Surveillance

Thousands Of Germans Rally To End Government Spying

September 3, 2014 RT, www.rt.com Resist! Germany, Privacy, Protest, Surveillance

The rally in Berlin against federal surveillance gathered thousands of people under the motto ‘Freedom not fear,’ who were calling for stricter control of German intelligence agencies. The organizers said about 6,500 demonstrators, a broad coalition of pro-transparency, anti-surveillance and civil rights groups including the Electronic Frontier Foundation, Reporters Without Borders, Digital Courage, and Amnesty International joined the rally as they marched from the Brandenburg Gate to the Federal Chancellery. The American Internet activist and journalist Jacob Appelbaum called on activists to not be afraid to expose government secrets, with many in the crowd holding signs with photos of Edward Snowden. “We have to stand up for all of those who do not usually get support. For all these people across the globe. For confidential communication. For privacy on the Internet. For encryption... It really works. And for anonymity. It protects you,” Appelbaum said.

How The NSA Built Its Own Secret Google

August 26, 2014 Ryan Gallagher, www.firstlook.org Educate! Data, NSA, Privacy, Surveillance

The National Security Agency is secretly providing data to nearly two dozen U.S. government agencies with a “Google-like” search engine built to share more than 850 billion records about phone calls, emails, cellphone locations, and internet chats, according to classified documents obtained by The Intercept. The documents provide the first definitive evidence that the NSA has for years made massive amounts of surveillance data directly accessible to domestic law enforcement agencies. Planning documents for ICREACH, as the search engine is called, cite the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Drug Enforcement Administration as key participants. ICREACH contains information on the private communications of foreigners and, it appears, millions of records on American citizens who have not been accused of any wrongdoing. Details about its existence are contained in the archive of materials provided to The Intercept by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden. Earlier revelations sourced to the Snowden documents have exposed a multitude of NSA programs for collecting large volumes of communications. The NSA has acknowledged that it shares some of its collected data with domestic agencies like the FBI, but details about the method and scope of its sharing have remained shrouded in secrecy.

CISPA Is Back With A New Name: “CISA”

August 26, 2014 Fight for the Future, www.cispaisback.org Organize! Internet Freedom, Organize, Surveillance

CISA is the newest and latest version of a bill that would give the NSA even more powers CISA is an even more toxic bill than the original CISPA bill. CISA stays in line with the original objective of the CISPA bill to strengthen and legitimize the NSA's surveillance programs. But this time the bill would allow for and encourage sweeping datamining taps on Internet users for the undefined purpose of domestic "cybersecurity". The NSA would be able to share this data with police and other law enforcement agencies for domestic "cybersecurity" purposes - meaning these powers will be used against innocent citizens. Would you like to read more about CISPA's newest form, CISA? Read some of these articles 1.) Open Technology Institute. "Info Sharing with NSA is a Non-Starter – and Only One of the New Cybersecurity Bill’s Many Problems". Read More 2.) ACLU. "Beware the Dangers of Congress’ Latest Cybersecurity Bill". Read More

Corporations Spy On Nonprofits With Impunity

August 25, 2014 Ralph Nader, www.huffingtonpost.com Educate! Corporatism, Nonprofits, Surveillance

Here's a dirty little secret you won't see in the daily papers: Corporations conduct espionage against U.S. nonprofit organizations without fear of being brought to justice. Yes, that means using a great array of spycraft and snoopery, including planned electronic surveillance, wiretapping, information warfare, infiltration, dumpster diving and so much more. The evidence abounds. For example, six years ago, based on extensive documentary evidence, James Ridgeway reported in Mother Jones on a major corporate espionage scheme by Dow Chemical focused on Greenpeace and other environmental and food activists. Greenpeace was running a potent campaign against Dow's use of chlorine to manufacture paper and plastics. Dow grew worried and eventually desperate. Ridgeway's article and subsequent revelations produced jaw-dropping information about how Dow's private investigators, from the firm Beckett Brown International (BBI), hired: • An off-duty DC police officer who gained access to Greenpeace trash dumpsters at least 55 times;

Part IV, Data-Mining Tools To Track And Kill Activists

August 22, 2014 Nafeez Mosaddeq Ahmed, www.occupy.com Educate! Data, Drones, Surveillance

Since 2008, the year of the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression of the 1930s, the U.S. Department of Defense has funded a multimillion dollar university research program to probe the complex dynamics of mass social and political movements, anticipate global trends, and ultimately augment the intelligence community’s preparations for civil unrest and insurgencies both abroad and at home. Part of that has involved developing advanced new data mining and analysis tools for the U.S. military intelligence community to pinpoint imminent and potential threats from individuals and groups. Among its many areas of focus are ongoing projects at Arizona State University (ASU) designed to enhance and automate the algorithms used by intelligence agencies like the NSA to analyze "open source" information from social media in order to track the potential threat-level to U.S. interests. Formal organizations and broad social networks as well as individuals could be identified and closely monitored with such tools to an unprecedented degree of precision. Loosely defined concepts of political “radicalism,” violence and nonviolence, as well as questionable research methodologies, open the way for widespread suspicion of even peaceful activist groups and their members, and the equation of them with potential terrorists. Civil society organizations in the U.K., including both Muslim religious groups and non-religious anti-war networks, have been prioritized for study to test and improve the effectiveness of these data-mining tools.

John Brennan Must Go

August 22, 2014 Brave New Films, www.youtube.com Petitions and Online Actions Barack Obama, CIA, Surveillance, Torture

A Short Film by Brave New Films on the Lies of John Brennan Not only did Brennan obstruct justice and spy on the Senate Committee, which was tasked to oversee the agency’s use of torture, but he also claimed that there has been no civilian casualties caused by United States drones. Brennan’s statements have been proven false through the media and through the Inspector General. President Obama MUST Fire Him. John Brennan’s lies do more than just tarnish his name, his lies tarnish an entire agency which is steeped in secrecy. If the American people are to believe that these are the only fabrications he has made, we’re sadly mistaken. Brennan’s lies send the message that the CIA is an untouchable agency and not accountable to anyone. We remain concerned that Brennan will do whatever it takes to protect his best interest. We must reign in Brennan’s rouge leadership. It's time for CIA Director John Brennan to go. TELL OBAMA TO FIRE HIM!

Ferguson Deploys New Protest Control Tactics

August 21, 2014 Eric Blair, www.activistpost.com Educate! Journalism, Militarization, Police, Protest, Surveillance

It seems like the police state is using protests in Ferguson as a testing ground for all of their crowd-control weapons. Many are obvious like the curfew enforced by platoons of soldiers, armored tanks mounted by snipers, stun, tear and smoke grenades, no-fly zone, sound cannons, and designated free speech zones and media zones (apparently they're different now). However, some weapons are less obvious like technology to kill livestream feeds during questionable police activity. And that's precisely what happened last night according to Ferguson's most prolific livestreamer Argus Radio. The GIF above, taken from the final seconds of Argus Radio feed from last night, shows the moment the police bum rush the crowd and create mass panic in an attempt to catch someone. Moments later the livestream feed was cut and registered a network error, according to Argus Radio. The Argus livestream has been filming the protests non-stop for the last week manned by volunteer University of Missouri post-grad student Mustafa Hussein.

Video Shows Police Shooting 21 Year Old Was Unjustified

August 20, 2014 Amanda Lee Myers, www.bigstory.ap.org Resist! Ohio, Police, Surveillance

An attorney for the family of a man fatally shot by police at a Wal-Mart store said Tuesday that surveillance video of the shooting shows it was unjustified, and the state's top lawman said a special grand jury will begin considering whether charges are appropriate against the officers. Attorney Michael Wright, who represents the family of 21-year-old John Crawford III, said in a statement that surveillance video of the shooting "showed that absolutely this young man ... was killed without justification or cause." Police in the Dayton suburb of Beavercreek said they shot Crawford on Aug. 5 at the Wal-Mart after he waved an air rifle at customers and refused officers' orders to drop it. Wright said that the video shows that's "absolutely incorrect" and that Crawford was simply holding in one hand his cellphone and in the other hand an air rifle he had picked up off a store shelf and intended to buy. A Beavercreek police spokesman did not immediately respond to messages for comment Tuesday. Wal-Mart Stores Inc., based in Bentonville, Arkansas, provided material to law enforcement officials for their investigation.

Seattle: Escalating Activism Leads To Escalating Surveillance

August 20, 2014 Cassius Methyl, www.theantimedia.org Resist! Activism, Police, Seattle, Surveillance

Activists in Seattle are currently extremely active, doing daily protests for Ferguson, Palestine, against Monsanto for environmental issues, among many other causes. Image credit: jglsongs It is under-reported how active these people are, and how much work they have put into making people conscious. Seattle, and more specifically Capitol Hill activists, are in such large numbers and work so peacefully and effectively, that the Seattle Police Department and the Department of Homeland Security are targeting them and doing heavier and heavier surveillance by the day. On a daily basis, helicopters fly over the protests that take place in Seattle, hovering menacingly over completely peaceful people. Innocent people get maced for no reason who aren’t even involved in protesting, and violence is instigated by the police. For example, earlier this week the anarchist Co-Op coffee shop ‘Black Coffee’ was put under blatant surveillance and were met with intimidation by an officer. A female officer parked directly in front of the place and pointed her dashcam camera at the activist coffee shop, videotaping the entire scene for about an hour and a half. This coffee shop is under investigation in several ways , and the police are doing everything they can to shut it down. It will probably have to move to another location in Seattle in the next few months.

City Cut Funds For Mental Health Patients, Spied On Them Instead

August 20, 2014 Ben Joravsky, www.chicagoreader.com Educate! Activism, Chicago, mental health, Police, Surveillance

Two years after Mayor Rahm Emanuel closed the mental health clinics, he's finally allowing his City Council allies to hold a hearing on them sometime this month. If it actually happens, I'm hoping someone asks about the curious tale of Mo and Gloves, because their story reveals a lot about the Emanuel administration's attitude toward mental health care in poor areas. The tale started in the fall of 2011, when the mayor decided to close six of the city's 12 clinics, most of them in low-income, high-crime neighborhoods. As I've written before, Emanuel never gave a reason for the closings. He never conducted a study or convened a task force or, most importantly, met with the patients—even though a number of them, backed by other activists, demanded that the mayor hear firsthand the consequences of closing clinics in low-income communities where residents are under stress from gunfire and unemployment. In fact, the mayor repeatedly went out of his way to avoid any face-to-face encounters.

California “Kill Switch” Bill Could Be Used To Disrupt Protests

August 19, 2014 Jake Laperruque, www.cdt.org Educate! Privacy, Protest, Surveillance, Technology

This week the California legislature passed a bill that requires all smartphones to include a “kill switch” that can remotely render the device inoperable. Although created to deter smartphone theft, this kill switch mandate could actually become a nefarious tool co-opted by government to suppress protests. Kill switch mandates suffer a variety of flaws that CDT has discussed previously. However, the California bill is especially troubling on the issue of police using the feature to shut down phones. The legislation states that government agents may use the kill switch so long as their activities comply with Section 7908 of the Public Utilities Code. This law allows governments to disrupt communications under certain guidelines with judicial authorization, but also includes an “emergency” exception that requires no independent approval. Police could use the kill switch to shut down all phones in a situation they unilaterally perceive as presenting an imminent risk of danger. This means that police could use the kill switch to shut down all phones in a situation they unilaterally perceive as presenting an imminent risk of danger. It’s not hard to imagine law enforcement putting such a label on a protest: Managers of the BART subway system shut down cell service in four stations just prior to planned anti-police demonstrations in 2011, claiming the disruptive measure was justified by public safety concerns.

Pentagon Funds New Data-Mining Tools To Track And Kill Activists

August 19, 2014 Nafeez Ahmed, www.occupy.com Educate! Activism, Drones, Surveillance

The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is funding a multimillion dollar university research program to develop new data mining and analysis tools for the U.S. military intelligence community to track political radicalism among British Muslims and other activist groups around the world. Leading intelligence experts including former National Security Agency (NSA) official Thomas Drake – the whistleblower who inspired Edward Snowden – confirm that the tools are designed to enhance the intelligence community’s capabilities to identify potential terrorism suspects that could face a range of sanctions, from surveillance to no-fly injunctions to, at worst, being targeted for extrajudicial assassination via the CIA’s "kill lists." But, they say, inherent flaws in the program are instead likely to facilitate the criminalization of political dissent and the targeting of innocent civilians – and that such trends are increasingly likely to affect not just "hostile theatres" abroad, but even domestic populations in the U.S., Britain and Europe.

WikiLeaks: Decades Long Proof Of Surveillance Of Native Americans

August 18, 2014 Christine Graef, www.mintpressnews.com Educate! Indigenous Rights, Native Indians, Privacy, Surveillance

It’s an ordinary day at Akwesasne: drones fly high overhead; Border Patrol’s presence is palpable; and cellphones are rarely used because they may be tapped. The village spans the northeastern New York-Canada border, and with listening devices, chemical detectors and X-ray equipment, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection station is among the most sophisticated in the country. As Mohawks travel back and forth through their community, going to work and visiting family on each side of the border, their cars are even weighed. The people here say the government has been spying on the Mohawk Indian reservation for decades. But until recently, these concerns were mostly just suspicions. WikiLeaks has released documents revealing corporate and government surveillance of the Mohawk people’s relationships with foreign countries, as well as evidence that movements that could block corporate plans for oil and gas were tracked and that Native American communities were monitored for the U.S. Department Homeland Security. The documents — among 5 million of WikiLeaks’ Global Intelligence Files — were released this month.

Chokehold Death Proves Need For Body Cameras

August 18, 2014 Caitlin Nolan , Bill Hutchinson, www.nydailynews.com Create! New York City (NYC), police brutality, Surveillance

In response to the case of a Staten Island man who died in a cop’s chokehold, the New York City Public Advocate called Monday on Mayor de Blasio to curb bad police behavior by equipping officers with body cameras. Letitia James implored de Blasio, NYPD Commissioner Bill Bratton and the City Council to support her proposal for a body-cam pilot program, saying, “We need action today!” “Simply rewriting the rules is not enough,” said James, apparently referring to Bratton’s plan to retrain all officers in the use of force in the wake of Eric Garner’s death. Garner died July 17 when a plainclothes police officer put him in an NYPD-prohibited chokehold while trying to arrest him for selling bootleg cigarettes on a Staten Island street. A witness videotaped the incident in which Garner repeatedly pleaded “I can’t breathe” before going lifeless on the sidewalk. The city medical examiner has ruled the death a homicide.

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