Hasty Briefsbeta

All tags

#surveillance

256 stories total

Bilingual

The Banality of Surveillance
2 months ago
- The author worked at a company that created an enterprise version of Facebook, tracking user interactions similarly.
- During a hack day, the author proposed analyzing profile views, highlighting the invasive potential of collected data.
- Data security is often more about inconvenience than encryption, as accessing data requires complex queries.
- Mass surveillance by agencies like the CIA is facilitated by purchasing data from open markets, not through hacking.
- AI's real danger lies in automating the tedious analysis of vast data sets, making privacy invasions effortless.
- The banality of surveillance means most data is ignored not due to protection but lack of interest.
- The article discusses how AI could transform mundane data into comprehensive personal profiles without human effort.
- The author reflects on the societal implications of AI, questioning the sustainability of privacy in a data-driven world.
He saw an abandoned trailer, he uncovered a surveillance network on CA border
2 months ago
- Hidden license plate readers installed by Border Patrol and other federal agencies in California are raising privacy and civil liberties concerns.
- The surveillance network logs license plates and vehicle details, potentially capturing images of drivers and passengers, raising transparency issues.
- Humanitarian volunteers, like James Cordero, fear being tracked or detained by federal agents while aiding migrants.
- Privacy advocates argue the program bypasses California's 2016 law regulating automated license plate readers (ALPRs).
- Local law enforcement agencies have been found sharing ALPR data with federal immigration authorities, violating state law.
- Border Patrol's use of hidden cameras in traffic safety equipment feeds into a predictive intelligence program monitoring drivers nationwide.
- Residents report being questioned by federal agents based on their driving patterns, leading to concerns over unwarranted surveillance.
The Privacy 'Zealots' Were Right: Ad Tech's Infrastructure Was Always a Risk
2 months ago
- Addressable advertising was a strategic mistake due to its dependence on granular identity and behavioral signals.
- Precision targeting in advertising was oversold, requiring massive data extraction to sustain the narrative.
- The tech infrastructure built for advertising is now being used for surveillance, as warned by critics.
- Johnny Ryan and Max Schrems highlighted the risks of widespread personal data exposure and government access.
- The Department of Homeland Security is exploring the use of ad tech tools for investigations, causing industry discomfort.
- Industry incentives prioritize engagement with government over privacy concerns, despite reputational risks.
- Critics warned about the misuse of ad tech infrastructure, but the industry dismissed these concerns due to profitability.
- The article calls for admitting the industry's mistake in dismissing privacy advocates and the risks of the current system.
ICE agents reveal daily arrest quotas and surveillance app in court testimony
2 months ago
- US immigration agents in Oregon used a custom-made app called Elite to identify neighborhoods and people to target for arrests.
- ICE officers had daily arrest quotas, with one team ordered to make eight arrests a day, contradicting DHS claims of no quotas.
- The Elite app, developed by Palantir, provided intelligence on areas with high immigrant populations, though its accuracy was questionable.
- A federal lawsuit revealed ICE's tactics, including warrantless arrests and racial profiling, leading to a judge halting such practices in Oregon.
- Testimony showed ICE agents relied on the Elite app to find 'target-rich' areas, leading to the detention of farm workers and legal residents.
- The judge criticized ICE's methods, noting the app's potential for inaccuracies and the unfounded claims of human trafficking by agents.
- ICE's arrest records contained inaccuracies, including false claims about individuals' immigration status and consensual stops.
- The lawsuit highlighted how arrest quotas and surveillance tools like Elite could lead to rights violations and racial profiling.
- Advocates argue ICE's use of Elite creates an 'electronic dragnet' that bypasses constitutional protections against unreasonable searches.
- The case underscores the broader implications of ICE's opaque strategies and the impact on vulnerable communities.
An investigation of the forces behind the age-verification bills
2 months ago
- Reddit user 'Ok_Lingonberry3296' conducted an investigation into companies pushing age-verification bills in US states.
- The investigation utilized public records including IRS 990 filings, lobbying disclosures, and corporate registries.
- Findings suggest a coordinated influence operation building surveillance infrastructure without new requirements for the companies involved.
- The investigation highlights privacy concerns related to these age-verification bills.
Canada's bill C-22 mandates mass metadata surveillance of Canadians
2 months ago
- Introduction of Bill C-22, the Lawful Access Act, marks a new phase in the debate over lawful access.
- Bill C-22 focuses on two main aspects: law enforcement access to personal information from communication service providers and the development of surveillance capabilities in Canadian networks.
- The bill is divided into two parts: 'timely access to data and information' and the Supporting Authorized Access to Information Act (SAAIA).
- The access to data and information section is improved from previous iterations, narrowing warrantless access to telecom providers for confirming service to individuals, with more personal information requiring judicial oversight.
- The SAAIA introduces new requirements for communications providers to assist law enforcement with surveillance capabilities, including potential data retention of metadata for up to one year.
- Concerns remain about the SAAIA's implications for privacy, civil liberties, and network security, including risks of systemic vulnerabilities and secretive changes to networks.
- The bill also addresses international information sharing, aligning with global agreements like the Second Additional Protocol to the Budapest Convention and the CLOUD Act.
- Despite improvements in limiting warrantless access, significant privacy concerns persist with the lawful access plans under Bill C-22.
CIA Prepares Criminal Referral of Tucker Carlson, as Israel et al. Demand Arrest
2 months ago
- CIA is preparing a criminal referral against Tucker Carlson for alleged conversations with Iranian officials.
- Tucker Carlson claims the CIA is surveilling his private communications to frame him for subversion or treason.
- The referral is linked to Tucker's reporting on the Trump-Netanyahu war and his criticism of Israel.
- Tucker's sources suggest the U.S. government is using surveillance to target journalists critical of its policies.
- Israeli loyalists and influential voices in Washington are pushing for Tucker's arrest, creating a climate of fear.
- Tucker alleges the NSA or allied agencies (like Mossad) intercepted his communications with foreign officials.
- This mirrors past instances where the NSA used allied agencies to circumvent legal spying restrictions on U.S. citizens.
- Tucker's past interviews with Vladimir Putin were also intercepted by U.S. intelligence.
Federal Right to Privacy Act
2 months ago
- Extensive data collection on individuals is pervasive, including from cars, schools, and daily activities.
- Surveillance technologies track movements, habits, and personal details, creating comprehensive profiles.
- Private and government entities exploit these data dossiers, often bypassing legal protections.
- The situation is described as un-American, infringing on the right to privacy and freedom.
- A proposed bill aims to limit surveillance, data trafficking, and coercive consent practices.
- The bill seeks to restore understandable and enforceable privacy protections.
- Public involvement is encouraged to refine and test the bill's effectiveness.
- Despite low odds of legislative success, action can increase the chances of change.
Reddit User Uncovers Who Is Behind Meta's $2B Lobbying for Age Verification Tech
2 months ago
- Meta funneled over $2 billion through nonprofits to push age verification laws.
- Laws would require Apple and Google to build surveillance infrastructure, exempting Meta.
- Meta's lobbying uses nonprofit shells to avoid transparency in 45 states.
- Funding traced through Digital Childhood Alliance (DCA), part of a $70M super PAC strategy.
- Proposed laws mandate OS-level APIs for age verification, creating persistent identity layers.
- Meta's Horizon OS already implements similar age verification in VR.
- Laws target Apple and Google but exempt Meta's social media platforms.
- EU's eIDAS 2.0 offers privacy-preserving age verification with zero-knowledge proofs.
- US laws may force Linux and privacy-focused Android forks to implement surveillance.
Remove your ring camera with a claw hammer
2 months ago
- Use a claw hammer to remove a Ring camera by striking it sharply downward or using repeated blows if stubbornly attached.
- Criticism of the wasteful and destructive nature of removing the camera is countered by arguing that the real destruction comes from pervasive surveillance attitudes.
- The article dismisses fears of home invasions and package thefts as overblown, advocating for simpler security measures like door locks and peepholes.
- It critiques the normalization of surveillance cameras as indicative of societal sickness, promoting trust and neighborliness over suspicion.
- The piece concludes with a call to reject fear-based living and support independent media like 'How Things Work' through subscriptions.
Kash Patel admits under oath FBI is buying location data on Americans
2 months ago
- FBI Director Kash Patel admitted under oath that the FBI purchases location data on Americans, citing it as consistent with the constitution and the Electronic Communications Privacy Act.
- Senator Ron Wyden criticized the FBI's practice of buying location data without a warrant, calling it a violation of the Fourth Amendment and dangerous due to AI's ability to process large amounts of private data.
- Wyden and others are pushing for the Government Surveillance Reform Act to close loopholes allowing intelligence agencies to buy private data from brokers without warrants.
- Law enforcement typically requires a warrant to obtain location data from telecom companies, but agencies bypass this by purchasing data from private brokers.
- Representative Warren Davidson supports Wyden's stance, emphasizing the Fourth Amendment's protection against unreasonable searches and the need for legislative reform to prevent data purchases without warrants.
FBI admits buying Americans' location data from data brokers
2 months ago
- FBI confirmed buying Americans' location data from commercial brokers without warrants.
- Senate hearing revealed FBI's use of 'commercially available information' for investigations.
- Critics argue this bypasses Fourth Amendment protections against unwarranted surveillance.
- Data brokers collect location and other personal data from apps and websites.
- Purchased data includes detailed location history and personal profiles.
- Concerns include mass data collection without consent and lack of deletion.
- Recommendations to reduce exposure: limit app permissions, use VPNs, delete unused apps.
- Government surveillance leverages existing commercial data ecosystems.
- Once data is collected, controlling its use becomes nearly impossible.
- Reducing personal data generation is key to minimizing exposure.
Black Cube: Israeli spy firm crashes Slovenia's election
2 months ago
- Slovenia's election campaign was marked by acrimony.
- A private intelligence company, founded by ex-IDF members, allegedly sent operatives to Ljubljana.
- The operatives included Black Cube's CEO Dan Zorella and former Israeli security official Giora Eiland.
- They were accused of 'covert surveillance and wiretapping' by Slovenian authorities.
FBI started buying Americans' location data again, Kash Patel confirms
a month ago
- FBI restarted purchasing location data of Americans without a warrant after previously claiming to have stopped.
- FBI Director Kash Patel defended the purchases, stating they provide valuable intelligence and comply with existing laws.
- Sen. Ron Wyden criticized the practice as a violation of the 4th Amendment, especially with AI analyzing private data.
- Former FBI Director Christopher Wray had confirmed in 2023 that the agency had stopped such purchases but acknowledged past use.
Data is everywhere. The government is buying it without a warrant
a month ago
- Government agencies purchase bulk data from brokers without warrants, bypassing Fourth Amendment protections.
- Section 702 of FISA is up for reauthorization, presenting an opportunity to close the data broker loophole.
- FBI and ICE use commercially available data, including cell phone location info, for surveillance purposes.
- AI enhances the power of purchased data, raising concerns about mass surveillance and privacy.
- Privacy advocates push for FISA reforms to end bulk data purchases and backdoor searches.
- Congress faces bipartisan opposition to tying FISA reauthorization with surveillance reforms.
- Courts have not ruled on the legality of government bulk data purchases, leaving it a gray area.
- Advocates cite Supreme Court precedent (Carpenter v. US) to argue against warrantless data acquisition.
- AI's ability to analyze bulk data at scale exacerbates privacy risks and surveillance capabilities.
Traffic Violation! License Plate Reader Mission Creep Is Already Here
a month ago
- Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are being used beyond their intended scope, as seen in a Georgia State Patrol case where a motorcyclist was ticketed for holding a phone, captured by a Flock Safety ALPR.
- Flock Safety previously stated their ALPRs do not perform facial recognition, store biometrics, or enforce traffic violations, but evidence shows their technology is being used for traffic enforcement.
- Flock Safety now partners with six companies providing traffic enforcement technology, and public records indicate speed enforcement cameras are connected to Flock's ALPR network.
- Privacy advocates like EFF warn about mission creep in surveillance infrastructure, where technology initially limited to serious crimes is later used for petty offenses or monitoring protests.
- There is a call for cities, states, and companies to end relationships with Flock Safety due to concerns over mass surveillance and the erosion of civil liberties.

first prev12next

About|Login

#surveillance

The Banality of Surveillance

He saw an abandoned trailer, he uncovered a surveillance network on CA border

The Privacy 'Zealots' Were Right: Ad Tech's Infrastructure Was Always a Risk

ICE agents reveal daily arrest quotas and surveillance app in court testimony

An investigation of the forces behind the age-verification bills

Canada's bill C-22 mandates mass metadata surveillance of Canadians

CIA Prepares Criminal Referral of Tucker Carlson, as Israel et al. Demand Arrest

Federal Right to Privacy Act

Reddit User Uncovers Who Is Behind Meta's $2B Lobbying for Age Verification Tech

Remove your ring camera with a claw hammer

Kash Patel admits under oath FBI is buying location data on Americans

FBI admits buying Americans' location data from data brokers

Black Cube: Israeli spy firm crashes Slovenia's election

FBI started buying Americans' location data again, Kash Patel confirms

Data is everywhere. The government is buying it without a warrant

Traffic Violation! License Plate Reader Mission Creep Is Already Here