Techdirt: Puerto Rico’s Justice Department Demanded Info From Facebook About Journalists Who Livestreamed Protests. “While the DOJ and FBI have dealt with some limited repercussions due to their targeting of First Amendment activities (which includes targeting Muslims because they’re Muslims), it really hasn’t promised to stop doing this. Nor has it been told to stop doing this. Instead, the DOJ has simply made it slightly more difficult for investigators to violate people’s rights. The Intercept has done some investigating of its own and discovered the FBI actively engaged in First Amendment violations for years during its partnership with Puerto Rican law enforcement agencies.”
surveillance
MIT Technology Review: Most Americans think they’re being constantly tracked—and that there’s nothing they can do
MIT Technology Review: Most Americans think they’re being constantly tracked—and that there’s nothing they can do. “It’s not just that Americans (correctly) think companies are collecting their data. They don’t like it. About 69% of Americans are skeptical that companies will use their private information in a way they’re comfortable with, while 79% don’t believe that companies will come clean if they misuse the information.”
New York Times: A Paranoid Guide to Fighting the ‘Bugging Epidemic’
New York Times: A Paranoid Guide to Fighting the ‘Bugging Epidemic’. “Tiny cameras have been found in places where they shouldn’t be, like Airbnb rentals, public bathrooms and gym locker rooms. So often, in fact, that security experts warn that we are in the throes of a ‘bugging epidemic.’ It is not paranoid to take precautions. A lot of spy gear is detectable if you know what to look for, said Charles Patterson, president of Exec Security, a firm in Tarrytown, N.Y., that specializes in corporate counterespionage.”
Brookings: 10 actions that will protect people from facial recognition software
Brookings: 10 actions that will protect people from facial recognition software. “Facial recognition (FR) software inspires intense reactions from many people. On the one hand, a number of individuals worry that FR will usher in an Orwellian nightmare of mass surveillance and privacy intrusions. They see FR combined with ubiquitous video cameras, artificial intelligence (AI), and data analytics as a formula for harming humanity and restricting individual freedom…. In this paper, I propose 10 actions that will protect people from the greatest risks associated with FR software; these include limiting data storage and sharing, mandating accuracy standards, instituting third-party assessments, and more.”
MSN News: Citing ‘unprecedented’ surveillance, ACLU sues federal agencies over facial-recognition scans
MSN News: Citing ‘unprecedented’ surveillance, ACLU sues federal agencies over facial-recognition scans . “The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday sued the Justice Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the FBI for records detailing their use of facial-recognition software, arguing the agencies have secretly implemented a nationwide surveillance technology that threatens Americans’ privacy and civil rights.”
CNET: Trump administration reportedly wants to extend NSA phone surveillance program
CNET: Trump administration reportedly wants to extend NSA phone surveillance program. “The Trump administration has reportedly asked Congress to permanently reauthorize all provisions of the USA Freedom Act, including a controversial National Security Agency program that collects and analyzes records on millions of Americans’ calls and texts in an attempt to thwart terrorists.”
Ars Technica: Police can get your Ring doorbell footage without a warrant, report says
Ars Technica: Police can get your Ring doorbell footage without a warrant, report says. “Hundreds of police departments around the country have partnerships with Amazon’s home surveillance brand Ring. The relationship benefits both sides: the company provides tech and software to law enforcement, and the cops both provide data to Amazon and also help sell the product to local homeowners. That alone raises troubling issues, but according to a pair of new reports, Ring also gets access to real-time 911 data, and the company helps police work around a need for search warrants when looking for footage.”
