Public Intelligence

The New York Times reported on Tuesday that the espionage conviction of Shamai Leibowitz, and Israeli-American who was sentenced to 20 months in jail for intelligence offences in 2010, was linked to FBI wiretapping of the Israeli Embassy in Washington. According to the report, Leibowitz – who worked as a Hebrew translator for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, leaked transcripts of material derived from the wiretaps to a blogger, as part of his efforts to diminish what he believed to be Israel’s influence in Congress. Leibowitz’s trial was shrouded with mystery – so much so that after he pleaded guilty as part of a plea bargain, even the case judge was quoted as saying he did not know exactly what kind of information Leibowitz had disclosed. “All I know is that it’s a serious case. I don’t know what was divulged other than some documents, and how it compromised things, I have no idea.” Judge Alexander Williams Jr., of the US District Court in Maryland, said at the sentencing in May 2010.

China remained quiet Tuesday as a recently leaked video of a Chinese general’s candid remarks — apparently made at a corporate event in March — on sensitive spying cases continued to draw international attention. The ministries of defense and foreign affairs have not responded to CNN’s inquiries, and numerous phone calls to National Defense University, where the general — Maj. Gen. Jin Yinan — teaches, went unanswered. State media made no mention of the story. In a clip found on YouTube and smaller video-sharing sites, Jin — with the help of slides — presented eight major espionage cases. While some cases had been publicized, others had never been revealed or discussed in detail before, especially those involving senior officers of the normally secretive People’s Liberation Army (PLA).

These formerly classified photos are part of a series released by the German artist Simon Menner that he reportedly obtained from the Stasi archives.  This particular set demonstrates Stasi agents demonstrating different techniques for disguising themselves.  Blurring of the eyes in one of the photos was performed by the artist.

HBGary AnonLeaks ManTech Internet and Social Media Reconnaissance Presentation from October 2010.

Robert S. Mueller III, the director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, traveled to Silicon Valley on Tuesday to meet with top executives of several technology firms about a proposal to make it easier to wiretap Internet users. Mr. Mueller and the F.B.I.’s general counsel, Valerie Caproni, were scheduled to meet with senior managers of several major companies, including Google and Facebook, according to several people familiar with the discussions. How Mr. Mueller’s proposal was received was not clear. “I can confirm that F.B.I. Director Robert Mueller is visiting Facebook during his trip to Silicon Valley,” said Andrew Noyes, Facebook’s public policy manager. Michael Kortan, an F.B.I. spokesman, acknowledged the meetings but did not elaborate.

Google has turned to the National Security Agency for technical assistance to learn more about the computer network attackers who breached the company’s cybersecurity defenses last year, a person with direct knowledge of the agreement said Thursday. The collaboration between Google, the world’s largest search engine company, and the federal agency in charge of global electronic surveillance raises both civil liberties issues and new questions about how much Google knew about the electronic thefts it experienced when it stated last month that it might end its business operations in China, where it said the attacks originated. The agreement was first reported on Wednesday evening by The Washington Post.

A federal judge has tossed out a pair of lawsuits accusing government officials during former president George W. Bush’s era of “dragnet spying” on people’s Internet and telephone communications. US District Court Judge Vaughn Walker said in a written decision late Thursday that the named plaintiffs did not show they were victims of spying and therefore lacked standing to champion the class-action suits.

Shortly after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress enacted the USA PATRIOT Act, in part, to “provid[e] enhanced investigative tools” to “assist in the prevention of future terrorist activities and the preliminary acts and crimes which further such activities.” To that end, the Act eased restrictions on the government’s ability to collect information regarding people’s activities and conversations, both in domestic criminal investigations and in the realms of foreign intelligence gathering and national security.

A married couple in their 70s was accused Friday of spying for Fidel Castro’s Cuba for 30 years while the husband was a top intelligence analyst at the State Department. Walter Kendall Myers, known as “Agent 202″ to the Cubans, and his wife, Gwendolyn Steingraber Myers, “Agent 123″ and “E-634,” were nabbed at a Washington hotel following an undercover FBI sting. They allegedly admitted their treachery spanned decades, U.S. officials said.