Public-Private Cyber Warfare and the First Ammendment.

When former agents of the US Government, now operating as private contractors actively cooperate with foreign states to cyber attack an American media outlet, is that a breach of the First Amendment? If not, is that they kept the NSA appraised of their operations and the NSA tacitly approved those operations a breach of the First Amendment? Are the US Government's private-public, hybrid, cyber-warfare, electronic intelligence and surveillance programmes a threat to the First Amendment and the whole constitution? Where does government end and business begin?

Team of American Hackers and Emirati Spies Discussed Attacking The Intercept

Cheers?
Evilroddy.

Evilroddy said:

When former agents of the US Government, now operating as private contractors actively cooperate with foreign states to cyber attack an American media outlet, is that a breach of the First Amendment? If not, is that they kept the NSA appraised of their operations and the NSA tacitly approved those operations a breach of the First Amendment? Are the US Government's private-public, hybrid, cyber-warfare, electronic intelligence and surveillance programmes a threat to the First Amendment and the whole constitution? Where does government end and business begin?

Team of American Hackers and Emirati Spies Discussed Attacking The Intercept

Cheers?
Evilroddy.

Click to expand...

Well. First of all, more is needed than anonymous sources making claims. Especially in regard to the NSA. But, if any of that turns out to be true, then a lot of heads need to roll and the 1st Amendment isn't the issue. Illegal actions targeting American citizens is the issue. A government agency allowing such illegal actions to go on unchallenged is the issue.

Mycroft said:

Well. First of all, more is needed than anonymous sources making claims. Especially in regard to the NSA. But, if any of that turns out to be true, then a lot of heads need to roll and the 1st Amendment isn't the issue. Illegal actions targeting American citizens is the issue. A government agency allowing such illegal actions to go on unchallenged is the issue.

Click to expand...

Mycroft:

One of the chief sources of the story is Jonathan Cole and is thus not an anonymous source. One must also remember that the sources were mostly from the UAE where whistleblowing like this would be a de facto death sentence, so circumspection is to be expected.

Private security and military companies and private security companies are becoming deniable tools for state espionage and illegal surveillance. Hacking and cyber crime are a natural progression. Look up the role of the Tiger-Swan PMSC in the surveillance and suppression of the Dakota Pipeline Protests a couple of years ago which was roughly concurrent with the planning of the possible operation against The Intercept and other problem individuals or organisations which angered the UAE state.

https://theintercept.com/2017/05/27...tanding-rock-to-defeat-pipeline-insurgencies/

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

Evilroddy said:

When former agents of the US Government, now operating as private contractors actively cooperate with foreign states to cyber attack an American media outlet, is that a breach of the First Amendment? If not, is that they kept the NSA appraised of their operations and the NSA tacitly approved those operations a breach of the First Amendment? Are the US Government's private-public, hybrid, cyber-warfare, electronic intelligence and surveillance programmes a threat to the First Amendment and the whole constitution? Where does government end and business begin?

Team of American Hackers and Emirati Spies Discussed Attacking The Intercept

Cheers?
Evilroddy.

Click to expand...

An excellent topic. I'm in the middle of reading the last of 2 Julian Assange books, and what you discuss here is referenced several times in those books.

Yes, we have offered the world a new and most modern version of fascism, the unholy marriage between government and industry, capitalism run amok.

What they have done to Wikileaks they are attempting against other targets including the Intercept.

Evilroddy said:

Mycroft:

One of the chief sources of the story is Jonathan Cole and is thus not an anonymous source. One must also remember that the sources were mostly from the UAE where whistleblowing like this would be a de facto death sentence, so circumspection is to be expected.

Private security and military companies and private security companies are becoming deniable tools for state espionage and illegal surveillance. Hacking and cyber crime are a natural progression. Look up the role of the Tiger-Swan PMSC in the surveillance and suppression of the Dakota Pipeline Protests a couple of years ago which was roughly concurrent with the planning of the possible operation against The Intercept and other problem individuals or organisations which angered the UAE state.

https://theintercept.com/2017/05/27...tanding-rock-to-defeat-pipeline-insurgencies/

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

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The conversation reminds me of the case of Udo Ulfkotte, deceased, a journalist in Germany who revealed the extreme influence of the CIA in mainstream media in Europe. He died mysteriously.

Thoreau72 said:

The conversation reminds me of the case of Udo Ulfkotte, deceased, a journalist in Germany who revealed the extreme influence of the CIA in mainstream media in Europe. He died mysteriously.

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Thoreau72:

Udo Ulfkotte was a complicated and often contradictory person. He was a champion for press freedom but was also an establishment toady when petitioning people in power for his Islamiphobic agenda. The alleged suppression of the English translation of his book "Journalists for Hire" gives some credence to his claims that he was onto something but his reliance on old Cold War documentation and his incomplete sourcing are issues which cannot be ignored. His book in English can still be found at a reasonable price under a new title is you want to read it or you can pay between $1700.00 and $2600.00 to get the original English printing.

Presstitutes | John-Paul Leonard

As to his death, he had a long history of heart problems which was well documented so his January 2017 death by heart attack seems plausible to me. But no doubt other like Jonas Schneider see things differently. Until I see firm evidence, I will remain agnostic about assassination claims.

Cheers.
Evilroddy.

As to your questions posed, I would offer the cynical but founded upon reality question to be a sort of answer to yours: Does it really matter if the First Amendment has been breached?

After all several other Amendments, notably the 4th and 8th and maybe more, have already been breached by a Congress sworn to uphold and defend the document.

Is this Kafka?