Archive for the 'Police State' Category
U.S. Airport Pat-Downs Are About to Get More Invasive
March 4th, 2017Via: Bloomberg: While few have noticed, U.S. airport security workers long had the option of using five different types of physical pat-downs at the screening line. Now those options have been eliminated and replaced with a single universal approach. This time, you will notice. The new physical touching—for those selected to have a pat-down—will be […]
DHS Quietly Testing Mandatory Facial Recognition of Passengers *Exiting* U.S.
February 27th, 2017Via: Professional Troublemaker: We’re all used to having to identify ourselves as we enter a country. It is the only way we can hope to have any attempt at a secure border. But, so-called “exit controls,” where documents are checked as travelers are leaving the country, were popularized last century by Nazi Germany as a […]
Cameras, Microphones and Sensors on 3,200 Street Lights in San Diego
February 27th, 2017Via: Reuters: General Electric will put cameras, microphones and sensors on 3,200 street lights in San Diego this year, marking the first large-scale use of “smart city” tools GE says can help monitor traffic and pinpoint crime, but raising potential privacy concerns. Based on technology from GE’s Current division, Intel Corp and AT&T Inc, the […]
Private Prisons Back In Mix For Federal Inmates
February 23rd, 2017Via: NPR: New Attorney General Jeff Sessions is rescinding an Obama-era memo that directed the Justice Department to reduce the use of private prisons, NPR’s Carrie Johnson reports Sessions writes in the order that returning to the Bureau of Prisons’ earlier approach would provide flexibility. “The memorandum changed long-standing policy and practice, and impaired the […]
AI-Powered Body Cams for Police
February 17th, 2017Via: Vocativ: The police body camera industry is the latest to jump on the artificial intelligence bandwagon, bringing new powers and privacy concerns to a controversial technology bolstered by the need to hold police accountable after numerous high-profile killings of unarmed black citizens. Now, that tech is about to get smarter. Last week, Taser, the […]
Cellphone Spy Tools Have Flooded Local Police Departments
February 8th, 2017Via: CityLab: Major cities throughout the U.S. have spent millions on mobile surveillance tools—but there are still few rules about what happens to the information they capture.
The FBI’s Secret Rules
January 31st, 2017Via: The Intercept: For example, the bureau’s agents can decide that a campus organization is not “legitimate” and therefore not entitled to robust protections for free speech; dig for derogatory information on potential informants without any basis for believing they are implicated in unlawful activity; use a person’s immigration status to pressure them to collaborate […]
Tesla’s Second Generation Autopilot Could Reduce Crash Rate by 90%, Says CEO Elon Musk
January 21st, 2017Whatever you think about autonomous drive technologies, my point with posting these stories is not to be a cheerleader one way or another. I just want to be sure everyone knows that this stuff is real and it is coming. Millions of drivers will lose their jobs, and these are not minimum wage, burger flipping […]
How Is the Facebook Android App So Diabolical?
January 2nd, 2017Update: How Facebook Learns About Your Offline Life I found this, but it doesn’t mention the “hot mics” issue that is obviously real: How Facebook Learns About Your Offline Life — Can anyone explain this one? During Christmas, I was over at a house with a bunch of family members. My brother in law’s girlfriend […]
Police to Use Information from Internet Connected Appliances
January 2nd, 2017Via: Telegraph: High-tech washing machines and fridges will soon be used by detectives gathering evidence from crime scenes, experts have forecast. The advent of ‘the internet of things’ in which more devices are connected together in a world of ‘smart working’ could in future provide important clues for the police. Detectives are currently being trained […]
