'New microchipped passports designed to protect against identity theft by terrorists and criminals can easily be faked, it was claimed today.

'Tests showed that personal information could be cloned and manipulated within an hour before being inserted into new chips, the Times reported.

'The paper said it had exposed "security flaws" in the passport system by asking a researcher to clone the chips on two British passports and implant digital images of Osama bin Laden and a suicide bomber. The altered chips were then passed as genuine by reader software used by the UN agency that sets the standards for such e-passports.

'The tests showed that bogus biometrics could be inserted in fake or blank passports, the Times alleged, saying the flaws also undermined assertions that 3,000 blank passports stolen last week could not be forged.' (Guardian article).

media-underground.net

'Don't believe anything you see in a TV documentary made in the UK.

'Documentary makers here have no obligation to be accurate, though factual programmes should present a wide range of views.

'That is the implication of a series of rulings by Ofcom, the regulatory body for responsible for upholding broadcast standards in the UK, on complaints made about a British TV documentary called The Great Global Warming Swindle.

'Channel 4, the television company that commissioned and broadcast the documentary, first shown on 8 March last year, subsequently sold the show to 21 countries and released it on DVD. Numerous clips have been viewed on video-sharing site YouTube.

'According to the Ofcom ruling, while all programmes dealing with important issues should be impartial, only news programmes have to be presented with "due accuracy". It doesn't matter if other programmes are misleading as long as they don't cause "harm or offence", and the regulator's interpretation of harm is so narrow that it effectively gives broadcasters a green light to mislead the public.

'The "documentary" in question attacked the idea that global warming is caused by human activity.' (New Scientist article).

media-underground.net

William Scott Ritter is noted for his role as a chief United Nations weapons inspector in Iraq from 1991 to 1998, and later for his criticism of United States foreign policy in the Middle East. Prior to the U.S. invasion of Iraq in March 2003, Ritter publicly argued that Iraq possessed no significant weapons of mass destruction. He became a popular anti-war figure and talk show commentator as a result of his stance.

The US has - hands down - the most propagandized population in the world. Even people in North Korea have a firmer grasp of reality. Why is this so?

It's the news media. They've mastered the art of reporting nothing and making it seem like it's something. They're very creative and convincing first class liars.

What's the solution?

William Scott Ritter has an answer and thanks to the Internet, more and more people in the US are breaking free of the info-lock. (Brasscheck TV video stream).

media-underground.net

'Gary McKinnon, who is accused of hacking into top secret military computers, has lost a Law Lords appeal against being extradited to stand trial in the US.

'He spoke exclusively to BBC Radio 5 Live after the verdict, and said what he was doing was "misguided" but he felt he was acting in "human interest". McKinnon faces a possible life sentence, but he insists he was looking for information on UFOs.' (BBC Radio 5 Live audio stream & BBC News video stream).

media-underground.net

'All terrorist groups eventually end. But how do they end? The evidence since 1968 indicates that most groups have ended because (1) they joined the political process (43 percent) or (2) local police and intelligence agencies arrested or killed key members (40 percent). Military force has rarely been the primary reason for the end of terrorist groups, and few groups within this time frame have achieved victory. This has significant implications for dealing with al Qa'ida and suggests fundamentally rethinking post-9/11 U.S. counterterrorism strategy: Policymakers need to understand where to prioritize their efforts with limited resources and attention. The authors report that religious terrorist groups take longer to eliminate than other groups and rarely achieve their objectives. The largest groups achieve their goals more often and last longer than the smallest ones do. Finally, groups from upper-income countries are more likely to be left-wing or nationalist and less likely to have religion as their motivation. The authors conclude that policing and intelligence, rather than military force, should form the backbone of U.S. efforts against al Qa'ida. And U.S. policymakers should end the use of the phrase “war on terrorism” since there is no battlefield solution to defeating al Qa'ida.' (RAND Corporation pdf download).

media-underground.net

'Why are we asking this now?

'Because if confirmation were needed that crackdowns on drug use in the UK were having little effect, it came in a report by the UK Drug Policy Commission (UKDPC), an independent group set up to examine the state of the nation's drug trade.

'The report, published yesterday, paints a grim picture, suggesting that the billions of pounds spent on attempts to reduce the availability of drugs on the streets have been in vain. It said there was "remarkably little evidence" that action by customs officials, police and the Serious Organised Crime Agency has had any significant effect in disrupting illegal drug markets. The report argued that the UK should try a radically different approach to tackling the misery brought about by drug-dealing and the crime and social disorder associated with it. Others advocate taking the ultimate step - legalisation.' (Independent article).

media-underground.net

'British hacker lost his appeal today against extradition to the US where he is accused of 'the biggest military hack of all time'.

'Gary McKinnon was arrested in the UK in 2002 after US prosecutors charged him with illegally accessing computers, including the Pentagon, US army, navy and NASA systems, and causing $700,000 worth of damage.

'Mr McKinnon claims he just wanted to find out whether aliens really existed and became obsessed with trawling large military networks for proof.' (RTE News article).

media-underground.net

It's been rather quiet around here at the Media Underground Nerve Centre for the past week. That's because I took a small vacation at the beginning of last week and went up the hills for a few days, bagging some bothies around the Schiehallion region and enjoying the solitude of being alone in the middle of nowhere.

After a couple of day's rest and a few much needed showers, it was off to Dumfries & Galloway for the annual countercultural Wickerman Festival.

This was my first time at Wickerman and indeed my first time at any kind of music festival. Being a somewhat loner and antisocial creature most of the time, the idea of camping in a field with thousands of other people never really appealled to me, but on this occasion I decided to grit my teeth and see what this event had to offer.

The turnout, I estimate, was probably in the region of about ten thousand - a nice amount by all standards with music and entertainment tents all within easy walking distance of each other. Mohawks, hippies and all round general weirdos seemed to make up the vast majority of the crowd, whilst the festival at the same time managed to maintain a family friendly policy with an environment that was suitable for all ages.

Police and security were also quite relaxed and only idiots who promoted their substance use were busted upon entering the site. Instead the festival maintained a policy of tolerence, concentrating on drug education and support rather than coming down heavy on users and abusers (if only that policy could be adopted for the rest of the country we might have fewer casualties).

Top favourite artists: Neville Staple (The Specials), Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers) and Gary Numan (whom a friend said "performed the kind of material Nine Inch Nails could be doing if only they weren't such pretentious pussies").

The mainstream media has largely ignored the success of Wickerman and I'm glad. With no major incidents taking place it would be a shame if the festival became as popular as the likes of T In The Park or Glastonbury, both of which have become mainstream, commercial and over-populated by morons.

I'll be there next year for sure and will probably continue to return each year until it has been ruined by popularity and hijacked by popular culture.

media-underground.net