Yearly Archives: 2013

Montana Attorney General blames reporters for online threats against them

"Montana Attorney General Tim Fox (R) suggested that Associated Press reporters who were threatened after their personal information was leaked online brought it upon themselves. 'Whether or not there is a chilling effect I guess the media, the journalistic profession needs to contemplate when they ask for information whether or not they are creating a chilling effect in their own profession,' Fox told Montana Public Radio (MPR) when asked about the threats, which followed his office’s denial of an AP request for a copy of the state database concerning concealed firearm permit holders. A 2013 state law made such information classified." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMontana Attorney General blames reporters for online threats against them

U.S. Navy admiral pushes officers to curtail ‘jargon and gibberish’

"The fight against acronyms, adjectives and adverbs is one Kirby attacked with a handful of examples. 'The world isn’t a dangerous place. It’s a ‘dynamic and complex international environment'' Kirby mocked. 'We didn’t tell people we were reducing to one the number of carriers in the Middle East. We told them we were responding to a ’1.0 carrier presence requirement in the CENTCOM AOR.'' Faced with declining resources and a growing gap between the military and the American people, officers must communicate better, the email implored." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingU.S. Navy admiral pushes officers to curtail ‘jargon and gibberish’

Photo of snoozing police officer in America’s most dangerous city enrages public

"A photo of a police officer in Camden, New Jersey, apparently asleep in his cruiser has prompted an investigation in the U.S. city with the nation’s highest violent crime rate in 2012. The photo, which shows the uniformed officer wearing sunglasses, head cocked back and mouth agape in the driver’s seat, began circulating on Camden-related Facebook pages this week. It was unclear whether the officer was napping or caught yawning at a bad moment, whether he was on break or on duty, or how long he had been on patrol. Camden has scrapped its city police force as a cost-saving measure, and the county force replaced it in May." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPhoto of snoozing police officer in America’s most dangerous city enrages public

How should you protect yourself from cyber surveillance?

"What are your risks in this era of surveillance, hacking and sloppy software coding? It depends. So what precautions should you be taking? Same answer: it depends. That’s a pretty unsatisfying bit of advice, isn’t it? Yet it’s a core truth of digital security. You should be concerned, very concerned, but in order to make decisions about your own security measures you should first figure out which threats you’re likely to face. Understanding what’s at risk – and that not all threats are equally daunting – is a key to how you should respond." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHow should you protect yourself from cyber surveillance?

Obama’s Response To NSA Surveillance Still Lacking Justification

"It's a lot of rhetoric about transparency, with a few random claims about how important these programs are. Separately, he continued to insist that we're better than some other countries (setting the bar low) and that we don't spy on Americans -- despite the evidence from this morning that this isn't true. In answering questions, he insisted the two key programs being discussed, Section 215 of the Patriot Act and 702 of the FISA Amendments Act, were critical to finding important intelligence -- despite the fact that multiple Senators have insisted that there remains no evidence that Section 215 was necessary in any terrorist case." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s Response To NSA Surveillance Still Lacking Justification

NSA ditching 90 percent of its system administrators to avoid leaks

"NSA director Keith Alexander told a conference in New York City that headcount among its system administrators would be severely curtailed in the future. Roughly 1,000 such employees maintain the agency’s networks and equipment. The NSA is dismissing all those people in the name of secrecy. 'What we’ve done,' Alexander added, 'is we’ve put people in the loop of transferring data, securing networks and doing things that machines are probably better at doing.' An automated system operated by a minimum of human beings, on the other hand, will make the NSA’s digital assets more defensible." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA ditching 90 percent of its system administrators to avoid leaks

McCain: Young Americans admire Snowden, see him as ‘some kind of Jason Bourne’

"A deep distrust of government has led young Americans to hold up NSA leaker Edward Snowden as a hero, Sen. John McCain said Sunday. 'There’s a young generation who believes he’s some kind of Jason Bourne,' the Arizona Republican said during on 'Fox News Sunday,' referring to the lead character in the Bourne movie trilogy who battled his own government, particularly the CIA. 'Right now there’s kind of a generational change. Young Americans do not trust this government,' Mr. McCain said. 'Without trusting government you can’t do a lot of things.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMcCain: Young Americans admire Snowden, see him as ‘some kind of Jason Bourne’

Maine Governor LePage: I’d like to blow up newspaper building

"Maine Gov. Paul LePage (R) wasted no time in making a disturbing joke after boarding a flight simulator during a Friday appearance, the Bangor Daily News reported on Friday. 'I want to find the Press Herald building and blow it up,' LePage said in video posted online from his appearance at an event hosted by defense contractor Pratt & Whitney, referring to the Portland Press Herald. LePage later told a WMTW-TV reporter he was targeting both newspapers in the simulation. Later that day, LePage sent a tweet to the Press-Herald, saying, 'Threatened? It was a joke, folks.' Local FBI officials told the Press-Herald they did not expect him to carry out such a threat." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMaine Governor LePage: I’d like to blow up newspaper building

Julian Assange: Obama ‘validated’ Snowden as a whistleblower

"WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has called President Barack Obama’s announcement of plans to limit sweeping U.S. government surveillance programs a victory of sorts for fugitive former spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. 'Today was a victory of sorts for Edward Snowden and his many supporters,' Assange said in the statement, which was posted on the WikiLeaks website on Saturday. Assange accused the U.S. government of 'stunning' hypocrisy in its treatment of Snowden while it gave asylum to thousands of dissidents, whistleblowers and political refugees from countries like Russia and Venezuela." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJulian Assange: Obama ‘validated’ Snowden as a whistleblower

Sputtering War on Drugs In Afghanistan

"By the Pentagon’s own definition, the U.S. and its allies have failed to curb the drug trade in Afghanistan that provides 90 percent of the world’s heroin and is the main source of funding for the Taliban. The United Nations has pledged to fill the counter-narcotics vacuum left by the withdrawing allies, but that effort will be dependent on continuing contributions from donor states. To continue anti-drug efforts past 2014, the U.S. must include DEA agents with the long-term residual force that President Obama plans to leave behind post-2014, according to the Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSputtering War on Drugs In Afghanistan