Glenn Greenwald has called out National Public Radio in a recent interview for a story by Dina Temple-Raston for a story that it aired on how a study had found “tangible evidence” that leaks by Edward Snowden had harmed security by showing terrorists that they have to develop more sophisticated encryption programs. However, that study was the work of a firm named “Recorded Future,” which Greenwald claims has been funded by the CIA to the tune of millions of dollars. Greenwald chastises Temple-Raston and NPR for not informing listeners that the source is a CIA funded outfit. He accuses NPR of essentially airing CIA talking points.
The company released a report called “How Al-Qaeda Uses Encryption Post-Snowden” in two parts in May and August on how “Snowden leaks influencing Al-Qaeda’s crypto product innovation.”
Temple-Raston responded to the release with a story entitled Big Data Firm Says It Can Link Snowden Data To Changed Terrorist Behavior. She interviewed Recorded Future’s CEO and co-founder Christopher Ahlberg who said that they began to delve more deeply into the issue when “We saw at least three major product releases coming out with different organizations with al-Qaida and associated organizations fairly quickly after the Snowden disclosures.” She reported:
As it turns out, Recorded Future and Reversing Labs discovered that al-Qaida didn’t just tinker at the edges of its seven-year-old encryption software; it overhauled it. The new programs no longer use much of what’s known as “homebrew,” or homemade algorithms. Instead, al-Qaida has started incorporating more sophisticated open-source code to help disguise its communications.
Greenwald calls the failure to inform listeners of the CIA connection “a pure and indisputable case of journalistic malpractice and deceit.” He also notes that stories running back to 2001 detail how al-Qaeda was fully aware of the need to develop more advanced forms of encryption. I cannot find any response from NPR to the allegations.
The cause and effect relationship of the report can clearly be challenged given the continual reports of U.S. intelligence interceptions before and after the Snowden disclosures. That makes the connection and possible funding of the CIA more problematic if true. I do believe that, if Greenwald is correct and this firm receives such a high level of funding from the CIA, it should have been disclosed.
Recorded Future takes on an ominous sound if it is, as Greenwald claims, a company that has received millions from the CIA. He alleges that “the investment arm of the CIA, In-Q-Tel, sits on the board of this company, and the researcher on whom they rely himself is the head of a company in a strategic partnership with the CIA.” The company’s motto is “creating an insightful world.”
Ferguson is a fine community and is getting whacked around by the media. We do not know the facts as to why and how this 18 year old adult male was killed. We do know that the police did not stop mobsters from burning a Quik Trip and ransacking other stores. My criticism is for being lame on that score and not over reacting. More people will leave Ferguson due to this publicity. Blacks and whites will leave. It will go down the slope. But before you folks all throw rocks at the police, the Mayor, and others there, think of the town where you grew up and how you would like it if all this snot came down on your old home town. Go Comets!
John Oliver, The protesters have a right to protest. They are not in violation of the law.
SWM – rioting is a violation of the law. Protesting ‘legally’ is not. However, it is possible to protest illegally and some of the residents of Ferguson seem to have found a way.
John Oliver, So who is not respecting the rule of law here. I presume you mean the shooter of the young man.
Send in Canadian peacekeepers, they’re close by. They could get here pretty quickly. Wouldn’t that be something, seeing NATO peacekeepers in the streets of America?
Annie – it would be better to bring in peace-keepers from France. The downside is they have a habit of sexually abusing the women.
FLORISSANT, Mo. (AP) — Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon says the Missouri State Highway Patrol will take over the supervision of security in the St. Louis suburb that’s been the scene of violent protests since a police officer fatally shot an unarmed black teenager.
Nixon made the announcement at a news conference Wednesday afternoon.
Nixon says the security will be overseen by Capt. Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Johnson, who is black, said he grew up in the community and “it means a lot to me personally that we break this cycle of violence.”
SWM,
We’d be hard-pressed to find the rule of law properly enforced at any level of government. I recall someone testifying before Congress this year; paraphrasing “when the people see government not respecting the rule of law then they will determine they don’t need to either.”
My feeling is the FAA and the federal govt. are working hand in hand (seeing as it’s a federal agency). Just as w/occupy, all the different types of govt. and private war contractors, along w/ the financial industry played a hand in suppression of the people. That is why we don’t want the military down there. Rather we need observers from around the world, pronto and as many people who can to make it down there in a peace march.
Oh, my earlier comment finally showed up.
My comment is stripped out again. I’m so tired of this. Would someone please find it? Thank you.
@nicks
I think there are quite a few people here praying for all kinds of unrest. Sooo, I updated A Ferguson Prayer from above:
A Ferguson Prayer
Oh Lord, pleeeaaase let that cop in Ferguson have made a bad mistake when he shot that black kid! For things have been pretty quiet since Trayvon and all us race -baiters and Freedom Rider wannabees are just dying for something to play into our favorite myth that racism is the biggest problem faced by blacks.
Plus, oh Lord, we are just itching to put on our robes of moral superiority and lord it over everybody. Oh, and if a few unarmed black kids could get shot while looting, I mean protesting, that would be good, too.
Plus, Oh Lord, will you please make the cop a Republican and a Tea Party member, and please Dear Lord let there be a Sarah Palin bumper sticker on his car and a NRA sticker too.
Amen.
(I thought I would maybe give a voice to a perceived undercurrent.)
Squeeky Fromm
Girl Reporter
Martial law will increase violence. The military is not here to help the people, it will be used to quash protesters. I appreciate the dire circumstances and Lewis’ desire to help the people but we need peacekeepers. The authorities are already out of control.
Where is the president and his often vaunted teachable moment? JFC, the police state is out of control. They are showing their hand to us all and we should pay attention.
John Oliver, Maybe this situation in Ferguson needs some federal intervention. The locals certainly seem to have made a mess of it and have killed an innocent young man. Rep.Lewis and others are certainly calling for it.
Federal intervention? For goodness sake, they cannot investigate the IRS, how will they investigate Ferguson?
Annie,
There is a common thread over the last 50 years and that is that government continues to amass power. The Republicans focused more on foreign intervention and the Democrats focused more on domestic.Nothing will change as long as the first instinct is to defend either regime.
Protestors were being told by police that they may not film the protest or the police. We all know by now that is illegal. The First Amendment, remember it?
on 1, August 14, 2014 at 3:53 pmNick Spinelli
Squeeky, The prez took time out from rounds of golf and spoke on Ferguson. He made it a point to say looting is unacceptable. I’m sure some think it’s just fine, probably a few here.
********************************
Who? Don’t be a coward, name names.
A WashPo reporter was on CNN saying he was hassled by cops in a McDonalds in Ferguson. The MSM will BE ALL OVER this story. They LOVE to talk about themselves and how important they are. Again, the controversy was about the reporter videotaping his being told to leave the McDonalds. Cops hate the papparazzi more than Alec Baldwin.
https://mobile.twitter.com/jackfrombkln/status/499531968229683200/photo/1
Two pictures taken 50 years apart. Some things never change.
Squeeky, The prez took time out from rounds of golf and spoke on Ferguson. He made it a point to say looting is unacceptable. I’m sure some think it’s just fine, probably a few here. Obama also said the non Muslims on the mountain don’t need evacuation. But, there are reports that elderly and children are dying in the desert as they try and walk to Syria! This guy needed a quick, good story because he’s reeling, and we know he lies.
http://thefederalist.com/2014/08/14/in-ferguson-protests-media-somehow-see-case-against-gun-rights/#disqus_thread
Bettykath, so right, what are the National Guard doing in foreign countries anyway?