Archive for the 'War' Category
The Drones Come Home
February 20th, 2013Via: National Geographic: What Jay Stanley of the ACLU calls his “nightmare scenario” begins with drones supporting “mostly unobjectionable” police raids and chases. Soon, however, networks of linked drones and computers “gain the ability to automatically track multiple vehicles and bodies as they move around a city,” much as the cell phone network hands calls […]
‘No More Hesitation’ Targets Train Police and Feds to Shoot Armed Pregnant Women, Mothers, Children and Elderly
February 20th, 2013In other news: DHS Buying 1.6 Billion Rounds of Ammunition. Via: Reason: What if I told you police in your town could desensitize themselves to the idea of shooting a (armed) child, pregnant woman, or young mother, for just a couple of bucks? The “No More Hesitation” series from Law Enforcement Targets Inc. offers exactly […]
Secret U.S. Military Flights Carried Officials, Equipment to North Korea
February 20th, 2013Via: Asahi: Senior U.S. administration officials held secret talks in North Korea on at least three occasions in 2011 and 2012, The Asahi Shimbun has learned. Although the visits had potential implications for Japan, Washington did not inform its security partner at the time and only informally confirmed one of them when the Japanese side […]
Drones Are Taking to the Skies in the U.S.
February 18th, 2013Via: Los Angeles Times: While a national debate has erupted over the Obama administration’s lethal drone strikes overseas, federal authorities have stepped up efforts to license surveillance drones for law enforcement and other uses in U.S. airspace, spurring growing concern about violations of privacy. The Federal Aviation Administration said Friday it had issued 1,428 permits […]
Gun Dealers Report Shortages of Ammunition
February 18th, 2013I’ve heard from a few friends and some other Cryptogon readers who have emailed me with messages along the lines of: “Do you know that .22-long is sold out over here?” I remember past waves of panic buying, but I don’t ever remember .22-lr being sold out before. Via: USA Today: Retailers say much of […]
Pentagon Inks Deal for Smartphone Tool That Scans Your Face, Eyes, Thumbs
February 14th, 2013In other words, expect cops to be be using this on Americans. Via: Wired: In a few years, the soldier, marine or special operator out on patrol might be able to record the facial features or iris signature of a suspicious person all from his or her smartphone — and at a distance, too. The […]
Obama Signs Cybersecurity Executive Order
February 14th, 2013Via: ZDnet: President Obama signed an executive order aimed at bolstering U.S. cybersecurity prior to tonight’s State of the Union address. The Order precedes a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on “new threats.” It is the government’s latest move in attempting to deal with cyber threats, and the order has not undergone any public technical, […]
North Korea Lights Off Another Nuclear Weapon
February 12th, 2013Via: Guardian: North Korea has drawn widespread condemnation after conducting a nuclear test in defiance of international bans – a development signalled by an earthquake detected in the country and later confirmed by the regime. The test, which took place in the north-east of the country just before noon local time, could bring North Korea […]
White House Memo on Assassinating Americans
February 6th, 2013Via: NBC: Legal experts expressed grave reservations Tuesday about an Obama administration memo concluding that the United States can order the killing of American citizens believed to be affiliated with al-Qaida — with one saying the White House was acting as “judge, jury and executioner.” The experts said that the memo, first obtained by NBC […]
British Army Uses Tiny Drones in Afghanistan; Just 10cm Long and Weighing 16 Grams
February 4th, 2013Via: Sky: British troops are using a nano drone just 10cm long and weighing 16 grams on the front line in Afghanistan to provide vital information on the ground. They are the first to use the state-of-the-art handheld tiny surveillance helicopters, which relay reliable full motion video and still images back to the devices’ handlers […]
