In the latest example of a military technology that has secretly been used by the police, we have radar guns that can see through walls. Powered by WPeMatico
Category: privacy
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Late last year, in a criminal case involving export violations, the US government disclosed a mysterious database of telephone call records that it had queried in the case. The defendant argued that the database was the NSA’s, and that the query was unconditional and the evidence should be suppressed. The government said that the database … Read More “US Law Enforcement Also Conducting Mass Telephone Surveillance” »
It’s called SnoopSnitch: SnoopSnitch is an app for Android devices that analyses your mobile radio traffic to tell if someone is listening in on your phone conversations or tracking your location. Unlike standard antivirus apps, which are designed to combat software intrusions or steal personal info, SnoopSnitch picks up on things like fake mobile base … Read More “Surveillance Detection for Android Phones” »
A worldwide survey of writers affiliated with PEN shows a significant level of self-censoring. From the press release: The report’s revelations, based on a survey of nearly 800 writers worldwide, are alarming. Concern about surveillance is now nearly as high among writers living in democracies (75%) as among those living in non-democracies (80%). The levels … Read More “How Surveillance Causes Writers to Self-Censor” »
Pretty impressive surveillance-economy satire. Powered by WPeMatico
Those of you unfamiliar with hacker culture might need an explanation of “doxing.” The word refers to the practice of publishing personal information about people without their consent. Usually it’s things like an address and phone number, but it can also be credit card details, medical information, private e-mails — pretty much anything an assailant … Read More “Doxing as an Attack” »
He sees you when you’re sleeping. He knows when you’re awake. He’s everywhere. And that’s the whole point of the Elf on the Shelf, the bright-eyed, Kewpie-esque doll that millions of parents display around their homes in December as a reminder to children to behave. The elf, the story goes, is an agent reporting back … Read More “"Santa Claus and the Surveillance State"” »
First we thought North Korea was behind the Sony cyberattacks. Then we thought it was a couple of hacker guys with an axe to grind. Now we think North Korea is behind it again, but the connection is still tenuous. There have been accusations of cyberterrorism, and even cyberwar. I’ve heard calls for us to … Read More “Reacting to the Sony Hack” »
Earlier this month, a mysterious group that calls itself Guardians of Peace hacked into Sony Pictures Entertainment’s computer systems and began revealing many of the Hollywood studio’s best-kept secrets, from details about unreleased movies to embarrassing emails (notably some racist notes from Sony bigwigs about President Barack Obama’s presumed movie-watching preferences) to the personnel data … Read More “Lessons from the Sony Hack” »
“The next time you call for assistance because the Internet service in your home is not working, the ‘technician’ who comes to your door may actually be an undercover government agent. He will have secretly disconnected the service, knowing that you will naturally call for help and — when he shows up at your door, … Read More “The Limits of Police Subterfuge” »