Orwellian

Congress To Holder: Explain Why NSA Supplies DEA Info Which It Then Launders

"For example, they might send info to the DEA about a likely drug deal, and the DEA would then tell its agents that they should come up with a pretense to stop a certain truck at a certain truck stop at a certain time. The agents would work with local police to concoct a reason to pull the truck over, and voila, drugs found. But, most importantly, at no point would the fact that such information was used to lead to the stop be revealed, and that's unconstitutional. If you're accused, you're supposed to have access to all of the evidence being used against you. Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCongress To Holder: Explain Why NSA Supplies DEA Info Which It Then Launders

Civil liberties may not survive the ‘Gorgon Stare’

"At the top of the executive branch, President Obama and his team favor Orwellian euphemism, preferring wordblobs like 'disposition matrix' to the harsh Anglo-Saxon of 'kill list' -- mumbling 'kinetic military action' when what they really mean is 'war.' But further down the administrative ladder, the language sometimes gets admirably blunt. The National Security Agency has programs with names like 'TRAFFICTHIEF' and 'PANOPTICON.' And DHS has even expressed interest in 'Gorgon Stare,' a drone-mounted camera array under development by the Air Force that can watch whole cities at a time (and turn the inhabitants to stone?)." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCivil liberties may not survive the ‘Gorgon Stare’

UW Researcher Moves Another Human’s Finger with his Thoughts

"Many new studies have shown that people can control things -- like video games or a cursor on a screen -- only with their thoughts, but a new project takes this to the next level: people controlling other people with their thoughts. A new study by University of Washington researchers created the first human-to-human brain interface that is noninvasive. It allowed the thoughts of one researcher to manipulate movement of another. The study used electroencephalography (EEG) -- which is used to record brain activity noninvasively from the scalp -- and transcranial magnetic stimulation, which is a noninvasive way of delivering stimulation to the brain to obtain a response." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUW Researcher Moves Another Human’s Finger with his Thoughts

A New System to Link Human Knowledge with Machine Data

"The Office of Naval Research is looking into the approach as a potential model for distributed decision-making teams charged with quick response. The RPD decision-making framework 'acts as an intelligent team partner that is able to share information without overloading people and enhances the quality of information by sharing relevant facts,' Yen said. In practical terms, that means being able to more quickly identify a terrorist leader, for example, by recognizing patterns of behavior or similar interactions or social connections among members of terrorist cells. 'This agent architecture can not only enhance the capabilities of anti-terrorist analysts in identifying terrorist threats, [...] '" Continue reading →

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Elysium: The Technological Side of the American Police State

"While much has been said about Blomkamp’s use of Elysium to raise concerns about immigration, access to healthcare, worker’s rights, and socioeconomic stratification, what I found most striking and unnerving was its depiction of how the government will employ technologies such as drones, tasers and biometric scanners to track, target and control the populace, especially dissidents. Mind you, while these technologies are already in use today and being hailed for their potentially life-saving, cost-saving, time-saving benefits, it won’t be long before the drawbacks to having a government equipped with technology that makes it all-seeing, all-knowing, and all-powerful far outdistance the benefits." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingElysium: The Technological Side of the American Police State

Small minds, big ideas: The implications of the IRS targeting anti-tax groups

"Any time you give a state agency a goal with an extremely broad, malleable definition, the agency is going to tend to interpret its mission as broadly as possible. And when that goal is inherently incompatible with a free society, the agency’s powers will inevitably grow at the expense of individual liberties and the rule of law. We shouldn’t trust the IRS to take as much money as it wants; we shouldn’t trust the military to invade the countries it thinks need to be invaded; and we shouldn’t trust the state security apparatus to 'keep us safe from terrorism.' The best thing that can happen to an agency trusted with such a goal is that it will fail. The worst is that it will succeed." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSmall minds, big ideas: The implications of the IRS targeting anti-tax groups

72 Types Of Americans Considered ‘Potential Terrorists’ In Official Documents

"1. Those that talk about 'individual liberties'; 2. Those that advocate for states’ rights; 3. Those that want 'to make the world a better place'; 4. 'The colonists who sought to free themselves from British rule'; 5. Those that are interested in 'defeating the Communists'; 6. Those that believe 'that the interests of one’s own nation are separate from the interests of other nations or the common interest of all nations'; 7. Anyone that holds a 'political ideology that considers the state to be unnecessary, harmful,or undesirable'; 8. Anyone that possesses an 'intolerance toward other religions'; 9. Those that 'take action to fight against the exploitation of the environment and/or animals'; [..] " Continue reading →

Continue Reading72 Types Of Americans Considered ‘Potential Terrorists’ In Official Documents

Ron Paul Unfiltered; Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg takes on the NSA

"Ron Paul joins Larry to blast US government secrecy and talk about his new Web channel. Plus, have his supporters finally found peace with the GOP? Also, whistle-blower Daniel Ellsberg says the government is always watching... even while you sleep." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul Unfiltered; Pentagon Papers leaker Daniel Ellsberg takes on the NSA

Meet the men who spy on women through their webcams

"RAT operators have nearly complete control over the computers they infect; they can (and do) browse people's private pictures in search of erotic images to share with each other online. They even have strategies for watching where women store the photos most likely to be compromising. Women who have this done to them, especially when the spying escalates into blackmail, report feeling paranoia. One woman targeted by the California "sextortionist" Luis Mijangos wouldn't leave her dorm room for a week after Mijangos turned her laptop into a sophisticated bugging device. Mijangos began taunting her with information gleaned from offline conversations." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMeet the men who spy on women through their webcams

Obama’s visit to Israel gets an official logo

[February 2013] "Netanyahu won a smaller than expected victory in elections in January. In the run up to the American elections last November, Netanyahu was perceived as favoring Republican nominee Mitt Romney for president. The office of Israeli President Shimon Peres announced Monday that Obama would be presented with the Presidential Medal of Distinction in March, according to the Guardian. It would recognize Obama's 'unique and significant contribution to strengthening the State of Israel and the security of its citizens.' The prime minister's official Facebook page offers these three choices for logos to represent Obama's visit." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama’s visit to Israel gets an official logo