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Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

arstechnica.com

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Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#71

Post by gt565k »

fixxer wrote: post #22
gt565k wrote: post #14

The NSA operates a Tor exit node at Georgia Tech, and likely at other research institutes and universities. The fact of the matter is, people who use Tor are the ones trying to hide from the government, and it only makes sense for the NSA to run Tor exit nodes and analyze all traffic passing through them. You probably have more privacy by not using Tor at all.

Can you cite your source regarding the NSA operated Tor exit? I do not mean this to be snarky -- if you have a legitimate source other than hearsay, I'd love to see it.

No I cannot, because this individual stated that "a 3 letter federal agency" operates the node. Thus never really saying it was the NSA. Given the recent news though, one can only guess it was the NSA.

Is it really that hard to believe? Considering that the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) gets mostly DoD contracts and research grants and a lot of those contracts are for classified projects.

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#72

Post by gt565k »

dfc wrote: post #63
gt565k wrote: post #14

The NSA operates a Tor exit node at Georgia Tech, and likely at other research institutes and universities. The fact of the matter is, people who use Tor are the ones trying to hide from the government, and it only makes sense for the NSA to run Tor exit nodes and analyze all traffic passing through them. You probably have more privacy by not using Tor at all.

What node? I am not seeing any nodes in: 128.61.0.0/19 128.61.32.0/19 128.61.64.0/18 128.61.128.0/17 130.207.0.0/16 143.215.0.0/16 204.152.10.0/23 Does GaTech have another ASN?

I'm not sure where you got that list form, but GTRI does a lot of DoD contract work and probably has quite a large range of addresses it can use.

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#73

Post by e3pi »

selimthegrim wrote: post #45
e3pi wrote: post #24

"The document, titled Minimization Procedures Used by the National Security Agency in Connection with Acquisitions of Foreign Intelligence, is the latest bombshell leak to be dropped by UK-based newspaper The Guardian." All good news! 1: The Guardian is still time-releasing, I thought they caved under a IGIC -sorry, what ever its called over there - gag order. 2: Now we know what to do to backup into the NSA cloud! A…

It's called a D-notice. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DA-Notice

> "....The Ministry of Defence has issued a D notice preventing the UK media from 'publish[ing] information that may "jeopardise both national security and possibly UK personnel"'.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jun/17/defence-d-bbc-me....

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#74

Post by oelmekki »

bigiain wrote: post #9

Since I (and the majority of global internet users) are not "US persons", they're claiming they're entitled to intercept and store all my communications anyway - so my personal reaction to this is going to be to increase the use of tor and crypto for random everyday stuff. I'll start GPG encrypting email to anybody I know will be able ro deal with it. I might even start randomly mailing GPG encrypted mail for no reas…

> perhaps some faceless NSA analyst might one day have burned countless cpu-years decrypting my 2048bit GPG mail, only to be Rickrolled with a 70 year old cautionary tale about themself…)

That, sir, is genuis. Now that talibans have office in qatar, I hope they'll publish some kind of contact email, so we can rickroll both NSA and them through tormail. Sorry authoritarians, this is the internet.

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#75

Post by icebraining »

dfc wrote: post #29
bigiain wrote: post #9

Since I (and the majority of global internet users) are not "US persons", they're claiming they're entitled to intercept and store all my communications anyway - so my personal reaction to this is going to be to increase the use of tor and crypto for random everyday stuff. I'll start GPG encrypting email to anybody I know will be able ro deal with it. I might even start randomly mailing GPG encrypted mail for no reas…

"I will start GPG encrypting email to anybody I know who will be able to deal with it" As sad as it is to say, lets be honest and admit that this is a fairly small number. How long do you think it will be till your less committed friends get tired of decrypting your emails and just ignore what you send? Make sure you only pick people that use actual email clients because gpg and Gmail is no fun. As far as the "Thomas…

It seems someone has written a PGP extension for Chrome/GMail: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mymail-crypt-for-g...

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#76

Post by [deleted] »

rayiner wrote: post #43
mpyne wrote: post #37

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Don't take this the wrong way, but you mention the effect on globalization as if it were obvious that the damage should worry the American government. On the contrary, the U.S. has vacillated between isolationism and interacting with other nations before. I don't know if you've been over to the U.S. but we have a stunningly large continent of people who feel that it is absolutely treasonous to give foreign aid at all…

> Even many of our liberals see "globalization" as a code term for "child labor" and "sweatshops". Right. Globalization can be used as a powerful force to subvert or bypass democracy, and to create a worldwide "race to the bottom."

[deleted]

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#77

Post by dfc »

gt565k wrote: post #72
dfc wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What node? I am not seeing any nodes in: 128.61.0.0/19 128.61.32.0/19 128.61.64.0/18 128.61.128.0/17 130.207.0.0/16 143.215.0.0/16 204.152.10.0/23 Does GaTech have another ASN?

I'm not sure where you got that list form, but GTRI does a lot of DoD contract work and probably has quite a large range of addresses it can use.

I got that list from Hurricane Electric[1] site. Those are the prefixes for Gatech. I am sure they do get a lot of research work. The same goes for all the other NSA centers of excellence.[2] Academia is the third tab on NSA's home page.[3]

[1] http://bgp.he.net/AS2637#_prefixes

[2] http://www.nsa.gov/ia/academic_outreach/nat_cae/institutions...

[3] http://www.nsa.gov/academia/index.shtml

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#78

Post by [deleted] »

icebraining wrote: post #75
dfc wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"I will start GPG encrypting email to anybody I know who will be able to deal with it" As sad as it is to say, lets be honest and admit that this is a fairly small number. How long do you think it will be till your less committed friends get tired of decrypting your emails and just ignore what you send? Make sure you only pick people that use actual email clients because gpg and Gmail is no fun. As far as the "Thomas…

It seems someone has written a PGP extension for Chrome/GMail: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/mymail-crypt-for-g...

[deleted]

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#79

Post by dfc »

mpyne wrote: post #34
gt565k wrote: post #14

The NSA operates a Tor exit node at Georgia Tech, and likely at other research institutes and universities. The fact of the matter is, people who use Tor are the ones trying to hide from the government, and it only makes sense for the NSA to run Tor exit nodes and analyze all traffic passing through them. You probably have more privacy by not using Tor at all.

It makes sense for the NSA to run exit nodes for the same reason it makes sense for the U.S. Office of Naval Research to have funded its creation and for the U.S. State Dept. to heavily fund its upkeep. There is a vested U.S. national security interest in residents of hostile regimes to be able to freely access the Internet without being traced, even with the knowledge that it may be used to make it more difficult fo…

There you go injecting sanity into the discussion again mpyne. Tinfoil hats are the latest hipster fashion accessory and you are ruining all the fun.

Re: Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

#80

Post by dfc »

gt565k wrote: post #71
fixxer wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Can you cite your source regarding the NSA operated Tor exit? I do not mean this to be snarky -- if you have a legitimate source other than hearsay, I'd love to see it.

No I cannot, because this individual stated that "a 3 letter federal agency" operates the node. Thus never really saying it was the NSA. Given the recent news though, one can only guess it was the NSA. Is it really that hard to believe? Considering that the Georgia Tech Research Institute (GTRI) gets mostly DoD contracts and research grants and a lot of those contracts are for classified projects.

It all makes sense now.

No it is not hard to believe that NSA doles out a lot of research money to schools across the country. Information Assurance is one of NSA's core missions.

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