https://www.eff.org/nsa-spying
Are We Moving To A World With More Online Surveillance? : Parallels Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff was angered by reports that the National Security Agency was spying on her. She has called for giving individual countries greater control over the Internet. Getty Images Many governments around the world have expressed outrage over the National Security Agency's use of the Internet as a spying platform. Rep. Jack Kingston Proposes That Poor Students Sweep Floors In Exchange For Lunch WASHINGTON -- Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) wants kids to learn early in life that there's no such thing as a free lunch. To make sure they absorb that lesson, he's proposing that low-income children do some manual labor in exchange for their subsidized meals. On Saturday, Kingston, who is vying to be his party's nominee in Georgia's Senate race next year, spoke at a meeting of the Jackson County Republican Party about the federal school lunch program.
Facebook, Instagram, Twitter Block Tool For Cops To Surveil You On Social Media On Tuesday, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of California announced that, after the organization obtained revealing documents through public records access requests, Facebook and Instagram have cut off data access to a company that sells surveillance products for law enforcement. Twitter has also curbed the surveillance product’s access. The product, called Geofeedia, is used by law enforcement to monitor social media on a large scale, and relies on social media sites’ APIs or other means of access. Online surveillance becomes a priority for the Human Rights Council, as Pakistan joins the wrong side of the debate Below is a joint statement from Privacy International and Bytes for All. This Friday, 27 September, marks the conclusion of the 24th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a session which has, for the first time, seen issues of internet surveillance in the spotlight. Privacy International and Bytes for All welcome the attention given at the Human Rights Council to this issue. However, we are concerned about developments which took place that threaten privacy rights and freedom of expression, especially because these alarming suggestions are masked as solutions to address the increase in State surveillance.
Ted Cruz isn't far from the only Tea Party nut. There's plenty more of them It's instructive to remember that when the Tea Party first began to gather steam, the name referred to a "party" in the celebration sense – the Boston Tea Party, specifically: an event of planned chaos, a protest that masqueraded as an Indian attack. Over time, the name has lost its punny puckishness much as the movement has steadily shifted from a proudly anacharical – even populist – response and rebellion within the GOP to a smoothly functioning alternative to it. The government shutdown proved that attempts by the GOP establishment to co-opt the Tea Party as a source of energy just created a network of political sleeper agents. With its own mechanism for drafting (and supporting) candidates, its own agenda, and its own media eco-system, the Tea Party is a third party by almost any criteria but ballot affiliation – and leadership. For when that happens: here's a look at some of the Tea Party's once and perhaps future leaders. Most likely to succeed: Sarah Palin.
Edward Snowden Calls Police Spying on Quebec Journalists a ‘Threat to Democracy’ In a speech to 600 people at McGill University in Montreal on Wednesday night, Edward Snowden described police spying on Quebec journalists a “threat to the traditional model of our democracy.” Though it had been announced months ago, the timing of Snowden’s conference was strangely appropriate. The event took place just hours after La Presse revealed the Sûreté du Québec (SQ), which is the provincial police force, had put at least six prominent journalists under surveillance. Two days earlier, the same Montreal daily had broken the story that its own star columnist, Patrick Lagacé, had been spied on by the Montreal police force (SPVM). Appearing live from Russia, where he’s been living in exile since exposing top secret information about US intelligence and surveillance programs, Snowden did not mince words when discussing the behaviour of Quebec police. "You can find out anyone he met with, who did he call, how long he was on the phone"
'Judge Me On My Record,' Says David Cameron. So We Did... "I want to be judged," David Cameron told Andrew Marr on his Sunday show. "I'm very happy to be judged on the record that I have as Prime Minister over the last five years." Alright then, Dave... (Created by David Schneider, Andrea Mann and David Beresford) Meet the machines that steal your phone’s data The National Security Agency’s spying tactics are being intensely scrutinized following the recent leaks of secret documents. However, the NSA isn't the only US government agency using controversial surveillance methods. Monitoring citizens' cell phones without their knowledge is a booming business. From Arizona to California, Florida to Texas, state and federal authorities have been quietly investing millions of dollars acquiring clandestine mobile phone surveillance equipment in the past decade. Earlier this year, a covert tool called the “Stingray” that can gather data from hundreds of phones over targeted areas attracted international attention. Rights groups alleged that its use could be unlawful.
How's Obamacare Turning Out? Great If You Live in a Blue State, and 'Screw You' If You Have a Republican Governor Photo Credit: Andy Dean Photography/ Shutterstock.com May 25, 2013 | Like this article? Join our email list: Stay up to date with the latest headlines via email. Obamacare implementation is becoming the latest dividing line between blue- and red-state America, with Democrat-led states making progress to expand healthcare to the uninsured and the poor—and Republican-led states saying "screw you" to millions of their most vulnerable and needy residents. CameraV: Secure Verifiable Photo & Video Camera – Guardian Project CameraV is the easiest way to capture and share verifiable photos and video proof on a smartphone or tablet, all the while keeping it entirely secure and private. This is the official app from the InformaCam project, a partnership between the Guardian Project and WITNESS. CameraV is easy to learn and simple to use (and insanely secure & powerful under the covers…). All photos and videos you take are password-protected and 100% encrypted on your device.
Social Security's Explosive Injustices (Image: Woman covers face via Shutterstock) People over 65, a growing share of the US population, are suffering a crisis-ridden capitalist system. High unemployment, reduced private pensions, fewer job benefits, less job security, high personal debt levels, and falling real wages make Social Security payments more important than ever. Yet President Obama and Congress recently agreed to bargain over how much to reduce Social Security payments from current levels. InformacamGuide InformaCam is a system that uses the built-in sensors in modern smartphones for tracking movement, light and other environmental inputs, along with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and cellular network information to capture a snapshot of the environment around you, while you are taking a photo or video. This extra metadata (the data about the data!) helps verify and validate the date, time and location of capture, and provides an entirely new layer of context and meaning out of “invisible” energy for use in any way you choose.
Mad Men - By David Rothkopf America is rightly on edge. When a man with the power to make life-or-death decisions affecting thousands of U.S. citizens recklessly shows contempt for decency and international norms of behavior, it is no wonder the American people would be both angry and fearful. When his threats are so clearly contrary to the interests of those he represents and even those who might otherwise support him, it is natural to wonder whether he has somehow become unhinged. But we should react calmly. We should not let such disregard for the public good and such an imminent threat to the lives of so many of our neighbors and our children cloud our thinking. The mad man must be stopped.