Cyber attack fear used to expand spy grid Cyber ataque temor usan para expandir la red de espionaje

By Por Ashlee Vance in Mountain View Ashlee Vance en Mountain View

Not content with spying on other countries, the NSA (National Security Agency) will now turn on the US’s own government agencies thanks to a fresh directive from president George Bush. No contento con espiar a los demás países, la NSA (Agencia Nacional de Seguridad) pasará ahora a los EE.UU. propios de los organismos públicos gracias a una nueva directiva del presidente George Bush.

Under the new guidelines, the NSA and other intelligence agencies can bore into the internet networks of all their peers. En virtud de las nuevas directrices, la NSA y otras agencias de inteligencia puede agujero en la red de Internet de todos sus compañeros. The Bush administration pulled off this spy expansion by pointing to an increase in the number of cyber attacks directed against the US, possibly from foreign nations. La administración Bush retiró la expansión fuera de este espía apuntando a un aumento en el número de ataques cibernéticos contra los EE.UU., posiblemente de las naciones extranjeras. The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) will spearhead the effort around identifying the source of these attacks, while the Department of Homeland Security and Pentagon will concentrate on retaliation. La Oficina del Director de Inteligencia Nacional (ODNI) serán la punta de lanza del esfuerzo en torno a la identificación de la fuente de estos ataques, mientras que el Departamento de Seguridad Nacional y del Pentágono se concentrará en represalia.

The Washington Post appears to have broken the news about the new Bush-led joint directive, which remains classified. El Washington Post parece que se han roto las noticias sobre el nuevo conjunto dirigido por Bush directiva, que sigue clasificado. The paper El documento reported Informó that the directive - National Security Presidential Directive 54/Homeland Security Presidential Directive 23 - was signed on Jan. 8. Que la directiva - la Directiva Presidencial de Seguridad Nacional de Seguridad 54/Homeland Directiva Presidencial 23 - fue firmado el 8 de Enero. Earlier reports from the Baltimore Sun documented the NSA’s plans to add US spying to its international snooping duties. Informes anteriores del Baltimore Sun documentado la NSA los planes de EE.UU. de espionaje para añadir a sus obligaciones internacionales snooping.

The new program will - of course - drains billions of dollars out of US coffers and be part of Bush’s 2009 budget. El nuevo programa - por supuesto - drenajes miles de millones de dólares de las arcas de EE.UU. y ser parte de Bush del presupuesto 2009.

During Bush’s presidency, US citizens have come under an unprecedented spying regime. Durante la presidencia de Bush, los ciudadanos de EE.UU. han llegado en virtud de un régimen de espionaje sin precedentes. In addition to upping its focus on suspected criminals, the administration permitted a system for wiretapping the phone calls of Average Joes and Janes. Además de centrarse en su upping presuntos delincuentes, la administración permite un sistema de escuchas telefónicas de las llamadas telefónicas Promedio Joes y Janes. The government is also funding specialized computers from companies such as Cray that can search through enormous databases at incredible speed. El gobierno también financia especializados de las computadoras de empresas como Cray que pueden buscar a través de enormes bases de datos a velocidad increíble. Ah, if only Stalin could see us now. Ah, si Stalin sólo podía ver con nosotros ahora.

The government points to cyber attacks against the State, Commerce, Defense and Homeland Security departments as the impetus for expanding the NSA’s powers. El gobierno apunta a los ataques cibernéticos contra el Estado, Comercio, Defensa y Seguridad de la Patria departamentos como el impulso para la ampliación de los poderes de la NSA. “US officials and cyber-security experts have said Chinese Web sites were involved in several of the biggest attacks back to 2005, including some at the country’s nuclear-energy labs and large defense contractors,” the Post reported. "EE.UU. funcionarios y expertos en seguridad cibernética han dicho chino sitios web han participado en varios de los mayores ataques de vuelta a 2005, incluidos algunos en el país-la energía nuclear y laboratorios de las grandes contratistas de defensa", informó el Post.

Critics of the new directive will point to the NSA’s ability to operate in total secrecy as cause for concern. Los críticos de la nueva directiva permitirá acceder a la NSA la capacidad de funcionar en total secreto como motivo de preocupación.

More troubling, however, may be the Pentagon and Homeland Security’s aspirations to hit attackers with counter-strikes. Más preocupante, sin embargo, puede ser el Pentágono y Seguridad de la Patria a las aspiraciones de los atacantes golpeó con contra-ataques.

Proving that a nation rather than a rogue set of attackers are behind a cyber attack will likely be very difficult. De demostrar que una nación al margen de la ley en lugar de un conjunto de los atacantes se encuentra detrás de un ciber ataque probablemente será muy difícil. In addition, the international community has yet to address the rules of cyber war in any meaningful way. Además, la comunidad internacional aún no ha abordado las reglas de la guerra cibernética de una manera significativa. ®

Just learned following within the past few days: Recién adquirida siguientes dentro de los últimos días:

Certain privacy/full session SSL email hosting services have been purchased/changed operational control by NSA and affiliates within the past few months, through private intermediary entities. Algunos de privacidad / SSL pleno período de sesiones los servicios de hospedaje de correo electrónico se han comprado y los modificados por el control operacional y de los actores no afiliados en los últimos meses, a través de entidades privadas intermediarias.

Hushmail: now fully owned by private entity NSA affiliate; has had informal relationship with NSA for a number of years that effectively provided NSA with real time access to Hushmail’s hosting servers. Hushmail: ahora plenamente por la entidad privada propiedad de los actores no afiliados; informal ha tenido relación con los actores no por un número de años que los actores no siempre de manera efectiva en tiempo real con acceso a los servidores de alojamiento de Hushmail.

Safe-mail.net: Israeli-based, ironically privately lauded by NSA and US military several years ago for its sound implementation of SendMail with SSL webmail GUI frontend. Safe-mail.net:-israelí basada, irónicamente privada elogiados por militares de EE.UU. y de los actores no hace varios años por su firme aplicación de correo web con SSL SendMail interfaz GUI. Now provides mail server info to NSA in real time. Ahora dispone de servidor de correo para conocer las garantías negativas de seguridad en tiempo real.

Guardster.com (SSH/SSL proxy): NSA contractors have “bought” full access rights to Guardster servers a few days ago. Guardster.com (SSH / SSL proxy): contratistas de los actores no han "comprado" el pleno acceso a los derechos de los servidores Guardster hace unos días. Separate but related: faciliated port sniffing of hosting servers at Everyones Internet, on NSA affiliates’ behalf, has been ongoing for a number of months now. Diferentes, pero relacionados: puerto facilitó la inhalación de servidores de alojamiento en Everyones Internet, sobre los actores no afiliados' nombre, ha estado en marcha desde hace varios meses.

More info on industry Windows security software: Más información sobre la industria de software de seguridad de Windows:

Zone Alarm, Symantec, MacAfee: All facilitate Microsoft’s NSA-controlled remote admin access via IP/TCP ports 1024 through 1030; ie will allow access without security flag. Zone Alarm, Symantec, MacAfee: Todos Microsoft facilitar la NSA remoto controlado el acceso de administrador a través de IP / 1024 a través de los puertos TCP 1030, es decir, permitirá el acceso sin bandera de la seguridad. Unknown whether or not software port forward routing by these same programs will defeat NSA access. Desconocida o no el software de enrutamiento puerto con interés por estos mismos programas derrota NSA acceso.

I will continue to provide more info on the above and related topics upon discovery. Voy a seguir proporcionando más información sobre lo anterior y sobre temas relacionados con el descubrimiento.

http://cryptome.org/nsa-ssl-email.htm Http://cryptome.org/nsa-ssl-email.htm

By Por Ralph Lopez Ralph López

Missing from the debate over expanding NSA authority in the War on Terror is the simple question, beyond our reflexive desire for privacy: why is expanding this authority such a bad idea? Desaparecido desde el debate sobre la ampliación de las garantías negativas de seguridad autoridad en la guerra contra el terror es la simple pregunta, más allá de nuestra voluntad reflexiva de la vida privada: ¿por qué la ampliación de esta autoridad es tan mala idea? We know the Feds have done nasty, un-American things like spy on activists like Martin Luther King, but it comes out in the wash, doesn’t it? Sabemos cómo la Reserva Federal han hecho desagradable, un-American cosas como espiar a los activistas como Martin Luther King, pero viene en el lavabo, ¿no? Did the Founders, who took pains to enshrine freedom from “unreasonable search and seizure,” without “probable cause,” understand what the Stasi, Hitler, and the KGB all understood? ¿Los Fundadores, que se esmeró para consagrar la libertad de "poco razonable la búsqueda y captura", sin "causa probable", entender lo que la Stasi, Hitler, y la KGB todos entendido? That knowledge is power, and absolute knowledge of peoples’ lives becomes absolute power? Que el conocimiento es poder, y el conocimiento absoluto de la vida de los pueblos se convierte en poder absoluto?

The origin of the Fourth Amendment of the Bill of Rights, which Congress has been merrily gutting since the Patriot Act, was the hated “general warrant” which allowed British soldiers to enter a colonial’s home, barn, and property in search of anything suspicious. El origen de la Cuarta Enmienda de la Carta de Derechos, que el Congreso ha sido alegremente evisceración desde la Ley Patriota, fue el odiado "orden general" que permitió a los soldados británicos a entrar en la casa colonial, granero, y la propiedad en busca de cualquier cosa Sospechosas. It was a principle cause of the Revolution. Se trata de un principio causa de la Revolución. Could the Founding Fathers, a bunch of old white guys versed in the Greek and Latin classics, philosophy, mathematics, and history, have grasped the significance of a monopoly of information in the hands of the government, which already possesses a monopoly of force? ¿Podrían los Padres Fundadores, un montón de chicos blancos de edad versado en el griego y del latín clásicos, la filosofía, las matemáticas, y de la historia, han comprendido la importancia de un monopolio de la información en manos del gobierno, que ya posee el monopolio de la fuerza?

The Stasi Patriot Act was written long before 9/11. La Stasi Ley Patriota fue escrita mucho antes del 9 / 11. As Congressman Jim McDermott said, “they had all this on the shelf somewhere, ideas of things they would like to do and they got 9/11 and they said “its our chance, go for it!”" Como dijo el congresista Jim McDermott ", que había todo esto sobre la plataforma en alguna parte, las ideas de las cosas que les gustaría hacer y que obtuvo 9 / 11 y dice que" es nuestra oportunidad, que, ¡adelante! ""

For those of us not used to thinking like a Machiavelli, use a little imagination. Para aquellos de nosotros que no están acostumbrados a pensar como un Maquiavelo, utiliza un poco de imaginación. Come up up with a list of fun things to do if you were in charge, had no respect for anyone, and had a search and eavesdropping power free of judicial oversight, meaning, no one looking over your shoulder to see what you were looking at, which is what a warrant means. Venga arriba arriba con una lista de cosas divertidas que hacer si usted estuviera a cargo, no tienen respeto por nadie, y tenía un poder de escucha y de búsqueda libre de supervisión judicial, es decir, nadie mirando por encima de su hombro para ver lo que estaba buscando en , Que es lo que significa una orden. The controversy over the NSA is not just pie-in-the-sky liberals squawking over their precious rights in the “new world” in which terrorist are trying to kill us. La controversia sobre la NSA no es sólo pie-en-el-cielo liberales squawking sobre sus preciosos derechos en el "nuevo mundo" en la que terroristas están tratando de matarnos. Let’s get this out of the realm of ideas and push it down to action on the ground. ¡Tenemos que salir de la esfera de las ideas y empuje hacia abajo a la acción sobre el terreno.

1. Spy on all protesters and activists, from pro-life to anti-war, so you know when they are going to unfurl banners in the gallery of the House of Representatives, then change the schedule to mess them up. Spy en todos los manifestantes y activistas, de los pro-vida a la lucha contra la guerra, por lo que se sabe cuando van a flote pancartas en la tribuna de la Cámara de Representantes y luego cambiar el horario a lío seguridad de los mismos.

2. Get the psychiatric records of anyone who leaks a “classified” document which is only classified because it shows the government continuing to fight a war which it believes cannot be won, oops, been there done that. Obtenga los antecedentes psiquiátricos de todo el que las filtraciones de "clasificados", que el documento es sólo clasificarse, ya que muestra el gobierno para luchar contra la continuación de una guerra que los que considera que no se puede ganar, oops, que se haya hecho. Not imaginative. No imaginativas. His name was Daniel Ellsberg, he leaked the Pentagon Papers, and Nixon wanted his deepest darkest confessions to fish through for a smear campaign. Su nombre era Daniel Ellsberg, el Pentágono que filtró los documentos, y Nixon quiso que su más profundo más oscuro de las confesiones a los peces a través de una campaña de desprestigio. Fourth Amendment ideas are already the direct cause one American president being slapped down. Cuarta Enmienda ideas son la causa directa ya un presidente americano que se abofeteado.

3. Find out who that pesky congressman is sleeping with, who wants you impeached. Averigua quién molestas congresista que está durmiendo con el, que quiere usted destituido. My personal feeling is that this is exactly what Bush has on half these guys, hence their reluctance to impeach. Mi sentimiento personal es que esto es exactamente lo que Bush tiene en la mitad de estos chicos, de ahí su renuencia a su destitución. When you get a blank check to spy, you don’t turn it against pipsqueaks like you or me first; you turn it against the guys who can really hurt you. Al llegar un cheque en blanco para espiar, que no es a su vez contra pipsqueaks como tú o yo primero, que a su vez contra los tipos que realmente puede hacerte daño. In the process you undermine the entire basis of government. En el proceso de socavar la base de todo gobierno. Could this account for Bush’s perpetual smirk? ¿Podría esta cuenta para Bush smirk perpetuo?

4. Give an old frat buddy and staunch supporter, who already has all the money he ever wants, something more important to him now: the chance to settle an old score. Frat dar un viejo amigo y defensor acérrimo, que cuenta ya con todo el dinero que nunca quiere, algo más importante para él ahora: la oportunidad de resolver un viejo Resultado. If there is a motivator more powerful than money, it’s hatred. Si hay un motivador más poderoso que el dinero, es el odio. We’ll see what we can find on him, old buddy, everyone has some kind of dirt on him somewhere. Veremos qué podemos encontrar en él, viejo amigo, todo el mundo tiene algún tipo de suciedad sobre él en alguna parte.

5. Keep looking. Siga buscando. The Patriot Act says we can go through any records pertaining to you, bank account, car dealer, dentist, lawyer, real estate, telephone company, anything , understand? La Patriot Act dice que podemos pasar por ningún registro en relación a usted, cuenta bancaria, coche distribuidor, dentista, abogado, de bienes raíces, la compañía telefónica, nada, entiendo? The NSA just makes it easier. La NSA sólo hace que sea más fácil. Rather than feds walk in and going through paper records, business transacted through the Internet is swept up and kept in a “dump.” When we need it, pop in your first-middle-last-social-and-birthday, and BINGO! En lugar de caminar en federales y pasando por los registros de papel, transacciones de negocios a través de Internet es barrida y mantenerse en un "vertedero". Cuando lo necesitamos, pop en su primera mitad-de última-y social-de cumpleaños, y BINGO!

6. If we find nothing, why not just frame him? Si no encontramos nada, ¿por qué no sólo le marco? We don’t have anything on him , but we do on the AG in that state. No tenemos nada en él, pero lo hacemos en la AG en ese estado. He’ll know the truth but he won’t say anything. Él sabrá la verdad, pero él no dice nada.

7. Tell that pitbull reporter we’re going to fax his girlfriend’s abortion records to his wife. Díselo a pitbull reportero que vamos a fax a su novia los registros del aborto a su mujer. The Patriot Act allows government agencies to look into anyone’s medical records, remember? La Patriot Act permite a los organismos gubernamentales para examinar cualquiera de los registros médicos, recuerde?

8. Allow a black market of tips, payback and blackmail to flourish among the rich and well-connected, the way the Stasi East German Secret Police did, just so long as it doesn’t hurt anyone important . Permitir un mercado negro de puntas, de amortización y el chantaje a florecer entre los ricos y bien conectados, la forma en que la Stasi de Alemania Oriental policía secreta hizo, tan largo, ya que no hace daño a nadie importante.

9. If you are the beneficiary of such a black market, and you, as someone connected, knows someone else connected who owes you a favor, get the full text of your competitor’s marketing strategy for the next product cycle. Si usted es el beneficiario de ese mercado negro, y usted, como alguien conectado, sabe alguien más conectado que le debe un favor, obtener el texto completo de su competidor estrategia de marketing de producto para el próximo ciclo.

10. Always, always, make sure you are spying on your own people. Siempre, siempre, asegúrese de que espiar a su propio pueblo. Patriotic whistleblowers are among the most credible sources when they go to reporters. Patriótico denunciantes se encuentran entre las fuentes más creíbles cuando van a los reporteros. Everyone knows they have nothing to gain and everything to lose. Todo el mundo sabe que no tienen nada que ganar y todo que perder. Declare him enemy combatant before he talks and have him waterboarded, the punk. Declaran le combatiente enemigo antes de que él habla y le han waterboarded, el punk.

Add your own to the list! Añadir sus propias a la lista! Then Entonces send this Enviar esta to your congressmen, and to your friends! A sus congresistas, y a sus amigos! Dirty tricks are a game to these guys! Dirty trucos son un juego a estos chicos! Why shouldn’t we have fun too? ¿Por qué no nos hemos divertido demasiado?

Remember, what we are talking about is not the power to spy on terrorists. Recuerde, de lo que estamos hablando no es el poder de espiar a los terroristas. The government already has that. El gobierno ya cuenta con ello. They can flip the switch immediately if they think anything is going down. Pueden cambiar la tapa inmediatamente si piensan que nada va a la baja. They just have to get a warrant within 48 hours. Ellos sólo tienen que obtener una orden judicial dentro de las 48 horas. That’s after the fact. Eso es después de los hechos. Bush lies when he implies the Constitution is outdated because sometimes there’s no time to get a warrant. Bush radica en que implica la Constitución es obsoleta porque a veces no hay tiempo para obtener una orden de detención. It shows what he really wants: no one looking over his shoulder whatsoever. Esto demuestra lo que realmente quiere: nadie mirando por encima de su hombro que sea.

Before the Stasi Patriot Act of 2001, in recognition that intelligence agents shifted through massive amounts of data, a wall was erected that forbade evidence obtained by intelligence agents without a warrant from being used in normal criminal prosecutions, since that came perilously close to what judges call “fishing expeditions.” With the Patriot Act, Antes de la Stasi Patriot Act de 2001, en reconocimiento de que los agentes de inteligencia pasó a través de grandes cantidades de datos, se erigió un muro que prohíbe las pruebas obtenidas por agentes de inteligencia sin una orden judicial de ser utilizados en condiciones normales de los procesos penales, desde que llegó peligrosamente cerca de lo que los jueces Llamada "expedición de pesca". Con la Ley Patriota, this wall was dismantled. Este muro se desmanteló. Anything found on you in any way can be used against you. Todo lo encontrado en usted en modo alguno puede ser usado contra usted.

In 2003 federal agents in Las Vegas used the no-warrant provisions of the Patriot Act to bring charges in run-of-the-mill money laundering and political corruption cases not related to terrorism. En 2003, agentes federales en Las Vegas, si no se utiliza la orden de las disposiciones de la Ley Patriota a presentar cargos en el plazo de la fábrica de blanqueo de dinero y la corrupción política, los casos no relacionados con el terrorismo. Justice Department spokesman Mark Corrallo said Portavoz del Departamento de Justicia dijo Mark Corrallo : “The Patriot Act was not meant to be just for terrorism. : "La Patriot Act no se pretendía que fuera sólo por el terrorismo. A lot of the uninformed criticism was obviously misplaced.” Mucha de la crítica fue, obviamente desinformado fuera de lugar. "

What the Founders understood is, if you make one branch of the government Big Brother, able to prosecute every wrongdoing, it will not sometimes be abused and applied unequally; it will always be abused and applied unequally. ¿Qué se entiende los Fundadores, si hace una rama del gobierno de Gran Hermano, capaz de procesar todas las irregularidades, no se a veces se abusa y se aplican de manera desigual, siempre lo será abusado y aplicado de manera desigual. The requirement for searches to be approved by a judge upon the showing of “probable cause” was an outgrowth of inherent distrust of centralized authority. El requisito para las búsquedas que ser aprobada por un juez a la exhibición de "causa probable" fue un resultado de la desconfianza inherente de una autoridad centralizada. George Bush’s mantra that “this is not a law enforcement problem” is not accidental. George Bush mantra de que "no se trata de un problema de aplicación de la ley" no es accidental. It is carefully crafted and deliberate. Es deliberada y cuidadosamente elaboradas. It is meant to foster a contempt for the law, and to extend the rules of the battlefield, where the word of the Commander-in-Chief is law, to Americans and American soil. El objetivo es el de fomentar un desprecio por la ley, y para ampliar las normas de los campos de batalla, donde la palabra del Comandante en Jefe es la ley, a los estadounidenses y suelo americano.

All political persuasions should fear this. Todos los políticos deberían temer este. We’re not talking about the power of the Bush administration. No estamos hablando sobre el poder de la administración Bush. We’re talking about a permanent change to a Stasi culture benefiting whomever holds the reins of power. Estamos hablando de un cambio permanente a un beneficio de la cultura Stasi quien tiene las riendas del poder. The Founders, whose incredibly bleak view of human nature led them to place checks and balances into the very core of the Constitution, put a brake on human nature with the Fourth Amendment. Los Fundadores, cuya vista increíblemente sombría de la naturaleza humana llevado a cabo controles y equilibrios en el centro mismo de la Constitución, poner un freno a la naturaleza humana con la Cuarta Enmienda. Boy, those sure were some smart old white guys. Boy, seguro de los que fueron blanco, algunos viejos chicos inteligentes.

Wonkette

Hey, kids! ¡Hola, niños! Have you ever wanted to listen in on the conversations of other people without them knowing it? ¿Alguna vez has querido escuchar en las conversaciones sobre la de otras personas sin ellos saberlo? Create codes that allow spies in the field to get information about enhanced interrogation techniques without those killjoys at Amnesty International finding out? Crear códigos que permitan a los espías en el campo para obtener mayor información acerca de las técnicas de interrogatorio sin los killjoys a Amnistía Internacional averiguar?

Dress up as a totally extreme rapping turtle and get a blow job from a sexy lady squirrel? Viste a la extrema totalmente como rapping tortuga y obtener un golpe de puestos de trabajo de una sexy dama ardilla? Well now you can, thanks to the Pues ahora puedes, gracias a la Cryptokids Cryptokids — the NSA’ s new program for young people and furfans. -- La NSA 's nuevo programa para los jóvenes y furfans.

The Web site, with detailed biographies of its cadre of rad furry spies, has had so much more effort put into it than we’re comfortable thinking about. El sitio de Internet, con detalladas biografías de su cuadro de rad peludos espías, ha tenido mucho más esfuerzo puesto en ella de lo que está cómodo pensar.

But it’s important to recruit children into the spy apparatus, as it’s the best way to get info on the parents. Pero es importante reclutar a niños en el aparato de espionaje, ya que es la mejor manera de obtener información sobre los padres. We call them “nature’s hidden listening devices”! Los llamamos "la naturaleza oculta dispositivos de escucha"! As for the furries, well: do you want that fat sweaty guy in the raccoon suit working for us … or for the terrorists? En cuanto a los furries, así: ¿quiere que la grasa chico sudoroso mapache en el traje de trabajo para nosotros,… o para los terroristas?

Do you have an FBI file? ¿Tiene un archivo del FBI?

You might! Many people do. Es posible! Muchas personas hacen. So let’s talk about your past. Así que vamos a hablar de su pasado. Did you … ¿Te ha…

… ever participate in a civil rights march? How about a Vietnam war protest? … Cada vez que participen en un proceso civil de derechos marcha? ¿Qué le parece una guerra de Vietnam protesta?

… ever sign an edgy political petition? … Nunca firmar un edgy petición político?

… ever know a guy named “Joey the Horse?” (Ever help him take out any heavy garbage bags?) … Nunca sabe que un chico llamado "Joey el caballo?" (Alguna vez le ayudará a sacar cualquier pesadas bolsas de basura?)

… ever hang out with a third-world dictator, retired or present? … Siempre pasar el rato con un dictador del tercer mundo, jubilados o presente?

Phil says: “The Freedom-of-Information-loving folks who brought you Get Grandpa’s FBI File have just launched a sister site: Get My FBI File Dice: "La Libertad de Información amante de la gente que te Obtener Abuelo del FBI File acaban de lanzar una hermana sitio: Obtener Mi FBI File . This site helps you automatically generate the letters you need to send in to get your own FBI file … and while you’re at it, you can also get your NSA, CIA, DIA, DSS, Secret Service, etc. files too, just by checking a few boxes. Este sitio te ayuda a generar automáticamente las cartas que necesitas para enviar para obtener su propio archivo del FBI… y cuando lo hagan, también puede obtener su NSA, CIA, DIA, el Departamento de Servicios Sociales, el Servicio Secreto, etc archivos demasiado, sólo Por la lista varias cajas. If you throw in UnSecureFlight.Com, we’re getting perilously close to one-stop shopping for all your government security file needs.” Si lanzar en UnSecureFlight.Com, vamos a tener una peligrosamente cerca de ventanilla única para todas sus necesidades de archivo de seguridad del gobierno. "

See: Véase: http://www.getmyfbifile.com/ Http://www.getmyfbifile.com/ and Y http://www.getmyfbifile.com/form.php Http://www.getmyfbifile.com/form.php

The US National Security Agency now has the legal right to monitor some 38% of the world’s telephone, data and internet traffic without requiring a judicial warrant. By Los EE.UU. Agencia de Seguridad Nacional ahora tiene el derecho legal a controlar cerca del 38% de los países del teléfono, los datos y el tráfico de Internet sin necesidad de una orden judicial. Por Ian Grant Ian Grant

George W Bush signed the George W Bush firmó la relevant legislation Legislación pertinente last Sunday. El domingo pasado.

According to Según Telegeography Telegeography , a research firm that monitors telecommunications , Una firma de investigación que supervisa las telecomunicaciones traffic Tráfico flows, some 38% of the world’s total telecommunications traffic starts or finishes in the US. Corrientes, cerca del 38% del total mundial de tráfico de telecomunicaciones comienza o termina en los EE.UU.. This is down slightly from 43% in 2003. Se trata de bajar ligeramente, de 43% en 2003.

“In 2005 (the latest year for which we currently have voice traffic data), approximately 29% of non-US voice traffic transited through a US hub. "En 2005 (el último año para el cual tenemos una serie de datos sobre el tráfico de voz), aproximadamente el 29% de los no-US tráfico de voz en tránsito a través de un centro de EE.UU.. This is up noticeably from the 20% share in 2002,” said Tim Stronge, a Telegeography spokesman. Esto es hasta notablemente desde el 20% en 2002 ", dijo Tim Stronge, un portavoz Telegeography.

“This only includes traditional, circuit-switched international voice traffic. "Esto sólo incluye tradicional, conmutación de circuitos internacionales de tráfico de voz. If one includes voice traffic carried as Voice-over-IP (VoIP), the number would likely be around 33%,” he added. Si se incluye el tráfico de voz se lleva como Voz sobre IP (VoIP), el número sería probablemente en torno a un 33% ", añadió.

Stronge said his firm does not collect data on Stronge dijo que su empresa no recopila datos sobre satellite Por satélite traffic, but said no more than 1% or 2% of telecoms traffic went over satellite links. Tráfico, pero dijo que no más del 1% o el 2% del tráfico de telecomunicaciones pasó más de enlaces por satélite.

“Fibre-optic network infrastructure is, bit-for-bit, far cheaper than "Fibra óptica es la infraestructura de la red, el bit-por-bit, mucho más barato que satellites Satélites , and is the dominant medium for international telecommunications,” he said. , Y es el medio dominante de las telecomunicaciones internacionales ", dijo.

“Taking into account that not all satellite constellations are US-owned, my guess is that less than 1% of the world’s international traffic transits over US-owned satellites.” "Teniendo en cuenta que no todas las constelaciones de satélites son de propiedad, es mi supongo que menos del 1% de los países del tráfico internacional tránsitos más de US-propiedad de los satélites".

MYTH: This is merely a “terrorist surveillance program.” MITO: Esto no es más que un "programa de vigilancia terrorista".
REALITY: When there is evidence a person may be a terrorist, both the criminal code and intelligence laws already authorize eavesdropping. REALIDAD: Cuando hay pruebas de una persona puede ser un terrorista, tanto el Código Penal y las leyes de inteligencia ya autorizar las escuchas. This illegal program, however, allows electronic monitoring without any showing to a court that the person being spied upon in this country is a suspected terrorist. Este programa ilegal, sin embargo, permite que sin ningún tipo de vigilancia electrónica que muestra a un tribunal que la persona que está siendo espiado en este país es un sospechoso de terrorismo.

MYTH: The program is legal. MITO: El programa es legal.
REALITY: The program violates the Fourth Amendment and Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) and will chill free speech. REALIDAD: El programa viola la Cuarta Enmienda y de la Ley de Vigilancia de Inteligencia Exterior (FISA), y se enfríe la libertad de expresión.

MYTH: The Authorization for the Use of Military Force (AUMF) allows this. MITO: La Autorización para el Uso de Fuerza Militar (AUMF) permite esto.
REALITY: The resolution about using force in Afghanistan doesn’t mention wiretaps and doesn’t apply domestically, but FISA does–it requires a court order. REALIDAD: La resolución sobre el uso de la fuerza en Afganistán no menciona escuchas telefónicas y no se aplica a nivel nacional, pero ¿FISA-se requiere una orden judicial.

MYTH: The president has authority as commander in chief of the military to spy on Americans without any court oversight. MITO: El presidente tiene autoridad como comandante en jefe de los militares a espiar a los estadounidenses sin ningún tipo de supervisión judicial.
REALITY: The Supreme Court recently found the administration’s claim of unlimited commander in chief powers during war to be an unacceptable effort to “condense power into a single branch of government,” contrary to the Constitution’s checks and balances. REALIDAD: El Tribunal Supremo descubrió recientemente que la administración de la reclamación de ilimitadas facultades comandante en jefe durante la guerra de ser un inaceptable intento de "poder condensar en una sola rama de gobierno," en contra de la Constitución de controles y equilibrios.

MYTH: The president has the power to say what the law is. MITO: El presidente tiene el poder de decir lo que la ley es.
REALITY: The courts have this power under our system of government, and no person is above the law, not even the president, or the rule of law means nothing. REALIDAD: Los tribunales tienen este poder en virtud de nuestro sistema de gobierno, y ninguna persona está por encima de la ley, ni siquiera el presidente, o el imperio de la ley no significa nada.

MYTH: These warrantless wiretaps could never happen to you. MITO: Las escuchas telefónicas sin mandamiento nunca podría sucederle a usted.
REALITY: Without court oversight, there is no way to ensure innocent people’s everyday communications are not monitored or catalogued by the NSA or other agencies. REALIDAD: Sin corte de supervisión, no hay forma de asegurar a personas inocentes cotidiana de las comunicaciones no se supervisan o catalogado por la NSA o de otros organismos.

MYTH: This illegal program could have prevented the 9/11 attacks. MITO: Este programa ilegal podría haber impedido el 9 / 11 ataques.
REALITY: This is utter manipulation. REALIDAD: Esto es absoluta manipulación. Before 9/11, the federal government had gathered intelligence, without illegal NSA spying, about the looming attacks and at least two of the terrorists who perpetrated them, but failed to act. Antes de 9 / 11, el gobierno federal se habían reunido inteligencia, la NSA espiar sin ilegal, sobre la amenaza de ataques y al menos dos de los terroristas que perpetraron ellos, pero no actuaron.

MYTH: This illegal program has saved thousands of lives. MITO: Este programa ilegal ha salvado miles de vidas.
REALITY: Because the program is secret the administration can assert anything it wants and then claim the need for secrecy excuses its failure to document these claims, let alone reveal all the times the program distracted intelligence agents with dead ends that wasted resources and trampled individual rights. REALIDAD: Debido a que el programa secreto de la administración se puede afirmar cualquier cosa que desee y, a continuación, reclamar la necesidad de que el secreto de su fracaso excusas para documentar estas reclamaciones, y mucho menos revelar todas las veces que el programa distraído agentes de la inteligencia con que termina muerto desperdicio de recursos y pisoteado los derechos de la persona .

MYTH: FISA takes too long. MITO: FISA toma demasiado tiempo.
REALITY: FISA allows wiretaps to begin immediately in emergencies, with three days afterward to go to court. REALIDAD: FISA permite escuchas telefónicas para comenzar de inmediato en casos de emergencia, con tres días después de acudir a los tribunales. Even without an emergency, FISA orders can be approved very quickly and FISA judges are available at all hours. Incluso sin una emergencia, FISA órdenes puede ser aprobada muy rápidamente y FISA jueces están disponibles a todas horas.

MYTH: Only liberals disagree with the president about the program. MITO: Sólo los liberales en desacuerdo con el presidente sobre el programa.
REALITY: The serious concerns that have been raised transcend party labels and reflect genuine and widespread worries about the lack of checks on the president’s claim of unlimited power to illegally spy on Americans without any independent oversight. REALIDAD: Las graves preocupaciones que se han planteado más allá de las etiquetas y reflejar parte genuina y extendida preocupación por la falta de controles sobre el presidente de la reclamación de ilimitado poder para espiar a los estadounidenses ilegalmente sin ningún tipo de supervisión independiente.

(Download a printable version of the (Descargue una versión imprimible de la full ACLU report ACLU informe completo . Download a printable version of this Descargue una versión imprimible de este summary Resumen .)

By Por Ryan Singel Ryan Singel

The Bush Administration’s hard press for emergency wiretapping powers from Congress before the August break now has an explanation: a secret court decided several months ago that at least one portion of the NSA wiretapping program is illegal, according to La Administración de Bush difícil de prensa las escuchas telefónicas de emergencia para los poderes del Congreso antes de agosto de romper ahora tiene una explicación: un secreto tribunal decidió hace varios meses que por lo menos una parte de la NSA programa de escuchas telefónicas es ilegal, de acuerdo con MSNBC Newsweek.  That program operated for four years without court supervision, until the Administration bowed to public pressure in January 2007 and allowed the secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to review it. Newsweek. Ese programa funcionó durante cuatro años sin control judicial, hasta que la Administración cedido a la presión de la opinión pública en enero de 2007 y permitió la secreta Corte de Vigilancia de Inteligencia Exterior de revisarlo.

In short, prior to the Patriot Act passage, the Administration launched a series of secret, warrantless wiretapping operations, which included snooping on Americans and wholesale data mining of innocent Americans’ communications records (the latter only according to press reports).  The Administration believes it can do this surveillance since it is a King in wartime and thus never asked Congress to make any of this legal in the Patriot Act for fear it would be turned down. En resumen, antes de la Ley Patriota paso, la Administración puso en marcha una serie de secretos, operaciones de escuchas telefónicas sin mandamiento, que incluye el snooping americanos y minería de datos por mayor de norteamericanos inocentes' registros de las comunicaciones (este último sólo de acuerdo con informes de la prensa). La Administración considera Que puede hacer esta vigilancia, ya que es un Rey en tiempo de guerra y, por consiguiente, nunca preguntó Congreso a hacer nada de esto legal en la Ley Patriota por temor a que sería rechazado.

Years later, a part of this secret surveillance is revealed by the New York Times .  After a year of criticism and revelations, the Administration agrees to let a super-secret and very compliant court oversee the program using some very super secret, and legally dubious program warrants.  A few months later, a judge from this court finds portions of the program illegal. Años más tarde, una parte de esta vigilancia secreta es revelado por el New York Times. Después de un año de críticas y revelaciones, la Administración está de acuerdo en dejar a un super-secreto y muy compatible tribunal supervisar el programa usando algunos muy super secreta, y jurídicamente dudosas Programa justifica. Pocos meses después, un juez de este tribunal considera porciones de programas ilegales. The administration refuses to make this decision public. La administración se niega a hacer pública esta decisión. Instead, it goes on offense and says it needs the power to wiretap anyone overseas including Americans. En lugar de ello, va en ofensa y dice que necesita el poder de wiretap cualquiera de ultramar incluidos los estadounidenses. A Republican Congressman accidentally leaks the a hint of the decision on Fox News, while saying that Democrats are putting the country at risk.  Newsweek’s Michael Isikoff and Mark Hosenball (published on MSNBC.com) followed up with Un congresista republicano accidentalmente fugas de la una pista de la decisión de Fox News, diciendo que mientras que los Demócratas están poniendo al país en situación de riesgo. Newsweek Michael Isikoff y Mark Hosenball (publicado en MSNBC.com) seguido de good reporting Buena presentación de informes .

The order by a judge on the top-secret Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act court has never been publicly acknowledged by administration officials—and the details of it (including the identity of the judge who wrote it) remain highly classified. El orden de un juez en la parte superior-en secreto la Ley de Vigilancia de Inteligencia Exterior tribunal nunca ha sido reconocido públicamente por los funcionarios de la administración-y los detalles del mismo (incluida la identidad del juez que la escribió) siguen siendo altamente clasificada. But the judge, in an order several months ago, apparently concluded that the administration had overstepped its legal authorities in conducting warrantless eavesdropping even under the scaled-back surveillance program that the White House first agreed to permit the FISA court to review earlier this year, said one lawyer who has been briefed on the order but who asked not to be publicly identified because of its sensitivity. Pero el juez, en un orden hace varios meses, al parecer llegó a la conclusión de que la administración se ha excedido de sus atribuciones legales en la realización de escuchas sin mandamiento incluso en la escala de nuevo programa de vigilancia que el primero de acuerdo en la Casa Blanca a permitir la FISA tribunal a revisar a principios de este año, Dijo un abogado que ha sido informado de la orden, pero que pidió no ser identificado públicamente debido a su sensibilidad.

Now, we know why there’s an Ahora, sabemos por qué hay una intelligence gap Inteligencia brecha . Democrats afraid of looking soft on terrorism are now at work to give more spying power to the government to fill the Demócratas miedo de mirar suave sobre el terrorismo están ahora en el trabajo de espionaje para dar más poder al gobierno para llenar las mineshaft gap Mineshaft brecha .

Once again: a secret court judge found that the Bush Administration’s formerly warrantless wiretapping program was illegal. Una vez más: un secreto juez de la corte determinó que la Administración Bush del programa de escuchas telefónicas sin mandamiento que antes era ilegal.

And that was the program AFTER it was scaled down in March 2004 after Justice Department officials revolted.  I wonder what judges would have made of the earlier program — the one so bad that then-Attorney General John Ashcroft was ready to resign. Y es que el programa DESPUÉS se redujo en marzo de 2004, tras el Departamento de Justicia de los funcionarios se rebelaron. Me pregunto qué han hecho los jueces de la anterior programa - una tan mala que el entonces Fiscal General John Ashcroft, estaba dispuesto a dimitir.

If there’s an intelligence gap, and I’m not sure there is, it’s only due to the Administration’s hubris. Si hay una brecha de inteligencia, y no estoy seguro de que existe, es sólo debido a la arrogancia de la Administración.

Reuters

The Bush administration’s top intelligence official has acknowledged that a controversial domestic surveillance program was only one part of a much broader spying effort, The Washington Post reported in its Wednesday edition. La administración Bush oficiales de inteligencia superior ha reconocido que un controvertido programa de vigilancia interna es sólo una parte de un esfuerzo mucho más amplio de espionaje, The Washington Post informó en su edición de Miércoles.

Director of National Intelligence Mike McConnell wrote in a letter that other aspects of the National Security Agency’s domestic spying program remain classified, the Post said. Director de Inteligencia Nacional Mike McConnell escribió en una carta que otros aspectos de la Agencia Nacional de Seguridad del programa de espionaje interno continúan siendo material clasificado, dijo el Post.

“That is the only aspect of the NSA activities that can be discussed publicly because it is the only aspect of those various activities whose existence has been officially acknowledged,” McConnell wrote, according to the Post. "Ese es el único aspecto de la NSA actividades que se pueden discutir en público porque es el único aspecto de las diversas actividades cuya existencia ha sido oficialmente reconocido", escribió McConnell, de acuerdo con el Post.

Bush acknowledged the existence of a program that monitored domestic phone calls and e-mails without court oversight in December 2005. Bush reconoció la existencia de un programa que supervisó llamadas telefónicas internas y mensajes de correo electrónico sin supervisión judicial, en diciembre de 2005. The administration has not confirmed other secret spying efforts reported by news outlets, such as one that searched millions of telephone records. La administración no ha confirmado otras actividades de espionaje secreto de noticias informó de los puntos de venta, como los que buscaron millones de registros telefónicos.

Bush signed an executive order that authorized “a number of … intelligence activities” following the hijacking attacks of September 11, 2001, McConnell wrote. Bush firmó una orden ejecutiva que autoriza "… una serie de actividades de inteligencia" tras el secuestro de los ataques del 11 de septiembre de 2001, McConnell escribió.

The warrantless wiretapping program was put under court supervision in January but the administration now wants Congress to allow it to do many of the same activities without a court order. El programa de escuchas telefónicas sin mandamiento fue puesto bajo control judicial en enero, pero la administración quiere ahora el Congreso a fin de que pueda hacer muchas de las mismas actividades sin una orden judicial.

The letter was sent on Tuesday to Pennsylvania Sen. Arlen Specter, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. La carta fue enviada el martes al senador de Pensilvania Arlen Specter, republicano en la parte superior del Comité Judicial del Senado.

The letter was written to defend Attorney General Alberto La carta fue escrita para defender Fiscal General Alberto

Gonzales, who has been under attack over his testimony to Congress about the warrantless spying program, the Post said. Gonzales, quien ha sido objeto de ataques durante su testimonio ante el Congreso sobre el programa de espionaje sin mandamiento, dice el Post.

A House committee is requesting Justice Department documents on a data-mining project that identified the senders and recipients of calls and e-mails intercepted via the National Security Agency’s eavesdropping program. Un comité de la Casa está solicitando el Departamento de Justicia de los documentos publicados en un proyecto de minería de datos que identifican los remitentes y los destinatarios de las llamadas y mensajes de correo electrónico interceptados a través de la Agencia Nacional de Seguridad del programa de escuchas ilegales.

In a Monday letter, Rep. John Conyers, chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, asked Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to hand over “all opinions, memoranda and background materials, as well as any dissenting views, materials, and opinions” about the data-mining program. En una carta Lunes, Rep John Conyers, presidente del Comité Judicial de la Cámara, pidió el Fiscal General Alberto Gonzales a entregar "todas las opiniones, y memorandos de antecedentes, así como las opiniones, materiales, y opiniones" acerca de los datos - Programa de la minería.

While the Bush administration has acknowledged OK’ing the controversial program in which the government wiretapped phone calls without obtaining a warrant, it has remained mum on whether it authorized the NSA to use computers to sift through databases to identify who participated in intercepted communications. Aunque la administración Bush ha reconocido OK'ing el polémico programa en el que el gobierno wiretapped llamadas telefónicas sin obtener una orden judicial, que se ha mantenido acerca de si la mamá, autorizó a la NSA a utilizar los ordenadores para manejarse con bases de datos para identificar que participaron en comunicaciones interceptadas. (The computers reportedly do not identify the contents of the communications.) (Las computadoras informa, no se identifican los contenidos de las comunicaciones.)

Critics have said the surveillance program violates a 1978 act requiring a special court’s approval before eavesdropping on communications in intelligence cases. Los críticos han dicho el programa de vigilancia de 1978 viola un acto que requiere un tribunal especial antes de la aprobación de espiar en las comunicaciones en casos de inteligencia.

In his letter, Conyers wrote that his committee is considering changes to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act and therefore must be “fully apprised of these controversial, and possibly unlawful, programs.” En su carta, Conyers escribió que su comité está considerando la posibilidad de cambios a la Ley de Vigilancia de Inteligencia Exterior y por lo tanto debe ser "plenamente informados de estas controvertidas, y posiblemente ilegales, programas".

The Michigan Democrat continued, “It is difficult to craft appropriate legislative responses unless we have all of the relevant facts concerning these programs.” El demócrata de Michigan continuó, "Es difícil embarcaciones adecuadas respuestas legislativas a menos de contar con todos los hechos pertinentes relativos a estos programas."

The embattled Gonzales is at the center of the controversy and is presently defending himself against allegations that he lied to Congress about a dispute between the White House and El asediado Gonzales está en el centro de la polémica, y hoy se encuentra a sí mismo en contra de la defensa de las acusaciones de que él mintió al Congreso acerca de una disputa entre la Casa Blanca y Justice Department Departamento de Justicia over the eavesdropping program’s legality. Sobre la legalidad del programa de escuchas ilegales.

Gonzales has denied there was any significant dissent over the program in the Justice Department, but former Deputy Attorney General James Comey and FBI Director Robert Mueller have indicated otherwise. Gonzales ha negado hay alguna disidencia importante durante la duración del programa en el Departamento de Justicia, pero el ex Fiscal General Adjunto James Comey y el Director del FBI Robert Mueller han indicado lo contrario.

At issue is a 2004 late-night hospital visit to then-Attorney General John Ashcroft, which Gonzales claims did not involve discussion of “the terrorist surveillance program that the president announced to the American people.” Mueller testified last week that Ashcroft told him it did involve the program. En 2004 es una cuestión tarde-noche visita al hospital entonces Fiscal General John Ashcroft, Gonzales reclamaciones que no implicaban la discusión de "el programa de vigilancia de terroristas, que el presidente anunció al pueblo americano". Mueller testificaron la semana pasada que Ashcroft le dijo que Suponían el programa.

A former government official familiar with the program said over the weekend that the dispute was so contentious some officials, including Comey, threatened to resign from the administration in protest. Un ex funcionario del gobierno familiarizados con el programa durante el fin de semana dijo que la controversia fue tan polémico algunos funcionarios, incluyendo Comey, amenazó con dimitir de la administración en la protesta.

Last week, Gonzales told a Senate committee that the dispute involved “other intelligence activities,” which he declined to discuss. La semana pasada, Gonzales le dijo a un comité del Senado que la controversia se trate "otras actividades de inteligencia", que se negó a debatir. The former government official said that the dispute centered on data mining, not eavesdropping. El ex funcionario del gobierno dijo que la controversia se centró en la minería de datos, no escucha.

Gonzales will lean heavily on this distinction as he defends himself against perjury charges. Gonzáles magra en gran medida de esta distinción como él defiende a sí mismo contra el perjurio cargos.

Democrats, however, say it doesn’t matter because the data-mining project was a facet of the NSA eavesdropping program. Los demócratas, sin embargo, dicen que no importa, porque el proyecto de minería de datos es una de las facetas de la NSA espiar programa. Also, the former government official who confirmed the existence of the data-mining program has said Gonzales “may have been splitting hairs.” Asimismo, el ex funcionario del gobierno que confirmó la existencia de la minería de datos ha dicho programa Gonzales "puede haber sido la división de pelos".

In his letter to Gonzales, Conyers questioned whether the White House leaked classified information about the data-mining program “to rehabilitate previous controversial testimony by you.” Conyers further said that the Judiciary Committee wants to know if the Justice Department knew about the leaks or authorized them. En su carta a Gonzales, Conyers se preguntó si la Casa Blanca filtró información clasificada sobre el programa de data-mining "para rehabilitar a los anteriores controvertido testimonio por ti". Conyers luego dijo que el Comité Judicial quiere saber si el Departamento de Justicia sabía de la fuga o Autorizados.

National Intelligence Director Mike McConnell and other top administration officials briefed a group of lawmakers on the issue Monday. Director Nacional de Inteligencia Mike McConnell y otros altos funcionarios de la administración informó a un grupo de legisladores sobre el tema el lunes. Gonzales’ testimony was discussed during that session, said Sen. Arlen Specter, the ranking Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Gonzales' testimonio se examinó durante ese período de sesiones, dijo el senador Arlen Specter, republicano en el ranking el Comité Jurídico del Senado.

Specter added that the Bush administration has agreed to address the matter in writing by noon Tuesday, but the senator would not disclose what else was discussed during the 80-minute briefing, nor would he divulge which lawmakers were in attendance. Specter añadió que la administración Bush se ha comprometido a abordar el asunto por escrito antes del mediodía martes, pero el senador no revelar qué más se debatió durante los 80 minutos de exposición, ni que divulgar los legisladores que estuvieron presentes.

The White House is “preparing” the letter requested by Specter, spokesman Tony Snow said Tuesday. La Casa Blanca es "preparar" la carta solicitada por Specter, portavoz Tony Snow dijo el martes. He would not comment on the noon deadline or the letter’s contents but said it would be delivered Tuesday. El orador no comentar sobre la fecha límite del mediodía o el contenido de la carta, pero dijo que sería emitido el martes.

President Bush acknowledged the El Presidente Bush reconoció la NSA NSA eavesdropping program in December 2005 and defended it as a vital counterterrorism tool. Programa de escuchas ilegales en diciembre de 2005 y defendido como una herramienta vital la lucha contra el terrorismo. The program was authorized to intercept communications coming into or out of the United States involving people suspected of having links to al Qaeda, Bush said. El programa fue autorizado a interceptar las comunicaciones entre en o fuera de los Estados Unidos la participación de las personas sospechosas de tener vínculos con al Qaeda, dijo Bush.

But the administration has not acknowledged using computers to identify who sent or received millions of Americans’ phone calls and e-mails. Sin embargo, la administración no ha reconocido utilizar para identificar los ordenadores que envían o reciben a millones de americanos' llamadas telefónicas y mensajes de correo electrónico.

Gonzales’ disputed statements — coupled with an ongoing controversy over the allegedly political dismissals of eight US attorneys last year — have sparked bipartisan calls for the attorney general’s resignation or ouster. Gonzales' en disputa estados - junto con una controversia sobre la supuesta política de despido de ocho abogados de EE.UU. el año pasado - han despertado bipartidista pide que el fiscal general de la dimisión o destitución.

One Republican, Rep. Christopher Shays of Connecticut, said Gonzales doesn’t have much credibility “and he would do us all a favor if he stepped down and allowed the president to select someone else.” Un republicano, Rep Christopher Shays de Connecticut, dijo Gonzales no tiene mucha credibilidad "y que haría un favor a todos si él renunció y el presidente permitió seleccionar a otra persona."

Last week, four Democratic senators called for the appointment of a special prosecutor to determine if La semana pasada, cuatro senadores Democrática pidió la designación de un fiscal especial para determinar si Gonzales Gonzales has committed perjury. Ha cometido perjurio.

But the president has stood by his longtime ally, who has been alongside him since 1995, during Bush’s days as Texas governor. Pero el presidente se ha destacado por su aliado de mucho tiempo, quien ha estado a su lado desde 1995, durante los días de Bush como gobernador de Texas. Vice President Dick Cheney also has run to Gonzales’ defense.

“I think Al has done a good job under difficult circumstances,” Cheney told CBS Radio on Monday. “The debate between he and the Senate is something they’re going to have to resolve, but I think he has testified truthfully.”

Cheney said he disagreed with Specter, who called Sunday for Gonzales to step down.

“I think the key is whether or not [Gonzales] has the confidence of the president, and he clearly does,” Cheney said.

© 2007 Cable News Network

by Adam Thomas

US President George W. Bush today asked for more powers to wiretap without warrants, in effect retroactively legalizing the unlawful National Security Agency wiretapping , which the President ordered in 2002.

The NSA wiretapping order is illegal under the terms of the The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, but Bush administration, led by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, has proposed a Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2008 that would make President’s actions retroactively legal.

In his weekly radio, address Bush told Americans that he needs these powers to stop terrorist network that struck America on September the 11th wants to strike US again.

“To stop them, our military, law enforcement, and intelligence professionals need the best possible information about who the terrorists are, where they are, and what they are planning,” the President said. “One of the most important ways we can gather that information is by monitoring terrorist communications.”

Bush claimed that the current statute is two old to be relevant and called for a “modernization” of the Act.

“Our intelligence community warns that under the current statute, we are missing a significant amount of foreign intelligence that we should be collecting to protect our country,” he said. “Congress needs to act immediately to pass this bill, so that our national security professionals can close intelligence gaps and provide critical warning time for our country.”

Civil rights groups including American Civil Liberties Union and Electronic Frontier Foundation have criticized President Bush’s statements claiming that he is using the word “modernize” to describe the removal of safeguards found in the FISA.

“It takes an enormous amount of hubris to ask for more power on the heels of revelations that the President tried to go around his own attorney general on his NSA domestic electronic eavesdropping program,” Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the Washington Legislative Office of the American Civil Liberties Union said. “It takes an enormous amount of hubris to ask for more power on the heels of revelations that the President tried to go around his own attorney general on his NSA domestic electronic eavesdropping program,” Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the Washington Legislative Office of the American Civil Liberties Union said. “The already-shaky legal ground on which this domestic spying program stood is crumbling beneath those who defend it.”

The group pointed out the hidden provision in the bill that grants total immunity against criminal and civil liability for the telecom companies’ participation in the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping program.

“It is unprecedented and undemocratic to give retroactive and sweeping immunity to an entire industry,” Fredrickson added. “Not to mention, giving blanket immunity before a full and public airing of the facts.”

ACLU called on the Congress to stand firm against the Executive Branch’s unconstitutional actions.

“This is not the time to hand even more power to an administration that has permitted the wholesale abuse of civil liberties; has denied the legislative branch’s constitutionally mandated oversight role and refused to hold the attorney general accountable for a series of conflicting claims that defy logic, the law and common sense,” Fredrickson said. “This is not the time to hand even more power to an administration that has permitted the wholesale abuse of civil liberties; has denied the legislative branch’s constitutionally mandated oversight role and refused to hold the attorney general accountable for a series of conflicting claims that defy logic, the law and common sense,” Fredrickson said. “The only thing more outrageous than the administration’s call for even more unfettered power is a Congress that would consider giving it to them.”

By Por SCOTT SHANE and Y DAVID JOHNSTON

A 2004 dispute over the National Security Agency ’s secret surveillance program that led top Justice Department officials to threaten resignation involved computer searches through massive electronic databases, according to current and former officials briefed on the program.

It is not known precisely why searching the databases, or data mining, raised such a furious legal debate. But such databases contain records of the phone calls and e-mail messages of millions of Americans, and their examination by the government would raise privacy issues.

The NSA’s data mining has previously been reported. But the disclosure that concerns about it figured in the March 2004 debate helps to clarify the clash this week between Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and senators who accused him of misleading Congress and called for a perjury investigation.

The confrontation in 2004 led to a showdown in the hospital room of then Attorney General John Ashcroft , where Mr. Gonzales, the White House counsel at the time, and Andrew H. Card Jr. , then the White House chief of staff, tried to get the ailing Mr. Ashcroft to reauthorize the NSA program.

Mr. Gonzales insisted before the Senate this week that the 2004 dispute did not involve the Terrorist Surveillance Program “confirmed” by President Bush, who has acknowledged eavesdropping without warrants but has never acknowledged the data mining.

If the dispute chiefly involved data mining, rather than eavesdropping, Mr. Gonzales’ defenders may maintain that his narrowly crafted answers, while legalistic, were technically correct.

But members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, who have been briefed on the program, called the testimony deceptive.

“I’ve had the opportunity to review the classified matters at issue here, and I believe that his testimony was misleading at best,” said Senator Russ Feingold , Democrat of Wisconsin, joining three other Democrats in calling Thursday for a perjury investigation of Mr. Gonzales.

“This has gone on long enough,” Mr. Feingold said. “It is time for a special counsel to investigate whether criminal charges should be brought.”

The senators’ comments, along with those of other members of Congress briefed on the program, suggested that they considered the eavesdropping and data mining so closely tied that they were part of a single program. Both activities, which ordinarily require warrants, were started without court approval as the Bush administration intensified counterterrorism efforts soon after the Sept. 11 attacks.

A half-dozen officials and former officials interviewed for this article would speak only on the condition of anonymity, in part because unauthorized disclosures about the classified program are already the subject of a criminal investigation. Some of the officials said the 2004 dispute involved other issues in addition to the data mining, but would not provide details. They would not say whether the differences were over how the databases were searched or how the resulting information was used.

Nor would they explain what modifications to the surveillance program President Bush authorized to head off the threatened resignations by Justice Department officials.

An agency spokesman declined to comment on the data mining issue but referred a reporter to a statement issued earlier that Mr. Gonzales had testified truthfully.

The Justice Department announced in January that eavesdropping without warrants under the Terrorist Surveillance Program had been halted, and that a special intelligence court was again overseeing the wiretapping. The NSA, the nation’s largest intelligence agency, generally eavesdrops on communications in foreign countries. Since the 1978 passage of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, known as FISA, any eavesdropping to gather intelligence on American soil has required a warrant from the special court.

In addition, court approval is required for the NSA to search the databases of telephone calls or e-mail records, usually compiled by American phone and Internet companies and including phone numbers or e-mail addresses, as well as dates, times and duration of calls and messages. In addition, court approval is required for the NSA to search the databases of telephone calls or e-mail records, usually compiled by American phone and Internet companies and including phone numbers or e-mail addresses, as well as dates, times and duration of calls and messages. Sometimes called metadata, such databases do not include the content of the calls and e-mail messages — the actual words spoken or written.

Government examination of the records, which allows intelligence analysts to trace relationships between callers and identify possible terrorist cells, is considered less intrusive than actual eavesdropping. But the NSA’s eavesdropping targeted international calls and e-mail messages of people inside the United States, while the databases contain primarily domestic records. The conflict in 2004 appears to have turned on differing interpretations of the president’s power to bypass the FISA law and obtain access to the records.

President Bush has asserted that both his constitutional powers as commander in chief and the authorization for the use of military force passed by Congress after the Sept. 11 attacks gave him legal justification for skirting the warrant requirement. Critics have called the surveillance illegal because it does not comply with the FISA law.

The first known assertion by administration officials that there had been no serious disagreement within the government about the legality of the NSA program came in talks with New York Times editors in 2004. In an effort to persuade the editors not to disclose the eavesdropping program, senior officials repeatedly cited the lack of dissent as evidence of the program’s lawfulness.

In December 2005, The Times published articles describing the program, the data mining and the internal legal debate. The newspaper reported that the NSA had combed large volumes of telephone and Internet traffic in search of patterns that might point to terrorism suspects.

Civil liberties groups, Congressional Democrats and some Republicans reacted to the disclosures with outrage, accusing the administration of operating an illegal surveillance program inside the United States. The uproar grew when USA Today reported in May 2006 more details of the NSA’s acquisition from telephone companies of the phone call databases. In response to the articles, Mr. Bush confirmed the eavesdropping, saying it was limited to communications in and out of the United States involving people suspected of ties to Al Qaeda . He did not, however, confirm the data mining, nor has any other official done so publicly.

Mr. Gonzales defended the surveillance in an appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee in February 2006, saying there had been no internal dispute about its legality. He told the senators: “There has not been any serious disagreement about the program that the president has confirmed. There have been disagreements about other matters regarding operations, which I cannot get into.”

By limiting his remarks to “the program the president has confirmed,” Mr. Gonzales skirted any acknowledgment of the heated arguments over the data mining. He said the Justice Department had issued a legal analysis justifying the eavesdropping program.

Mr. Bush and other officials also have repeatedly cited Justice Department reviews as evidence of their care in overseeing the program, never mentioning the bitter conflict that unfolded behind the scenes.

Mr. Gonzales’s 2006 testimony went unchallenged publicly until May of this year, when James B. Comey , the former deputy attorney general, described the March 2004 confrontation to the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Mr. Comey had refused to sign a reauthorization for the NSA program when he was standing in for Mr. Ashcroft, who was hospitalized for gall bladder surgery.

Mr. Comey described an intense fight that prompted the top leaders of the Justice Department to consider resigning in protest. Mr. Gonzales and Mr. Card visited the bedside of Mr. Ashcroft, who was in pain and under sedation, to seek his signature on the reauthorization.

Mr. Ashcroft refused to do so. Mr. Comey testified that he thought the White House officials were trying to take advantage of a sick man.

On Tuesday, to respond to Mr. Comey’s account, Mr. Gonzales testified in a Senate appearance that he went to the hospital only after meeting with Congressional leaders about the impending deadline for the reauthorization. He said the consensus was that the program should go on, so he felt he had no choice but to seek Mr. Ashcroft’s approval.

At the hearing, Mr. Gonzales faced harsh questioning about why he had not previously acknowledged the 2004 standoff. In response, he asserted once again that there had not been disagreements about the surveillance program, insisting that the dispute involved “other intelligence activities.”

After the hearing, Senator Patrick J. Leahy , Democrat of Vermont and chairman of the Judiciary Committee, sent Mr. Gonzales a transcript of his testimony with pointed instructions — to “correct, clarify or supplement your answers so that, consistent with your oath, they are the whole truth.”

UPI

A US bipartisan group Wednesday said the National Security Agency’s warrantless surveillance program is illegal.

The Liberty and Security Committee of the Constitution Project said in a statement that the US Congress should finish its probe into the warrantless surveillance program before it heeds the urging of the Bush administration to beef up laws on electronic surveillance.

Those signing the statement included: David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union; Walter Cronkite, former managing editor of CBS Evening News; former Rep. Mickey Edwards, R-Okla., the chairman of the Republican Party Policy Committee; Harold Koh, dean of Yale Law School; and William S. Sessions, former FBI director under Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton. Those signing the statement included: David Keene, chairman of the American Conservative Union; Walter Cronkite, former managing editor of CBS Evening News; former Rep. Mickey Edwards, R-Okla., the chairman of the Republican Party Policy Committee; Harold Koh, dean of Yale Law School; and William S. Sessions, former FBI director under Presidents Reagan, Bush and Clinton.

“The NSA’s warrantless surveillance program has stood for too long as an affront to America’s rule of law,” said Keene, a co-chair of the Constitution Project’s Liberty and Security Committee. “The American people deserve to know why and to what extent the NSA has been tapping Americans’ phones without a warrant.”

The committee said the administration’s surveillance program “upends separate, balanced powers by thwarting the will of Congress and preventing any opportunity for judicial review.

“Congress should be applauded for taking steps to uncover the truth about the spying program,” said Sharon Bradford Franklin, senior counsel at the Constitution Project. “Congress must complete its investigation before considering any changes to the law governing electronic surveillance.”

The statement was published one week after a deadline for the White House and the Department of Justice to comply with Senate Judiciary Committee subpoenas to provide documents about the NSA’s domestic surveillance program. The White House has asked for and been given an extension on the deadline.

By Por Ryan Singel

Dems want to know more about the NSA’s secret warrantless eavesdropping on Americans. They drop a subpoena on Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and President Bush. Both claim the documents are protected by executive privilege or too classified. This is a very likely future scenario and presumably its one the Administration is attempting to head off with its call yesterday for Congress to explicitly legalize the program.

But what happens next? That’s what Jeffrey Rosen (author of The Unwanted Gaze: The Destruction of Privacy in America ) asks over the New Republic today (reg. req.) The surprising and not so-surprising conclusion: well, someone could end up in the little known jail inside Congress and the government mired in a Constitutional battle.

Restraint, however, may not be enough to prevent a constitutional confrontation that could make Monicagate look tame. That’s because any conflict could escalate quickly when the White House, invoking its radical theory of unilateral executive authority, refuses to cooperate with Democratic investigations. Congress may then hold the White House officials in contempt, setting up legal battles that could make their way to the Supreme Court while paralyzing the government in the process. […]

The Judiciary Committee, followed by the full House, votes to hold Gonzales in contempt of Congress–a federal crime with a punishment of up to a year in prison. After Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, certifies the contempt citation, she then forwards it along to the US attorney for the District of Columbia, demanding that he haul Gonzales before a grand jury. […]

Regardless of how the Supreme Court ruled in Conyers v. Gonzales (ed. note: the hypothetical case where Rep. John Conyers issued the subpoena), there would be subsidiary legal battles raging for months as the contempt case made its way up to the Supreme Court. Regardless of how the Supreme Court ruled in Conyers v. Gonzales (ed. note: the hypothetical case where Rep. John Conyers issued the subpoena), there would be subsidiary legal battles raging for months as the contempt case made its way up to the Supreme Court. Democrats and Republicans would fight about whether to force Gonzales to testify by granting him the necessary immunity–immunity grants require a two-thirds vote by the relevant committee–and the scope of his immunity might provoke lawsuits of its own. All these fires would be raging from a single investigation into the NSA scandal. At the same time, a series of related battles and lawsuits might be erupting from parallel investigations into Iraq war intelligence, Halliburton cronyism, and the misuse of presidential signing statements.

The more I think about it the more I think Rosen might be right. The question then becomes how far will the new Democratic leadership go to hold back investigations, because despite the election results, I don’t believe the administration is going to change its stance on secrecy and executive power.

All I know is that I need to get my typing fingers in shape real soon to keep up.

By Ryan Singel

The government’s surveillance of two attorneys challenging the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping of Americans took place partly during a period in which the top secret program operated without the approval of the Bush administration’s own Justice Department, according to a newly filed court document. The government’s surveillance of two attorneys challenging the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping of Americans took place partly during a period in which the top secret program operated without the approval of the Bush administration’s own Justice Department, according to a newly filed court document .

The lawsuit, known as al-Haramain vs. United States , is the only one of more than 50 challenges to the program where the plaintiffs claim to have proof that they were the targets of the warrantless spying, based on a top secret document that had been briefly provided to them in a government paperwork snafu.

For that reason, the lawsuit was already seen as the most resistant to government efforts to protect the program. The allegation that some of the surveillance took place when the program wasn’t authorized by the Justice Department may further complicate the government’s defense.

“Part of our surveillance occurred when the Attorney General advised the president that the program was illegal,” says plaintiff attorney Jon Eisenberg. “That deprives them of the defense they didn’t know it was illegal.”

According to Congressional testimony taken earlier this year, on March 10th, 2004, top Justice Department lawyers and White House officials held a tense showdown over the NSA spying program at the bedside of then-attorney general John Ashcroft in an intensive care unit. Ashcroft’s resolve left the president’s program without the Justice Department’s stamp of approval for about two weeks, as the White House scrambled to tweak the program to meet Ashcroft’s demands.

Attorneys in the al-Haramain case say the plaintiffs were spied on in March and April of 2004, during a period that encompassed that two week interregnum.

Already closely watched, the al-Haramain case became even more important to civil libertarians on Friday, when the US 6th Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a separate challenge by the ACLU, finding that the journalists and lawyers suing had no “standing” to sue the government, because they had no evidence they were specifically eavesdropped upon by the NSA.

While non-binding on other federal appeals courts, the 2-1 decision casts doubt on the prospects of the more than 50 suits against the government and telecoms now consolidated in federal courts in California, and gives the issue of standing new prominence. According to the decision, Americans can’t sue to stop the secret government program unless they can prove they were secretly spied on. And since the program is classified, potential litigants have no recourse to get that proof from the government through legal process.

Plaintiffs Wendell Belew and Asim Ghafoor may be the only Americans capable of clearing that substantial legal hurdle.

The two American attorneys worked with the al-Haramain Islamic Foundation in 2004 when the Ashland, Oregon-based charity was under federal investigation for ties to terrorism. Belew was one of several lawyers trying to keep al-Haramain off a US Treasury Department watch list — an effort that sent much paperwork flying back and forth between the attorneys and the Treasury Department’s Washington DC headquarters across the street from the White House.

In August 2004, a Treasury Department official accidentally included a classified log of Belew and Ghafoor’s conversations with Soliman al-Buthi, a Saudi-based director for the charity. The FBI later retrieved copies of the documents from the charity’s lawyers and a Washington Post reporter, but copies sent overseas to charity directors were never recovered.

Lawyers for Belew and Ghafoor re-obtained a copy of the document shortly after The New York Times revealed the existence of the spying program, and then filed suit in 2006. The document is now being held in a secure facility in San Francisco.

For its part the government admits that it accidentally turned over the very secret file to the charity’s lawyers, but argues that the case should be dismissed because the very nature of lawsuit involves “state secrets.” The Justice Department also argues that the phone log could have been created by wiretap approved by a secret court or by a foreign government. For its part the government admits that it accidentally turned over the very secret file to the charity’s lawyers, but argues that the case should be dismissed because the very nature of lawsuit involves “state secrets.” The Justice Department also argues that the phone log could have been created by wiretap approved by a secret court or by a foreign government.

An Oregon district court judge disagreed with the government and allowed the case to proceed. The government’s appeal of that decision will be heard on Aug. 15 in the US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco.

The government will also be arguing that day for the dismissal of a high-profile lawsuit against AT&T by the Electronic Frontier Foundation for the telecom’s alleged illegal cooperation in the spying.

In the wake of the 6th Circuit decision, the fate of civil libertarians’ challenge to the spy program may rest on the a-Haramain case, according to Eisenberg. “We’re the last case  standing,” Eisenberg says. “If we aren’t permitted to show standing, no one will be.”