Washington Post releases four new slides from NSA's Prism presentation

Guardian UK ^ | Sunday 30 June 2013 10.59 EDT | Ed Pilkington in New York

[Perdogg]

The Washington Post has released four previously unpublished slides from the NSA's PowerPoint presentation on Prism, the top-secret programme that collects data on foreign surveillance targets from the systems of nine participating internet companies.

The newly published top-secret documents, which the newspaper has released with some redactions, give further details of how Prism interfaces with the nine companies, which include such giants as Google, Microsoft and Apple. According to annotations to the slides by the Washington Post, the new material shows how the FBI "deploys government equipment on private company property to retrieve matching information from a participating company, such as Microsoft or Yahoo and pass it without further review to the NSA".

[Nita Nupress]

So it’s not a far fetched idea to believe that Microsoft would install a “Back Door” during one of their security updates so the NSA has direct access to our computers.

Not only that, I really wouldn't be surprised if they go ahead and set up hidden partitions on at least some of the computers they hack. Makes it easier to virtualize us, doncha know.

I've often read that Chinese/Russian botnet owners will do battle with each other on our computers for ownership rights, with the "current occupant" proclaiming squatter's rights. The thought of the FBI/NSA and the PRC battling for control behind the scenes in all those millions of hidden partitions is more than a little amusing.

[Jeff Head]

Watch this. Lays it all out.

VIdeo interview with High Level NSA Whistle blowers.

Here's one of the slides from the "secret" NSA presentation:

Note that anyone who subscribes to any of the services on the left, has already had all of the information listed on the right collected about them. All an NSA, FBI, CIA, DHS, or any other official has to do is request the info through the PRISM program...without your knowledge, without due process, without any specific probable cause whatsoever. All they have to do is request it. It is completely unconstitutional and tramples the 4th and 10th amendments.

Anyone supporting such activity is an out and out traitor and enemy to the people of this country, and an abject oath breaker regarding their oath to the US Constitution.

[meyer]

Bump to post 22.

No wonder they don’t like Snowden. I hope that this continues to unravel.

[indthkr]

PRISM bump for later...

[Cedar]

“In contrast, the DU thread on this subject is getting a lot of attention and some surprisingly (for the DU) interesting comments.”

Great point. Thanks for the link, was very interesting.

[444Flyer]

And people used to wonder how the Mark of the Beast could ever possibly be implemented. This is a precursor, and a big one at that. It could easily be transformed for Satan's end days purposes. Interesting name for this program:

"Prism" 2. A transparent body of this form, often of glass and usually with triangular ends, used for separating white light passed through it into a spectrum or for reflecting beams of light.

(Who disguises himself as a 'angel of light'? Hint: 2 Cor. 11:14)

PRISM is prison. You just can't feel the chains.

[RegulatorCountry]

I find the idea of top-secret Powerpoint presentations hilarious

One might get the impression that it was created specifically for public consumption, mightn't one.

[DoughtyOne]

It's becoming more evident by the day, why Superman no longer, says Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

[DoughtyOne]

Actually, come to think of it, it's becoming more evident by the day, why Superman no longer, says Truth, Justice, or the American Way.

Which of these old standards does our government actually stick to these days?

[Deathtomarxists]

i see these kind of powerpoint shows all the time in really big corporations or government beauracracies. Its their way of bragging about their position and power - and is easily digestable by simple minds such as the fascists have.

So we live in a fascists imperial state. Best to start flying under the radar, reduce postings on freerepublic, and think about forming traditional underground cells for relay of information.

[RegulatorCountry]

You first, noob.

[a fool in paradise]

This administration bundles COPYRIGHT PROTECTION (music/film piracy) under the responsibilities of HOMELAND SECURITY. This is not about national security and terrorist attacks, it is about being buddies to the donors in Big Media.

I’m reading a book right now about the mafia and MCA records. In the late 1970s some FBI agents left to go work for RIAA at double or triple their pay and “partnered with the FBI” to break up a large bootlegging operation. Basically the music business bought themselves some FBI agents to do the work for them.

Pay for play. Payola.

I agree the copyright violation is often criminal, but there isn’t anyone looking out for the citizens when their house gets broken into. Little prosecution or even evidence collection.

Why the $%&$ should the government put a higher priority on halting the production/transfer of copyrighted materials than physical personal property, armed thuggery, and terrorism?

[NormsRevenge]

Full?

HOW ABOUT BUFFALOED?

or Bullied?

[jurroppi1]

Simply look to the FISA court and how many approvals were granted vs. the number of requests. In most cases these secret rulings (the content of the request and ruling are secret, but not the outcome) were indeed granted.

The number granted is astounding.

What is it that Snowden has said that has been properly debunked, and by whom? I’m struggling to understand why I should believe anything the government or its’ several agencies have to say with regard to any of this. There are also other whistleblowers who have tried to out this same info following the “legitimate path” and gotten nowhere; being marginalized and ignored along the way. They are (from what I have seen) backing up Snowden’s assertions.

[Unrepentant VN Vet]

Why the $%&$ should the government put a higher priority on halting the production/transfer of copyrighted materials than physical personal property, armed thuggery, and terrorism?

Dunno.

Don't suppose it could have anything to do with the amount of contributions/oblique stroke/kickbacks RIAA and the record companies "donate" to the 'rats, could it?

Okay, I'll add the /sarc.

[NVDave]

And you believe the government employees and their supposed checks/balances and procedures?

The IRS isn’t supposed to target specific people, groups etc for additional scrutiny, much less promulgate taxpayer information to other people outside the IRS. But they did that.

The EPA isn’t supposed to treat FOIA requestors differently, but they do.

The FBI is supposed to run a completely above-board operation, but they’re perfectly content to shoot a woman with a baby in her arms. Oh, and incinerate men, women and children.

You trust the NSA’s “checks and balances?” Then I have a bridge I want to sell you.

[InterceptPoint]

You trust the NSA’s “checks and balances?” Then I have a bridge I want to sell you.

There is a difference between the cases you listed and the NSA. A big difference.

In the case of the IRS or the EPA the Checks and Balances are under the direct control of Obama. He calls the shots. Blind obedience follows. Congress has very little to say about how business is conducted. There are really no rules.

In the case of the FBI, Obama and Holder run the show any way they want. Enough said on that. We all know how that works.

The case of NSA collecting our E-mails and phone records is different. There are strict rules and direct Congressional oversight. There is also a security clearance hierarchy that goes well above TS and not just everyone has access to everything just because they have a TS clearance.

All of this makes the idea that Obama can get a funnel directly to any info that NSA collects and use if for political purposes is problematic. While not impossible, it would not be easy and it would raise flags left and right.

Another thing that is worth pointing out is the general political position of the people involved at NSA and companies like Booz-Allen. They are much more disposed to the GOP then, for example, the equivalent members of the IRS who are, I believe, about 95% registered Dems. So blind obedience is not so easy at NSA. I think if pressure was applied by Obama someone in Congress would hear about it. But I'm just speculating on that. You can never be sure.

So don't throw out the "Check and Balances" so easily. Yes, they may be corrupted a bit. Maybe a lot. But actually have very little evidence of that with the possible exception of the nearly universal rubber stamp of the FISA judges.

If I'm right about the Check and Balances then that doesn't mean that the power given to NSA is not too much. It probably is in which case Congress should step in and limit that power. But I would hesitate to throw out the Baby with the Bathwater. We still need somebody watching out for those pesky Chinese and Russians not to say the French.

[M. Thatcher]

A lot of what he said is certainly not true.

Source?

[InterceptPoint]

Source?

Me mostly.

But there have been comments questioning Snowden's claims by many in the media and people with background in the Intelligence community.

It's not that what he says are direct lies. Much of what he says is true but only to a limited extent.

He clearly exaggerates his ability to pluck information out of the NSA database. He claims for example that if he knew Obama's e-mail address he could read his mail. I don't think so. Nor could he listen into his recorded conversations. I don't believe all U.S. communications are collected. He infers they are. I think some are but most aren't. Time will tell who's right.

[bert]

—— There are strict rules-—

You’ve pretty much got it right.

It is my thought that the whole SA affair is designed to take the heat off the other problems, the really bad problems for Obama.

So far as I know, there is nothing about the NSA revelations that is not legal. The use of illegal info by Obama seems probable but so far I’ve seen no concrete examples.