Facebook: Fine and a Reminder of Ozymandius?
July 13, 2019
I just wanted to document that Facebook will have to pay a fine. Well. allegedly. On the other hand, the rumored penalty evokes the trunkless legs of stone. Ozymandius time in Silicon Valley. For details, navigate to “Facebook Reportedly Fined $5B over Cambridge Analytica Fiasco.” No high flier wants to wear a t shirt with the word “fiasco” stenciled in red. Perhaps if it were paired with the Nike Betsy Ross shoes and “fiasco” spelled “phiasco”, the label could be trendy. The t shirt would collect likes like a hamburger gathers flies at a picnic on a 90 degree day in Mountain View. I noted this statement in the write up:
The FTC approved the settlement in a 3-to-2 vote with Republican commissioners in favor and Democrats opposing, according to Wall Street Journal sources. The arrangement and further details have yet to be confirmed publicly, and any agreement will still have to be reviewed by the Department of Justice.
Yep, some money, just a bit tardy.
Stephen E Arnold, July 13, 2019
Librarians Take a Stand
July 12, 2019
At the recent American Library Association’s annual conference in D.C., the CIA had a booth set up to entice librarians into a new role as intelligence analysts. Pretty smart, I’ll admit, but many ALA members were very unhappy with the agency’s presence. Raw Story reports, “Citing CIA’s Dark History, Librarians Protest Agency’s Recruiting at their Conference.” Protestors cited the CIA’s history of foreign-government overthrows, support of dictators, reliance on torture, and tendency to spy on everyone else while maintaining opacity for itself. They maintain that supporting the agency in any way runs counter to the American Library Association’s stated values.
This is not the first time librarians have made an issue of this particular conference exhibitor. Writer Common Dreams notes:
“That language builds on and mirrors a call from an open letter released last year. Authored by [Alison] Macrina and Dustin Fife and entitled ‘No Legitimization Through Association: The CIA Should Not Be Exhibiting at ALA,’ the letter was published right after the ALA’s 2018 annual conference, when the CIA was also an exhibitor.
We noted:
“‘We refuse to lend credence to the CIA through association and we ask our fellow library workers to join us,’ it said. ‘We should not allow them space to recruit library workers to become intelligence analysts, which was the focus of their booth.’
And this:
“‘Library workers are powerful,’ the statement added. ‘We have a strong reputation in our local communities and across the world as being steadfast stewards of democracy, intellectual freedom, equity, and social justice. We attempt to honor these values through our collections, programs, and services and we recognize that our libraries need continuous examination in a systemically unjust society. Those values should extend to all that we do. A more democratic world is possible, and we believe that library workers can be at the forefront of this charge.’”
At this year’s conference, it was proposed that CIA be banned from recruiting at future events, but the resolution failed. It was reasoned that such a ban would violate the CIA’s freedom of speech. Without noting the irony, Library Freedom Project founder Alison Macrina insists this is not a first amendment issue, predicting the ALA would deny, for example, the KKK should that organization wish to recruit at the conference. Certainly, she is correct there. Right?
Cynthia Murrell, July 12, 2019
Mauritania Shuts Down Internet During Elections
July 12, 2019
Africa was shafted by colonial powers and now the continent is shafting itself with corruption from its numerous countries. Africa remains home to some of the poorest nations on Earth and according to Quartz, many of these countries habitually shut down the Internet in “Mauritania Blocked The Internet Over Protests Though Just One In Five People Are Online.” Countries that have shut off the Internet include Liberia, Benin, Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, and Algeria. More recently the Sudan shut off lines when protesters demanded president Omar al-Bashir leave office and wanted an end to military rule. Ethopia cut their surfing power to curb cheating on exams and when there were rumors of a coup. The African Internet gets turned off for numerous reasons, mostly due too political ties: elections, government protests, and political referenda.
Mauritania took its turn to shut down the Internet amid its contested election. People hoped the election would be the first peaceful transfer of power since the country gained its independence in 1960. When the results were tallied the ruling party won by 52%, but opposition challenged the results. The government suspended mobile and fixed-Internet lines. It points to the government being afraid of any opposing force and using extreme measurements to maintain control. Most African governments do not offer explanations, but some explain it away as limiting hate speech, fake news, and violence.
Mauritania is indicative of the problems around the entire continent:
“Campaigners say the shutdown in Mauritania is only exacerbating the situation and preventing journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition groups from freely accessing and exchanging information. Mauritanian television also broadcast foreigners from neighboring countries confessing to ferment trouble following the polls—a “toxic and highly problematic” issue, activists say, in a country still battling racial discrimination and the vestiges of slavery.”
Freedom of information and communication is key to a democratic society and gives power to people. Heavy handiness might have its need in times of war, but during elections in a country that is supposed to be democratic it is a sign of societal changes.
Whitney Grace, July 11, 2019
Google Takes Another Run at Social Media
July 12, 2019
The Google wants to be a winner in social media. “Google Is Testing a New Social Network for Offline Meetups” describes the Shoelace social network. Shoelaces keep footwear together. The metaphor is … interesting.
The write up states:
The aim behind coming up with this innovative social networking app is to let people find like-minded people around with whom they can meet and share things between each other. The interests could be related to social activities, hobbies, events etc.
The idea of finding people seems innocuous enough. But what if one or more bad actors use the new Google social network in unanticipated ways?
The write up reports:
It will focus more on providing a platform to meet and expand businesses and building communities with real people.
The Google social play has “loops.” What’s a loop? DarkCyber learned:
This is a new name for Events. You can make use of this feature to create an event where people can see your listings and try to join the event as per their interests.
What an innovative idea? No other service — including Meetup.com, Facebook, and similar plays — have this capability.
Like YouTube’s “new” monetization methods which seem similar to Twitch.tv’s, Google is innovating again.
Mobile. Find people. Meet up.
Maybe Google’s rich, bold, proud experiences with Orkut, Google Buzz, and Google+ were useful? Effort does spark true innovation … maybe.
Stephen E Arnold, July 12, 2019
Spy on the Competition: Sounds Good, Right?
July 11, 2019
DarkCyber noted this consumer and small business oriented write up about spying. Navigate to “7 ways to Spy on Your Competitor’s Facebook Ads [2019 Update].” The update promises to add some nifty new, useful methods to the original story.
What are the methods? Here’s a run down of four of them. You will have to navigate to the original story for the other three, or you could just not bother. Spoiler: None of the methods reference commercially available tools and services available from specialist vendors. Who’s a specialist vendor? Attend one of our LE and intel training sessions, and we will share a list of 30 firms with you.
Here are four methods we found interesting:
- Use services which report about a firm’s online advertising activities.
- Use services which report about a firm’s online advertising activities.
- Use services which report about a firm’s online advertising activities.
- Use services which report about a firm’s online advertising activities.
There you go. The spying methods.
DarkCyber wants to point out that these methods are different from the persistent tracking bug data some vendors helpfully install on one’s Internet connected device.
Plus, these methods are quite different from the approaches implemented in commercial OSINT and intercept analysis systems.
My next relatively public lecture will be in October in San Antonio. After the session, look me up. I might share a couple of solutions. Better yet write darkcyber333 at yandex dot com and sign up for a for fee intelligence systems webinar.
Stephen E Arnold, July 11, 2019
Google: Help the GOOG Find Your Business with the Help of Search Engine Optimization
July 11, 2019
One can buy Google ads. That may help. But if you just want to create a listing for your business, you may have to do a bit of work. If your business does not come up in a Google query, that business may be missing out on sales. That’s called leaving money on the table. Not much fun DarkCyber thinks.
Well, there’s a fix. Just point your browser to this write up:
No kidding. That an SEO friendly title.
The write up points out this easy fix:
Fortunately, Google has been helpful in working with us to find a solution, which shows that Google is flexible and willing to evolve. As more companies adopt business models shorn of permanent locations, the bigger question is how will Google adapt over time? If you are one such business, you may need an advocate to work with Google – but it’s worth trying. Google, to its credit, watches for patterns of behavior among its users and adapts. It behooves Google to provide the best experience to its users, and if more of its users are struggling to find businesses, Google will adapt rather than lose them to another ecosystem.
Yep, Google is helpful. But not as helpful as hiring an SEO expert. There’s nothing like a “real” news story with substantive information. Fascinating. As Google’s results become less and less relevant to a user’s query, the SEO crowd wants to ensure that your business can be found even if the query is not relevant to your business. That’s just “good” business in SEO land.
Stephen E Arnold, July 11, 2019
Online Manipulation Made Easy
July 11, 2019
Do you want to manipulate one or more people using social media or other online communication channels? Science Focus reduces the approach to a selection of ten effective techniques. “Nudge Theory: 10 Subtle Pushes That Change How You Think” is a distillation of the University of Chicago techniques plus some spice imported from Cambridge University. What are the methods? Here’s a snapshot of five of the 10. Navigate to the source document for the complete list:
- Simplify. Yep, keep it simple stupid.
- Make things easy and convenient. Yep, easy. Convenient like search results which come from a curated subset which people perceive as comprehensive but are not.
- Disclosures. Think unsealing court records from the Epstein Florida case.
- Ask questions. Just don’t ask, “Does the person asking the question have an ulterior motive?”
- Remind people. This is called “nagging.”
See. You too can be a master of online manipulation. Simple, convenient, backed by proof, and just like a nagging partner. Is that great?
Stephen E Arnold, July 11, 2019
ICE Document Collection
July 10, 2019
DarkCyber noted that Mijente published a collection of US government documents. According the landing page for “Ice Papers”:
The ongoing threat of raids for mass deportations has made it necessary for us to understand the inner workings of ICE’s mass raid operations. We’ve confirmed in government documents that ICE operations are politically motivated and not at all about national security, as the administration claims. In their own words, via plans and tactics we uncovered, you will catch a glimpse into their machinations to target, harass, and expel migrants from their communities. While the documents detail information about raids planned back in 2017, we noted the “rinse-and-repeat” nature of ICE’s operations and what we can expect, as Trump reignites the threat of more raids to come after July 4th.
In the collection are documents which provide some competitive insight into Palantir Technologies. Here’s a snip from the Mijente collection. The blue text is a direct quote.
Palantir’s programs and databases were integrated into all Operation Mega planned raids. They are now part of most enforcement actions by ICE.
These raids now use powerful tech and databases in the field. ICE is given authority to use the newest technology and equipment during local operations, including FALCON, FALCON Mobile, ICE EDDIE and Cellbrite [sic] during arrests. [Source document]
- Palantir-designed FALCON and FALCON Mobile. FALCON Mobile can scan body biometrics, including tattoos and irises. FALCON and FALCON Mobile can use “link analysis” to connect profiles and biometrics with associates and vehicles.
- EDDIE is a mobile fingerprinting program that is attached to a mobile fingerprint collection device. These fingerprints are then put into FALCON systems, including ICE’s case management system, Integrated Case Management (ICM, see below). The fingerprints are used to identify people to see if they have criminal history or immigration history, including a final deportation order.
- Cellbrite is a handheld unit that breaks into smartphones and downloads information – up to 3000 phones for one device. It can even extract data that was deleted from your phone. ICE claims that they should obtain consent. (See Operation Raging Bull Field Guidance.) FALCON includes access to services provided by Cellbrite.
- ICM was integrated into Operation Mega. All the systems mentioned above feed into the massive new ICE case management system, ICM, another Palantir Technologies product. ICM is a new intelligence system capable of linking across dozens of databases from inside and outside DHS. ICM is scheduled to be completed by September 2019.
The information is used to support the political objectives of ICE. Both HSI and the Fugitive Operations Team set up a detailed and comprehensive reporting system for arrests and deportations that focused on contact with the criminal system, not on their ties to family or communities.agencies. The reporting system, comprised of Daily Operation Reports (DORs), which included numbers arrested after an immigration raid, and “egregious write-ups,” which were summaries of certain arrests during national or local ICE operations, was aligned with ICE’s public affairs and communications system, e.g. this information usually went into ICE press releases.
DarkCyber’s view is that these types of document collections are likely to be controversial. On one hand, individuals testing intelligence analysis software are likely to find the content useful for certain queries. Those working in other fields may make use of the information in these documents in other ways.
While this information is online (as of July 9, 2019), it may warrant a quick look.
Stephen E Arnold, July 10, 2019
A Complete List of Google Alternatives: Not Just Incomplete but a Reflection of Misinformation
July 10, 2019
Let’s start with the title: “A Complete List of Alternatives To The Google Search Engine.” Why? Google is not a particularly useful system if I understand the argument in the Collective Evolution write up. DarkCyber believes that Google is useful, but it is one source of Web content pointers.
What is on the complete list? How about 10 search systems. Here they are:
- StartPage – StartPage gives you Google search results, but without the tracking (based in the Netherlands).
- Searx – A privacy-friendly and versatile metasearch engine that’s also open source.
- MetaGer – An open source metasearch engine with good features, based in Germany.
- SwissCows – A zero-tracking private search engine based in Switzerland, hosted on secure Swiss infrastructure.
- Qwant – A private search engine based in France.
- DuckDuckGo – A private search engine based in the US.
- Mojeek – The only true search engine (rather than metasearch engine) that has its own crawler and index (based in the UK).
- YaCy – A decentralized, open source, peer-to-peer search engine.
- Givero – Based in Denmark, Givero offers more privacy than Google and combines search with charitable donations.
- Ecosia – Ecosia is based in Germany and donates a part of revenues to planting trees.
Several observations:
- StartPage (formerly IxQuick, created by a former Wall Street type) is a metasearch system. The company uses results from other sources, passes the query against these sources, and displays a single list of results. Like DuckDuckGo, MetaGer, and similar systems, one is getting spider output from third parties. Sources can range from Bing, Common Crawl, or other sources. DarkCyber is not enthusiastic about metasearch engines because it is very difficult to know what’s in and what’s out, if the de-duplication function actually works, and the rate of refresh for the system.
- Omissions include Bing.com, Yandex.com, plus Exalead. Despite the unusual marketing of the Exalead Web search system — that is to say, none — you can use it at this link. DarkCyber recommends running queries against Google as well as these systems for general search results.
- DarkCyber makes use of specialist search systems as well. Some of these are provided to us by the intelware companies with which we interact. Two sources worth mentioning are Talkwalker and Webhose. Neither is based in the US, but each provides affordable and useful content to those serious about information spidered from open sources.
- Those who want to access information may find the list of tools compiled by MK Bergman a helpful place to begin. Many are not specific to searching via an ad supported system, but there are some gems in the list. DarkCyber also consults sources like Swiss Leaks, which can be quite useful.
DarkCyber’s point is that calling the systems in the “complete” list “complete” is not helpful. In fact, it is filled with information that is unlikely to result in a thorough search.
Is DarkCyber surprised? Nah, par for the “experts” who are writing about search today.
Stephen E Arnold, July 10, 2019
Factualities for July 10, 2019
July 10, 2019
Ah, those numbers. Quite a range of mostly unsubstantiated, unverified, and marketing confections. Here’s a post holiday selection.
Forever. The amount of time Amazon retains Alexa data. Source: TechShout
2. Number of Apple iCloud outages in 2019. Source: The Verge
5. The percentage of revenue participating publishers receive from Apple News Plus. Source: Mac Rumors
8. Number of correct matches between persons of interest and surveillance and mug shot photos. How many suspects did the automated system suggest? 42. Engadget says that the error rate is only 81 percent. Sources: The Register and Engadget
8. Number of Hong Kong protestors arrested. How many potential arrestees were there? A couple of million. Source: Security Week
10. Number of years D-Link will be subject to US government audits. Source: The Verge
11. Number of hours Facebook and some of its services were not online on July 3, 2019. Source: The Verge
25 percent. Percentage of people in a sample of 10,000 who want the government to be responsible for cyber security. Source: Info Security Magazine
27. Number of months a bad actor will spend for launching denial of service attacks on online game services. Source: ZDNet
50 percent. Percentage of enterprises which believe security cannot keep up with cloud adoption. Source: Symantec
80. Number of app takedown requests for 770 Apple app store applications. in the second half of 2018. Source: Engdget
84 percent. Percentage of “respondents” in an NPR IBM survey who are more angry today than one generation ago. Love those IBM Watson outputs. Source: A Tweet
200. Multiply the dose of radiation that would kill a humanoid by this number. Mold survives. Man doesn’t. Source: Sciencemag.org
219. Years a UCLA professor will spend in jail for selling China US secrets. Source: Newsweek
2,176. Number of miles a “young Arctic fox” walked from Norway’s Svalbard Islands to northern Canada. Source: BBC
8,500. Number of patents Intel is auctioning off after stepping away from its 5G modem business. Source: Biz Journals (This is a begging for dollars site.)
25,000. Number of engineers Microsoft has working on github. Source: Jeff Wilcox Blog
550,000. The number of faults at the new Berlin Brandenburg Airport. Source: BBC
$1 billion. TikTok’s advertising spend in 2018. Source: Wall Street Journal (pay wall in place)
2 billion. The number of “records” exposed in a smart home breach. Source: SEC Alerts
Stephen E Arnold, July 10, 2019
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