statism

New leak shows feds can access user accounts for Google, Facebook and more

"Just one day after disclosing the existence of a secret court order between the NSA and Verizon, The Guardian and The Washington Post both published secret presentation slides revealing the existence of a previously undisclosed massive surveillance program called PRISM. The program has the capability to collect data 'directly from the servers' of major American tech companies, including Microsoft, Google, Apple, Facebook and Yahoo. (Dropbox is said to be 'coming soon.') The newspapers describe the system as one giving the National Security Agency and the FBI direct access to a huge number of online commercial services." Continue reading →

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The Problem of Leviathan

"The Internal Revenue Service, already under fire after officials disclosed that the agency targeted conservative groups, faces increased scrutiny because of an inspector general's report that it spent about $50 million to hold at least 220 conferences for employees between 2010 and 2012. The report by the Treasury Department's inspector general about conference spending is set to be released Tuesday. The department issued a statement Sunday saying the administration 'has already taken aggressive and dramatic action to reduce conference spending.'" Continue reading →

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No Statute Of Limitations For Failing To File U.S. Tax Returns

"The statute of limitations—that legal egg timer, normally set to three years—never starts to run on unreported activities. And there are cases now of the IRS going back decades, collecting big money—plus penalties and interest—on form-filing failures, accounting errors, and innocent mistakes by unwary people. Consider the recent case of Sumner Redstone, the Viacom chairman who failed to report a taxable gift to his children. This happened in 1972, and nobody looked twice at it for 40 years. Then, just a few months ago, the IRS decided he owed $1.1 million in penalties and interest. All for an old error that everyone except the IRS had forgotten about." Continue reading →

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DEA Rehires “Con Man Extraordinaire” and Admitted Multiple Perjurer as Paid Informant

"The Drug Enforcement Agency is so determined to bust folks that a snitch who admitted to multiple instances of perjury has been rehired. According to AZCentral, the man once labeled the 'highest paid snitch in history' -- Andrew Chambers, Jr. -- is back in business as a paid informant, never mind the fact that he was terminated in 2000 for incessant lying. Chambers gave false testimony under oath in at least 16 criminal cases nationwide before he was ousted in 2000. An informant since 1984, he worked with DEA and other federal agencies in at least 280 cases, with sting operations in 31 US cities." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDEA Rehires “Con Man Extraordinaire” and Admitted Multiple Perjurer as Paid Informant

What telephone metadata can tell the authorities about you

"The phone number of every caller and recipient; the unique serial number of the phones involved; the time and duration of each phone call; and potentially the location of each of the participants when the call happened. All of this information is being collected on millions of calls every day – every conversation taking place within the US, or between the US and a foreign country. The government has long argued that this information isn’t private or personal. It is, they say, the equivalent of looking at the envelope of a letter. Because it’s not personal information, but rather 'transactional' or 'business' data, there’s no need to show probable cause to collect it." Continue reading →

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Iowa City Council Votes To Ban Traffic Cameras And Drones

"Rather than allow residents of Iowa City, Iowa to decide whether to impose a permanent ban on red light cameras, speed cameras and drones, the city council unanimously decided Tuesday to directly adopt the proposed initiative with some modification. This marks the first time that a city council with a strong pro-camera majority has repealed an automated ticketing ordinance in response to a public petition. The ordinance states no drone, red light camera, speed camera or license plate recognition system can be used in the city without a police officer operating the device personally handing the traffic citation to, or arresting, the alleged offender." Continue reading →

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Costa Rica Probes Liberty Reserve Founder Marriage

"The man who allegedly founded currency transfer firm Liberty Reserve may have paid a Costa Rican woman to marry him so he could get citizenship in this country, which lacks an extradition treaty with the United States, authorities said Wednesday. Deputy director of judicial investigations Gustavo Vega said officials were still investigating the 2010 marriage between millionaire Arthur Budovsky and a woman who local media identified only by her last names of Valerio Vargas." Continue reading →

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So far, D.C. feeling little pain from sequester’s bite

"In the months since the automatic federal spending cuts known as the sequester took effect, the Washington area has added 40,000 jobs. Income-tax receipts have surged in Virginia, beating expectations. Few government contractors have laid off workers. It’s too early to be certain, but initial indications are that the damage from the sequester has been modest and slow to develop. The pace of job growth from January to April was only slightly slower this year than last year. Large government contractors are reporting relatively modest revenue hits and few layoffs due to reduced contracts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingSo far, D.C. feeling little pain from sequester’s bite

‘Virtual’ Currencies Draw State Regulator Scrutiny

"State banking regulators are scrutinizing companies that let people buy and sell virtual currencies such as bitcoin, and some are looking at requiring costly licenses, according to people familiar with the efforts. Texas is one of 48 states that require companies to obtain money-transmission licenses to operate. South Carolina and Montana don't have such rules. New York bank regulators said they are also discussing the issues with virtual currency exchanges operating in the state. State money-transmission licenses can be costly. In Texas, companies seeking a license must provide a surety bond of between $300,000 and $2 million, depending on transaction volume." Continue reading →

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Hundreds of protesters in Toronto call for Mayor Rob Ford to resign

"Hundreds of protesters gathered in Toronto on Saturday to call for the resignation of embattled city mayor Rob Ford over a scandal involving a video of him allegedly smoking crack. The event, called Stand up for Toronto – Let’s Demand Rob Ford’s Resignation, comes on the back of a week of resignations among Ford’s close aides and continued denials of drug use by the controversial politician. The Star and the Globe and Mail have reported that the police are now investigating links between the video and a recent homicide in Toronto. The Star also reported this week that the third man in the photograph was injured in the same shooting, two months ago." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHundreds of protesters in Toronto call for Mayor Rob Ford to resign