Russian guard service reverts to typewriters after NSA leaks by US whistleblower Edward Snowden

[kpete]

Russian guard service reverts to typewriters after NSA leaks
Leaks by US whistleblower Edward Snowden have fuelled Russian suspicions over electronic communications

In the wake of the US surveillance scandal revealed by the US whistleblower Edward Snowden, Russia is planning to adopt a foolproof means of avoiding global electronic snooping: by reverting to paper.

The Federal Guard Service (FSO), a powerful body tasked with protecting Russia's highest-ranking officials, has recently put in an order for 20 Triumph Adler typewriters, the Izvestiya newspaper reported.

Each typewriter creates a unique "handwriting", allowing its source to be traced, the report said.

"After the scandal with the spread of secret documents by WikiLeaks, the revelations of Edward Snowden, reports of listening to Dmitry Medvedev during his visit to the G20 summit in London, the practice of creating paper documents will expand," a source inside the FSO was quoted as saying.



MORE (LOL):
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/jul/11/russia-reverts-paper-nsa-leaks

[htuttle]

1. I'm suddenly reminded of Battlestar Galactica

[Cleita]

2. I know this is tongue in cheek, but I actually lived in that world and even used a

typewriter with just those keys at one time. It seems we were more efficient somehow back then than we are today. I never got a botched bill or bank statement, which seems to be almost something to be expected today. If I needed some customer service type correction from a utility company or other, I always spoke to a polite person, who actually had answers and solutions to said problem and fixed them. It was usually written by hand on paper or a card to be sent to the proper department. I can't say that today.

[kpete]

3. 92 wpm

back in the day


peace, kp

[Cleita]

4. You typed that fast? I was lucky to hit 60 on a good day, but I always was a klutz.

[kpete]

5. can't knock it

got me and mr. pete thru college

[Blackford]

6. I consider this good news.

Any time you have an adversary resort to using less technology due to paranoia, you win.

[pinboy3niner]

7. We had an advantage back then

We had correction tape and whiteout. They don't translate well to the internet...

[Cha]

13. lol

I'm old but I learned to type well on the internet keyboard. Love the backspace!

[Fuddnik]

8. Buy stock in a carbon paper manufacturer.

[ThoughtCriminal]

9. Mission accomplished

I tell ya, the whole thing has been planned from the start by paper mills.

[jmowreader]

10. Those better be manual typewriters

It is possible to reconstruct something typed on an electric.

[struggle4progress]

11. La machina de escribir

[dipsydoodle]

12. The agency, known by its Russian acronym FSO, is ready to pay £500 each for them

The Kremlin's security agency is buying up typewriters to avoid damaging leaks in a move said to be motivated by the recent US surveillance scandals.

Russia's Federal Protective Service, the KGB's successor in charge of protecting President Vladimir Putin and his officials, placed an order for 20 typewriters, according to the state procurement website .

The agency, known by its Russian acronym FSO, is ready to pay £500 each for them, Kremlin-connected newspaper Izvestia reported.

It said the FSO believed it was necessary to expand the use of typewriters after American Edward Snowden reportedly used a simple flash drive to reveal the extent of the US government's phone and internet surveillance programmes.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/kremlin-typewriters-russian-plan-stop-leaks-101128414.html#pfJT45c