Last summer the state of Texas was ablaze over concerns surrounding the Jade Helm military drills held across the state prompted some to speculate that the Federal government was preparing for either a local insurrection, secession planning contencies for the Lone Star state or even a “Texas takeover.” Similar confusion returned earlier this week when…
Category: The Surveillance State
The Surveillance State: FISC Court Rejects Challenge to Warrantless Email Searches
In a just-released court opinion, a federal court judge overseeing government surveillance programs said he was “extremely concerned” about a series of incidents in which the Federal Bureau of Investigation and National Security Agency deviated from court-approved limits on their snooping activities. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court Judge Thomas Hogan sharply criticized the two agencies over…
The Surveillance State: The CIA is Investing in Firms that “Mine” Your Twitter and Instagram Data
SOFT ROBOTS THAT can grasp delicate objects, computer algorithms designed to spot an “insider threat,” and artificial intelligence that will sift through large data sets — these are just a few of the technologies being pursued by companies with investment from In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm, according to a document obtained by The Intercept….
Surveillance State: No Warrant Required for Phone Location Records
We are getting closer and closer to full scale Legal Federal monitoring of ALL cellular devices folks. Every day the Feds are chipping away the 4th Amendment a little at a time. In a few years it will be non-existent..all in the name Of “National Security”.-SF Federal agents can obtain cellphone records that reveal a…
The Surveillance State: First was the Breathalyzer, now Meet the “Textalyzer”
We’re all familiar with the Breathalyzer, the brand name for a roadside device that measures a suspected drunken driver’s blood-alcohol level. It has been in use for decades. Now there’s a so-called “textalyzer” device to help the authorities determine whether someone involved in a motor vehicle accident was unlawfully driving while distracted. The roadside technology is…
Espionage Files: CIA Funds Cosmetics That Can Collect DNA
SKINCENTIAL SCIENCES, a company with an innovative line of cosmetic products marketed as a way to erase blemishes and soften skin, has caught the attention of beauty bloggers on YouTube, Oprah’s lifestyle magazine, and celebrity skin care professionals. Documents obtained by The Intercept reveal that the firm has also attracted interest and funding from In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of…
The Surveillance State: NSA Wants to Share Citizen Data Mines with other Fed’s
Civil liberties and government transparency groups are rallying to oppose a new plan that would allow the National Security Agency (NSA) to share more of the information that it collects about people’s communications and activity on the Internet with other federal agencies. On Thursday, 33 advocacy groups signed on to a letter insisting the changes…
The Surveillance State: Spies in the Skies
America is being watched from above. Government surveillance planes routinely circle over most major cities — but usually take the weekends off. Each weekday, dozens of U.S. government aircraft take to the skies and slowly circle over American cities. Piloted by agents of the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the planes are…
Modern Crime: Fed’s Try To Unlock Phones Because of Drugs NOT Terrorism
UNTIL THE FBI backed down from its battle with Apple over accessing the iPhone 5c of San Bernardino shooter Syed Rizwan Farook, it seemed the agency had chosen a near-perfect case on which to make its stand against encryption. By refusing to write software to help law enforcement crack Farook’s phone, Apple was made to…
Cyber-News: FBI Is Pushing Back Against Judge’s Order to reveal TOR Browser Exploit
Last month, the FBI was ordered to reveal the full malware code used to hack visitors of a dark web child pornography site. The judge behind that decision, Robert J. Bryan,said it was a “fair question” to ask how exactly the FBI caught the defendant. But the agency is pushing back. On Monday, lawyers for…