
Tor users and Linux Journal readers are classified as extremists by NSA - RatherFunky
http://www.in.techspot.com/news/security/nsa-classifies-linux-journal-readers-tor-and-tails-linux-users-as-extremists/articleshow/47743699.cms
======
Lordarminius
While we are already witnessing the effects of unrestrained government
interference and surveillance in our lives I shudder to consider the world the
next generation will inherit from us and grow up in.

That said, F..k the NSA. I just opened all the listed links in the article.I
am on at least eight more lists now.

~~~
dajohnson89
>Countries like Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Australia, and the US, also known
as the "Five Eyes", are exempt from surveillance, however.

If you're in one of those countries, you should be in the clear?

~~~
Lordarminius
> Countries like Canada, the UK, New Zealand, Australia... are exempt from
> surveillance

Anyone with a rudimentary knowledge of spy-craft knows that's not how it
works. Everyone will spy on everyone else when they can get away with it.

------
grkvlt
Not this again, I expect better from HN readers. Please do not treat the
claims in this poorly researched article as correct information.

 _NO_ , Tor and Linux users are _NOT_ classified as extremists by the
Intelligence Community.

Yes, there are mentions of 'Linux Journal', 'TAILs' and 'Tor' in a file with
filter definitions. But why? If we look at the actual rules in the file
([http://daserste.ndr.de/panorama/xkeyscorerules100.txt](http://daserste.ndr.de/panorama/xkeyscorerules100.txt))
we see it contains the following definition:

    
    
        // START_DEFINITION
        /*
        These variables define terms and websites relating to the TAILs (The Amnesic
        Incognito Live System) software program, a comsec mechanism advocated by
        extremists on extremist forums.
        */
        $TAILS_terms=word('tails' or 'Amnesiac Incognito Live System') and word('linux'
        or ' USB ' or ' CD ' or 'secure desktop' or ' IRC ' or 'truecrypt' or ' tor ');
        $TAILS_websites=('tails.boum.org/') or ('linuxjournal.com/content/linux*');
        // END_DEFINITION
    

This does _NOT_ say that anyone using TAILs or reading the Linux Journal is
classed as an extremist.

Notice that they describe TAILs is a 'comsec mechanism advocated by
extremists' and then go on to define a filter that selects users searching for
it. However it would be used in conjunction with filters that _also_ select
traffic from browsing those extremist forums. This usefully gives a list of
addresses that frequent extremist forums _and_ then seek out and implement the
communications security advice given in those forums, thereby indicating they
are more than just casual browsers, they have something they wish to hide or
secure in their communications.

So, once again, the XKeyScore definitions do _NOT_ automatically classify
Linux, Tor and TAILs users as 'extremists', they merely give examples of
filters that can be used to select traffic mentioning these keywords or
connecting to related sites, in order to further filter traffic from known
extremist or terrorist groups that also advocate using these tools for
communications security. This allows analysts to determine whether an address
belongs to a casual browser of these forums, or someone who wishes to keep
their extremist or terrorist related browsing secret, and is therefore worthy
of further surveillance of their internet traffic.

------
nxzero
(2014) publication date.

~~~
teh_klev
And from the last time around:

[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7991696](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=7991696)

------
ittekimasu
Is "fingerprint" here referring to the Javascript fingerprint ?
([https://panopticlick.eff.org/](https://panopticlick.eff.org/))

This is much more potent than IP address, but there don't seem to be much
defense against this.

~~~
goodplay
There is. You can either randomize the fingerprint (per-session fresh vm
configured from a pool of possibilities) or unify it (tor/tails), provided
that enough people do the same.

~~~
ittekimasu
Is there a (recommended) add-on that does this ?

------
toomanybeersies
It does seem to make sense logistically in terms of why they'd do it. Linux
Journal isn't a large website, so it's not hard to just bulk add everyone to a
list or whatever.

It seems they're just trying to bulk sweep up anyone that might be using
TAILS.

