Archive for the 'Police State' Category
Not The Onion: NYPD Urges iPhone 5 Owners to Register Device, Deploys Officers to Stores
September 24th, 2012Oh sure. Via: Reuters: In response to a sharp spike in iPhone thefts from unwitting consumers this year, the New York City Police Department will station officers at Apple Inc. sales locations throughout the city for Friday’s release of the new iPhone 5. The officers will help customers register iPhone serial numbers, or engrave them […]
Law Enforcement Speech Recognition System Stores Millions of Voices
September 23rd, 2012Made in Russia. Via: Slate: Russia’s Speech Technology Center, which operates under the name SpeechPro in the United States, has invented what it calls “VoiceGrid Nation,” a system that uses advanced algorithms to match identities to voices. The idea is that it enables authorities to build up a huge database containing up to several million […]
Two American Companies Layoff Hundreds Of Workers: Military Uniform Contracts Awarded To Prison Inmates
September 17th, 2012Via: Inquisitr: Two American companies which make military uniforms are laying off hundreds of workers as the federal government decides to use prison inmates to make soldier fatigues. American Apparel currently charges $29.44 per uniform. The cost will increase by 15 percent when Federal Prison Industries (FPI) convicts begin sewing the clothing at a cost […]
New Cameras to Watch Cameras That Watch You
September 14th, 2012This practice is common in Britain. Via: WTOP: Many people find speed cameras frustrating, and some in the region are taking their rage out on the cameras themselves. But now there’s a new solution: cameras to watch the cameras. One is already in place, and Prince George’s County Police Maj. Robert V. Liberati hopes to […]
You Might Be a Terrosist If You Prepare for The Zombie Apocalypse
September 10th, 2012*chortle* One for your Mixed Signals file folder. Via: Network World: Homeland Security warned, “The zombies are coming!” FEMA says get your emergency preparedness kit ready, but the LAPD adopted 15 of the DOJ’s ridiculous lists regarding ‘Potential Indicators of Terrorist Activities.’ The question morphs from how will we survive the zombie apocalypse, to how […]
Rochester City Employees Don’t Have to Pay Fines When Caught by Red-Light Cameras
September 8th, 2012Via: Democrat and Chronicle: Over the past 18 months, city of Rochester employees have committed at least 119 red light violations while driving city vehicles, records show. But while employees can be disciplined for the violation, “payment of the related fine will not be required,” according to a newly adopted city procedure for handling the […]
Next Generation Identification (NGI) System: FBI Launches $1 Billion Nationwide Biometric Database
September 8th, 2012Via: ExtremeTech: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation has begun rolling out its new $1 billion biometric Next Generation Identification (NGI) system. In essence, NGI is a nationwide database of mugshots, iris scans, DNA records, voice samples, and other biometrics, that will help the FBI identify and catch criminals — but it is how this […]
‘It kinda resembles a military operation’
September 6th, 2012Via: Kansas City Police Department: Research Credit: pookie
Leave Your Cellphone at Home: Interview with Jacob Appelbaum
September 5th, 2012This is worth reading, but the usual caveats apply. Via: n+1: Appelbaum: Cell phones are tracking devices that make phone calls. It’s sad, but it’s true. Which means software solutions don’t always matter. You can have a secure set of tools on your phone, but it doesn’t change the fact that your phone tracks everywhere […]
Anonymous Claims FBI Hack Yielded 12 Million iPhone and iPad IDs
September 4th, 2012Update: Florida Firm Is Source of Apple Data in Breach Via: AP: A Florida company said Monday that the database of Apple device information that hackers stole and posted on the Internet last week came from a file the firm had in its computer system. The disclosure comes nearly a week after a hacker group, […]
