German intelligence halts internet surveillance for NSA – reports

The German secret service BND has pulled the plug on the internet surveillance program for the US National Security Agency (NSA) amid the growing scandal over its extent of cooperation in spying on its EU partners, German media reported.

The Bundesnachrichtendienst (BND) – the German Federal Intelligence Service – stopped sharing internet surveillance data with the NSA on Monday, the Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily, public broadcasters NDR and WDR, and national news agency DPA reported.
Berlin has demanded that the US spy agency first file an official request explaining the need for the internet-based data from Germany’s Bad Aibling listening post in Bavaria, where 120 BND employees and some NSA technicians work, according to reports.
The NSA has reportedly refused to comply with the request due to short notice. Washington has not yet commented on the issue.
READ MORE: BND helped NSA spy on EU politicians & companies ‘against German interests’
However, the BND will continue to garner telephone calls and fax messages for Washington as this service falls under a different agreement.
German media reported on Thursday that the Chancellery made the decision to limit cooperation with the NSA in order to reshape future relations with the agency.
The request comes amid an investigation into recent revelations that suggested the BND had been spying on European politicians and enterprises for Washington for over a decade.
READ MORE: German opposition demands probe into BND/NSA surveillance & industrial espionage
Konstantin von Notz, an opposition Green party member on the investigation committee, confirmed the significant curtailment of cooperation in an interview to ARD television, saying “This is a drastic step.”
"I think they've pulled the emergency brake because, even in 2015, they still can't control the search terms for Internet traffic."
He also accused the German government of failing to “protect German and European interests."
On Monday Chancellor Angela Merkel, who heads the foreign intelligence agency, tried to defend its spying activities saying that she will fully cooperate with a parliamentary investigation and provide “all the details” necessary.
She added that it was imperative both agencies continue cooperation in the fight against international terrorism, but reiterated that it’s unacceptable to spy on friendly nations.
READ MORE: German govt accused of lying to parliament about NSA spying
Members of Merkel’s cabinet have been testifying before the parliamentary investigation committee over allegations that the BND acted against national interests. Among the latest was the testimony of current Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere, who oversaw the foreign agency’s activities from 2005 to 2009 when he was the chancellor's chief of staff.
After a closed testimony on Wednesday, De Maiziere told reporters that he knew nothing of the "search terms from the US side, selectors or similar, for the purpose of economic espionage in Germany."
In April, Der Spiegel reported that the NSA had sent the BND thousands of so-called ‘selectors’, which included IP addresses, emails, and phone numbers, over the course of 10 years. The BND downloaded the NSA selectors into their monitoring system and used them to spy on targets, among which were European politicians, including French authorities, and European companies such as European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company (EADS), Eurocopter, and the European aviation consortium Airbus.

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Meme's the word: US lawmakers want to 'blow ISIS out of the water' with...the internet

While the US is fighting ISIS intensively on the ground, some lawmakers also want Washington to take the battle online. One even proposed using internet memes, noting that the terrorist group has successfully used them to further its mission.
During a 'Jihad 2.0' hearing on social media and terrorism, the Senate Homeland Securities and Government Affairs Committee discovered that the Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL) has managed to attract the interest of 62 people in the US through social media.
The interested online parties either tried to join IS (some successfully) or supported others in doing so. Of the 62 people, 53 were very active on social media, downloading jihadist propaganda. Some of them directly communicated with IS.
But Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wisc.) had just the answer to the problem – and it didn't involve deadly weapons or military troops.
READ MORE: US begins training anti-ISIS fighters in Jordan - report
“Let’s face it: We invented the Internet. We invented the social network sites. We’ve got Hollywood. We’ve got the capabilities…to blow these guys out of the water from the standpoint of communications,”
he said.
He was supported by Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), who had an unconventional trick up his sleeve: internet memes.
“Look at their fancy memes compared to what we’re not doing,”
Booker said while clutching print-outs of ISIS memes.
He said the Islamic State is busying making “slick, fancy and attractive”
videos, while the US is spending “millions and millions on old school forms of media.”
READ MORE: ISIS threatens to 'slaughter' controversial blogger Geller, warns of more attacks to come
A prolific user of Twitter, Booker said he knows “something about memes.”
He became a viral sensation himself after rescuing his neighbor from a burning building in 2012.
The heroic move inspired his own Twitter hashtag, with social media users sharing their own (false) superhero encounters with Booker. One user tweeted that when he needed a kidney, Booker “instantly ripped out his own, handed it to me & flew away.”
The hearing, titled 'Jihad 2.0: Social Media in the Next Evolution of Terrorist Recruitment,' is part of an ongoing attempt by Congress to identify ways to thwart efforts by overseas terrorists to lure foreign fighters or incite jihadists to commit attacks inside the US.

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Energy-generating clothes and smart lights join the Internet of Things

"People try to remove static electricity in daily life and attempts to use it as an energy source were quite limited. That's why we started this research"

Smart electronic devices are becoming very popular, but charging them can prove problematic. South Korean scientists say they have developed an energy-generating fabric that can power a range of devices. Just tapping the fabric – known as a wearable triboelectric nanogenerator – can power devices such as, for example, a remote control for cars or a light-up badge. Professor Kim Sang-Woo led the research at Sungkyunkwan University.

“People try to remove static electricity in daily life and attempts to use it as an energy source were quite limited. That’s why we started this research, to use static electricity as an energy source,” he says.

The layers of silver-coated textile rub against an organic polymer film. The researchers have shown the electricity created from this friction can power lights, screens – and more.

“With this energy, we can power Light Emitting Diodes and Liquid Crystal displays without an external power source, as well as demonstrating low-power devices like sensors,” says Kim Sang Woo.

The developers see their ‘smart’ fabric connecting people to the everyday products they use.

“If technologies for the Internet of Things develops more in the future, various sensors could be attached to human skin. The fabric could be an independent power source for those sensors,” suggests the professor.

The foldable fabric is much more wearable than a bulky battery. So charging your phone as you walk could be a step closer to reality.

From smart fabric we turn to smart sensors. Imagine a floor that lights up when it is walked on. Finnish researchers at the VTT company are developing ‘smart’ sensors connected to the environment to send information directly to a smartphone. The developers say the sensors can be used for guided lighting, burglar alarms and even a baby monitor.

“What we are seeing here is people being detected walking in the corridor. That is based on depth cameras. We are using the detections to control lighting in the corridor so we can guide the people to the places they are going to,” says research scientist Esa-Matti Sarjanoja.

The trend to connect to our surroundings with smart devices, known as the Internet of Things, is fast-growing. The company says the technology could also be used for security purposes. For instance, an LED lamp could be put into burglar alarm mode, sensing movements by intruders in the home and sending notifications to a smart device throughout the day.

Some other uses include putting smart sensors in baby monitors. The company’s prototype smart dummy gathers information about the baby’s temperature, breathing and nutrition and sends the information to a smartphone.

In sturdy Finland babies are often left to nap outside, even in freezing temperatures. Parent Soledad Peresin says she will be using the system regularly.

“I can monitor her temperature, her body temperature, the temperature outside if there is a sudden drop on the temperature. I can go and bring her inside and also it gives me information about her suction pressure. When you know your baby well enough to know the suction pattern you know when she is about to wake up as well,” she says.

The company is keen to expand the use of its smart sensors in light fittings with colour changing, dimming and beam-steering properties. They see the sensors being used for a variety of lighting solutions from energy-saving street lamps to self-adjusting interior lighting.

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