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The Guardian reports, based on more Snowden-leaked files, that the NSA assisted British intelligence services in intercepting and storing webcam images of millions of internet users not suspected of any wrongdoing. Interestingly, many of the documents focus on efforts to wall off the potentially sexually explicit material from the eyes of intelligence staff.
In Politico, Josh Gerstein describes a government motion claiming that the very presence of lawsuits challenging the metadata programs necessitates the data’s retention for more than five years. After all, it is now evidence in a court case.
Agence France Presse tells us about a request from two former Guantanamo Bay detainees, Nizar Sassi and Mourad Benchellali, asking a French judge to subpoena a former commander at the prison, major general Geoffrey Miller, whom they accuse of overseeing their torture.
Human Rights First has posted a letter signed by twenty “current and former professional interrogators, interviewers, and intelligence officials” asking the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence to release “as much as possible” of its 6000-plus page study of the CIA’s post-9/11 rendition, detention, and interrogation program.
Turmoil continues in Ukraine as masked gunmen seized government buildings and raised the Russian flag in the Crimea region in Eastern Ukraine. President Viktor F. Yanukovych, insisting on his continued legitimacy, appealed to Russia to ensure his personal safety. Some analysts fear the country is lurching toward civil war. The New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and nearly everyone else is covering the story.
A Snowden-esque trove in Ukraine? The Times has a fascinating story on some of the secrets---and legal documents---that have been discovered in the aftermath of Yanukovych’s flight from the capital.
The Washington Post reports from Brussels on a meeting of NATO’s defense ministers. The officials issued warnings to Russia about involvement in Ukraine and decided to draw up plans for a full withdrawal from Afghanistan.
Inside Cybersecurity reports that NATO will be devoting some significant time to discussing cyber threats, both in Brussels and at its major summit in Wales this fall. According to the report, there “appears to be some interest in applying Article 5 to cyberspace” but NATO isn’t quite there yet.
Former State Department legal adviser Abraham Sofaer argues in a Times op-ed for a more targeted and forceful approach toward the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Earlier today, a car bomb killed at least 11 in Mogadishu. The attack comes amid a recent escalation in attacks by Al Shabbab, and as the Somali government and African Union prepare for a major offensive against the jihadist group.
The Journal examines a burgeoning nationalist and activist mood in Japan, which is being driven, in part, by a sense that America is stepping back from its role as the world's superpower.
Yesterday evening, Senator Elizabeth Warren delivered a major national security speech at the Georgetown School of Public Policy, focusing primarily on the moral and strategic implications of civilian casualties---though she didn't mention the d-word (drones). The Huffington Post has her speech and commentary.
MIT Technology Review discusses precisely how the Syrian regime has gone about effecting web censorship. The analysis is based on information obtained by a group of hackers and net activists called Telecomix back in 2011.
And how and when is declassified material actually ever seen or used? Secrecy News reports on some historical examples and describes new hi-tech tools to make the process more efficient.
