Orwellian

All-seeing eyes focus on the sea

"The center, operated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, can track as many as 50,000 aircraft at any moment. Officials say the center has reduced illegal cross-border flights from thousands per year in the mid-1980s to a handful. Initially, the focus was on drug trafficking, but has expanded over the years to include human trafficking, the smuggling of counterfeit products, and terrorist activities. The center now is testing software that will allow similar scrutiny of maritime traffic. The system would provide a comprehensive view of marine vessels within 100 miles of the U.S. coastlines. The omniscient view allows for greater coordination of agencies that might respond to a potential emergency." Continue reading →

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I was a liberal mole at Fox News

"Each show had one person — be they anchor or producer or whoever — who was directly accountable to the Second Floor. That was the brilliance of the company’s power structure. One misconception that outsiders always had about the channel is that we’d sit around all morning planning how to distort the news that day. But there was never any centralized control like that. No 'marching orders,' as it were. Instead, it was more a decentralized, entrepreneurial approach. Each show was an autonomous unit. Each showrunner — who had not risen to their position by being stupid — knew exactly what was expected of them, knew what topics and guests would be acceptable." Continue reading →

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‘King Would’ve Marched on Obama’

"Executive Director of the Black Agenda Report, Glen Ford, sits down with us to revisit Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic March on Washington August 28, 1963, and how the Obama administration addresses its 50th anniversary. Marching in the streets for the right to vote, protestors were greeted by police with tear gas and dogs. That demonstration, led by Doctor Martin Luther King, happened fifty years ago this week. Its most famous moment came with the delivery of MLK's 'I Have a Dream Speech.'" Continue reading →

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Making the World the ‘Enemy’

"After 9/11, President George W. Bush turned to Civil War precedents to create military tribunals for trying alleged 'terrorists.' But in applying those draconian rules to a worldwide battlefield, he created the nightmarish potential for a global totalitarianism, as retired U.S. Army JAG officer Todd E. Pierce explains." Continue reading →

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NJ: Text Recipients Can Be Held Liable In Texting-And-Driving Accidents

"Drivers in New Jersey were left stunned, after state Appeals Court judges found that when a driver is texting and causes an accident, the recipient of the texts can also be held liable for negligence. As CBS 2’s Hazel Sanchez reported Tuesday night, the decision stemmed from a 2009 accident where a 17-year-old girl texted a friend just before that friend crashed his pickup truck into a Morris County couple on a motorcycle. A state Appeals Court ruled 'that a person sending text messages has a duty not to text someone who is driving if the texter knows, or has special reason to know, the recipient will view the text while driving.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingNJ: Text Recipients Can Be Held Liable In Texting-And-Driving Accidents

American anti-virus mogul McAfee warns Canadians about government spying

"As an anti-virus software tycoon at the head of McAfee Security, he says his early clients ranged from the CIA to the American navy and air force. 'The first six years of McAfee, 90 per cent of our income came from the government. The First Gulf War I donated $40 million worth of software to the U.S. Army,' he says. McAfee said intelligence officials were worried that encryption technology would get out of the U.S. and into the wrong hands. McAfee also says the growth of electronic currencies like Bitcoin is unstoppable, despite efforts by governments to curb their use. 'It will be everywhere and the world will have to readjust. World governments will have to readjust.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerican anti-virus mogul McAfee warns Canadians about government spying

Jeffrey Tucker: We’re All Edward Snowden Now

"In the course of only a few decades, everything unraveled. The monopoly over communication that the government once maintained had been completely smashed. This situation has persisted for about 15 years — a near-anarchist paradise of human sharing and interaction through technological innovation. What’s going on today is really the reaction and response by the elites. They want their power and control back. They are trying to get it through the oldest form of government control surveillance and the blackmail that comes with it. It’s the tactic guards used to control prisoners. It’s the tactic government is using to fight its way back toward having control over our lives." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJeffrey Tucker: We’re All Edward Snowden Now

Freedom Requires Whistleblowers: The Importance of Transparency

"Does it bother you that government agencies are able to spy on everything you do online? The power we give to one set of leaders continues to the next, whether you agree with them or not. Prof. James Otteson says we should be concerned about government overreach. The government should be accountable to the citizens, not the other way around. Whistleblowers play an important role in making sure the people know when the government is doing things it shouldn't do." Continue reading →

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Facebook to pay 614,000 users $15 each over privacy concerns

"A lawsuit that accused Facebook of misappropriating users’ images ended with a settlement on Monday. The agreement states that the social media site has to pay approximately 614,000 Facebook users $15 each for using their information for advertising purposes. While approximately 150 million Facebook users’ images and likenesses were allegedly used to promote products and services through the Sponsored Stories program, only users who entered a claim form by May 2, 2013, were eligible to receive settlement funds. As part of the settlement, Facebook will give users greater information about and control over how they are featured in the Sponsored Stories." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFacebook to pay 614,000 users $15 each over privacy concerns

Sales Of Public Data To Marketers Can Mean Big $$ For Governments

"Spokesperson Andrew Cole confirms the Secretary of State sells business information for monetary amounts ranging from $200 to $12,000, depending on frequency and amount of information requested. The Secretary of State also sold voter registration information — including names, addresses and political party affiliation of voters — for $58,000, last year. The Denver Clerk and Recorder made $32,000 last year selling home sale data. It happens in college, too. The University of Colorado Boulder buys names from the SAT for 33 cents each and names from the ACT for 34 cents each. CU sells student information to private meal plans and storage companies for $15,000 a year." Continue reading →

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