Govt surveillance & datamining

Who Cares About Your DNA? by Tricia Shore

Michael D Ostrolenk — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 07:01:08 -0400

"A Critical Analysis of the Implications for Genetic Privacy and Consent Rights in Congress’ Proposed ‘Newborn Screening Saves Lives Act of 2007’" states how the government plans to treat the DNA of every newborn, even those whose parents are completely aligned with the mainstream:

Information Fusion Centers and Privacy (from EPIC)

Michael D Ostrolenk — Sun, 20 Apr 2008 07:35:38 -0400

''Fusion centers'' are a means of bringing together information from distributed sources for the purpose of collection, retention, analysis, and dissemination. The term "fusion center," seems to have originated from the Department of Defense (DOD,) and refers to the fusing of information for analysis purposes. On November 9, 2002, the

NSA's Domestic Spying Grows By SIOBHAN GORMAN

Michael D Ostrolenk — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 11:03:29 -0400

According to current and former intelligence officials, the spy agency now monitors huge volumes of records of domestic emails and Internet searches as well as bank transfers, credit-card transactions, travel and telephone records. The NSA receives this so-called "transactional" data from other agencies or private companies, and its sophisticated

Whistleblower: Cellular carrier giving FBI unfettered access By Ryan Paul

Michael D Ostrolenk — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 07:49:50 -0500

Computer security analyst Babak Pasdar says that a major mobile telecommunications carrier has a built-in backdoor that provides an undisclosed third-party with unfettered access to its internal technical infrastructure, including the ability to eavesdrop on all calls through its network.

Dear Congress on FISA reform

Michael D Ostrolenk — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:39:49 -0500

Use of biometrics in schools concerns parents

Michael D Ostrolenk — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 08:51:11 -0500

“I certainly wouldn’t want my children to be fingerprinted or have an iris scan or anything like that,” said Sen. Karen Johnson, R-Mesa, “We’ve lived many years without doing this. Now this seems to be the thing everyone is doing, thinking they’re making themselves safe or for efficiency, and, by golly, it’s not right. And it’s a huge moneymaker

FBI Prepares Vast Database Of Biometrics

Michael D Ostrolenk — Sat, 22 Dec 2007 16:34:55 -0500

Digital images of faces, fingerprints and palm patterns are already flowing into FBI systems in a climate-controlled, secure basement here. Next month, the FBI intends to award a 10-year contract that would significantly expand the amount and kinds of biometric information it receives. And in the coming years, law enforcement authorities around

Domestic Spying, Inc.

Michael D Ostrolenk — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:23:41 -0500

The intelligence-sharing system to be managed by the NAO will rely heavily on private contractors including Boeing, BAE Systems, L-3 Communications and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC). These companies already provide technology and personnel to U.S. agencies involved in foreign intelligence, and the NAO greatly

TSA plan to gather more data protested By Thomas Frank, USA TODAY

Michael D Ostrolenk — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 15:52:21 -0500

A government proposal to start collecting birth dates and genders of people reserving airline flights is drawing protests from major airlines and travel agencies that say it would be invasive, confusing and "useless."

The Use of EMS Personnel as Intelligence Sensors: Critical Issues and Recommended Practices

Michael D Ostrolenk — Thu, 29 Nov 2007 09:57:20 -0500

The use of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) personnel