UK spy agency intercepted webcam images of millions of Yahoo users

[jimferno]

I find all this internet spying hysteria quite hilarious, imagine how many people use the internet daily & how much information is being collected. It would take them years to sift through just a small portion of the data they're collecting.

Nobody cares that you have sexy time on webcam on Yahoo or that you visit RedTube on a daily basis. They could probably pull far more information off your Facebook if they really wanted to know you tbh.

 

[phill1978]

This is happening with peoples' mobile phones NOW.

That front-facing camera is not for 'your' convenience.

People will say lolsander and tin foil hat/QUOTE]

Not mine, I've just put some blu tac over it

I hate the securicrats and their war on my freedom.

as far as the in home stuff goes yea, just dont buy the smart TV with a camera or if you do just get the one with a camera cover (they do exist)

also buy a phone case the covers the camera's, shock socks or wallet,sleeves normally do this just fine.

with a webcam, either marker pen over the cam, it wouldn't ruin the look as the cam is black anyway or just keep the cam and run linux without using obvious software that would be easily watchable such as skype.

obviously accept in public your being watched and if your seriously bothered beyond your own home then ask your friends to not point cameras or cover kinects etc.. but i think maybe that would come down to if your friend was a special kind of buddy

 

[thep02]

I find all this internet spying hysteria quite hilarious, imagine how many people use the internet daily & how much information is being collected. It would take them years to sift through just a small portion of the data they're collecting.

Nobody cares that you have sexy time on webcam on Yahoo or that you visit RedTube on a daily basis. They could probably pull far more information off your Facebook if they really wanted to know you tbh.

They have computers to do the searching and it would be quite easy for the person holding all the data to humiliate/blackmail the average Brit or use the knowledge about their personality to tailor an interrogation.

 

[thep02]

as far as the in home stuff goes yea, just dont buy the smart TV with a camera or if you do just get the one with a camera cover (they do exist)

also buy a phone case the covers the camera's, shock socks or wallet,sleeves normally do this just fine.

with a webcam, either marker pen over the cam, it wouldn't ruin the look as the cam is black anyway or just keep the cam and run linux without using obvious software that would be easily watchable such as skype.

obviously accept in public your being watched and if your seriously bothered beyond your own home then ask your friends to not point cameras or cover kinects etc.. but i think maybe that would come down to if your friend was a special kind of buddy

Most of my friends are happy to put their phones in a Faraday case when they visit and we never go out without black led lights around our hats to blur the CCTV cameras or our phones in Faraday bags.

 

[ntg]

To all those who say something along the lines of "so what? I'm just a nobody anyway, they wouldn't be interested in my private life and minor transgresions so I got nothing to worry about", you need to consider that this spying capability extends beyond yourself and/or the present.

They use the same technology to collect data on people today, which could be used 'tomorrow'. What I'm saying is that, a lot of people will progress to become somebody, a CEO, a politician, someone with influence. And then you've got all their private info of cheating on their wife, trying drugs or doing something stupid at some point which will be trawled up and used against them behind closed doors to extract something in exchange. This technology makes all this available.

You may argue that, well, they can do this to famous people now if they want to, but the difference is that they are tracking everyone and anyone before they become influential, not just digging dirty laundry of those who already are. It sets a grim precedent for what the future holds for people who advance themselves in positions of power in the next 10+ years.

Also, all this vast collection of data will only get more refined and better archived. At what point does it start leaking to private enterprises who buy and sell all that? When are we going to start seeing websites offering comprehensive private data on individuals, from chats and emails to camera footage for others to buy and download?

The problem is that all this activity is really unregulated and unsupervised, as it appears through the depth and secrecy of it.

 

[jimferno]

They have computers to do the searching and it would be quite easy for the person holding all the data to humiliate/blackmail the average Brit or use the knowledge about their personality to tailor an interrogation.

Nothing it seems would humiliate the average Brit, look what they post on their public Facebook pages.

Yeah, I doubt these spying agencies have much interest that Dave is having an affair with Sharon that lives across the estate. Just in case one day Dave becomes the CEO of a multi billion £ company and then they can hold him to ransom for a couple of quid or summet...

It would've been more of a surprise to me if they weren't tracking & collecting any data from the internet.

 

[Woden]

Spy agency Spying? What is the world comming to!

 

[phill1978]

Most of my friends are happy to put their phones in a Faraday case when they visit and we never go out without black led lights around our hats to blur the CCTV cameras or our phones in Faraday bags.

thats a bit extreme.. maybe your an extremist? should I report you.

Also, i cant say too much but i have been watching you and your family on webcam's and I must say your mum has a nice ass, but who needs privacy right?

 

[phill1978]

Nothing it seems would humiliate the average Brit, look what they post on their public Facebook pages.

so just like everything else we have to dumb down society for thick people? There are many people who would be good for society and bad for bad bankers (not all bankers are bad) and corrupt officials but before they get a chance, they are screwed. Which breeds the sort of groomed individual that never steps a foot wrong or in other words.. doesnt live in the real world. This is bad, you end up with sociopaths in power. Its happened in the Ukraine right now, you can see it today in 2014.

Yeah, I doubt these spying agencies have much interest that Dave is having an affair with Sharon that lives across the estate. Just in case one day Dave becomes the CEO of a multi billion £ company and then they can hold him to ransom for a couple of quid or summet...

they dont need to have an interest, just the information in case he does. its computer data .. so you know, its stored for a long time.

 

[phill1978]

Spy agency Spying? What is the world comming to!

there not a spy agency as such, there a massive data mining operation. there are other organizations that use the information and metrics.

this is the problem. people (even politicians) didn't understand the scope of what is happening.

 

[Hyburnate]

there not a spy agency as such, there a massive data mining operation. there are other organizations that use the information and metrics.

this is the problem. people (even politicians) didn't understand the scope of what is happening.

They're there to intercept data communications and provide them to the armed forces, MI5 and MI6/SIS. (I think )

I however do praise Edward Snowden for what he's done and I think it was needed. If he didn't do it someone else would.

 

[phill1978]

I find all this internet spying hysteria quite hilarious, imagine how many people use the internet daily & how much information is being collected. It would take them years to sift through just a small portion of the data they're collecting.

Nobody cares that you have sexy time on webcam on Yahoo or that you visit RedTube on a daily basis. They could probably pull far more information off your Facebook if they really wanted to know you tbh.

could you miss the point anymore?

many people dont use facebook. Perhaps (maybe not in your mind) people dont look at porn either? does that give them the right to connect to your live cam in any room in your house and monitor your activity 24/7 without a warrant and a motive.

 

[thep02]

thats a bit extreme.. maybe your an extremist? should I report you.

Also, i cant say too much but i have been watching you and your family on webcam's and I must say your mum has a nice ass, but who needs privacy right?

Many years ago while I was at school my mates thought my mom had a nice ass but she died before the web existed so I presume you're tapped into some unsuspecting rubes life, yet another dumb **** up by Brit Intel and the nosey ***** at gchq.

 

[Cold_And_Miserable]

I wonder how many paedophiles at GCHQ will now be able to obtain images of children in the name of stopping terrorism thanks to help from the NSA.

 

[Spursingham]

Someone posted something on Reddit regarding surveillance a while ago with their own story of the consequences.

Can't seem to find it now.

They say that this is how it starts.

At first it's to "catch terrorists". If you're not doing anything wrong then you're fine. If you're not part of any terrorist organisation then you've got nothing to worry about.
But who Determines what groups/Persons come under the "Terrorist" category? Nelson Mandela was considered a terrorist up until 2008. Does that mean before 2008, if you supported Nelson Mandela, you'd be on a Terrorist watch-list?
An animal rights group in the USofA is being considered a terrorist group. Are you part of any Animal Rights groups? Watch your back!
The Journalist that carried the data for Snowden/Guardian could be charged as a terrorist. Goodbye journalism!

The Reddit poster went on to tell an example of something that could happen. Something that is already happening because something similar happened to them.

The government uses it's surveillance to build up a profile for every person. The profile could contain everything about a person. Family. Friends. Work. Who they talk to on the phone. Who they email. What music they listen to. What petitions they've signed. A picture of them masturbating on webcam.

Now imagine one day you sign up to an environmental activist group...lets say Greenpeace. You love the environment. You want a cleaner planet etc etc.
Then this happens: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/sep/20/greenpeace-ship-stormed-russian-coastguard

Now Greenpeace and all of it's members are brought up and put on a watch-list. They need more information on a number of member's that you happen to be close to.
So they find out you and your families background. Find out any dirt they can bring up. Anything they can threaten/Bribe you with.

Find out this information about John, Dave and Harrietta. Grass up your friends. Tell us of ANY wrong do'ings. Otherwise we're going to bring up this thing your Dad Did/Didn't do 20 years ago and put him in prison. Tell anyone about this and your dad goes to Prison! And that health insurance that's paying for your Mums Chemo? Wouldn't it be a shame if that insurance becomes VOID when they find out she had lied on the application form regarding if she's a smoker or not.

I can't imagine any other reason why NSA/GCHQ would be doing half the stuff they're doing if it isn't to build profiles on people.

Optic Nerve: Perv.

 

[phill1978]

I wonder how many paedophiles at GCHQ will now be able to obtain images of children in the name of stopping terrorism thanks to help from the NSA.

join the dots..establishment figures doing this? somebody called sir jimmy..

its a good point, until conviction any one of those employee's could in theory be 'enjoying' content like this or passing it on. Which makes me cringe. I doubt this, but in truth we just don't know. And because in most cases it would seem fairly warrent less im not sure if the images they have gathered could even be used in a court of law?

 

[Hyburnate]

I wonder how many paedophiles at GCHQ will now be able to obtain images of children in the name of stopping terrorism thanks to help from the NSA.

I highly doubt any low tier employee at GCHQ has unlimited access to the files, a lot of them will be stored in servers probably encrypted. Plus you're forgetting people at GCHQ are doing a job and therefore their manager would see them with a lack of productivity. I have no doubt that some paedophiles are employed by GCHQ but I highly doubt they sit there all day knocking one off instead of working.

@the post above, I'm also not sure on if evidence can be used in court because for example you can't record a voice without both people knowing it's there and use it in court. Much like an officer can't close questioning if the suspect/witness wishes to speak IIRC.

e; Actually ntg you hit some very good points and I completely agree with you.

 

[p1RATE]

To all those who say something along the lines of "so what? I'm just a nobody anyway, they wouldn't be interested in my private life and minor transgresions so I got nothing to worry about", you need to consider that this spying capability extends beyond yourself and/or the present.

They use the same technology to collect data on people today, which could be used 'tomorrow'. What I'm saying is that, a lot of people will progress to become somebody, a CEO, a politician, someone with influence. And then you've got all their private info of cheating on their wife, trying drugs or doing something stupid at some point which will be trawled up and used against them behind closed doors to extract something in exchange. This technology makes all this available.

You may argue that, well, they can do this to famous people now if they want to, but the difference is that they are tracking everyone and anyone before they become influential, not just digging dirty laundry of those who already are. It sets a grim precedent for what the future holds for people who advance themselves in positions of power in the next 10+ years.

Also, all this vast collection of data will only get more refined and better archived. At what point does it start leaking to private enterprises who buy and sell all that? When are we going to start seeing websites offering comprehensive private data on individuals, from chats and emails to camera footage for others to buy and download?

The problem is that all this activity is really unregulated and unsupervised, as it appears through the depth and secrecy of it.

Great comments, i think you've captured why this bothers me so much.

 

[ntg]

@the post above, I'm also not sure on if evidence can be used in court because for example you can't record a voice without both people knowing it's there and use it in court. Much like an officer can't close questioning if the suspect/witness wishes to speak IIRC.

e; Actually ntg you hit some very good points and I completely agree with you.

An interesting point, but please remember that we live in an age of extraordinary renditions and guantanamo prisons where people are kept for years on end without trials.

Just because the information cannot be used in any court of law doesn't mean they still won't act against you. While my example for guantanamo et al is far reaching, civil liberties are being eroded steadily over time based on what has happened in the past 10 years. Fast forward a couple of decades and all the current framework about admissability of illegal wiretapping etc could be out of the window. Just think of how many things changed with regard to privacy after 9/11. I imagine that with a couple more high profile terrorist attacks things could get hairy very quickly.

Also, this information is always there to be used for a 'nudge' to the right direction, or right action.

There are countless examples where this could have devastating impacts on lives of people, primarily because it's all done indiscriminately by computers without a human factor judging and deciding in between.

Imagine a youngster following a radical group, then dropping out because he realises they are dangerous and he doesn't like. In the meantime all that info/behaviour has been logged somewhere and will haunt him.

And just to give a concrete actual example instead of hypothetical situations. A close friend had been denied a US tourist Visa (he lived outside the EU) 14 years ago. No reason was given to him (sounds strange but it is not atypical) but he guesses it had to do with him being unemployed at the time and as such 'risk of overstaying illegaly'. A couple of years later he got a tourist visa just fine, however, every single time he has travelled there he has been taken aside and scrutinised because the original visa denial comes up in their system, and he has to explain everything from the beginning and give a full account of his circumstances at present to convince them everything is ok. And that's just for something really trivial..

 

[AGD]

meh I dont believe that

that "document" is probably a study on a possible way of doing that with webcams, not proof that they are

as for GCHQ perving at your webcam? no they are not - they are not interested in seeing your todge

its just an article to keep the Snowden story alive - which has been going on along time now, you really think that if Snowden knew about this he would wait months before releasing it ? rubbish it would have been on the front page on day 1

yeah its scary that GHCQ have the sort of expertise but there are loads of webcam vulnerability hacks in the wild anyway, I trust GCHQ more than some script kiddie

Can you please go away, actually read up about what is going on and then come back please? You seem remarkably uninformed about the situation.

There are many good reasons why this wasn't published on day 1 (not least because they have hundreds of thousands of complicated documents to go through and figure out). Snowdown doesn't release these stories one-by-one to journalists - they have had all the data since the beginning.

I am surprised, that you, with your armchair expertise have determined that the document was 'probably a study'. Given the lack of denial from the government, and the past track records of the journalists involved, I think it very likely that this did indeed happen.