President Donald Trump kicked off yet another news cycle via Twitter this weekend with allegations that former President Barack Obama had his "wires tapped" at Trump Tower in October. Yet Trump's concern about whether he was personally monitored comes as his administration is reportedly looking to reauthorize two of the National Security Agency's biggest … Continue reading Trump accuses Obama of wiretaps, pushes to renew unaccountable wiretapping authority
Tag: privacy
In December, a congressional oversight committee released a report on the use of cell-site simulators, and claimed federal authorities only use the mobile phone surveillance devices to determine suspects' locations, rather than to intercept content. A new investigation, however, shows that local law enforcement, at least, has often been using the sophisticated surveillance technology under … Continue reading Local police cell phone snooping highlights lack of surveillance oversight
Every year the Federal Bureau of Investigation issues tens of thousands of "National Security Letters." These demands for information from communications service providers are a key component in the U.S. government's domestic surveillance apparatus, yet the details of how they are used were long kept largely secret from the public. This has begun to change … Continue reading Critics question FBI use of National Security Letters
Last summer, as he rallied supporters at the Republican National Convention, Donald Trump declared himself the "law and order candidate," echoing the (somewhat ironic) claims of Richard Nixon before him. Yet given the rapid development of technology available to law enforcement in the decades since Nixon occupied the Oval Office, President Trump's use of the … Continue reading Carnage, violence, law and order, biometric profiling and predictive policing under Trump
Amidst ongoing criticism of President Donald Trump's attitude towards Russia, a fear has reportedly emerged in some segments of the US intelligence community that America's longstanding intelligence sharing relationships with other countries could suffer. Recent events seem to indicate, however, that this is unlikely. Historically, America has had its strongest intelligence sharing relationships with its … Continue reading UKUSA surveillance ‘special relationship’ likely to survive, expand in Trump era
A report from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, released last week, provides new details on the federal government's use of "cell-site simulators" -- cell phone surveillance devices also commonly known as Stingrays or IMSI-catchers -- and suggests changes to policies governing their use. The report confirms that federal agencies -- primarily the … Continue reading House Oversight Committee calls for clearer rules on cell-site simulators
Buried on the very last page of a draft document released last month by a somewhat obscure Pentagon research and development agency, the Combating Terrorism Technical Support Office (CTTSO) describes a technology that may soon join US spy agencies' online arsenal: a social media mimicry tool that can effectively pretend to be Facebook, Twitter, SnapChat, … Continue reading Pentagon wants capability to mimic social media sites, search engines
Following last week's US presidential election, Edward Snowden, the former National Security Agency contractor who exposed numerous government surveillance programs in 2013 and is now living in Russia, has publicly discussed the results at least twice. "We are starting to substitute open government for sheer authoritarianism, a government based not upon the principle of informed … Continue reading Snowden weighs in on election results
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
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
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