spying
Microsoft Takes Down Whistleblower Site, Read the Secret Doc Here
Microsoft has managed to do what a roomful of secretive, three-letter government agencies have wanted to do for years: get the whistleblowing, government-document sharing site Cryptome shut down. Microsoft dropped a DMCA notice alleging copyright infringement on Cryptome’s proprietor John Young on Tuesday after he posted a Microsoft surveillance compliance document that the company gives to law enforcement agents seeking information on Microsoft users. Young filed a counterclaim on Wednesday — arguing he had a fair use to publishing the document, a full day before the Thursday deadline set by his hosting provider, Network Solutions.
Continue reading »Tags: knowledge, light, microsoft, network, result, social-networking, spying, trade secrets
FBI Broke Law Spying on Americans’ Phone Records, Post Reports
An internal audit found the FBI broke the law thousands of times when requesting Americans’ phone records using fake emergency letters that were never followed up on with true subpoenas — even though top officials knew the practice was illegal, according to The Washington Post . The inspector general’s follow-up report on the so-called “exigent” letters — an investigation that started in 2007 — is due in a few months. E-mails obtained by the Post showed that responsible agency officials informed superiors in 2005, but the practice continued for two more years.
Continue reading »Tags: abuse-documents, audit, fbi, inspector general, power, procedures, result, spying
Author of Torture, Spy Memos Was Just Doing His Job
The government lawyer who wrote memos authorizing the Bush administration to engage in torture and warrantless surveillance says he was just doing his job, according to a recent interview. Asked by the New York Times if he regretted writing the torture memos, former Deputy Assistant Attorney General John Yoo replied, “No, I had to write them. It was my job.
Continue reading »Tags: assistant, bush, cheney, government, john, lawyer, legal, memos, result, spying, street, surveillance, torture, white, yoo
Yahoo Issues Takedown Notice for Spying Price List
Yahoo isn’t happy that a detailed menu of the spying services it provides law enforcement agencies has leaked onto the web. Shortly after Threat Level reported this week that Yahoo had blocked the FOIA release of its law enforcement and intelligence price list, someone provided a copy of the company’s spying guide to the whistleblower site Cryptome. The 17-page guide describes Yahoo’s data retention policies and the surveillance capabilities it can provide law enforcement, with a pricing list for these services.
Continue reading »Tags: chat, copyright, data, flickr, freedom, government, result, spying, surveillance, threat-level, user, yahoo
Help Threat Level Examine Federal Spy Documents
The EFF’s now-dismissed lawsuit included documents from a former AT&T technician describing a secret room in an AT&T building in San Francisco that is wired up to share raw internet traffic with the NSA. We’re putting together a story about the behind-the-scenes negotiations that led to 2008 legislation immunizing the nation’s telecommunication companies from liability for assisting the government’s warrantless dragnet program — the hijacking of Americans’ electronic communications. Threat Level wants your assistance.
Continue reading »Tags: cover-ups, executive, freedom, government, legalizes-bush, pdf, pulls-immunity, result, spying
