Orwellian

Rep. Alan Grayson on NSA spying: What if ‘Dictator Palin’ gets elected?

"'I heard Rush Limbaugh ranting almost incoherently about this just a few days ago on the radio,' the congressman said. 'He is very concerned about the fact that ‘Dictator Obama’ can get this information. I’m more concerned about the possibility that Dictator Palin can get this information, but regardless of who we are concerned about, the fact is we are both concerned.' Grayson has introduced legislation that would prohibit the Department of Defense from collecting Internet, telephone and other personal information generated by U.S. citizens without probable cause of a terrorism or criminal offense." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRep. Alan Grayson on NSA spying: What if ‘Dictator Palin’ gets elected?

Criminal defense lawyers demand access to secret DEA evidence

"Criminal defense lawyers are challenging a U.S. government practice of hiding the tips that led to some drug investigations, information that the lawyers say is essential to fair trials in U.S. courts. The practice of creating an alternate investigative trail to hide how a case began – what federal agents call 'parallel construction' – has never been thoroughly tested in court. Defense lawyers said that by hiding the existence of the information, the government is violating a defendant’s constitutional right to view potentially exculpatory evidence that suggests witness bias, entrapment or innocence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCriminal defense lawyers demand access to secret DEA evidence

Facing pressure from U.S., encrypted email service Lavabit shuts down

"An encrypted email service believed to have been used by US leaker Edward Snowden shut down on Thursday apparently as a result of pressure from US authorities. Lavabit owner Ladar Levison posted a message at the website telling users that the he was pulling the plug on the secure email service launched in Texas nearly a decade ago. Levison lamented that he was barred from sharing details of what prompted Lavabit’s demise. US law allows national security officials to make requests to companies that come with the caveat they must be kept secret." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFacing pressure from U.S., encrypted email service Lavabit shuts down

Meshnet activists rebuilding the internet from scratch

"Across the US, from Maryland to Seattle, work is underway to construct user-owned wireless networks that will permit secure communication without surveillance or any centralised organisation. They are known as meshnets and ultimately, if their designers get their way, they will span the country. The Seattle Meshnet has just completed a successful crowdfunding campaign for meshboxes – routers that come preloaded with the cjdns software needed to join Hyperboria. Users will just plug the routers into their existing internet connection and be ready to go on the virtual meshnet – or a local physical meshnet when one becomes available." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMeshnet activists rebuilding the internet from scratch

Snowden’s Email Provider Shuts Down

"I have been forced to make a difficult decision: to become complicit in crimes against the American people or walk away from nearly ten years of hard work by shutting down Lavabit. After significant soul searching, I have decided to suspend operations. I wish that I could legally share with you the events that led to my decision. I cannot. [..] This experience has taught me one very important lesson: without congressional action or a strong judicial precedent, I would _strongly_ recommend against anyone trusting their private data to a company with physical ties to the United States. Sincerely, Ladar Levison Owner and Operator, Lavabit LLC" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSnowden’s Email Provider Shuts Down

Fears of NSA surveillance hurting the U.S. cloud computing industry

"American technology businesses fear they could lose between $21.5bn and $35bn in cloud computing contracts worldwide over the next three years, as part of the fallout from the NSA revelations. Some US companies said they have already lost business, while UK rivals said that UK and European businesses are increasingly wary of trusting their data to American organisations, which might have to turn it over secretly to the National Security Agency. The ITIF survey found that of those outside the US, 10% had cancelled a project with a US-based cloud computing provider, and 56% would be 'less likely' to use a US-based cloud computing service." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFears of NSA surveillance hurting the U.S. cloud computing industry

Veteran civil rights leader: Snowden acted in tradition of civil disobedience

"John Lewis, a 73-year-old congressman and one of the last surviving lieutenants of Martin Luther King, said Snowden could claim he was appealing to 'a higher law' when he disclosed top secret documents showing the extent of NSA surveillance of both Americans and foreigners. When it was pointed out to Lewis that many in Washington believed that Snowden was simply a criminal, he replied: 'Some people say criminality or treason or whatever. He could say he was acting because he was appealing to a higher law. Many of us have some real, real, problems with how the government has been spying on people.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingVeteran civil rights leader: Snowden acted in tradition of civil disobedience

Four Centuries of Surveillance: From Privy Councils to FISA Courts

"Letters to or from England were carried by private ship captains, who often hung a bag in the local coffeehouse to receive letters for shipment. The price was generally a penny for a single letter and two pence for a double letter or parcel. In 1591 the Crown had issued a proclamation granting itself the monopoly of all foreign mail, and in 1609 the Crown’s proclamation extended its own monopoly to all mail foreign or domestic. The purpose of this postal monopoly was quite simple: to enable governmental officials to read the letters of private citizens in order to discover and suppress 'treason' and 'sedition.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFour Centuries of Surveillance: From Privy Councils to FISA Courts

Get My FBI File (Because If You Don’t Ask, You’ll Never Know)

"Do you have an FBI file? You might! Many people do. So let's talk about your past. Did you ... ever participate in a civil rights march? How about a Vietnam war protest? ...ever sign an edgy political petition? ...ever know a guy named 'Joey the Horse?' (Ever help him take out any heavy garbage bags?) ...ever hang out with a third-world dictator, retired or present? This web site helps you generate the letters you need to send to the FBI to get a copy of your own FBI file. We can help you get your files from other 'three-letter agencies' (CIA, NSA, DIA, ...) too. It's quick, it's easy, and best of all, it's free! Just click on the green arrow to get started!" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGet My FBI File (Because If You Don’t Ask, You’ll Never Know)

America’s Emerging Police State: A Brief History

"As Congress and the American people grapple with the fallout from Edward Snowden’s stunning revelations, we are hearing a kind of defense coming from the authoritarians in our midst: none of this is new, they argue, so what’s all the fuss about? In a sense, they are right: the 'legal' and political outlines of an American police state have been emerging from the fulcrum of war and the turbulence of our domestic politics since World War II. The only difference now is the technology, which has developed far beyond the imagination of J. Edgar Hoover, the FBI’s first director, who widely deployed the earliest wiretapping capabilities of government snoops." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingAmerica’s Emerging Police State: A Brief History