After years of claiming that the Terrorist Screening Database is kept secret within the government, we have now learned that the DHS shares it “with more than 1,400 private entities, including hospitals and universities….” Critics say that the watchlist is wildly overbroad and mismanaged, and that large numbers of people wrongly included on the list … Read More “Can Everybody Read the US Terrorist Watch List?” »
Category: terrorism
Auto Added by WPeMatico
Notice this bit from an article on the arrest of Christopher Hasson: It was only after Hasson’s arrest last Friday at his workplace that the chilling plans prosecutors assert he was crafting became apparent, detected by an internal Coast Guard program that watches for any “insider threat.” The program identified suspicious computer activity tied to … Read More ““Insider Threat” Detection Software” »
A recent article in the Atlantic asks why we haven’t seen a”cyber 9/11″ in the past fifteen or so years. (I, too, remember the increasingly frantic and fearful warnings of a “cyber Peal Harbor,” “cyber Katrina” — when that was a thing — or “cyber 9/11.” I made fun of those warnings back then.) The … Read More “What Happened to Cyber 9/11?” »
Interesting article on terahertz millimeter-wave scanners and their uses to detect terrorist bombers. The heart of the device is a block of electronics about the size of a 1990s tower personal computer. It comes housed in a musician’s black case, akin to the one Spinal Tap might use on tour. At the front: a large, … Read More “Terahertz Millimeter-Wave Scanners” »
Another excellent paper by the Mueller/Stewart team: “Terrorism and Bathtubs: Comparing and Assessing the Risks“: Abstract: The likelihood that anyone outside a war zone will be killed by an Islamist extremist terrorist is extremely small. In the United States, for example, some six people have perished each year since 9/11 at the hands of such … Read More “John Mueller and Mark Stewart on the Risks of Terrorism” »
Last week, CNN reported that the Transportation Security Administration is considering eliminating security at U.S. airports that fly only smaller planes — 60 seats or fewer. Passengers connecting to larger planes would clear security at their destinations. To be clear, the TSA has put forth no concrete proposal. The internal agency working group’s report obtained … Read More “Don’t Fear the TSA Cutting Airport Security. Be Glad That They’re Talking about It.” »
Local residents are opposing adding an elevator to a subway station because terrorists might use it to detonate a bomb. No, really. There’s no actual threat analysis, only fear: “The idea that people can then ride in on the subway with a bomb or whatever and come straight up in an elevator is awful to … Read More “Subway Elevators and Movie-Plot Threats” »
Jim Risen writes a long and interesting article about his battles with the US government and the New York Times to report government secrets. Powered by WPeMatico
Fascinating article about two psychologists who are studying interrogation techniques. Now, two British researchers are quietly revolutionising the study and practice of interrogation. Earlier this year, in a meeting room at the University of Liverpool, I watched a video of the Diola interview alongside Laurence Alison, the university’s chair of forensic psychology, and Emily Alison, … Read More “The Science of Interrogation” »
Interesting research from Nature Human Behaviour: “The devoted actor’s will to fight and the spiritual dimension of human conflict“: Abstract: Frontline investigations with fighters against the Islamic State (ISIL or ISIS), combined with multiple online studies, address willingness to fight and die in intergroup conflict. The general focus is on non-utilitarian aspects of human conflict, … Read More “Research on What Motivates ISIS — and Other — Fighters” »