privacy

ACLU Free Event: Stopping a Surveillance Society

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 18:04:51 +0000

EVENT DETAILS
ACLU National Director's Series: Barry Steinhardt
Privacy in Balance: Stopping the Surveillance Society
Wednesday August 6, 2008 - 6:30-8pm
Location: ACLU offices, 454 Whittier Street 63108
FREE and open to the public.
RSVP encouraged, but not required. Email or phone 314-652-3114 ext 23 scott@aclu-em.org

PRIVACY IN BALANCE: STOPPING THE SURVEILLANCE SOCIETY

Government Must Reveal Watch-List Status to Constantly Detained Americans

Sun, 27 Apr 2008 23:38:47 +0000

Eight Americans of south Asian and Middle Eastern descent who were repeatedly detained at the border for questioning will be able to learn if they are actually on the government's terrorist watch list, a federal court in Illinois ruled last week, marking the first time that citizens have been able to learn whether they have been added to a sprawling and error-prone list used for screening at borders and traffic stops.

U.S. Customs Seizing Laptops

Tue, 12 Feb 2008 23:31:07 +0000

I've heard many anecdotal stories about U.S. Customs and Border Protection seizing, copying data from, or otherwise accessing laptops of people entering the country. But this is very mainstream:

Has AT&T Lost Its Mind? A baffling proposal to filter the Internet.

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 19:44:57 +0000

Chances are that as you read this article, it is passing over part of AT&T's network. That matters, because last week AT&T announced that it is seriously considering plans to examine all the traffic it carries for potential violations of U.S. intellectual property laws. The prospect of AT&T, already accused of spying on our telephone calls, now scanning every e-mail and download for outlawed content is way too totalitarian for my tastes. But the bizarre twist is that the proposal is such a bad idea that it would be not just a disservice to the public but probably a disaster for AT&T itself.

How Well "See Something, Say Something" Actually Works

Sun, 13 Jan 2008 18:43:05 +0000

I've written about the "War on the Unexpected," and how normal people can't figure out what's an actual threat and what isn't:

All they know is that something makes them uneasy, usually based on fear, media hype, or just something being different.

[...]

If you ask amateurs to act as front-line security personnel, you shouldn't be surprised when you get amateur security.

Yesterday The New York Times wrote about New York City's campaign:

FBI Wiretaps Canceled for Non-Payment

Thu, 10 Jan 2008 23:26:50 +0000

WASHINGTON (AP) - Telephone companies have cut off FBI wiretaps used to eavesdrop on suspected criminals because of the bureau's repeated failures to pay phone bills on time.

A Justice Department audit released Thursday blamed the lost connections on the FBI's lax oversight of money used in undercover investigations. Poor supervision of the program also allowed one agent to steal $25,000, the audit said.

Firefighters to "Fight Terrorism" While Doing their Day Jobs

Tue, 04 Dec 2007 01:05:01 +0000

Unlike police, firefighters and emergency medical personnel don't need warrants to access hundreds of thousands of homes and buildings each year, putting them in a position to spot behavior that could indicate terrorist activity or planning.

[...]

Animal Rights Activists Forced to Hand Over Encryption Keys

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 21:09:27 +0000

Animal rights activists are thought to be the first Britons to be asked to hand over to the police keys to data encrypted on their computers.

The request for the keys is being made under the controversial Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA).

Police analysing machines seized during raids on activists' homes carried out in May have asked for the keys.

Also: Indymedia UK Post from Activist

Congress Considers How to ‘Disrupt’ Radical Movements in the United States

ben — Tue, 27 Nov 2007 01:35:30 +0000

The proposed law, The Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act of 2007 (H.R. 1955), was passed by the House of Representative in a 404-6 vote Oct. 23. (The Senate is currently considering a companion bill, S. 1959.) The act would establish a “National Commission on the prevention of violent radicalization and ideologically based violence” and a university-based “Center for Excellence” to “examine and report upon the facts and causes of violent radicalization, homegrown terrorism and ideologically based violence in

US intelligence official: You get privacy when your definition matches ours

ben — Mon, 12 Nov 2007 17:55:22 +0000

Donald Kerr, a top intelligence official with the US government, says that citizens need to change their definition of privacy to match the government's definition, the AP reports. Appointed Director of the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) in 2005, Kerr is now the principal deputy director of national intelligence. Kerr is one of many in the intelligence community who finds Americans' views on privacy to be antiquated and unreasonable.