SoylentNews is people
SoylentNews
Reuters reports that according to the Sunday Times Britain has pulled out agents from live operations in "hostile countries" after Russia and China cracked top-secret information contained in files leaked by former US. National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden. According to Rupert Murdoch's Sunday Times unnamed officials at the office of British Prime Minister David Cameron say China has also cracked the encrypted documents, which contain details of secret intelligence techniques and information that could allow British and American spies to be identified "Western intelligence agencies say they have been forced into the rescue operations after Moscow gained access to more than 1m classified files (paywalled) held by the former American security contractor, who fled to seek protection from Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, after mounting one of the largest leaks in US history."
However David Davis, the Conservative MP who is one of the leading campaigners for privacy, says: "We have to treat all of these things with a pinch of salt." Davis says the use of an anonymous source to create scare stories was a typical tactic and the timing was comfortable for the government. "You can see they have been made nervous by Anderson. We have not been given any facts, just assertions." Andrew Mitchell, a former cabinet minister, says he is sure the Sunday Times got the story because of the Anderson report and added "I think we have to be very careful of the argument 'listen sonny, we know what you don't know and therefore you should do what we say'. That is not a good argument; we need to have a proper debate about all of this. I don't approve of what Snowden did, but I have to say having been to Washington recently that there has been a massive change of view in the United States, not just people like Rand Paul and so on, there's a massive change of view about the debate and that has resulted from Snowden, whether you like it or not."
[Editor's Comment: There is media interest in the UK regarding this story. It originated from an unnamed source and is without any corroboration.]
Original Submission
(Score: 5, Informative) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Monday June 15 2015, @08:52PM
The CORE Sunday Times claim, that Miranda met Snowden before his UK detention - has been withdrawn, when they were caught lying:
http://www.theguardian.com/media/2015/jun/15/sunday-times-drops-claim-david-miranda-edward-snowden [theguardian.com]
Craig Murray: Five Reasons the MI6 Story is a Lie [craigmurray.org.uk]
CNN Interview today, a direct quote: "...we just publish what we believe to be the position of the British government..."
http://t.co/U7y27PG0KK [t.co]
Greenwald does a takedown of the impossibly bad sourcing and methods, citing references and historical prescedents:
https://firstlook.org/theintercept/2015/06/14/sunday-times-report-snowden-files-journalism-worst-also-filled-falsehoods/ [firstlook.org]
Graham Cluely, a security expert researcher I work with does a good short demolition, too:
https://grahamcluley.com/2015/06/skeptical-sunday-times-snowden-story/ [grahamcluley.com]
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 3, Informative) by takyon on Monday June 15 2015, @08:56PM
It should also be mentioned that the David Miranda claim was "quietly deleted" from the online version, with no note of the error on the article page (at least according to the Guardian, can't check because paywall).
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Funny) by bob_super on Monday June 15 2015, @09:25PM
The News Of The World staff had to find jobs somewhere, you know...
(Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Monday June 15 2015, @09:29PM
Of course, Times USED to be a paper - now just Murdoch's upscale, lifestyle brand.
I remember when it was folded correctly, in the hands of City men, with real tailoring and haberdashers. That world didn't survive Thatcher, any more than did Industry in Coventry or Cortonwood coal mining.
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 4, Funny) by takyon on Monday June 15 2015, @09:34PM
I'm glad Hugh included a Wikipedia link, because it's a very generic name for a paper.
[SIG] 10/28/2017: Soylent Upgrade v14 [soylentnews.org]
(Score: 3, Informative) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday June 16 2015, @01:51AM
Murdoch supports the conservative branch of the UK governing class, and expects support in return. These sorts of stories are just the old boys network helping each other out.
I imagine the actual journalist who wrote the story was told to do so and has a family and a mortgage, so he feels dirty and used, but still has a job.
For what it's worth this story has been repeated here (New Zealand), without any critical thought or commentary.
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday June 16 2015, @02:15AM
Are any of these being threatened by Murdoch with copyright complaints for quoting the Sunday Times article?
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2015/06/15/times_snowden_greenwald/ [theregister.co.uk]
(Score: 3, Informative) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Tuesday June 16 2015, @03:11AM
Nobody is rising to the C&Ds.
On twitter, Greenwald and others posted the complaints and laughed.
You're betting on the pantomime horse...
(Score: 2) by PartTimeZombie on Tuesday June 16 2015, @03:19AM
Glad to hear it.
(Score: 2) by Jeremiah Cornelius on Tuesday June 16 2015, @04:09AM
Omidyar's deep pockets are behind The Intercept. It's got plus and minuses.
You're betting on the pantomime horse...