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08 Aug 17:35

The resemblance is uncanny…

by Jonco

via

 

22 Apr 02:01

When I die…

by Jonco

21 Dec 22:57

The 10 Coolest Time Capsules Opened in 2015

by Matt Novak on Paleofuture, shared by Matt Novak to Gizmodo

Time capsules can be pretty boring. But time capsule nerds like me live for those rare capsules with something really cool inside. This year we saw time capsules filled with the weird, the rare, and the surprising. One thing that so many of 2015’s time capsules had in common: Lots of booze.

Read more...

21 Dec 22:48

Whistleblower Exposes Exactly How The Government Spies On Your Cell Phone

by Tyler Durden

Submitted by Derrick Broze via TheAntiMedia.org,

The release of a secret U.S. government catalog of cell phone surveillance devices has revealed the names and abilities of dozens of surveillance tools previously unknown to the public. The catalog shines a light on well-known devices like the Stingray and DRT box, as well as new names like Cellbrite, Yellowstone, Blackfin, Maximus, Stargrazer, and Cyberhawk.

 

The Intercept reports:

“Within the catalogue, the NSA is listed as the vendor of one device, while another was developed for use by the CIA, and another was developed for a special forces requirement. Nearly a third of the entries focus on equipment that seems to have never been described in public before.”

 

Anti Media has reported extensively on the Stingray, the brand name of a popular cell-site simulator manufactured by the Harris Corporation. The Electronic Frontier Foundation describes Stingrays as “a brand name of an IMSI (International Mobile Subscriber Identity) Catcher targeted and sold to law enforcement. A Stingray works by masquerading as a cell phone tower – to which your mobile phone sends signals to every 7 to 15 seconds whether you are on a call or not – and tricks your phone into connecting to it.”

As a result, whoever is in possession of the Stingray can figure out who, when, and to where you are calling, the precise location of every device within the range, and with some devices, even capture the content of your conversations.

Both the Harris Corp. and the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) require police to sign non-disclosure agreements (NDA) related to the use of the devices. Through these NDAs local police departments have become subordinate to Harris, and even in court cases in front of a judge, are not allowed to speak on the details of their arrangements. Due to this secrecy, very little has been known about how exactly the Stingrays work.

The bit of publicly available information was disclosed through open records requests and lawsuits filed by journalists and researchers. This new catalog provides even more detail about how the devices operate.

We already knew that Stingrays drain the battery of a targeted device, as well as raise signal strength. We also knew that as long as your phone is on, it could be targeted. Some newer details include the fact that the Stingray I and II will not work if the user is “engaged in a call.” Also, the device can gather data from phones within a 200 meter radius. And the next generation Hailstorm device is even capable of cracking encryption on the newer 4G LTE networks.

A number of the devices in the catalog are Digital Receiver Technology (DRT) boxes, also known as dirt boxes, which can be installed in planes for aerial surveillance. DRT was recently purchased by Boeing. We first learned of dirt boxes in late 2014, when the Wall Street Journal revealed a cell phone monitoring program operated by the U.S. Marshals Service, using Cessna planes mounted with Stingrays. AntiMedia has also reported on surveillance planes equipped with thermal imaging technology.

Other devices include:

  • Cellbrite: “a portable, handheld, field proven forensic system for the quick extraction and analysis of 95% cell phones, smart phones and PDA devices,” capable of extracting “information such as phone book, pictures, video, text messages, and call logs.”
  • Kingfish: a Stingray-like device that is “portable enough to be carried around in a backpack.”
  • Stargrazer: “an Army system developed to deny, degrade and/or disrupt a targeted adversary’s command and control (C2) system,” which “can jam a handset and capture its metadata at the same time it pinpoints your target’s location. But watch out — the Stargazer may jam all the other phones in the area too — including your own.”
  • Cyberhawk: which is capable of gathering “phonebook, names, SMS, media files, text, deleted SMS, calendar items and notes” from 79 cell phones.

Jennifer Lynch, a senior staff attorney at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, told the Intercept that the use of these tools is part of the militarization of the police in the U.S.: “We’ve seen a trend in the years since 9/11 to bring sophisticated surveillance technologies that were originally designed for military use — like Stingrays or drones or biometrics — back home to the United States.”

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the FBI, NSA, and U.S. military declined to leave a comment with the Intercept regarding the catalog. Marc Raimondi, a Justice Department spokesperson, told the Intercept that the Department “uses technology in a manner that is consistent with the requirements and protections of the Constitution, including the Fourth Amendment, and applicable statutory authorities.”

The Intercept notes that Raimondi worked for Harris Corp. for six years prior to working for the DOJ.

Secrecy surrounding the use of these devices has been a contentious topic of debate for several years. Truth In Media recently reported that four members of the House Oversight Committee sent letters to 24 federal agencies including the Department of State and the Securities and Exchange Commission, demanding answers regarding policies for using the controversial surveillance technology.

House Oversight Committee Chairman Jason Chaf­fetz, ranking member Elijah Cummings, and Reps. Will Hurd (R-Texas) and Robin Kelly (D-Ill.), as members of the committee’s IT subcommittee, issued requests for information related to the potential use of stingrays.

Chaf­fetz also recently introduced the Stingray Privacy Act, which would expand newly established warrant requirements for the Department of Justice and Department of Homeland Security to all federal, state, and local agencies that use the cell-site simulators.

In September, the DHS joined the DOJ by announcing warrant requirements for the use of Stingray equipment, but those rule changes have come under fire for possible loopholes which may allow the continued use of surveillance equipment without a warrant.

“Because cell-site simulators can collect so much information from innocent people, a simple warrant for their use is not enough,” Jennifer Lynch told the Intercept. “Police officers should be required to limit their use of the device to a short and defined period of time. Officers also need to be clear in the probable cause affidavit supporting the warrant about the device’s capabilities.”

At this point, it’s painfully obvious that America is the home of the Police-Surveillance State. Awakened hearts and minds everywhere should continue to educate themselves and their communities about the dangers of these tools. We should also support initiatives to create technology that can defend against the prying eyes and ears of Big Brother. Privacy is a dying notion in a nation of fools determined to be safe rather than liberated. If you give a damn, now is the time to stand up and be heard.










21 Dec 22:46

Cheese Steak Fries

by admin

d2steakncheefries

29 Nov 15:53

I guess it was more than just gas...

23 Nov 22:36

Coffee Maker

gifs,coffee

Submitted by: anselmbe

Tagged: gifs , coffee
04 Nov 02:25

Irwincardozo does the best comics

18 Oct 17:45

"Irony"

by Tyler Durden
18 Oct 17:44

Snoopy Night

by Jonco

Snoopart

via

 

The post Snoopy Night appeared first on Bits and Pieces.

13 Oct 01:22

Celebrate

11 Oct 20:53

Elephant Stew

by Jonco

Sounds delicious!

Elephant Stew2

via

 

The post Elephant Stew appeared first on Bits and Pieces.

02 Oct 23:48

This happen sometimes

19 Sep 04:16

Stand up, move a few steps away, then look at the picture again.

17 Sep 01:38

dad_toby_beat_me_up.jpg

dad_toby_beat_me_up.jpg
17 Sep 01:35

Welcome to the US and of A!

15 Sep 01:03

Tiny Boops

15 Sep 00:57

Could Netflix Be The Best Untapped Dating Network Online?

by G. Clay Whittaker
Netfling dating app Netfling concept app video screenshot

'Netfling' is a concept for a dating app based on Netflix ratings

A proposed app hopes to skip the pleasantries and get to the most important online dating question: what shows do you like to stream?

The app, called "Netfling," is so far just a concept proposed by "digitally born and raised" ad agency SuperHeroes Amsterdam, albeit one whose timing couldn't be more perfect: the term “Netflix and chill” has rapidly become the preferred euphemism for proposing a "hook up" by young adults. (Netflix, for its part, counts streaming hours even if you’re not paying attention to the screen).

The honest truth is that streaming services and bingewatching movies and TV unites people intimately, whether they end up paying attention to what’s on or not. Netflix had more than 65 million users as of last count, 42 million in the US alone. For comparison, the much-ballyhooed dating app Tinder has an estimated 50 million users worldwide (the company hasn't released official figures).

Combining the audiences certainly presents advantages for people looking for someone with shared interests — or at least mutual interest in Netflix and dating. And for users, Netflix is a significant factor in determining shared interests, given that the average Netflix subscriber uses the service for about two hours a day.

Netfling and its probable competitor Binger, are hoping to enter the market but await the return of an open Netflix application programming interface (API) — the system used by third-party software developers to build apps based on a company's data — which Netflix discontinued in 2014. Would-be Netflix-based dating apps will need that in order to do with Netflix what Tinder does with Facebook. Without an open API, it’s unlikely we’ll actually see either app enter the market anytime soon.

Here’s hoping it does, even at the cost of star-crossed lovers with differing opinions on The Walking Dead.

15 Sep 00:33

REAL ALERT to emergency crew

15 Sep 00:22

Teach kids to program with the Dash and Dot connected learning system

by Paul Acevedo

One of the coolest benefits of our modern smartphone and tablet-using culture has to be the advent of gear that connects to smart devices. Users can connect to their smartwatches, exercise bands, thermostats, car engines, and much more. Naturally, connected apps also have educational uses as well. Kids love touch screen devices and tech, so why not use that tech to help them learn?

Dash & Dot from Wonder Workshop is a connected learning system that works with a pair of real-world robots named Dash and Dot. Using the two robots and a handful of Android and iOS apps such as Blockly, kids will learn the fundamentals of programming, problem solving skills, and much more. We've put Dash & Dot and the Wonder Workshop apps through their paces to bring you these detailed impressions.










13 Sep 12:04

Problems these days

09 Sep 07:13

Mushroom Crepes With Poached Eggs

by admin

d1mushroomcrepeswithpoachedeggs

09 Sep 07:13

Buffalo Chicken Melt With Beer Cheese Sauce

by admin

d2buffalochickenmelt-beercheesesauce

07 Sep 20:00

Image

Image
07 Sep 19:59

Have there been any studies on the effects of consumption by humans?

07 Sep 19:53

Watch Puppies Find the Droids They're Looking For

Submitted by: (via Vanity Fair)

Tagged: dogs , cute , Video
07 Sep 19:50

Well, I didn't feel like sleeping anyway

07 Sep 19:48

Aggressive table building team

07 Sep 19:48

Mission Impossible Hamster.

04 Sep 03:03

The future is here!