Saturday, June 18, 2011
Email Security Threat to Your Business 1
Email is Technically insecure and was not originally designed for what companies are using it for; confidential business conversations. It is logically insecure for use in confidential conversations because it cannot be controlled. The SCIE system was engineered for one purpose only confidential text based conversations. For more information please visit:
www.quanta-offshore.com
SCIE,the Secure Client Information Exchange, is a Real Time communication platform. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate secure email systems such as the blackberry bes, or other providers such as proofpoint. As corporate secure email is insecure for confidential communications SCIE was engineered for only this purpose.
Quanta Consulting is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system. For further information on the SCIE system visit:
www.quanta-offshore.com
Quanta offers business and high net-worth individuals 30 day SCIE cells in order for them to determine if SCIE fits their needs.
Why Email is a Threat 2
Email conversations are easily Leaked, Stolen and maliciously distributed. SCIE system communications are not. Quanta consulting offers a 30 day SCIE demonstrations cell to companies. Email was never designed, even blackberry BES, for confidential communication. For more information about SCIE visit:
www.quanta-offshore.com
SCIE is secure on three points, technically, logically and is 100% anonymous in use. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate E-mail, it is another tool for business. SCIE was engineered for one purpose only; confidential conversations that must remail confidential. This discussion also covers the security flaw of research in motion's Blackberry and fat, or rich, client secure email systems. Quanta is a worldwide distributor of SCIE. For more information on the Secure Client Information Exchange, SCIE, download the Quanta SCIE PDF, from the Quanta Consulting website at:
www.quanta-offshore.com
Quanta Consulting Ltd offers 30 day SCIE cells for business and high net-worth individuals in order to determine if the secure client information exchange fits their needs.
www.quanta-offshore.com
What are the Risks of using Email 3
The risk of using email for confidential business conversations is growing by the hour. The Secure Client Information Exchange, SCIE system, was designed from the ground up for only one purpose; confidential conversations that must remain confidential. Quanta Consulting Limited is a worldwide distributor of SCIE. For more information on the SCIE system visit.
www.quanta-offshore.com
The SCIE system is the only text based communications platform specifically engineered from the ground up for one purpose and one purpose only: confidential business conversations that must forever remain confidential.
Quanta offers business and high net-worth individuals the opportunity to evaluate a SCIE cell, at no cost, in order to determine if SCIE fits their needs. To arrange for a 30 day SCIE cell license please contact Quanta Consulting through our corporate website at:
www.quanta-offshore.com
Email Threat due to Human Factor 4
In addition to the insecurity of using E-mail for confidential business conversations, companies have a human factor threat. Accidental misdirection of email, insider corporate espionage and outside attacks. Quanta Consulting Ltd is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system; the Secure Client Information Exchange. Companies and High Net-Worth individuals should contact Quanta for a 30 day SCIE demonstration cell.
www.quanta-offshore.com
SCIE is Different than Email 5
SCIE gives you back the right to have a private text based conversation. SCIE was engineered from the ground up for only one purpose; to keep confidential business conversations confidential. Something that even blackberry bes is not designed to do. Quanta consulting is a worldwide distributor of the Secure Client Information Exchange. For more information about the SCIE System visit:
www.quanta-offshore.com
How is SCIE Encrypted 6
SCIE is secure on three points, technically, logically and is 100% anonymous in use. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate E-mail, it is another tool for business. SCIE was engineered for one purpose only; confidential conversations that must remail confidential. This discussion also covers the security flaw of research in motion's Blackberry and fat, or rich, client secure email systems. Quanta is a worldwide distributor of SCIE. For more information on the Secure Client Information Exchange, SCIE, download the Quanta SCIE PDF, from the Quanta Consulting website at:
www.quanta-offshore.com
Quanta Consulting Ltd offers 30 day SCIE cells for business and high net-worth individuals in order to determine if the secure client information exchange fits their needs.
Proof SCIE is Secure 7
The SCIE system, secure client information exchange, has under went extensive in-depth 3rd party security certification by the CREST certified ethical hacking security firm ProCheckup; www.procheckup.com
The latest 3 major tests conducted showed SCIE to be one of the most secure systems available. In addition to this video results of the latest test may be found on the Quanta Consulting website: www.quanta-offshore.com
Unlike the majority of secure email providers, the SCIE developers submitted the entire system for testing to a 3rd party, most corporate email providers do their own in house testing...they test and certified their own systems, and do not publish the results.
However, research in motion the developers of the Blackberry, the blackberry email system and the blackberry BES (business enterprise server) do conduct 3rd party testing. But the blackberry emails can still be forwarded to unintended recipients, are subject to E-discovery, messages are not stored encrypted on the server and therefore blackberry is still insecure for confidential business communications.
Quanta consulting limited is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system. visit Quantas website and download the Quanta SCIE PDF for further information on the secure client information exchange. www.quanta-offshore.com
Quanta offers 30 SCIE cells for us by business and high net-worth individuals in order for them to determine if SCIE fits their needs.
SCIE Servers are in Switzerland 8
The Secure Client Information Exchange, SCIE system, servers are based in Switzerland Switzerland has strict corporate and data protection privacy laws. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate email systems such as research in motion's Blackberry email or other systems such as proofpoint secure email. SCIE is for one purpose and one purpose only; to keep confidential conversations confidential. Quanta Consulting Ltd is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system and offers companies and high net-worth individuals a 30 day SCIE cell license for them to evaluate SCIE and determine if the secure client information exchange fits their needs.
For more information about SCIE visit the Quanta website at:
www.quanta-offshore.com and download the Quanta SCIE PDF.
SCIE is secure on three points, technically, logically and is 100% anonymous in use. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate E-mail, it is another tool for business. SCIE was engineered for one purpose only; confidential conversations that must remail confidential. This discussion also covers the security flaw of research in motion's Blackberry and fat, or rich, client secure email systems. Quanta is a worldwide distributor of SCIE. For more information on the Secure Client Information Exchange, SCIE, download the Quanta SCIE PDF, from the Quanta Consulting website at:
www.quanta-offshore.com
Quanta Consulting Ltd offers 30 day SCIE cells for business and high net-worth individuals in order to determine if the secure client information exchange fits their needs.
SCIE Thin vs. Fat client Access 9
The Secure Client Information Exchange, SCIE system, uses a thin client to access the SCIE servers in Switzerland. Many secure email systems use a fat client that is installed on your computer. Fat clients hold part of the systems code therefore enabling hackers to access the system from your computer.
Quanta consulting is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system and offers business and high net-worth individuals a 30 day SCIE license in order for them to evaluate SCIE. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate email systems such as research in motions Blackberry email or others such as proofpoint secure email.
Scie was engineered from the ground up for only one purpose, to keep confidential communications confidential. SCIE is a real time communications system.
SCIE Cell Activation 10
SCIE is for confidential conversations that must remain confidential. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate email systems such as blackberry BES or proofpoint. This video shows how the SCIE cell is activated.
Quanta Consulting Ltd is a wordwide distributor of the secure client information exchange, SCIE. For more information visit www.quanta-offshore.com
SCIE User Management 11
SCIE user management system. The secure client information exchange, SCIE is engineered for one purpose only; to enable confidential communications that must remail confidential. SCIE is an additional tool for business, it is not a replacement for corporate email systems such as the Blackberry BES.
Secure email is insecure for use, by business, for confidential communications.
Quanta Consulting is a worldwide distributor of the Secure Client Information Exchange, SCIE. For more information about SCIE visit www.quanta-offshore.com and download the Quanta SCIE PDF.
Quanta offers business and high net-worth individuals a 30 day SCIE license in order for them to evaluate the system.
SCIE User Activation 12
SCIE instruction video, The secure client information exchange, scie system is desiged for keeping confidential business conversations confidential. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate email systems SCIE is not an email system.
As SCIE does not function as blackberry email, blackberry BES does not function as SCIE does.
Quanta Consulting Ltd is a worldwide distributor of the secure client information exchange, SCIE system. For more information on SCIE visit www.quanta-offshore.com and download the Quanta SCIE PDF
SCIE Use Real time 13
SCIE,the Secure Client Information Exchange, is a Real Time communication platform. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate secure email systems such as the blackberry bes, or other providers such as proofpoint. As corporate secure email is insecure for confidential communications SCIE was engineered for only this purpose.
Quanta Consulting is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system. For further information on the SCIE system visit www.quanta-offshore.com
Quanta offers business and high net-worth individuals 30 day SCIE cells in order for them to determine if SCIE fits their needs.
SCIE Real Time Use 14
Part 2 of the actual use of the SCIE system. The Secure Client Information Exchange is used by businesses internationally for confidential communications. SCIE is not another Secure Email Program. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate email systems such as research in motions Blackberry or Blackberry BES.
Quanta Consulting Ltd is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system and offers companies and high net-worth individuals the use of a 30 day SCIE license in order to determine if the SCIE system fits their corporate needs.
For further information about the Secure Client Information Exchange and Quanta Consulting purchasing options please visit www.quanta-offshore.com and download the Quanta SCIE PDF
SCIE Real Time Use 15
Part 3 of the actual use of the SCIE system. The Secure Client Information Exchange is used by businesses internationally for confidential communications. SCIE is not another Secure Email Program. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate email systems such as research in motion Blackberry or Blackberry BES.
Quanta Consulting Ltd is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system and offers companies and high net-worth individuals the use of a 30 day SCIE license in order to determine if the SCIE system fits their corporate needs.
For further information about the Secure Client Information Exchange and Quanta Consulting purchasing options please visit www.quanta-offshore.com and down load the Quanta SCIE PDF
SCIE Real Time Use 16 "The Burn"
Part 4 of the actual use of the SCIE system. This presentation depicts the actual "burning" of a SCIE cell. The Secure Client Information Exchange is used by businesses internationally for confidential communications. SCIE is not another Secure Email Program. SCIE is not a replacement for corporate email systems such as research in motions Blackberry or Blackberry BES.
Quanta Consulting Ltd is a worldwide distributor of the SCIE system and offers companies and high net-worth individuals the use of a 30 day SCIE license in order to determine if the SCIE system fits their corporate needs.
For further information about the Secure Client Information Exchange and Quanta Consulting purchasing options please visit www.quanta-offshore.com and down load the Quanta SCIE PDF
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
The Galleon Fund
Andrew Michaelson, one of the principal SEC lawyers investigating the case, testified that in September 2006 the agency launched an insider-trading probe of Sedna Capital Management LLC, a fund operated by Rengan Rajaratnam, a former Galleon employee.
Michaelson, now a member of the prosecution team, said the SEC deposed Sedna and Galleon employees, reviewed millions of pages of documents and reviewed every single e-mail and instant message of Raj Rajaratnam’s for 2006. Soon regulators had another target, he said
Read Full Article
Morgan Stanley hit by China-based hackers -report - CNBC
Morgan Stanley hit by China-based hackers -report - CNBC
NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley experienced a "very sensitive" break-in to its network by the same China-based hackers who attacked Google Inc's computers more than a year ago, Bloomberg reported, citing leaked emails from an Internet security company.
The emails from the Sacramento, California-based computer security firm HBGary Inc said that Morgan Stanley -- the first financial institution identified in the series of attacks -- considered details of the intrusion a closely guarded secret, the report said. Bloomberg quoted Phil Wallisch, a senior security engineer at HBGary, as saying that he read an internal Morgan Stanley report detailing the so-called Aurora attacks. The HBGary emails don't indicate what information may have been stolen from Morgan Stanley's databanks or which of the world's largest merger adviser's multinational operations were targeted, according to the report.
NEW YORK, Feb 28 (Reuters) - Morgan Stanley experienced a "very sensitive" break-in to its network by the same China-based hackers who attacked Google Inc's computers more than a year ago, Bloomberg reported, citing leaked emails from an Internet security company.
The emails from the Sacramento, California-based computer security firm HBGary Inc said that Morgan Stanley -- the first financial institution identified in the series of attacks -- considered details of the intrusion a closely guarded secret, the report said. Bloomberg quoted Phil Wallisch, a senior security engineer at HBGary, as saying that he read an internal Morgan Stanley report detailing the so-called Aurora attacks. The HBGary emails don't indicate what information may have been stolen from Morgan Stanley's databanks or which of the world's largest merger adviser's multinational operations were targeted, according to the report.
Monday, February 28, 2011
Friday, February 18, 2011
House Extends Controversial Parts of Patriot Act
A Federal Agent Can Seize Your Corporate Emails Without A Search Warrant or Judicial Review. Confidential Corporate Communications Are Under Attack From "Internet Security Firms", Governments, and Opportunistic In-House IT Employees
Secure Email
SCIE
Secure Email
SCIE
Senate Approves Short-Term Extension of Patriot Act
Your Confidential Corporate Emails Are Subject To Confiscation Without Warrant or Cause.
Secure Email
SCIE
Secure Email
SCIE
Glenn Greenwald Explains HBGary/ChamberLeaks
Which "Security Firm" Will Be (has been) Retained to Obtain Your Company's Confidential Communications?
Who Wants Your Inside Information and Why?
SCIE
Who Wants Your Inside Information and Why?
SCIE
Anonymous victim HBGary goes to ground
The computer security company hacked by members of activist group Anonymous has gone to ground as further revelations about its activites leak online.
HBGary has cancelled its appearances at public events, saying that members of staff had been threatened.
It follows the release of internal documents which appear to show the firm offered to smear Wikileaks' supporters.
HBGary officials said the online messages could have been altered prior to publication.
The company's founder, Greg Hoglund had been scheduled to give a talk at the RSA Security conference in San Francisco this week, but pulled out at the last minute.
The company also withdrew from an associated exhibition.
"In an effort to protect our employees, customers and the RSA Conference community, HBGary has decided to remove our booth and cancel all talks," it said in a statement posted on its website.
According to e-mails that Anonymous claims to have taken from HBGary's servers, the company had proposed a plan to undermine Wikileaks.
At the time, the whistleblowing website was planning to release documents relating to Bank of America.
The leaked emails also suggest that HBGary had discovered evidence that US officials were attempting to monitor visitors to websites affiliated to al Qaeda.
These messages have been posted online via the Anonymous-supported site Anonleaks.ru.
Government payload
In a message to colleagues, dated 16 November 2009, Mr Hoglund allegedly wrote that he had obtained a document taken from a jihadist website.
"I think it has a US govvy payload buried inside," the e-mail said.
The note also urges colleagues not to open the programme unless they were in a locked-down environment.
"Don't let it fone (sic) home unless you want black suits landing on your front acre," it adds.
In e-mails from early January 2011, it is claimed that Mr Hoglund sent out proposals to develop a spying program, known as a rootkit, that would run on Windows-based computers.
"There isn't anything like this publicly," the proposal stated. It would be "almost impossible to remove" or detect.
Read Full Article
SCIE
HBGary has cancelled its appearances at public events, saying that members of staff had been threatened.
It follows the release of internal documents which appear to show the firm offered to smear Wikileaks' supporters.
HBGary officials said the online messages could have been altered prior to publication.
The company's founder, Greg Hoglund had been scheduled to give a talk at the RSA Security conference in San Francisco this week, but pulled out at the last minute.
The company also withdrew from an associated exhibition.
"In an effort to protect our employees, customers and the RSA Conference community, HBGary has decided to remove our booth and cancel all talks," it said in a statement posted on its website.
According to e-mails that Anonymous claims to have taken from HBGary's servers, the company had proposed a plan to undermine Wikileaks.
At the time, the whistleblowing website was planning to release documents relating to Bank of America.
The leaked emails also suggest that HBGary had discovered evidence that US officials were attempting to monitor visitors to websites affiliated to al Qaeda.
These messages have been posted online via the Anonymous-supported site Anonleaks.ru.
Government payload
In a message to colleagues, dated 16 November 2009, Mr Hoglund allegedly wrote that he had obtained a document taken from a jihadist website.
"I think it has a US govvy payload buried inside," the e-mail said.
The note also urges colleagues not to open the programme unless they were in a locked-down environment.
"Don't let it fone (sic) home unless you want black suits landing on your front acre," it adds.
In e-mails from early January 2011, it is claimed that Mr Hoglund sent out proposals to develop a spying program, known as a rootkit, that would run on Windows-based computers.
"There isn't anything like this publicly," the proposal stated. It would be "almost impossible to remove" or detect.
Read Full Article
SCIE
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Newly Released Documents detail FBI's Plan to Expand Federal Surveillance Laws
EFF just received documents in response to a 2-year old FOIA request for information on the FBI’s "Going Dark" program, an initiative to increase the FBI's authority in response to problems the FBI says it's having implementing wiretap and pen register/trap and trace orders on new communications technologies. The documents detail a fully-formed and well-coordinated plan to expand existing surveillance laws and develop new ones. And although they represent only a small fraction of the documents we expect to receive in response to this and a more recent FOIA request, they were released just in time to provide important background information for the House Judiciary Committee’s hearing tomorrow on the Going Dark program.
We first heard about the FBI’s Going Dark program in 2009, when the agency’s Congressional budget request included an additional $9 million to fund the program (on top of the $233.9 million it already received). Late last year, the New York Times linked the program to a plan to expand federal surveillance laws like the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). We issued FOIA requests to the FBI in 2009 for information on Going Dark and in 2010 for information on the agency’s plans to update CALEA. These are the first documents we’ve received since we filed our lawsuit against the agency late last year. The documents provide rare insight into the agency’s multi-year strategy to increase its power to surveil our communications.
Here’s What the Documents Show:
(GD2, p 8). Behind this rhetoric, the documents detail a program set up to address the FBI’s allegations that communications providers’ technologies prevent the agency from implementing wiretap and pen register/trap and trace orders – essentially, the FBI alleges it is "'in the dark' by the loss of evidence, that [it] would be lawfully entitled to, due to advances in technology, antiquated ELSUR laws, and or lack of resources, training, [and] personnel," (GD4, p. 120), and the FBI needs new laws and new tools to bring this evidence into the light
We first heard about the FBI’s Going Dark program in 2009, when the agency’s Congressional budget request included an additional $9 million to fund the program (on top of the $233.9 million it already received). Late last year, the New York Times linked the program to a plan to expand federal surveillance laws like the Communications Assistance to Law Enforcement Act (CALEA). We issued FOIA requests to the FBI in 2009 for information on Going Dark and in 2010 for information on the agency’s plans to update CALEA. These are the first documents we’ve received since we filed our lawsuit against the agency late last year. The documents provide rare insight into the agency’s multi-year strategy to increase its power to surveil our communications.
Here’s What the Documents Show:
What is the "Going Dark" Program?
The name "Going Dark" is cryptic, and the FBI’s public statements about the program are even more so. Nevertheless, FBI’s Operational Technology Division states that the program is one of the FBI’s "top initiatives" and has "gotten attention so far from high ranking officials in other federal, state, and local agencies and from industry." (GD4, p. 110).1 The FBI has told reporters in emails that Going Dark is:
the program name given to the FBI’s efforts to utilize innovative technology; foster cooperation with industry; and assist our state, local, and tribal law enforcement partners in a collaborative effort to close the growing gap between lawful interception requirements and our capabilities.
(GD2, p1). The FBI has also said that the term "Going Dark" does not refer to a specific capability,
but is a program name for the part of the FBI, Operational Technology Division's (OTD) lawful interception program which is shared with other law enforcement agencies. The term applies to the research and development of new tools, technical support and training initiatives.
(GD2, p 8). Behind this rhetoric, the documents detail a program set up to address the FBI’s allegations that communications providers’ technologies prevent the agency from implementing wiretap and pen register/trap and trace orders – essentially, the FBI alleges it is "'in the dark' by the loss of evidence, that [it] would be lawfully entitled to, due to advances in technology, antiquated ELSUR laws, and or lack of resources, training, [and] personnel," (GD4, p. 120), and the FBI needs new laws and new tools to bring this evidence into the light
Read Full Article
Secure Client Information Exchange
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
India still demanding RIM BES email access
The Indian government has not blocked BlackBerry Enterprise Server services within the country, even though Research In Motion did not meet the 31 January deadline to comply with its demands.
The Indian authorities are still demanding that the BlackBerry maker provide access to corporate email services that use BlackBerry Enterprise Server, according to The Economic Times of India.
In a bid to appease Indian officials, RIM provided access to its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service and BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) email in January. However, the authorities are reportedly not satisfied with the concession and are pushing for full corporate email access.
Read Full Article
Secure Client Information Exchange
secure email
The Indian authorities are still demanding that the BlackBerry maker provide access to corporate email services that use BlackBerry Enterprise Server, according to The Economic Times of India.
In a bid to appease Indian officials, RIM provided access to its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) service and BlackBerry Internet Service (BIS) email in January. However, the authorities are reportedly not satisfied with the concession and are pushing for full corporate email access.
Read Full Article
Secure Client Information Exchange
secure email
Secure Client Information Exchange: The powerful law firm at the center of the WikiLea...
Secure Client Information Exchange: The powerful law firm at the center of the WikiLea...: "One of the big outstanding questions in the story of the plot to undermine WikiLeaks and Salon's Glenn Greenwald, as well as a separate plan..."
Secure Client Information Exchange: Twitter users seek privacy in WikiLeaks case
Secure Client Information Exchange: Twitter users seek privacy in WikiLeaks case: "ALEXANDRIA, Virginia (AFP) – Lawyers for three Twitter users asked a US judge to overturn a court order directing the microblogging site to ..."
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
In The United States Business Emails Are Not Confidential
You May Want To Save The Government Time & Expense.
Simply CC The F.B.I. On All Of Your Confidential Business Emails.
SCIE System
Secure Client Information Exchange: House Extends Key Patriot Act Provisions
Secure Client Information Exchange: House Extends Key Patriot Act Provisions: "Here are the expiring provisions the House adopted: • The “roving wiretap” provision allows the FBI to obtain wiretaps from a secret intelli..."
Secure Client Information Exchange: Inside look at foreclosure decisions
Secure Client Information Exchange: Inside look at foreclosure decisions: "Internal documents and emails give insight into how lender decides whether to forecloseOne Valley man says he doubts mortgage giant Fannie M..."
Monday, February 14, 2011
Revenge Still Sweet As Anonymous Posts 27,000 More HBGary E-Mails
An act of revenge has turned into a high-minded campaign against unscrupulous corporate and government activities–that is if you believe a group of elite, hot-tempered hackers supporting Anonymous, the online campaign group that stands up for free speech by, among other things, attacking Web sites.
The original emails had indeed revealed a report by HBGary looking at ways to sabotage WikiLeaks in collaboration with Palantir Technologies and Berico Technologies. The emails also show that Bank of America, a potential target of WikiLeaks, was to hear the proposal via its outside law firm Hunton & Williams. The proposal’s recommendations included a disinformation campaign against WikiLeaks and cyber attacks on its Web site.
Read Full Article
A week after publishing more than 50,000 private emails of Aaron Barr, CEO of digital intelligence firm HBGary Federal who had publicly claimed to have penetrated Anonymous’ ranks, the group this morning republished those emails with another 27,606 from Greg Hoglund, the chief executive of sister company HBGary for other Anonymous supporters and journalists to pour over.
And instead of just uploading the email packet to bittorrent site Pirate Bay, they’ve created on online reader for easy perusing. It sets the stage for the launch of Anonymous’ latest venture, AnonLeaks. While the group has said little about AnonLeaks so far, it will presumably be a brazen addition to the growth of whistleblower sites like WikiLeaks.
The group said in a statement that it had taken “the game to the next level” and that HBGary’s leaked emails had revealed it was “entangled in highly dubious and most likely illegal activities, including a smear campaign against WikiLeaks, its supportive journalists, and adversaries of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Bank of America. Evidence even suggests this was done with full knowledge of the U.S. Department of Justice.”The original emails had indeed revealed a report by HBGary looking at ways to sabotage WikiLeaks in collaboration with Palantir Technologies and Berico Technologies. The emails also show that Bank of America, a potential target of WikiLeaks, was to hear the proposal via its outside law firm Hunton & Williams. The proposal’s recommendations included a disinformation campaign against WikiLeaks and cyber attacks on its Web site.
Read Full Article
HBGary CEO Also Suggested Tracking, Intimidating WikiLeaks’ Donors
WikiLeaks and its inner circle of supporters may not have been the only targets of a group of security firms that offered to take on the secret-spilling site on behalf of Bank of America. In an email conversation, the head of one of those firms also suggested going after the thousands of individuals who have donated to the group.
A quick search of the company’s WikiLeaks-related conversations shows that Aaron Barr, the HBGary chief executive who first caught the attention of Anonymous by boasting that he’d penetrated the group and identified its leaders, also suggested other tactics against WikiLeaks that weren’t included in that PowerPoint: namely, tracking and intimidating anyone who had given money to WikiLeaks. The security firms “need to get people to understand that if they support the organization we will come after them,” he wrote in an email. “Transaction records are easily identifiable.”
Read Full Article
Last week the loose hacker group Anonymous released a set of more than 40,000 emails from HBGary Federal, the security firm whose servers it hacked earlier this month. One of the files in those emails was a PowerPoint presentation that described “the WikiLeaks Threat,” created by a group of three security firms that suggested Nixonesque tactics for sabotaging the site on behalf of Bank of America, including spreading misinformation, launching cyberattacks against it, and pressuring journalists.
Over the weekend, the loose hacker group Anonymous published another 27,000 emails from HBGary Federal’s sister company HBGary, and also created a search engine for those documents on its WikiLeaks-like site, Anonleaks.ru.A quick search of the company’s WikiLeaks-related conversations shows that Aaron Barr, the HBGary chief executive who first caught the attention of Anonymous by boasting that he’d penetrated the group and identified its leaders, also suggested other tactics against WikiLeaks that weren’t included in that PowerPoint: namely, tracking and intimidating anyone who had given money to WikiLeaks. The security firms “need to get people to understand that if they support the organization we will come after them,” he wrote in an email. “Transaction records are easily identifiable.”
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ChamberLeaks: Pro-Chamber Conspiracy Illicitly Scraped Facebook
ThinkProgress has previously revealed how Hunton & Williams — a top law firm working for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce — solicited three private security contractors to investigate political opponents of the Chamber. A key service that attracted the Chamber’s lawyers to the corporate spies — Palantir Technologies, Berico Technologies, and HBGary Federal — was the ability of HBGary’s CEO Aaron Barr to use computer programs to “scrape” personal information from the websites of Facebook, LinkedIn, and other social media sites.
Leaked emails show that Berico, Palantir, and HBGary conspired to store information scraped from social media sites on Palantir’s servers. On November 11, Barr sent Facebook data about the supporters and leaders of Change To Win, CodePink, US Chamber Watch and other organizations to Berico, who then passed the “scrapes” with “mugshots” along to Palantir:
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Leaked emails show that Berico, Palantir, and HBGary conspired to store information scraped from social media sites on Palantir’s servers. On November 11, Barr sent Facebook data about the supporters and leaders of Change To Win, CodePink, US Chamber Watch and other organizations to Berico, who then passed the “scrapes” with “mugshots” along to Palantir:
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Saturday, February 12, 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Anonymous Ready To Dump More HBGary E-mails, Launch AnonLeaks
Anonymous used to be all about disrupting the Web sites of companies that helped block WikiLeaks’ funding. Now it’s starting to act like WikiLeaks itself. The group is planning, as early as today, to release 27,000 e-mails from the server of Greg Hoglund, the chief executive of software security firm HBGary, which it says could have permanently damaging consequences for the company.Anonymous has already posted around 50,000 emails of Aaron Barr, the CEO of sister organisation HPGary Federal, which revealed a report by the firm looking at ways to sabotage WikiLeaks in collaboration with Palantir Technologies and Berico Technologies. The emails also show that Bank of America, a potential target of WikiLeaks, was to hear the proposal via its outside law firm Hunton & Williams.
A source from Anonymous says that most of the new e-mails from Hoglund are still unchecked and it is unclear who will be most liable when the information is made public, but added that briefly skimming the emails had revealed “three different malware archives, two bots, an offer to sell a botnet, a genuine stuxnet copy, and various malware lists.” Not entirely surprising given that HBGary is a security firm, but the source speculates that botnets aren’t typically rented out for “research.”
“Judging by the fact that they’d attack WikiLeaks’ operations, [we] wouldn’t be surprised if they’re up to something fishy,” the source added. “We’ll let Anon and other public devour the emails.”
A subset of Anonymous members, or Anons, who use Internet Relay Chat to communicate, are currently working on a web viewer for all the e-mails as part of the launch of a new front for the movement, AnonLeaks.
ThinkProgress also discovered via Barr’s leaked emails that similar proposals had been prepared for the Chamber of Commerce to attack progressive groups and other activists including ThinkProgress itself
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Anonymous Hacks Security Firm Investigating It; Releases E-mail
A U.S. security firm that claimed to have uncovered the real identity of Anonymous members responsible for a recent spate of web site attacks became a victim of Anonymous itself, when members of the online vigilante group breached the company’s network and stole more than 60,000 internal e-mails.
The group posted the e-mail spool Sunday on the Pirate Bay torrent site for anyone to download and sift through.
HBGary Federal, which does classified work for the U.S. federal government among other security work, claimed it had been working with the FBI to unmask hackers behind recent denial-of-service attacks against PayPal, Visa, MasterCard and Amazon. Members of Anonymous — a loosely structured group of internet troublemakers — had organized the mass attacks after the companies suspended accounts used by WikiLeaks to receive donations and host documents. More recently, members of the group directed denial-of-service attacks against government web sites in Tunisia and Egypt.
Last month, the FBI announced it had executed more than 40 search warrants against people suspected of participating in the WikiLeaks-related attacks. British police also arrested five men in relation to the attacks.
The hack against HBGary Federal occurred after the Financial Times published a story on Saturday quoting Aaron Barr, CEO of the company. Barr said his company’s researchers had uncovered clues to the real identities of top members of Anonymous by monitoring chat rooms and Facebook groups they frequented. Barr identified a co-founder of the group, who goes by the name Q, and said he planned to give some of the information to the FBI. He also planned to present his findings at the RSA Security Conference in San Francisco next week.
On Sunday, Anonymous ridiculed the company’s research skills and the accuracy of its data in a press release posted at Daily Kos, mocking the company’s “infiltration of our entirely secret IRC server anonops.ru and in particular our ultra-classified channels #opegypt, #optunisia, and, of course, #reporters, which itself is the most secret of all.”
In addition to the sudden disappearance of Anonymous leader Q, Anonymous co-founder Justin Bieber also disappeared just before his top-secret mission to Eritrea to offer physical succour to the rebels, suggesting that Mubarak is in our base, eating our Cheetos, likely with military support authorized by Hill Dawg
The group then hacked into the HBGary Federal web site and e-mail servers, and replaced the web site content with a lengthy message taunting the security firm for failing to protect its own network and for trying to gain attention by marketing its research on Anonymous.
“Your recent claims of ‘infiltrating’ Anonymous amuse us, and so do your attempts at using Anonymous as a means to garner press attention for yourself. How’s this for attention?,” the message reads. “You’ve tried to bite at the Anonymous hand, and now the Anonymous hand is bitch-slapping you in the face.”
The hackers then posted a file purporting to contain the research that Barr had collected on Anonymous members as well as more than 50,000 e-mails in Barr’s account. The group claimed to have financial details for the company and threatened to erase content on the company servers.
Exposed Email Alert!: Facebook Must Explain Privacy Practices to Congres...
Exposed Email Alert!: Facebook Must Explain Privacy Practices to Congres...: "Analysis: Congressmembers say they want answers regarding Facebook’s data disclosure. Facebook's plan to give developers access to users' a..."
Exposed Email Alert!: Zuckerberg IM's Won't Help Facebooks Privacy Issue...
Exposed Email Alert!: Zuckerberg IM's Won't Help Facebooks Privacy Issue...: "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his company are suddenly facing a big new round of scrutiny and criticism about their cavalier attitude tow..."
Exposed Email Alert!: Calif. juror ordered to turn over Facebook posts
Exposed Email Alert!: Calif. juror ordered to turn over Facebook posts: "SACRAMENTO, Calif. – A California judge has ordered a juror to turn over Facebook messages he posted during the trial of several alleged gan..."
Saturday, February 5, 2011
Secure Client Information Exchange: Madoff trustee: JP Morgan Execs Warned of Fraud
Secure Client Information Exchange: Madoff trustee: JP Morgan Execs Warned of Fraud: "NEW YORK (AP) -- E-mails and other internal documents show that executives at JPMorgan Chase were complicit in Bernard Madoff's massive frau..."
Thursday, February 3, 2011
Secure Client Information Exchange: SURPRISE! Leaked Emails Show Fox News' Exec's Atte...
Secure Client Information Exchange: SURPRISE! Leaked Emails Show Fox News' Exec's Atte...: "Media Matters has uncovered even more internal Fox emails revealing a purported network-wide campaign to link Barack Obama to 'Marxists' and..."
Secure Client Information Exchange: Pakistan to cut BB services for foreign missions-s...
Secure Client Information Exchange: Pakistan to cut BB services for foreign missions-s...: "Pakistani authorities have asked mobile telephone operators to stop BlackBerry services to foreign missions in the country amid concern abou..."
Patterns of Misconduct: FBI Intelligence Violations from 2001 - 2008
Excerpt:
......In response, the email service provider returned two CDs containing the full content of all emails in the accounts. The FBI eventually (and properly) sequestered the CDs, notified the email provider of the overproduction, and re-issued an NSL for the originally requested header information; but, in response to the second NSL, the email provider again provided the FBI with the full content of all emails in the accounts.
Compounding the service providers’ problematic over-disclosure, the scope of the FBI’s authority to issue NSLs for electronic transactional records rests on unsettled and unclear legal grounds. The FBI’s NSL authority under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) allows the government to issue NSLs to traditional telephone service providers for non-content subscriber information and toll billing records — essentially, the name, address, length of service, and local and long distance call records.30 ECPA also provides the authority to issue NSLs for "electronic communications transactional records." However, the exact scope of this remains unclear: according to the DOJ, "electronic communications transactional records" include "those categories of information parallel to . . . toll billing records for ordinary telephone service."31 What, exactly, "those categories of information" constitute — possibly including, for example, email "header" information, IP addresses, URLs, or other information — remains unclear.
Third-parties not only willingly cooperated with FBI NSLs when the legal justification was unclear, however: they responded to NSLs without any legal justification at all. In one instance, when requesting financial records from a bank under the Right to Financial Privacy Act, the FBI used language and statutory citations from ECPA — a statute entirely unrelated to financial records — for its legal authority; nevertheless, the financial institution complied with the FBI’s legally deficient request........
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......In response, the email service provider returned two CDs containing the full content of all emails in the accounts. The FBI eventually (and properly) sequestered the CDs, notified the email provider of the overproduction, and re-issued an NSL for the originally requested header information; but, in response to the second NSL, the email provider again provided the FBI with the full content of all emails in the accounts.
Compounding the service providers’ problematic over-disclosure, the scope of the FBI’s authority to issue NSLs for electronic transactional records rests on unsettled and unclear legal grounds. The FBI’s NSL authority under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act (ECPA) allows the government to issue NSLs to traditional telephone service providers for non-content subscriber information and toll billing records — essentially, the name, address, length of service, and local and long distance call records.30 ECPA also provides the authority to issue NSLs for "electronic communications transactional records." However, the exact scope of this remains unclear: according to the DOJ, "electronic communications transactional records" include "those categories of information parallel to . . . toll billing records for ordinary telephone service."31 What, exactly, "those categories of information" constitute — possibly including, for example, email "header" information, IP addresses, URLs, or other information — remains unclear.
Third-parties not only willingly cooperated with FBI NSLs when the legal justification was unclear, however: they responded to NSLs without any legal justification at all. In one instance, when requesting financial records from a bank under the Right to Financial Privacy Act, the FBI used language and statutory citations from ECPA — a statute entirely unrelated to financial records — for its legal authority; nevertheless, the financial institution complied with the FBI’s legally deficient request........
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As International Privacy Day is Celebrated, Governments Continue to Chip Away at Privacy Rights
"Effective data protection is vital for our democracies and underpins other fundamental rights and freedoms." - Viviane Reding, Vice-President of the European Commission and Commissioner for Justice, Fundamental Rights and Citizenship.
Last Friday, privacy advocates and government officials in countries across the world celebrated the 5th annual International Privacy Day — even as individual privacy is threatened by surveillance proposals and security breaches worldwide. This day commemorates the first legally binding international agreement on data protection – the Council of Europe’s Convention 108- which was opened for signature on January 28th, 1981. Last week’s celebration marked the 30th anniversary of Convention 108, which has served as a foundation for many countries’ national data protection laws. It is an opportunity to raise public awareness about privacy threats and to urge governments to protect citizen's privacy rights.
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Last Friday, privacy advocates and government officials in countries across the world celebrated the 5th annual International Privacy Day — even as individual privacy is threatened by surveillance proposals and security breaches worldwide. This day commemorates the first legally binding international agreement on data protection – the Council of Europe’s Convention 108- which was opened for signature on January 28th, 1981. Last week’s celebration marked the 30th anniversary of Convention 108, which has served as a foundation for many countries’ national data protection laws. It is an opportunity to raise public awareness about privacy threats and to urge governments to protect citizen's privacy rights.
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In U.S. courts, Facebook posts become less private
(Reuters Legal) - It's the latest litigation tactic in the online age: U.S. lawyers are trying to mine the private zones of Facebook and other social-media sites for photos, comments, status updates and other tidbits that might contradict what their opponents are saying in court. And increasingly, judges in civil cases are granting access to online caches that had formerly been considered off-limits
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Grand jury probes what Edwards knew about spending
WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal criminal investigation targeting John Edwards is examining how much the two-time presidential candidate knew about money used to cover up his extramarital affair and out-of-wedlock child and whether other practices of his violated campaign finance laws, people involved in the case have told The Associated Press.
A federal grand jury in Raleigh, N.C., is sifting records and testimony involving several political organizations and individuals connected to Edwards to determine if the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee broke any laws. A recently issued subpoena focuses on a web of these Edwards-affiliated groups, according to subpoena details provided to the AP that offer a glimpse behind the closed doors of the investigation.
The case largely stems from money spent to keep Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, in hiding along with former campaign aide Andrew Young, who initially claimed paternity so Edwards could continue pursuing the White House without the taint of the affair.
Investigators are looking chiefly at whether funds paid to Hunter and Young — from outside political groups and Edwards' political donors — should have been considered campaign donations since they arguably aided his presidential bid, according to several people involved in the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing probe. They're also looking closely at whether any entities linked to Edwards operated illegally.
While it could not be learned if prosecutors have found violations of a specific statute, federal election laws require disclosure of the money spent on campaigns for federal offices, limit the amounts of such donations and prohibit the conversion of campaign funds to personal use.
Edwards' attorney Wade Smith would not discuss specifics but said, "We do not believe there is evidence that John has violated any election laws."
The investigation has been led for nearly two years by George Holding, the U.S. attorney in Raleigh appointed by President George W. Bush, with help from FBI and IRS agents and Justice Department attorneys from Washington. North Carolina's senators have asked President Barack Obama not to replace Holding until he finishes this probe.
Several people interviewed by investigators said the questions focused on Edwards' knowledge of campaign finance law, going as far back as whether he used his Senate office to conduct political business in violation of congressional rules. Subpoenas issued in the case request e-mails, records and other material related to more than two dozen individuals and organizations connected to Edwards and his allies throughout his political career
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A federal grand jury in Raleigh, N.C., is sifting records and testimony involving several political organizations and individuals connected to Edwards to determine if the former North Carolina senator and 2004 vice presidential nominee broke any laws. A recently issued subpoena focuses on a web of these Edwards-affiliated groups, according to subpoena details provided to the AP that offer a glimpse behind the closed doors of the investigation.
The case largely stems from money spent to keep Edwards' mistress, Rielle Hunter, in hiding along with former campaign aide Andrew Young, who initially claimed paternity so Edwards could continue pursuing the White House without the taint of the affair.
Investigators are looking chiefly at whether funds paid to Hunter and Young — from outside political groups and Edwards' political donors — should have been considered campaign donations since they arguably aided his presidential bid, according to several people involved in the case who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the ongoing probe. They're also looking closely at whether any entities linked to Edwards operated illegally.
While it could not be learned if prosecutors have found violations of a specific statute, federal election laws require disclosure of the money spent on campaigns for federal offices, limit the amounts of such donations and prohibit the conversion of campaign funds to personal use.
Edwards' attorney Wade Smith would not discuss specifics but said, "We do not believe there is evidence that John has violated any election laws."
The investigation has been led for nearly two years by George Holding, the U.S. attorney in Raleigh appointed by President George W. Bush, with help from FBI and IRS agents and Justice Department attorneys from Washington. North Carolina's senators have asked President Barack Obama not to replace Holding until he finishes this probe.
Several people interviewed by investigators said the questions focused on Edwards' knowledge of campaign finance law, going as far back as whether he used his Senate office to conduct political business in violation of congressional rules. Subpoenas issued in the case request e-mails, records and other material related to more than two dozen individuals and organizations connected to Edwards and his allies throughout his political career
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Civil Justice Reform - Law Firms - E-Discovery Takes A Turn - Charting The Course To Discovery
Conclusion:
Social networks are a relatively untapped discovery source that can contain a wealth of useful information. Because unsophisticated users of social networks will likely have difficulty preserving such data, the best source for discovery is to seek the production directly from the SNPs subscribed to by the user. For compliance with the SCA, counsel will be required to secure consent from the user, which can be compelled by a court. With the service of a subpoena and authorization from the user, counsel can begin the process of obtaining production from the SNPs.
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Social networks are a relatively untapped discovery source that can contain a wealth of useful information. Because unsophisticated users of social networks will likely have difficulty preserving such data, the best source for discovery is to seek the production directly from the SNPs subscribed to by the user. For compliance with the SCA, counsel will be required to secure consent from the user, which can be compelled by a court. With the service of a subpoena and authorization from the user, counsel can begin the process of obtaining production from the SNPs.
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Lawyer Faces New Steps for Chevron's Subpoena
(CN) - A lawyer who may be withholding documents subpoenaed by Chevron, which is challenging a $113 billion environmental lawsuit in Ecuador, must turn over mirror images of his hard drive, a federal judge ordered.
Over the last few months, New York courts have repeatedly ordered Steven Donziger to comply with Chevron's subpoenas. Donziger is an American lawyer who organized the multibillion dollar litigation that Chevron claims has been tainted by judicial misconduct.
"There is reason to believe that Donziger has not complied full and promptly with the subpoenas served upon him and with this court's orders that he do so," U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote on Jan. 21.
A spokeswoman for the Ecuadorians suing Chevron denied the allegation, stating that Donziger has fully complied by producing thousands of documents and sitting for aggressive deposition.
"There comes a time when efforts to get information crosses the line to harassment and abuse of the litigation process," spokeswoman Karen Hinton said in an e-mail.
Donziger had challenged the subpoena by claiming his files are protected by attorney-client privilege, but the courts have found that the lawyer in large part waived that privilege and must turn over a substantial amount of material responsive to the subpoeana.
A spokesman for Chevron praised Kaplan's steps to ensure that Donziger complies with the subpoena.
"The notion that Mr. Donziger has been cooperative is defied by the factual record," Chevron spokesman Kent Robertson said in an e-mail.
Kaplan noted that Donziger first turned over just 20,000 files followed by another 87,080 documents, though the lawyer had told the court that enforcing the subpoena would require him to turn over 200,000 documents.
"Despite the belated additional production, there is evidence that at least suggests that Donziger may have erased or is withholding still other responsive documents," Kaplan wrote.
The Ecuadorians' spokeswoman noted that this too was inaccurate.
"Mr. Donziger has turned over the entire case file from this 17-year litigation, including thousands of documents and emails that normally is considered privileged," Hinton said. "He also sat for 11 days of depositions and testimony during which time he has been subject to tag team questioning by four different lawyers."
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Over the last few months, New York courts have repeatedly ordered Steven Donziger to comply with Chevron's subpoenas. Donziger is an American lawyer who organized the multibillion dollar litigation that Chevron claims has been tainted by judicial misconduct.
"There is reason to believe that Donziger has not complied full and promptly with the subpoenas served upon him and with this court's orders that he do so," U.S. District Judge Lewis Kaplan wrote on Jan. 21.
A spokeswoman for the Ecuadorians suing Chevron denied the allegation, stating that Donziger has fully complied by producing thousands of documents and sitting for aggressive deposition.
"There comes a time when efforts to get information crosses the line to harassment and abuse of the litigation process," spokeswoman Karen Hinton said in an e-mail.
Donziger had challenged the subpoena by claiming his files are protected by attorney-client privilege, but the courts have found that the lawyer in large part waived that privilege and must turn over a substantial amount of material responsive to the subpoeana.
A spokesman for Chevron praised Kaplan's steps to ensure that Donziger complies with the subpoena.
"The notion that Mr. Donziger has been cooperative is defied by the factual record," Chevron spokesman Kent Robertson said in an e-mail.
Kaplan noted that Donziger first turned over just 20,000 files followed by another 87,080 documents, though the lawyer had told the court that enforcing the subpoena would require him to turn over 200,000 documents.
"Despite the belated additional production, there is evidence that at least suggests that Donziger may have erased or is withholding still other responsive documents," Kaplan wrote.
The Ecuadorians' spokeswoman noted that this too was inaccurate.
"Mr. Donziger has turned over the entire case file from this 17-year litigation, including thousands of documents and emails that normally is considered privileged," Hinton said. "He also sat for 11 days of depositions and testimony during which time he has been subject to tag team questioning by four different lawyers."
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Special counsel named to help in Tim Cahill probe
BOSTON — State Treasurer Steven Grossman says he has appointed a special counsel experienced in securities law enforcement to handle a federal investigation into Goldman Sachs Group’s dealings with his predecessor, Timothy P. Cahill and Cahill’s former aides.
Grossman told The Associated Press Sunday he has hired Ian D. Roffman, a former senior trial counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission and now a partner at a Boston law firm.
Grossman has been served with a subpoena seeking documents such as e-mails, phone records, schedules, files and memos dating to June 1, 2008
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Grossman told The Associated Press Sunday he has hired Ian D. Roffman, a former senior trial counsel for the Securities and Exchange Commission and now a partner at a Boston law firm.
Grossman has been served with a subpoena seeking documents such as e-mails, phone records, schedules, files and memos dating to June 1, 2008
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SEC looks at Cahill, Goldman Sachs link
The US Securities and Exchange Commission has delivered subpoenas to the state treasurer’s office in a wide-ranging request for documents concerning dealings between investment banking giant Goldman Sachs and former treasurer Timothy P. Cahill, onetime top staff members, and former campaign aides, according to an official briefed on the document request.
The agency’s subpoenas, which seek e-mails, phone records, schedules, files, and memorandums, come just over a month after Goldman Sachs removed itself from two state bond deals in Massachusetts following the disclosure that a vice president at the firm, Neil Morrison, was active in Cahill’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign, which could violate federal securities regulations. Morrison had previously served as a top deputy to Cahill in the treasurer’s office.
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The agency’s subpoenas, which seek e-mails, phone records, schedules, files, and memorandums, come just over a month after Goldman Sachs removed itself from two state bond deals in Massachusetts following the disclosure that a vice president at the firm, Neil Morrison, was active in Cahill’s 2010 gubernatorial campaign, which could violate federal securities regulations. Morrison had previously served as a top deputy to Cahill in the treasurer’s office.
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Federal investigators seek Birmingham City Hall records on bingo
Federal investigators have ordered the city of Birmingham to turn over records related to a 2009 ordinance on electronic bingo and to a City Council member who pressed to legalize the games.
The U.S. Attorney's Office subpoenaed City Council voting records on the electronic bingo ordinance along with phone records, telephone messages and e-mails from former Councilman Joel Montgomery's office relating to the issue.
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The U.S. Attorney's Office subpoenaed City Council voting records on the electronic bingo ordinance along with phone records, telephone messages and e-mails from former Councilman Joel Montgomery's office relating to the issue.
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News International finds 'lost' emails that could provide evidence in phone-hacking case
A "lost" hoard of emails sent by senior executives in Rupert Murdoch's newspaper empire at the height of the phone-hacking scandal has been found, The Independent has learnt.
Detectives from the Metropolitan Police are now expected to examine the database of emails in their renewed search for News of the World journalists who may have hacked into mobile phone messages or hired private detectives to do so in breach of privacy laws.
Consolidated RICO Class Action Against BP Contains a Litany of Damning Allegations
NEW ORLEANS (CN) - A newly consolidated RICO class action claims BP's "cocksure behavior," its history of safety violations, disregard for federal regulations and failure to inspect and maintain equipment all contributed to the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon. The class claims that BP conducted itself with an "underlying 'unconscious mind,'" and that its practice of putting profit before safety created the catastrophe.
The federal complaint adds that the relative newness of offshore drilling, the difficult geography of the Macondo well site, and the fact that BP was drilling at depths that exceeded its federal permit also contributed to the disaster.
The class claims the oil giant gambled with worker and environmental safety by cutting corners, misrepresenting intentions, using shoddy material and failing to run crucial safety inspections.
Ultimately, all those factors combined with the No. 1 cause of the disaster: that for BP, profit came before safety, according to the 91-page complaint.
The class claims BP was behind schedule and was spending $1 million a day to keep drilling the difficult Macondo well when the Deepwater Horizon exploded.
"Despite this history of catastrophes and close calls, BP has been chronically unable or unwilling to learn from its many mistakes or to give up its regular way of doing business," the complaint states. "The company's dismal safety record and disregard for prudent risk management are the results of a corporate safety culture that has been repeatedly called into question by government regulators."
The class action, released Monday, was consolidated under U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier's court as part of the oil spill multidistrict litigation. More than 300 oil spill-related lawsuits pending in Barbier's court are to be divided and consolidated into "bundles," depending on their causes of action.
On April 20, 2010, BP workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost control of the subsea well they had almost completed. When highly pressurized hydrocarbons leaked into the well, the vessel's emergency equipment failed to stop the oil and gas from blowing out of the well, which led to explosions and a fire on the Deepwater Horizon, and ultimately to the sinking of the vessel. Eleven people died and gas and oil gushed into the water unchecked for 12 weeks.
"Meanwhile, BP downplayed the severity of the spill and was, contrary to their prior claims to regulators, unprepared for the massive cleanup effort required," according to the complaint.
On May 21, President Obama established the National Oil Spill Commission on the BP Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, to examine facts and circumstances surrounding the explosion.
"A key finding of the commission was that BP repeatedly placed profits over safety, implementing procedures that greatly increased risk, primarily in order to avoid the expense of delay," according to the complaint.
According to the chairman of the investigation, "All the evidence of BP's misguided priorities and imprudent decisions regarding the Macondo well and the Deepwater Horizon described above is part of a pattern of cocksure behavior -a 'culture of complacency,'" according to the complaint.
Deepwater offshore drilling is an "immensely complex, technical process, and a relatively new one that has only developed over the last five years," the complaint states.
In emails weeks before the blowout, BP employees referred to the Macondo well as a "crazy," "nightmare" well, and indicated a sense of resignation about safety procedures, the class claims. It cites an email from BP official Brett Cocales in which he admits using less equipment than was necessary: "'who cares, it's done, end of story, will probably be fine.'"
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The federal complaint adds that the relative newness of offshore drilling, the difficult geography of the Macondo well site, and the fact that BP was drilling at depths that exceeded its federal permit also contributed to the disaster.
The class claims the oil giant gambled with worker and environmental safety by cutting corners, misrepresenting intentions, using shoddy material and failing to run crucial safety inspections.
Ultimately, all those factors combined with the No. 1 cause of the disaster: that for BP, profit came before safety, according to the 91-page complaint.
The class claims BP was behind schedule and was spending $1 million a day to keep drilling the difficult Macondo well when the Deepwater Horizon exploded.
"Despite this history of catastrophes and close calls, BP has been chronically unable or unwilling to learn from its many mistakes or to give up its regular way of doing business," the complaint states. "The company's dismal safety record and disregard for prudent risk management are the results of a corporate safety culture that has been repeatedly called into question by government regulators."
The class action, released Monday, was consolidated under U.S. District Judge Carl J. Barbier's court as part of the oil spill multidistrict litigation. More than 300 oil spill-related lawsuits pending in Barbier's court are to be divided and consolidated into "bundles," depending on their causes of action.
On April 20, 2010, BP workers aboard the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig lost control of the subsea well they had almost completed. When highly pressurized hydrocarbons leaked into the well, the vessel's emergency equipment failed to stop the oil and gas from blowing out of the well, which led to explosions and a fire on the Deepwater Horizon, and ultimately to the sinking of the vessel. Eleven people died and gas and oil gushed into the water unchecked for 12 weeks.
"Meanwhile, BP downplayed the severity of the spill and was, contrary to their prior claims to regulators, unprepared for the massive cleanup effort required," according to the complaint.
On May 21, President Obama established the National Oil Spill Commission on the BP Horizon Oil Spill and Offshore Drilling, to examine facts and circumstances surrounding the explosion.
"A key finding of the commission was that BP repeatedly placed profits over safety, implementing procedures that greatly increased risk, primarily in order to avoid the expense of delay," according to the complaint.
According to the chairman of the investigation, "All the evidence of BP's misguided priorities and imprudent decisions regarding the Macondo well and the Deepwater Horizon described above is part of a pattern of cocksure behavior -a 'culture of complacency,'" according to the complaint.
Deepwater offshore drilling is an "immensely complex, technical process, and a relatively new one that has only developed over the last five years," the complaint states.
In emails weeks before the blowout, BP employees referred to the Macondo well as a "crazy," "nightmare" well, and indicated a sense of resignation about safety procedures, the class claims. It cites an email from BP official Brett Cocales in which he admits using less equipment than was necessary: "'who cares, it's done, end of story, will probably be fine.'"
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Prosecutors: New Detail in Galleon Case .
NEW YORK—An unidentified banker at Wall Street firm Morgan Stanley allegedly leaked details of a merger involving Advanced Micro Devices Inc. in 2006, according a court filing in a closely watched insider-trading case.
The banker allegedly leaked details of AMD's bid to acquire ATI Technologies Inc. in May 2006 and the information was allegedly later passed to Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, according to a letter federal prosecutors wrote to Mr. Rajaratnam's lawyers on Thursday. The banker's name and the person who allegedly provided the tip to Mr. Rajaratnam are redacted from the letter
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had previously alleged that Anil Kumar, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant, also provided details of the AMD-ATI tie-up to Mr. Rajaratnam.
Mr. Kumar, who has previously pleaded guilty in the case and is cooperating with prosecutors, has told the government that he was paid $2 million for providing tips to Mr. Rajaratnam. Mr. Rajaratnam has denied paying the money.
The letter was filed Friday as an exhibit in connection with a request by Mr. Rajaratnam's lawyers to quash a new subpoena to Galleon seeking additional information on trading by Mr. Rajaratnam, as well as emails regarding certain stocks.
"We have placed the banker on leave and we are fully cooperating with the government's investigation," a Morgan Stanley spokeswoman said in a statement.
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The banker allegedly leaked details of AMD's bid to acquire ATI Technologies Inc. in May 2006 and the information was allegedly later passed to Galleon Group founder Raj Rajaratnam, according to a letter federal prosecutors wrote to Mr. Rajaratnam's lawyers on Thursday. The banker's name and the person who allegedly provided the tip to Mr. Rajaratnam are redacted from the letter
Federal prosecutors in Manhattan had previously alleged that Anil Kumar, a former McKinsey & Co. consultant, also provided details of the AMD-ATI tie-up to Mr. Rajaratnam.
Mr. Kumar, who has previously pleaded guilty in the case and is cooperating with prosecutors, has told the government that he was paid $2 million for providing tips to Mr. Rajaratnam. Mr. Rajaratnam has denied paying the money.
The letter was filed Friday as an exhibit in connection with a request by Mr. Rajaratnam's lawyers to quash a new subpoena to Galleon seeking additional information on trading by Mr. Rajaratnam, as well as emails regarding certain stocks.
"We have placed the banker on leave and we are fully cooperating with the government's investigation," a Morgan Stanley spokeswoman said in a statement.
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Monday, January 31, 2011
Renewing the Patriot Act While America Sleeps
Of course, there is no doubt that if we lived in a police state, it would be easier to catch terrorists. If we lived in a country that allowed the police to search your home at any time for any reason; if we lived in a country that allowed the government to open your mail, eavesdrop on your phone conversations, or intercept your email communications; if we lived in a country that allowed the government to hold people in jail indefinitely based on what they write or think, or based on mere suspicion that they are up to no good, then the government would no doubt discover and arrest more terrorists. But that probably would not be a country in which we would want to live. And that would not be a country for which we could, in good conscience, ask our young people to fight and die. In short, that would not be America.
--Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), voicing his concerns over Congress' passage of the USA Patriot Act (Oct. 25, 2001)Read Full Article
In Messages, Lobbyist Says DeLay Pressed for Donation
WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 - Newly disclosed e-mail messages from the lobbyist Jack Abramoff show that he told an Indian tribe client that he was being pressured by Representative Tom DeLay for a contribution for a $25,000-a-table Republican fund-raiser and that Mr. DeLay had personally phoned the lobbyist's office in search of the money
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EXCLUSIVE EMAILS: Jack Abramoff Describes Relationship With President Bush
ThinkProgress has obtained emails written by Jack Abramoff in which the fallen lobbyist personally describes his relationship with President Bush. They depict a relationship far more extensive than has been previously reported.
The emails written by Abramoff was addressed to Kim Eisler, the national editor of Washingtonian magazine. The Washingtonian recently reported on the existence of several photographs showing Abramoff and Bush together. Eisler is also the author of Revenge of the Pequots, a book about tribal politics for which Abramoff was interviewed.
In the emails, Abramoff describes meeting Bush “in almost a dozen settings,” and details how he was personally invited to President Bush’s private ranch in Crawford, Texas, for a gathering of Bush fundraisers in 2003. Abramoff did not attend, citing a religious observance.
Abramoff emailed Eisler about his invitation to Crawford and his decision not to attend:
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The emails written by Abramoff was addressed to Kim Eisler, the national editor of Washingtonian magazine. The Washingtonian recently reported on the existence of several photographs showing Abramoff and Bush together. Eisler is also the author of Revenge of the Pequots, a book about tribal politics for which Abramoff was interviewed.
In the emails, Abramoff describes meeting Bush “in almost a dozen settings,” and details how he was personally invited to President Bush’s private ranch in Crawford, Texas, for a gathering of Bush fundraisers in 2003. Abramoff did not attend, citing a religious observance.
Abramoff emailed Eisler about his invitation to Crawford and his decision not to attend:
NO, IT WAS THAT I WOULD HAVE HAD TO TRAVEL ON SATURDAY (SHABBOS). YES, I WAS INVITED, DURING THE 2004 CAMPAIGN. IT WAS SATURDAY AUGUST 9, 2003 AT THE RANCH IN CRAWFORD.The White House has continually downplayed the relationship between Abramoff and President Bush. At a January 26 press conference, President Bush said “You know, I, frankly, don’t even remember having my picture taken with the guy. I don’t know him.”
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McCain Withheld Controversial Abramoff Email
In the 2006 Senate report concerning Abramoff's activities, which McCain spearheaded, the Arizona Republican conspicuously left out information detailing how Alabama Gov. Bob Riley was targeted by Abramoff's influence peddling scheme. Riley, a Republican, won election in November 2002, and was reelected in 2006.
In a December 2002 email obtained by the Huffington Post -- which McCain and his staff had access to prior to the issuance of his report -- Abramoff explains to an aide what he would like to see Riley do in return for the "help" he received from Abramoff's tribal clients.
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In a December 2002 email obtained by the Huffington Post -- which McCain and his staff had access to prior to the issuance of his report -- Abramoff explains to an aide what he would like to see Riley do in return for the "help" he received from Abramoff's tribal clients.
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Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal
The Abramoff-Reed Indian Gambling Scandal is a US political scandal involving the work done by lobbyists Jack Abramoff, Ralph E. Reed, Jr., Grover Norquist and Michael Scanlon on behalf of Indian casino gambling interests. The lobbyists are accused of orchestrating lobbying against their own clients in order to force them to pay for lobbying services.
In the course of the scheme, the lobbyists are accused of illegally giving gifts and making campaign donations in return for political favors to several senior Republican politicians, in particular Tom DeLay, Conrad Burns and Bob Ney
Abramoff via email once asked his conspirator Michael Scanlon to meet a client. The reason Mr. Abramoff couldn't do it was because, as he put it, "I have to meet with the monkeys from the Choctaw tribal council. You need to close the deal... with the client..."
About one tribal client (date unknown) Abramoff wrote to Scanlon, "These mofos are the stupidest idiots in the land for sure." In another e-mail message he wrote, "we need to get some money from those monkeys!!"
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In the course of the scheme, the lobbyists are accused of illegally giving gifts and making campaign donations in return for political favors to several senior Republican politicians, in particular Tom DeLay, Conrad Burns and Bob Ney
Insulting references to clients
In emails now made public by the FBI, which is investigating him, Abramoff repeatedly refers to Native Americans as "monkeys", "troglodytes" and "idiots."Abramoff via email once asked his conspirator Michael Scanlon to meet a client. The reason Mr. Abramoff couldn't do it was because, as he put it, "I have to meet with the monkeys from the Choctaw tribal council. You need to close the deal... with the client..."
About one tribal client (date unknown) Abramoff wrote to Scanlon, "These mofos are the stupidest idiots in the land for sure." In another e-mail message he wrote, "we need to get some money from those monkeys!!"
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Secure Client Information Exchange: The Hushmail Myth
Secure Client Information Exchange: The Hushmail Myth: "According to their website: Hushmail is the most secure web-based free email service in the world. Since 1999, millions of people and thous..."
Exposed Email Alert!: Question: SAFe - Mail. Is it Really Safe and Secur...
Exposed Email Alert!: Question: SAFe - Mail. Is it Really Safe and Secur...: "This is what SAFe-Mail claims on its website; Safe-Mail.net 'Safe-mail is the most secure, easy to use communication system. It includes en..."
Apple service briefly suspended in Saudi Arabia
The battle between governments and the internet took another turn yesterday when Saudi Arabia appeared to block access to Apple's MobileMe service. The Saudis gave no reason for the block, did not apply it to everyone in the country and lifted it within a few hours for at least some without an explanation.
Word of the government's block came from Apple World, a Saudi website.
MobileMe is Apple's cloud service, a conduit for email, contacts and calendar services, as well as storage for pictures, video and backups. It syncs with Macs, iPhones and iPads. Apple has a huge investment in MobileMe because of the growing interest in cloud computing, reportedly spending $1 billion to build a 4.6-hectare server farm in North Carolina for the service.
Last summer, the Saudi government threatened to shut down Blackberry services unless the Canadian company that runs Blackberries, Research in Motion (RIM), granted access to encrypted text and email messages sent from the devices. The Saudis claimed the step was necessary to hamper communication by terrorists. RIM worked out a settlement, agreeing to put a Blackberry server in Saudi Arabia and gave a government a key to the encryption code.
She knows who they are
Don’t under-estimate the pressure from the top, as Wellington Mayor Celia Wade-Brown stands by her suggestion that under-performing city councilors must find ways to improve their performance.
The mayor stayed calm after discovering that a councilor had leaked one of her emails to the media. She told the New Tasman blog: “I am aware of which councillors may have an interest in disruption rather than creativity now they are back from holiday. But I don’t intend to worry about who spread this around.”
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The mayor stayed calm after discovering that a councilor had leaked one of her emails to the media. She told the New Tasman blog: “I am aware of which councillors may have an interest in disruption rather than creativity now they are back from holiday. But I don’t intend to worry about who spread this around.”
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