Who Watches The Watchers

Twitter CEO defends ‘principled’ data gathering policy

"Twitter is holding to a 'principled' policy on national security data requests and will 'push back' in some cases to protect the privacy of its users, its chief executive said Wednesday. Dick Costolo, appearing at a forum at the Brookings Institution in Washington, declined to comment on whether Twitter had specific requests under the vast data-gathering program called PRISM made public this month. But he noted that Twitter has gone to court in certain cases to fight 'gag' orders and to allow users to be in informed of how their own data is used." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwitter CEO defends ‘principled’ data gathering policy

Judge throws out Abu Ghraib detainees’ torture case citing jurisdiction

"U.S. District Judge Gerald Bruce Lee in Alexandria, Virginia said he lacked jurisdiction to hear claims brought by the four Iraqi plaintiffs under the Alien Tort Statute (ATS), and separate claims by one plaintiff that he said were barred under Iraqi law. Lee ruled eight months after Engility Holdings Inc, a spinoff of L-3 Communications Holdings Inc, paid $5.28 million to settle similar claims. Photos depicting abuse of Abu Ghraib detainees emerged in 2004. While no contractors were charged, some detainees accused their workers in lawsuits of physical and sexual abuse, inflicting electric shocks, and conducting mock executions." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingJudge throws out Abu Ghraib detainees’ torture case citing jurisdiction

Der Spiegel: Public Must Fight against Prism and Tempora Surveillance

"The fact that the Americans and the British -- it is yet to be revealed who else participated -- have granted themselves this enormous power, without ever informing their own people, is a scandal of historic proportions. To the initiated, all the recent public debate about data retention, Internet privacy and the practices of Facebook and Google must have been downright amusing. The state, as it turns out, knew everything all along. The next weeks and months will show whether democratic societies across the world are strong enough to take a stand against the unlimited, totalitarian ambitions of Western secret services -- or not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingDer Spiegel: Public Must Fight against Prism and Tempora Surveillance

Privacy groups push back against Sheriff’s Department license plate database

"The massive storage of license plate and vehicle data by law enforcement agencies across Southern California is sparking a debate over the privacy rights of citizens in their cars. On average, a cruiser equipped with an ALPR camera can collect data on 10,000 cars in a single shift, according to industry reports. A lawsuit filed by two privacy rights groups says each of the 7 million registered cars in greater Los Angeles has had its license plate scanned an average of 22 times since the program launched. The curation of so much information on personal vehicles has raised the ire of privacy groups, which are beginning to push back against the data mining efforts." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingPrivacy groups push back against Sheriff’s Department license plate database

Two Thirds of Americans Support Drones for ‘Homeland Security’ Missions

"The survey also canvassed law enforcement officers, 72% of whom supported the use of unmanned drones for surveillance purposes and 66% supported their use for 'emergency response'. Initial testing of robotic spy drones for 'public safety' applications was conducted by the DHS’ Science and Technology directorate at Fort Sill, Oklahoma last year. The DHS has also been giving grants worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to police departments across the country enabling them to purchase unmanned surveillance drones such as the Shadowhawk drone, a 50lb mini helicopter that can be fitted with an XREP taser with the ability to fire four barbed electrodes." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTwo Thirds of Americans Support Drones for ‘Homeland Security’ Missions

Heated exchange after Baton Rouge cop pulls over fellow officer driving recklessly

"In the video, off-duty BRPD officer David Stewart pulls over a swerving white pickup truck that he says was doing more than twice the 45 mph speed limit. The stop happened on Juban Road in Livingston Parish. Stewart said he pulled the vehicle over and contacted the Livingston Parish Sheriff's department because he thought the driver may be impaired or having a 'road rage' fit. However, after the driver, Cpl. Brian Harrison, identified himself as a Baton Rouge police officer, the dash-mounted camera in Stewart's vehicle then captured a heated 4-minute exchange between the two men." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingHeated exchange after Baton Rouge cop pulls over fellow officer driving recklessly

What Cop T-Shirts Tell Us About Police Culture

"The Village Voice reports that the quote was also printed on t-shirts worn by NYPD's infamous Street Crimes Unit, which was disbanded after shooting unarmed immigrant Amadou Diallo 41 times in 1999 as Diallo reached for his wallet. The Voice also reports that at least two NYPD police commissioners have used the phrase 'hunter of men' to describe police work -- Bernard Kerik and Howard Safir. There have been a number of other incidents over the years in which cops have donned t-shirts that reflect a mentality someone less lofty than 'protect and serve.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat Cop T-Shirts Tell Us About Police Culture

Use of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

"Using online anonymity services such as Tor or sending encrypted e-mail and instant messages are grounds for US-based communications to be retained by the National Security Agency even when they're collected inadvertently, according to a secret government document published Thursday. The document, dated July 28, 2009, bears the signature of US Attorney General Eric Holder. It's hard to read the documents and not be struck by the irony that use of these services may subject people on US soil to a much higher likelihood that their communications will be retained by an agency that's supposed to focus on foreign targets." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUse of Tor and e-mail crypto could increase chances that NSA keeps your data

Ron Paul: NSA head ‘fudged the figures’

"The Texas Republican was referencing the House Intelligence Committee hearing Tuesday where National Security Agency Director Keith Alexander said communication surveillance programs have thwarted more than 50 'potential terrorist events'. Paul also wasn’t amused by the NSA trying to pass the intrusions off as an attempt to save Americans and the American way of life. 'It’s sort of like the old story about you have to burn the village to save the village. They want to burn the Constitution to save the Constitution,' he said. 'And even today, [James] Cole, the Deputy Attorney General says, the Fourth Amendment doesn’t apply to this.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRon Paul: NSA head ‘fudged the figures’