11.4.1. The focus here is on U.S. agencies, for various reasons. Most
Cypherpunks are currently Americans, the NSA has a dominant
role in surveillance technology, and the U.S. is the focus of
most current crypto debate. (Britain has the GCHQ, Canada has
its own SIGINT group, the Dutch have...., France has DGSE and
so forth, and...)
11.4.2. Technically, not all are equal. And some may quibble with my
calling the FBI an "intelligence agency." All have
surveillance and monitoring functions, albeit of different
flavors.
11.4.3. "Is the NSA involved in domestic surveillance?"
+ Not completely confirmed, but much evidence that the answer
is "yes":
- previous domestic surveillance (Operation Shamrock,
telegraphs, ITT, collusion with FBI, etc.)
- reciprocal arrangements with GCHQ (U.K.)
- arrangements on Indian reservations for microwave
intercepts
- the general technology allows it (SIGINT, phone lines)
- the National Security Act of 1947, and later
clarifications and Executive Orders, makes it likely
- And the push for Digital Telephony.
11.4.4. "What will be the effects of widespread crypto use on
intelligence collection?"
- Read Bamford for some stuff on how the NSA intercepts
overseas communications, how they sold deliberately-
crippled crypto machines to Third World nations, and how
much they fear the spread of strong, essentially
unbreakable crypto. "The Puzzle Palace" was published in
1982...things have only gotten worse in this regard since.
- Statements from senior intelligence officials reflect this
concern.
- Digital dead drops will change the whole espionage game.
Information markets, data havens, untraceable e-mail...all
of these things will have a profound effect on national
security issues.
- I expect folks like Tom Clancy to be writing novels about
how U.S. national security interests are being threatened
by "unbreakable crypto." (I like some Clancy novels, but
there's no denying he is a right-winger who's openly
critical of social trends, and that he believes druggies
should be killed, the government is necessary to ward off
evil, and ordinary citizens ought not to have tools the
government can't overcome.)
11.4.5. "What will the effects of crypto on conventional espionage?"
- Massive effects; watch out for this to be cited as a reason
to ban or restrict crypto--however pointless that may be.
+ Effects:
- information markets, a la BlackNet
- digital dead drops -- why use Coke cans near oak trees
when you can put messages into files and post them
worldwide, with untraceably? (but, importantly, with a
digital signature!)
- transparency of borders
- arms trade, arms deals
- virus, weaponry
11.4.6. NSA budget
- $27 billion over 6 years, give or take
- may actually increase, despite end of Cold War
- new threats, smaller states, spread of nukes, concerns
about trade, money-laundering, etc.
- first rule of bureaucracies: they always get bigger
+ NSA-Cray Computer supercomputer
+ press release, 1994-08-17, gives some clues about the
capabilities sought by the surveillance state
- "The Cray-3/SSS will be a hybrid system capable of
vector parallel processing, scalable parallel
processing and a combination of both. The system will
consist of a dual processor 256 million word Cray-3 and
a 512,000 processor 128 million byte single instruction
multiple data (SIMD) array......SIMD arrays of one
million processors are expected to be possible using
the current version of the Processor-In-Memory (PIM)
chips developed by the Supercomputing Research Center
once the development project is completed. The PIM chip
contains 64 single-bit processors and 128 kilobyte bits
of memory. Cray Computer will package PIM chips
utilizing its advanced multiple chip module packaging
technology. The chips are manufactured by National
Semiconductor Corporation."
- This is probably the supercomputer described in the
Gunter Ahrendt report
11.4.7. FINCEN, IRS, and Other Economic Surveillance
- Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, a consortium or task
force made up of DEA, DOJ, FBI, CIA, DIA, NSA, IRS, etc.
- set up in Arlington as a group to monitor the flows of
money and information
- eventually these groups will see the need to hack into
computer systems used by various groups that are under
investigation
- Cf. "Wired," either November or December, 1993
11.4.8. "Why are so many computer service, telecom, and credit agency
companies located near U.S. intelligence agency sites?"
+ For example, the cluster of telecom and credit reporting
agencies (TRW Credit, Transunion, etc.) in and around the
McLean/Langley area of Northern Virginia (including
Herndon, Vienna, Tyson's Corner, Chantilly, etc.)
- same thing for, as I recall, various computer network
providers, such as UUCP (or whatever), America Online,
etc.
- The least conspiratorial view: because all are located near
Washington, D.C., for various regulatory, lobbying, etc.
reasons
+ The most conspiratorial view: to ensure that the
intelligence agencies have easy access to communications,
direct landlines, etc.
- credit reporting agencies need to clear identities that
are fabricated for the intelligence agencies, WitSec,
etc. (the three major credit agencies have to be
complicit in these creations, as the "ghosts" show up
immediately when past records are cross-correlated)
- As Paul Ferguson, Cypherpunk and manager at US Sprint,
puts it: "We're located in Herndon, Virginia, right
across the street from Dulles Airport and a hop, skip &
jump down the street from the new NRO office. ,-)"
[P.F., 1994-08-18]
11.4.9. Task Force 157, ONI, Kissinger, Castle Bank, Nugan Hand Bank,
CIA
11.4.10. NRO building controversy
- and an agency I hadn't seen listed until August, 1994: "The
Central Imagery Office"
11.4.11. SIGINT listening posts
+ possible monkeywrenching?
- probably too hard, even for an EMP bomb (non-nuclear,
that is)
11.4.12. "What steps is the NSA taking?"
- besides death threats against Jim Bidzos, that is
- Clipper a plan to drive competitors out (pricing, export
laws, harassment)
- cooperation with other intelligence agencies, other nations
- New World Order
- death threats were likely just a case of bullying...but
could conceivably be part of a campaign of terror--to shut
up critics or at least cause them to hesitate
By Tim May, see README
HTML by Jonathan Rochkind