More Fun With the NSA - SIM Cards Compromised at Manufacturer

[shindig]

It's not quite that simple. GPUs can do certain types of math faster than a CPU, but they're not magic. Even top 5 supercomputers that have GPGPUs are not yet utilizing them fully, mostly because they need programmers to rewrite/modify their old programs to use them.

It's exploding, nowhere near potential yet. But in the last couple years it's found a lot of practical uses as limited as it is, and the Gov has the resources to get the top talent, and resources to access trade secrets, so operate in a space none of us could dream of.

They're already using clusters of various processors in their supercomputers, the NSA licenses a suite of tech from Cray Industries: Government | Cray

Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc are developing various parallelization techniques as they develop their cloud computing systems. Soon enough it'll be everywhere. But where it really makes a difference will be specialized implementations. You get the power to run thousands of threads on thousands of cores simultaneously and it's designed for complex calculations.

If you play a game that uses DX11+ the developers have likely utilized the gpu for calculating info that used to be done on the CPU, at much faster speeds. Especially for calculating/baking lighting data.

 

[jryan21]

It's exploding, nowhere near potential yet. But in the last couple years it's found a lot of practical uses as limited as it is, and the Gov has the resources to get the top talent, and resources to access trade secrets, so operate in a space none of us could dream of.

They're already using clusters of various processors in their supercomputers, the NSA licenses a suite of tech from Cray Industries: Government | Cray

Google, Microsoft, Apple, etc are developing various parallelization techniques as they develop their cloud computing systems. Soon enough it'll be everywhere. But where it really makes a difference will be specialized implementations. You get the power to run thousands of threads on thousands of cores simultaneously and it's designed for complex calculations.

If you play a game that uses DX11+ the developers have likely utilized the gpu for calculating info that used to be done on the CPU, at much faster speeds. Especially for calculating/baking lighting data.

The 'cores' on a GPU are what they call stream processors, or throughput processors. They are good for things like solving systems of equations via matrix operations. If you try to run something non-deterministic, or really, anything that introduces latency, the GPU will derp derp on you.

I'm just saying no matter how exotic the hardware is, there's always going to be a limit to what something can do. And I agree with you about specialized implementations- what we will see is software having more control over the organization of hardware for a specific task. When the task is done, it reorganizes itself for the next task.

This is of course referring to FPGAs being a standard component of the system, where they will handle the irregular computations, or do transformations to the data so the GPUs can do them. The CPUs will mainly be used for management, much like they do now, but at a larger scale.

Developing programming models to deal with these hybrid systems is my research area at the moment. I'm familiar with what the govt has to work with.

 

[scottspfd82]

For those that are outraged at what the NSA and others are doing I ask you this question;

What are you actually doing about it?

I'm not outraged (or surprised) by this stuff.

A big benefit that I personally see is that more people are waking up to the fact that the state isn't a benevolent entity that exists to serve the "greater good".

The state spies on people (and kills, et al.)

That said, state or no state, there's no implicit right to privacy. If you don't want your neighbor watching you shower - shut your blinds.

I stay fairly private on Wickedfire, I know that just about anyone here could figure out who I am and find my address, personal info, etc in 20 minutes or less.

I have an Iphone, computers and dozens of other gadgets that constantly record my communications, behavior and probably a ton of stuff that I don't even think about. I volunteer this info - it makes life easier.

I'm a consumer of personal data. I use it to target ads, specific demographics and couldn't do my job without it. It is (or should be) common sense that a lot of services we use - both free and paid - are made possible because we volunteer personal information to be monetized.

In many aspects it's win-win. I get to use services that make my life easier, and I see ads that are relevant to my interests.

When the state gets involved it's a little scarier. If they bother to look they know that I don't like them. They know what I earn, where I spend my time, what I do, who I spend time with, what I read, etc.

They'd also know that I'm a rational actor, that I'm more focused on living well despite them than I am a threat to them.

But here's a problem, data can always be weaponized. They know where you'll be at 8:15am and can arrange a traffic stop. They can audit every transaction you've ever made, they can take convos out of context, blackmail political opposition, figure out who you care about and threaten them and basically use your info to weaponize all agencies from the DHS, FTC, IRS, FBI - any agency to impose Government force against anyone.

And beyond that an all seeing/knowing state is of little value unless people perceive it to be omnipotent. Which is why I don't think any of these "leaks" are an accident.

So what am I doing about it?

Well, for one I'm grateful that I hold no illusions about what the state stands for and don't waste half of my life participating in the dog and pony show otherwise known as political debate.

I will concede that on the surface they're much better at deploying murder, kidnapping, theft and propaganda as tools of coercion than they are at weaponizing data. But since the story in the OP is likely an example of state controlled misdirection, tough to say how far they've come.

 

[Unarmed Gunman]

And beyond that an all seeing/knowing state is of little value unless people perceive it to be omnipotent. Which is why I don't think any of these "leaks" are an accident.

That's a really good point. I was watching this Ted Talk with Greenwald and when he got on the point about the Panopticon a few things started to become more clear.

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSlowAhvUk[/ame]

The Panopticon is a type of institutional building designed by the English philosopher and social theorist Jeremy Benthemhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jeremy_Bentham in the late 18th century. The concept of the design is to allow a single watchman to observe (-opticon) all (pan-) inmates of an institution without the inmates being able to tell whether or not they are being watched. Although it is physically impossible for the single watchman to observe all cells at once, the fact that the inmates cannot know when they are being watched means that all inmates must act as though they are watched at all times, effectively controlling their own behaviour constantly.

Wiki

 

[acidie]

And beyond that an all seeing/knowing state is of little value unless people perceive it to be omnipotent. Which is why I don't think any of these "leaks" are an accident

This is my point, but made far better than I did.

I won't venture an opinion about intentional vs unintentional leaks (I don't know to be honest), but the NSA do go out of their way to convince people they are this massive unstoppable omnipotent entity that knows everything and has the best and brightest working for them.

And I can understand why people choose to believe this but it's a lie and a extremely obvious one.

The CIA used to perpertrate this same image, but over time this has faded to the point where they are punchlines in movies.

Buddy Wallace: And then, there's Martin Bishop...[looks at a folder while Martin has a blank stare. Wallace turns the folder to show it has no papers] He doesn't seem to have a past.
Bishop: [Walks away] I'm sorry, but I don't work for the government.
Dick Gordon: We do. [Shows a card] National Security Agency.
Bishop: Ah. You're the guys I hear breathing on the other end of my phone.
Dick Gordon: No, that's the FBI. We're not chartered for domestic surveillance.
Bishop: Oh, I see. You just overthrow governments. Set up friendly dictators.
Dick Gordon: No, that's the CIA. We protect our government's communications, we try to break the other fella's codes. We're the good guys, Marty.
Bishop: Gee, I can't tell you what a relief that is...Dick.
Dick Gordon: Change your mind, call us at this number... [gives Bishop a folded piece of paper] Mr. Brice.