You Won’t Believe All the Crazy Hardware the NSA Uses for Spying

The NSA’s Sears catalog for spies has been released.
nsa_candygram

A Christmas Message From Edward Snowden: “Asking Is Always Cheaper Than Spying” (Video)

Then again, Santa has been using a magic snowball to naughty-or-nice monitor us at no cost for centuries now.

The One Big Question About RSA and Its Relationship With the NSA

The first questions about a problematic encryption method arose in 2007, and for six years it appeared that RSA did nothing to address them.

Talk of an RSA Boycott Grows After Reports It Colluded With the NSA

A well-known security researcher says he won’t speak at next year’s RSA conference after reports allege that the company worked with the NSA to allow back doors into encryption products.

In Lawsuit, U.S. May Have to Prove Why It Needs Phone Records Collection Program

A judge challenges the government to prove that investigators have used it to fend off imminent terrorist attacks.

Shareholder Suit Accuses IBM of Concealing a Post-Snowden Backlash in China

Big Blue saw its sales fall considerably in China last quarter. A Louisiana pension fund argues that it was because of an association with the NSA.

Voices

U.S. to Stick With Combined NSA, Cyber Command Posts

The Obama administration has decided to keep the current arrangement under which the NSA director also leads the military command.

Weekend Reading — The Latest Open Government Plan (Post-Edward Snowden)

Sunshine is the best disinfectant. As it turns out, we might need something a little stronger these days.

The World’s Most Powerful Supercomputer Is Still in China

What the top American machine lacks in raw power, it makes up for in efficiency.

Requests for Google User Account Info by Governments Are on the Rise

Requests worldwide have nearly doubled since 2010, data shows.