And The Source Of The Verizon Leak Is...?

Who is the source for Glenn Greenwald's massive scoop about Verizon's hoovering up of phone metadata for the NSA? Let me toss out a longshot that, if nothing else, will work in a screenplay.

Last May 20 the WaPo reported that back in 2009 Chinese hackers engaged in counterintelligence work had cracked a Google database of court ordered surveillance:

Chinese hackers who breached Google’s servers several years ago gained access to a sensitive database with years’ worth of information about U.S. surveillance targets, according to current and former government officials.

The breach appears to have been aimed at unearthing the identities of Chinese intelligence operatives in the United States who may have been under surveillance by American law enforcement agencies.

It’s unclear how much the hackers were able to discover. But former U.S. officials familiar with the breach said the Chinese stood to gain valuable intelligence. The database included information about court orders authorizing surveillance — orders that could have signaled active espionage investigations into Chinese agents who maintained e-mail accounts through Google’s Gmail service.

So if the Chinese were worried that Agent Doe was under surveillance they could check to see whether the FBI was monitoring his GMail. Very clever.

Chinese hackers have been all over the news lately. And why would they abandon this particular counter-espionage ploy? Perhaps in the course of checking the logical places (cell phone companies, email providers) hackers have stumbled across this surveillance order on a Verizon server. It doesn't relate to their specific concern of identifying agents at risk, but...

I doubt that "Chinese hackers" are monolithic and operating under a unified command structure. So maybe some hot dog thought it would be cool to embarrass Obama and fire a warning shot across the US bows prior to the big summit at which Obama is meant to berate the Chinese for hacking broach cybersecurity concerns with them.

This leak is quite different from the Obama 2012 re-election leaks meant to remind us that the guy who got Osama is keeping us safe 24/7. Of course, Holder is under pressure for absurd over-reach so it might just be somebody pushing from inside the Administration to keep the pressure on him and hasten his departure. Do keep in mind - neither the AP nor Rosen stories emerged as leaks; the AP story broke as an advisory from DoJ, and the Rosen story came from a long-sealed court order that was belatedly opened. So this Verizon story is the first actual leak in the Holder Over-reach drama.

PILING ON: The WaPo gets an even bigger leak, which makes me downgrade the Chinese theory and upgrade the whistleblower and/or Get Holder pile on:

Documents: U.S. mining data from 9 leading Internet firms; companies deny knowledge

Comments

[NJJan]

NJ Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa is interim senator. He is a registered republican

[Captain Hate]

Hmmm that disappeared; let me try that again:

Stedman just stepped in it: http://minx.cc/?post=340676

[Sandy Daze]

I mean, its not like the USG is using its massive intelligence gathering apparatus, including, of course, its signals intercept capability, to launch drone strikes against American citizens.

Oh, wait.

[MarkO on laptop]

Easy, Sandy. You can be mocked for that.

[daddy]

I had no idea Candy Crowley was the judge in the Zimmerman Trial:

.

[NJJan]

More info on Christie announcement

http://nj1015.com/christie-likely-to-name-lautenberg-successor-today/

[centralcal]

John Podhoretz ‏@jpodhoretz

So sad about the Putins.

---------

Vlad and Ludmilla are married no more.

[Sandy Daze]

[Comment previous to drone comment swallowed twice, both before and after, so will report in parts]

[Sandy Daze]

Part 1:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Sure am glad relieved that this is happening now rather than the previous administration.

Oh, wait:

Well, 43 did it too, so it must be okay. Or is it, it must be bad & evil. hmmmm...

[Sandy Daze]

Part 2:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
At least we do not have to worry about warrantless searches of our laptops and other electronic media by government authorities.

Oh, wait.

[Sandy Daze]

Part 3:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Well, it is not like we have to worry about the FBI demanding a backdoor into all software and communications technologies.

Oh, wait.

[Threadkiller]

Google servers?

[Rob Crawford]

Paranoid thought: Perhaps the NSA's "scan 'em all" program is intended to intentionally bury real investigations in a sea of dross. "Hey, we had that information, but there's SO MUCH we're searching through we couldn't find them in time."

[Cecil Turner]

Assuming they analyze this data, it raises more questions on the handling of the Boston Marathon bomber case.

[Jane -]

So... apparently Holder won't say "in an open forum" whether the Obama administration was spying on Congressmen.

I had a completely different reaction. How dare he spy on us and not spy on the congressman. I'm a hell of a lot less of a criminal than every last one of them.

[Frau Edith Steingehirn]

ValJar holds the testicular lockbox -

"One of the things that you learn in this business is, don't listen to rumors. You can take it from me. Obviously, I know the president pretty well. And I know the attorney general very well. and he will be in his position for quite a while."

Jarrett called Holder "resilient," and said he "continues to have the president's full confidence and respect."

"Eric never loses sight of what he's there for," said Jarrett. "He's there to be the chief lawyer for the United States of America and to make sure that all of our rights are protected, and to defend our country, to make sure that he is an advocate for those whose civil rights have been infringed upon--anyone whose rights have been infringed upon. And there are people all around the country who are counting on him to be the attorney general. And so yes he is resistant, and he is tough, and he is strong, and he is perfectly capable of defending himself, and he is an outstanding attorney general, who enjoys the full confidence of the president of the United States."

[Rob Crawford]

Gotta love this -- just weeks after Obama declared "the war is over", his stooges are defending his abuse of FISA as a wartime measure.

[Rob Crawford]

I had a completely different reaction. How dare he spy on us and not spy on the congressman. I'm a hell of a lot less of a criminal than every last one of them.

True -- but part of the reason for having multiple branches of government was to keep them at each others throats and off ours. If their anger at Obama works to our advantage, we should be happy to use it.

[jim]

The chinese knew because they hacked. obama had to wait to read it in the lsm.

[henry]

Well, Jim Sensenbrenner co-authored the Patriot Act, and he says this spying is illegal under it. He's just getting warmed up.

[Jane -]

Here is Carter Hull's facebook pix - the guy who oversaw the IRS targeting. He better not be smiling now.

[Jane -]

Rob,

I'm not angry, just vitally aware that what's good enough for us is never good enough for them.

[Jane -]

Oops! Forgot the link.

[daddy]

Gotta love this -- just weeks after Obama declared "the war is over", his stooges are defending his abuse of FISA as a wartime measure.

Great comment, Rob.

[Janet]

Hasan was giving lectures about how great Islam is...& they didn't stop him. Phone records? How bout they pick up the guy in Massachusetts that had a "terrorist1" license plate.
Lost in the weeds while legs are blown off of Americans at the Boston Marathon.
This administration is a fiasco.

[Jane -]

Now we find out about Prism. Prism is a program that taps into 9 internet providers and analyzes data - photo's content etc.

Tyranny is here.

[centralcal]

Jane - I read somewhere reliable today that Carter Hull has announced his "retirement" - seems like the thing to do in the IRS when your name appears in a scandal.

[Jane -]

He should retire to San Quenton.

[Gus]

I guess 'ol Carter Hull will be granted immunity.

[maryrose]

These IRS guys are dropping like flies!
Let's abolish it, get a flat tax and call it a day...

[maryrose]

Gus, If given immunity will Hull squeal on his betters or uppers?

[Ranger]

I guess 'ol Carter Hull will be granted immunity.

That won't protect him from the civil actions. I don't think his retirement plan had massive civil damages calculated into it.

[centralcal]

I agree, Jane. I found the original article - it was at NRO.

[Danube at IMac]

So it's kinda like waterboarding, right?

The chairman of the House Intelligence Committee on Thursday defended a massive National Security Agency (NSA) phone-monitoring program, saying that it had prevented at least one terrorist attack.

[Jane -]

So what have you guys heard about Prism? It appears to be invasive and extensive.

[pagar]

Maryrose. Amen

"Let's abolish it, get a flat tax and call it a day..."

[Ranger]

Jane,

I posted in the newest thread, but there are now updates as well:

Breaking: FBI, NSA massively surveilling data from 9 Internet companies; Update: NBC News: Gov’t collecting data on “every call made in America”

http://hotair.com/archives/2013/06/06/breaking-fbi-nsa-massively-collecting-data-from-9-internet-companies/

Basically, they are looking at anything and everything that interests them:

Analysts who use the system from a Web portal at Fort Meade key in “selectors,” or search terms, that are designed to produce at least 51 percent confidence in a target’s “foreignness.”

I wonder if any of those analysts have "practiced" on the system by typing in terms like "Tea Party" and "Patriot."

[Gus]

Mary Rose and Ranger. Carter Hull won't really have any choice. If they have his yellow teeefffed ass in a sling, he'll sing like a canary. If he doesn't, his retirement will be spent at the iron bar motel.

[centralcal]

Once again, it appears that Glenn Greenwald in the British press has the fullest reporting on PRISM. The internet providers are all vehemently denying any participation or knowledge of such a program.

Will be interesting to see how this develops.

[centralcal]

Sheesh, with all the political news today, I just now saw that Esther Williams died today, at age 91. Truthfully, I had no idea she was still alive.

RIP.

[Jane -]

Why is Glenn Greenwald reporting for a British newspaper?

Lots of loony liberals are not going to look kindly on their internet screed being monitored.

I am so greatful that between the radio and the tea party - both small potatoes, I escaped an audit.

[Janet]

I wonder if any of those analysts have "practiced" on the system by typing in terms like "Tea Party" and "Patriot."

Exactly.
“We are the ones we have been waiting for.”?

Now - You are the ones we have been looking for....

[centralcal]

Jane: Greenwald works for The Guardian. Both his Verizon story and the Prism story are in that newspaper.

[narciso]

Greenwald has been with the Guardian, for some time now, the theory has been what was expounded in the last Damon helmed Bourne film, and lets not forget he has an agenda, denying Salafism until it is too blatantly obvious.

[centralcal]

Also, Jane, I tried 3 or 4 times to link to the GG article in the Guardian and not one comment made it through!

And I had been doing so well for about 2 weeks now. Guess I am on the bad Typepad list again.

[Jane -]

I know CC - I was wondering how he got there. Didn't he start out as a liberal blogger?

My brain is on overload. I cannot imagine what is going to come out tomorrow.

[narciso]

He's pro Hamas, one of his partners, Durkin is part of the Gitmo bar, so he has an axe to sharpen (or something)

[centralcal]

Yeah, my memory is the same about his being a liberal blogger and there was some "sock" puppet scandal around him too. Narciso will remember it all accurately, I am sure.

[henry]

cc: GG sock puppeted support for himself in the comments on his blog.

[narciso]

Here you go, Hilzik also has a bad habit of this.

[centralcal]

Some on Twitter are beginning to suggest that Prism may be ....phony, a hoax, not real?

Stay tuned.

[Account Deleted]

c-c,

The Grauniad is a favorite source for prog trolls. It's unsurprising it trips the filter.

[pagar]

08:36--- or that's what the Obama regime wants you to believe.

[centralcal]

Thanks Rick, for the tip - I will try to be more careful with my links. :)

[narciso]

Interesting how 'Person of Interest' is in repeats when this scandal breaks, so they are saying the powerpoint is fake, or there is no intent behind this.

[AliceH]

Since Prism is the only Obama Admin scandal actually broken by the MSM, I think it would be fitting - and hilarious -- for it to turn out to be fake.

[centralcal]

Yep, AliceH!

[NK on the Laptop]

OL-- yesterday at 1:34 still has me gobsmacked.. that was intense.

So the NYT Editorial Board says Obummer has no credibility?...hmm.... is that like Cronkite saying during Tet that the Viet Nam war was unwinnable?

[NK on the Laptop]

AliceH-- HEH!

[NK on the Laptop]

Daddy@2:59-- who's the old dude with the bad haircut?

[rich@gmu]

Sen. Palpatine.

[Melinda Romanoff ReCallin']

John Goodman.

[narciso]

I think they were better off with the first judge;

[daddy]

Daddy@2:59-- who's the old dude with the bad haircut?

NK, I think it's Chris Farley

Compare and contrast:

.

[AliceH]

Brilliant! daddy

[Lex]

Uh, reality check: If the Chinese had that capability, why would they make us AWARE they had that capability by using it to leak and thus increasing the chances they would lose that capability? That'd be like us saying during World War II, "Hey, Japanese, we cracked your secret codes and know exactly when and how you're going to try to invade Midway! Now we can sink, like, four of your aircraft carriers inside of two hours! Suck it, dudez!"

I mean, anything's possible. But some things, like this, are a lot less likely than others, like a disgruntled DOJ employee trying to help bring about some of that "change" he had thought Obama was campaigning on back in '08.