National Journal – How the NSA Used a ‘Loophole’ to Spy on Americans: “Technology Correspondent Brendan Sasso reports that Obama’s intel czar confirmed that they’re targeting U.S. communications: Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act gives the NSA broad power to listen in on phone calls and access emails. But the law covers only non-Americans located outside of… Continue Reading
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Category Archives: Patriot Act
EFF – Reforming Terms of Service: Microsoft Changes Its Policy on Access to User Data
News release: “Last week we wrote about initial news reports that Microsoft had searched and disclosed the contents of a blogger’s Hotmail account as part of an internal investigation into the alleged theft of Microsoft source code and other trade secrets. Since then, EFF has been in touch with Microsoft to discuss our objections to the company’s… Continue Reading
EPIC – Deadline Approaches for End of NSA’s Telephone Record Collection Program
“March 28 marks the deadline set by President Obama to end the NSA’s bulk collection of American’s telephone records. Last week, Attorney General Eric Holder confirmed that the Justice Department is ready to meet the deadline that the President has set. After extensive meetings with leaders of the Intelligence Community, both the President’s Review Group and the Privacy and Civil Liberties… Continue Reading
Pinterest Posts First Transparency Report
Pinterest Blog: “Every company that stores information — from banks to phone companies to email providers — must respond to requests for that information from folks like law enforcement agencies, courts, and others. We think it’s important that you know about these requests. That’s why we’re publishing our first transparency report, covering the six months… Continue Reading
Google’s Top Exec – data now safe from government spying
2014 SXSW conference in Austin, Texas via the Guardian: Eric Schmidt to dictators: ‘You don’t turn off the internet: you infiltrate it’: “Google’s executive chairman concerned by manipulative new approach of governments spooked by popular uprisings…Schmidt was pressed on the last year’s revelations of surveillance by agencies including the National Security Agency (NSA) in the US,… Continue Reading
Report – vast hidden surveillance network runs across America, powered by the repo industry
Follow up to previous postings on license plate collection programs – see Shawn Musgrave’s article [editor of MuckRock via BetaBoston]: “Today, a legislative committee in Boston is scheduled to hold a hearing on a bill that would ban most uses of license plate readers, including the vehicle repossession business, making exceptions only for law enforcement, toll… Continue Reading
Report – Encryption Would Have Stopped Snowden From Using Secrets
Chris Strohm, Bloomberg: “Edward Snowden could have been thwarted from leaking classified U.S. documents if the National Security Agency encrypted the information to make it unreadable, two former senior cybersecurity officials said. Snowden would have needed a digital key to decipher the secrets after gaining access to them if the data was scrambled, Ira “Gus” Hunt, former… Continue Reading
Extensive DHA Licence Plate Data Collection Exists – Expansion Planned
Follow up to previous posting – EFF – A Massive Expansion of Plate Data Collection, via ACLU – Setting the record straight on DHS and license plate tracking: ” First of all, contrary to widespread understanding, DHS’ solicitation for bids had nothing to do with asking a contractor to build a nationwide license plate tracking database. Such a… Continue Reading
Joint Statement by Director of National Intelligence James Clapper and Attorney General Eric Holder on the Declassification of Additional Documents Section 501 of FISA
DNI News Release – February 12, 2014: ” On Jan. 3, 2014, the Director of National Intelligence declassified and disclosed publicly that the U.S. government had filed an application with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court seeking renewal of the authority to collect telephony metadata in bulk, and that, on Jan. 3, 2014, the court renewed that… Continue Reading
EFF – A Massive Expansion of Plate Data Collection
National License Plate Recognition Database: What It Is and Why It’s a Bad Idea: “…Automated License Plate Reader or ALPR cameras already scan and record the plates of millions of cars across the country. Law enforcement agencies in large metropolitan areas like Los Angeles and New York have databases of millions of plates—and these databases will only increase in size… Continue Reading
Snowden Leaked Documents Reveal NSA Monitoring of Global Law Firm
James Risen reported from Washington, and Laura Poitras from Berlin. Charlie Savage contributed reporting from Washington: “The list of those caught up in the global surveillance net cast by the National Security Agency and its overseas partners, from social media users to foreign heads of state, now includes another entry: American lawyers. A top-secret document, obtained by the… Continue Reading
FISC Approves Government’s Request to Modify Telephony Metadata Program
“During his speech on Jan. 17, 2014, President Obama ordered a transition that will end the Section 215 bulk telephony metadata program as it currently exists, and establish a mechanism that preserves the capabilities we need without the government holding this bulk data. As a first step in that transition, the President directed the Attorney… Continue Reading
