Who Watches The Watchers

Feds force Oregon to surrender medical marijuana patient records

"Federal agents have forced the Oregon Public Health Division to turn over an untold number of patients’ medical marijuana records. Department of Justice Special Agent Michael Gutensohn applied for a warrant to seize the records that was executed in November as part of an investigation into medical marijuana growers who were suspected of selling goods illegally. 'I have probable cause to believe that records from the Oregon Medical Marijuana Program will contain evidence and instrumentalities of marijuana manufacturing and trafficking and conspiracy to commit marijuana manufacturing and trafficking offenses,' he wrote." Continue reading →

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Florida Police use Driver License Faceprints to Investigate Public At Large

"In Florida, the police are using facial biometrics gathered and stored by the DMV for Real ID with facial recognition technology to identify and investigate individuals in public, at will. Presumption of innocence? Probable cause? Not necessary when everyone is a suspect. We are just at the edge of an onslaught of similar stories that whether revealed or not are rooted in Real ID. You and I have the dubious honor of being located in the slice of our generation that is going to gain a deep understanding of the value of our privacy. We will learn because we are the ones who once, having the luxury of relative obscurity, are watching it slip away." Continue reading →

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Homeland Security agents indicted for falsifying records in corruption investigation

"Two Department of Homeland Security employees have been indicted in a scheme to falsify investigative documents to disguise a lack of progress on cases in their South Texas office. The Justice Department announced Wednesday that 49-year-old Eugenio Pedraza was indicted Tuesday on charges of falsifying records, obstructing justice and conspiracy. Pedraza is a former head of DHS's Office of the Inspector General in McAllen. Agent Marco Rodriguez also was charged. The IG's office investigates wrongdoing in the DHS, including U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Customs and Border Protection." Continue reading →

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FOIA documents suggest IRS may have ignored court ruling on email privacy

"The Internal Revenue Service (IRS), commonly thought of as accountants with the power to garnish wages and seize property, is also a law enforcement agency with the power to spy on communications, so it’s not totally surprising that it has typically followed Supreme Court precedent regarding law enforcement’s broad spying powers when it comes to emails more than 180 days old. However, in a ruling issued December 2010, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ordered the IRS to always obtain a warrant before rifling through emails, no matter how old, contained on services like Gmail and Yahoo Mail, which otherwise have significantly less privacy protections." Continue reading →

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Network of satellite guardians in space keep an eye out for natural disasters

"Almost unknown to the public, a constellation of satellite guardians is flying overhead, and all it takes is a phone call for them to intervene when a country is hit by a storm, earthquake, tsunami or flood. Their cooperation comes under an agreement called the International Charter Space and Major Disasters. When catastrophe strikes, an 'authorised user' of the Charter simply phones a number at the European Space Agency (ESA), where space technicians are on round-the-clock duty. One of the 41 authorised users of the Charter is the United Nations, which can activate it on behalf of member states." Continue reading →

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CISPA cybersecurity bill coming back with ‘significant improvements’

"The lawmakers said they would insert a more narrow definition of national security in the bill. The amendments would also seek to clarify that Internet firms could only use data about threats for cybersecurity purposes, not for marketing or other commercial uses, and would give more oversight to privacy officers at federal agencies. Greg Nojeim of the Center for Democracy and Technology said the changes failed to address one key concern — that information could be accessed by the top-secret National Security Agency, a branch of the military." Continue reading →

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San Diego Police Attack and Arrest Man Video Recording Them, Claiming Phone Could be a Weapon

"San Diego police slapped a cell phone camera out of a man’s hands Saturday, claiming it could be a weapon, before pouncing on him and handcuffing him, lacerating his chin in the process. Adam Pringle ended up jailed overnight on charges of obstruction because he refused to hand the phone over when the cop ordered him to do so. In this case, Pringle’s only crime was smoking a cigarette on a Mission Beach boardwalk, a violation for which he was already getting cited." Continue reading →

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CITIZEN SAFETY ALERT: You Have The Right To Go Home To Your Family Too

"Should citizens have the right to resist? Absolutely. Is it wise to resist an unlawful arrest? Probably not. Resisting arrest may indeed help you to avoid jail, at least temporarily. But, it may also be your ticket to the trauma room or the morgue. Thus, the decision to resist must be well informed, not impulsive. I would like to offer some tips that I hope will help you to stay free and alive. When police officers justify a use of force, they often say that they feared for their lives and were just trying to get home safely to their families. You also have the right to go home safely. This should be your primary goal anytime you are detained by the police." Continue reading →

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Charlotte Citizens Review Board Has Ruled For The Police In Every Instance In 15 Years

"Charlotte’s City Council on Monday may take steps to strengthen the Citizens Review Board after an Observer investigation found that the board, set up nearly 16 years ago to look into allegations of police misconduct, has always sided with police. Proponents of reforming the review board hope to pressure the City Council to give it more power. They’re trying to gather dozens of residents to speak at the council meeting or wear black in silent protest." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingCharlotte Citizens Review Board Has Ruled For The Police In Every Instance In 15 Years