from the never-even-bothering-to-ask,-are-we-the-baddies? dept
Thu, Oct 12th 2023 04:13pm – Tim Cushing
Investigation Shows Israeli Malware Firms Pitching Spyware To Embargoed Countries, Serial Human Rights Abusers
As we’re all painfully aware by now, former Israeli intelligence analysts are capable of producing private sector malware companies faster than the CIA can produce successful coups.
Related:
Investigation: How Israeli Spyware Was Sold to Egypt and Pitched to Qatar and Saudi Arabia
Nearly a decade after documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed that the US National Security Agency(NSA) hacked the servers of Chinese telecoms giant Huawei, Beijing has officially acknowledged the attack.
US spy agency NSA ‘hacked Huawei HQ’: China confirms Snowden leak
Related:
EXCLUSIVE: US spies on Chinese mobile phone companies, steals SMS data: Edward Snowden
The biggest destroyer of the global economic and trade order is being paranoid. This is perhaps the most incisive and vivid explanation of why the US government and media outlets have seen a rumored ban on iPhones as China’s retaliation against the US.
Hype on iPhone ‘ban’ shows US has a guilty conscience
Related:
US spokesman behind on the news pours gas on seemingly settled China iPhone ban
In what appears to be a statement generated before news of the Chinese government refuting ban rumors, the White House chimed in on the matter, as reported by Bloomberg. The National Security Council shared that it is watching the issue with concern.
European Union governments want to be able to spy on reporters in the name of national security, even as lawmakers urge them to crack down on spyware.
EU capitals want media law carve-out to spy on reporters
“We were particularly alarmed by the situation of Palestinian human rights defenders,” reads the report, “who are routinely subject to a range of punitive measures as part of the occupation regime.”
UN Report Accuses Israel of ‘Silencing of Civil Society’ to Repress Palestinians
Microsoft and Citizen Lab have new reports out about QuaDream, a little-known Israeli mercenary spyware provider
Mercenary spyware hacked iPhone victims with rogue calendar invites, researchers say
A Front Company and a Fake Identity: How the U.S. Came to Use Spyware It Was Trying to Kill.
The secret contract — which The New York Times is disclosing for the first time — violates the Biden administration’s public policy, and still appears to be active. The contract, reviewed by The Times, stated that the “United States government” would be the ultimate user of the tool, although it is unclear which government agency authorized the deal and might be using the spyware. It specifically allowed the government to test, evaluate, and even deploy the spyware against targets of its choice in Mexico.
…
The secret November 2021 contract used the same American company — designated as “Cleopatra Holdings” but actually a small New Jersey-based government contractor called Riva Networks — that the F.B.I. used two years earlier to purchase Pegasus. Riva’s chief executive used a fake name in signing the 2021 contract and at least one contract Riva executed on behalf of the F.B.I.
…
The deal unfolded as the European private equity fund that owns NSO pursued a plan to get U.S. government business by establishing a holding company, Gideon Cyber Systems. The private equity fund’s ultimate goal was to find an American buyer for the company.
Related:
Read More »How Democracy Can Win: The Right Way to Counter Autocracy
The most important step the United States can take to counter foreign influence campaigns and disinformation is to help our partners promote media and digital literacy, communicate credibly with their publics, and engage in “pre-bunking”—that is, seeking to inoculate their societies against disinformation before it can spread. In Indonesia, for example, USAID has worked with local partners to develop sophisticated online courses and games that help new social media users identify disinformation and reduce the likelihood that they will share misleading posts and articles.
The United States has also helped Ukraine in its fight against the Kremlin’s propaganda and disinformation. For decades, USAID has worked to enhance the media environment in the country, encouraging reforms that allow greater access to public information and supporting the emergence of strong local media organizations, including the public broadcaster Suspilne. After Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014, our work expanded to help the country’s local journalists produce Russian-language programming that could reach into Kremlin-occupied territories, such as Dialogues With Donbas, a YouTube channel that featured honest conversations with Ukrainians about life behind Russian lines. We also helped support the production of the online comedy show Newspalm, which regularly racks up tens of thousands of views as it skewers Putin’s lies. And even before Moscow’s full-scale invasion began in February 2022, we worked with the government of Ukraine to stand up the Center for Strategic Communications, which uses memes [memetic warfare], well-produced digital videos, and social media and Telegram posts to poke holes in Kremlin propaganda.
I still need to look into Newspalm. I’ll update if I find anything. As I don’t know Ukrainian, or Russian, I’m using Google translate for the following information. Note, this is all speculation!
Speculation:
Read More »Support King, banned by FTC, linked to new phone spying operation
If you or someone you know needs help, the National Domestic Violence Hotline (1-800-799-7233) provides 24/7 free, confidential support to victims of domestic abuse and violence. If you are in an emergency situation, call 911. The Coalition Against Stalkerware also has resources if you think your phone has been compromised by spyware. You can contact this reporter on Signal and WhatsApp at +1 646-755-8849 or zack.whittaker@techcrunch.com by email.
In his famous dissent in Olmstead v. United States, Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis in 1928 called the right to be left alone the most comprehensive of rights and the right most valued by civilized men. He was referring to the right to be left alone from the government — a right that today we call privacy.
Holes in the Constitution
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Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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