At the second presidential election debate of 2016 on Sunday, the candidates were asked what they would do to help Muslim Americans deal with being labeled as threats to the country as a result of rising Islamophobia in the wake of recent terrorist attacks. Neither had much to say that Muslims could have found very … Continue reading Syrian refugees catch jihadist the day after candidates scold a whole religion
Author: mirrorwilderness
As hacking fears remain in the media spotlight leading up to the presidential election, a debate is raging in Washington, D.C. over how to best approach cybersecurity and other technological challenges. While there is no consensus, however, there seems to be a common thread among many suggestions: the answer is to hold somebody accountable for … Continue reading Officials, tech execs suggest more bureaucracy, scapegoating as cybersecurity solutions
In a move described as "unprecedented" by a Justice Department attorney, four current and former Central Intelligence Agency employees, including two top officials, will be called to testify in a civil case against former CIA psychologist contractors who were involved in the Agency's infamous torture program, a federal judge ruled this week. CIA personnel who … Continue reading Judge issues ‘unprecedented’ order for CIA officials to testify in torture case
The United States was one of 44 countries to sign a declaration Wednesday that sets the stage for a conference next year to create formal rules regarding the export and use of armed, unmanned aerial vehicles, otherwise known as drones. "As a world leader in the development and deployment of military UAVs, the United States … Continue reading U.S., other countries issue drone declaration, but key players absent
Following news today that a National Security Agency contractor, Harold Thomas Martin, was arrested over a month ago and secretly detained since then for allegedly stealing classified documents, many questions remain unanswered, but some details are known. Martin worked for Booz Allen Hamilton, the same defense and intelligence community contractor that whistleblower Edward Snowden had been … Continue reading Detained NSA contractor doesn’t fit ‘insider threat’ profile, raising questions
It may not come as a huge surprise that the company embroiled in controversy following today's groundbreaking Reuters report on surveillance is Yahoo, as the internet search and email giant was one of several major tech companies exposed as being accessible to the National Security Agency's Prism program in 2013. It is certainly shocking to … Continue reading Yahoo revelations expand known scope of NSA mass surveillance
It's typically not every day that Americans hear about "influence operations," though recent history has been an exception to that rule as news outlets and government officials have aggressively hyped the alleged threat of Russian covert ops aimed at swaying the U.S. election, or at least at causing chaos leading up to it. Indeed, much … Continue reading Anti-ISIS influence ops drill reveals parts of U.S. deception strategy
Federal Bureau of Investigation officials warned this week that despite predictions of military defeat for the Islamic State extremist group's "caliphate" in Iraq and Syria, terrorist attacks inspired by the organization can be expected to continue. While the Islamic State (also known as ISIS, ISIL, or Daesh) will inevitably be "crushed," FBI Director James … Continue reading FBI warns of post-ISIS blowback as EU tries to export its refugee problem
Despite opposition from Saudi Arabia and the European Union, despite opinion pieces published by major outlets like CNN and the Atlantic urging President Obama to veto a bill allowing 9/11 victims' families to sue the Saudi government, which he did last week, Congress voted overwhelmingly today to override the president's veto for the first time … Continue reading Obama, CIA express disappointment, disbelief following veto override