Snowdon is a dummy

what is the status of the Snowden/investigation in Germany coming? Any new developments?

http://www.theverge.com/2014/10/6/6926205/surveillance-drives-south-koreans-to-encrypted-messaging-apps

Surveillance drives South Koreans to encrypted messaging apps
Millions of users have fled the country's largest chat program after new crackdown on speech
By Russell Brandom on October 6, 2014 05:27 pm

Two weeks ago, Kakao Talk users in South Korea users got an unpleasant surprise. After months of enduring public criticism, President Park Geun-Hye announced a crackdown on any messages deemed as insulting to her or generally rumor-mongering — including private messages sent through Kakao Talk, a Korean messaging app akin to WhatsApp or iMessage. Prosecutors began actively monitoring the service for violations, promising punishment for anyone spreading inappropriate content.

1.5 MILLION SOUTH KOREANS HAVE SIGNED UP FOR TELEGRAM IN THE PAST SEVEN DAYS

In response to the crackdown, South Koreans have voted with their feet, heading en masse to encrypted chat programs hosted outside the country, particularly an app called Telegram known for its encryption features. Based in Germany, Telegram reports roughly 1.5 million new South Korean users have signed up in the past seven days, giving the app more than 50 million users worldwide. Telegram's Markus Ra says it's not the only country where government controls have made Telegram an attractive option. "People frequently come to Telegram looking for extra security — some of them from countries with censorship issues," Ra says. "What really makes us happy is that the users stay when the privacy scandals have died away."

Telegram offers an option for "secret chats" that use end-to-end encryption, which means that the company facilitates key exchange but doesn't hold the keys itself and can't decrypt any of the messages. Created by Russian-born entrepreneur Pavel Durov, the app’s offshore location makes legal compulsion much more difficult for South Korean prosecutors. Telegram’s South Korean user base is still just a fraction of Kakao's 35 million users — the vast majority of cell-phone owners in South Korea — but the rapid growth shows how much privacy features can pay off in the face of high-profile censorship.

Kakao Talk has struggled to provide the same privacy promises. Since the crackdown was announced, the company has faced rumors that prosecutors are reading chats in real-time, even though the company insists such a setup would be technically impossible. On Thursday, the company announced it would curtail its storage practices, only keeping messages for three days after they're sent, rather than a full week. Still, since Kakao is based in Korea, it can only push back so far. The company is obligated to comply with court orders under South Korean law, turning over messaging data as prosecutors demand it.

But while companies compete for user privacy, government pushback isn't unique to South Korea. When Apple took a step towards Telegram-esque end-to-end encryption last month, the FBI pushed back immediately, claiming the features would aid criminals and hinder legitimate warrants. Apple’s supporters responded simply that, after Snowden, the company was giving its users what it wanted. After Telegram’s sudden rise, it’s a more convincing argument than ever.

Sojung Lim contributed re

Goes to prove most people want their privacy.

Interesting article in this morning newspaper about the damage the NSA is doing to internet commerce. The captains of industry from the big internet companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, and other firms have accused the government spying programs are undercutting the internet economy.

It hurts the US economy according to Wyden, a member of the Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the Finance Committee, and it doesn't make our country any safer.

I have also objected to people putting nefarious motives to those in intelligence in their methods and efforts to keep us safe.

When the BND promised the US "absolute solidarity" after 9/11, did any of the parties or in parliament ask questions then as to what they meant by those words?

You are full of hyperbolic statements, stretching three separate instances into long standing practices.

That works two ways; if you question what anyone says, you can challenge it with your credible source to refute it. Otherwise, you're unable to provide proof it's a lie, and must accept it as factual.

Since you are known for stretching the truth, why not for once provide a source to give context for some of your statements?

Suppose, for instance, that someone wrote, "You were once arrested for child molestation."

ATTENTION: Beginning January 1, 2013, the Department of Justice is required by law to post static risk assessment scores for sex offender registrants who are eligible to be scored (Penal Code § 290.03-290.09). For information relating to risk assessments, eligibility, and scoring, please visit the State Authorized Risk Assessment Tool for Sex Offenders (SARATSO) Web site at www.saratso.org