Surveillance

Trump elevates Cyber Command, setting the stage for NSA separation

Long-awaited move underscores the growing significance of cyber warfare<p>The Trump administration this week elevated the US Cyber Command to a Unified Combatant Command, in a long-awaited move that underscores the growing importance of cyber warfare.<p>The decision, announced Friday, puts the Cyber …

2017 EFF Pioneer Award winners: Chelsea Manning, Mike Masnick and Annie Game

The Electronic Frontier Foundation has announced the winners of the 2017 Pioneer Awards, "which recognize leaders who are extending freedom and …

ICE: we don’t use stingrays to locate undocumented immigrants | Ars Technica

Letter adds that, even when you’re targeted via stingray, you can still call 911.<p>The acting head of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the …

Government Snooping in a Digital Age

<b>Privacy on the Line: The Politics of Wiretapping and Encryption</b> by Whitfield Diffie and Susan Landau <i>(The MIT Press, 400 pages)</i><p>- - -<p>Less than ten …

Terror laws should be scrapped, says top Government adviser

The Government should consider abolishing all anti-terror laws as they are “unnecessary” in the fight against extremists, the barrister tasked with …

Former CIA deputy director: Trump is politicizing the US intelligence-gathering process

A former deputy director of the CIA accused President Trump on Sunday of "politicizing" the intelligence-gathering process, warning in an interview …

As First NAFTA Round Opens in Secrecy, Digital Rights Groups Fear Another TPP

Jeremy MalcolmThe opening round of a series of negotiations over a proposed revised North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) began this week in …

Human Rights Commission urges audit of 'places of detention'

A wide-ranging audit of the oversight of Canberra's prisons and other "places of detention" is needed to ensure the ACT can meet protocols under the …

Bannon's security clearance a challenge outside the White House

Legal experts say Stephen Bannon may face a challenge in his security clearance as President Trump's now-former chief strategist returns to his …

No, the cops can't get a search warrant to just seize all devices in sight – US appeals court

It's a ruling sending shockwaves through the worlds of privacy, device security, and law enforcement in America.<p>The US Circuit Court of Appeals in …

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Loose Lips Sink Ships is a phrase that my father, a WWII air force pilot, heard many times. It was a common and well-accepted attitude during a …

The U.S. Spy Hub in the Heart of Australia

Ashort drive south of Alice Springs, the second largest population center in Australia’s Northern Territory, there is a high-security compound, …

Police release surveillance image of suspect in Red Line shooting

Chicago police have released a surveillance image of a person of interest involved in a shooting at a CTA Red Line station.<p>Investigators said …

The Internet Party is crowdsourcing an anti-spying bill

The Internet Party of New Zealand wants to roll back invasive surveillance laws with a citizen-sourced anti-spying bill, which it drafted during a …

What Will Happen To Admiral Mike Rogers, The Spy Who Knew Too Much?

Admiral Mike Rogers is the last intelligence chief standing to have stated that Russia meddled in U.S. elections—and a new change in the Pentagon just put his future in jeopardy.<p>Whatever actually occurred between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin during and after the election, America’s digital …

US cops point at cell towers and say: Give us every phone number that's touched that mast

US telecoms giant Verizon says police are increasingly asking it to cough up massive dumps of cellphone data rather than individual records.<p>This …

Julian Assange Turned Down Dirt On Russia

According to a newly released <i>Foreign Policy</i> report, leaked communications show Wikileaks declined to release a cache of hacked Russian documents in …

Trump just reorganized the military to gear up for cyberwars

Get reacquainted with US Cyber Command.<p>President Trump just increased the importance of military operations in cyberspace.<p>On Friday, Trump issued a statement announcing that he was officially elevating US Cyber Command to a full-fledged combatant command, which members of Congress voted in favor of …

Julian Assange tells Dana Rohrabacher: WikiLeaks wants White House press passes

WikiLeaks publisher Julian Assange told Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, California Republican, that his antisecrecy website wants a regular seat in the White …

Michigan football roster is now the subject of a public-records squabble

The Wolverines are more secretive than most.<p>The Michigan Wolverines haven’t released a roster for the 2017 football season. That’s unusual. Every other team in the country (or pretty close to it) has put out at least a fall camp roster, but Michigan hasn’t offered an official roster update since …

China’s Dystopian Push to Revolutionize Surveillance

As part of a new multimillion-dollar project in Xinjiang, the Chinese government is attempting to “build a fortress city with technologies.” If this …

UK's £2m support for Egypt security projects branded ‘deeply disturbing’

Transparency campaigners highlight alleged human rights abuses in Egypt as controversial conflict, stability and security fund comes under scrutiny again<p>The government is facing questions over transparency after almost £2 million in aid and defence funding was given to security projects in Egypt, …

Trump to Elevate Cyber Command in Spin-Off From NSA

Facebook's Challenge Of A Gag Order Over Search Warrants Will Get A Public Hearing

The company is challenging a court order that blocks it from telling users about search warrants for their information.<p>An appeals court in Washington, DC, has scheduled a public hearing next month for arguments on Facebook’s challenge to an order blocking the company from alerting users about …

China's smart city plan to boost surveillance

In the west of Beijing there’s a convenience store which isn’t run by staff, but by artificially intelligent digital technology.<p>The ‘Eatbox’ shop is …

Legal deal over harsh CIA interrogations marks a milestone

Print<p>SPOKANE, Wash. — A settlement in a landmark lawsuit against two psychologists who helped design the CIA’s harsh interrogation methods used in …

Myanmar retains tough clause in communications law despite calls for repeal

YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's parliament on Friday made minor changes to a controversial telecommunications law, amendments rights monitors say will do little to address concern the law is used to curb criticism of the authorities and reporting of corruption.<p>The recent arrest of several journalists …

In Tunisia’s ‘State of Emergency’, a New Police Protection Law Could Allow More Abuse — With Impunity

Tunisian riot police in the capital Tunis on 6 February 2013. Photo by Amine Ghrabi (CC BY-NC 2.0)<p>Tunisia has seen many improvements to human rights …

Australian money cops gain powers to regulate cryptocurrency

Australia has decided digital currencies need the same level of regulation enjoyed by other currencies.<p>Justice minister Michael Keenan yesterday …

Sharing police street-check information leads to unfair suspicion, border trouble, Black Lives Matter says

Sharing information from Edmonton police street checks with other law enforcement agencies could cast suspicion on black and Indigenous Edmontonians …