Foil Hat Blog

Big Brother Knows What You've Been Reading

2007-09-22T21:02:56Z

WaPo:

The U.S. government is collecting electronic records on the travel habits of millions of Americans who fly, drive or take cruises abroad, retaining data on the persons with whom they travel or plan to stay, the personal items they carry during their journeys, and even the books that travelers have carried, according to documents obtained by a group of civil liberties advocates and statements by government officials.

Happy new year...

2007-01-04T17:59:10Z

President Bush has quietly claimed sweeping new powers to open Americans' mail without a judge's warrant, the Daily News has learned.

The President asserted his new authority when he signed a postal reform bill into law on Dec. 20. Bush then issued a "signing statement" that declared his right to open people's mail under emergency conditions.

That claim is contrary to existing law and contradicted the bill he had just signed, say experts who have reviewed it.
...
Critics point out the administration could quickly get a warrant from a criminal court or a Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court judge to search targeted mail, and the Postal Service could block delivery in the meantime.
...
Martin said that Bush is "using the same legal reasoning to justify warrantless opening of domestic mail" as he did with warrantless eavesdropping.

-- New York Daily News

Here's one you won't see on Fox News

2006-12-22T18:45:41Z

Reuters:

A documentary says French special forces had Osama bin Laden in their sights twice about three years ago but their U.S. superiors never ordered them to fire.

The French military, however, said that the incidents never happened and the report was "erroneous information."
...
"In 2003 and 2004 we had bin Laden in our sights. The sniper said 'I have bin Laden'," an anonymous French soldier is quoted as saying.

We're All Prisoners

2006-11-08T22:08:06Z

Now: US Citizens to be Required ''Clearance'' to Leave USA

Forget no-fly lists. If Uncle Sam gets its way, beginning on Jan. 14,
2007, we'll all be on no-fly lists, unless the government gives us
permission to leave-or re-enter-the United States.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (HSA) has proposed that all
airlines, cruise lines-even fishing boats-be required to obtain
clearance for each passenger they propose taking into or out of the
United States.

foilhat @ 2006-11-03T13:54:00

2006-11-03T20:54:44Z

I've been ranting about electronic voting off and on for a while now and I thought I was fairly well versed in the issues at hand. As it turns out, I didn't know the half of it.

Here's a Lou Dobbs interview on the subject as well. Watch it.

Will Get Fooled Again

2006-08-16T22:03:23Z

Former UK ambassador to Uzbekistan, Craig Murray, weighs in on the recent terror arrests:

None of the alleged terrorists had made a bomb. None had bought a plane ticket. Many did not even have passports, which given the efficiency of the UK Passport Agency would mean they couldn't be a plane bomber for quite some time.

In the absence of bombs and airline tickets, and in many cases passports, it could be pretty difficult to convince a jury beyond reasonable doubt that individuals intended to go through with suicide bombings, whatever rash stuff they may have bragged in internet chat rooms.

What is more, many of those arrested had been under surveillance for over a year - like thousands of other British Muslims. And not just Muslims. Like me. Nothing from that surveillance had indicated the need for early arrests.

Then an interrogation in Pakistan revealed the details of this amazing plot to blow up multiple planes - which, rather extraordinarily, had not turned up in a year of surveillance. Of course, the interrogators of the Pakistani dictator have their ways of making people sing like canaries. As I witnessed in Uzbekistan, you can get the most extraordinary information this way. Trouble is it always tends to give the interrogators all they might want, and more, in a desperate effort to stop or avert torture. What it doesn't give is the truth ...

We then have the extraordinary question of Bush and Blair discussing the possible arrests over the weekend. Why?

You ever get the feeling you've been hoodwinked?

I know who you are and I saw what you did.

2006-07-10T06:55:52Z

C|NET is reporting today that the FBI is crafting legislation that would extend the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CAELA) act beyond it's already staggeringly egregious invasions of privacy. In addition to warrantless access to any and all public, private and commercial data about every citizen, they now expect hardware and software manufacturers to build inherent flaws into their security models in order to provide law enforcement (and others) easier access for surveillance purposes (also without warrant, naturally).

Furthermore they are petitioning to have search engine providers and ISPs retain two years worth of logs of your internet activity (web browsing, email, XBox Live, and VoIP telephone calls to name a few). This is in addition to data handed over by the telephone companies of your personal calling records. (i.e. who you call, when you call, how often you call, how long you talk, etc.)

This new and separate legislation, if passed, would extend these powers to include hardware in your own home. Consider that little blue linksys router you have to make your wireless network go. Now consider if it reported back to the government in real time anything and everything you do on the internet. That's what it seems to me we're talking about here.

Aside from the apparently un-obvious wholesale invasion of privacy, can someone explain to me why the FBI is crafting legislation? Is the congressional branch of the federal government really that much of a lap dog to the executive?

UPDATE: It is also true that for the purpose of finidng terrorists, the NSA program is provably useless. It is quite effective however, "for monitoring political opposition and stymieing the activities of those who do not believe the government's propaganda."

NSA to Spy on MySpace, LiveJournal?

2006-06-09T17:03:20Z

"New Scientist has discovered that [the] Pentagon's National Security Agency, which specialises in eavesdropping and code-breaking, is funding research into the mass harvesting of the information that people post about themselves on social networks."

Welcome to the twenty-first century, cocksuckers.

Congress' idea of "oversight"

2006-06-07T20:37:52Z

Remember how Arlen Specter vowed to hold the administration accountable for secretly, and illegally, collecting logs of all your phone calls?

USA Today reports:

A last-minute deal Tuesday with Vice President Cheney averted a possible confrontation between the Senate Judiciary Committee and U.S. telephone companies about the National Security Agency's database of customer calling records.

The deal was announced by Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., the committee chairman, and Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah. They said Cheney, who plays a key role supervising NSA counterterrorism efforts, promised that the Bush administration would consider legislation proposed by Specter that would place a domestic surveillance program under scrutiny of a special federal court.

In return, Specter agreed to postpone indefinitely asking executives from the nation's telecommunication companies to testify about another program in which the NSA collects records of domestic calls.

Well, I suppose we can all rest easy now. Dick Cheney is going to "consider" whether or not to keep spying on us without any oversight.

Thieves steal personal data of 26.5M vets

2006-05-23T19:44:06Z

"Thieves took sensitive personal information on 26.5 million U.S. veterans, including Social Security numbers and birth dates, after a Veterans Affairs employee improperly brought the material home, the government said Monday."

A PAC ad so ridiculous it's intellectually painful.

2006-05-23T05:23:00Z

Watch the ad here: Censure Carter.

City of Boulder: Turn in your neighbors

2006-05-15T20:31:20Z

Tuesday, the Boulder City Council will take up the matter of allocating public funding for a "hate hotline," which would give residents an opportunity to report incidents in which Boulderites use tactless language.

DOJ Invokes State Secrets Privilege to Dismiss Lawsuit

2006-05-12T18:54:17Z

The Department of Justice has invoked the Military and State Secrets Privilege in an attempt to dismiss an EFF lawsuit against AT&T alleging illegal disclosure of customer information to the U.S. Government. The full text of the DOJ motion can be found here.

This is the kicker:

"...the assertion of the state secrets privilege, as a general matter, does not mean that any particular allegation is true but is a reflection of the subject matter at issue."

Yeah - it's a matter of state secrecy that we're spying on American citizens, but that's not saying we're spying on American citizens.

Rest assured that any lawsuit resulting from the latest revelations about NSA spying on domestic calls will also be dismissed. It is my belief that this issue can only be resolved in the political arena.

Irony alert-- AOL censors email criticizing plan to prioritize net access

2006-04-14T18:41:42Z

Ah, it's amusing in the usual sick, pathetic way-- I'm too out of it to add any commentary, and really, the link says all that needs to be said.

http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2006_04.php#004556

The selling out of America continues

2006-04-01T04:27:14Z

You know the Smithsonian Institution? The world-famous public museum, paid for by your tax dollars?

According to the New York Times, they've now sold out to corporate interests.

Some of the biggest names in documentary filmmaking have denounced a recent agreement between the Smithsonian Institution and Showtime Networks Inc. that they say restricts makers of films and television shows using Smithsonian materials from offering their work to public television or other non-Showtime broadcast outlets.

To be fair, the Smithsonian is a bit hard up for cash lately. There are long-overdue repairs needed on some of their buildings. Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va) has suggested that since we can't give them any more money out of the budget, maybe they could start charging admission.

By the way, the proposed FY07 budget for the Smithsonian is $644.4 million. That's about enough to cover three or four days of operations in Iraq.

RBS (Reeducation Bible School)

2006-03-19T18:07:10Z

I guess that's where you go when you don't exhibit the requisite level of faith in the one (and only) state-sanctioned god in Texas. (natch)

Tom Green County mulls faith-based prison
3/18/2006 12:28 PM
By: Associated Press

SAN ANGELO, Texas -- Tom Green County commissioners gave extra preparation time Saturday to a group proposing a faith-based prison in San Angelo.

The new management team of Dallas-based Corrections Concepts asked for at least two months to prepare more detailed financial information on the project. The commissioners did not set a timetable.

Corrections Concepts was the only group to step forward when the county requested proposals for the 623-inmate prison. A management contract has not been voted on. The company's new chief executive Forrest Watson said the group needs time to reorganize.

County commissioner Richard Easingwood told the San Angelo Standard-Times that he wants to see hard numbers to support the prison's business plan.

The prison would house inmates who volunteer for the program in the final two years of their sentences.

Supporters say it could influence prisoners' lives through religion, and create jobs.

Opponents question the economic benefit and point to safety and water use concerns.

Voting machines tested--

2006-03-19T15:55:38Z

I'm just going to pass this along without comment...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2006/3/19/15759/7078

Cash is looking better & better

2006-03-15T07:00:15Z

From TechWeb: PIN Scandal "Worst Hack Ever;" Citibank Only The Start: March 09, 2006.

Unlike credit cards, debit cards offer an additional level of security: the password-like Personal Identification Number, or PIN.

"That's the irony, the PIN was supposed to make debit cards secure," Litan said. "Up until this breach, everyone thought ATMS and PINs could never be compromised."

...The problem [] is that retailers improperly store PIN numbers after they've been entered, rather than erase them at the PIN-entering pad. Worse, the keys to decrypt the PIN blocks are often stored on the same network as the PINs themselves, making a single successful hack a potential goldmine for criminals: they get the PIN data and the key to read it.

..."Security is tight at the ATM, but point-of-sale is a whole other story," said Litan. "Look at your [debit card] account on a regular basis, and don't use a PIN-based debit card at point-of-sale," she recommended. "I never do."

Lovely.

cause & effect

2006-03-13T14:08:26Z

Cause: Illegal domestic spying scheme authorized by the White House uncovered.

Effect: Propose legislation making it illegal to expose illegal activity by the government.

new government emblem

2006-03-11T20:59:08Z

The government today announced that it is changing its emblem from an Eagle
to a CONDOM because it more accurately reflects the government's political stance.
A condom allows for inflation, halts production, destroys the next generation, protects a bunch of pricks, and gives you a sense of security while you are actually being screwed.

Pentagon admits errors in spying on protesters

2006-03-10T03:53:53Z

Pentagon admits errors in spying on protesters

The Department of Defense admitted in a letter obtained by NBC News on Thursday that it had wrongly added peaceful demonstrators to a database of possible domestic terrorist threats.

This isn't the first time the government has used its considerable resources to spy on peaceful war protesters. When it was revealed in the 1970s that the government had conducted probes of over 100,000 American citizens, the public outrage led to passage of a little-known law known as the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), which is ostensibly still in effect today.

The Pentagon says they fixed the mistakes in their database though, so I'm sure it's all good now.

Asshat NJ Assemblyman Attempts to Outlaw Anonymous Speech

2006-03-07T02:52:18Z

ASSEMBLY, No. 1327

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

212th LEGISLATURE

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2006 SESSION

SYNOPSIS

Makes certain operators of interactive computer services and Internet service providers liable to persons injured by false or defamatory messages posted on public forum websites.

...

2. The operator of any interactive computer service or an Internet service provider shall establish, maintain and enforce a policy to require any information content provider who posts written messages on a public forum website either to be identified by a legal name and address, or to register a legal name and address with the operator of the interactive computer service or the Internet service provider through which the information content provider gains access to the interactive computer service or Internet, as appropriate.

fragmentation

2006-03-02T21:37:28Z

Hoo boy, but this could create some ~~fun~~ scary security loopholes.

China creates own internet domains

"China has created three of its own top-level domains that will use the domain names .cn, .com and .net, in Chinese. The domain names were launched Wednesday by the Chinese Ministry of Information Industry.

The creation of Chinese character domain names has led to speculation that China could break away from the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) completely, and undermine the global unity of the Domain Name System (DNS), the network of servers that resolves domain name requests."

(click link for full text)

ACLU - Pizza

2006-02-25T19:46:56Z

Video about the future of information privacy.

http://www.adcritic.com/interactive/view.php?id=5927

ignorance

2006-02-23T00:27:48Z

Ignorance is really not bliss.

Does someone feel qualified to give me a reader's digest version of why allowing a UAE company to operate ports in the UW is a bad idea?

I feel instinctively that it would be dangerous. But I fear that I am simply reacting from an emotional level, and that there are complexities to the situation that are simply beyond my rudimentary understanding of how foreign-held companies fit into the bigger, incomprehensible picture that is the "global economy."

My instincts also say that this is not in any way an isolated incidence - that there are other businesses that are owned by near-eastern based companies that operate in the US that could create problems for our so-called "national security"....am I wrong?

And, I really suspect that someone in the B. administration is profitting directly from this transaction. True?

Sigh.