Father of PGP encryption: Telcos need to get out of bed with governments - Sean Gallagher - Ars Technica

Doing business with US government customers generally requires the use of National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) standards for encryption. But by default, Zimmermann said, Silent Circle uses an alternative set of encryption tools.

“It wasn’t because there was anything actually wrong with the NIST algorithms,” Zimmermann explained. “After the Snowden revelations, we felt a bit resentful that NIST had cooperated with the NSA."

Edward Snowden: The most wanted man in the world - James Bamford - Wired

Despite being the subject of a worldwide manhunt, Snowden seems relaxed and upbeat as we drink Cokes and tear away at a giant room-service pepperoni pizza. His 31st birthday is a few days away. Snowden still holds out hope that he will someday be allowed to return to the US. “I told the government I’d volunteer for prison, as long as it served the right purpose,” he says. “I care more about the country than what happens to me. But we can’t allow the law to become a political weapon or agree to scare people away from standing up for their rights, no matter how good the deal. I’m not going to be part of that.”

Why So Many Card Breaches? A Q&A - Brian Krebs - Krebs on Security

Today’s post includes no special insight into this particular retail breach, but rather seeks to offer answers to some common questions regarding why we keep hearing about them.

This post first appeared on Exploring Information Security.