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Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

schneier.com

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Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#21

Post by fit2rule »

rdl wrote: post #12

It makes sense that you need TS/SSBI and the correct SAP read-in to be inside a given SCIF belonging to a SAP; otherwise one might leave a recording device or otherwise damage the integrity of the SCIF. Plus, the SCIF would need to be cleared of all sensitive materials before you entered. Clearing a SCIF, letting someone inside, then recertifying it would probably be the correct choice; It could be done, of course, b…

>It makes sense that you need TS/SSBI and the correct SAP read-in to be inside a given SCIF belonging to a SAP; otherwise one might leave a recording device or otherwise damage the integrity of the SCIF. Plus, the SCIF would need to be cleared of all sensitive materials before you entered.

Infruriating Hog-wash! This security theatre is baloney, and it is the Great Wall, itself .. erected precisely to allow the Security Classes to control their mignons.

SCIF's? Why are they even necessary in the first place, in a society that prides itself on Freedom Dogma?

This is not democracy - this is tyranny!

If a private citizen cannot have a safe conversation with people who represent them, then you do not have representation but total interference. The American Super-Security State has definitely usurped the basic principles of democracy from its true owners.

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#22

Post by rdl »

fit2rule wrote: post #21
rdl wrote: post #12

It makes sense that you need TS/SSBI and the correct SAP read-in to be inside a given SCIF belonging to a SAP; otherwise one might leave a recording device or otherwise damage the integrity of the SCIF. Plus, the SCIF would need to be cleared of all sensitive materials before you entered. Clearing a SCIF, letting someone inside, then recertifying it would probably be the correct choice; It could be done, of course, b…

>It makes sense that you need TS/SSBI and the correct SAP read-in to be inside a given SCIF belonging to a SAP; otherwise one might leave a recording device or otherwise damage the integrity of the SCIF. Plus, the SCIF would need to be cleared of all sensitive materials before you entered. Infruriating Hog-wash! This security theatre is baloney, and it is the Great Wall, itself .. erected precisely to allow the Secur…

I think you missed the part where he had the conversation anyway, in a regular room.

The procedures for handling classified information, especially SCI and ECI, are there to protect from foreign intelligence services. i.e. people doing exactly the shit NSA is accused/documented of doing to foreign governments.

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#24

Post by rhizome »

bargl wrote: post #15

On his blog Schneier comments that this meeting was kept small on purpose. I wanted to see who was present at this meeting so I looked up some of their information. Not hard to find, but here you go. I plan on emailing each of them and thanking them for consulting someone the tech industry considers a Security SME. Rep. Logfren (Democratic) http://lofgren.house.gov/biography/ Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…

I hope the Senate follows suit.

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#25

Post by Wohlf »

bargl wrote: post #15

On his blog Schneier comments that this meeting was kept small on purpose. I wanted to see who was present at this meeting so I looked up some of their information. Not hard to find, but here you go. I plan on emailing each of them and thanking them for consulting someone the tech industry considers a Security SME. Rep. Logfren (Democratic) http://lofgren.house.gov/biography/ Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/…

Thank you for providing this info, I'll be doing the same. I'm glad to see my district representative was in attendance.

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#26

Post by mahyarm »

belluchan wrote: post #11
oceanstone wrote: post #9

Currently, the Intelligence Committees have special access to top secret information. Every member of Congress should have this.

With 535 of them not including staff, they really shouldn't. And clearance isn't enough, you also have to have a need to know. We just need a system of oversight that works well.

With the amount of NSA staffers and people who have clearance being well above that number, really?

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#27

Post by fit2rule »

AnimalMuppet wrote: post #10

Imagine that the NSA was only doing legitimate, useful, necessary, highly secret things (humor me here). Can they brief Congress on what they're doing? All 535 publicity-seeking chatterboxes? No way. That's the same as issuing a press release. So not telling Congress everything is (in principle) necessary. But who are these representatives Schneier briefed? Are they on the Intelligence Committee? If so, and they stil…

The corruption of government starts with its secrets. A truly free people don't keep secrets. Somewhere in this grey mass is a line, and that line gets crossed and crossed, over and over again.

What secret is worth keeping if its keeping results in oppression, tyranny, inhumanity? Why should those who are given the right to murder, get away with murder - just because it is 'unsafe' to prosecute the murders?

The reason, always given, is "[some secret reason]". Well, the saying goes, keep the secret .. or else! Or else .. 'bad things happen'. Yet .. Those who work tirelessly to keep secrets, are themselves the bad things .. happening.

What the NSA 'should be' is a National Communications Agency, wherein all harmful human activity they observe are communicated - to all and sundry! Openly! Publicly! Without any barrier to delivering full awareness - for all!

It is only when a secret is kept that lines are drawn between two life-forms who would otherwise, ordinarily, be cooperating/communicating to increase their combined potential. Profiting from this - always - is another, third life-form, whose control over the others' secrets will give him two slaves.

The answer to your question: Congress, if it were doing its job, would have already read Snowdens' statements into the public record, and there wouldn't be any debate about the criminal proceedings that would then follow: all the tyrants would be frog-marched directly to jail.

It may yet .. still .. happen. Let us wait and see.

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#28

Post by fit2rule »

rdl wrote: post #22
fit2rule wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>It makes sense that you need TS/SSBI and the correct SAP read-in to be inside a given SCIF belonging to a SAP; otherwise one might leave a recording device or otherwise damage the integrity of the SCIF. Plus, the SCIF would need to be cleared of all sensitive materials before you entered. Infruriating Hog-wash! This security theatre is baloney, and it is the Great Wall, itself .. erected precisely to allow the Secur…

I think you missed the part where he had the conversation anyway, in a regular room. The procedures for handling classified information, especially SCI and ECI, are there to protect from foreign intelligence services. i.e. people doing exactly the shit NSA is accused/documented of doing to foreign governments.

I think you missed the point that I asked: why is there no secure facilities specifically for the purpose of citizen/representative conversation? Is it only the privileged elite military class that get the fun toys? I think it is ..

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#29

Post by [deleted] »

davidw wrote: post #18
SEJeff wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Depending on the level, they often have TEMPEST shielding aka faraday cages to prevent leakage of electromagnetic signals from computers and whatnot. (google Van Eck Phreaking for some ideas on why heh)

Or you could read Cryptonimicon, which is a lot slower, but more fun: http://www.amazon.com/Cryptonomicon-Neal-Stephenson/dp/00605... Startups and science fiction... that book is a favorite of mine.

[deleted]

Re: Today I Briefed Congress on the NSA

#30

Post by etanazir »

rprospero wrote: post #17
higherpurpose wrote: post #2

The Intelligence committees and the FISA Court need to be overhauled, to start with. Clearly there's not enough/proper oversight of the agency. I don't know how they do it now, but the Intelligence committees should also brief the rest of Congress at least twice a year, and I think they should be allowed by explicit laws to declassify anything they want in that briefing. No approval from the White House or anyone els…

The thing is that they already have the framework to do this. A senator is immune from prosecution for anything state on the floor of the senate. If Wyden is on the senate floor, he could read off the nuclear launch codes and there's not a damn thing that the executive can do about it. Furthermore, the senate has closed sessions. They had one just a couple of years ago for the START treaty. A senator could take the f…

Is the senate floor secure from advanced eavesdropping? Can't you bounce a laser off of the marble and listen in?
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