NSA SURVEILLANCE REFORM BILL PASSES HOUSE

The first legislation aimed specifically at curbing US surveillance abuses revealed by Edward Snowden passed the House of Representatives on Thursday, with a majority of both Republicans and Democrats.

But last-minute efforts by intelligence community loyalists to weaken key language in the USA Freedom Act led to a larger-than-expected rebellion by members of Congress, with the measure passing by 303 votes to 121.

The bill's authors concede it was watered down significantly in recent days, but insist it will still outlaw the practice of bulk collection of US telephone metadata by the NSA first revealed by Snowden.

Some members of Congress were worried that the bill will fail to prevent the National Security Agency from continuing to collect large amounts of data on ordinary US citizens.

“Perfect is rarely possible in politics, and this bill is no exception,” said Republican Jim Sensenbrenner, who has led efforts on the House judiciary committee to rein in the NSA.

“In order to preserve core operations of the intelligence and law enforcement agencies, the administration insisted on broadening certain authorities and lessening certain restrictions. Some of the changes raise justifiable concerns. I don’t blame people for losing trust in their government, because the government violated their trust.”

Despite the changes, Sensenbrenner and other influential reformers such as ranking committee Democrat John Conyers backed passage of the final bill saying it was an “opportunity to make a powerful statement: Congress does not support bulk collection.”

But the revised language lost the support of several influential members of the judiciary committee who had previously voted for it, including Republicans Darrell Issa, Ted Poe and Raul Labrador and Democrat Zoe Lofgren.

Issa also chairs the House oversight committee. Adam Smith, the most senior Democrat on the armed services committee, also voted against the bill.

“Regrettably, we have learned that the intelligence community will run a truck through ambiguity,” said Lofgren during an hour and 15 minutes of debate which preceded the vote. No amendments were allowed.

After the vote, Mark Jaycox, a legislative analyst at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, said: “The bill is littered with loopholes. The problem right now, especially after multiple revisions, is that it doesn't effectively end mass surveillance.”

In a statement, Zeke Johnson, the director of Amnesty International USA's security and human rights program, said the House had “failed to deliver serious surveillance reform”.

“People inside and outside the US would remain at risk of dragnet surveillance. The Senate should pass much stronger reforms ensuring greater transparency, robust judicial review, equal rights for non-US persons, and a clear, unambiguous ban on mass spying. President Obama need not wait. He can and should implement such safeguards today.”

UMUHIMU WA USHIRIKIANO KWENYE VITA DHIDI YA UHALIFU MTANDAO

Nianze mada hii kwa kurudia pongezi kwa rafiki yangu Bwana Joe, Kwa kuongezewa nguvu na Nchi yake ya Marekani. Tayari taarifa rasmi ya hili nimeiandikia, na inaweza kusomeka zaidi kwa “KUBOFYA HAPA”. Bwana Joe amekua na imani inayofanana sana na yangu kwa muda mrefu ya kua uhalifu mtandao ni mbio za sakafuni endapo hapatakua na ushirikiano thabiti.

Kume kua na hoja nyingi kutoka mataifa mbali mbali juu ya kusua sua katika ushirikiano unao vuka mipaka huku uhalifu mtandao kutotambua mipaka iliyopo katika mataifa yetu. Uhalifu mtandao umeendelea kufanyika huku ukivuka mipaka na athari kuendelea kushika kasi ya aina yake hivi sasa.

Nategemewa kuangazia changamoto kadhaa tulizo nazo katika bara la Afrika na nini kifanyike katika hotuba yangu kwa wataalam mbali mbali wa usalama mitandao baadae mwezi huu jijini Johannesburg ambapo changamoto kubwa iliyoafikiwa na wanausalama kutokea maeneo yote duniani ni kukosekana kwa ushirikiano wa dhati na endelevu katika kupambana na uhalifu mtandao.

Hili limekua ni tatizo zaidi nchini Tanzania kwani hata ushirikiano wa ndani umekua ukiyumba sana baina ya vitengo mbali mbali vinavyo husiana na usalama mitandao nchini licha ya kua na malengo yananyofanana ya kutokomeza uhalifu mitandao. Kuna kila haja ya kujiangalia zaidi kwenye hili hasa kwa sasa tunapo hitaji zaidi kua na mipango pamoja na mikakati madhubuti ya kuweza kufikia malengo ainishwa.

Ku sainiwa kwa sharia mtandao kunatoa fursa ya vitengo kadhaa vilivyoko nchini kufanya kazi yake kwa kujua vitafanikiwa katika vita dhidi ya uhalifu mtandao unaokua kwa kasi nchini. Lakini Hofu yangu kubwa ni ushirikiano dhaifu kwa vitengo hivi ambapo watu na vitendea kazi kwa mgawanyo wake ni dhahiri kabisa malengo yatafikiwa kwa kiasi kidogo sana.

Nimekua nikipitia kiandikwacho (Maoni ya wengi) juu ya hofu ya utayari tulio nao kama taifa na najua kila mmoja anashaka kua utayari kama taifa bado ni hafifu – Mimi niko tofauti kwenye hili. Rais, Dr. Kikwete amewekeza sana katika kuimarisha miundo mbinu ya TEHAMA nchini huku wahisani wakichangia baadhi ya vitendea kazi.

Tatizo ni kua vitendea kazi vimekua vikigawanywa katika vitengo vilivyomo nchini vinavyo jihusisha na maswala ya usalama mitandao huku watenda kazi wakigawanywa hivyo hivyo licha ya kuwa na nguvu kazi ndogo sana kulinganisha na wahalifu mtandao.

WITO:

Kama taifa lita hakikisha limekuza nguvu kazi kupitia (Capacity building) na kutengeneza nguvu kazi za ndani kama inavyo fanywa na mataifa mengine sasa na kuhakiki hili limekua endelevu kuna hatua kadhaa tutapiga. Hili litakaa vizuri endapo kutakua na ushirikiano thabiti na endelevu hivyo:-

JOE DEMAREST TO LEAD FBI NEW CYBER EXECUTIVE ROLE

The White House vows to combat cyberattacks the same way it counters terrorism — by sharing data. Following those decisions President Obama authorized a new agency, the Cyber Threat and Intelligence Integration Center (CTIIC), to help integrate and disseminate cyber threat data.

In making sure sharing and collaboration meets the target, FBI has established a new position to better coordinate the bureau’s response to cybercrime, which has rapidly proliferated in recent years.

Joe Demarest, who had been assistant director of the FBI’s Cyber Division since 2012, will get the title upgrade, becoming the bureau’s associate executive assistant director for the Criminal, Cyber, Response, and Services Branch (CCRSB).

“In his new role, Joe will serve as chief operations officer for CCRSB — providing technical advice and guidance across its components while establishing and nurturing relationships with federal, state, and local law enforcement and intelligence agencies,” said FBI Director James Comey in a statement.

Digital crime’s exponential rise has, at times, outpaced the government’s ability to restructure in response.

Traditional crimefighting methods have proved inadequate to catch cyber crooks. In addition to the FBI, agencies like the Justice and Homeland Security Departments have scrambled to reorganize offices and create new cyber-specific jobs.

But sharing cybersecurity evidence among these agencies remains a hurdle, officials say.

Numerous departments — from the FBI to the Secret Service and occasionally the National Security Agency — have a hand in digital investigations, complicating the process.

Comey believes Demarest, who has been with the FBI since 1988, can help further smooth working relationships among cyber crimefighters.

For years, Demarest investigated drug rings and white-collar crime before specializing in counterterrorism work for much of the early 2000s. According to the bureau, he was part of the operation that disrupted a 2009 plot to bomb the New York City subway and the investigation that brought down Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme.