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In an update to the speculation that TrueCrypt development was officially discontinued as a response to efforts by US intelligence agencies to compromise the project, the TrueCrypt web site seems to contain a secret message warning potential users of NSA interference in the integrity of the software. The apparent message, "Don't use TrueCrypt because it is under the control of the NSA" is read as an acrostic in Latin, contained in the message announcing developer cessation of the project on SouceForge. Two independent analytical exercises, conducted independently, arrive at the same conclusion. User "Badon" at the Live Business Chat message board has a detailed exegesis including screenshots and footnotes.
[EDITOR'S NOTE: I have cross checked this on some Latin specific sites, and the consensus seems to be that it is nonsensical from a perspective of proper Latin grammar and syntax. However, Google Translation does reproduce these results. I can certainly believe that a warning might have been composed using G.T. rather than by consulting a classicist. --ED]
(Score: 2) by HiThere on Tuesday June 17 2014, @08:01PM
"Do not multiply entities without sufficient cause"?
Which entities?
We know the NSA exists.
We know the NSA has a pattern of acting to compromise security.
We know that some agency, presumably the NSA, has in the past taken probably illegal actions to compromise security.
We know that TrueCrypt was for the purpose of providing security.
We know that the NSA has the ability to cause to be issued National Security Letters which forbid the recipient to disclose that they have received the letter AND enjoin them to take actions that would compromise security.
We know that TrueCrypt has shut down with little explanation and unbelievable alternative recommendations.
There may be other relevant facts, but those are on the top of my mind. They don't suffice to prove that the NSA is the villain of the piece, but they make it extremely plausible, and no other explanation appears even nearly as plausible.
This isn't proof, but if it is valid, proof would probably be illegal. So we can't expect that proof would be available. So the lack of proof is not evidence against the theory. (It isn't evidence in favor of it either, as some alternative theories also would imply that proof would not be available. E.g., it could have shut down under threat from criminals from some country or other.)
Javascript is what you use to allow unknown third parties to run software you have no idea about on your computer.
(Score: 1) by cafebabe on Wednesday June 18 2014, @12:46AM
The test of a good conspiracy theory is that it cannot be proved or disproved. Unfortunately, when a National Security Letter is involved, the situation immediately devolves into a conspiracy theory. I'd like this to be a clear-cut and empirical as the next person. However, we are in a realm of shadows and specters.
1702845791×2
(Score: 2) by Yog-Yogguth on Monday June 30 2014, @01:20PM
"That's A Conspiracy!" is the name of that tune which goes "La la la la I can't hear you because I'm singing this song as loudly as I can, as loudly as I can!, AS LOUDLY AS I CAN!". Would be nice if people stopped playing and singing it all the time or at least went a bit easy on the fucking refrain but instead they'll complain about anyone talking about you-know-what.
So no, we're not in the realm of shadows and whatnot. We know that National Security Letters are being used in exactly the same way that we know secret courts and secret laws are being used: someone told. Not just Snowden either but huge multinational companies and other people who used to work for the system. Lately we even got to know that entire secret trials have been attempted where even talking about the existence of the trial/any of the contents was supposed to be illegal and kept secret except at most (and under duress) what amounted to saying "there was a trial"! There are a lot of trials going on at any time and without anything more added to it that would be as good as saying nothing at all i.e. a secret trial.
It has been in the news for over a year now yet people still ignore it: there is no conspiracy, it is reality. It is happening as we speak, every second of every day, your post, my post, everything, it is being analyzed, it is being categorized, it is being mined, it is being scrutinized, but it's "okay" because it's not humans doing it and thus "not" surveillance.
We know the only way to struggle against a National Security Letter is to stop, as suddenly as you can, and hope both that people will notice and that it wont put you in some kind of jail or kill you. If you can't treat such specific behavior as likely proof then both you and Francis Bacon might as well take up permanent lodging at the local asylum because the real world has left you behind ages ago.
You might be (I don't know for sure) the kind that thinks you got away with cheating because you weren't caught in the act. Well, they got caught in the act multiple times and you're still talking about "conspiracies", shadows, and ghosts.
Bite harder Ouroboros, bite! tails.boum.org/ linux USB CD secure desktop IRC *crypt tor (not endorsements (XKeyScore))