Friday, 20 February 2015

In a dictatorship every one is presumed full of sin aka guilty

In a dictatorship every one is presumed full of sin aka guilty, there fore you have no legal rights that can protect you from a ruling elite.  
In a democracy you and your child are apart of the ruling elite not isolated from each other


20 February 2015 Last updated at 14:32 Share this pageEmailPrint 6.5K ShareFacebookTwitter US and UK accused of hacking Sim card firm to steal codes Sim card The stolen encryption keys allowed agencies to decode data that passes between mobile phones and cell towers Continue reading the main story Related Stories Millions of phones 'at risk of hack' Snowden: I was a high-tech US spy Cyber thieves profit via mobile malware US and British intelligence agencies hacked into a major manufacturer of Sim cards in order to steal codes that facilitate eavesdropping on mobiles, a US news website says. The Intercept says the revelations came from US intelligence contractor turned whistleblower Edward Snowden. The Dutch company allegedly targeted - Gemalto - says it is taking the allegations "very seriously". It operates in 85 countries and has more than 40 manufacturing facilities. The Intercept says that "the great Sim heist" gave US and British surveillance agencies "the potential to secretly monitor a large portion of the world's cellular communications, including both voice and data". It says that among the clients of the Netherlands-based company are AT&T, T-Mobile, Verizon, Sprint and "some 450 wireless network providers around the world". Full investigation The Intercept alleges that the hack organised by Britain's GCHQ and the US National Security Agency (NSA) began in 2010, and was organised by operatives in the "Mobile Handset Exploitation Team". Neither agency has commented directly on the allegations. However GCHQ reiterated that all its activities were "carried out in accordance with a strict legal and policy framework which ensures that our activities are authorised, necessary and proportionate". Mobile phone users in the Philippines (January 2015) Experts say that the alleged hack is a major compromise of worldwide mobile phone security line break How does the hack work? Each Sim card has an individual encryption key, installed by the chip manufacturer, that secures communications between the handset in which it inserted and mobile phone masts. This means that if anyone were to snoop on conversations or text messages, they would receive garbled, unintelligible data. That is, of course, unless those carrying out the surveillance get hold of the encryption key. With that information, they can even decrypt previously intercepted communications. However, this tactic only works for phone conversations and text messages. Communications through mobile applications such as Whatsapp, iMessage and many email services have separate encryption systems. line break The stolen encryption allowed the agencies to decode data that passes between mobile phones and cell towers. They were able to decrypt calls, texts or emails intercepted out of the air. A Gemalto spokeswoman said the company was unable to verify whether there had indeed been a breach, and highlighted that other Sim manufacturers could also have been targeted. She added: "We take this publication very seriously and will devote all resources necessary to fully investigate and understand the scope of such highly sophisticated techniques to try to obtain Sim card data". Global ripples Reacting to The Intercept's revelations, Eric King, deputy director of the campaign group Privacy International, said the NSA and GCHQ had "lost sight of what the rule of law means and how to weigh what is necessary and proportionate". He said trust in the security of our communications systems is "essential for our society and for businesses to operate with confidence". And the impact of these latest revelations will have "ripples all over the world." Passport Gemalto also manufactures ID chips for passports, among other technologies Privacy International is currently engaged in legal action against GCHQ over its alleged hacking practices. Gemalto makes Sim cards for mobile phones and furnishes service providers with encryption codes to keep the data on each phone private. The Intercept claims that by first cyber-stalking employees at Gemalto and then penetrating their emails, the spy agencies were able to steal thousands of encryption keys at source. This would allow them to eavesdrop easily on phone calls and texts without seeking permission from telecoms companies or foreign governments, and without leaving a trace. The Intercept cites as its source documents leaked by Edward Snowden, the former NSA contractor who is currently living in Russia. 'Weakest link' Karsten Nohl, a security researcher who has exposed previous Sim card vulnerabilities, told the BBC the leak showed that "it is still not terribly difficult" to circumvent encryptions on mobile phone communications. He added that since it was Gemalto, and not the mobile providers, which sets Sim encryption codes, this makes the Dutch firm the "weakest link of the security chain". Other Gemalto clients, such as passport agencies, buy blank chips and set the codes themselves. "A lot of telecom companies will be scrambling to find out what went wrong," said Mr Nohl. line break Analysis: Joe Miller, BBC technology reporter Lock If The Intercept's report is to be believed, the most striking discovery is how easily those wanting to engage in mass surveillance can eavesdrop on our mobile communications. Gemalto, the company which was allegedly targeted, manufactures an estimated 30% of all Sim cards worldwide. And crucially, it creates the security key for each item. All security agencies needed to do was obtain (by hacking, allegedly) the list of security keys from the firm. Then, as security expert Karsten Nohl says, they could snoop on phone calls with a "few hundred dollars worth of radio equipment in strategically important locations". This contrasts with security procedures used, for example, for chips in passports. Many are are also manufactured by Gemalto. These are delivered to the relevant authorities as a blank chip, and the Passport Office - not the company - creates the security key. Many of Edward Snowden's allegations have shone a light on complex surveillance tactics by the NSA. But perhaps this latest leak has done more to highlight how a single company is in control of millions of people's private data.

Friday, 23 January 2015

your vote is worthless unless it has money behind it ..this is not a democracy

Smoking
MPs courted by tobacco firms criticise move towards plain packaging
Six of the 15 MPs who have registered a financial interest related to a tobacco company have spoken out against proposal
Cigarettes on display
 Cigarettes on display at an off-licence. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images
Matthew Weaver and Caelainn Barr
Thursday 22 January 2015 18.02 GMT
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More than a third of the MPs who have registered a financial interest related to a tobacco company have spoken out against a proposal to bring forward a law on plain cigarette packaging since it was announced on Wednesday.

In a surprise move, the health minister Jane Ellison said the government would give MPs a vote on the proposed law before May, and before the end of a consultation exercise.

Since then six of the 15 MPs who have declared “gifts, benefits and hospitality” related to a tobacco company in the current register of MPs’ interests (pdf) have criticised the plan.

All six were given a £1,404 trip to the Chelsea flower show that included a day pass and lunch for themselves and their spouses paid for by Japan Tobacco International, whose cigarette brands include Winston, Camel, Benson & Hedges and Silk Cut.

Five were Conservatives: Gerald Howarth, Angela Watkinson, Christopher Chope, Simon Hart and Glyn Davies. The sixth was Labour’s Gerry Sutcliffe.

Howarth condemned plain packaging as an “example of the nanny state”. Speaking in parliament, he said Australia’s experience since it had introduced plain packaging suggested more cigarettes would be sold on the black market.

“At present 13% of packs sold are illicit, denying the Treasury £3bn. If the Australian experience is anything to go by, that number is likely to rocket,” he said.

Watkinson told parliament that the public were already “constantly” warned about the health risks of smoking.

Chope asked Ellison: “What evidence is there that young people do not access illegal drugs as much because they are sold in plain packages?”

Hart said: “The minister will be aware that it is already an offence to smoke in public under the age of 16 and to purchase tobacco under the age of 18. Would it be a good start to ensure that the current laws work before we start imposing new ones?”

Davies did not speak in the debate but tweeted: “Hate banning things. Govt disease. Began eating beef again during BSE scare. Will have to consider smoking again after giving up 40 yrs ago.”

Labour’s Sutfcliffe said: “I do not want to see young people smoking, but I have concerns about standardised packaging, for two reasons. One is illicit trade, and I will give evidence on that and perhaps meet the minister and her colleagues about that illicit trade and its impact on our constituencies.”

Sutcliffe’s Labour colleague Simon Danczuk, who was also given a trip to Chelsea flower show by JTI, did not speak in the debate. But in September 2014 he spoke out against plain packaging in a interview for Better Retailing.