Showing posts with label Privacy. Show all posts
Orwell Would Be Proud: US Media Admits Divine Right To Decide What Public Needs To Know
Orwell Would Be Proud: US Media Admits Divine Right To Decide What Public Needs To Know
‘Yesterday afternoon, I happened to read a seemingly innocuous enough article in Time by Justin Lynch titled: Bloggers, Surveillance and Obama’s Orwellian State. The article covered the usual bases. Such as the fact the Obama Administration is the least transparent ever, how it has attacked whistleblowers and journalists more than all other Presidents combined, and how citizen journalists pose a threat to the corrupt and dying status quo. All things that we already know.
One of the people quoted in the article is Pentagon correspondent for the New York Times, Thom Shanker, who proudly noted “his employer has implemented rigorous standards to balance the security risks of reporting classified information with the public’s right to know.”’
Multi-billion pound UK governmentt IT contract ‘out of control’ – report
Multi-billion pound UK governmentt IT contract ‘out of control’ – report
‘A £10.4 billion government IT contract has spiralled “out of control,” with private contractors reaping more than £1 billion in profits at the behest of British taxpayers.
In a highly critical report, the National Audit Office (NAO) said that the Aspire contract, designed to streamline government IT services, went drastically over budget after civil servants commissioned more work than expected.
The contract – led by services conglomerate Capgemini, along with IT firms such as Fujitsu – has now cost the government double the amount it originally expected, jumping from £4.1 billion (US$6.9 billion) to £10.4 billion ($17.7 billion) since it began in 2004.’
Forensic scientist identifies suspicious ‘back doors’ running on every iOS device
Forensic scientist identifies suspicious ‘back doors’ running on every iOS device
‘Forensic scientist and author Jonathan Zdziarski has posted the slides (PDF) from his talk at the Hackers On Planet Earth (HOPE/X) conference in New York called Identifying Backdoors, Attack Points, and Surveillance Mechanisms in iOS Devices.
The HOPE conference started in 1994 and bills itself as “one of the most creative and diverse hacker events in the world.”
Zdziarski, better known as the hacker “NerveGas” in the iPhone development community, worked as dev-team member on many of the early iOS jailbreaks and is the author of five iOS-related O’Reilly books including “Hacking and Securing iOS Applications.”‘
Two MPs to sue government over data law ‘stitch-up’
Two MPs to sue government over data law ‘stitch-up’
‘Drip was rushed through parliament in just three days after receiving backing from all three major party leaders. It is a response to a European Court of Justice (ECJ) ruling in April, which essentially ruled that what’s happening in the UK – under the Data Retention Regulations Act of 2009 – was illegal.
David Davis, the former Home Secretary and Conservative MP for Haltemprice and Howden, said: “This act of parliament was driven through the House of Commons with ridiculous and unnecessary haste to meet a completely artificial emergency.’
Verizon Offers Free Gifts to Customers Who Consent to Surveillance
Verizon Offers Free Gifts to Customers Who Consent to Surveillance
‘Verizon Wireless is launching a rewards program this week for subscribers who consent to having their everyday movements tracked.
The program, called Smart Rewards, offers gift cards and travel deals to subscribers who surrender their web surfing, app usage and location data in exchange for targeted advertisements based on that personal information through the Verizon Selects tracking program.
“To make marketing messages more relevant, Verizon will analyze the information described above to identify you as part of a group of people a marketer is trying to reach,” the terms and conditions for Verizon Selects state.’
High-Level NSA Whistleblower Says Blackmail Is a Huge – Unreported – Part of Mass Surveillance
High-Level NSA Whistleblower Says Blackmail Is a Huge – Unreported – Part of Mass Surveillance
‘Section 11 of the Criminal Law Amendment Act 1885 made gross indecency a crime in the United Kingdom, which included male gay sex. The Amendment was so frequently used to blackmail gay Brits that it was dubbed the “Blackmailer’s Charter”.
There is widespread speculation that Pope Benedict resigned because of sexual blackmail.
And the American government has a long history of blackmailing people – including high-level officials- with knowledge of their sexual peccadilloes.’
The UK’s ‘emergency’ DRIP surveillance law is now a done deal
The UK’s ‘emergency’ DRIP surveillance law is now a done deal
‘The Data Retention and Investigatory Powers (DRIP) Bill, which was fast-tracked by the U.K. government as emergency legislation, is now law. The House of Lords passed the bill on Thursday without a vote after MPs gave their approval on Tuesday. It received royal assent hours later, making it the DRIP Act. The bill was only revealed to the public one week ago.
The purpose of DRIP, which actually expands the British authorities’ surveillance powers, is ostensibly to make up for an April ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU), which struck down the EU’s Data Retention Directive for having insufficient privacy safeguards.’
Top Tory’s devastating attack on our loss of privacy: This data law has nothing to do with catching terrorists – and everything to do with a lust for power
Top Tory’s devastating attack on our loss of privacy: This data law has nothing to do with catching terrorists – and everything to do with a lust for power
I have been warning for decades that this was coming while the mainstream media and most of the public just took the piss. Maybe they are starting to catch on at last – though they have no idea of the scale and interconnected global web that we are dealing with.
All explained in dot-connected detail at the Wembley Arena on October 25th.
‘The last time the main parties got together in a closed room, did a deal and told the country there was a need to act urgently, we were on the edge of abandoning 300 years of press freedom.
This time our privacy is under threat. In the name of security, the Government is fast-tracking legislation through Parliament that will allow it to collect huge quantities of our personal data.
We would do well to remember the advice of Ben Franklin: ‘Those who would give up essential liberty, to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.’’
British Politicians In ‘Secret Deal’ To Allow Mass Surveillance Of Public
British Politicians In ‘Secret Deal’ To Allow Mass Surveillance Of Public
‘Privacy campaigners and even MPs have accused UK political leaders of conspiring to allow spooks to continue to conduct mass surveillance on the public by collecting records of phone calls, text messages and internet usage without a legal basis.
The British government claims it needs to record every phone call and log every text message and email because of terrorism. The Prime Minister David Cameron today said that MI5 and police should immediately be given the legal power to do so in order to stop terrorist plots, citing recent “events in Iraq and Syria” as justification.’
Emergency laws to monitor phones and internet ‘to stop terrorists’
Emergency laws to monitor phones and internet ‘to stop terrorists’
‘Emergency laws will be brought in next week to force phone and internet companies to hold records of customers’ calls, texts and visits to websites.
The fast-track measures are necessary to defend national security against the terrorist threat from Iraq and Syria, David Cameron said.
The consequences of not acting are “grave”, the Prime Minister said.’
Now taxman wants to trawl a YEAR of your bank statements under powers to raid bank accounts goes for unpaid tax
Now taxman wants to trawl a YEAR of your bank statements under powers to raid bank accounts goes for unpaid tax
‘Intrusive new powers to spy on the last 12 months of everybody’s bank statements are being demanded by the taxman.
In a major escalation of its existing rights, Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs wants to be able to access monthly copies of bank, Isa and even joint account statements.
This would mean sensitive personal details such as the size of families’ monthly mortgage payments, how much they spend in restaurants and the amount saved into a tax-free nest egg are open to scrutiny.’
‘Smart’ Lightbulbs Reveal Wi-Fi Passwords
‘Smart’ Lightbulbs Reveal Wi-Fi Passwords
‘Researchers have found a way to reveal Wi-Fi passwords by hacking mobile phone controlled LED “smart” lights.
The LIFX lightbulb, yet another addition to the “Internet of things,” allows a user to remotely change a network-connected bulb’s color and strength from a computer or cell phone.
White-hat hackers with the UK-based security firm Context released their findings this week after successfully obtaining Wi-Fi credentials from 30 meters away.’