FBI's ability to legally access secure messaging app content and metadata [pdf]

Post by throaway46546 » Wed, Dec 01, 2021, 8:11 AM UTC

lrvick wrote: post #343

vbezhenar wrote: post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Is it prohibited to visit those websites? I once was interested to understand the way radicals think, to read about their arguments, so I spent some time hanging around some radical websites.

I was visited by the FBI for doing security research that made them at least pretend to assume I was a blackhat they wanted to take down. Use Tor browser if you are going to research anything a criminal might regardless of pure motives. If you so much as want to research lock picking, use Tor. ISP traffic logs can and will be twisted against you in a court of law.

Post by phonethrowaway » Wed, Dec 01, 2021, 8:21 AM UTC

freeflight wrote: post #278

gnopgnip wrote: post #95

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Stored Communications Act makes disclosing the contents of messages without a search warrant unlawful

Just like the NSA spying on Americans is unlawful [0] the FBI terrorizing political movements is unlawful [1] or the CIA operating in the US is unlawful [2] Yet, I'm pretty sure all these are still happening, to a certain degree, to this day. [0] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nsa-spying-idUSKBN25T... [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/COINTELPRO [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_CHAOS

Post by yownie » Wed, Dec 01, 2021, 9:01 AM UTC

ClumsyPilot wrote: post #264

throw_away_dgs wrote: post #230

Some FBI agents came to my house once and told me that my home Internet had been used to visit Islamic Extremist websites. They brought a local police office with them and a 'threat assessment' coordinator from my workplace. They asked me if my family was Muslim and wanted to know if we had been radicalized. We are not religious (at all). We do not attend church, synagogue or mosque. We are lower middle class white A…

"threat assessment' coordinator from my workplace" "I feared that I may lose my job." I understand that police/FBI have to conduct investigation. What dont understand is involvement of the employer , it's extremely disturbing - you have not been convincted, you have not been charged, you are not even a suspect or accused of anything at this point - how is your private life the business of your employer? Why is your p…

Post by _xnmw » Wed, Dec 01, 2021, 9:12 AM UTC

tw04 wrote: post #339

throw_away_dgs wrote: post #230

Some FBI agents came to my house once and told me that my home Internet had been used to visit Islamic Extremist websites. They brought a local police office with them and a 'threat assessment' coordinator from my workplace. They asked me if my family was Muslim and wanted to know if we had been radicalized. We are not religious (at all). We do not attend church, synagogue or mosque. We are lower middle class white A…

I’ll be the dissenting voice and say this reads like a “sow discord in the US 101”. Why on earth would the FBI bring both the police and a “threat assessment” coordinator from your work to interview you? Why would your workplace ever agree to it? That screams lawsuit waiting to happen. And on that note, why didn’t you sue your workplace for harassment? Whether you’re religious or not isn’t any of their business and i…

Post by yownie » Wed, Dec 01, 2021, 9:30 AM UTC

superkuh wrote: post #336

jc01480 wrote: post #331

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Major service providers do not maintain SMS history beyond 24 hours, let alone 1-7 years (last time I worked a case that is). They’re transparent about it as well. Look up the LE liaison contacts on their sites and they’ll clearly list what is available or not available. That’s why it’s crucial to get the actual devices themselves. Reason: the infrastructure to manage SMS content for every customer for 7 years with z…

I'm surprised to hear this has changed so significantly since the snowden leaks. Especially after the blatant attack on Qwest CEO Joseph Nacchio for refusing to spy. It was established then that the major mobile telcos in the USA were keeping and providing sms full data for 2-5 years (t-mobile, at&t, verizon, etc).