Infinite Unknown

- IRS: We can read emails without warrant (The Hill, April 10, 2013):

The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has claimed that agents do not need warrants to read people’s emails, text messages and other private electronic communications, according to internal agency documents.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), which obtained the documents through a Freedom of Information Act request, released the information on Wednesday.

In a 2009 handbook, the IRS said the Fourth Amendment does not protect emails because Internet users “do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in such communications.” A 2010 presentation by the IRS Office of General Counsel reiterated the policy. Continue reading »

Tags: 1984, ACLU, Barack Obama, Big Brother, Civil liberties, Constitution, Dictatorship, eMails, Fascism, Freedom of Information Act, George Orwell, Global News, Government, Internet, IRS, Law, New World Order, Politics, Privacy, Society, U.S.

- 9th Circuit Appeals Court: 4th Amendment Applies At The Border; Also: Password Protected Files Shouldn’t Arouse Suspicion (TechDirt, March 8, 2013):

Here’s a surprise ruling. For many years we’ve written about how troubling it is that Homeland Security agents are able to search the contents of electronic devices, such as computers and phones at the border, without any reason. The 4th Amendment only allows reasonable searches, usually with a warrant. But the general argument has long been that, when you’re at the border, you’re not in the country and the 4th Amendment doesn’t apply. This rule has been stretched at times, including the ability to take your computer and devices into the country and search it there, while still considering it a “border search,” for which the lower standards apply. Just about a month ago, we noted that Homeland Security saw no reason to change this policy. 

Well, now they might have to.

Continue reading »

Tags: Barack Obama, Bill of Rights, Constitution, DHS, Global News, Government, Homeland Security, Law, Obama administration, Privacy, U.S.

- UK government plans to track ALL web use: MI5 to install ‘black box’ spy devices to monitor British internet traffic (Daily Mail, Feb 6, 2013):

MPs’ report outlines spooks’ take on the draft Communications Data Bill

It shows they are keen to implement nationwide surveillance regime

They want ISPs to install ‘black boxes’ that can inspect all internet traffic

Spies claim they are only interested in ‘communications data’

Campaigners warn it will give spies unprecedented surveillance powers

UK spy agencies want to install ‘black box’ surveillance devices across the country’s communications networks to monitor internet use, it emerged today.

A report by an influential committee of MPs tells how spooks are keen to implement a nationwide surveillance regime aimed at logging nearly everything Britons do and say online.

The spy network will rely on a technology known as Deep Packet Inspection to log data from communications ranging from online services like Facebook and Twitter, Skype calls with family members and visits to pornographic websites.

Continue reading »

Tags: 1984, Big Brother, Dictatorship, Facebook, Fascism, George Orwell, Global News, Government, Internet, Jonathan Evans, Law, MI5, New World Order, Politics, Privacy, Skype, Society, Surveillance, Twitter, U.K.

- Congratulations Charlottesville, Virginia! The First City to Pass Anti-Drone Legislation (Liberty Blitzkrieg, Feb 5, 2013):

This simple piece of legislation proves that you can make a difference at the local level.  We need a lot more of this type of thing all over these United States.  As I have said many times, it’s not that I am against drones in all capacities; however, we must be vigilant about how these things are used and must have serious safeguards in place to protect civil liberties.  Kudos to the Rutherford Institute for leading the charge here.

From US News:

Charlottesville, Va., has become the first city in the United States to formally pass an anti-drone resolution.

Continue reading »

Tags: Civil liberties, Civil rights, Constitution, Drones, Government, Law, Politics, Privacy, Society, U.S.

- Cloud surfing: US surveilance act ‘grave threat’ to EU sovereignty (RT, Jan 9, 2013):

An intelligence bill has put the frighteners on EU citizens as it allows the US access to their personal data stored in internet clouds like those used on Facebook and Google. The law is a ‘grave risk’ to the rights of EU citizens, says an EU report.

­The amendments to Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) was signed into law by President Barack Obama on Monday.

Continue reading »

Tags: 1984, Barack Obama, Big Brother, Dictatorship, EU, Europe, FISA, George Orwell, Global News, Government, Internet, New World Order, Obama administration, Politics, Privacy, Surveillance, U.S., warrantless eavesdropping

- Judge Napolitano: ‘What Were FBI Agents Doing Monitoring Petraeus’ Private Emails?’ (FOX News, Nov 12, 2012):

Fox News Senior Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano joined Studio B to discuss Gen. David Petraeus’ resignation as CIA Director and pointedly asked, “What were FBI agents doing monitoring the secret emails of the director of the CIA? And, how is it the CIA didn’t know about it?”

According to Napolitano, in order for the FBI to be reading Petraeus’ emails, they would either need a search warrant from a federal judge or they’d have to write their own search warrant under the Patriot Act providing sufficient reason to believe the general was involved in terrorist activities. The only other way that they could have been monitoring his emails is by hacking into his computer, which would be a crime.

Napolitano argued, “General Petraeus just because he’s an adulterer doesn’t lose his constitutional rights. And he has the right to be protected from an unwarranted, unjustified investigation by the FBI or anyone.”

Tags: Andrew Napolitano, Barack Obama, CIA, Civil liberties, Civil rights, Constitution, Crime, David Petraeus, eMails, FBI, Global News, Government, Law, Military, Obama administration, Politics, Privacy, Surveillance, U.S.

YouTube Added: 18.10.2012

Tags: Barack Obama, Constitution, Dictatorship, Dogs, Drugs, Fascism, Fourth Amendment, Global News, Government, Law, New World Order, Obama administration, Police, Police State, Politics, Privacy, Society, Supreme Court, U.S.

- Facebook: snitchgate! (Paul Bernal’s Blog, Sep 21, 2012):

A story about Facebook went around twitter last night that provoked quite a reaction in privacy advocates like me: Facebook, it seems, is experimenting with getting people to ‘snitch’ on any of their friends who don’t use their real names. Take a look at this:

…

Tags: Facebook, Global News, Privacy, Society

Don’t miss:

- Pulitzer Prize Journalist Chris Hedges Warns of Physical Roundups Under Obama (Video)

- Secret, Beyond Facial Recognition Surveillance Technology ALREADY INSTALLED Across the US

- FBI begins installation of $1 billion face recognition system across America (RT, Sep 8, 2012):

Birthmarks, be damned: the FBI has officially started rolling out a state-of-the-art face recognition project that will assist in their effort to accumulate and archive information about each and every American at a cost of a billion dollars.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation has reached a milestone in the development of their Next Generation Identification (NGI) program and is now implementing the intelligence database in unidentified locales across the country, New Scientist reports in an article this week. The FBI first outlined the project back in 2005, explaining to the Justice Department in an August 2006 document (.pdf) that their new system will eventually serve as an upgrade to the current Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) that keeps track of citizens with criminal records across America .

“The NGI Program is a compilation of initiatives that will either improve or expand existing biometric identification services,” its administrator explained to the Department of Justice at the time, adding that  the project, “will accommodate increased information processing and sharing demands in support of anti-terrorism.”

“The NGI Program Office mission is to reduce terrorist and criminal activities by improving and expanding biometric identification and criminal history information services through research, evaluation and implementation of advanced technology within the IAFIS environment.”

The agency insists, “As a result of the NGI initiatives, the FBI will be able to provide services to enhance interoperability between stakeholders at all levels of government, including local, state, federal, and international partners.” In doing as such, though, the government is now going ahead with linking a database of images and personally identifiable information of anyone in their records with departments around the world thanks to technology that makes fingerprint tracking seem like kids’ stuff.

Continue reading »

Tags: 1984, Barack Obama, Civil liberties, Civil rights, Constitution, Dictatorship, Fascism, FBI, George Orwell, Global News, Government, New World Order, Obama administration, Police State, Politics, Privacy, Society, Surveillance, Terrorism, U.S.

- Roxon edges towards keeping online data for two years (Sydney Morning Herald, Sep. 4, 2012):

The Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, appears to have swung her support behind a controversial plan to capture the online data of all Australians, despite only six weeks ago saying ”the case had yet to be made” for the policy.

The data retention plan – which would force all Australian telcos and internet service providers to store the online data of all Australians for up to two years – is the most controversial element of a package of more than 40 proposed changes to national security legislation.

If passed, the proposals would be the most significant expansion of national security powers since the Howard-era reforms of the early 2000s.

In a speech to be delivered at the Security in Government conference in Canberra today, Ms Roxon will say that law enforcement agencies need the data retention policy in order to be able to effectively target criminals.

Continue reading »

Tags: 1984, Australia, Big Brother, Dictatorship, George Orwell, Global News, Government, Internet, New World Order, Politics, Privacy, Society, Surveillance