Category: Technology

This report is interesting.  But I’ve always found the opposite: I think iPhones are much harder to type on.

http://bgr.com/2013/09/20/iphone-android-touch-screen-responsiveness/

I’ve read several blogs making hay about the NSA cryptographer who made this post on zd net.  There was even a response by John Gilmore of the EFF.  I’m not going to rehash all of that, except to say that I don’t really believe the NSA guy.  Sure he may think what he writes about, on the other hand, his colleagues don’t appear to think the same.  BUT, he does make a good point.  That is what I want to write about.

As this national dialogue continues, I look to the American people to reach a consensus on the desired scope of U.S. intelligence activities. If it is determined that the rules should be changed or updated, we at NSA would faithfully and effectively adapt. My NSA colleagues and I stand ready to continue to defend this nation using only the tools that we are authorized to use and in the specific ways that we are authorized to use them. We wouldn’t want it any other way. 

He’s right when he looks to “the people” (through our representatives) to change the law, if we want.  If we want.  IF.  Yes, we the people must let our representatives know that we don’t like this and expect them to change it.  If we don’t tell them, how are they supposed to know?  If they don’t know we want it changed, they’ll go on “making it up” and doing what they way.

Image from uwwresnet via flickr

They have found weaknesses in some applications they can exploit.  They’ve convinced companies to put in backdoors.  They can crack weak passwords.  BUT the math and large keys still stand in floss.  I think these stories are to try and get around the groundswell of people starting to use encryption they can’t break.

http://gizmodo.com/the-nsa-can-crack-almost-any-type-of-encryption-1258954266

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/09/nsa-attains-the-holy-grail-of-spying-decodes-vast-swaths-of-internet-traffic/

http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/08/tor-usage-doubles-in-under-a-week-and-no-one-knows-why/

And that is the bit that got lavabit in trouble…storing plain text emails encrypted on the server.  The provider shouldn’t be able to read them.

Here’s my solution:

SSL/TLS in transit
Pgp/gpg encrypted bodies
Encrypted storage on the server with no backdoors

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/08/mailpile/

Well, this morning, I made my very first contribution to a project on GitHub.  

What project?  It was Shaarli.
What change?  I added support for https thumbnails.  I was tired of my page displying insecure thumbs.  For more on why I’m running my website over https, see this article.

http://mobile.bloomberg.com/news/2013-07-31/the-public-private-surveillance-partnership.html

Direct link http://justdelete.me

http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2013/08/just-delete-me/

I believe them.  Yeah right….just like I believe Barry has the best interests of the US in mind.

http://www.darkreading.com/privacy/nsa-responds-to-criticism-over-surveilla/240160334