for life and liberty

Tiny Colorado city busy repealing laws during a ‘Year of Freedom’

"After a busy state legislative session, Glendale, Colo. — a one square-mile enclave of libertarianism surrounded by the city and county of Denver — has decided to focus on repealing laws rather than passing new ones. During what Mayor Mike Dunafon has called the 'Year of Freedom,' Glendale is revoking one vague, arcane or redundant law a month for 12 months. The first law stricken from the books on June 4 criminalized the sale, transfer or possession of an 'assault weapon,' which was vaguely defined in city code. The latest to land on the chopping block is one making it illtegal for minors to be in the same building as for-profit pool tables." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTiny Colorado city busy repealing laws during a ‘Year of Freedom’

Meet The Man Behind Booming Black Market Drug Website Silk Road

"Anyone can download and run Tor, exchange some dollars or euros for the digital currency Bitcoin and go shopping on Silk Road for drugs that are vacuum-sealed and discreetly mailed via the U.S. Postal Service. By one measure, Roberts’ eBay-like service was grossing $1.2 million a month in the first half of 2012. Since then the site has doubled its product listings, and revenue now hits an annual run-rate of $30 million to $45 million by FORBES’ estimate. One analysis found that Silk Road received around 60,000 visits a day, mostly users seeking to buy or sell drugs, along with other illicit items including unregulated cigarettes and forged documents." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMeet The Man Behind Booming Black Market Drug Website Silk Road

Math Advances Raise the Prospect of an Internet Security Crisis

"The encryption systems used to secure online bank accounts and keep critical communications private could be undone in just a few years, security researchers warned at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas yesterday. The NSA has for years recommended ECC as the most reliable cryptographic protection available. Implementations of ECC were pioneered and patented by a company called Certicom that is now a subsidiary of the phone manufacturer BlackBerry. Although the U.S. government has purchased licenses, other companies that want to use ECC will need to make expensive deals with Certicom to avoid lawsuits." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMath Advances Raise the Prospect of an Internet Security Crisis

Is Government Just Spying Like a Giant Peeping Tom … Or Is It Actively USING that Information?

"Top NSA whistleblower William Binney – the former head of the National Security Agency’s global digital data gathering program, and a 32-year veteran of that agency who was a 'legend' among NSA workers – says that the NSA database is used to harass and even frame anyone the government doesn’t like. Another high-level NSA whistleblower (Russell Tice, who worked on satellite spying for the agency for two decades) says that the NSA is spying on – and blackmailing – top government officials and military officers (and see this; and this PBS interview)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIs Government Just Spying Like a Giant Peeping Tom … Or Is It Actively USING that Information?

Owner of Snowden’s Email Service on Why He Closed Lavabit Rather Than Comply

"Lavabit, an encrypted email service believed to have been used by National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden, has abruptly shut down. The move came amidst a legal fight that appeared to involve U.S. government attempts to win access to customer information. In a Democracy Now! broadcast exclusive, we are joined by Lavabit owner Ladar Levison and his lawyer, Jesse Binnall. 'Unfortunately, I can’t talk about it. I would like to, believe me,' Levison says. 'I think if the American public knew what our government was doing, they wouldn’t be allowed to do it anymore.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingOwner of Snowden’s Email Service on Why He Closed Lavabit Rather Than Comply

Google: Gmail users ‘have no legitimate expectation of privacy’

"As tensions worsen among privacy-focused email users amid the escalating scandal surrounding government surveillance, a brief filed by attorneys for Google has surfaced showing that Gmail users should never expect their communications to be kept secret. The motion, penned in hopes of having the United States District Court for the Northern District of California dismiss a class action complaint against the company, says Gmail users should assume that any electronic correspondence that's passed through Google’s servers can be accessed and used for an array of options, such as selling ads to customers." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle: Gmail users ‘have no legitimate expectation of privacy’

Multiple New Polls Show Americans Reject Wholesale NSA Domestic Spying

"The poll revealed that Americans largely believe that the government has gone too far by a margin of 45% to 40%. This is a clear reversal from a January 2010 survey in which the same question found that 63% of voters believed the government didn’t 'go far enough to adequately protect the country.' In an Economist/YouGov poll, 56% of Americans do not think the NSA is telling the truth about the unconstitutional spying. The same poll found that 59% of people disapprove of the spying, while only 35% approve of it. A recent Fox News poll finds 62% of Americans think the collection of phone records is 'an unacceptable and alarming invasion of privacy rights.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMultiple New Polls Show Americans Reject Wholesale NSA Domestic Spying

Breaking the NSA Spy Ring: “What Rule of Law” Would Look Like

"Police Officer: Barack Obama? Barack Obama: Yes? Police Officer: You are under arrest for violations of United States Code, Title 18, Section 241, Conspiracy Against Rights; and Section 242, Deprivation of Rights Under Color of Law. You have the right to remain silent when questioned. Anything you say or do may be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to consult an attorney before speaking to the police and to have an attorney present during questioning now or in the future. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be appointed for you before any questioning, if you wish. If you decide to answer any questions now, [...]" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBreaking the NSA Spy Ring: “What Rule of Law” Would Look Like

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