Mass surveillance

The Republican-controlled House Intelligence Committee released a mysterious statement Wednesday morning that warned of a “national security threat” facing the United States. And while we’re still not sure of the details, a new report from ABC News includes more information about what everyone might be panicking about.Astronomers Could Soon Get Warnings When SpaceX Satellites Threaten Their View“Today, the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has made available to all Members of Congress information concerning…

The National Security Agency (NSA) is purchasing Americans’ internet records, according to government documents made public on Friday. U.S. Senator Ron Wyden, a Democrat from Oregon, wrote a letter claiming the NSA goes through backchannel avenues to purchase your browsing records and location data, which government agencies typically require a search warrant to obtain.Alex Winter on the Most Important Modern Horror Movie “The U.S. government should not be funding and legitimizing a shady industry whose flagrant…

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee voted forward a bill that would force tech companies to report web users to the Drug Enforcement Agency if they suspected them of engaging in criminal drug activity. The controversial Cooper Davis Act, named so after a Kansas teenager who died of a fentanyl overdose in 2021, has rankled privacy advocates, who see the proposed legislation as a gateway to broad internet surveillance efforts by the federal government. Proponents of the bill say it would help crack down on…

The European Union and the U.S. reached an agreement in its years-long discussion about international privacy laws on Monday, marking a major milestone for the two nations. The agreement, called the E.U.-U.S. Data Privacy Framework, opens the doorway for Europeans to file an appeal if they believe American intelligence agencies collected their personal information without their consent. The FTC Just Prescribed a Can of Whoop Ass on Health DataAn independent review body called the Data Protection Review Court, will hear…

When it comes to data privacy in our present, hyper-connected age, many of your worst fears and biggest anxieties are probably correct. Yes, smartphones and our manifold other devices collect an incredible array of information on our habits, choices, and movements at all times. Yes, all of this information is compiled by companies to sell for profit. Yes, the U.S. government is among the many clients buying up that data. And yes, it represents a significant and persistent threat to your civil liberties and safety, as…

High-level officials from the CIA, FBI, and NSA are testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee today, asking Congress to continue allowing the agency to spy on the communications of US citizens. They are urging Congress to reauthorize Section 702 of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA)—one of the nation’s most hotly contested government surveillance programs. Intelligence agencies have long cited the powerful 2008 FISA provision as an invaluable tool to effectively combat global terrorism, but critics,…

Russia claimed Apple’s iPhones are spying on its citizens on Thursday and accused the U.S. of being behind it. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) claims the U.S. National Security Agency used malware and backdoors created on the devices to carry out a plot to spy on the citizens and government.How To Prep Your iPhone or iPad Before SellingThe FSB said in a statement to Sputnik International, a Russian state-owned news outlet, that the U.S. hacked thousands of Apple phones, including those of domestic Russian…

Sharon Bradford Franklin, U.S. Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board Chair, testifies during the House Judiciary Crime and Federal Government Surveillance Subcommittee hearing on FISAPhoto: Mariam Zuhaib (AP)Though some of lawmakers on the Hosue committee appeared surprised or even outraged over the prospect of US citizen data being sucked up during foreign surveillance operations, the experts clarified that the seeming loophole is actually a core foundation of Section 702. “Incidental collection,” Franklin told…

House lawmakers are holding a hearing today that foreshadows months of fierce debate over one of the country’s most controversial warrantless surveillance programs. Rainn Wilson Would Be the Best Dungeon Master for Dungeons & Dragons | io9 InterviewMembers of Congress taking part in a House Judiciary Committee hearing Thursday are expected to grill Department of Justice officials over the FBI’s alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) to surveil US citizens and prominent political figures,…

Immigration and Customs Enforcement reportedly used a little-known administrative subpoena more than 100,000 times over six years to request information from schools, abortion clinics, and newspapers, all without first procuring warrants from judges. Pentagon Employees Too Horny to Follow RulesThe massive database of subpoenas, first revealed by Wired, is just the latest example of ICE and other federal agencies finding creative loopholes to sidestep privacysafeguards. Though details of the requests remain obscure,…