Orwellian

Just Say the Magic Word

"When your government starts arbitrarily seizing skyscrapers, the time to start thinking about and devising an internationalization strategy was yesterday. If you have not already started, I'd suggest that it is high time to get going. This goes double for libertarians and anyone else who could one day become the government's next enemy du jour. All the government has to do is say the magic T-word, and poof: your rights, your assets, and even your life can be taken from you in an instant, without due process, and the vast majority of people will approve of it." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJust Say the Magic Word

A Government Database about our Sex Lives: Gee, What Could Go Wrong?

"I don’t like the idea of government bureaucrats having my private information, but what’s probably most worrisome about this Obama Administration scheme is that the data won’t be confidential. As McCaughey writes, it’s just a matter of time before hackers or incompetent bureaucrats make that information public. By the way, everything written by McCaughey and Hatch also helps to explain why we should resist privacy-destroying schemes such as the Internet sales tax cartel being pushed by greedy politicians. I know I wouldn’t want all my online purchases in a database where state and local bureaucrats would be able to snoop for details." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingA Government Database about our Sex Lives: Gee, What Could Go Wrong?

FBI calls half of populace with 9/11 doubts potential terrorists

"A newly released national poll shows that 48 percent of Americans either have some doubts about the official account of 9/11, or do not believe it at all.The FBI circular entitled 'Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities Related to Sleepers' says that people who should be 'considered suspicious' of possible involvement in 'terrorist activity' include those who hold the 'attitude' described as 'Conspiracy theories about Westerners.' The circular continues: 'e.g. (sic) the CIA arranged for 9/11 to legitimize the invasion of foreign lands.' Most recently, former Fox News anchorman Ben Swann has questioned the official 9/11 story." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFBI calls half of populace with 9/11 doubts potential terrorists

Damascus clubbers try to dance away constant threat of death

"When night falls in Damascus, gaggles of determined revellers still head out on the town seeking to drown out the thunder of outgoing artillery fire with the boom of music. The shells are raining down on suspected rebel positions in suburbs just a few kilometres away but, while most people lock themselves fearfully in their homes, some head out to try to forget the war on their doorstep. 'I come here for a change of atmosphere,' says Mohammad, a 25-year-old car salesman, who has clearly had a drink or three. 'There is joy here,' he says of the nightclub in the upscale Shaalan neighbourhood, where the barman juggles bottles of spirits. 'I want to live, I don’t want to hear any more bad news.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDamascus clubbers try to dance away constant threat of death

‘Technical glitch’ brings down Iranian censorship firewall temporarily

"A technical glitch allowed some Iranians temporary access to banned social networking websites Facebook and Twitter, an Iranian Internet official said on Tuesday. Surprised Internet users in Iran Monday night were able to log onto their accounts without using illegal software that enables them to circumvent a widespread state-run filtering mechanism. They voiced their delight online, with posts revelling in the rare web freedom — restricted in 2009 when social networking sites enabled protesters to organise anti-government demonstrations in the aftermath of a disputed presidential election." Continue reading →

Continue Reading‘Technical glitch’ brings down Iranian censorship firewall temporarily

Google, Facebook and Yahoo push 21 nations for surveillance data

"The Global Network Initiative, which includes Google, Facebook, Yahoo and Microsoft, asked the countries to 'report on the requests they make for electronic communications surveillance and to make it legally possible for companies to report regularly to the public on the government requests that they receive from law enforcement as well as national security authorities.' Letters were sent to senior government officials responsible for foreign affairs, justice, and security, with copies to data protection authorities, the group said. Copies were sent to representatives at the United Nations offices in Geneva, in advance of discussions on human rights and communications surveillance." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGoogle, Facebook and Yahoo push 21 nations for surveillance data

Police officer researched romantic rivals using criminal justice databases

"A former Tucson police officer who pleaded guilty to computer tampering for using criminal justice databases to check up on romantic rivals has been sentenced to probation. Pima County prosecutors say Andrea Middleton was given three months of probation Friday. She pleaded guilty to two counts of computer tampering last month. Middleton resigned in June from the police department, where she had worked for seven years." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPolice officer researched romantic rivals using criminal justice databases

NSA Efforts Damaged U.S. Cryptography Standard

"The fix may not be all that difficult—the tainted part of the standard is a highly inefficient algorithm that security experts identified as a problem long ago. In fact, the biggest mystery, those experts say, is why the NSA thought any company or government agency would willingly use that particular algorithm to protect their data. Despite Dual_EC_DRBG’s known flaws, prominent tech companies including Microsoft, Cisco, Symantec and RSA include the algorithm in their product’s cryptographic libraries primarily because they need it to be eligible for government contracts, cryptographer Bruce Schneier says." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNSA Efforts Damaged U.S. Cryptography Standard

Fmr. NSA chief: ‘Morally arrogant’ Snowden will probably become alcoholic

"Gen. Michael Hayden, a former NSA and CIA chief, shared a lot of opinions during a discussion at a Washington church Sunday, beyond his thoughts on terrorists' love for Gmail and the U.S. government's approach to the Internet. Discussing the 'tension between security and liberty' at St. John's Episcopal Church near the White House, Hayden criticized the reporting of NSA surveillance programs, argued that society must make a choice between security and liberty, and took personal shots at NSA leaker Edward Snowden." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFmr. NSA chief: ‘Morally arrogant’ Snowden will probably become alcoholic

Barrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail

"Encountering Barrett Brown's story in passing, it is tempting to group him with other Anonymous associates who have popped up in the news for cutting pleas and changing sides. Brown's case, however, is a thing apart. Although he knew some of those involved in high-profile 'hacktivism,' he is no hacker. His situation is closer to the runaway prosecution that destroyed Aaron Swartz, the programmer-activist who committed suicide in the face of criminal charges similar to those now being leveled at Brown. But unlike Swartz, who illegally downloaded a large cache of academic articles, Brown never broke into a server; he never even leaked a document." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBarrett Brown Faces 105 Years in Jail