Clipmarks | blueridge's 'privacy' clips

UK Expands Total Citizen Surveillance

Tue, 16 Sep 2008 19:20:48 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: The US tends to follow what the UK implements, and under the pretense of a "war on terrorism" the US has been following suit with little lag time. From REAL ID to the security merchandisers total camera surveillance in every state and municipality this fascism is being erected where "free citizens" are tagged, tracked, recorded, and watched like criminal suspects and the "democratic government" separates itself from and above the people.

The article details yet even more:

Local authorities have since adapted their own CCTV systems to capture licence plates on behalf of police, massively expanding the network of available cameras. Mobile cameras have been installed in patrol cars and unmarked vehicles parked by the side of roads.

Police helicopters have been equipped with infrared cameras that can read licence plates from 610 metres (2,000ft).

Clip Source: www.guardian.co.uk

Fears over privacy as police expand surveillance project

CCTV cameras, converted to read ANPR data, capturing people’s movement.

Database to hold details of millions of journeys for five years

The police are to expand a car surveillance operation that will allow them to record and store details of millions of daily journeys for up to five years, the Guardian has learned.

Paul Lewis on police plans to store car surveillance records Link to this audio

A national network of roadside cameras will be able to "read" 50m licence plates a day, enabling officers to reconstruct the journeys of motorists.

Police have been encouraged to "fully and strategically exploit" the database, which is already recording the whereabouts of 10 million drivers a day, during investigations ranging from counter-terrorism to low-level crime.

The project relies on automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) cameras to pinpoint the precise time and location of all vehicles on the road.

Tags: surveillance, cctv, police state, homeland security

The Secrecy of the Feds Cyber Security Program

Mon, 04 Aug 2008 04:29:43 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Homeland Security is Homeland Secrecy, for this anti-constitutional agency that is. You are not permitted any privacy about you under this new government. CNet tried to find facts about this internet security program but was thwarted.

The more secret a government is the less it is a government by and for the people.

Clip Source: news.cnet.com

DHS stays mum on new 'Cyber Security' center

The Bush administration's newly created National Cyber Security Center remains shrouded in secrecy, with officials refusing to release information about its budget, what contractors will run it, and how its mission relates to Internet surveillance.

In correspondence with the U.S. Senate posted on Thursday, the Bush administration said it would not provide that information publicly. An 18-page, partially redacted letter from DHS said that disclosure could affect "the conduct of federal programs, or other programs or operations essential to the interests of our nation."

The censored letter--a nonredacted, "For Official Use Only" version was provided to senators--came in response to queries from the top Democratic and Republican members of the Senate's Homeland Security committee.

Oddly, DHS seemed to change its mind about whether even the mere existence of the National Cyber Security Center was classified or not.

Tags: internet, cyber security, homeland security

Book Review: ID Crisis, The Abuse and Tyranny of ID

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:34:46 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Give your Congressmen, governor, and state legislators a gift to restore sanity and liberty against REAL ID and the increasing total surveillance society. Remember the security merchandisers are lobbying them all everyday, selling their products at the expense of your liberty. This, along with the Constitution, is your ammo to fight back. Educate them with hard facts that refutes the effectiveness of ID methods as a means increasing security.

Harper is the leading expert on countering ID propaganda.

Clip Source: www.amazon.com

Identity Crisis: How Identification is Overused and Misunderstood (Paperback)

The advance of identification technology biometrics, identity cards, surveillance, databases, dossiers threatens privacy, civil liberties, and related human interests. Since the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, demands for identification in the name of security have increased. In this insightful book, Jim Harper takes readers inside identification a process everyone uses every day but few people have ever thought about.

Harper dissects identification processes and technologies, showing how identification works when it works and how it fails when it fails. Harper exposes the myth that identification can protect against future terrorist attacks. He shows that a U.S. national identification card, created by Congress in the REAL ID Act, is a poor way to secure the country or its citizens.

that transfer threatens liberty, enables identity fraud, and subjects people to unwanted surveillance.

Tags: surveillance, police state, privacy, constitution, real id

Lawsuit to Counter Spy Bill Promised

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 20:25:52 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: The constitution is supreme law over all legislation, period. ACLU promises a needed legal challenge. No tyranny permitted even if legislated.

A legislative act, contrary to the Constitution, is not law.--Supreme Court Justice John Marshall
Clip Source: www.aclu.org

Senate Passes Unconstitutional Spying Bill And Grants Sweeping Immunity To Phone Companies
ACLU Announces Legal Challenge To Follow President’s Signature
WASHINGTON – Today, in a blatant assault upon civil liberties and the right to privacy, the Senate passed an unconstitutional domestic spying bill that violates the Fourth Amendment and eliminates any meaningful role for judicial oversight of government surveillance. The FISA Amendments Act of 2008 was approved by a vote of 69 to 28 and is expected to be signed into law by President Bush shortly. This bill essentially legalizes the president’s unlawful warrantless wiretapping program revealed in December 2005 by the New York Times.
“Once again, Congress blinked and succumbed to the president’s fear-mongering. With today’s vote, the government has been given a green light to expand its power to spy on Americans and run roughshod over the Constitution,” said Anthony D. Romero
This fight is not over.

Tags: constitution, domestic spying, surveillance, spy bill

US Military to Patrol the Internet

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 05:46:20 GMT

clipped by: blueridge

Clip Source: www.upi.com

Analysis: U.S. military to patrol Internet

WASHINGTON, June 30 (UPI) -- The U.S. military is looking for a contractor to patrol cyberspace, watching for warning signs of forthcoming terrorist attacks or other hostile activity on the Web.

"The purpose of the services will be to identify and assess stated and implied threat, antipathy, unrest and other contextual data relating to selected Internet domains," says the solicitation.

The solicitation says the successful contractor will "analyze various Web pages, chat rooms, blogs and other Internet domains to aggregate and assess data of interest," adding, "The contractor will prioritize foreign-language domains that relate to specific areas of concern … (and) will also identify new Internet domains" that might relate to "specific local requirements" of the command.

Tags: surveillance, privacy, domestic spying

Louisiana Kills REAL ID, Rejects Implementing

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:41:50 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Liberty is gaining momentum, people are learning what this is really all about. Be sure your state legislature does the same and send them a copy of LA's bill. linked here.

Clip Source: delawarecurmudgeon.blogspot.com

Louisiana House Bill 715 was signed by Governor Bobby Jindal on 7/7/2008:

"An Act to direct the Department of Public Safety and Corrections to not implement the provisions of the Federal Real ID Act of 2005."

(2) ..these potential breaches in privacy that could result directly from compliance with the REAL ID Act may violate the right to privacy, as secured by Article 24 I, Section 5 of the Constitution of Louisiana..

"The Legislature of Louisiana does hereby direct the Department of Public Safety and Corrections, including the office of motor vehicles, not to implement the provisions of the REAL ID Act and to report to the governor any attempt by agencies or agents of the United States Department of Homeland Security to secure the implementation of the REAL ID Act through the operations of that division and department." (LINK)

Tags: real id, constitution, privacy

Senate Approves Telecom Immunity & Spy Bill

Thu, 10 Jul 2008 04:30:54 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Proof the democrats (e.g. Obama) are not safer than the neocon controlled republicans: 4th Amendment trampled, violators now immune. This is not "compromise", but capitulation.

For more indepth interview with the Telecom (AT&T) technician and whistleblower who discovered Americans were being spied on, listen to the Democracy Now interview here.

Clip Source: www.nytimes.com

Senate Approves Telecom Immunity and New Eavesdropping Rules

Clip Source: www.capitolhillblue.com

The new FISA compromise: it's worse than you think

Telco immunity is the icing, not the cake

Specifically, the new legislation dramatically expands the government's ability to wiretap without meaningful judicial oversight, by redefining "oversight" so that the feds can drag their feet on getting authorization almost indefinitely. It also gives the feds unprecedented new latitude in selecting eavesdropping targets, latitude that could be used to collect information on non-terrorist-related activities like P2P copyright infringement and online gambling. In short, the FISA Amendments Act of 2008 opens up loopholes so large that the feds could drive a truck loaded down with purloined civil liberties through it. So the telecom immunity stuff is just the smoke; let's take a look at the fire.

the legislation would grant broad, retroactive immunity to firms that participated in the president's warrantless surveillance program.

Tags: domestic spying, surveillance, constitution, privacy, war powers, bush, telecoms

Feds Settle Lawsuit, $5.8 Million for Anthrax "Person of Interest"

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 23:41:28 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Huge cover-up in the anthrax case, and the media is to blame for not questioning the motives, story, of the government looking into this man publicly:

The statement also blamed journalists for not questioning the motives of the government's statements or its tactics.

Now look at the terms in which the government settled this out of court. Why not let it go to trial instead of paying up? The only motive could be to cover-up the truth of what happened and silence his legal allegations:

"The United States does not admit to any violation of the Privacy Act and continues to deny all liability in connection with Dr. Hatfill's claims,"

So the Feds pay the man $5.8 million for nothing? It was not "Islamo Fascists" who wrote "Allah is great" on the anthrax letters...it was a false flag directed at Leahy and Daschle in Congress!
See the 9/11 Anthrax Frame Up

Clip Source: news.yahoo.com

$5.8 million for scientist in anthrax lawsuit

WASHINGTON - A former Army scientist who was named as a person of interest in the 2001 anthrax attacks will receive $5.8 million to settle his lawsuit against the Justice Department. Steven Hatfill claimed the Justice Department violated his privacy rights by speaking with reporters about the case.

Settlement documents were filed in federal court Friday. Both sides have agreed to the deal, according to the documents, and as soon as they are signed, the case will be dismissed.

The deal requires the Justice Department to pay $2.825 million dollars up front and buy Hatfill a $3 million annuity that will pay him $150,000 each year for 20 years.

"Our government failed us, not only by failing to catch the anthrax mailers but by seeking to conceal that failure," Hatfill's lawyers said in a statement. "Our government did this by leaking gossip, speculation, and misinformation to a handful of credulous reporters."

statement also blamed journalists

Tags: anthrax, 9/11, terrorism, false flag, steven hatfill

America Becoming Land of Surveillance

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 02:07:01 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Despite lack of evidence that it is effective, or evidence that proves it is not from UK studies. But the security merchandisers are making a fortune and state and local governments are impulsively spending faster than a woman with a credit card:

.P. Freeman said the domestic market for such systems last year had doubled over five years, to $9.2 billion, and estimated that it would more than double again by 2010, to more than $21 billion.

You are paying for your loss of liberty, while they profit, which is insult to injury. It's worth wondering how many government officials own stock in security companies, which would be a conflict of interest in that lawmakers also profit through authorizing this spending.

Clip Source: www.msnbc.msn.com

Smile! More and more, you’re on camera

Public surveillance video mushrooms despite lack of evidence it works

Alex Johnson

Reporter

• Profile

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, local governments across the country set aside concerns over privacy and installed surveillance cameras in public streets and plazas.

Now — even after a damning report by the head of London’s extensive surveillance network and with little evidence that the systems work — police in many cities are trying to add thousands more cameras to their networks.

“‘Cameras Everywhere’ continues to be the best description of the trend in the video surveillance market,” security market analysts J.P. Freeman Co. said in a report in 2006 that estimated that a quarter of major U.S. cities were investing in the technology.

Officials in many cities are eager to take advantage of money from state and federal security agencies to install the cameras on street corners and intersections

Tags: surveillance, constitution, privacy, cctv, cameras, government spending

293 House Members vote against 4th amendment

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 06:12:28 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Here is what the MSM did not show you. The 4th amendment is actually about "security"...a right to be secure from government intrusion. This is worth watching and forwarding.

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

HR 6304 - A Bill to Abolish the 4th Amendment

On June 20, 2008 - 293 Representatives voted in favor to invalidate the 4th Amendment

Tags: 4th amendment, constitution, privacy

Arizona Joins the Revolt, Outlaws REAL ID

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:26:55 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Next! Liberty is a threatening thing to Homeland Security. If it was really about making drivers licenses secure then the Feds would not care. But it's really about federal power and their matrix of surveillance that they want to construct that is at stake.

Clip Source: www.azcentral.com

Napolitano: Real ID a no-go in Arizona

Arizona will join roughly a dozen states that have vowed not to participate in federal plans for a uniform standard on state-issued driver's licenses and identification cards.

On Tuesday, Gov. Janet Napolitano signed a measure, House Bill 2677, barring Arizona's compliance with the Real ID program. In so doing, she called it an unfunded federal mandate that would stick states such as Arizona with a multibillion-dollar bill for the cost to develop and implement the series of new fraud-proof identification cards.

HB 2677 is a rare recent example of broad, bipartisan agreement at the state Capitol, with the Democratic governor and GOP-led Legislature finding common ground in their opposition to Real ID.

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Some of that opposition is grounded in concerns about privacy and government advancement toward a national identification card. For Napolitano, the biggest issue is related to Real ID's costs for the states.

Tags: real id, drivers license, homeland security, constitution

Alaska Becomes 9th State to Outlaw REAL ID

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 07:03:08 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Tyrannical federal legislation sparked another Civil War against federal despotism, and the states are seceding from REAL ID continually, essentially using the doctrine of Nullification based upon the 10th amendment of the Constitution.

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Any state that respects the Constitution and freedom for its citizens will do the same.

Clip Source: www.aclu.org

Alaska Becomes 9th State to Reject Real ID

Governor Palin allowed the bill to become law, effective August of this year. Real ID is a federal mandate imposing a national ID card on all Americans through their state drivers' licenses.

The Real ID Act of 2005 mandates that all states have compliant identification cards consistent with federal regulations, as well as requiring that all Americans' private information be held in a giant federal database – the cost and security of which is unknown. The states' response to the passage of Real ID has been steady. To date, 19 states have passed either resolutions or statutes against the program, including nine that have opted out completely.

"Alaska has joined a growing nationwide movement against Real ID

As the Department of Homeland Security continues its practice of kicking the can down the road, states are continuing to stand up for their residents' privacy and reject Real ID.

Officials of both parties came together to pass legislation

Tags: real id, drivers license, national id, homeland security, constitution

Chertoff Wants to Israelize US Airport Security

Fri, 30 May 2008 17:40:51 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: Big Brother expansion while he signs an agreement with Israel (can he do that?) to "share technologies". Chertoff holds dual citizenship and is part of the neocon-Israeli fifth column revolutionizing America into a police state. I wonder how much the Israeli companies will profit from this "sharing".

By the way, what threat of terrorism? The probabilities are microscopic in comparison to crime or traffic accidents, yet we bow to the most extreme and expensive measures, none of which would stop a real suicidal terrorist? Everyone is treated as suspicious, and we call it "freedom"?

But don't worry, you will be treated as well as a Palestinian in your "homeland".

Clip Source: www.alertnet.org

INTERVIEW-Chertoff keen on Israeli airport security technology

JERUSALEM, May 29 (Reuters) - U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff said on Thursday he will seek to adopt novel Israeli methods, like behaviour-detection technologies, to better secure America's airports.

Israel's Ben-Gurion International Airport, known for its strict security measures, relies heavily on techniques that detect suspicious behaviour among travellers.

Chertoff, at a conference in Jerusalem for public and homeland security ministers from around the world, signed an agreement with Israel to share technology and information on methods to improve homeland security.

One of the new systems presented at the conference, developed by the Israeli technology company WeCU, uses behavioural science, together with biometric sensors, to detect sinister intentions among travellers.

Tags: chertoff, israel, homeland security, police state, constitution, privacy

Minnesota REAL ID Showdown: Governor vs Legislature

Tue, 27 May 2008 17:25:13 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: In this very bias article by the newspaper the reader is left with an incorrect impression:

Gov. Tim Pawlenty killed a bill to bar national identity card rules, but issued a conciliatory executive order.

No, it is entirely dishonest to say the Governor "killed" the bill against REAL ID when they later inform the reader of this fact:

A bill prohibiting Minnesota's compliance with the Real ID requirement passed last week by overwhelming veto-proof margins in both the House and the Senate.

The Governor cannot "kill" a bill that the legislature can over-ride. This battle is not over, but its clear the governor is playing the sycophant, carefully, for the Dept of Homeland Tyranny:

The executive order, he added, "will give us an opportunity to work with our federal partners and state legislators to resolve the valid concerns regarding this program."

Clip Source: www.startribune.com

Real ID ban vetoed, tweaked

Gov. Tim Pawlenty killed a bill to bar national identity card rules, but issued a conciliatory executive order.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed a bill on Friday that would have blocked Minnesota's participation in a federal program setting nationwide standards for state identification cards.

But on Saturday, he issued an executive order that would prevent full state compliance with the federal Real ID program before June 1, 2009, unless the Legislature approves.

Combined, the moves appear to be an attempt at compromise over an issue that has united liberal and conservative legislators in opposition to what critics call a national identification system and a threat to privacy and civil liberties.

A bill prohibiting Minnesota's compliance with the Real ID requirement passed last week by overwhelming veto-proof margins in both the House and the Senate.

Pawlenty said in a statement. "Opponents have also raised important constitutional questions that should be considered.

Tags: real id, drivers license, homeland security, privacy, constitution

FBI Pushes for Internet Dragnet

Mon, 28 Apr 2008 23:28:42 GMT

clipped by: blueridge
clipper's remarks: FBI wants to go Big Brother versus the limits of the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution. The excuse includes the doctrine of "preemption", the plea of "necessity".

Clip Source: www.news.com

FBI wants widespread monitoring of 'illegal' Internet activity

WASHINGTON--The FBI on Wednesday called for new legislation that would allow federal police to monitor the Internet for "illegal activity."

The suggestion from FBI Director Robert Mueller, which came during a House of Representatives Judiciary Committee hearing, appears to go beyond a current plan to monitor traffic on federal-government networks. Mueller seemed to suggest that the bureau should have a broad "omnibus" authority to conduct monitoring and surveillance of private-sector networks as well.

If any omnibus Internet-monitoring proposal became law, it could implicate the Fourth Amendment's guarantee of freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures. In general, courts have ruled that police need search warrants to obtain the content of communication, and the federal Wiretap Act created "super warrant" wiretap orders that require additional steps and judicial oversight.

includes a shadowy program known as Einstein.

Tags: surveillance, fbi, homeland security, privacy, crime