Hard News by Russell Brown

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Hard News: 2014: The Meth Election

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  • kiwicmc,

    Just reading the declassified documents from Cabinet - I'm struggling to see how these disprove that Snowden's allegations that mass surveillance of NZ internet communications is happening. Project CORTEX appears to be pretty much how Key dumbs it down by describing it as a "Norton Anti-Virus" for networks attached to the NZ internet. It discusses detection and prevention of malware and cyber attacks. It talks about opt-in from companies and ISPs.

    But this is a completely different beast to that described by Snowden which is mass gathering of metadata from the cable. So why release it unless it's just designed to confuse and obfuscate the discussion? In which case you'd have to think that everything Greenwald has said is mostly true.

    Auckland, New Zealand • Since May 2008 • 88 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to kiwicmc,

    I'm struggling to see how these disprove that Snowden's allegations that mass surveillance of NZ internet communications is happening.

    It's a squirrel.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel,

    It's Official
    John Key Declasse-fies everything...

    just one application,
    wave, and walk away...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to kiwicmc,

    You're right. The papers relate to something called Cortex which appears to be some sort of anti-malware / cyber-attack detection or prevention software. There's nothing about tapping into the Southern Cross cable or the mass surveillance which resulted.

    The papers are merely a smokescreen from an increasingly desperate government.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • kiwicmc,

    "According to top-secret documents from the NSA and the British agency GCHQ, the intelligence agencies are seeking to map the entire Internet
    Furthermore, every single end device that is connected to the Internet somewhere in the world — every smartphone, tablet and computer — is to be made visible. Such a map doesn't just reveal one treasure. There are millions of them. The breathtaking mission is described in a Treasure Map presentation from the documents of the former intelligence service employee Edward Snowden which SPIEGEL has seen. It instructs analysts to "map the entire Internet — Any device, anywhere, all the time." Treasure Map allows for the creation of an "interactive map of the global Internet" in "near real-time," the document notes. Employees of the so-called "FiveEyes" intelligence agencies from Great Britain, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, which cooperate closely with the American agency NSA, can install and use the program on their own computers. One can imagine it as a kind of Google Earth for global data traffic, a bird's eye view of the planet's digital arteries." - one can only presume they filter out all the minecraft traffic from our house

    Auckland, New Zealand • Since May 2008 • 88 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to kiwicmc,

    ...every smartphone, tablet and computer — is to be made visible. Such a map...

    'They' willl be busy flensing that pod of information that surfaced tonight in Auckland.
    What with accurate GPS and triangulation 'they' could identify, seat by seat who was where, if they hadn't already accessed any seat allocation software, of course...

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Sam F,

    Very happily cast my special vote on a beautiful Monday afternoon in Beijing. A pleasure, a privilege (certainly in context), and hopefully a teeny tiny push on the tiller in the correct direction...

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 1611 posts Report Reply

  • kiwicmc,

    I must admit when I first read that post on /. my first thought was - that's so freaking cool... but I like the GPS integration idea. Already been in place for many years of course with location databases within Telco cell management s/w

    Auckland, New Zealand • Since May 2008 • 88 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Well, and there was a live camera stream of the crowd. I noticed Russell hadn’t shaved, but then that’s part of his metadata anyway.

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • Dismal Soyanz, in reply to Alfie,

    The papers are merely a smokescreen from an increasingly desperate government.

    Yeah, that was my reaction too. What exactly does this disprove?

    Wellington • Since Nov 2010 • 310 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock, in reply to kiwicmc,

    one can only presume they filter out all the minecraft traffic from our house

    There was a story a year or two back about terrorists/jihadis/whatever using in-game chatroom to exchange information as they thought it was probably not going to be monitored and/or far more difficult to track.

    So don't bet on it...

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • BenWilson, in reply to Rich Lock,

    LOL, cause all the other people playing the game aren't going to find it really suss to hear a couple of jihadis planning to blow up a train or something?

    Auckland • Since Nov 2006 • 10657 posts Report Reply

  • SteveH, in reply to kiwicmc,

    Just reading the declassified documents from Cabinet – I’m struggling to see how these disprove that Snowden’s allegations that mass surveillance of NZ internet communications is happening.

    Someone on Twitter rightly called it the Wookie Defence. It's a disingenuous straw man. Use the truth about something you could plausibly conflate with the real issue to hide the lies you've told about that issue. Some people will simply accept what Key has said. And if Key is caught in a lie he can simply say he thought Greenwald was talking about Cortex. It's the same tactic he tried when Dirty Politics first came out: "I haven't read it, but I'm going to refute it by addressing what I imagine the accusations are".

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report Reply

  • kiwicmc,

    Regarding tapping the cable - the PM says "We can categorically state that there is no such programme operating in New Zealand, and any claims that there is are utterly wrong." - yeah, but there's two ends to a cable eh?

    Auckland, New Zealand • Since May 2008 • 88 posts Report Reply

  • Rich Lock, in reply to BenWilson,

    something something private servers....? I can't remember the details as it was a few years back, but that point was specifically addressed.

    back in the mother countr… • Since Feb 2007 • 2728 posts Report Reply

  • nzlemming, in reply to BenWilson,

    Well, and there was a live camera stream of the crowd. I noticed Russell hadn’t shaved, but then that’s part of his metadata anyway.

    Yup, doesn't even shave for Media Take.

    Waikanae • Since Nov 2006 • 2937 posts Report Reply

  • stephen clover, in reply to Dismal Soyanz,

    Yeah, that was my reaction too. What exactly does this disprove?

    What it shows: there was a discussion at Cabinet level (SEC Min (12) 4/1, 3 April 2012) to enhance the activity of the National Cyber Security Center which’d been earlier established within GCSB to detect and “address advanced and persistent cyber intrusions”. Phase one had been greenlighted in Dec 2010 (DES Min (10) 4/1). Two options tabled – Option 1 agreed to proceed; business case for preferred Option 2 (no substantive detail) to be developed by GCSB.

    “Initiative 7418” refers to this NCSC enhancement work programme.

    On 2 Sept 2013 (CAB Min (43) 30/25) the Option 2 business case was squashed. No reason given. Funding for Initiative 7418 noted as being redirected to an “alternative proposal.” No details. Appears that this is what became CORTEX.

    CORTEX business case lays out several options, preferred option is “Option 3 (‘Active’) as set out in the paper under CAB (14) 409” and on 28 July 2014 GCSB directed to implement it (CAB Min (14) 25/9), as well as investigate Option 4 (as per Opt. 3 plus involvement of an ISP).

    CAB (14) 409 is missing from docs, but could refer to covering Cab Paper for Project CORTEX Business Case, supplied.

    What it disproves: not sure it disproves anything, Though it appears to back-up Key’s story it’s not related at all to [meta]data collection and analysis. However it is true that deep packet sniffing on the scale discussed could be misinterpreted.

    Note: one paragraph in the business case stands out due to out-of-place tone and language. Very curious:

    27. The controls in question – which Joint Ministers have considered when reviewing the CORTEX proposal – will be specified in relevant warrants and access authorisations. They will include attention to how data is accessed, stored, sharing and disposed of. There will be no ‘mass surveillance’, and data will be accessed by GCSB only with the consent of owners of relevant networks or systems.

    wgtn • Since Sep 2007 • 355 posts Report Reply

  • Paul Campbell, in reply to stephen clover,

    There will be no ‘mass surveillance’, and data will be accessed by GCSB only with the consent of owners of relevant networks or systems.

    So if my ISP says yes I can be spied on - more importantly if my ISP buys in to the whole super-norton-anti-virus thing my data can be accessed for any other reason

    Dunedin • Since Nov 2006 • 2623 posts Report Reply

  • Ian Dalziel, in reply to Paul Campbell,

    debuggers... are in de system

    the whole super-norton-anti-virus thing...

    Key is very glib about that, someone should ask him why this super web vigilance system couldn't stop the Spark*DNS attack - what are we paying for ...the goats in the machine?

    Christchurch • Since Dec 2006 • 7953 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to Ian Dalziel,

    Key is very glib about that, someone should ask him why this super web vigilance system couldn't stop the Spark*DNS attack - what are we paying for ...the goats in the machine?

    Ahh... but the "Big Norton" was called 'Cortex' and didn't get off the ground, we're told. Key even declassified documents to prove that.

    Speargun? Now that's a different matter altogether.

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • SteveH, in reply to kiwicmc,

    Regarding tapping the cable – the PM says “We can categorically state that there is no such programme operating in New Zealand, and any claims that there is are utterly wrong.”

    But again he seems to be talking about something else. He seems to be saying they haven’t cut the cable to insert any surveillance gear, which may be true. But surveillance capability could have been deployed in the cable landing station and/or the network operations centre (which is in Auckland).

    Since Sep 2009 • 444 posts Report Reply

  • stephen clover, in reply to Alfie,

    Ahh… but the “Big Norton” was called ‘Cortex’ and didn’t get off the ground, we’re told. Key even declassified documents to prove that.

    CORTEX was green-lighted only recently, in July 2014. Which is probably why it wasn’t able to protect Spark last weekend.

    wgtn • Since Sep 2007 • 355 posts Report Reply

  • Shulgin,

    kinda... finding a space in some old postings....thank you...mr brown.. for showing up at the Owen Glenn event last night for the Fabians...and that is obviously mixed..on purpose...the gasp around the room==== when someone said they "didn't vote"...good lorde...a bit of trouble with the microphone...but this is the bubble--- in the later years...step forward young man...raise your voice...i suppose your meth election was kinda on the money...well sort of...but as you said when your were last sitting on the deck of the titanic at Fabian Voyage a couple of years ago with shit flowing down our streams and the melk powder...mmm barely dry...the crew just didn't have enough training...was david in the audience...probably...you frowned about your busy day...barely audible...something about the psychoactive substances bill...been lost or something...mired down in some labyrinth...and don't forget mr brown...our police force produced the maxwell report finding a sole causation between cannabis use and hospital admissions....apparently according to NDIB D I MIlls..a lacerated vagina...due to child birth...can be attributed to cannabis use....and with that i leave your meth election...next time...step forward and speak up...hope yur moderation skills are tight...and therefore hopefully i won't get banned from your community.

    PEACE
    Melk Powder

    NZ • Since May 2011 • 125 posts Report Reply

  • Alfie, in reply to Shulgin,

    WTF? Does that post make any sense to anyone? Or am I just having a slow day?

    Dunedin • Since May 2014 • 1440 posts Report Reply

  • Sofie Bribiesca, in reply to Alfie,

    WTF? Does that post make any sense to anyone? Or am I just having a slow day?

    I guess, you had to be there, along with a perception that the person is thinking they are being rather cryptic. Shulgin has an issue with detective Mills, happens to bring him in to any conversation when s/he feels like it and gotta say Shulgin/Melk Powder(herein suggested that person) probably has good cause. That person also thinks RB isn't forceful enough about issues that matter to him/her. Then again, could be just feeling really good and rambling like nicely stoned or had a few drinks and felt he/she needs to express their self in the most comfortable environment they can find. Or, schizophrenic ? ;)

    here and there. • Since Nov 2007 • 6796 posts Report Reply

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