Taliban Attack CIA Headquarters in Kabul
[youtuber youtube='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlgt2Xxn8MY']
Yesterday, I noted that the more moderate faction of the Taliban in Afghanistan was beginning to gain more visibility in the wake of moves to decrease inflammatory…
Shorter WaPo: It Would Take Months to Know about Spying Misconduct
For what it's worth, I consider reports that the government doesn't know what Edward Snowden took to be disinformation. And indeed, claims to that effect in this WaPo article are sourced to: "one former government official,"a "former senior…
The Day of Sentencing Judgment for Scott Bloch
When we last left Scott Bloch, the former Bush attorney who was the appointed head of the Office of Special counsel (OSC), it was the original date for his sentencing. The court delayed entry of sentence to further investigate the full extent…
Wyden & Udall to Alexander: Why Do You People Keep Lying?
According to a letter Ron Wyden and Mark Udall sent Keith Alexander, the NSA is still lying publicly. At issue are two inaccuracies in the information sheet the NSA released about Section 702 implementation.
We were disappointed to see that…
Obama's Stubbornness and the Risk of Snowden
At the outset of this post, let me lay out my following assumptions (I can't prove these points, but I suspect them):
The documents released so far by Guardian and WaPo -- information on the Section 215 program, PRISM, and the PPD on cyberwar…
Moderate Faction of Afghan Taliban Gains Visibility
As the New York Times notes, the Taliban took steps over the weekend to remove some of the more provocative aspects of its office in Qatar from which representatives may enter into negotiations on the end of the war in Afghanistan. Specifically,…
Keith Alexander's "Packets in Flight" Turn Hackers into Terrorists
Keith Alexander showed up to chat with a typically solicitous George Stephanopoulos yesterday. The interview demonstrates something I'll be increasingly obsessed with in upcoming weeks.
The government is using the limited success of NSA's…
Remember How Angry Russia Is about Viktor Bout
As we await the next installment from Edward Snowden's White Bronco chase around the globe, it's worth remembering our attempt to overthrow Bashar al-Assad and the Boston Marathon attack (and subsequent whitewashing about how closely Russia…
Finding The Way To San Jose
Well, hello there Clarisse. As I look at the crack of light filtering in through the drawn Elvis curtains of my hotel room, it appears to be morning. We had fun last night. The first picture is of, from left to right, Col. Morris Davis, Marcy…
Aaron Swartz, Plea Leveraging & The Bordenkircher Problem
As Netroots Nation 2013 begins, I want to emphasize one of the best panels (If I do say so) of the event. It is titled: Beyond Aaron’s Law: Reining in Prosecutorial Overreach, and will be hosted by Marcy Wheeler. Joining Marcy will be Aaron…
Government Spying: Why You Can't 'Just Trust Us'
Okay you Wheelhouse mopes, Marcy, Jim and I are all in San Jose at Netroots. Not sure the jail in this here town is big enough to hold us all. Marcy already put up two posts earlier today, but posting may be a bit spotty, we shall see. I have…
The Intelligence Community's Willful Ignorance about Americans Caught in 702 Surveillance
Given the Intelligence Community's reluctant and partial disclosures on the Section 702 (PRISM/FAA) collection, I want to return to a squabble from last fall, before Congress reauthorized FAA.
As you'll recall, Ron Wyden tried to get the…
Did "The Shooter" Take 7 Souvenir Pictures of Osama bin Laden?
On Tuesday, I noted that, between the draft and the final, DOD's Inspector General removed this language referring to Admiral William McRaven purging SOCOM's network of pictures of Osama bin Laden after CIA exposed the members of SEAL Team…
Minimization in the Age of Cyberwar
I'd like to compare how the NSA talking point document released yesterday compares with a document Glenn Greenwald has or has seen, with respect to minimization under Section 702 (PRISM/FAA) collection. Remember PRISM allows the government to…
Section 215 Dragnet: Again with the Passive Voice Oversight
The NSA released a more-detailed sheet on the Section 215 dragnet which provides a number of details that are more troubling than what got presented in front of the TV cameras earlier today.
As always, I'm particularly interested in the documentation…
Terrorist Hobgoblins Bite the Intelligence Community in Its Efficacy Ass
I just finished watching the House Intelligence Committee hearing on the NSA programs revealed by Edward Snowden. I'll have a lot more to say about the content of the revelations in the next few days. But first, a general observation.
Since…
Why Would You Segregate the FISA Orders, But Not the Directives?
The FBI, according to Eli Lake, thinks someone besides Edward Snowden may be responsible for leaking the Section 215 order to Verizon ordering them to turn over the metadata on all their American customers' calls. They claim to think so because…
DOD's Inspector General Disappears William McRaven's "Purge"
The day before I got hopelessly buried in the rabbit warren of NSA leaks, I reported that the draft IG Report on the Obama Administration's leaks to Zero Dark Thirty's creators seemed to indicate that, on Admiral William McRaven's orders, SOCOM…
The Truth: The NSA Has Been Working on Domestic Spying for Ten-Plus Years
The yapping of national security conservatives, whether self-identified as Republicans or Democrats, obscures the truth when they denigrate Edward Snowden’s flight to Hong Kong and subsequent attempts at whistleblowing.
The truth is this:
• Others…
Saxby Chambliss Reveals the Game
In an article explaining why Dianne Feinstein is in no rush to hold a hearing on the massive dragnet sucking up your communication and mine, Saxby Chambliss is quoted as saying,
“We so rarely have open hearings,” Chambliss said.
Eleven…