Surveillance and Countermeasures. What you may want to consider.

We are seeing domestic surveillance ramped up to very uncomfortable levels. It makes me think about KGB ops in Russia but on steroids.
I wanted to open it up for discussion and see what people here actually know. I have been out of the game over 20 years, but I try to keep updated.

I don't know how many of you know about clipper chips, but they have been used since the 40's. They were put on almost every electronic device capable of communications. In the old days when we used DOS, there were setting you could set in the config file to "Set Clippers=" However, you could not find any information about clippers for obvious reasons. Back in the mid 90's if I recall correctly there was a news article about Congress considering funding for the use of clipper chips. My family member happened to be at my house and when he saw that he busted out laughing and told me the story about them. He said congress was not funding a clipper chip program since it was long used for near 40 years. It was funding another new program. Don't believe everything you read because history is not what you may think considering certain subjects.
Wiki on Clipper Chips

The current SAR system in satellites is the most amazing thing I encountered. It is capable of seeing a 1mm change in height from space. It can see new footprints, or your trail through a field by seeing the dew knocked off plants. It works by making 2 scans and the differences are measured. That was then, now I am sure it is truly frightening what they are capable of.

BTW, not many people know what 'Cell Books' were. It is basically a book that keeps all your associates in it. Well, that obviously labor intensive. Many know that Facebook is an NSA front program now. Not sure if they were involved up front or got involved later. It replaced the cell books and you provide all the associations pretty much. Probably why the government said they didn't use social media to screen terrorists. They don't want you to know what is up so you can't take countermeasures.

I tell friends that they should consider themselves on video and audio when outside their homes. The reality is that they can listen through any digital device. I did counter-espionage for a time and learned a lot about securing yourself from clandestine surveillance. We would put off balance tiny motors on windows to vibrate them to stop laser listening devices. Cut pipes from sink drains and install radiator hoses, and also sound deadening putty on the sick itself to stop the vibrations from being used. They were some of the largest microphones in the home or commercial environment. You can use various size chicken wire in the walls and ground it to sink any RF penetration type listening devices. You can use radiant barrier roofing to repel thermal and rf imaging. However, unless you get rid of most of your electronic devices you still have issues. We used to count phone lines twice a day and any ungrounded wire was grounded. You can listen through an ungrounded wire. We even had capacity alarms that measured the space in an air duct. If you put a wire in an air duct the alarm had to sound or it was a fail. I could go on, but you get the idea. Obviously getting rid of all your electronics is not going to happen, but you can make a room into a secure bubble if you are so inclined.

Some Counter-Surveillance Equipment available to public

Below is an interesting read about technology transfer available from the NSA. It gives you an idea about issues about using the technology. Some of it is pretty scary stuff ."Emerging and Readily Available Technologies and National Security A Framework for Addressing Ethical, Legal, and Societal Issues"
NSA Technology Transfer NOTE: Direct pdf link

And of course I would be remiss by not including, as has been mentioned here on ATS is the infamous NSA ANT Catalog direct pdf link at EFF.org

a reply to: spirit_horse

Smartest thing ever for surveillance.

Social media and " smart" technology.

Me you carry a tracking device everywhere you go and tell them all the intimate details of your life.

originally posted by: Sargeras
a reply to: spirit_horse

Smartest thing ever for surveillance.

Social media and " smart" technology.

Me you carry a tracking device everywhere you go and tell them all the intimate details of your life.

Yes and they can tell if it is you who are carrying said device. They contain accelerometers (smart phones) and they record the unique gait of the user when they walk. Not to mention the video audio surveillance they are capable of with back doors built in. This is one reason they complained so hard about manufacturer (Apple?) making an encrypted device. I am always amazed and the audacity of these people.

The fight for privacy in the home or elsewhere is done. We are so wrapped up in the government's tech agenda that it requires abandoning your way of life in order to separate yourself from the risk. Most people have no idea how embedded we are. Want to give yourself an example? Listen to a police channel for a few days. If the police want to find you they do in about three minutes now. They just call the primary service provider. They have a special line because there is never a wait and they have your cell phone's location. They don't even ask for a warrant. If they think they need to know where you are they just rtt dispatch and its done. I hear it every day.

Trying to modify the technological environment will only slow them down. It takes a group effort and the group turned out to be a a bunch of lethargic idiots who care more about winning a video game or catching every sports broadcast or wining about government going to crap on a forum rather then getting off their sofa and doing something to make sure their government didn't end up a tyranny. If there is any strategy left for privacy and security it is a fight to repair culture. Now that damage may take a thousand years to heal.

a reply to: spirit_horse

I hadn't heard of "Clipper Chips"... but backdoor access to our electronic devices is no surprise to me.

Welcome to Orwellian Society. Nothing is private anymore

a reply to: CraftBuilder

I agree it is almost impossible to get away from technology unless you want to live a primitive life. Personally, I have shut down surveillance in most of my home and keep an electronics room for anything digital, except the microwave in my kitchen. I have had another issue. I had the government show up because their clandestine surveillance failed. They wanted to know what I was hiding and who I was. I hadn't done anything wrong and it was a matter of saying FU to them after a previous experience when I worked deep cover.

originally posted by: FamCore
a reply to: spirit_horse

I hadn't heard of "Clipper Chips"... but backdoor access to our electronic devices is no surprise to me.

Welcome to Orwellian Society. Nothing is private anymore

In Poland they delivered communications boards for their phone systems. They had what looked like components with high explosive in them capable of remote detonation. The reason was they were going to take down the comm systems if the Russians ever rolled toward western Europe.

a reply to: spirit_horse

We are seeing domestic surveillance ramped up to very uncomfortable levels.

Type, type, type…

They want to invest that much time watching me that closely, they will be bored out of their mind.

I'm about as interesting as a plant.

a reply to: spirit_horse

We are seeing domestic surveillance ramped up to very uncomfortable levels. It makes me think about KGB ops in Russia but on steroids.

George Orwell becomes more and more a prophet and less and less a novelist with each passing day.

Today, awareness is the critical factor. One has to understand and accept that Big Brotha is behind every curtain, listening to every phone call, reading every text... and has what could be basically termed, 'agents' on every website.

Even here at ATS.

...

originally posted by: redoubt
a reply to: spirit_horse

We are seeing domestic surveillance ramped up to very uncomfortable levels. It makes me think about KGB ops in Russia but on steroids.

George Orwell becomes more and more a prophet and less and less a novelist with each passing day.

Today, awareness is the critical factor. One has to understand and accept that Big Brotha is behind every curtain, listening to every phone call, reading every text... and has what could be basically termed, 'agents' on every website.

Even here at ATS.

...

How true. I see these kids texting all over the place about illegal activity. I have warned them multiple times what the reality is, but they seem to carry on. The new NSA data facility supposedly has something like 900Gb for every person and will collect your sigint there. They do plan to share it with law enforcement in the future. When that happens anything you might have been involved in will be reviewed by LE and the legal community if you become involved in some investigation. Eventually, they will have AI do the dirty work of going through all the data and spit out warrants or investigative orders for anyone with indicative sigint of criminal activity. Since just about every American is considered a terrorist by our government what laws you may be subject to in the future comes into sharp concern. We have seen retroactive laws like VAWA and a misdemeanor violence charge making you ineligible to own a firearm. Retroactive laws are complete bs, but you never know when the time frame (Statue of Limitations) and new terrorism laws may be changed to increase the effect of the police state. Until people revolt of course and burn the data center to the ground.

a reply to: spirit_horse

Excellent topic and thread.
Protect your persons, houses, papers
and Effects as best you can.

S&F

a reply to: spirit_horse

Wife has a small metal, not aluminum, box in her purse to carry her phone and credit cards.
I have a thin metal plate in my wallet to protect credit cards from being "swiped" while in public places.
These may not be the best measures, but they beat none.

I don't carry, need, have or want a cell phone.
Some folks say, "What if you have car trouble?" To which I reply,"I walked for assistance twenty years ago, I can do it again tomorrow".

Can someone tell me how exactly a police state in the USA is a thing of the maybe tomorrow variety?

Even when democracy says law is on your side, they'll "enforce" what ever rules they make up on the spot, since there are no legal consequences for any kind of LE wrongdoing. MSM highlights are just that. "should this one cop named Jim be suspended, as if this sh#t was out of the ordinary? More after this commercial break."

NSA: " that girl you're dating seems like she's into kinky stuff eh?"

TV: "Enjoy your pills! Now freedom flavoured"

LE: "Hey buddy you've been riding a bike illegally? Seems like we're gonna have to break anything we don't steal and kill your dog for justice. Now that you're cuffed and we're eight, let's fight. We win."

American judge: "how was jail? yea so let's see.. No case, no crime, so bail is set at 50k. Fees for keeping your freshly broken skeleton away from medical attention you understand. No money? no luck."

American law: " thanks for your expensive visit. I'll see to it that these brave lions get a heroism medal. Also tanks. Those guys need tanks. You now have a criminal record."

TSA: "what, you wanna leave this place? Lemme scan a picture of your dick. Also your water bottle is illegal."


Of course if you keep a picture of the sheriff in your living room and get the vaccines it won't happen to you.
After all, you're not doing anything wrong.

Worst part is seeing all the caged people who couldn't pay enough to get out, slowly turning to #.
It's not because "the country's broke". Those cops and those jails cost more than anything and produce nothing of value, numbers are beyond crazy. It's not just the one Amish on Twitter who was jailed for selling raw milk. It's thousands of thousands of people like that.

I realoize I wen a little off track, mea culpa.

Reason is picture attached: It seems I'm welcome to write a thread about politics (lol) but not about Posse Comitatus for some reason.

No wanting to party poop. Got flashbacks when was reading your thread, Spirit Horse.





a reply to: wisvol

No secret here . So-called "Clipper Chips" (embedded spy chips) and software backdoors have been a requirement of the US Federal government from the start for all hardware and software manufacturers . Also networking. You know the reason you cant stealth all the ports and retain internet access ?

a reply to: wisvol

LOL! The gubment must be suppressing you. What flashbacks? I have a lot of those myself, usually from seeing news stories, violent movies, or something someone says. Once off on that tangent...danger will robinson. Perhaps you need so many posts before you can start threads. I think it is a way to stop minimal threads being posted by newcomers. I am sure a mod could enlighten you on that.

What flashbacks? lol

originally posted by: Gothmog
No secret here . So-called "Clipper Chips" (embedded spy chips) and software backdoors have been a requirement of the US Federal government from the start for all hardware and software manufacturers . Also networking. You know the reason you cant stealth all the ports and retain internet access ?

Speaking about stealth ports, I had quite the experience with NASA Ames Research Center. I was running a software firewall, but I had worked with an IBM Security scientist by chance that showed me a lot of security stuff. Anyway, I had log files and used to have them up on screen. Every time I logged in NASA-ARC would start hacking my firewall. It would run like 70 attempts and then I would get a screen saying my rule set was corrupted and they gained access. I would reload the entire machine, format the mbr and all. They would be right back in. And the thing is I got 4 Air Force bases connected and they would put a "military cookie" on my system that you could not delete. My system was called DarkStar long before they had a program by that name. well at least that I knew about. I suppose they didn't like me accessing all these gov servers. You know the ones with big red warning screens.

Yes, maybe some forums need more xp.

This stuff happens and there's no way to figure it out because surveillance is good for us right?
Also war protects us from invaders, jails protect us from thieves and killers, censorship protects us from reading lies probably.

My oh my, all the protecting. Who knew we needed to be pimped?

Just random flashbacks. Once I realized this wasn't an isolated thing that I saw in the US, I started getting mighty pissed and took a stroll, left my cellphone with my bank card and put on my walking shoes.

Now back to computer world, man's gotta eat.
Still, I'm not so old to where I can't take another camping trip. Good for the heart.


a reply to: spirit_horse

a reply to: spirit_horse

IBM Security scientist

That is an oxymoron

Interesting subject and the most important issue outside of climate change, imo.

I already self-edit online as I know there are algorithms looking for anything "suspicious."

I've never done anything "worse" (relative term) than have mildly socialistic thoughts and dabble in the black markets as a kid... or posting on this site, but know we are ALL monitored now.. .and have been since the 80's, at least. (I'm boring now, too, I swear!)

It's a huge can of worms as that power MUST have a check, as whoever runs the data collections can sway policy with a well placed blackmail of a power broker, for instance, and just because decent folks run it now (hopefully) doesn't mean some tyrannical psycho won't in a decade, give or take.

It's terrifying and most just ignore it (like climate change) because it seems too big to tackle... but I bet even the guys in the surveillance system reading posts like this see the logic against having it so rampant and unchecked,, and are even more scared about the future if some evil twit got their hands on the surveillance, as they have kids, too.

There are so many laws that anyone (anyone) could be slammed by the state for something ... some unit could kick down your door, drag you off, plant kiddie porn on your 'puter and who would lift a finger for you? They have something on everyone should they wanna.

Scary, scary stuff.