Fascism

Police need warrants to track cell-phone data, N.J. Supreme Court rules

"The state Supreme Court ruled today that law enforcement agencies must get warrants if they want to track crime suspects by tracing the signals from their cell phones. 'Cell phones are not meant to serve as tracking devices to locate their owners wherever they may be,' Chief Justice Stuart Rabner wrote in the 7-0 decision. The state’s high court is the first in the country to impose such a ruling, and former state justices and legal experts said the decision could ripple throughout the states and in federal courts wrestling with the same questions on the collection and use of electronic data." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice need warrants to track cell-phone data, N.J. Supreme Court rules

NSA is more than just a spy network, it’s global fascism

"Putting the overall theme of government abuse of power into perspective, this week provided a solid example of what should happen in an advanced civilized democracy. Luxembourg’s long-serving Prime Minister Jean-Claude Juncker announced his resignation this week over a spying scandal involving illegal phone-taps, alongside a number other highly corrupt activities. In normal times, what happened in Luxembourg should also happen in other countries like the US, or Great Britain - but these are far from normal times. What passes for normal in this bizarre epoch is anyone’s guess, and the same goes for what is deemed to be ‘legal’." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA is more than just a spy network, it’s global fascism

Millions of U.S. license plates tracked and stored – and it’s not just government agencies

"'License plate readers are the most pervasive method of location tracking that nobody has heard of,' said Catherine Crump, ACLU lawyer and lead author of the report. 'They collect data on millions of Americans, the overwhelming number of whom are entirely innocent of any wrongdoing.' Crump said that the creeping growth of licence plate scanners echoed the debate over the National Security Agency. 'It raises the same question as the NSA controversy: do we want to live in a world where the government makes a record of everything we do – because that’s what’s being created by the growth of databases linked to license plate readers.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMillions of U.S. license plates tracked and stored – and it’s not just government agencies

2012: The Top Fifteen Selling Vaccines

"The ‘medical miracle’ of vaccines has proven quite miraculous on at least one front, the financial one. Investors in the manufacture, distribution and administration of vaccines have reaped handsome rewards since the creation of the National Childhood Vaccine Injury Act (NCVIA). For the five producers of the top 15 vaccines, this is a total of $15.925 billion; not at all bad for an industry that was threatening to close down operations 30 years ago. Apparently, limited liability does wonders for the bottom line." Continue reading →

Continue Reading2012: The Top Fifteen Selling Vaccines

Indian jewellers join government’s gold bar and coin ban

"In a bid to support the Indian government’s efforts, jewellery retailers have decided to join in and curb investment into the precious metal. Several prominent retailers like Gitanjali Gems, TBZ and Tanishq, are to voluntarily stop sales. All India Gems and Jewellery Trade Federation, which has more than 40,000 members, has said that over 85% of its members have agreed to the ban. The rest are slated to join over the weekend. 'The jewellery community has come together in supporting the country in times of crisis. We are happy to help with this voluntary action,' said Haresh Soni, chairman of the Federation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIndian jewellers join government’s gold bar and coin ban

All True Journalism is Adversarial

"Last spring, the Monitor learned that the McAllen city government was negotiating with the GEO Group, a Florida-based private prison corporation, about building a 1,000-bed jail that would accept federal inmates. The paper didn’t report on the discussions until July 2, in a story that contained the following admission: 'At the city’s request, The Monitor didn’t report the news to avoid tipping off potential competitors and skunking the deal.' Were The Monitor an actual newspaper, rather than a propaganda organ, its editorial board would understand that its job is to disclose things the city government seeks to conceal, especially when taxpayer money is involved." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAll True Journalism is Adversarial

Govt wants all cars to track driver behavior, seatbelt usage and more

"Most people are unaware that newer vehicles already contain these event data recorders, which are a continuous feed of information, recorded by sensors. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 96 percent of 2013 model cars already house these black boxes. Private security expert Steve Rambam believes law enforcement agencies might seek to cut costs and save resources by monitoring driver data from discreet locations. Law enforcement could monitor people from the comfort of their office, sending tickets to the driver by mail. Old fashioned patrols could evolve into data police centers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGovt wants all cars to track driver behavior, seatbelt usage and more

NSA, the secret AT&T spy room, and 2 Israeli companies

"In James Bamford’s 2008 interview, he mentions two Israeli companies, Narus and Verint, that almost nobody knew about. They played a key role in developing and selling the technology that allowed NSA to deploy its PRISM spying program. It’s obvious that these two Israeli companies, Narus and Verint, working for NSA, have been able to divert duplicate mega-tons of data to Israeli intelligence. The government-corporate juggernaut moves ahead. Their rationale—catching terrorists—is, in great part, a cover story to obscure the fact that the State wants control over the lives of all citizens, as it ratchets up the very conditions that provoke rebellion." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA, the secret AT&T spy room, and 2 Israeli companies

Internet Fascism and the Surveillance State

"This has been a common historical pattern in the rise of totalitarian States, which have often sought to incorporate large business concerns into their network of power. Indeed, the very notion of 'public-private partnerships' in this sector readily brings to mind the worst aspects of fascist economic systems that have historically existed. The actions of US companies that have cooperated in the NSA’s mass surveillance operations calls into question the 'private' status of these companies. In many ways these companies have acted as an extension of the US government, providing information illegally, in exchange for privileges and intelligence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInternet Fascism and the Surveillance State

Gangs Ruled Prison as For-Profit Model Put Blood on Floor

"More than 130,000 state and federal convicts throughout the U.S. now live in private prisons such as Walnut Grove, as public officials buy into claims that the institutions can deliver profits while preparing inmates for life after release, saving tax dollars and creating jobs. No national data tracks whether the facilities are run as well as public ones, and private-prison lobbyists for years have successfully fought efforts to bring them under federal open-records law. Yet regulatory, court and state records show that the industry has repeatedly experienced the kind of staffing shortages and worker turnover that helped produce years of chaos at Walnut Grove." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGangs Ruled Prison as For-Profit Model Put Blood on Floor