Documents: U.S. intelligence mining data from nine U.S. Internet companies in broad secret program

Washington Post ^ | 6/6/13 | Barton Gellman and Laura Poitras

[Red in Blue PA]

The National Security Agency and the FBI are tapping directly into the central servers of nine leading U.S. Internet companies, extracting audio, video, photographs, e-mails, documents and connection logs that enable analysts to track a person’s movements and contacts over time.

The highly classified program, code-named PRISM, has not been disclosed publicly before. Its establishment in 2007 and six years of exponential growth took place beneath the surface of a roiling debate over the boundaries of surveillance and privacy. Even late last year, when critics of the foreign intelligence statute argued for changes, the only members of Congress who know about PRISM were bound by oaths of office to hold their tongues.

[PieterCasparzen]

Turn off “accept cookies”.

Turn off “accept 3rd party cookies”.

Then allow exceptions on a site by site basis, for those you trust, like FR, “for duration of session” only.

Then, when you shut down your browser, all cookies will be deleted.

You’ve probably got bazillion old cookies.

Turn off “remember browser history”.

Turn off “remember download history”.

Turn off “search / form history”.

Turn off “remember passwords”.

Turn on Block reported attack sites.

Turn on Block reported web forgeries.

Turn on Warn when sites try to install add-ons.

Turn on Tell websites you don’t want to be tracked (not much use yet but do it anyhoo).

Turn on Block popups.

I use Firefox, can’t help you with Internet Explorer.

This is a good bit of it, but of course, there’s more.

Set your browser to delete all that crap when you close the browser.

Whenever you’re logged into a site, be careful what other sites you have open (from FR to news will usually be ok). But don’t browse wacky sites while you’re logged into a site where you have a login.

When you logout (like FR), close all your browswer windows.

Also, go delete all your browser cache and cookies now after you make these changes, then reboot your PC.

[Cvengr]

We are just barely adapting culturally to 1990 technology.

Remember the movie Sneakers with Robert Redford. That was back in 1992 where the object of security was cryptology.

Since then we’re had 20 years of data mining. Data Mining was high tech for about 3-6 years.

The state of the art had far surpassed those ancient technologies.

I suspect few to none of us in this forum are even touching upon the real threats at hand.

[caww]

You’re right.... technology moves so rapidly that by the time we figure it out we’re behind the loop of those developing it further.

Yes, I remember that Movie...though I didn’t see it until years later...enjoyed it too.

This Data Base in Utah isn’t just about Gathering info. but equally as much, perhaps more so, creating and breaking codes.

It has to be so with the cyber warfare today....I don’t like it but it’s the world we live in now...and the path the entire world is taking for that matter.

I suspect when BO took office he was beyond astounded on his first security briefing.....all Presidents pretty much are afterwards. So yes the real threats we really haven’t a clue about IMO.