"A recent audit of the state lab that conducts alcohol blood tests found that the laboratory skews test results in favor of prosecutors. So while drunk-driving laws are already utterly arbitrary and damaging for people don't even damage any person or property, it turns out that being sober by the state's standards won't even save you. The state will simply fudge the science or outright lie to favor itself." Continue reading →
"In some Georgia counties, as well as all over the USA, drivers are getting their blood forcibly stolen from them. As shown in this video, every driver who refuses to give the police a blow, even for misdemeanor offenses, is strapped to a table, put into a headlock by a police officer, and their blood forcibly taken. 'We all are American citizens and you guys strapped me to a table like I'm in Guantanamo ****ing Bay!' said one victim of the vampiric policy." Continue reading →
"It's not just the National Security Agency secretly vacuuming up your personal data. Local police agencies are increasingly adopting Big Data technologies such as automatic license-plate readers that gather information about everyone, whether they've broken the law or not. A lot of the information ends up on the 14th floor of a federal office building in San Francisco, where a 'fusion center' run by state and local law enforcement agencies combines the data with a plethora of personal information about you, from credit reports to car rentals to unlisted phone numbers to gun licenses." Continue reading →
"In an anti-democratic and coercive fashion, the Australian government forces citizens to answer intrusive, personally-disturbing questions or face harassment, fines, and prosecution. The Australia Bureau of Statistic's 'Monthly Population Surveys' have been used since 1960 in order to gather information about the country's workforce. Recently, the questions have begun to perturb citizens. Many are refusing to answer such heinous questions, which include detailing people's current and previous sexual relationships. One resident is speaking out about the forced sexual questions thrust upon him and the demand for information regarding his personal sex life." Continue reading →
"The company has filed a patent for a system designed to be used in the home to target advertisements at people. Using a combination of image and audio sensors, it would detect actions in your living room while you were watching TV. These sensors, deploying facial and profile recognition, would pick up 'physical attributes' like skin color, facial features, and even hair length, and also detect 'voice attributes' to help determine the tone of your voice, your accent, and the language you speak. Inanimate objects aren’t off-limits—the technology could also spot beer cans and wall art." Continue reading →
"The drones are already there, though they aren’t continuously in the air; some are Predator B and Guardian drones — unarmed versions of the fighter jet-shaped aircraft commonly used in the Middle East. Also in the sky are large blimps loaded with high-tech cameras, on loan from the Justice Department — like the one I saw resting here outside of Valentine, Texas, roughly 20 miles from the border. Called 'the floating eye,' these building-sized balloons were formerly used to spot insurgents in Afghanistan. Now, they have become so common in the area that one was included in an artist’s rendering of a soon-to-be-built drive-in movie theater in Marfa, Texas." Continue reading →
"Hey, remember the police chief from #7? He’s back! The (former) police chief of Romulus, Mich. and five detectives were part of the town’s vice squad, investigating 'liquor license violations, prostitution and narcotics trafficking.' Thanks to those investigations, they allegedly spent more than $40,000 in asset forfeiture funds on marijuana, booze, and prostitutes. Now these cops face 22 felony counts…and just gave Nic Cage a new movie idea." Continue reading →
"Judicial Watch announced today that it has obtained records from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) revealing that the agency has spent millions of dollars for the warrantless collection and analysis of Americans’ financial transactions. The documents also reveal that CFPB contractors may be required to share the information with 'additional government entities.'" Continue reading →
"A French banking watchdog said on Wednesday that it fined the French branch of UBS, Switzerland's largest bank, ten million euros for helping hundreds of well-heeled clients stash money away in undeclared Swiss accounts. The bank immediately hit back in a statement, protesting that the fine, about $13 million, was disproportionate. The issue jumped back to the top of the government's agenda in the wake of a scandal surrounding the former budget minister Jérôme Cahuzac, who in April was himself placed under investigation for tax fraud. His role as budget minister included tackling tax evasion." Continue reading →
"The IRS allows some of its 90,000 employees to use company charge cards to buy work-related items, such as office supplies. However, employees made a host of 'improper' purchases -- ranging from a dinner averaging $140 per person to Thomas the Tank Engine rubber wristbands. The inspector general said the IRS has been negligent when it comes to catching employees who circumvent $3,000 caps on transactions, by splitting purchases into several transactions. The agency also doesn't have a good record at turning off credit cards as soon as employees depart or retire." Continue reading →