NSA because they are "unattributed," with the owners unknown.

Why collect "buddy lists"?

Buddy lists sometimes include the text of messages waiting to be delivered, which count as content. Webmail inboxes, which list new messages, often include a line or two of the text.

"~500,000 buddy lists and inboxes collected on a representative day"

When the NSA searches for a specific target, such as an e-mail address used by a terrorist, it usually finds only a listing in someone else's address book. More valuable finds — the target's own address book, a person communicating with the target or a message that mentions the target — are rarer.

A targeted account gets hacked

This and the next three slides tell the story of an e-mail account, under NSA surveillance, that was hacked and subsquentaly used by spammers to send bulk mail. S2E is the Middle East and North Africa office of the NSA's Analysis and Production subdirectorate.

Spammers complicate collection

The user of this e-mail account had a number of Yahoo groups in his or her address book, some of them with thousands of members. Spammers used the account to send e-mails to all of them.

Targeted account detasked

The spam created so many false connections that the Yahoo account had to be "emergency detasked" to prevent the collection system from overflowing.

[...]

~ WaPo

 

[JayAtl]

a spy agency spies ... go figure. If they keep us safe and not like other countries have bombs go off every week. I am fine with giving up some of my privacy.

 

[fallstuff]

Well its good to know that i can reach out to NSA if forget to back up some file or doc.


what a relief !!

 

[edwardsnowden]

The far reaching implications and consequences of decade-long NSA cancerous and rampant spying activities:


Outside USA

If the NSA has been spying on world leaders for more than a decade (spying on Merkel since 2002) then it is very likely that they have lots of damaging information on them by now. So many of these leaders are very vulnerable to US pressure if not outright BLACKMAIL. The entire legitimacy of many governments comes into question now. Can Merkel be truly independent in her actions now that US has been listening to all her conversations for more than a decade? WIll she have the honor to resign if the US has some dirt on her?

And what was the economic benefit that the NSA gleaned from their extensive surveillance? What strategic advantages were conferred on US companies in their competition with foreign companies? These nagging questions will adversely affect US companies for years to come.

You cannot have democracy without the right to privacy. What price would you sell your right to privacy? Your right to privacy was stolen. This spying on virtually everyone on this planet has been a massive theft of personal, political and economic freedoms. So much for America being labeled the leader of the free world - free to violate every law in this world with impunity.

Inside USA

There are over five NSA whistleblowers who revealed this years before, with even more important aspects - like the use of NSA data to BLACKMAIL all US judges including Supreme Court, all Congress, politicians and media (Russell Tice).

Whistleblower Russ Tice: NSA Blackmailing Obama? + Does Dianne Feinstein Know She Was Wiretapped? by Peter B. Collins

Posted on July 10, 2013 by dandelionsalad
http://dandelionsalad.wordpress.com/2013/07/10/whistleblower-russ-tice-nsa-blackmailing-obama/

"Big Brother" - Image by Steve Rhodes

Dandelion Salad
Updated: July 17, 2013

breakingtheset on Jul 9, 2013

Abby Martin talks to Russell Tice, former intelligence analyst and original NSA whistleblower, about how the recent NSA scandal only scratches the surface of a massive surveillance apparatus, citing specific targets that he saw spying orders for including former senators Hilary Clinton and Barack Obama.

NSA Blackmailing Obama? | Interview with Whistleblower Russ Tice

Crossposted at:

NSA Blackmailing Obama? | Interview with Whistleblower Russ Tice
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35505.htm

Police State NSA Blackmailing Obama? Interview with Whistleblower Russ Tice
http://www.forbiddenknowledgetv.com...a-interview-with-whistleblower-russ-tice.html

Updated: July 17, 2013

NSA Whistleblower Russell Tice Offers More Details: Sen. Feinstein and Others Were Wiretapped by NSA

Peter B. Collins
http://www.peterbcollins.com
July 15, 2013

In our interview in June, NSA Whistleblower Russell Tice told Sibel Edmonds and PBC flatly that Senate Intelligence Chair Dianne Feinstein was one of many targets of NSA surveillance, using wiretapping and other methods. Big Question: does Feinstein know this, or has NSA kept it secret even from its highest-ranking oversight official? We kept this interview brief, and to the point: Is Sen. Feinstein unaware that NSA targets top elected leaders, including herself? If she is aware, does she support domestic surveillance programs because she is compromised by blackmail or other leverage? And even if she is not compromised, does she see the potential for abuse by a rogue NSA?

We open with a quick summary of Tice’s background, and then he details the wiretapping of Feinstein’s offices, homes, and family. Tice also says NSA used other surveillance methods on Feinstein, and places the initiation of wiretaps in 2004 or 2005. He responds to questions about evidence for his disclosures, and his motive for revealing them now.

And he recaps the story of his appearance with Feinstein and Sen. Orrin Hatch on CNN’s Larry King show, where the senators defended the programs that Tice knew were also monitoring them.

Please share this widely: if Feinstein will answer these questions honestly, we might see a break in the hold NSA appears to have over top elected officials.

Listen/Download (mp3)

Crossposted at:

Breaking the Set: NSA Whistleblower Russell Tice on NSA Spying on & Blackmailing of Elected and Appointed Officials
http://www.boilingfrogspost.com/201...ckmailing-of-elected-and-appointed-officials/

~ Sibel Edmonds' Boiling Frogs Post

Sibel Edmonds on Hoover’s FBI & Thick Files on Government Officials, Rubber-Stamp FISA, Edward Snowden, Recent Revelations by Russ Tice.

James Corbett unplugs me (as always) on the recent revelations by NSA whistleblower Russ Tice, Edward Snowden, Qualifying Federal Judge Candidates, the Still-Hoover’s-FBI, and much more!

Sibel Edmonds Blows the Whistle on Government Blackmailing

Listen to the Russ Tice interview: http://www.corbettreport.com/?p=7540

In this remarkable conversation, Sibel Edmonds reflects on Russ Tice's recent revelations to Boiling Frogs Post and The Corbett Report that the NSA has wiretapped top government officials for years. Edmonds discusses from her own experience how the FBI collects dirt on Congressman and public officials for use as political leverage. We also talk about how this scandal proves that there is no "official channel" for whistleblowers to follow when they want to expose wrondoing because the system is being controlled from behind the scenes by the criminals in the national security establishment.

 

[Imran Khan]

let them spying me they are wasting time

 

[edwardsnowden]

Document Reveals Official NSA Talking Points: Use 9/11 Attacks as a “Sound Bite”

Posted on October 31, 2013

Al Jazeera America has some great work in obtaining the official NSA talking points via a Freedom of Information Act request. As might be expected, the agency tells its people to use the attacks on September 11, 2001 to manipulate public opinion into accepting unacceptable levels of surveillance. As I have maintained over and over again for years, our overreaction to 9/11 has done exponentially more damage to the nation than any terrorist attack ever could. I penned my latest thoughts on the attacks last month in my piece: How I Remember September 11, 2001.

One of the highlights, actually lowlights, of the document is what the NSA refers to as a “soundbite that resonates.” Here it is:

I much prefer to be here today explaining these programs, than explaining another 9/11 event that we were not able to prevent.​

More from Al Jazeera America:

The National Security Agency advised its officials to cite the 9/11 attacks as justification for its mass surveillance activities, according to a master list of NSA talking points.

The document, obtained by Al Jazeera through a Freedom of Information Act request, contains talking points and suggested statements for NSA officials (PDF) responding to the fallout from media revelations that originated with former NSA contractor Edward Snowden.

Invoking the events of 9/11 to justify the controversial NSA programs, which have caused major diplomatic fallout around the world, was the top item on the talking points that agency officials were encouraged to use.

Under the subheading “Sound Bites That Resonate,” the document suggests the statement “I much prefer to be here today explaining these programs, than explaining another 9/11 event that we were not able to prevent.”

The NSA has not yet turned over to Al Jazeera the documents the agency used to prepare the talking points, saying those materials require additional review before they can be released.

I can only imagine what’s in those…

The master talking points list goes on to explain, under a subheading titled “We Needed to Connect the Dots,” that “post-9/11 we made several changes and added a number of capabilities to enable us to connect the dots.”

I suppose there were too many dots to connect in the Boston bombing. Oh let me guess, if you only had more spy powers you could’ve stopped it!

Full article and link to the source documents here.

In Liberty,
Mike

 

[edwardsnowden]

The conscious and intelligent manipulation of the organized habits and opinions of the masses is an important element in democratic society.

~ Edward Bernays, the author of "Propaganda" (1928)



All propaganda has to be popular and has to accommodate itself to the comprehension of the least intelligent of those whom it seeks to reach.

~ Adolf Hitler

http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/a/adolf_hitler.html

 

[xyxmt]

thats why i never use google for my terrorist activities, i use AOL and no one suspects that anyone is still using AOL

 

[faithfulguy]

a spy agency spies ... go figure. If they keep us safe and not like other countries have bombs go off every week. I am fine with giving up some of my privacy.

This clearly show that you are not an American. As every American knows that Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety,deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

 

[JayAtl]

This clearly show that you are not an American. As every American knows that Those who would give up Essential Liberty to purchase a little Temporary Safety,deserve neither Liberty nor Safety.

Right, says the chinese who is born into servitude of the CCP on day one. we are not china...if we get there, come back and visit me on this. I don't have reeducation camps nor am told what to read, hear, watch nor am threatened to thrown into jail for being a dissenter etc.

 

[faithfulguy]

Right, says the chinese who is born into servitude of the CCP on day one. we are not china...if we get there, come back and visit me on this. I don't have reeducation camps nor am told what to read, hear, watch nor am threatened to thrown into jail for being a dissenter etc.

You called everyone who do not support your supa powa India as CCP bots. But the fact is that you are an Indian who live in America while still support India. If you support India more than any other country, why not go back there. Why stay at a place when your heart is back in India?

Wait, I forget that you are help growing India's economy. India #1 source of economic growth is remittance. And being in America, India's GDP will grow.