http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/privacy/ en-us Sun, 5 Oct 2008 16:19:54 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2098014/posts Ministers are considering spending up to £12 billion on a database to monitor and store the internet browsing habits, e-mail and telephone records of everyone in Britain. GCHQ, the government’s eavesdropping centre, has already been given up to £1 billion to finance the first stage of the project. Hundreds of clandestine probes will be installed to monitor customers live on two of the country’s biggest internet and mobile phone providers - thought to be BT and Vodafone. BT has nearly 5m internet customers. UK Independent http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2098014/posts#comment Sun, 5 Oct 2008 16:19:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097550/posts Justice Department officials released new guidelines Friday that empower FBI agents to use intrusive techniques to gather intelligence within the United States, alarming civil liberties groups and Democratic lawmakers who worry that they invite privacy violations and other abuses. The new road map allows investigators to recruit informants, employ physical surveillance and conduct interviews in which agents disguise their identities in an effort to assess national security threats. FBI agents could pursue each of those steps without any single fact indicating a person has ties to a terrorist organization. San Francisco Chronicle http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2097550/posts#comment Sat, 4 Oct 2008 19:58:12 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2096992/posts "I repeat so as not to be misunderstood that this Court does have power, which it should exercise, to hold laws unconstitutional where they are forbidden by the Federal Constitution. My point is that there is no provision of the Constitution which either expressly or impliedly vests power in this Court to sit as a supervisory agency over acts of duly constituted legislative bodies and set aside their laws because of the Court's belief that the legislative policies adopted are unreasonable, unwise, arbitrary, capricious or irrational. The adoption of such a loose, flexible, uncontrolled standard for holding laws unconstitutional, if... University of Missouri, Kansas City, School of Law http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2096992/posts#comment Fri, 3 Oct 2008 21:43:54 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2095292/posts The Department of Homeland Security will proceed with the first phase of a controversial satellite-surveillance program, even though an independent review found the department hasn't yet ensured the program will comply with privacy laws. Congress provided partial funding for the program in a little-debated $634 billion spending measure that will fund the government until early March. For the past year, the Bush administration had been fighting Democratic lawmakers over the spy program, known as the National Applications Office. The program is designed to provide federal, state and local officials with extensive access to spy-satellite imagery -- but no eavesdropping --... WSJ http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2095292/posts#comment Wed, 1 Oct 2008 23:07:20 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2091399/posts Cutting class just got harder but schools are safer thanks to computer chips that help track students, Japanese officials say. Some schools here this month began trial runs in which students carry chips that have tiny antennae and can be traced by radio, with some of the kids attaching the tags to their backpacks. The chips send signals to receivers at school gates. A computer in the system shows when a student enters or leaves. School officials say rising concerns about student safety prompted the idea. Joi.Ito.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2091399/posts#comment Fri, 26 Sep 2008 22:51:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2090221/posts A Florida man named Scott Weires has canceled the order for his long-awaited Nissan GT-R. Why? It's not that he was disappointed in the car's performance credentials, far from it. The problem is that the GT-R is equipped with a 'black box', similar in theory to the kind found on airplanes to help determine what went wrong in case of an accident or breakdown. By the end of 2012, car buyers won't have a choice as to whether their new car is equipped with a 'black box,' or Electronic Data Recorder -- they will be federally mandated to carry one.... Autoblog.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2090221/posts#comment Thu, 25 Sep 2008 15:04:45 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087337/posts Nearly one in 10 Hispanics in the U.S. reported that in the last year police or other authorities have stopped them and asked them about their immigration status, the Pew Hispanic Center said in a report released Thursday. The finding comes amid the biggest crackdown in decades against illegal immigration – one especially evident in Texas, the No. 2 destination for such migrants. Municipal police in several suburbs of Dallas, including Irving and Carrollton, have stepped up cooperation with federal immigration authorities. Nationally, deportations or removals of Mexicans, Salvadorans and Guatemalans from the interior of the United States have doubled... Dallas Morning News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2087337/posts#comment Sun, 21 Sep 2008 23:38:07 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086765/posts Barackobama.com gives donors' personal contact information to "other organizations" Most people don't want their home addresses and phone numbers given to total strangers, but Barack Obama's "Neighbor to Neighbor" program seems to do exactly this. In addition, it has been alleged that the Obama campaign is giving out people's voter ID numbers as well as their home phone numbers. Barackobama.com says openly, meanwhile, that it gives donors' personal information to other organizations. Neighbor to Neighbor: Reach Out to Voters in your Community says openly that the Obama campaign gives out people's private information to total strangers--anyone who signs up can... The Husaria: For Our Freedom and Yours http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086765/posts#comment Sat, 20 Sep 2008 22:38:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086683/posts The Obama Campaign is giving out names, phone numbers, voter ID numbers, gender and age information to any yahoo who signs up at their web site. I got all the above information for 50 people in the 502 area code. Here is a quote from that portion of Obama's web page. In all states, you'll be able to immediately start calling potential supporters. Once you select a campaign on the right, you'll get a list of voters either in your state or in an important battleground state. You can pick up the phone and get calling immediately. Or if you'd... mybarakobama.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2086683/posts#comment Sat, 20 Sep 2008 20:10:28 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085116/posts Cloud computing puts your health data at risk By Stuart J. Johnston The advent of "in the cloud" medical records services, such as Microsoft HealthVault and Google Health, promises an explosion in the storage of personal health-care information online. But these services pose sticky privacy questions — unless you know how to protect your personal medical records. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ Private health data goes public by mistake Part of consumers' reticence to sign up for electronic personal health-care records — with or without services "in the cloud" — has to do with a handful of recent high-profile... Windows Secrets http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2085116/posts#comment Thu, 18 Sep 2008 16:19:18 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084971/posts I Don't Believe in Imaginary Property writes "Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) has introduced a bill that would add accountability to the DHS searches conducted upon the laptops of those crossing the border. Specifically, it would require the issue of receipts to those who had their property confiscated so that it could later be returned, would limit how long the DHS can keep laptops, would require them to keep the laptop's information secure, and would create a way to complain about abuse. Finally, the DHS would be required to keep track of how many searches were done and report the details... Slashdot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084971/posts#comment Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:53:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084970/posts bl968 writes "The Newspaper is reporting that the leading private traffic enforcement camera vendors are seeking to establish a national vehicle tracking system in the United States using existing red-light and speed enforcement cameras. The system would utilize Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to track vehicles passing surveillance cameras operated by these companies. If there are cameras positioned correctly the company will enable images and video to be taken of the driver and passengers. The nice thing in their view is that absolutely no warrants are needed. To gain public acceptance, the surveillance program is being initially sold as an... Slashdot http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084970/posts#comment Thu, 18 Sep 2008 12:50:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084667/posts Gawker, a site best known for its catty observations about important subjects like celebrity clothing faux pas and stalker celebrity sightings, claims to have obtained screen shots from one of Sarah Palin's private Yahoo e-mail accounts. Now, of course, Gawker isn't the New York Times, so it's only reasonable to be skeptical, but there are reasons to think this report is legitimate. According to Gawker, numerous anonymous individuals managed to hack their way into one of Palin's private accounts, gov.palin@yahoo.com. This is a different e-mail than gov.sarah@yahoo.com, which Palin allegedly used to send work-related messages, including e-mails about her involvement... Salon.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2084667/posts#comment Wed, 17 Sep 2008 22:10:55 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2083683/posts Microsoft Corp. today defended the Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) tool that suggests sites based on the URLs typed into its address bar, saying that the browser "phones home" only a limited amount of information to Microsoft and that the company discards all user IP addresses almost immediately. Company managers also contrasted IE8 Beta 2's "Suggested Sites" feature with the "Suggest" feature used by rival Google Inc. in its Chrome browser, saying that Microsoft's browser requires the user's explicit permission before it's used. They did, however, acknowledge a bug that prevents the request from reappearing when users reinstalled the browser. "We... ComputerWorld http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2083683/posts#comment Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:05:50 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2083675/posts Declan McCullagh has a somewhat scary report about how the UN's International Telecommunication Union has been quietly working away on a proposal for new core internet technology that would allow a "traceback mechanism" to effectively get rid of anonymity, and allow those with access to identify who provided any particular piece of content. Not surprisingly, the proposal for such a technology was first suggested by a Chinese official, who has long tried to control the use of the internet in that country. The leaked documents related to this effort even indicate that one potential reason for such a mechanism would... techdirt http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2083675/posts#comment Tue, 16 Sep 2008 18:56:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083488/posts RIVIERA BEACH — A judge says Riviera Beach's "saggy pants" law is unconstitutional in the case of a 17-year-old who spent a night in jail for having his underwear showing. And a public defender said her office wants to get the law tossed altogether. Saggy pants File photo In Riviera Beach, a first offense carries a $150 fine or a requirement of community service. Julius Hart was charged Wednesday when an officer spotted him riding his bicycle in the 2800 block of Lakeshore Drive with 4 to 5 inches of blue and black boxer shorts sticking out of his black... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2083488/posts#comment Tue, 16 Sep 2008 14:43:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082493/posts Prosecutors can’t use secret videotapes of a Watertown minister having sex with his comatose wife while she was in a nursing home, the 4th District Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. Advertisement The man faces eight felonies — four counts of second-degree sexual assault of an unconscious person and four counts of third-degree sexual assault — as well as a misdemeanor. The case raises a number of issues, including a nursing home’s obligation to protect the health and safety of a patient, an individual’s right to privacy and questions of marital sexual abuse. According to the appellate decision and other court... JS ONLINE http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082493/posts#comment Mon, 15 Sep 2008 05:49:56 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082438/posts MUMBAI, India: The new technology is, to its critics, Orwellian. Others view it as a silver bullet against terrorism that could render waterboarding and other harsh interrogation methods obsolete. Some scientists predict the end of lying as we know it. Now, well before any consensus on the technology's readiness, India has become the first country to convict someone of a crime relying on evidence from this controversial machine: a brain scanner that produces images of the human mind in action and is said to reveal signs that a suspect remembers details of the crime in question. For years, scientists have... International Herald Tribune http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082438/posts#comment Mon, 15 Sep 2008 03:56:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082406/posts This is the first of two stories adapted from "Angler: The Cheney Vice Presidency," to be published Tuesday by Penguin Press. EXCERPT: "The United States was at war with al-Qaeda, intelligence-gathering is inherent in war, and the Constitution appoints the president commander in chief. But they had not been asked to give their own written assessments of the legality of domestic espionage. They based their answer in part on the attorney general's certification of the "form and legality" of the president's orders. Yet neither man had been allowed to see the program's codeword-classified legal analyses [5], which were prepared by... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082406/posts#comment Mon, 15 Sep 2008 02:49:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2082373/posts THE ACLU AND YOU Here we go again. Ever on the alert to oppose any measures that would help insure America’s safety, the Anti Citizens’ Lives Union, aka, the American Civil License Union, aka, the ACLU is on the warpath again. Reuters reports that the FBI has drafted new regulations regarding suspicious individuals who may be plotting terrorist attacks within the United States. “Justice Department and FBI officials told a news briefing the changes would allow agents in some terrorism cases to use informants, do physical surveillance and conduct interviews without identifying themselves or their true purpose.” (http://www.reuters.com/article/domesticNews/idUSN1247176820080912?sp=true) Since this... http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2082373/posts#comment Sun, 14 Sep 2008 22:34:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082312/posts <p>Police who videotaped a man having sex with his comatose wife in her nursing home room violated his constitutional rights, an appeals court ruled Thursday.</p> <p>David W. Johnson, 59, had an expectation to privacy when he visited his wife, a stroke victim, at Divine Savior Nursing Home in Portage, the District 4 Court of Appeals ruled. Therefore, police violated his constitutional rights against unreasonable searches when they installed a hidden video camera in the room, the court said.</p> AP http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2082312/posts#comment Sun, 14 Sep 2008 19:43:42 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081802/posts WASHINGTON — The Justice Department made public on Friday a plan to expand the tools the Federal Bureau of Investigation can use to investigate suspicions of terrorism inside the United States, even without any direct evidence of wrongdoing....... nytimes http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081802/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 22:04:35 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081532/posts A United Nations agency is quietly drafting technical standards, proposed by the Chinese government, to define methods of tracing the original source of Internet communications and potentially curbing the ability of users to remain anonymous. The U.S. National Security Agency is also participating in the "IP Traceback" drafting group, named Q6/17, which is meeting next week in Geneva to work on the traceback proposal. Members of Q6/17 have declined to release key documents, and meetings are closed to the public. CNET news http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2081532/posts#comment Sat, 13 Sep 2008 14:02:09 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080590/posts For much of the latter part of summer, police officers in Helena, Arkansas, shouldered military-style M-16 rifles equipped with laser sights and patrolled the streets of this little community of 15,000. White signs on large blue barrels were placed in a 10-block area, warning that it was under 24-hour curfew. "Everybody is subject to being stopped and questioned," said Mayor James Valley. "Our officers will ride in unmarked vehicles, pull surprises on people and check everybody out to see who they are." A crime spree prompted a similar lockdown in Hartford, Connecticut. After a chain of shootings that left one... Time via Yahoo! News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080590/posts#comment Fri, 12 Sep 2008 07:22:05 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080560/posts Government Must Get a Warrant Before Seizing Cell Phone Location Records San Francisco - In an unprecedented victory for cell phone privacy, a federal court has affirmed that cell phone location information stored by a mobile phone provider is protected by the Fourth Amendment and that the government must obtain a warrant based on probable cause before seizing such records.The Department of Justice (DOJ) had asked the federal court in the Western District of Pennsylvania to overturn a magistrate judge's decision requiring the government to obtain a warrant for stored location data, arguing that the government could obtain such information... EFF.org http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2080560/posts#comment Fri, 12 Sep 2008 05:41:20 GMT