Rockefeller: Should CIA Prisons Stay?

The chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee is questioning whether the CIA's secret prison program _ which he fears has become a black eye to the United States _ should continue…..(AP, 24 Mar 07)

Army frets espionage by own men

…Comprehensive preventive measures based on modus operandi of hostile countries, organizations are being enforced and regular security review is carried out from time to time with a view to sensitize the environment for making security apparatus foolproof…in addition the existing Counter Intelligence setup in the Armed Forces is synergized on a regular basis to meet the new challenges….(Greater Kashmir, 24 Mar 07)

INQUIRER Top 5 IT Espionage Stories

ORACLE'S DARK charges against SAP are nothing new in the high-stakes world of IT intellectual property and trade secrets…..(Inquirer, 23 Mar 07)

Oracle hits SAP with accusations of corporate espionage

The competitive war between Oracle and SAP hots up as the former accuses the latter of allegedly hacking into its systems and stealing information. Oracle has hit rival SAP with a US lawsuit accusing it of allegedly stealing company secrets from its computer systems….(IT Pro, 23 Mar 07)

No Bail for Terror Suspect, Ex-Navy Man

A federal judge ordered a former Navy sailor held without bail Friday on charges that he supported terrorism by disclosing secret information about the location of Navy ships and the best ways to attack them. Hassan Abujihaad, 31, of Phoenix, appeared briefly in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport but did not enter a plea or make a statement…..(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Financial Intelligence Unit formed with US assistance

A Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) has been formed with technical assistance from the US to combat financial crimes and retrieve assets and money kept overseas by graft suspects. Established within the framework of the amended Money Laundering Prevention Ordinance, 2007, the unit will operate as part of the Bangladesh Bank's (BB) Anti-Money Laundering Department (AMLD)…..(Daily Star, 23 Mar 07)

CPI for probe into CIA funding of Kerala journalists

The Communist Party of India (CPI) Friday demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into allegations that a section of Kerala journalists were being funded by the CIA….(India e-news, 23 Mar 07)

Agencies to Implement New Computer Security Standards

The White House has mandated that all federal agencies using Microsoft Windows software must implement new computer security standards developed in tandem with the National Security Agency….(Washington Post, 23 Mar 07)

William Stanley Wright Travel Agency Proprietor

William Stanley Wright, 82, who owned a Silver Spring travel agency for 30 years, died March 14…He came to Washington in 1949 and began a career with the Central Intelligence Agency. He was posted to Japan for a three-year tour of duty, followed by an assignment in Hong Kong. He later worked for Civil Air Transport, a CIA-owned airline that supported covert operations in Asia…(Washington Post, 23 Mar 07)

Oracle Sues SAP, Claiming Rival Stole Software Secrets

Oracle sued SAP yesterday, accusing its business-software rival of hacking into its computers to steal secret product information. The complaint, filed in a San Francisco federal court, alleges that SAP, of Germany, resorted to high-tech skullduggery in an attempt to maintain its market leadership in business administration software….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Corporate Crime Epidemic Costs the Country Billions of Dollars Each Year

…In the age of global business, corporations are facing a new and challenging threat – corporate crime and espionage. Corporate crime can take many forms such as theft of physical assets, sabotage, electronic bugging, identity theft and even money laundering. However, the theft of information is the most common form of corporate crime taking place in business institutions….(Expert Click, 23 Mar 07)

Japan abductee group holds out hope after 10 years

…The issue of the abductees, hauled away from their homeland in the 1970s and 1980s to help train North Korean spies in Japanese language and culture, has been the sticking point for Tokyo in talks to denuclearize the reclusive state…..(Reuters, 23 Mar 07)

China Spy Case Set To Open on the Coast

With little fanfare, one of the most significant Chinese espionage trials in years is set to get under way next week in a Southern California courtroom. A senior engineer for a company with numerous American Navy contracts, Chi Mak, 66, is charged with attempting to smuggle designs for quiet submarines to China and with acting as an unregistered agent of China in America. Four other members of Mr. Mak's family face similar charges and are expected to be tried separately at a later date.…(New York Sun, 23 Mar 07) 

Wikipedia Becomes Intelligence Tool And Target For Jihadists

…On Dec. 9th of last year, an Internet user posted a message to a jihadist Web site titled, "Why Don't We Invade Wikipedia?" The forum participant advised Muslims to contribute to the online encyclopedia, "and in this way, and through an Islamic lobby, apply pressure on the encyclopedia's material, as is the case with most of the other participants,"….(Information Week, 23 Mar 07)

House intel oversight panel takes first steps, carefully

A new House panel established to beef up oversight of the classified intelligence budget has been providing input on Congress’s first appropriations bill, the Iraq supplemental budget that comes to the House floor today. But so far, reviews are mixed as to whether it is a fix that can sufficiently address longstanding concerns over congressional oversight of the spy agencies….(The Hill, 23 Mar 07)

DOD, Intell teams go to work on certification, accreditation

The Pentagon and the intelligence community have launched implementation teams to carry out certification and accreditation process reforms, intelligence community CIO Dale Meyerrose said March 22 at FOSE….(FCW. 23 Mar 07)

Disguised Spy May Testify in Terror Case

The CIA wants an agent to testify in disguise and use a fake name at an upcoming terror trial to protect his identity and secret agency locations in Afghanistan…The agent's get-up would involve "a wig, eyeglasses or minor facial hair" but would not block others in the courtroom for the trial of Jose Padilla from assessing the agent's "demeanor and credibility," federal prosecutors said in their filing….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

U.S. general says China missile test "confusing"

China's anti-satellite missile test in January sent a confusing message to the world about its military plans, the United States' top military officer said on Friday, urging Beijing to be more open…..(Reuters, 23 Mar 07)

China Military May Set Up U.S. Hotline

China's military is proposing officer exchanges and other confidence-building measures with the U.S. Army and may be inching closer to setting up a "hotline" for emergency communication with Washington….(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Friends: Sailor Unhappy With U.S. Policy

Friends say they knew Hassan Abujihaad was unhappy with American foreign policy, but they were surprised when the former Navy sailor was arrested on charges of supporting terrorism…He was very opinionated," said Miguel Colon, a friend who said he was questioned about Abujihaad by FBI agents this week. "He would talk about things in regard to the way the Iraq war was going. It was something he disagreed with."…(AP, 23 Mar 07)

Treason by any other Name

Our local Arizona Republic and the national mainstream media widely reported March 8 about the March 7, 2007 arrest here in Phoenix, Arizona, of Hassan Abujihaad, formerly Paul Hall, “for taking part in a conspiracy to kill military personnel by supplying terror suspects with information about American ship movements in the Middle East six years ago.”  He was charged with “supporting terrorism with intent to kill U.S. citizens and transmitting classified information to unauthorized people.”….(Family Security Matters, 23 Mar 07)

Could a Missing Iranian Spark a War?

…Normally, vanished intelligence officers barely merit one short paragraph on page eight. Asgari is different, though. As the IRGC commander in Lebanon in the late '80s and early '90s, he knows dirty secrets, secrets that could be used to justify going to war with Iran….(Time Magazine, 23 Mar 07)

According to a new historical study, we know ourselves by the papers we keep

WHO ARE YOU?: Identification, Deception, and Surveillance In Early Modern Europe, by Valentin Groebner

...Why was such documentation so important to governments? For the same reasons it is today. In 1796, the German philosopher and historian Johann Gottlieb Fichte wrote:"The chief principle of a well-regulated police state is this: That each citizen shall be at all times and places . . . recognized as this or that particular person. No one must remain unknown to the police.…(Washington Post, 23 Mar 07)

Nursing Communism

.....One panel, called "Repression, Espionage and the Red Scare," is particularly glaring. It includes historian Ellen Schrecker, who has written in her well-known book on McCarthyism that American communists "did not subscribe to traditional forms of patriotism," because they were "internationalists whose political allegiances transcended national boundaries." In other words, their spying was either necessary or excusable. Was their espionage, she actually asked, really "so awful"?.....(New York Sun, 22 Mar 07)

Former Member of the U.S. Navy Indicted on Terrorism and Espionage Charges

A federal grand jury sitting in Bridgeport, Connecticut, has returned a two-count indictment charging Hassan Abujihaad, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, age 31, of Phoenix, Ariz., with material support of terrorism and disclosing previously classified information relating to the national defense, announced Kevin J. O'Connor, U.S. Attorney for the District of Connecticut. The indictment, which was returned earlier today, alleges that Abujihaad provided material support or resources, knowing or intending that they were to be used in preparation for, or in carrying out, a conspiracy to kill U.S. nationals and that he delivered, communicated, transmitted or caused the delivery, communication or transmission of previously classified information relating to the national defense to persons not entitled to receive it….(PR Inside, 22 Mar 07)

Spy suspect arraigned in shackles

Armed deputy U.S. marshals will escort a shackled former Navy signalman to his arraignment here Friday on charges that he supplied an al-Qaida support cell with the classified ship movements of a battlegroup heading to the Middle East in 2001. Hassan Abujihaad, once known as Paul Hall, 31, of Phoenix, is expected to plead not guilty to charges of providing materials in a conspiracy designed to kill Americans, as well as providing classified information to terrorists….(Connecticut Post, 22 Mar 07)

22,000 New Jobs at Fort Meade Foreseen

…using state and federal figures, estimates Fort Meade's job growth in the next five to seven years: the realignment will bring 5,692 jobs, many of them from Northern Virginia, to the Army installation as part of its focus on intelligence, homeland security and information technology. The National Security Agency, which is based at Fort Meade, is undergoing an expansion that is expected to add 4,000 jobs….(Washington Post, 22 Mar 07)

Intelligence agencies recruiting women, immigrants for positions

Israel lifted the veil over its secret services' recruiting practices Wednesday with a public call for more women and foreign Jews to sign up for sensitive government jobs in information technology….(Reuters, 22 Mar 07)

Labor has doubts about intelligence bill

Australia's money tracking agency needs the power to share intelligence with the United Nations and Interpol if it is to do its job properly, Labor says….(Age, 22 Mar 07)

Spy overseer says rules keep her in the dark
The federal watchdog over Canada’s spy agency warns that cabinet secrecy is hampering her ability to keep an eye on what CSIS is doing. In a newly declassified report to the government, Eva Plunkett says the issue "goes to the heart of democratic control" of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service…..(Canadian Press, 22 Mar 07)

Defense Intelligence Agency Boosts Search Firepower

…Analysts and information gathers working for the DIA, a Defense Department combat support agency and a major producer and manager of foreign military intelligence, today can use Endeca Technologies' Information Access Platform to search 20 different sources of intelligence gathered by agents in the field….(Information Week, 22 Mar 7)

Chinese-Born Engineer Awaits Trial

As a top engineer at a major U.S. defense contractor, Chi Mak helped develop some of the most advanced and closely guarded naval technology in the world, including silent-running propulsion systems that can make submarines virtually undetectable. Now, in a case that experts say could have serious implications for U.S. security, he is accused of stealing those secrets for the Chinese. Prosecutors say the Chinese-born Chi Mak operated as a spy for China from 1983 until his arrest two years ago, stealing hundreds of documents about a number of defense systems, including the weapons, nuclear reactors and propulsion systems aboard U.S. submarines. The 66-year-old Mak is set to go on trial Tuesday on charges of conspiracy to export U.S. defense secrets to China, possession of property in aid of a foreign government and failure to register as a foreign agent. He could get more than 50 years in prison if convicted......(AP, 22 Mar 07) 

Glamorizing History at City Museum

The romanticizing of the Spanish Civil War (1936–39) and the role of the Abraham Lincoln "Brigade," the American contingent of the Comintern army sent to fight on the side of the Spanish Republic against Franco, is hardly a new phenomenon...(New York Sun, 22 Mar 07)

Cuba keeps up fight to bring home 5 intelligence agents imprisoned in U.S.

Their faces smile down from billboards along major highways, their poetry and humor are bound into books, and minor developments in their lives are meticulously recorded by Cuba's state media. Five Cuban spies imprisoned in the U.S. for being unregistered foreign agents are vilified in Miami as dangerous conspirators. But here they're considered "Heroic Prisoners of the Empire" who only sought to protect Cuba from anti-communist terrorists….(AP, 22 Mar 07)

Litvinenko: the aftermath

…Lawyers are now working with the Polonium Victims Support Group set up by Conrad Murray to advise people in similar circumstances who have been exposed to Polonium 210. Sallie Booth, lawyer for the man, said: "Most of the details surrounding the contamination incident remain unknown and are the subject of an ongoing investigation by the Health & Safety Executive…(Legal-Medical, 21 Mar 07)

U.S. sailor indicted on espionage charges

A former U.S. navy sailor who allegedly disclosed secrets about a Canadian frigate and American ships was indicted by a grand jury Wednesday on espionage charges. Hassan Abujihaad, also known as Paul Hall, is scheduled to appear Friday in Connecticut district court in Bridgewater. He faces a maximum prison term of 25 years on charges of supporting terrorism with the intent to kill Americans and transmitting classified information relating to national defense. He's accused of leaking the location of ships and the best ways to attack them, including the patrol frigate HMCS Winnipeg, part of a large U.S. naval force headed to the Middle East in 2001…(Canadian Press, 21 Mar 07)

Former U.S. sailor indicted on terrorism charges

A U.S. federal grand jury has indicted a former U.S. Navy sailor on charges of spying and providing material support to terrorists in a case going back six years…Hassan Abujihaad, 31, formerly known as Paul Hall, was indicted by a federal grand jury in Bridgeport, Connecticut…(Reuters, 21 Mar 07)

Senators won't take away FBI surveillance power

The FBI's illegal use of secret methods to obtain confidential information, including telephone and e-mail records, on American citizens, drew criticism from a U.S. Senate panel on Wednesday. But the committee's senior members stopped short of calling for a repeal of the portion of the Patriot Act….(CNet, 21 Mar 07)

ISI modules active in State, admits Centre

The Centre has laid all speculations to rest by admitting that ISI modules are indeed active in certain districts of Assam. The admittance is significant because it is the first time the Home Ministry has accepted in Parliament that ISI has been active in the NE State….(Assam Tribune, 21 Mar 07)

7 ISI-backed espionage cases in Indian armed forces

Seven espionage cases allegedly backed by Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) were detected in the Indian armed forces in 2005-06 for which 16 personnel have been arrested. “A few cases of involvement of armed forces personnel in espionage activities have come to the notice of the government. The number of such cases reported in 2005 is two, in 2006 is five and nil this year,” Defense Minister A.K. Antony said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha Wednesday. “Pakistan's ISI is suspected to be involved in such espionage activities. Sixteen armed forces personnel have been arrested for involvement in these cases. Of these, 14 have been awarded stringent punishment,”….(Indian Muslims, 21 Mar 07)

Info:PAKISTAN'S INTER-SERVICES INTELLIGENCE (ISI)

The intelligence community of Pakistan, which was once described by the "Frontier Post" of Peshawar (May 18,1994) as its "invisible government" and by the "Dawn" of Karachi (April 25,1994) as "our secret godfathers" consists of the Intelligence Bureau (IB) and the ISI.  While the IB comes under the Interior Minister, the ISI is part of the Ministry of Defence (MOD).  Each wing of the Armed Forces has also its own intelligence directorate for tactical MI….(S. Asia Analysis Group)

Sixteen Armed Forces Personnel Found Spying for Pakistan's ISI

A few cases of involvement of Armed Forces personnel in espionage activities have come to the notice of the Government…Pakistan's ISI is suspected to be involved in such espionage activities. 16 Armed Forces personnel have been arrested for involvement in these cases. Of these 14 have been awarded stringent punishment….(India-Defense, 21 Mar 07)

Suit challenges FBI's Patriot Act use

The FBI's expanded use of national security letters originated in New York City after the Sept. 11 attacks, and is being challenged by a small Internet service provider in New York who is under a gag order barring him from talking about the case…the lawsuit, expected to be heard next month in federal district court in Manhattan, is getting renewed attention against the backdrop of last week's report by the Justice Department's inspector general that the FBI engaged in widespread misuse of its authority in issuing more than 143,000 requests for information on thousands of Americans and foreigners between 2003 and 2005….(Newsday, 21 Mar 07)

Uncovering Espionage Agents Within the US

The foreign intelligence threat within the United States is far more complex than it has ever been historically. The threat is increasingly asymmetrical insofar as it comes not only from traditional foreign intelligence services but also from nontraditional, non-state actors who operate from decentralized organizations….(Canada Free Press, 21 Mar 07)

Company caught in trans-Atlantic tussle over transfer of bank data

Few people had heard of SWIFT before news reports last June revealed that the U.S. government had secretly demanded access to records from the bank data transfer agency…The EU's data protection officers recently issued a statement saying they remain "deeply concerned" over the transfers and demanded that SWIFT comply with EU laws such as informing clients that their transfers are subject to scrutiny by U.S. authorities. Similar companies are cooperating with the U.S. but SWIFT is the largest….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

SWIFT Only Lets US Government See Data In "Terrorism" Cases - CEO

Bank data transfer agency, the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecommunication, only allows U.S. agents to see data related to "terrorism" investigations, SWIFT CEO Leonard H. Schrank said….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Navy Won't Disclose Sonar Information

The Navy said Tuesday that it won't detail its use of sonar over the past four years to a federal court because disclosing the information could jeopardize national security. Complying with a federal judge's order to hand over the information would require disclosure of sensitive and classified material….(AP, 21 Mar 07)

Break up the FBI

…The FBI's latest missteps are being aired this week in congressional hearings in which the Justice Department's inspector general has vividly described the failings of the FBI process for issuing national security letters. According to his estimates, the FBI improperly issued thousands of requests — which don't require judicial approval — for telephone logs, banking records and other personal information between 2003 and 2005….(LA Times, 21 Mar 07)

Attorneys complain about leaks in Wilkes case

…Wilkes' attorney, Mark Geragos, complained to U.S. District Judge Larry Alan Burns that he had received calls from reporters asking him to comment about the possibility that an indictment was imminent against Wilkes and the CIA's No. 3 official, Kyle "Dusty" Foggo, before the men were indicted on Feb. 13….(North County Times, 20 Mar 07)

Judge criticizes leaks in CIA fraud case

A federal judge sharply criticized the government Monday for leaking information to the press during the investigation into a former top CIA official and a San Diego defense contractor…(AP, 19 Mar 07)

Book on Cuban spy sparks call for report

…Miami Republican Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen said Montes "may well turn out to be one of the most notorious spies to infiltrate" the Defense Intelligence Agency, where she worked as the top Cuba analyst with access to secret documents and intelligence gathering methods for years… In his new book "True Believer," Scott W. Carmichael, the senior counterintelligence investigator for the DIA, suggests Montes was at least "partially responsible" for the death of Army Sgt. Gregory Fronius, a green beret who died in a battle with left-wing guerrillas that overran a Salvadoran army camp in 1987….(McClatchy Newspapers, 19 Mar 07)

A Double Standard on State Secrets?

…Here's the second case. In August 2005, the Justice Department charged two former lobbyists for the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, or AIPAC, with conspiring to pass secrets to reporters and an Israeli official…Instead of shutting down the case, Justice Department lawyers asked a federal judge in Virginia last week to approve an elaborate scheme for keeping the information confidential. It involved playing recordings of confidential wiretaps through headphones so only the judge, the defendants' lawyers and the jurors could listen…(Time Magazine, 19 Mar 07)

Intelligence War in Iran