NSA Has Been Tapping Into Skype

We should have known.  You should have known.  Every time Microsoft takes over an operation – security is compromised.  This happened when Skype was taken over by the Software giant.  Before Skype was nearly impossible to “tap” because it was a peer to peer service and was encrypted.  Once Microsoft took over, they decided that Skype needed to increase Skype’s reliance on the Microsoft-owned “supernodes.”

Then comes May…  ARS technical – a security website (http://arstechnica.com) revealed good reason to fear that the once “untappable” system became vulnerable.  Their research found evidence that Microsoft has access to the unencrypted contents of Skype chats. You can see that information here: http://arstechnica.com/security/2013/05/think-your-skype-messages-get-end-to-end-encryption-think-again/

-  in a nutshell – they sent Skype messages containing specific links.  Those links were “clicked on” by machines that had IP addresses belonging to Microsoft.

According to the Guardian, Microsoft helped enable the NSA to intercept Skype conversations.  From their article (http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/11/microsoft-nsa-collaboration-user-data/print) they also state that:

• Microsoft helped the NSA to circumvent its encryption to address concerns that the agency would be unable to intercept web chats on the new Outlook.com portal;
• The agency already had pre-encryption stage access to email on Outlook.com, including Hotmail;
• The company worked with the FBI this year to allow the NSA easier access via Prism to its cloud storage service SkyDrive, which now has more than 250 million users worldwide;
• In July last year, nine months after Microsoft bought Skype, the NSA boasted that a new capability had tripled the amount of Skype video calls being collected through Prism;

It does not take an intelligence expert to connect the dots.  I firmly believe the sole purpose of Microsoft taking over Skype was for the intelligence community to be able to monitor the conversations.  Do I have absolute proof?  No.  Does it all make sense looking at the situation now?  Yes.

Whatever you do – stay safe!

July 2 a Famous Holiday?

To quote John Adams as he stated July 3, 1776, "The Second Day of July 1776, will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance by solemn Acts of Devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more. You will think me transported with Enthusiasm but I am not. I am well aware of the Toil and Blood and Treasure, that it will cost Us to maintain this Declaration, and support and defend these States. Yet through all the Gloom I can see the Rays of ravishing Light and Glory. I can see that the End is more than worth all the Means. And that Posterity will tryumph in that Days Transaction, even altho We should rue it, which I trust in God We shall not. " [sic]


The vote for Independence was on July 2, 1776 - a unanimous vote by all convened.  They were not able to sign the declaration until July 4, 1776.