surveillance

5 Lessons I Learned From The MH370 Tragedy

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A memorial cross for MH370

For the last two weeks the world has been closely watching the drama play out over the missing Malaysian Airline flight 370.  Out of this tragedy have come some hard lessons and truths we can learn about ourselves.

  1.  Lack of Modern Surveillance Technology – You mean to tell me that I can find my missing mobile phone with a GPS app, but apparently the world can’t find a Boeing 777 with 239 people onboard?  And why is it possible to disable the transponder on a plane?  Shouldn’t that be something that stays on all the time when the plane is travelling?  Despite advances in technology, global air traffic is still radar-based, the same technology used 70 years ago .  Once a plane is beyond 150 miles over water, radar control fades and the pilots depend on staying in contact with air traffic control using high frequency radios.  However, there are some new devices that are being tested for missing planes. Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ACARS) was the onboard data system for Air France flight 447 when it crashed in 2009, as well as MH370.  Rescuers were able to gain some insight into what went wrong on those flights. Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System (ADS-B) is another data system being develop that will eventually replace radar systems.
  2. The world’s oceans are filthy – Initially it was believed the plane went down in the South China Sea when an oil slick spotted off the coast of Vietnam appeared.  However, it turned out to not be aviation fuel, but rather bunker oil.  There have also been subsequent findings of other “floating objects” that turned out to not be related to MH370.  This should alarm anyone who cares even casually about the environment that there is so much flotsam, jetsam, pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, detergents, oil, sewage, plastics, and other solid wastes in the world’s waters.  What is even worse here is that as soon as a “floating object” is determined to not be related to MH370, the media moves on from that story and not give further investigation and reporting on why the world’s oceans are so filthy.  But I guess they have more important issues to discuss… Speaking of which…
  3. Media personalities as conspiracy theory enablers – Because cable news needs to fill space for 24 hours and no one has a clue where this plane is, most of the media “reporting” for the last two weeks has been pure speculation.  Hours and hours of so-called aviation “experts” and news “reporters” throwing out any possible theory they can think of without any factual evidence, such as the fanatical pilots theory, the Iranian passengers theory, the Pakistan theory, the North Korea theory, the black hole theory, the shoot-down theory, and the plane disintegration theory, among many others.  On top of all this, TV cameras are being shoved into the faces of grieving families.  Out of respect for the victims’ families and journalistic integrity, I have to agree with Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson when he says simply that “… when we don’t know the answer, we should just say so — and then shut up. Endless content-free coverage deserves to be eaten by a black hole.”  But I guess TV ratings matters more here.
  4. Countries don’t have friends, just interests – You would think with all the spying most countries are doing on each other, somebody would have picked up on where a plane of this size would have last flown.  There is a lot of dishonesty, or rather strategic secrecy going on here.  Malaysian officials make an announcement on new information one day, only to backtrack on it the next day.  Are they incompetent, or do they know more than they want to let on to the rest of the world about this plane?  China, America, France and other countries share their limited satellite images that are four days old possibly because it takes a long time to decipher the findings, or they don’t want to reveal to their enemies their true technical capabilities.  It is pretty sad that in this time of need for international cooperation, countries still treat other countries as enemies and not supporters of humanity.
  5. The world is still a mysterious place – Regardless of when and if MH370 is ever found, it is quite fascinating that a plane with 239 people on it can vanish into thin air.  Just when you think you know everything, Mother Earth always has a way to throw a curve ball.

Tools Journalists Can Use To Protect Their Work Online

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In light of the recent NSA revelations, as well as the ongoing attempts to censor journalists and other online content producers by governments worldwide, I thought it would be a good idea to point out some tools available for use.

  1. WeFightCensorship.org –  Reporters Without Borders recently launched this secure portal that publishes articles, photography, video and audio that is either partially or entirely banned in countries where there is heavy censorship and surveillance.  The site has so far received content from Belarus, Brazil, China, Cuba, India, Japan, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Morocco and Syria. All news reports are published in English and French. The site also accepts articles that were originally published in Arabic, Chinese, Persian or Russian.
  2. Encrypted Documents – Jorge Luis Sierra, a Knight International Journalism Fellow, created a simple and easy-to-use tutorial on how to encrypt documents using Word for a Mac, Microsoft Word 10 documents on a PC and Open Office documents.
  3. Secure Mobile Phones – Mobile phones have become the most important tool for journalists, but these tools can easily be hacked by anyone anywhere.  Here are some ideas to consider:
    • If you live and work in an area where there is suspected or known surveillance, don’t keep any sensitive information on the mobile. If you have to, use an encryption program like TrueCrypt or a strong mobile and SIM card password.
    • Disable your Wi-Fi location or GPS and mobile data.  This will reduce the risk of tracking your location.  It also saves battery power and reduces unwanted data flow initiated by applications running remotely by your mobile carrier.
    • Consider using separate mobiles for professional and personal use.  Not only are your professional contacts and sources at risk if your mobile is lost or stolen, but the safety of your family and friends is also in jeopardy.
    • Consider hiding your identity by setting up your mobile to hide your number when you make calls.
  4. Secure Computers – The same rules above apply here as well. In addition:
    • Know Your Environment – Don’t look at sensitive information in a public space or in an open work space (cubicle).  If you have to be in public, use a laptop privacy screen filter and make sure it is password protected (and never share the password with anyone).  Never leave your laptop unattended and on. Instead, turn it off or put it into a password-protected “sleep” mode.
    • If you have to leave your computer at an office or your home, put it away in a secure place.
    • Always back up your files either in an encrypted cloud program or in a password protected external hard drive that can also be put in a secure place.  Some people recommend the external hard drive and computer be secured in separate locations.  If you have extremely sensitive information, you might want to consider having two or even three external hard drives secured in three different locations where no one would ever think of finding them.
    • Your computer becomes less vulnerable to hacking if you make sure it’s programs are kept up to date and upgraded regularly, including anti-virus programs.
  5.  Other issues to consider:
    • This article tells you signs someone is spying on your phone.
    • Orweb, Tor and Covert Browser (iPhones and iPads only) are apps that allow you to surf the Internet anonymously.  Most web browsers (Google Chrome, FireFox etc) have an option to browse the Internet privately as well.  Always delete your browsing history, cookies and cache.
    • ChatSecure lets Apple users chat in encrypted form, while Gibberbot encrypts the content of your instant messages.
    • There are many encrypted email services available, such as HushMail.
    • Always send or receive information – especially financial information – on websites that use Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS).  This protocol means that only you and your server can view your information which is encrypted.
    • If you use multiple passwords (a good idea), consider using KeePass a free, open-source software that allows you to save passwords using only one primary password to unlock them.

Of course, there is no absolute way to totally protect yourself from hacking or surveillance, but if you use these tools, you will have better peace of mind.

Living in a Surveillance World

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The NSA scandal is much bigger than the government having access to our communications.  This is really more about how our way of life and civil liberties are being invaded and have evolved over the last 60 years.  I remember reading George Orwell’s 1984 when I was in high school, thinking to myself if it was ever possible for a government to spy on its own citizens, and how much surveillance they are really doing.  Surveillance is not a new thing, of course.  The reality here is that governments have been spying on citizens for a long time.

Orwell’s classic was published at the advent of the Cold War and the intelligence age, when both the Soviets and Americans were not only spying on each other, but also on its own citizenry.  Whether the KGB was monitoring participants of the Hungarian Uprising or Joesph McCarthy was going after anyone with rumored Communist sympathies, the thought police rose to fame during this period.  J. Edgar Hoover took spying to a whole new level when he personally monitored people he didn’t like, such as Emma Goldman, Martin Luther King, Eleanor Roosevelt, John F. Kennedy and the Black Panthers.

After the Cold War, government surveillance concerns didn’t spring up again until the September 11 attacks, when President Bush instituted the Patriot Act to gather intelligence from within the United States.  In 2011 President Obama signed in a four-year extension, which includes roving wiretapping and monitoring “lone wolf” terrorists.

So the NSA row doesn’t come as a surprise to me, but I can understand why it might surprise the rest of America.  Prior to this, it was just understood that government surveillance was only being done on so-called “bad people” trying to subvert the country. The NSA maintains that they are only monitoring terrorists and have allegedly thwarted “dozens of terrorist plots.”  But for some reason, they overlooked the terror plot by lone wolves Dzhokhar and Tamerlan Tsarnaev.  But, hey, what do I know?

Red flags went up for me back last October when Janet Napolitano gave a talk on Homeland Security’s role in protecting the nation from cyber attacks.  When asked about her own habits in protecting her online presence, she simply stated that she didn’t use email.  She claims it’s for “a whole host of reasons.”  But I guess we all know why now.

I use social media a lot, so I understand that what you put out in public is public.  But the email and phone hacking of ordinary citizens gives us all an extra dose of uneasiness since these communication tools are suppose to be more private.  Even the hacking of Blackberrys – apparently the most secure mobiles on the market – during the 2009 G20 summit in London is unnerving.  If anything, the emergence of personal technology has only made it easier for the government to monitor anyone.

Regarding Ed Snowden, is he a hero or a traitor?  It is still too soon to call, but the U.S. media smear campaign is just as unnerving.  If you only follow the American press, you would think Snowden was a narcissistic, high school dropout/spy for the Chinese with an overly paid government contract job.  It’s funny how quick the media forgot that Obama’s administration was monitoring them too.

Will the recent disclosure change America’s personal online and phone habits? Probably not – for now.  Will Obama stop doing this kind of surveillance? Probably not – for now.  Maybe for now we can begin to have the discussion about the future of surveillance and protection of civil liberties for everyone.

In the meantime, while Obama believes the War on Terror is over, does this mean this is the beginning of the War on Surveillance?