Archive for the 'Dictatorship' Category
U.S. Tech Giants Knew of NSA Data Collection, Agency’s Top Lawyer Insists
March 19th, 2014Via: Guardian: The senior lawyer for the National Security Agency stated unequivocally on Wednesday that US technology companies were fully aware of the surveillance agency’s widespread collection of data, contradicting months of angry denials from the firms. Rajesh De, the NSA general counsel, said all communications content and associated metadata harvested by the NSA under […]
UK Government Wants ‘Unsavoury’ Web Content Censored
March 18th, 2014Via: Wired: The UK minister for immigration and security has called for the government to do more to deal with “unsavoury”, rather than illegal, material online. James Brokenshire made the comments to the Financial Times in an interview related to the government’s alleged ability to automatically request YouTube videos be taken down under “super flagger” […]
Obama Administration Cites ‘National Security’ More Than Ever to Censor, Deny Records
March 18th, 2014No more secrecy: Your what hurts? Via: AP: The Obama administration more often than ever censored government files or outright denied access to them last year under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act, according to a new analysis of federal data by The Associated Press. The administration cited more legal exceptions it said justified withholding […]
Navy SEALs Seize Oil Tanker from Libyan Rebels
March 18th, 2014Via: USA Today: A U.S. Navy SEAL raid to seize control of an oil tanker that had been commandeered by Libyan rebels reflects a broad U.S. policy to try and help bolster the country’s weak central government, which has struggled since the overthrow of Moammar Gadhafi in 2011. No shots were fired during the operation, […]
The One About Satellites Beaming Power Down to Earth Is Making the Rounds Again
March 17th, 2014*roll eyes* Via: Wired: For decades, the Pentagon has been the world’s largest oil consumer, and as global petroleum prices continue to rise, the military has been searching for feasible energy alternatives. Now they’re looking in space. The U.S. Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is building technology that will allow the military to capture solar power […]
A Tale of Two Internets
March 15th, 2014It sounds a lot like U.S. politics: “A world where you think you are making choices, but in reality, your options are narrowed and refined until you are left with merely the illusion of control.” Via: Scientific American: Imagine an Internet where unseen hands curate your entire experience. Where third parties predetermine the news, products […]
RUSSIAN FORCES SEIZE GAS FACILITY INSIDE UKRAINE
March 15th, 2014Via: Telegraph: Ukraine’s military mobilised to thwart an apparent Russian advance for the first time on Saturday night as Kiev sent paratroops to defend a gas facility near Crimea with tensions high in the hours leading up to Sunday’s independence referendum. The foreign ministry in Kiev denounced an “invasion” by Russia’s forces into its mainland, […]
Wyoming Welder Faces $75,000 a Day in EPA Fines for Building Pond on His Property
March 15th, 2014Via: Fox News: All Andy Johnson wanted to do was build a stock pond on his sprawling eight-acre Wyoming farm. He and his wife Katie spent hours constructing it, filling it with crystal-clear water, and bringing in brook and brown trout, ducks and geese. It was a place where his horses could drink and graze, […]
Russia Blocks Access to Independent News Sites
March 14th, 2014Via: EFF: Russia’s government has escalated its use of its Internet censorship law to target news sites, bloggers, and politicians under the slimmest excuse of preventing unauthorized protests and enforcing house arrest regulations. Today, the country’s ISPs have received orders to block a list of major news sites and system administrators have been instructed to […]
Britain: One of Prime Minister’s Closest Aides Arrested, Allegations Related to Child Porn
March 12th, 2014Via: Telegraph: One of David Cameron’s closest aides has been arrested on suspicion of offences relating to child pornography. Patrick Rock, who was one of the government’s advisors on policy for online pornography filters, was arrested last month after police examined computers in No 10 Downing Street. Mr Rock resigned as a policy advisor to […]
