http://www.freerepublic.com/tag/spying/ en-us Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:15:40 GMT Focus Forum 15 http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407254/posts The Government Is Monitoring Facebook And Twitter By Noel Sheppard Created 2009-12-14 11:59 "The government is increasingly monitoring Facebook, Twitter and other social networking sites for tax delinquents, copyright infringers and political protesters." So ominously began an editorial [1] in Sunday's New York Times. Those with accounts at such websites should pay attention, for according to the Times, and other sources, Big Brother is watching you: The Wall Street Journal reported this summer that state revenue agents have been searching for tax scofflaws by mining information on MySpace and Facebook. In October, the F.B.I. searched the New York home of... Newsbusters http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2407254/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 17:15:40 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406889/posts Patriots mascot among 14 arrested in RI sex stingDecember 12, 2009 2:00 AM PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — A man who acts as a mascot for the New England Patriots is among 14 people who have been arrested for prostitution-related crimes in Rhode Island since a new law went into effect that banned indoor prostitution. The bill signed into law in November made prostitution a misdemeanor crime regardless of where it occurs. Previously, indoor prostitution was allowed because of a legal loophole. State Police say Robert Sormanti of Warwick was among those arrested in an undercover sting at a hotel. The... Sea Coast Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2406889/posts#comment Mon, 14 Dec 2009 02:38:22 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392680/posts China slams US report warning of spying by Beijing Mon Nov 23, 3:58 am ET BEIJING – Beijing on Monday criticized a U.S. government report that said Chinese spies are aggressively stealing American secrets, saying the report was "full of prejudice" and warning that it could damage US-China relations.The annual report by the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission to lawmakers said last week that American officials believe Chinese spying is "growing in scale, intensity and sophistication" and urges Congress to review the U.S. ability to meet the "rising challenge" of Beijing's espionage. The report "ignores the facts and is full of prejudice and... Yahoo News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2392680/posts#comment Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:26:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368662/posts After seven years of forced silence, a government whistleblower is opening up on what she learned while working as a Turkish translator for the FBI in the wake of 9/11. In sworn testimony to attorneys on Aug. 8, Sibel Edmonds described a Pentagon where key personnel helped pass defense secrets to foreign agents or provided them names of knowledgeable officials who were vulnerable to blackmail or co-option. And firmly rooted in this espionage program in the 1990s, according to Edmonds’ deposition, were two men who, with the election of George W. Bush as president in 2000, found themselves in the... Military.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2368662/posts#comment Thu, 22 Oct 2009 19:47:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360295/posts Motorists should be forced to pay to drive on the busiest roads to slash greenhouse gas emissions, the Government's climate change watchdog says today. The Climate Change Committee, led by former CBI chief Lord Turner, wants ministers to introduce compulsory road pricing to prevent global warming. Under the controversial scheme, cars would be fitted with electronic tags and tracked either by satellite or roadside beacon. Charges would rise at times of peak congestion to around £1.50 a mile. In a report to MPs, the advisers called for a carbon revolution - with thousands of wind turbines, nuclear power stations... The Daily Mail (U.K.) http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2360295/posts#comment Mon, 12 Oct 2009 01:25:29 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2349849/posts Note: The following text is a quote: Jury Convicts Defense Department Official of Unlawful Communication of Classified Information and Making False Statements James Wilbur Fondren Jr., was convicted by a federal jury today on charges involving providing classified information to a man working with the People’s Republic of China (PRC) and lying to the FBI about it. Fondren was convicted of one count of unlawfully communicating classified information to an agent of a foreign government and two counts of making false statements to the FBI. He was acquitted of two unlawful communication of classified information, one count of conspiracy to... US DOJ.gov/opa - Press Release http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2349849/posts#comment Mon, 28 Sep 2009 05:16:11 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340941/posts The Obama administration has for the first time set out its views on the controversial USA Patriot Act, telling lawmakers this week that legal approval of government surveillance methods scheduled to expire in December should be renewed, but leaving room to tweak the law to protect Americans' privacy. In a letter from Justice Department officials to key members of the Senate Judiciary Committee, the administration recommended that Congress move swiftly with legislation that would protect the government's ability to collect a variety of business and credit card records and to monitor terrorism suspects with roving wiretaps. But Assistant Attorney General... Washington Post http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2340941/posts#comment Wed, 16 Sep 2009 13:20:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2331617/posts Obama White House Has Secret Plan To Harvest Personal Data From Social Networking Websites Submitted by Ken Boehm on Mon, 08/31/2009 - 19:07 Email to friendPrinter-friendlyNLPC has uncovered a plan by the White House New Media operation to hire a technology vendor to conduct a massive, secret effort to harvest personal information on millions of Americans from social networking websites. The information to be captured includes comments, tag lines, emails, audio, and video. The targeted sites include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and others – any space where the White House “maintains a presence.” In the course of investigating procurement... National Legal and Policy Center http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2331617/posts#comment Thu, 3 Sep 2009 23:17:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2331270/posts Chuck Baldwin: There's no doubt that you shaped the culture.In the book, I notice a picture of you with Ron Radosh and his daughter at Karl Marx's tomb, High Gate Cemetery, London 1966. I take it that when that picture was taken you had quite an infatuation for Karl Marx.David Horowitz: Oh yea, I was a Marxist. And I describe in the book how when I was in London I was approached by the KGB. This agent took me to lunch and eventually asked me to spy for the Soviet Union. He put money in my pocket and so... NewsReal Blog http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2331270/posts#comment Thu, 3 Sep 2009 15:38:31 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327729/posts Savor the silence of America's self-serving champions of privacy. For once, the American Civil Liberties Union has nothing bad to say about the latest case of secret domestic surveillance -- because it was the ACLU that did the spying. Last week, The Washington Post reported on a new Justice Department inquiry into photographs of undercover CIA officials and other intelligence personnel taken by ACLU-sponsored researchers assisting the defense team of Guantanamo Bay detainees. According to the report, the pictures of covert American CIA officers -- "in some cases surreptitiously taken outside their homes" -- were shown to jihadi suspects tied... The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2327729/posts#comment Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:27:44 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2311592/posts Public Debate: Democrats, bloodied over their attempt to force health care "reform" on Americans, are looking more unreasonable and hysterical by the day. This isn't healthy for the republic. Their increasing anxiety and fear of failure are typified in the words of the leader of their party, who wants Republicans to keep their mouths shut while he "fixes" health care. "I don't want the folks who created the mess to do a lot of talking," the president said Thursday at a political rally in Virginia. "I want them to get out of the way so we can clean up the... IBD http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2311592/posts#comment Sat, 8 Aug 2009 21:50:14 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2311498/posts The White House strategy of turning supporters into snitches when they see "fishy" information about the health care debate may run afoul of the law, legal experts say. "The White House is in bit of a conundrum because of this privacy statute that prohibits the White House from collecting data and storing it on people who disagree with it," Judge Andrew Napolitano, a FOX News analyst, said Friday. "There's also a statute that requires the White House to retain all communications that it receives. It can't try to rewrite history by pretending it didn't receive anything," he said. "If the... Foxnews http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2311498/posts#comment Sat, 8 Aug 2009 19:40:26 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2311365/posts President Obama may have taken his efforts to discredit citizens protesting against ObamaCare a little too far. It is beginning to be reminiscent of the Richard Nixon administration's attempt to stifle dissent by spying on American citizens. Thirty-five years ago, President Richard Nixon claimed constitutional authority to wiretap Americans' phone calls. Examiner.com http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2311365/posts#comment Sat, 8 Aug 2009 15:30:39 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2309443/posts The White House wants us to inform on those who are disseminating (what they consider as) misinformation about Obamacare. Let's accommodate them. Many of us have, no doubt, spoken with friends and neighbors about it the healthcare bill pending in the House. Invariably, some of those conversations have assumed a negative tone concerning the proposal to nationalize healthcare. So, in the spirit of civic responsibility and patriotism, let's inform on ourselves. We'll feel better if we do - I know I did. All one need do is send an email to flag@whitehouse.gov (I don't know what flag that refers to... The American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2309443/posts#comment Thu, 6 Aug 2009 10:37:41 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2309032/posts A Republican senator is calling for the White House to suspend a new project that asks members of the public to flag “fishy” claims about President Obama’s health care plans, arguing that it raises privacy concerns and will serve to chill free speech. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, is sending a letter to the White House today asking the president to “cease this program immediately” -- or to explain how Americans’ privacy will be protected if e-mails are forwarded to the White House as requested. “I am not aware of any precedent for a President asking American citizens to report their... ABC News - The Note http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2309032/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 21:08:16 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308561/posts In 1930's Germany, the new socialist government of Adolf Hitler (NAZI National Socialist Workers' Party) began indoctrinating children in the quasi-military organization, the Hitler Youth, to inform on their parents should they overhear discussions subversive to the policies of the Leader. As the noose was tightened, local community organizers were appointed to watch their neighbors and were told to report subversive comments to the bureaucrats above them. Neighbors informed on neighbors, some for reasons of patriotism or loyalty, some from fear. A modern inquisition ensued; a terror to free thought and expression. Increasingly harsh penalties were meted out to those... The American Thinker http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2308561/posts#comment Wed, 5 Aug 2009 10:23:32 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307686/posts "When logged on to the CARS system, your computer is considered a Federal computer system and is the property of the U.S. Government. Any or all uses of this system and all files on this system may be intercepted, monitored, recorded, copied, audited, inspected and disclosed to authorized CARS, [Department of Transportation] and law enforcement personnel, as well as authorized officials of other agencies, both domestic and foreign." The Washington Times http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2307686/posts#comment Tue, 4 Aug 2009 04:24:15 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289845/posts CIA Director Leon Panetta has terminated a "very serious" covert program the spy agency kept secret from Congress for eight years, Rep. Jan Schakowsky, a House Intelligence subcommittee chairwoman, said Friday. Schakowsky is pressing for an immediate committee investigation of the classified program, which has not been described publicly. Rep. Silvestre Reyes (D-TX), the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, has said he is considering an investigation. "The program is a very, very serious program and certainly deserved a serious debate at the time and through the years," Schakowsky said in an interview with The Associated Press. "But now it's... NPR http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289845/posts#comment Fri, 10 Jul 2009 18:21:30 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287657/posts The character Goldfinger may have been based on a German spymaster who plotted to blow up gold reserves at the Bank of England THE inspiration for Goldfinger, the arch villain created by Ian Fleming to rival James Bond, could have been a German spymaster who plotted to blow up gold reserves at the Bank of England. Andrew Cook, a historian who specialises in intelligence affairs, has found new evidence that suggests Auric Goldfinger’s fictional plans to destroy all the gold in Fort Knox may have been based on a conspiracy to bankrupt Britain on the eve of the first world... The Times Online http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/2287657/posts#comment Tue, 7 Jul 2009 23:26:03 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274087/posts The National Security Agency is facing renewed scrutiny over the extent of its domestic surveillance program, with critics in Congress saying its recent intercepts of the private telephone calls and e-mail messages of Americans are broader than previously acknowledged, current and former officials said. Brendan Smialowski for The New York Times Representative Rush Holt Readers' Comments Readers shared their thoughts on this article. Read All Comments (170) » The agency’s monitoring of domestic e-mail messages, in particular, has posed longstanding legal and logistical difficulties, the officials said. Since April, when it was disclosed that the intercepts of some private communications... NYT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2274087/posts#comment Thu, 18 Jun 2009 01:56:43 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2273668/posts In spite of vilifying the Bush Administration during the '08 Presidential campaign for 'domestic spying' in response to 9/11, none other than the New York Times is reporting that Obama has continued these practices. Of course, the Times blames Bush. But the fact remains that a Democratic Congress is taking a look at email surveillance conducted by the NSA under Barack Obama. Columbia Conservative Examiner http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2273668/posts#comment Wed, 17 Jun 2009 16:22:52 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2264552/posts Looks like the anti-Bushies lost another one this week when lawsuits against telecommunications companies claiming that they assisted the Bush administration in "illegally spying on Americans" were dismissed in San Francisco. Federal district judge Vaughn Walker ruled that Congress didn't violate the Constitution by allowing the U.S. attorney-general to "certify privately to the court that the companies had been asked to co-operate in an antiterrorism programme authorised by the president." Vaughn cited a law that retroactively gave the telecoms immunity. Read the rest at Publiusforum.com... Publius' Forum http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2264552/posts#comment Thu, 4 Jun 2009 13:03:17 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253366/posts Children as young as seven are being recruited by councils to act as 'citizen snoopers', the Daily Mail can reveal. The 'environment volunteers' will report on litter louts, noisy neighbours - and even families putting their rubbish out on the wrong day. There are currently almost 9,000 people signed up to the schemes. More are likely to be recruited in the coming months. Controversially, some councils are running 'junior' schemes which are recruiting children. After basic training, volunteers are expected to be the 'eyes and the ears' of the town hall. They are given information packs about how to collect... The Daily Mail http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2253366/posts#comment Mon, 18 May 2009 18:59:04 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251680/posts A Defense Department official was charged Wednesday with feeding classified information to an agent for the Chinese government. Google News http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2251680/posts#comment Fri, 15 May 2009 16:34:36 GMT http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2250187/posts A PENTAGON official formerly of the US Air Force has been charged with conspiracy to pass classified information to an agent of China, the US Justice Department said. A criminal complaint said today that retired Lieutenant Colonel James Wilbur Fondren, a deputy director of the US Pacific Command's Washington Liaison Office, "unlawfully and knowingly conspired" to communicate secrets. Agence France-Presse http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2250187/posts#comment Wed, 13 May 2009 19:04:36 GMT