E111-3 Computer Security Lessons From Retirement

When it came time for my retirement from MAJestic it was a total surprise.  I opened my front door, as I did a thousand times before, and four armored vehicles drove up onto my lawn.
The police came to my house in SWAT vehicles, armored vests and carried military-grade fully-automatic weapons.

A female detective, dressed in military black wearing a Kevlar vest and a holstered Glock strapped to her side showed me some documents that gave them full authority to search my home for anything even remotely illegal.
They poured through the door like  water released from a dam, and started rampaging though my house.

A computer expert, obvious due to his excessive weight and bright suspenders, started to unload various suitcases onto the kitchen counters in my house. He, as employed by the state, got my computer and plugged it into this device that he removed out of a ribbed metal suitcase.
He plugged my laptop into the device and had full access to my computer. They didn’t even bother to ask me what my password was. They didn’t need it. They had full control of my “personal papers” and completely bypassed my passwords.

They were able to bypass all my security.

Over the years, I have often wondered about this. This event, as disturbing as it was, also pointed to something much more sinister. There are zero fourth amendment protections if you use most commonly available software.

In the old days, of course, I would have a huge safe with my personal papers in it. The police would have to come to the house with a warrant specifying and delineating everything that the police has the authority to seize and investigate. Not so today.
They can take what they want and your Rights be damned.

You know, today everything is electronic. If the government can do that with laptop that had a pretty strong password, they can do anything. I used numbers, a mix of capital letters, and special characters.

I think most passwords are helpful against non-governmental agencies, but are useless against a strongly funded and financed governmental force. They are especially useless against the United States government. If Uncle Sam wants something, they just come and get it.

Indeed, if someone in the United States government wants something of yours, they will simply come and take it. They have the military. They have the weapons. They have the money. They have the numbers. They have the law. What is yours is theirs…

Now, I will never forget what that computer expert said to the detective when he was going through my computer. He said “I’m glad he used windows and not Linux. We’d have to call in XXXXXXX.“

Well, for certain, it would have delayed the scouring of my laptop for unspecified criminal activity and / or intent. However it would not have prevented it. It would only add some additional steps and delays.

After much thought, it came to me that if I used an unusual OS that the state would have a dickens of a time trying to figure it out. Sure they could find a handful of people who were able to hack into Microsoft, and maybe one or two that could do so with Linux.
But, what about something truly obscure…

And, what if it was coded in something other than English. Now that would make things truly interesting and difficult…

Just don’t say anything. Let them try to guess and figure out what kind of OS that you use. That might take a few years. Then, let them take a crack at breaking your encryption.

People, you might be surprised to learn that there are more operating systems (OS) than Microsoft Windows, the various shades of Linux, or the Apple OS. There are. Here, let’s talk about this, shall we.

The reader should understand that even though the United States government, and others have created a very powerful and formidable surveillance network, there are options available to the creative user.

There are other operating systems out there and available for use. The reader is not stuck to using Windows, Apple OS, or UNIX.  You can use truly obscure operating systems if you are computer savvy enough.

The benefit in doing this is that anyone wanting to access your computer will have a very difficult time finding a talented computer expert to do so. They are so difficult to find, and once found will be extremely pricey to use.
Thus, the mere thought of so doing might just wreck the budget of the investigative agency.  So ripping into the computer of concern would have to be completely justified.
This also includes the NSA-provided deep dredging software that would troll your PC for what ever they might want to find.  Let’s face it, everyone wants the “low hanging fruit”.  Don’t make it easy for them.

Concerning the alternative operating systems, I am not referring to the various flavors of UNIX.  They are available, but not really that obscure and uncommon.  This includes Ubuntu, Linux Mint, Chrome OS, Remix OS, Kubuntu.  No, these and other Linux versions are more or less common enough.  If someone wants to dredge your computer on these systems it is still possible.  However, it won’t be automatic.  They will need an expert, and some specialist software.
Further, they might need to do so manually.

What I am discussing here are truly obscure operating systems where there might be 20 to 30 people on the entire planet who knows how to navigate their way around these systems.  Let me present 37 obscure operating systems for the reader’s pleasure and consideration.

There are hundreds of Linux distros out there. For those of you laymen out there like myself, a distros is a modified Linux OS for special purposes. Often the reasons for this is simply for fun and amusement.
The vast majority of them float around the internet in relative obscurity. Some are absolutely beautiful and stunning. many of them operate like MS Windows and it is easy to adapt to them quickly.

I would suggest Tails, or Qubes as the OS of choice.

Tails is also a good option. Tails, like Qubes, have been designed with privacy and security in mind.

When the United States was first formed, it was considered extremely important that the private papers and matters of a citizen be protected from others.
If the government had a need to view these most sacred private matters, they would have to go to a judge and show reason to obtain them.

They would have to [1] document a reason, and [2] show that there was a victim or an aggrieved party.

As at that time, America followed British Common Law. They wrote the fourth Amendment to protect Americans from unreasonable search and seizure of a person’s private and personal papers and records.
Only when there was a victim or harmed party, would a Judge issue a warrant to search; and specifically state what is to be searched for.

Today the fourth amendment no longer exists as anything other than a joke. It is functionally nonexistent.

Today, a secret court, with an appointed judge can order your fourth amendment protections be ignored for any reason what so ever.

There does not have to be a victim.

There does not need to be any evidence.

There does not need to be proof. Only an accusation by a person who can remain secret in defiance of the Sixth amendment.

It’s a difficult world that we live in today. If you cannot have privacy, then you functionally have no freedom. For the right to privacy is the bedrock from which all other liberties arise from.

The United States government has spent enormous sums of money  making it easy for them to access your personal records and private papers. This is particularly true when everything is electronic.

If you want to regain your fourth amendment freedoms back, then you need to stop relying on elected politicians to to something about it. You need to take care of the matter yourself.

I suggest that you utilize an obscure operating system on your personal records and strongly encrypt it. Do not tell anyone your password, and what operating system that you use.
That way, your computer becomes as hack-able as a river rock, and your personal papers and privacy is maintained.