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Lavabit.com owner: ‘I could be arrested’ for resisting order to turn over user info

"The owner of an encrypted email service used by ex-NSA contractor Edward Snowden said he has been threatened with criminal charges for refusing to comply with a secret surveillance order to turn over information about his customers. 'I could be arrested for this action,' Ladar Levison told NBC News about his decision to shut down his company, Lavabit, in protest over a secret court order he had received from a federal court that is overseeing the investigation into Snowden. Levison said he started Lavabit 10 years ago to capitalize on public concerns about the Patriot Act. Until he shut down, his small company was generating about $100,000 in revenue annually." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLavabit.com owner: ‘I could be arrested’ for resisting order to turn over user info

Angry Oklahoman confronts Republican congressman over NSA surveillance

"Republican Congressman James Lankford of Oklahoma received a verbal lashing at a town hall meeting on Tuesday from a man upset with the National Security Agency’s surveillance program. 'The DEA and the IRS are getting information from the NSA and using it to frame American citizens and then lying about where they got the information,' Dax Ewbank of Oklahoma City said at the event. 'This is what is happening. Now, what happens if the government becomes politically against my belief system or my lifestyle?' 'I do not accept this idea that we need to wait for two years while you guys figure out what to do,' Ewbanks said. 'It needs to end now.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAngry Oklahoman confronts Republican congressman over NSA surveillance

Brazil threatens to take claims of U.S. spying to the U.N.

"Brazil said Wednesday that it may go to the United Nations over US spying, which it said was not only used to combat terrorism, but also for industrial espionage. 'We are not satisfied with the explanations presented' by US Secretary of State John Kerry during a visit Tuesday, Communications Minister Paulo Bernardo told a congressional panel. 'Consequently, we will bring the case to international organizations, probably the United Nations.' American officials have defended the espionage programs as entirely lawful measures that have helped foil dozens of terror attacks globally." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBrazil threatens to take claims of U.S. spying to the U.N.

Egypt’s ElBaradei: liberal with ‘troubled conscience’

"The ex-diplomat, UN executive and Nobel laureate turned liberal political leader stepped down after scores were killed in a crackdown by security forces on loyalists of ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. 'It has become too difficult to continue bearing responsibility for decisions I do not agree with and whose consequences I fear,' ElBaradei said. Ahead of the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq, he won admiration around the world and infuriated Washington by challenging claims that Saddam Hussein was hiding a secret nuclear programme." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEgypt’s ElBaradei: liberal with ‘troubled conscience’

White House says Egypt’s new regime is on the ‘wrong path’

"The White House once again avoided using the word 'coup' to describe the recent overthrow of president Morsi – a move which would trigger an automatic congressional ban on US aid to the Egyptian military. Washington has suspended a recent shipment of F16 jets and said it was re-assessing whether to restart its $1.3bn of military aid, but its fears that a permanent severing of aid risks removing the only leverage it has in restraining the generals. For the moment, the White House insists it is simply continuing to evaluate its support, while stepping up its threat to sever ties if the military does not change tack." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhite House says Egypt’s new regime is on the ‘wrong path’

More than 200 dead, 2,000 wounded as Egyptian security forces crush protesters

"Egyptian security forces crushed the protest camps of thousands of supporters of the deposed Islamist president on Wednesday, shooting almost 200 of them dead in the bloodiest day in decades. At least 235 people were killed in all, including at least 43 police, and 2,000 wounded. Prime Minister Hazem el-Beblawi defended the use of force, saying the authorities had no choice but to act to end 'the spread of anarchy'. 'We found that matters had reached a point that no self-respecting state could accept,' he said in a televised address. The crowds appeared to be armed mainly with sticks, stones and concrete slabs." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMore than 200 dead, 2,000 wounded as Egyptian security forces crush protesters

Craigslist has cost U.S. newspapers $5 billion

"The study, to be published in the journal Management Science covering the period 2000 to 2007, found Craigslist has had a huge impact on local US newspapers, which have in the past relied heavily on classifieds. Over that period the researchers noted a 20.7 percent drop in classified ad rates, a 3.3 percent increase in subscription prices and a 4.4 percent decrease in circulation, according to a summary of the research released this week by New York University. 'We ascribe this impact to Craigslist,' Seamans told AFP. 'When Craigslist enters a market, the effect on a newspaper’s classified ads is almost immediate,' he added." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCraigslist has cost U.S. newspapers $5 billion

After destroying newspapers, the Internet is now poised to disrupt television

"Having turned print media upside down, the Internet now is disrupting television, forcing broadcasters to adapt to tablets and video-on-demand to hold onto views and advertisers. 'The gap between what consumers want and the way the industry is delivering it has grown so big that the industry now has to start to make some moves,' Forrester Research analyst Jim Nail told AFP. For the first time this year, American adults are spending more time with the Internet than in front of television sets — about five hours a day compared to 4.5, according to a study in eMarketer this month. Internet giant Google has joined the party with Chromecast." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAfter destroying newspapers, the Internet is now poised to disrupt television

Eric Margolis: Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face

"Imagine if the US increased its arms supplies to Syria’s rebels and imposed a no-fly zone, as Sen. John McCain urges. Russian S-300 anti-aircraft missiles down US warplanes. The US launches attacks on Russian AA units, then on Russian ships delivering arms to the Assad government. It’s not hard to see how a direct clash over Syria could put Russia and the US on their most perilous collision course since the Cuban missile crisis. Instead of dealing with this major threat, Obama, under blistering attack from Republicans over the deaths of three Americans in Benghazi, Libya, is offending Putin and indeed all Russians." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingEric Margolis: Kicking Sand In Russia’s Face

Russia Today’s Editor-In-Chief: ‘The West Never Got Over the Cold War Stereotype’

"Russian President Vladimir Putin has created an anti-CNN for Western audiences with the international satellite news network Russia Today. He commissioned the network in order to 'break the monopoly of the Anglo-Saxon mass media.' The government seems to be succeeding in its task, with the network gaining more viewers in major cities in the United States that any other foreign broadcaster. In Washington, 13 times as many viewers tune in to Russia Today than they do its German equivalent Deutsche Welle. A total of 2 million Brits watch the program. On Youtube, the Moscow-based broadcaster recently broke the one-billion-hit barrier." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRussia Today’s Editor-In-Chief: ‘The West Never Got Over the Cold War Stereotype’