Can secure text messaging like Tigertext be read by the NSA?

[gerradfaegan]

Can secure text messaging apps like Tigertext be read by the government or anyone else?
What about standard SMS text messages?
Is there any form of electronics communication that the government or NSA can’t read or capture?

 

[MT Alex]

1. Yes
2. Yes
3. No

 

[micropage7]

if you talk about plain text
i guess theres nothing you can do about it
maybe you can create your own code and make them more difficult to decrypt

 

[ShiBDiB]

Yes it can.. The better question is what are you trying to hide?


Seriously tho.. unless ur planning to blow something up, the nsa doesnt care about ur drug discussions. And no court in their right mind would allow it as evidence in a non terrorism related case. And creating a code to encrypt is also a waste of time.. The us has entire compounds dedicated to crypto stuff.

 

[McSteel]

Why would you even care about this? Do you really think they have nothing better to do than read your sext messages? And even if it was so, you can't really consider yourself so special and different as to think they haven't read thousands of messages like that already. People are predictable, and they are typically boring after a while. You won't matter to them unless you really push your luck by (pretending to be) arranging a bombing of a densely populated residential area.

 

[ShiBDiB]

Using techniques and programs to get around it just flags you to be looked into further. Cause it's a "Oh he has something to hide..." kind of reaction.

Hell you making this thread probably got you flagged. Not that anyone will check it unless theirs a bigger picture of you that warrants including this piece.


It comes down to this.. IF you have nothing to hide, stop being paranoid. And if you do have something to hide, I'll read about you in a week or so in a LEO bulletin.

 

[MT Alex]

It comes down to this.. IF you have nothing to hide, stop being paranoid. And if you do have something to hide, I'll read about you in a week or so in a LEO bulletin.

I'm sure many in East Germany licked the boots of the Stasi as well. Hey, if you've got nothing to hide you should love your slavery. Disgusting.

 

[Ikaruga]

These guys are the very best on the planet who have all the resources they need (or can think of) and also who are paid to read everything what's out there... so go figure.... they can probably read pretty much everything what's out there as a communication standard (most likely including stuffs like SSL and whatnot).. so perhaps the only thing what could keep them away (for a while) is something which you make for yourself and only share with the people who you want to communicate with... but that would make you even more suspicious

 

[newtekie1]

Hey, if you've got nothing to hide you should love your slavery.

A lack of privacy is in no way even remotely close to slavery.

 

[ShiBDiB]

I'm sure many in East Germany licked the boots of the Stasi as well. Hey, if you've got nothing to hide you should love your slavery. Disgusting.

That is the most liberal and "disgusting" use of the word slavery I've seen in awhile.

 

[MT Alex]

That is the most liberal and "disgusting" use of the word slavery I've seen in awhile.

A sentiment probably shared by the lapdog thugs of Ceausescu.

 

[Black Panther]

They can, but only if they want to.
No offence meant but probably you're not important enough for them......
Look at it this way, imagine the millions of texts sent daily, they won't be vetted all of them..
Unless you use certain words which might trigger their attention.

 

[Kantastic]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/08/government-knocking-doors-because-google-searches/67864/

I have nothing to hide but I understand the importance of refusing to give up essential liberties.

 

[theoneandonlymrk]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/national/2013/08/government-knocking-doors-because-google-searches/67864/

I have nothing to hide but I understand the importance of refusing to give up essential liberties.

Also with such wide ranging surveillance going on and the ongoing black ops it's not hard to imagine it getting abused or just plain and simple sold .are we not entitled to privacy I graft my ass off , pay tax , buy shit and behave but resent such scrutiny.

 

[McSteel]

You all may refuse to be watched, but you're not really manifesting your refusal, only your peaceful, silent protest. And it amounts to exactly nothing.

People can beat "the system". But the odds are not very good at all, because "the system" only needs to organize a couple tenths, hundreds, maybe even thousands of men and women. People need to organize in tens, hundreds of millions to be able to make a difference. I don't see it happening right now.

I suppose the majority needed for a drastic change to happen sadly choose to forfeit their need and right to privacy, in exchange for a sense of security. A false security they so desperately want to believe is real.

Take it from "the man" or get out on the street and yell real loud about it. Who knows, maybe several dozen millions of people will do the same.

 

[tigger]

the GOV in america likes to instill fear into the populace, so they can justify the more draconian security measures.

 

[newtekie1]

are we not entitled to privacy

Of course you are entitled to privacy. If you want privacy, live entirely off the grid. If you want to use the infrastructure that was mostly paid for by the government, then you give up that privacy when using that infrastructure.

 

[Kantastic]

You all may refuse to be watched, but you're not really manifesting your refusal, only your peaceful, silent protest. And it amounts to exactly nothing.

People can beat "the system". But the odds are not very good at all, because "the system" only needs to organize a couple tenths, hundreds, maybe even thousands of men and women. People need to organize in tens, hundreds of millions to be able to make a difference. I don't see it happening right now.

I suppose the majority needed for a drastic change to happen sadly choose to forfeit their need and right to privacy, in exchange for a sense of security. A false security they so desperately want to believe is real.

Take it from "the man" or get out on the street and yell real loud about it. Who knows, maybe several dozen millions of people will do the same.

tl;dr because Keeping up with the Kardashians is on, I want to know what Kim and Kanye named their baby.

 

[McSteel]

Of course you are entitled to privacy. If you want privacy, live entirely off the grid. If you want to use the infrastructure that was mostly paid for by the government, then you give up that privacy when using that infrastructure.

Now let's not go justifying such invasions by calling them a price to be paid. I realize this is most probably just a cynical remark, but I need to reply nonetheless.

No matter the actual value of "keeping peace" and law + order, it's cost must never go beyond what they represent. Is it lawful for me to keep you under surveillance? Why should it be any different for any government or any authority?

On the other hand, the real enemy is giving real value to anything other than progress. We are artificially creating layers of society based on pieces of paper with pretty pictures on it. How did we get it so wrong? People do not need money. It is not an incentive, it is a blackmail. Every last one of us has done at least one productive thing at one point in our lives, completely free in every conceivable way. And we did it because we felt it was important, right, or simply because we liked it.

I would gladly spend my days contributing as a service tech in a science lab, for instance, or even as an astrophysics researcher (I actually study astrophysics...), without ever wanting any compensation. All I would want is my basic needs fulfilled (water, food, shelter, entertainment) and I would never want or need to feel above or below any other human being on this planet. We can all be equally important.

This is why they watch and try to control us. They will not relinquish their high ground of power easily anytime soon. The need to shape the world, or at least a small part of it, is an extension of the need for continued and meaningful existence.

I just wish everyone found a better way to do it. Like programming or space exploration. Or cooking or performing in a circus, just because they like it and they're good at it.

 

[MT Alex]

Of course you are entitled to privacy. If you want privacy, live entirely off the grid. If you want to use the infrastructure that was mostly paid for by the government, then you give up that privacy when using that infrastructure.

Sorry Charlie, the government had very little to do with expansion of the infrastructure, unless you are speaking of Federal and Interstate highways or bridges, which I doubt you are. The NTIA has a laughably small budget, as most branches of government should.

 

[MightyMission]

This is an intriguing conversation! Though I do feel the knowledge of a perceived lack of privacy is an intellectual invasion, it is entirely true that by subscribing to the physical ownership of digital devices with an address of sorts to be tracked back to is indeed lending your information to be used "for your own good" should you cross the line and flag yourself to those that monitor said information.

Live off the grid and work cash in hand/farm the land is your only true option if you are dedicated in your conviction to gain the freedom that was never truly afforded to you from birth.

Coding messages is definitely flagging yourself as an object of attention though.

That's my perception of the recent revelations.

 

[Jetster]

If your not doing anything and your parinoid about the gov watching you your being a little self important. On the other side a forensic computer examiner is not a bad job to get.

 

[newtekie1]

Now let's not go justifying such invasions by calling them a price to be paid. I realize this is most probably just a cynical remark, but I need to reply nonetheless.

No matter the actual value of "keeping peace" and law + order, it's cost must never go beyond what they represent. Is it lawful for me to keep you under surveillance? Why should it be any different for any government or any authority?

On the other hand, the real enemy is giving real value to anything other than progress. We are artificially creating layers of society based on pieces of paper with pretty pictures on it. How did we get it so wrong? People do not need money. It is not an incentive, it is a blackmail. Every last one of us has done at least one productive thing at one point in our lives, completely free in every conceivable way. And we did it because we felt it was important, right, or simply because we liked it.

I would gladly spend my days contributing as a service tech in a science lab, for instance, or even as an astrophysics researcher (I actually study astrophysics...), without ever wanting any compensation. All I would want is my basic needs fulfilled (water, food, shelter, entertainment) and I would never want or need to feel above or below any other human being on this planet. We can all be equally important.

This is why they watch and try to control us. They will not relinquish their high ground of power easily anytime soon. The need to shape the world, or at least a small part of it, is an extension of the need for continued and meaningful existence.

I just wish everyone found a better way to do it. Like programming or space exploration. Or cooking or performing in a circus, just because they like it and they're good at it.

I'm not calling it a price to be paid, I'm saying if the government paid to have the communication system you use built, then they can use it to spy on you all they want. Just like they can pat you down and make you go through body scanners at the airport. If you don't like it, don't fly, if you don't like the government spying on you then don't use the infrastructure they paid for.

Sorry Charlie, the government had very little to do with expansion of the infrastructure, unless you are speaking of Federal and Interstate highways or bridges, which I doubt you are. The NTIA has a laughably small budget, as most branches of government should.

Actually, they had a massive part in the expansion of the infrastructure. Their massive subsidies to the Telco and Cable companies are what allowed most of the cabling to be laid and cell towers to be built that we use in the US. As I said, they didn't build it, they just paid for most of it.

 

[de.das.dude]

carrier pigeons. coor coor.

 

[MT Alex]

Actually, they had a massive part in the expansion of the infrastructure. Their massive subsidies to the Telco and Cable companies are what allowed most of the cabling to be laid and cell towers to be built that we use in the US. As I said, they didn't build it, they just paid for most of it.

Actually, that's not accurate, again. The USF's budget is once again much smaller than you are alluding to. In fact, farming gets a monumentally larger portion of US subsidies. Does that mean that the government should be in control of all the food as well?

You are also forgetting that the government doesn't have any money of its own, it was all raised from taxes, or truth be told, borrowed from banksters. The amount they paid came from us, not them. So that train of thought still holds no water.