For those interested in protecting their privacy:
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505143_162- ... m-the-nsa/
Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor? (POLL RE-OPENED)
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
To follow on from Mike's post above here is another way of protecting yourself.
MaskMe
http://www.zdnet.com/maskme-helps-you-c ... &ttag=e539
If you have to go on the Internet then it can protect you in a number of ways.
It will control all your passwords. So you can use totally unmemorable, different & complicated passwords to important sites & then you only need to remember the 1 created to MaskMe.
It will also let you create phone numbers which you then 'call divert' to your number.
Same with e-mail addresses - then when all you are getting to them is spam mail, delete them..
You can create 'dummy' credit cards that only have as much cash & life as you want them to have.
$5 a month for the full version, used on a number of you different devices seems good value to me.
Created by Boston-based company Abine it looks like Mr. Snowden might have started a whole new Internet privacy industry..
MaskMe
http://www.zdnet.com/maskme-helps-you-c ... &ttag=e539
If you have to go on the Internet then it can protect you in a number of ways.
It will control all your passwords. So you can use totally unmemorable, different & complicated passwords to important sites & then you only need to remember the 1 created to MaskMe.
It will also let you create phone numbers which you then 'call divert' to your number.
Same with e-mail addresses - then when all you are getting to them is spam mail, delete them..
You can create 'dummy' credit cards that only have as much cash & life as you want them to have.
$5 a month for the full version, used on a number of you different devices seems good value to me.
Created by Boston-based company Abine it looks like Mr. Snowden might have started a whole new Internet privacy industry..
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Everytime I think about individual privacy concerns regarding my on-line activities, I realize there are dozens of other ways to track what people are doing.....credit card companies with your transactions, mobile phone companies with your phone calls, airlines with your reservations, increasing numbers of CCTV security cameras that are capable of facial recognition technology, Dominoes Pizza that knows what kind of pizza I'm likely to order. where I live, and how much I might tip....even before they answer my phone call, ebay that knows my shopping preferences, and my cable company that knows what shows I like and when I like to watch them....and don't forget the black box inside your vehicle that knows much more than you think they know about your driving habits. It doesn't bother me that google could produce a search map of all the sights I've searched over the past 16 or so years.....because A, I'm not running for public offic, and B, there's nothing in that list that would put me in prison. I could use a second rate search engine or masked identity or sweep clean my computer of any traces each day, but really, I ask myself......what am I trying to hide?
In the end, I've come to the conclusion that technology is beneficial to my way of living......it makes living in Thailand so much easier than say pre-1995 days....no ATMS, no internet, no mobile phones, no satellite tv. I can either embrace the technology, knowing I have nothing to hide, or live in a cave and resort to smoke signals again.
I do agree that there are times when a VPN may be useful for those of us living overseas (tv, for example), but to worry about all my on-line activities being monitored?
I remember not so many years ago, and probably still today for some people, the idea of purchasing anything on line was out of the question. How could you trust your credit card information on the internet? And yet, those same people would hand over their credit card to a young waiter/waitress who would disappear with it for several minutes behind a closed kitchen door.
For us oldish geezers who weren't raised on technology, God help those who have young children who know how to use an iPad from age 1, or are outfitted with the latest in mobile phone technology at a very young age so that they can keep in touch with their helicopter parents who want to know their every move.
I think the whole privacy debate is a healthy one.....good for people to know what's going on with anything affecting their lives. But at this point in time, I'm not concerned about my own privacy.
In the end, I've come to the conclusion that technology is beneficial to my way of living......it makes living in Thailand so much easier than say pre-1995 days....no ATMS, no internet, no mobile phones, no satellite tv. I can either embrace the technology, knowing I have nothing to hide, or live in a cave and resort to smoke signals again.
I do agree that there are times when a VPN may be useful for those of us living overseas (tv, for example), but to worry about all my on-line activities being monitored?
I remember not so many years ago, and probably still today for some people, the idea of purchasing anything on line was out of the question. How could you trust your credit card information on the internet? And yet, those same people would hand over their credit card to a young waiter/waitress who would disappear with it for several minutes behind a closed kitchen door.
For us oldish geezers who weren't raised on technology, God help those who have young children who know how to use an iPad from age 1, or are outfitted with the latest in mobile phone technology at a very young age so that they can keep in touch with their helicopter parents who want to know their every move.
I think the whole privacy debate is a healthy one.....good for people to know what's going on with anything affecting their lives. But at this point in time, I'm not concerned about my own privacy.
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Worried about privacy? If I had a teenager, I'd be much more worried about him/her watching a show like Hormones.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... -re-edited
watch the 1.5 minute clip and decide.
http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/3 ... -re-edited
watch the 1.5 minute clip and decide.
-
Laan Yaa Mo
- udonmap.com
- Posts: 9243
- Joined: February 7, 2007, 9:12 am
- Location: ขอนแก่น
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
I think the show is a good heads up for parents who may not have a clue what their kids are up to or thinking.
I might have mentioned this earlier; however, there is a very nice hotel near the Sukhothai bus station in which rooms are just 100 baht. I was told this particular establishment is for the use of high school students from the ages 14-18 who might visit during or after school.
My acquaintance told me she grilled her nephew (17) and youngest son (15) after learning about this place and discovered they had taken girls there on a few occasions. Her next lecture was on the necessity of using condoms.
I might have mentioned this earlier; however, there is a very nice hotel near the Sukhothai bus station in which rooms are just 100 baht. I was told this particular establishment is for the use of high school students from the ages 14-18 who might visit during or after school.
My acquaintance told me she grilled her nephew (17) and youngest son (15) after learning about this place and discovered they had taken girls there on a few occasions. Her next lecture was on the necessity of using condoms.
You only pass through this life once, you don't come back for an encore.
-
Laan Yaa Mo
- udonmap.com
- Posts: 9243
- Joined: February 7, 2007, 9:12 am
- Location: ขอนแก่น
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Maybe this show should be the subject of a new thread?
You only pass through this life once, you don't come back for an encore.
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Truthfully I'm more worried about this then some person at the NSA.
Breakingnews >
US hackers 'stole 160m bank cards'
Published: 26 Jul 2013 at 01.49
Online news:
US authorities indicted five men on Thursday on charges of running a global hacking operation that enabled them to steal the bank card numbers of more than 160 million people.
US authorities indicted five men on charges of running a global hacking operation that enabled them to steal the bank card numbers of more than 160 million people.
Prosecutors in Newark, New Jersey described the scheme as the largest hacking and data breach case ever prosecuted in the United States.
According to the indictment, the men -- four Russians and a Ukrainian -- targeted major payment processors, retailers and financial institutions around the world over the course of seven years, resulting in hundreds of millions of dollars in losses.
The defendants were charged with attacks on, among others, NASDAQ, Visa Jordan, the Belgian bank Dexia, and Diners Singapore. Just three of the corporate victims have reported combined losses in excess of $300 million.
"This type of crime is the cutting edge," New Jersey US Attorney Paul Fishman said.
"Those who have the expertise and the inclination to break into our computer networks threaten our economic well-being, our privacy and our national security."
The defendants were named as Russians Vladimir Drinkman, Alexandr Kalinin, Roman Kotov and Dmitriy Smilianets, and Ukrainian Mikhail Rytikov.
Only Smilianets is currently in US custody. He was arrested in the Netherlands last year along with Drinkman and extradited. Drinkman is awaiting an extradition hearing in the Netherlands. The other three suspects are still at large.
US investigators have been on the trail of the hackers for at least four years with Kalinin and Drinkman having been identified as Hacker 1 and Hacker 2 in a 2009 indictment of Albert Gonzalez, who was subsequently convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for accessing the confidential data of Heartland Payment Systems and other corporations in what was, until then, the biggest case of its kind.
The pair were described as specialists in penetrating network security and gaining access to the systems of major corporations. Moscow-based Kotov was said to be the expert in mining the networks his accomplices had opened up.
This involved installing malicious code, or malware, on compromised systems, enabling the harvesting of user names and passwords, means of identification and bank card numbers.
The US investigators regard the estimate of 160 million numbers obtained by the group as a conservative one.
The group was prepared to wait for months at a time for their efforts to break a particular company's security.
Instant message chats between the defendants indicate they had malware implanted on some companies' servers for over a year, according to investigators.
Rytikov, based in Odessa in the Ukraine, allegedly ran the web-hosting services the hackers used to disguise their activities and Similianets, also a Muscovite, was said to be the person who sold on the information and shared the proceeds with the group.
A stolen American credit card number and the details needed to use it were said to be worth 10 dollars, a Canadian one $15 and a European one $50 to the identity theft wholesalers who bought the data.
They would then sell them on to individuals who could encode the data onto blank plastic cards and use them to buy goods or make cash withdrawals.
Kalinin was named Thursday in a separate indictment in New York which accuses him of hacking into computer servers used by the New York technology market NASDAQ.
He is also charged by the New York authorities with a scheme to steal bank account information from US financial institutions in partnership with another Russian hacker, Nikolay Nasenkov.
I reserve the right to be wrong, mispell words type badly. leave words out of sentences because my mind works faster then my fingers. To be an OLD GIT I've earned it
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
The problem is not technology but how that technology is used. Used as intended and it's wonderful tool which can make life easier for everyone. Unfortunately, there are lots of people/agencies in the US government and the contractors who share the same bed who feel that they can do whatever they want, whenever they want and to whoever they want without consequence. That the Constitution and the Bill of Rights are meerly old pieces of paper which have no bearing on their activities today at all. However, I maintain that nothing could be further from the truth.
Numerous safeguards were created along the way to protect those freedoms to include the FISA Court. However, If entities such as the FISA court happen to get in the way then why not just change the court. It seems to me that's exactly what has happened.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/us/po ... d=all&_r=0
If that is indeed the case then I would suggest we dump the entire Bill of Rights and just let our benevolent governemnt have free reign because we all know that they can be trusted to do the right thing. Afterall do we really need something in writing to guarantee our basic freedoms? Apparently the founding fathers thought we did and so do I. It's a shame that the current administration in Washington has lost sight of those protections and the many people who gave their life along the way to protect them.
"The Bill of Rights enumerates freedoms not explicitly indicated in the main body of the Constitution, such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, a free press, and free assembly; the right to keep and bear arms; freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, security in personal effects, and freedom from warrants issued without probable cause; indictment by a grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime"; guarantee of a speedy, public trial with an impartial jury; and prohibition of double jeopardy. In addition, the Bill of Rights reserves for the people any rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution and reserves all powers not specifically granted to the federal government to the people or the States."
Just my very humble opinion.
Numerous safeguards were created along the way to protect those freedoms to include the FISA Court. However, If entities such as the FISA court happen to get in the way then why not just change the court. It seems to me that's exactly what has happened.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/07/26/us/po ... d=all&_r=0
If that is indeed the case then I would suggest we dump the entire Bill of Rights and just let our benevolent governemnt have free reign because we all know that they can be trusted to do the right thing. Afterall do we really need something in writing to guarantee our basic freedoms? Apparently the founding fathers thought we did and so do I. It's a shame that the current administration in Washington has lost sight of those protections and the many people who gave their life along the way to protect them.
"The Bill of Rights enumerates freedoms not explicitly indicated in the main body of the Constitution, such as freedom of religion, freedom of speech, a free press, and free assembly; the right to keep and bear arms; freedom from unreasonable search and seizure, security in personal effects, and freedom from warrants issued without probable cause; indictment by a grand jury for any capital or "infamous crime"; guarantee of a speedy, public trial with an impartial jury; and prohibition of double jeopardy. In addition, the Bill of Rights reserves for the people any rights not specifically mentioned in the Constitution and reserves all powers not specifically granted to the federal government to the people or the States."
Just my very humble opinion.
An ex-pat in the Land of Smile
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
I understand Mike. But, look what happens when we talk about gun control. I guess there will always be two sides to the story.
Based on all the Amendments, would you agree that laws change?
We saw this squeak by, I believe the house. Narrowly, maybe the real problem is elect the wrong people. There will always be abuses a long as there are people involved.
I will point to J Edgar again, no internet in his day. But, he still found the dirt he wanted. I wonder if there was ever really a time in our history, where privacy wasn't attacked. Just in a different form.
Not saying it's right, But, it is what life is and from what I believe it didn't start with the internet.
That is my two centavos worth
Based on all the Amendments, would you agree that laws change?
We saw this squeak by, I believe the house. Narrowly, maybe the real problem is elect the wrong people. There will always be abuses a long as there are people involved.
I will point to J Edgar again, no internet in his day. But, he still found the dirt he wanted. I wonder if there was ever really a time in our history, where privacy wasn't attacked. Just in a different form.
Not saying it's right, But, it is what life is and from what I believe it didn't start with the internet.
That is my two centavos worth
I reserve the right to be wrong, mispell words type badly. leave words out of sentences because my mind works faster then my fingers. To be an OLD GIT I've earned it
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Agree, but you just might be missing something, and that something is that the NSA is working with companies, (we all know their names) to install NSA code into their products.bumper wrote:Truthfully I'm more worried about this then some person at the NSA......
So whats the problem? Ya, right you should trust the NSA coders.
When you leave your Back Door unlocked, you don't know who the fu*ck will be coming in! That's the problem!
On another subject,
Apples developer website has been down for over a week now! Hacked!
Of course they waited to send email, I think 3 or 4 days, saying no problem, your personnel stuff is encrypted.
Have not checked, but think still down, at least have not received any email saying its up, most likely will not.
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Oh, best tweet of the week.
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
I'm to darn old to trust much of anything. But, I can only change what I can. I don't think this one of them.
I reserve the right to be wrong, mispell words type badly. leave words out of sentences because my mind works faster then my fingers. To be an OLD GIT I've earned it
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Ray
I understand what you're saying especially about gun control. Do I have an answer? No. I think it's a very complex issue but the discussion is out in the open where it should be and not behind closed doors as is with the NSA and the secret FISA Court. Had it not been for the revelations of Mr. Snowden most Americans wouldn't have a clue about the issues.
I also fully agree with you that laws change along with their interpetation. But and this is a big but. The entity doing the interpetation is the court system and ultimately the US Supreme Court and in the open as it should be. In the case of the NSA surveillance program the constitutionality of the program is being decided in secret by a court which was never designed to interpet constitutional issues especially on such a broad scale. Additionally, there is no oversight of their decision. Read the NY Times article I cited in my post above which was sent to me by a friend for more on the background and operation of the FISA Court and things will become much clearer.
You can's say that things will never change because it really is in your power to affect change. Contact your congresspeople to tell them how you feel and then vote your conscience and not who happens to be popular.
I understand what you're saying especially about gun control. Do I have an answer? No. I think it's a very complex issue but the discussion is out in the open where it should be and not behind closed doors as is with the NSA and the secret FISA Court. Had it not been for the revelations of Mr. Snowden most Americans wouldn't have a clue about the issues.
I also fully agree with you that laws change along with their interpetation. But and this is a big but. The entity doing the interpetation is the court system and ultimately the US Supreme Court and in the open as it should be. In the case of the NSA surveillance program the constitutionality of the program is being decided in secret by a court which was never designed to interpet constitutional issues especially on such a broad scale. Additionally, there is no oversight of their decision. Read the NY Times article I cited in my post above which was sent to me by a friend for more on the background and operation of the FISA Court and things will become much clearer.
You can's say that things will never change because it really is in your power to affect change. Contact your congresspeople to tell them how you feel and then vote your conscience and not who happens to be popular.
An ex-pat in the Land of Smile
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
and when you contact your congressional rep, demand they make a law requiring presidential appointment and congressional confirmation of FISA judges. Currently they are appointed by the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court for 7 year terms.. No oversight and the current court is slanted tremendously to the right..
Dave
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Mike and Dave you guys are right, me I didn't even know there was a FICA Court.
I used gun control a example nothing more. But, things gave changed in that arena over time ago. 90 yeas ago you could went out and bought your favorite Thomson 45 Cal sub machine gun to go hunting with, should get a rabbit or two like that
Machine guns can still be bought. But, the average person would never get the license required to buy one.
Things move very slowly.
Dave I like your suggestion and will do.
I like my privacy in my own home. But, once I go out of it in any form. I don't expect it.
I used gun control a example nothing more. But, things gave changed in that arena over time ago. 90 yeas ago you could went out and bought your favorite Thomson 45 Cal sub machine gun to go hunting with, should get a rabbit or two like that
Machine guns can still be bought. But, the average person would never get the license required to buy one.
Things move very slowly.
Dave I like your suggestion and will do.
I like my privacy in my own home. But, once I go out of it in any form. I don't expect it.
I reserve the right to be wrong, mispell words type badly. leave words out of sentences because my mind works faster then my fingers. To be an OLD GIT I've earned it
-
merchant seaman
- udonmap.com
- Posts: 2221
- Joined: November 13, 2005, 2:58 pm
- Location: looking out my backdoor
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Eric Holder has recently assured the Russians that if Snowden is returned to the U.S. he will not br tortured or executed. WTF. Did anyone think that he would be?
No man has a good enough memory to be a succesful liar.
-
LoveDaBlues
- udonmap.com
- Posts: 891
- Joined: December 30, 2005, 3:06 pm
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
executed - no.merchant seaman wrote:Eric Holder has recently assured the Russians that if Snowden is returned to the U.S. he will not br tortured or executed. WTF. Did anyone think that he would be?
tortured - possibly. torture defined : cause somebody anguish: to cause somebody mental or physical anguish
Remember, one man's 'torture' is another man's 'enhanced interrogation technique'.
Somehow, I think the definition varies wildly depending on if you're giving or receiving.......
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
I saw this earlier and thought it was just a joke considering the way they treated Manning. I am personally familiar with people who have been charged with far worse in the US and treated far more humanely. I can only guess the meaning of torture has changed considerably since Bush jr was in office. If for a moment that anyone thinks that solitary confinement is not torture I would suggest you read what those captured in Vietnam think about it.
An ex-pat in the Land of Smile
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
Off hand I would say he is already there, mentally. I wouldn't want to be in his position. Should stood his ground in the first place, it's not going to fade away in the Sunset.LoveDaBlues wrote:executed - no.merchant seaman wrote:Eric Holder has recently assured the Russians that if Snowden is returned to the U.S. he will not br tortured or executed. WTF. Did anyone think that he would be?
tortured - possibly. torture defined : cause somebody anguish: to cause somebody mental or physical anguish
Remember, one man's 'torture' is another man's 'enhanced interrogation technique'.
Somehow, I think the definition varies wildly depending on if you're giving or receiving.......
I reserve the right to be wrong, mispell words type badly. leave words out of sentences because my mind works faster then my fingers. To be an OLD GIT I've earned it
NEW POLL Edward Snowden - Hero or Traitor?
First off consider the source of the statement. It's what he (Snowden) put on his application for amnesty. I doubt that he believes the US Government will execute him (that would make him a martyr, and the Government certainly doesn't need that right now) but it looks good on his application.
Just my guess, if they get him he'll get 10 years max for releasing classified information. More if they can prove he aided the enemy (whoever that is).
Just my guess, if they get him he'll get 10 years max for releasing classified information. More if they can prove he aided the enemy (whoever that is).
UFF DA!