Alerts If You Haven't Heard...

So here we are again.  The way things are now, there are probably alerts we should pay attention to EVERY DAY.  This tends to make one just a bit tired.

We do, however, need to keep our eyes open, know what is going on, and ready ourselves to resist.  Not that I'm much into marches these days, but there are many forms of resistance and each should do what he or she can. Commondreams.org (see link in my 'Great Sites to Visit' list...) has been having a daily "Resist Day#(whatever day of the current nightmare admin. it happens to be)" there are definitely some ideas there.  FreePress.net also has an e-mail list of "100 Days, 100 Disruptions,"  that you can check out.

Our first alert: Mr. Khizr Khan, who spoke so eloquently at the Dem. convention, now has his travel privileges "under review," leading to his reluctant cancellation of a speaking engagement in Toronto, Canada.  WHAT IS THIS?  He is an American Citizen!!!  This totally reeks of vindictiveness and retribution for his views.  This is NOT what America should be about, nor does it follow our own Constitution!  This also ties in with one action on today's resist list: oppose the 'Muslim travel ban 2.0.'

Our second alert:  Internet privacy (what little there actually may be) is  now greatly at risk.  The new FCC Chairman " has blocked new requirements that Internet service providers (ISPs) like Comcast apply common sense security practices to protect your private data.(emphasis mine)"  Whatever happened to standing up for consumers? There is also a move by GOP members of Congress to make it illegal for ISPs to protect online privacy AND (get this:) prohibit the FCC from enacting "substantially similar" privacy rules going forward.  These moves definitely need to be opposed.

Our third alert: The Fight for 15 Memphis Chapter is alleging that police surveilled and used intimidation tactics on protesters and ----- "police claimed they had 'authorization from the president of McDonald’s' to arrest protesting fast food workers."    I think the surveillance state, the gov't and corporate interests are waaaaaay too seamless now.  The right to peacefully protest and dissent is supposedly enshrined in our First Amendment.  Let's all stand to protect that right!  (And while that Amendment is on your mind, why not check out:  A Little Thing Called "The First Amendment - Updated! )

So, I hope these alerts open an eye or two.  And it would really be a boost to hear from someone in comments! Don't be shy.  I don't bite, but, being a good kitty lover, I have been known to hiss at miscreants in power who abuse authority.

If this post or any post here you find of value, please do comment and/or share.  Thanks! 

What We Need To Be (Poem) + Some Must Reads

Greetings again... anyone there?  Please let me know; comments are gold, you see!

You know, you never know where inspiration might come from.  I was reading an article at The Guardian about some Super Bowl (nope, didn't watch, don't care for either of those two teams) commercials which were - ah -slightly political.  One, from 84 Lumber actually had to be toned down for broadcast.  Just in case you missed it or haven't seen the ending, you can do so here .

And then it (inspiration, that is) hit me.  So here is a poem:

What We Need To Be

We need to be Joshuas
Who march, sound our trumpets and ram's horns, then shout
Until intangible walls dividing us fall
Until physical border walls no longer seem an option

We need to be Caregivers for our Mother Earth
As Native Americans continue to teach
For She has been entrusted to all of us,
Including future generations

We need to be Parkers and Kings
And bend arcs toward justice
For it must be available for all
If we are to live in true liberty

We need to be Champions of Democracy
Guarding gains achieved by generations of struggle
Then extending circles of inclusion
For more fully open participation

We need to be Diogeneses
Searching for those who are honest
And we must also follow the example of Aristides
Who was himself legendarily honest

We need to be Scanners Beneath Surfaces
To recognize we have common humanity,
To learn that we need each others' gifts,
And to see our differences as glorious
As we move toward acceptance with love

 *******
 Wondering about "Parkers and Kings?"  Check this out!

*******
 Now for the two must reads:

Der Spiegel in Germany had a controversial cover.  I think this is exactly the type of thing the media should be doing!

At The Intercept , there's a very troubling story of the FBI's "Rap Black" program which gives employers real time access to employee data that law enforcement gathers.  Why is this troubling?  Some of this data may be related to exercising First Amendment rights  (say, arrest at a protest).  Further, updates are not always given; charges may be dismissed and it may not be noted.  There may be other inaccuracies as well.  There are also very little limits on how the data may be used (and with Rap Black may be kept indefinitely) and what populations should be subject to this.  From the article:  Such a broad mandate could “provide employers with an unprecedented window into employees’ lives,” according to Jennifer Lynch, a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

It is well worth reading and being alert to this troubling database.

Please do comment and/or share if you find this or any post here to be of value!  Thanks. 

Privacy Alerts

Greetings.  It seems as though there are continual assaults and threats to privacy now.  It should be clear that all of us need to stand together to oppose such intrusions.

Concerns include government spying, of course, but also corporate spying and data collection, which too often gets shared with law enforcement/government; far too often without a warrant or any meaningful oversight.  Some fairly recent examples:

• AT & T developed a product and marketed it to law enforcement for access to their data... no warrant and they insisted on this being kept secret.  Read an account from common dreams .  Evan Greer, campaign director of Fight for the Future, said: "If companies are allowed to operate in this manner without repercussions, our democracy has no future." 

• Google (yeah, and sometimes I wonder about them owning blogger) over the summer changed its policy to allow ad tracking to link to personal, identifiable info.  Shame on them!!!  Read about this - and how to disable it .

•  Facebook, Twitter and Instagram gave special access to a company called Geofeedia, a company that has a very controversial marketing design. From a report at The Guardian:  "The ACLU previously found that Geofeedia’s marketing materials have referred to unions and activists as “overt threats” and that the company told police its product can help track the “Ferguson situation”. One California police department allegedly used the software to monitor South Asian, Muslim and Sikh protesters, the ACLU said."  Read the article here .

•  A report by the AP found that LE officers have been know to abuse access to databases - databases which contain personal information. 

•  This report says HALF, that's right HALF of U.S. adults are in facial recognition databases.  This should concern all of us due to privacy, profiling and potential abuse concerns.  There arr also concerns that facial recognition may not be the most accurate and thus could wreak havoc if someone might be misidentified in certain situations.

• And we all should be concerned about the "internet of things."  Data can be shared with - who knows - and such devices can also be  hacked.  Now, be warned there is adult content - but here are two related reports:  something was phoning home and related lawsuit.  

• And don't forget about yahoo allowing the gov't to scan e-mails.  One has to wonder if any other provider is/was also doing that.  

Well, I suppose that's something to think about for now.  Be aware, spread the word, and let's all stand up for privacy.

P. S.  Let's keep the protesters/water defenders protesting the DAPL in our prayers.  The latest report shows outragous police brutality against peaceful protesters.

And if you found this post to be of value, please share and/or comment!  Thanks.

Privacy Word Cloud

Inspired by the panel of Edward Snowden, Glenn Greenwald, and Noam Chomsky very recently at Univ. Ariz. (Snowden by video link, of course), I have made the following privacy word cloud.

Encryption Wars 2

Yes, there's much at stake with the Apple v. FBI judicial conflict.  We should be aware of what's going on, what it might mean.

First, here are some highlights of Apple's filing, the FBI's arguments, and some tech opinions.

The Intercept has a very thoughtful (and somewhat scary) analysis article by Froomkin and McLaughlin.

Then there was this at The Guardian: Could YOU be compelled to unlock your phone?

Folks, things are getting really scary.  It's getting late.  Everyone needs to wake up; we need to stand for our civil liberties.

Encryption Wars

I'm sure by now you've all heard of that awful ruling by a Judge Pym (shame on her!) that wants Apple to help the FBI guess passcodes - to access data of the San Bernardino suspect's phone.  There's an overview at The Intercept.

I barely have words.  This shows NO respect for privacy at all. Many, many civil liberties groups are howling about this.  I was also heartened that many commenters at the previous link and at The Intercept's follow up story get that this ruling, if let stand would set a very dangerous precedent.  It would possibly allow access to data sometime in the future for - fishing - or if TPTB decide the definition of some wrongdoing has changed.  The way it would undermine encryption would also leave users more open to malicious hackers.  And that's just for starters.  EVERYONE should protest against this.

Please follow the story and let it be known YOU feel this is totally unacceptable.

Also, think about your own data security.  Micah Lee at The Intercept has a fine article about making your iphone a bit more secure. 

People, Get a Clue!

Yes, folks, we really need to wake up to what's going on.  There was talk years ago about the government spying on us through our (connected) home devices.  Well - now that despicable Clapper has admitted they might do EXACTLY that. 

First, check out this report from The Guardian.  Then carefully go through the excellent Trevor Timm column about it.  Oh, nothing to worry about, you say?  Guess what?  Timm notes:  "Police have already been asking Google-owned company Dropcam for footage from cameras inside people’s homes meant to keep an eye on their kids. Fitbit data has already been used in court against defendants multiple times."

 My own take is that I fail to understand WHY so many are so eager to buy the latest, even more intrusive gadget.  Do people really enjoy being tracked?  Do they not fail to see the dangers that can be posed by hackers, let alone government abuses?  It is stories such as this which are making me, usually an optimist, more cynical all the time.

In his conclusion, Timm says that this "internet of things" is certain to become more prevalent.  That's a scary thought.  He calls for end to end encryption for such devices and more and stricter privacy  rules.  Those are certainly good ideas,though I wish folks would stop buying into the "internet of things" and stop the trend of all this stuff being connected.

Have You Noticed - 2

There's been so much going on it was hard to decide what to write about.  So how about a listing of a few items which may have gone unnoticed:

1.  There was a recent drone strike by the UK that targeted UK citizens in Syria.  Turns out the UK has a "kill list" - as does the U. S..  The Guardian has an article discussing the strike and the fallout.
I find these extrajudicial killings and the very existence of these "kill lists" abominable.  I run out of words to describe my disgust.  Personally, I would love to see all drones, military, law enforcement, spy, even private and commercial drones permanently banned.  Would love to see them all scrapped.  Are there potentially good uses for them?  Maybe, but the abuses are just so horrible and so likely to keep happening if we don't get them reigned in, and soon, that I just find them too problematic to be even allowed in the air.

2.  Related to Item 1 - North Dakota has just allowed police drones to be manned with nonlethal weapons.  Of course, we must remember that these things CAN cause health problems, injury, or in some cases, even death.  Let's not even think of where this could lead.  Fargo is right now saying no. 

3.   The fantastic Meryl Streep e-mailed all 535 members of Congress to urge them to support the Equal Rights Amendment.  She received a grand total of 5, yes, 5 replies.  Read about this here.  I'm wondering who the 5 members of Congress were who actually did reply.  They should as least get some points for that!  Maybe we should all think about doing something to support reviving the ERA.

4.   In regard to stingrays:  "Finally, federal law enforcement will be required to get a judge-signed warrant before using the tool. They’ll have have to delete the data of innocent people immediately, and clearly explain to judges what they’re doing."  You can read the rest of Trevor Timm's take here.  A lot of commenters are not nearly so optimistic as Timm, who does say the battle for privacy is not nearly over.  However, we need to seize any ray of hope and keep pressing on.

So, there are a few things to think about.  Feel free to share your thoughts or to share any items we may not have noticed in comments!

Any More Doubts(2)?

Well, well -the Houston office of the FBI violated FBI procedures in investigating - now get this - environmental protesters.

This report from The Guardian details how procedures were skipped and that protesters of the Keystone XL pipeline were labeled "environmental extremists."  The major subject was a group called the Tar Sands Blockade.  The article states:  "Environmental activists affiliated with the group were committed to peaceful civil disobedience that can involve minor infractions of law, such as trespass. But they had no history of violent or serious crime."   A key organizer stated that some members were arrested  "but not one of them was accused of violent crime or property destruction." Folks who photographed oil-related facilities were also scrutinized.

Mike German, a former FBI agent, now fellow at Brennan Center for Justice in NY, and who consulted with The Guardian on this article had this to say:  “It is clearly troubling that these documents suggest the FBI interprets its national security mandate as protecting private industry from political criticism,” he said."

While the FBI has done good work, we cannot forget that they spied on Dr. King and other civil rights leaders.  SHAME on RFK for authorizing the spying.  There's also another report here. And the FBI apparently had a role in crushing the Occupy protests.  I hadn't seen this article by Naomi Wolf at the time; I just ran across it while doing another search.  I think it makes clear that there was a concerted effort against a peaceful movement which a conglomeration of security state and corporate interests labeled a "terrorist threat."

And lest we forget our neighbor to the North, we've mentioned before Canada's C-51.  Watch out!  The government may use hate crime laws against groups there involved in the BDS movement - that's Boycott, Divest, Sanction against Israel.  You might want to read The Intercept's two-part story (the link here is to the first part, and that story contains a link to part 2).

This is somehow making us more safe?  Remember the President's own Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board did not find mass surveillance to be effective.  Is monitoring peaceful protest and dissent the role of even tightly targeted surveillance?   I think not.  We must continue to speak out against mass surveillance, especially now with Sec. 215 of the Patriot Act set to expire if not renewed. 

World States of Surveillance

Updated Below!!!

There are so many issues around to be concerned about.  There's the situation in the Middle East and the plight of Americans in Yemen who have been abandoned by their own country.  There is the situation of migrants seeking to better their lives with perilous trips across the Mediterranean.  There is economic inequality here at home as well as plenty of issues based on race, class and the justice system.   Sometimes I feel as though we are having to address so many problems that it can be overwhelming.

In this post,however, I do want to concentrate on issues of mass surveillance, a very important issue that hasn't gone away.  Quite the opposite.

When this article was posted, Canada was on the verge of adopting some very troubling anti-terror legislation called C-51.  From the article:  "Critics of the legislation say the imminent law gives Canadian spies sweeping new powers to investigate and disrupt broadly defined threats to public safety, with language that makes no distinction between terrorist plots and legitimate political protests and demonstrations. At the same time, it neglects to provide any increased oversight of the country’s vastly empowered chief spy agency, the Canadian Security and Intelligence Service."

The article also describes the legislation as having a wide and diverse group of opponents and said public opinion about it had been souring.  You can read here an open open letter which was written by law professors urging the Canadian Parliament to reject this legislation.

And over in France, the anti-trerrorism bill proposed in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attack has passed lower House of the French Parliament. The vacuuming up of data and the warantless spying with - basically no oversight -  that this would authorize do indeed sound Orwellian.

Then there's German Chancellor Merkel.  Just check out her first remarks about recent revelations of Germany spying on European officials and businesses.  "And this ability to carry out its duties in the face of international terrorism threats is done in cooperation with other intelligence agencies, and that includes first and foremost the NSA."  Can this be the same person who was quite indignant when it was revealed the NSA spied on her?

Now speaking of the good ol' NSA, The Intercept has a very revealing article about this nefarious agency and its exploits with voice to text.  Oh yes, just imagine the NSA searching through a text of your last phone conversation.  Creepy doesn't begin to describe it for me.

And this is all in spite of the fact that all this mass surveillance has been shown to be ineffective in protecting us against real threats.  This is in spite of the fact that, as is noted by critics, that definitions have been drawn so broadly that anyone could be (if not already) made a target.  This is in spite of the fact that such spying with so little, if any, oversight and privacy protections make it ripe for abuse (see excerpt about Canada's C-51 above).

As the Freedom Act gets debated here(and the privacy/civil liberties community is split as to it having ANY merit), and as HR1466 also gets considered (see this post), we need to be aware and to keep pressure up tor real reform and pushback against the surveillance apparatus.  We need to speak up and to speak up NOW!

UPDATE:  A three judge Federal Appeals Court Panel has ruled mass phone surveillance by the NSA illegal and sent the case back to District Court level for further proceedings...  Read about the decision here.  Small victory, but we'll take it!

Congressional Development

I saw a couple of blurbs about this and - wow, it really has been introduced in Congress!  I wanted to post this today, so no one would think the date implied it was - well, not true.

There is a bill introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives, H. R. 1466; it's the Surveillance State Repeal Act.  It was introduced by Representatives Mark Pocan and Thomas Massie.  It would repeal The Patriot Act and institute surveillance reforms.  Here is a report.  There is also a tracker you can use to keep up with its progress!

Today I called Rep. Pocan's office and spoke with a staffer to say thanks and offer support.  He (the staffer) said prospects for the bill weren't good, but that they had been getting quite a few calls.

So, we do have some actions.  Call Rep. Pocan  (202-225-2906) and/or Rep. Massie (202-225-3465) and thank them and express support.  Call or e-mail your own Rep. and ask him or her to support this bill.  And, of course, spread the word!!!

Hall of Shame

Well, I alluded to this in my last post, so here it is.  My effort to shine a glaring light on some shameful darkness.  Therefore, I present the following 'Hall of Shame' exhibits:

• Hall of Shame - Intolerance Division:  Indiana gets a law allowing discrimination  - Once this door is open, who knows whatever groups could be targeted next for what is indeed discrimination.  Did Hoosiers miss the memo about the meaning of the Civil Rights Movement?  I wonder if there will be some movement to challenge this or repeal it.  Or maybe boycott Indiana events?  Anyone and everyone involved should be ashamed.  UPDATE:  There are calls to boycott.  But believe it or not, 18 other states have similar laws.  As does the federal government.  Read more here -  the article has a link to a WaPost article about the various states and these laws.
• Hall of Shame - Who's Above the Law Division:  Glenn Greenwald nailed this story of a court case most of us probably have never heard of.  The ruling:  the gov't intervened - in a private and secretive session with the judge - to stop a private lawsuit on grounds of "national security."  We have NO idea of the nature of the 'threat' or even the agency which felt 'threatened' - yes, that's all been made secret.  The DOJ and the judge should be ashamed.
• Hall of Shame - NSA Continued Overreach Division:  Maybe you've heard of CISA.  Beware, though - this sounds like a bad idea.  Trevor Timm reports it's really a surveillance bill.  For more details, you can check out Marcy Wheeler's take on Emptywheel blog.  The NSA should hang up its intrusive snooping in shame. 
• Hall of Shame - Continuing Shame Division: Gitmo.  That place needs to be closed and the detainees either released or charged and given more humane conditions and access to due process.  We've made mention of Guantanamo Diary here before.  Here's another story of a detainee.  The U. S. should stop this continuing source of shame.
• Hall of Shame - Unconscionable Division: Read about a proposal in CA seeking to get to the signature-gathering stage.  I can't bring myself to type the horrible idea it espouses.  I don't recommend reading the comments to the op-ed link, though - I scanned some and some were pretty intolerant.  There is also a link to a previous article - general news about the controversy.  The originator of the petition should be "run out of town" in shame.  I have no idea how anyone could advocate such a petition and still call him or herself a human being.  I really hope a judge quashes it or the AG follows author Thrasher's recommendation.

Now that we've visited the 'Hall of Shame" - maybe we should say a cleansing prayer to dispel the gloom and drive the forces perpetuating such atrocities into retreat:

A Cleansing Prayer

Heavenly Father:
Cleanse our hearts,
Clear our minds,
And purify our spirits;
Show us better ways
Of promoting general welfare
And securing the blessings of liberty for all
Show us more positive ways of relating to one another
So that we may truly walk together on this journey.
Amen.
 

Any More Doubts?

Well, there always seems to be something that gets my blood boiling.  At least that helps circuation :-)  Easier than exercising, I suppose!

The latest comes from an article at The Intercept regarding Mall of America's spying on a Black Lives Matter rally there.

Documents show that MOA used a fake facebook account to 'friend' members of the activist groups involved in the rally, gather intel about them under this fake premise without the knowledge of the subjects, and create dossiers on them.  The article also mentions intel efforts involving other activist groups.  Disclaimer: I'm not on facebook, intend to keep it that way - and for me, this is just one more reason for staying off it.

If there were any doubt that this mass surveillance that is becoming all to prevalent is being used to target activists and dissenters for their political views, well, this should put that to rest.  This should set off alarms for all of us.  Just remember if you think it's only "them" who have anything to worry about - the next target may be you - or at least a cause that you espouse.

And to ANYONE who keeps saying - "no expectation of privacy online" - I say:
Is THIS how you would want to be treated by private corporations, law enforcement and government agencies?  Do we want a system that creates dossiers on people just because of their political views?  Isn't that what we would condemn if "other countries" were doing it?

Wake up and smell the coffee, folks.  Wake up and stand up for privacy.

Be Vigilant...

We've got to all be vigilant.  In the wake of the Charlie Hebdo shootings, we must not only be vigilant against terror attacks but also against attacks on our civil liberties.  

I don't hold the U.K. prime minister in very high regard.  And look at what he's been saying after the attacks.  He also wants the U. S. and U. S. based tech companies to cooperate with governments more!  As if they're really uncooperative now, with all the NSA back doors, secret FISA Court orders, etc.

Our Pres. is proposing more data sharing with homeland security and law enforcement.  Ah, gee, and the telcos having immunity already isn't enough?  The EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) legislative analyst mentioned in that Guardian article was also quoted by The Washington Post.  Read what he had to say on this page which also has a link to the WP article.

There will also be some 'countering extremism' conference here in the U. S. on Feb. 18.  We should let our voices be heard that the way to do this is NOT to sacrifice civil liberties and privacy.  

There will be those who will say, 'but we need to do this to keep us safe.'  Really?  If all the snooping didn't prevent the Charlie Hebdo attack, and the Boston Bombing before that, isn't it past time to question if all this mass surveillance is even effective?  We need to question if we're just getting too big of a haystack of data for analysts to handle, whether the agencies are at all competent, or maybe even whether the reason for all the snooping isn't really to catch terrorists at all.

As usual, Trevor Timm has a very on-point article. It should be required reading.

We need to keep fighting for privacy rights.  Let's remember how Edward Snowden so eloquently defended privacy and how much he has sacrificed.  Let's stand with those who are seeking legal solutions.  Let's continue to call for better technical solutions.  And let's stand against fear-mongering and the idea we must sacrifice civil liberties and privacy for safety. 

P. S. Speaking of Edward Snowden, here's an extra goodie, an article by his father. 

Surveillance Art 2 - Wall of Shame

Surveillance Art

There's a new article up at The Intercept, this one by Peter Maass on art and surveillance.  I did find it interesting, though I think some of the projects themselves are downright creepy.

But hey -  it got me inspired to try to do something artistically and that certainly can't be bad.  If you read the article and check out the links he provides you'll notice that in addition to the visual arts, there was also a musical project and a book of poetry (why didn't I know about that before?).

I would like to do something visual as that would be something different (keep watching this space; although my artistic ability is quite limited I might come up with something). I guess I'm more language oriented, so first out is a poem! 

The Gaze 

All seeing eyes

But who gets the prize

When peek-a-boo is not a game

And prying queries have no shame

All seeing eyes

Classify and categorize

But this arbitrary gaze

Can fracture the ordinariness of days

All seeing eyes

Sifting through social ties

Never taking the time to blink

Recording, then storing in digital ink

All seeing eyes, though you can patterns perceive

Humanity’s essence you cannot digitally retrieve.

Let's Just Hack Everybody, Shall We?

Dear folks, here's something we REALLY need to be aware of: FBI proposal

Let's get this straight.  If the rule change is granted, the FBI can be warranted to hack, yes, hack as insert malware into any computer computing device, anywhere for surveillance purposes  Does anyone else find this extremely alarming?  This is certainly an attack on anonymity online and a real threat to privacy of probably many innocent individuals!  The ACLU has a 29 page (!) response to this - which you can find here.

A hearing is set for next week, Nov. 5.  The public is able to comment on this and other proposed rule changes!  Comments will be accepted until Feb. 7, 2015.  You can comment, electonically only, by going here - and scrolling way down to link for "review or comment on proposed amendments to federal rules of criminal procedure" (or something very close to that wording!).  I think it would be an excellent idea to let this group know how we feel on this issue.  I intend to comment, after I read just a bit more and work up my statement!

Stunning Revelations

More stunning revelations of NSA and GCHQ spying are detailed at The Intercept in a new article.

From Snowden documents, the article covers the dragnet of NSA and GCHQ's "Treasure Map," specifically tech firms targeted in Germany.  The focus is on one such firm, Stellar PCS   The article includes a fine video of Stellar leaders reacting to the documents.

In case you think this is just a problem for the German firms, THINK AGAIN.  From the article:

"Treasure Map is a vast NSA campaign to map the global internet. The program doesn’t just seek to chart data flows in large traffic channels, such as telecommunications cables. Rather, it seeks to identify and locate every single device that is connected to the internet somewhere in the world—every smartphone, tablet, and computer—”anywhere, all the time,” according to NSA documents."

Read the story here ----- and please disseminate this info to your contacts! This deserves wide attention.

Some Noteworthy Items

Hello all -

With so much going on, it's sometimes hard to know what to focus a post on.  However, here are some article of interest I can pass on.

Trevor Timm has an excellent column in The Guardian on Homeland Security and civil liberties violations.  If you haven't been concerned about such things, I feel you should be!

At The Intercept, there's a very new article detailing the letter sent to Pres. Obama by a number of civil liberties and privacy groups, some members of Congress, and some former government officials. The letter expresses concerns over the Executive Order 12333 which has been used to justify mass surveillance with little or no oversight.  The amount of secrecy surrounding this and the lack of accountability and oversight pose real threats to our democratic ideals.

The courts are now continuing to look at issues of mass surveillance.  I'm not hopeful, knowing this is probably headed to the Supreme Court, but these issues need to be examined, debated, and resolved (hopefully) publicly.

Bruce Schneier has a blog post worth reading on a cell phone "kill switch" law just passed in CA  - be sure to read the discussion in the comments as well.  I think the possible abuses in regard to stifling dissent and furthering other types of surveillance are quite troubling.

So "heads up" people - be aware and engaged in these and other crucial issues.

P. S.   I know there are some page views - would LOVE to get some comments as it can get lonely in here.  Anyone out there?

More on that Facebook Experiment

Hello there.  I hope sometime during all the holiday weekend observations, celebrations, and cookouts, someone will read this!

It's difficult to get that facebook experiment out of my mind. I am just gong to mention in passing facebook's non-apology apology which I would imagine most of you have read about.  Apologizing for poor communication?  Get real!  It would be funny if it wasn't so infuriating.

Today I received an e-mail from the National Academy of Sciences which published the study, which linked me to their statement.  I think a very legitimate question would be: why would they ever publish the study when they had concerns over practices of informed consent and opt-out?  I'm extremely upset at the suggestion that because facebook is private, their terms of service give them a pass to turn users into lab rats.  It was mentioned in the e-mail I received that the NAS would be allowing reader comments on that facebook experiment article in the next few days.  I'll update this post with a link to that. I think everyone should really let them have it!

The American Psychological Association posted a brief statement on their site just reiterating their policy on informed consent, supposedly in response to this study. That's it.  No specific concerns expressed,  no suggestion they might in any way review this.  

There has also been some discussion if this infamous study received government, specifically, Dep't of Defense, funding.  Seems at this point unclear, although: the Cornell author had received DoD Minerva Initiative research funding in the past and another Cornell researcher is currently receiving funding.  Here's a fairly decent overview, with a link to the Minerva Initiative site.

I know this will be hard to "hear", but I think it is probably time for users to leave facebook.  I know folks get hooked, but I really feel the only way to make a statement is to leave.  Fewer users, less advertising revenue MIGHT wake them up.

UPDATE 1:

You can find the full text of the study, the expression of concern - and now comments here.

But be warned, I think they're using Discus for comments and I believe it's a pretty notorious tracker. 

UPDATE 2:

EPIC, the Electronic Privacy Information Center has filed a complaint about this study with the FTC. Thanks for the link, Lyra1!