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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsU.K. Ordered Guardian to Destroy Snowden Files Because Its Servers Weren’t Secure
New trial balloon.After NSA insider Edward Snowden absconded with thousands of sensitive U.S. government documents from unsecured NSA servers earlier this year and gave them to the Guardian newspaper, a U.K. spy agency forced the paper to destroy hard drives containing copies of the documents because the agency said the newspapers servers were not secure.
The U.K.s Government Communications Headquarters, or GCHQ, claimed that Russia or China could hack into the Guardians IT network and access the documents.
Although the Guardian insisted that the documents were not stored on its network and were secure, an intelligence agency expert argued that they were still vulnerable.
To illustrate how the information was still at risk, he told editors that foreign agents could train a laser on a plastic cup in the room where the work was being carried out to pick up the vibrations of what was being said there. Vibrations on windows could similarly be monitored remotely by laser.
http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2013/08/guardian-snowden-files-destroyed/
Luminous Animal
(27,310 posts)it isn't supported by the timeline of harassment.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)The Russians and Chinese already have it, and they want to steal it from teh Guardian, see?
ProSense
(116,464 posts)Guardian editor-in-chief says he agreed to 'slightly pointless' task because newspaper has digital copies outside Britain
Josh Halliday
Alan Rusbridger, the Guardian editor-in-chief, has said that the destruction of computer hard drives containing information provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden allowed the paper to continue reporting on the revelations instead of surrendering the material to UK courts.
Rusbridger told BBC Radio 4's The World at One on Tuesday that he agreed to the "slightly pointless" task of destroying the devices which was overseen by two GCHQ officials at the Guardian's headquarters in London because the newspaper is in possession of digital copies outside Britain.
<...>
"It was a rather bizarre situation in which I explained to them that there were other copies and, as with WikiLeaks, we weren't working in London alone so destroying a copy in London seemed to me a slightly pointless task that didn't take account of the way that digital information works these days," said Rusbridger.
"Given that there were other copies and we could work out of America, which has better laws to protect journalists, I saw no reason not to destroy this material ourselves rather than hand it back to the government."
- more -
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2013/aug/20/guardian-editor-alan-rusbridger-nsa
http://www.democraticunderground.com/10023498667
Recursion
(56,582 posts)Let's not forget that bit
KoKo
(84,711 posts)Have to admit I've not been over there to that site in a long time. Maybe that's why?
Where else have you seen this crap. I missed it. Would be good to know who was touting this so that I don't give their sites any views or hits.
bemildred
(90,061 posts)KoKo
(84,711 posts)muriel_volestrangler
(101,414 posts)The sentence before the excerpt used above was:
"Its the kind of justification that only a government agency could make."
and after that, they called it a "bizarre explanation".
It's also a report of what The Guardian said:
The same two senior officials who had visited the Guardian the previous month returned with the message that patience with the newspaper's reporting was wearing out.
They expressed fears that foreign governments, in particular Russia or China, could hack into the Guardian's IT network. But the Guardian explained the security surrounding the documents, which were held in isolation and not stored on any Guardian system.
However, in a subsequent meeting, an intelligence agency expert argued that the material was still vulnerable. He said by way of example that if there was a plastic cup in the room where the work was being carried out foreign agents could train a laser on it to pick up the vibrations of what was being said. Vibrations on windows could similarly be monitored remotely by laser.
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/aug/20/nsa-snowden-files-drives-destroyed-london
railsback
(1,881 posts)Without specific details and named sources, The Guardian can extend this stuff for months.
RKP5637
(67,112 posts)the originator over the pond?
geek tragedy
(68,868 posts)to destroy its hard drives.