Homeland Stupidity

Feds searching passenger cell phones at San Francisco airport

"U.S. Customs & Border Protection is becoming more adamant about examining the cell phones of some arriving travelers – including U.S. citizens – and now the American Civil Liberties Union is challenging that practice. The ACLU has taken up the case of a U.S. artist named Aaron Gach, who returned to the U.S. at San Francisco International from an exhibition in Europe, and was pulled aside by CBP officers and ordered to unlock his iPhone for a search of its contents. Gach resisted, but finally gave in when he was told that if he didn’t, CBP would keep his phone for an indefinite period." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFeds searching passenger cell phones at San Francisco airport

Trump’s Electronics Ban Is Ineffective, Says International Air Transport Association Chief

"Speaking to the Montreal Council on Foreign Relations, Alexandre de Juniac, director general and chief executive of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), questioned the efficacy of the ban, which prohibits electronics larger than a cellphone on direct flights to the United States from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa. The regulations, prompted by reports that militant groups want to smuggle explosive devices in electronic gadgets, require that electronics larger than a cellphone, including laptops and tablets, must be stowed with checked baggage on U.S.-bound passenger flights." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrump’s Electronics Ban Is Ineffective, Says International Air Transport Association Chief

Trump plans laptop, electronics ban on all flights from Europe

"The rule is reportedly prompted by the difficulty of distinguishing plastic explosives from other components in electronic devices using an X-ray machine. But this explanation is baffling: a plastic explosive is every bit as dangerous in the hold of an airplane as it is in the cabin. What's more, placing a plastic-explosive charge in a hardsided case densely packed with lithium-battery-equipped devices seems an especially dangerous measure. Travelers to and from affected airports will now face the risk of having their laptops and tablets stolen, having their confidential data leaked, and having their devices broken." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTrump plans laptop, electronics ban on all flights from Europe

151 million records, 42 targets: US Intelligence “transparency report”

"Because the NSA collects data on numbers that are 'two hops' away from a targeted phone, records would be collected from any number that called or was called by the target number, and then every number each of those numbers interacted with. As a result, collection expands exponentially as additional targets are added." Continue reading →

Continue Reading151 million records, 42 targets: US Intelligence “transparency report”

FBI Building National Watchlist That Gives Companies Real-Time Updates on Employees

"Employers are even offered the option to purchase lifetime subscriptions to the program for the cost of $13 per person. The decision to participate in Rap Back is at employers’ discretion. Employees have no choice in the matter. There are no laws preventing the FBI from using the data it collects for other purposes, said Jeramie Scott, an attorney with the Electronic Privacy Information Center. A massive trove of digital fingerprints collected by the FBI, he noted, could be used to open up devices like smart phones without the owner’s consent. In addition, Scott pointed out that the FBI often collects a photo of Rap Back participants’ faces." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI Building National Watchlist That Gives Companies Real-Time Updates on Employees

That Other Threat: Electronics Thefts From Checked Luggage

"In 2014, the Transportation Safety Administration said more than 500 baggage screeners had been fired since it was established in 2001, according to the Wall Street Journal. A CNN analysis found more than 30,000 property loss claims were filed by passengers with the TSA between 2010–14, most claiming valuables were taken from checked baggage. Under an international treaty known as the Montreal Convention (to which the US is a signatory), an airline’s liability for loss or damage to a passenger’s luggage is limited to the equivalent of about $1,360." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingThat Other Threat: Electronics Thefts From Checked Luggage

American Authorities Considering Personal Electronics Ban for UK Flights

"The Guardian has revealed that the Trump administration is contemplating a laptop ban on US-bound passengers traveling from UK airports. If imposed, this new ban would mean that travelers headed to the US from the United Kingdom would be unable to bring laptops and possibly other electronic devices into the cabin as part of their carry-on luggage. However, these bans have been met with widespread criticism by professionals within the technology sector." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerican Authorities Considering Personal Electronics Ban for UK Flights