GCHQ broke the law for over a decade

A British surveillance oversight authority known as the Investigatory Powers Tribunal has ruled that Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the U.K.'s equivalent of America's National Security Agency (NSA), has engaged in illegal activity for the past ten years and longer in accessing vast troves of data from telecommunications companies. The IPT said that "successive foreign secretaries … Continue reading GCHQ broke the law for over a decade

Military using fake internet to train trolls

A new social media simulation program gives the U.S. military the capability to train its information operators for a wide range of cyber deception and propaganda operations without going on the real internet. The tool, called the Social Media Replication Toolkit System (SMRTS) and developed by the San Diego-based Cubic Corporation, "harvests and remixes real … Continue reading Military using fake internet to train trolls

UK court rules spy agencies illegally collected data, can continue surveillance

From the late 1990s until just under a year ago, UK intelligence agencies MI5, MI6 and GCHQ illegally collected data on citizens, according to a new ruling from the Investigatory Powers Tribunal, which oversees the spy services. The tribunal found that for 17 years, from the mass surveillance programs' inception in 1998 until last November, … Continue reading UK court rules spy agencies illegally collected data, can continue surveillance

Impersonation of journalists added to FBI’s trolling tool kit

The Federal Bureau of Investigation can, in certain circumstances, impersonate journalists in the course of undercover work, according to a report released this month by the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General. While somewhat controversial, the finding is not unexpected, coming at a time of increasing use of fake Internet personas by government authorities … Continue reading Impersonation of journalists added to FBI’s trolling tool kit

UK pursues aggressive drone policies, exposing govt. employees to legal risks

Despite much hype about the recent "Brexit," top U.K. officials have made clear that the UK/USA "special relationship" in diplomatic and intelligence matters will remain strong as ever. Any lingering doubt about it can safely be disregarded following revelations from the Intercept this week regarding the massive yet shadowy surveillance base in the English countryside … Continue reading UK pursues aggressive drone policies, exposing govt. employees to legal risks

UKUSA Intel ‘Special Relationship’ to Survive Brexit

Reactions to Britain's recent vote to leave the European Union - the so-called Brexit - have been diverse, ranging from uncertainty in the financial world to reports of increased racism on the streets in the U.K., but one thing that appears largely unchanged by the decision is Britain's intelligence and military alliance with the United … Continue reading UKUSA Intel ‘Special Relationship’ to Survive Brexit

Three Years Later, Snowden Revelations Continue

Three years after his disclosures about mass surveillance first made headlines, former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden has recently been back in the news as revelations related to the documents he leaked continue to emerge. Vice published a story today based on documents recently released in response to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit … Continue reading Three Years Later, Snowden Revelations Continue