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    Default Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users
    by Arjun Walia; Collective Evolution
    (dynamo says I got this from here: http://www.riseearth.com/2018/03/edw...documents.html)

    New leaks from Edward Snowden, the NSA whistle-blower who leaked a wealth of information on the NSA’s mass global surveillance program a few years ago, among other leaks, has just released new documentation showing that the NSA worked ‘urgently’ to target bitcoin users.

    Classified documents from Snowden, in the form of a passage in an internal NSA report from March 2013, shows how tracking down senders and receivers of Bitcoin allowed the NSA to better collect and analyze global internet traffic, “while also exploiting an unnamed software program that purported to offer anonymity to users, according to other documents.”

    It wasn’t just bitcoin they were keeping tabs on, but also multiple cryptocurrencies, and according to the NSA report, “Bitcoin is #1 priority.”



    The intercept goes on to explain how,

    “The documents indicate that “tracking down” bitcoin users went well beyond closely examining bitcoin’s public transaction ledger, known as the Blockchain, where users are typically referred to through anonymous identifiers; the tracking may also have involved gathering intimate details of these users’ computers. The NSA collected some bitcoin users’ password information, internet activity, and a type of unique device identification number known as a MAC address, a March 29, 2013 NSA memo suggested. In the same document, analysts also discussed tracking internet users’ internet addresses, network ports, and timestamps to identify “BITCOIN Targets.”

    This isn’t really a surprise, as venture capitalist and former Facebook exec, Chamath Palihapitiya once expressed that anything that is not in the hands of, or in control of the ‘1 percent,’ or under government control, should receive a lot of attention and is a great indicator of its potential.
    “This is a fantastic fundamental hedge and store value against autocratic regimes and banking infrastructure that we know is corrosive to how the world needs to work properly. You cannot have Central Banks infinitely printing currency, you cannot have folks with misguided and misdirected monetary and fiscal policy…It’s a con game.” – Chamath Palihapitiya (source)



    Currency has always been, not just in my opinion but based on what we see in society, a means to control the human race. It has also been used as a tool to further widen the wealth gap, putting most of the resources in the hands of the “1 percent.”

    Cryptocurrencies could be a stepping stone in eventually living in a world without currency at all. And yes, I do believe that’s possible, I often enjoy imagining a planet where the civilization has moved beyond currency, and everybody is cooperating with each other to better the lives of the whole, thus bettering the lives of the individual.

    Another great quote that applies,
    “It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, before if they did, I believe there would be a revolution before tomorrow morning.” – Henry Ford
    Bitcoin, in my opinion based on the simple fact that it’s not centralized, but controlled by the people, and not controlled by the global elite who currently use our financial system (which they created), to, in some sense, enslave us, is why it’s attracting so much attention.

    So why did and does the NSA keep track on Bitcoin and its users?
    “Bitcoin is money outside of government, controlled by the people who become their own sovereignty. Bitcoin will do the nation-state what the printing press did to the church…The use-case as stateless money drives adoption because it’s universally appealing and fills a void every human being feels in their soul: to be free.” – Max Kieser (source)
    Perhaps this is why, because blockchain technology is the genius behind Bitcoin, and its very design is what excites many people. It is likely what has skyrocketed Bitcoin’s popularity. With this technology, all records and transactions are stored publicly so there is a public and transparent ledger for every coin and transaction. And it’s not limited to just currency, it also stores data, information, and ownership records. There are also blockchains that focus more on privacy as well, for those concerned with that.

    Not only do things remain anonymous, which the Deep State/Global Elite do not like, again, it’s not controlled by the government.

    Once something emerges that’s not “regulated,” it’s always a problem and often receives so much bad press no matter how much the people believe in it and are behind it.

    When it comes to Bitcoin, it’s a huge step towards our societies financial system not being controlled by those who don’t seem to have our best interests in mind.

    But, perhaps the NSA and the global elite are looking to gain control of bitcoin? Perhaps the bad press is being put out there now so they themselves can capitalize on wealth? Perhaps they’ve already taken control of it to the point where they are manipulating its activity? Who knows?

    It’s a big topic, and I’m not going to get into whether or not the price will rise or fall as this isn’t really about making money and being rich. As the founder of Ethereum, the second most popular cryptocurrency, was quick to remind people not long ago:
    “All crypto communities, Ethereum included, should heed these of warning. Need to differentiate between getting hundreds of billions of dollars of digital paper wealth sloshing around and actually achieving something meaningful for society…If all that we accomplish is lambo memes and immature puns about “sharting” then I WILL leave.” (source)
    Cryptocurrencies also have huge political implications. For example, Russia recently announced its intentions to create a cryptocurrency so they can avoid Western sanctions and economic influence.

    Obviously, cryptocurrency has huge political and economical implications and has the power to change the financial structure of society as we know it, so it’s clear why the NSA is so interested.

    It’s funny how they are keeping track on so many people, and despise our right to privacy when they themselves, are one of the most secret organizations in the world. The United States has had a history of harbouring secret government agencies for years. The National Security Agency (NSA), for instance, was founded in 1952, but its existence was hidden until the mid 1960s. Even more secretive is the National Reconnaissance Office, which was founded in 1960 but remained completely secret for 30 years.

    They justify this secrecy for ‘national security’ reasons, but we know that, as John F. Kennedy warned, there are a powerful group of people who wish to capitalize on secrecy,
    “The dangers of excessive and unwarranted concealment of pertinent facts, far outweigh the dangers that are cited to justify them. There is a very grave danger than an announced need for an increased need for security, will be seized upon by those anxious to expand it’s meaning to the very limits of censorship and concealment. That I do not tend to permit, so long as it’s in my control”– JFK
    The point is, much of what these agencies do is completely unknown, yet they have the right to encroach on a movement.

    It’s one of multiple factors happening on our planet right now. From new information and disclosures that the Deep State clearly does not like, and as a result they’re censoring information. A shift on our planet is happening right now, we are becoming aware of new information regarding the nature of reality and with regards to the human experience itself. Our world is not what we thought it was, we can do things a lot better here, and bitcoin is one of many examples of the steps the human race is going to take in order to become a true democracy. Today, we have the illusion of democracy.

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    Default Re: Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    Thank you for sharing this. In a debate with a bitcoin proponent a few months ago, they had a difficult time with the possibility that the block chain is being analyzed by an NSA computer somewhere underground in Utah.

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    Default Re: Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    Quote Posted by JoefromtheCarolinas (here)
    Thank you for sharing this. In a debate with a bitcoin proponent a few months ago, they had a difficult time with the possibility that the block chain is being analyzed by an NSA computer somewhere underground in Utah.
    I would bet my bottom dollar (or bitcoin, if I had one) on that being true.

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    Default Re: Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    Quote Posted by dynamo (here)
    Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents
    There's a very important mistake in the article.

    Snowden didn't leak any new document.

    Rather, Glenn Greenwald from The Intercept sits on the trove of information that was given to him by Edward Snowden years ago. Only a tiny fraction of what Snowden gave to Greenwald was ever published. Bits and pieces have been released in a drip-feed fashion since then.

    This has been pointed out by journalists before, like Whitney Webb, who wrote in October of last year that The Intercept withheld a NSA document that may have altered the course of the Syrian war by exposing the so-called moderate rebels as proxies. "That didn’t happen, and no reason has been given by The Intercept for its delay."

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    Default Re: Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    Quote Posted by christian (here)
    Quote Posted by dynamo (here)
    Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents
    There's a very important mistake in the article.

    Snowden didn't leak any new document.

    Rather, Glenn Greenwald from The Intercept sits on the trove of information that was given to him by Edward Snowden years ago. Only a tiny fraction of what Snowden gave to Greenwald was ever published. Bits and pieces have been released in a drip-feed fashion since then.

    This has been pointed out by journalists before, like Whitney Webb, who wrote in October of last year that The Intercept withheld a NSA document that may have altered the course of the Syrian war by exposing the so-called moderate rebels as proxies. "That didn’t happen, and no reason has been given by The Intercept for its delay."
    Thank you, that definitely changes the way I think about the whole situation.

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    Default Re: Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    "the block chain is being analyzed by an NSA computer somewhere underground in Utah."

    i do think already happen and i'm aware of this for years first time hearing about crypto/bitcoin..i never believe so called official stories such as crypto or bitcoin can't be control especially followed...always believe it's part of NSA-CIA programs. the system have hijacked..these kind of news came out doesn't suprise me at all.

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    Default Re: Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    Quote Posted by christian (here)
    Quote Posted by dynamo (here)
    Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents
    There's a very important mistake in the article.

    Snowden didn't leak any new document.

    Rather, Glenn Greenwald from The Intercept sits on the trove of information that was given to him by Edward Snowden years ago. Only a tiny fraction of what Snowden gave to Greenwald was ever published. Bits and pieces have been released in a drip-feed fashion since then.

    This has been pointed out by journalists before, like Whitney Webb, who wrote in October of last year that The Intercept withheld a NSA document that may have altered the course of the Syrian war by exposing the so-called moderate rebels as proxies. "That didn’t happen, and no reason has been given by The Intercept for its delay."
    This is slightly off topic but is related to the broader story of The Intercept and what and who it represents.

    This article (https://www.mintpressnews.com/fbi-wh...ileaks/236414/) from Mint Press News is a longish account of the main financial backer of The Intercept, Pierre Omidyar, and other players moves against Wikileaks. In the process, it provides some details of just who Pierre Omidyar is. I will just include a small part of the article here which deals with Omidyar:

    Quote Omidyar’s connections and agenda

    Pierre Omidyar, prior to the founding of The Intercept, was known not for any commitment to journalism or free speech but rather for his connections to the U.S. government and his role in the financial blockade of WikiLeaks that began in 2010.

    Indeed, publicly available records reveal Omidyar’s close connections to the U.S. political establishment. For example, Omidyar made more visits (https://pando.com/2014/03/23/reveale...te-house-ties/) to the Obama White House between 2009 and 2013 than did Google’s Eric Schmidt, Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg or Amazon’s Jeff Bezos. He has also donated $30 million (https://www.omidyar.com/news/omidyar...bal-initiative) to the Clinton global initiative. He directly co-invested (https://pando.com/2014/02/28/pierre-...ocuments-show/) with the State Department, funding groups – some of them overtly fascist – that worked to overthrow Ukraine’s democratically elected government in 2014. He continues to fund USAID (https://pando.com/2014/03/23/reveale...te-house-ties/), particularly its overseas program aimed at “advancing U.S. national security interests” abroad.

    Omidyar has a vested interest in advancing the interests of the U.S. political establishment for a variety of reasons.

    ...

    Omidyar is also well-connected to Snowden’s former employer Booz Allen Hamilton, a major government contractor known as the “world’s most profitable spy organization,” (http://www.bloomberg.com/bw/articles...y-organization) whose former executives include James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence, and Michael McConnell, former Director of the NSA. Omidyar’s Ulupono Initiative (http://ulupono.com/), a venture capital fund that operates in his home state of Hawaii, cosponsors one of the Pentagon’s most important contractor expos, in which Booz Allen Hamilton – and the Department of Defense – have a major stake. ...

    Also striking was Omidyar’s decision to accept Snowden’s former boss at Booz Allen Hamilton (https://pando.com/2015/10/16/pierre-...midyar-fellow/), Robert Lietzke, into the Omidyar Fellows program (http://www.omidyarfellows.org/) in 2015 after personally interviewing Lietzke as part of the program’s application process. What was unusual in Lietzke’s case was that Omidyar also oversees The Intercept, which has exclusive publishing rights over the Snowden cache – which was taken from under Lietzke’s nose at Booz Allen Hamilton by his former employee, Edward Snowden. ...

    The Intercept was founded in 2014 with some $250 million in seed money from Omidyar. Its first hires were Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, the only journalists in possession of the full Snowden cache. According to former Intercept writers (http://www.politico.com/magazine/sto...5586_full.html), Omidyar – despite funding and founding an enterprise dedicated to “fearless” and “adversarial” journalism – is “shockingly [un]interested in the actual journalism” of the paper. If this portrayal of Omidyar’s interest — or rather, lack of interest — in journalism is accurate, it is strange that he would also fund (http://www.democracyfund.org/newsroo...ort-free-press) organizations — like the FPF, the Center for Public Integrity, and ProPublica — ostensibly dedicated to investigative journalism, transparency, and the First Amendment.

    Omidyar’s supposed devotion is also hard to square with the fact that he and PayPal were a major part of the financial blockade against WikiLeaks, which – as mentioned above – deprived WikiLeaks of 95% of its revenue at the time. Though Omidyar –- and now the FPF -– have argued (https://storify.com/m_cetera/wikilea...midyar-s-op-ed) that the blockade has long been lifted, WikiLeaks has publicly disagreed (http://twitter.com/wikileaks/status/408060959123451904), maintaining that it remains in effect. Interestingly, when Omidyar was asserting that the blockade had ended, the FPF – at the time – had also publicly disagreed with his assessment and claimed that the blockade was still in full effect.

    Omidyar has also, in the past, been rather candid about his views on leakers. He asserted in 2009 (https://twitter.com/pierre/status/2666071620) that organizations that publish stolen — or leaked — information “should help catch the thief” and shouldn’t publish such information in the first place. Omidyar even defended this view (https://pando.com/2013/12/08/should-...h-lacy-debate/) after The Intercept’s founding and refused to speak in “absolutes” about whether or not a source should be turned in...

    ...

    What then caused him to create The Intercept, only a few years after making that assertion? Given Omidyar’s connections to the U.S. government, particularly the NSA, and top government contractors, including Snowden’s former employer, it was likely an effort to privatize and thus thwart or slow the publication of the Snowden leaks in which PayPal is allegedly implicated — and not a sudden change of heart.

    ...
    From here: https://www.mintpressnews.com/fbi-wh...ileaks/236414/

    [Note: The article above uses as a source Sibel Edmonds among others. Unfortunately it seems she has become embroiled in a twitter spat and attacks on Independent journalists Eva Bartlett and Vanessa Bealey - who have been deconstructing the White Helmets in Syria, showing them to be a propaganda mechanism. See James Corbett on this here: https://www.corbettreport.com/fact-c...r-siege-video/.

    I don’t think this means we need to discard all her previous work or what is attributed to her in this article (though I have not pasted these parts here) but it does imply the need to be aware of who might be puppeteering her behind the scenes.]


    From the Mint Press News article, it seems clear that The Intercept is a part of someone’s agenda - aside from being useful to Omidyar in preventing any journalistic attacks on his business interests. Therefore, though it might release informative articles and some of the leaks from Edward Snowden, these releases probably always serve a particular power faction’s agenda in some way.

    And now,
    Last edited by Cara; 30th March 2018 at 05:56.
    *I have loved the stars too dearly to be fearful of the night*

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    Default Re: Edward Snowden Leaks New Documents Showing That The NSA Worked “Urgently” To Target Bitcoin Users

    God help us all, we the people are surrounded by traps and traitors from stem to stern.

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