Australian intelligence agencies have reportedly recieved "huge volumes" of "immensely valuable" intelligence data from the US, including from its PRISM program.
The PRISM programme came to light after a US Booz Allen staffer leaked a powerpoint presentation to the Washington Post and the Guardian which detailed how the US was spying on the communications of foreigners without use of a warrant.
We seem to have learned three important lessons in the wake of the latest NSA leak. First off, the US and Chinese government have an uncomfortable number of things in common.
Second, the US government hires way too many kids (remember Bradley Manning?) into high security spots that shouldn’t be in high security spots. Third, Blackberry may be the only platform that is actually secure (for two big reasons). So yes, it might be nice to have a secure cell phone - especially if you are a politician or celebrity living in the US or China. Let me explain.
BIG BROTHER really is watching you. A series of revelations over the past week has revealed the extent of the US government's snooping. But there are ways that the average citizen can avoid the prying eyes of the state.
Last week, whistleblower Edward Snowden – a former contractor with the National Security Agency (NSA) – told UK newspaper The Guardian that the NSA not only has details of phone calls made by millions of Verizon customers, it also has some form of access to its citizens' internet activity as part of a programme named Prism.
The National Security Agency has defended its slurping of phone records and other business data on the grounds the information contained has helped it fight terrorism.
In a congressional hearing on cybersecurity and government surveillance on Tuesday, NSA Director General Keith Alexander said the NSA's data slurping had let it avert terror attacks.
Recent news reports alleging broad surveillance efforts by the U.S. National Security Agency seem to have left more questions than answers. Whistleblower Edward Snowden has accused the NSA of collecting massive amounts of data from U.S. residents, but U.S. officials have largely denied his allegations.
Here's what we know so far, from reports in the U.K.'s Guardian, the Washington Post and other media sources, as well as our own reporting:
The National Security Agency has developed a powerful tool for recording and analysing where its intelligence comes from, raising questions about its repeated assurances to Congress that it cannot keep track of all the surveillance it performs on American communications.
On Wednesday, The Guardian published a secret order issued by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court allowing the National Security Agency (NSA) to demand vast swaths of metadata from Verizon. The order, which specifies that Verizon hand over the information on an “ongoing, daily basis,” encompasses the phone records pertaining to all of Verizon's American customers, whether the communications are between US-based callers, or between a US caller and an international caller.
A US Air Force Academy team beat out rivals from other elite military colleges after a three-day simulated cyber "war" against hackers from the National Security Agency that is meant to teach future officers the importance of cybersecurity.
Nearly 60 government experts - sitting under a black skull and crossbones flag - worked around the clock this week to break into computer networks built by students at the Air Force, Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Merchant Marine academies. Two military graduate schools also participated.
Analyzing and solving the challenge of cybersecurity is critical to the global economy, the National Security Agency director said during the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Cybersecurity Summit here Oct. 4.
U.S. Army Gen. Keith Alexander, who also heads U.S. Cyber Command and the Central Security Service, discussed the costs and consequences of cybersecurity issues on commerce during his keynote address at the summit.
A former congressional staffer and NSA whistleblower who the authorities suspected of exposing the George W. Bush administration’s warrantless wiretapping program is suing the government, saying her constitutional rights are being violated because her computer seized five years ago has never been returned, and the feds have refused to clear her name.
