Revealed: NSA collecting phone records of millions of Americans daily

Anyways, the problem lies in a couple areas. One is trusting that they are really only looking at what they say they are looking at (the data of everyone combined and calls/conversations with suspected terrorists, etc overseas...)and that the power won't be or hasn't been abused.
And two- mistakes. Do you really trust the NSA, CIA to not make mistakes? And now that it is very clear they can kill or imprison any American at any time without reason or due process are you willing to beat on them not making mistakes? Or... forget mistakes... what if they just make reasons to silence someone? (make things up for another purpose)....

 

GCHQ etc/NSA/FBI etc have crypt-analysts. Not just humans, either.

http://www.nsa.gov/about/_files/cryptologic_heritage/publications/misc/tiltman.pdf

I would have thought it was obvious the main part of cracking a code is to figure out the key. And you think they would just give up? I would imagine there is a computer server somewhere that could crunch billions of variations.

 

Every code can be cracked with enough time and processing power.
It's not difficult to generate a key that would take someone else a month or a year to find, though.

By 'not difficult to generate a key' and 'someone else' I mean people using sophisticated encryption software.

 

lively_girl

I was looking for a clip from CSI where a code is cracked before their coffee is cold.
But came up with Non-interactive Zero-Knowledge from Homomorphic Encryption instead.
I'd need somebody to decode that for me, to be honest.
I do appreciate it's possible for there to be no point cracking a code in certain circumstance.
Or that the amount of time it would take would render it useless, anyway.
I'm just saying it's possible most if not all of the time.

 

odonII and lively_girl,

I think you both missed the fact that each character is encrypted/decrypted using a unique key from a list of randomly generated keys. All that could be done with a computer is produce every possible message that could be created with 40 characters, but how many could there be and which message would be the correct one?

 

Individual

Is it fair to say you went from not possible, to possible then unlikely to then having to work out which one is likely?
I have no idea, otherwise I'd be working for GCHQ earning £200,000 a year.
Is it a particular type of encryption code you are talking about or one you made up?
If we are talking about codes that have to be cracked then I think greater minds than mine would be able come up with something.
I would imagine the 'lone wolf' scenario is what they are really looking into, and it's not so much codes they are trying to break.
But I don't know.
I do see your point, but I personally don't have an answer for you - I know one must be out there, though.

 

In the same sense that if I claimed to be thinking of a number between 1 and 100, by making 100 guesses you would have guessed correctly the number I was thinking of, but without my confirming when you had guessed the correct number, how would you determine which number it was other than knowing with certainty that it was ONE of the numbers between 1 and 100. A computer could do no better, other than produce the numbers more rapidly.
It is a system we used to pass very sensitive data in a job I once had, and as long as the keys were not shared, unbreakable. Ideally, it is preferable to hide the fact that encrypted data is being transmitted as that could trigger more direct surveillance.

I've asked no question, nor am I seeking any answer, simply stating that messages between two persons can be made totally secure if really needed to be.

 

Individual

I guess if I knew what game you were playing, due to experience, I would also know the rules, and then be more likely to win. Say you were using One-Time Pad, Vigenère Autokey or True code. I doubt you were using a unique cipher not known to any man, woman or child. I won't call you a liar because I was not there, I just think it is highly unlikely that it was unbreakable.

Hey, give me an e.g and I'll see if I can crack it

 

Edited:

I wrote a really long post here and realized I know way too little about decryption and code-cracking to be commenting on it.

It's an interesting subject, though .

 

The NSA is collecting phone records to keep us safe from the terrorists!

We wouldn't need to be kept so safe from "the terrorists" if we weren't pursuing an unsustainable, reckless path.

If the US was not in perpetual warfare, the NSA would have less reason for its existence (and could hopefully one day be abolished).

Apparently, fear seems to be a cost of perpetual warfare.

And we know our politicians would never use that against us.

 

It is an interesting subject. The more you look into it, the more you see why they want to get as much information as possible.

The lone wolfs that have attacked recently have said that they didn't like 'us' killing Muslims. While Muslims kill Muslims every day. And AQ or the T kill Muslims every day. You never see them killing AQ or the T, do you? I guess you do see them killing Muslims who are working with us. It's complicated.
Not a very good e.g of fear, imho. Neither a very good e.g of why fear is part of the argument.

 

the iguana has nausea and wants a blow job from a hamster... I repeat, *urgent* the iguana has nausea and wants a blow job from a hamster...

 

the damned thing about all of this is that Snowden is probably going to end up in jail, and not a damn thing is going to change.

 

star fox to mother ship.. red team go.. the fox is in the barn and the eagle has landed.

 

He knew that, or should. He really should know what is needed and what is not. I think he had a crisis regarding what he knew, and what was obviously required.

 

How is fear not part of the security argument?

Freedom is being sacrificed for security.

 

Yep... nothings gonna change.

But...jail? Maybe...

 

I love how Obama defends the NSA's actions and says nothing illegal has been done and "normal people's" phone convos and online convos weren't listened into... HOWEVER... he's now saying if the nation has a discussion on this and wants things changed they can be changed to whatever we want.

OKAY THEN. WARRENTS BITCHES. YOU THINK SOMEONE DID SOMETHING WRONG OR IS GOING TO....GET YOUR FLIPPING WARRENT.

yea, THAT'S gonna happen. lol @Obama.

 

They'll probably just make him disappear and we'll all be none the wiser.

 

Nods.