Winning Hearts & Minds

Internet Society Statement on the Importance of Open Global Dialogue Regarding Online Privacy

"The Internet Society has noted recent revelations regarding the apparent scope of U.S. government efforts to gather large amounts of end user information from U.S. Internet and telecom service providers for intelligence purposes. We are deeply concerned that the unwarranted collection, storage and potential correlation of user data will undermine many of the key principles and relationships of trust upon which the global Internet has been built. The Internet Society strongly believes that real security can only be realized within a broader context of trust and the respect of fundamental rights, such as privacy.." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingInternet Society Statement on the Importance of Open Global Dialogue Regarding Online Privacy

Military estimates 500 sexual assaults per week

"Recent congressional hearings featured generals promising change and outlining programs created to fix the issues, but those in this military community say that's not enough to solve the problem. For the past 20 years, the military has confronted periodic sexual harassment and assault scandals, and reports show the problems have gotten worse. Ten years ago, 12% of the Air Force Academy's female graduating class said they had been sexually assaulted, and 70% said they had been sexually harassed. Last year, the Pentagon estimated that about 500 men and women were assaulted each week." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMilitary estimates 500 sexual assaults per week

Life-Saving Third-World Remittances Smothered by Anti-Money-Laundering Laws

"Without a formal banking sector, millions of Somalis rely on money sent from abroad. Underground agents could potentially fill the void. Alternatively, migrant workers could simply transfer new cryptographic commodities like bitcoin, which are not against the law. Also included in the countries put on notice by Barclays are Nigeria, Ghana, India, and Bangladesh with the resulting impact certain to be felt by Somalia's neighbors, Kenya and Ethiopia. The wholesale closure of accounts parallels the situation in Minnesota last year when a local bank, citing the risk of strict penalties, ceased transfers to Somalia for migrants wanting to send money home." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLife-Saving Third-World Remittances Smothered by Anti-Money-Laundering Laws

“Why did you call the police? They don’t help you.”

"In May of last year, Los Angeles resident Veronica Cornejo called 911 to report that her mentally disturbed brother was agitated. Three Sheriff’s deputies were dispatched and, as is always the case when police intervene, things became immediately and immeasurably worse. The invaders barged into the home without invitation, dragged all five family members from the house, and threw them to the ground. Veronica — who suffers from a heart condition — tried to explain that she was the one who had called for help. Her father, Jorge, told the deputies that they should expect a lawsuit. That prompted one of them to punch the 53-year-old man repeatedly." Continue reading →

Continue Reading“Why did you call the police? They don’t help you.”

What the Passport Pitchmen Don’t Tell You…

"A few years ago, my father had heart problems. I’m his only child, his only living relative, and his sole heir. So I thought that if I could come back to the United States, we could spend time together while we still had the chance and I could be close to my future inheritance. We put in all the paperwork required by U.S. Immigration, paid all the fees, etc. You would think that 'immediate family' members of U.S. citizens would get a residency permit easily right? NOT!!! Long story short, two years later the paperwork was STILL in process. Then, in April this year, I got that call that all of us dread, announcing the death of my father." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingWhat the Passport Pitchmen Don’t Tell You…

US tech firms say they are losing business over NSA surveillance

"Revelations about the US government’s vast data collection programs have already started hurting American technology firms, according to an industry survey released this week. The Cloud Security Alliance said 10 percent of its non-US members have cancelled a contract with a US-based cloud provider, and 56 percent said they were less likely to use an American company. In the survey, 36 percent of US firms polled said the revelations would make it more difficult for their company to do business outside the United States, while 64 percent said it would not." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS tech firms say they are losing business over NSA surveillance

Yemeni journalist who reported U.S. drone strike released from jail

"A Yemeni journalist who was kept in prison for years at the apparent request of the Obama administration has been released in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a, according to local reports. Abdulelah Haider Shaye was imprisoned in 2010, after reporting that an attack on a suspected al-Qaida training camp in southern Yemen for which the Yemeni government claimed responsibility had actually been carried out by the United States. Shaye had visited the site and discovered pieces of cruise missiles and cluster bombs not found in Yemen’s arsenal, according to a Jeremy Scahill dispatch in the Nation." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingYemeni journalist who reported U.S. drone strike released from jail

German Intelligence Worked Closely with NSA on Data Surveillance

"Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeatedly said she knew nothing about American surveillance activities in Germany. But documents show that German intelligence cooperates closely with the NSA and even uses spy software provided by the US. The shift to a more offensive German security policy began in 2007. Since then, there have been 'regular US-German analytic exchanges and closer cooperation in tracking both German and non-German extremist targets.' The German foreign intelligence agency went even further in its effort to please the Americans, 'working to influence the German government to relax interpretation of the privacy laws'." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingGerman Intelligence Worked Closely with NSA on Data Surveillance

Turkish court gives go-ahead to demolish Gezi Park

"Istanbul’s administrative court gave a green light to demolish city’s Gezi Park, which was at the center of heated nationwide protests sparked by the decision to get rid of the park and turn it into a monument to the Ottoman Empire. The protests against the construction spread nationally since late May, growing into a larger opposition by those unhappy with Erdogan’s 'authoritarian style of rule.' The park has turned into a cradle of anti-government unrest, where the protests quickly became violent as police used teargas and water canon to disperse protesters. The demonstrations resulted in the death of four people and around 7,500 injured." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingTurkish court gives go-ahead to demolish Gezi Park

Leaked Pakistani report confirms high civilian death toll in CIA drone strikes

"A secret document obtained by the Bureau reveals for the first time the Pakistan government’s internal assessment of dozens of drone strikes, and shows scores of civilian casualties. At least 147 of the dead are clearly stated to be civilian victims, 94 of those are said to be children. The numbers recorded are much higher than those provided by the US administration, which continues to insist that no more than 50 to 60 ‘non-combatants’ have been killed by the CIA across the entire nine years of Pakistan bombings. New CIA director John Brennan has described claims to the contrary as ‘intentional misrepresentations‘." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingLeaked Pakistani report confirms high civilian death toll in CIA drone strikes