privacy

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Plame: US Intelligence is 'Ripe for Abuse'

Snowden's leaks should come as no surprise, write Valerie Plame Wilson and Joe Wilson

(Newser) - If there's anyone who knows about intelligence leaks, it's former CIA agent Valerie Plame Wilson, and she tackles the Edward Snowden NSA leaks along with husband and former US ambassador Joe Wilson in the Guardian . Snowden's leaks shouldn't be treated as such a surprise, they write,...

ACLU Sues White House Over Phone 'Dragnet'

Group says its constitutional rights have been violated

(Newser) - The ACLU usually sues on behalf of others, but this time it's going to court on behalf of itself. The civil-liberties group has sued the federal government over the "dragnet" it uses to collect information about phone calls , reports Talking Points Memo . Because the ACLU is itself a...

Majority of Americans Support Phone Spying

56% say phone tracking is acceptable

(Newser) - For all the outcry over the NSA's phone snooping this week, the majority of Americans are A-OK with the government tracking their phone calls. That's according to a new poll by Pew Research and the Washington Post, which found 56% believe tracking calls is an acceptable way for...

How to Block NSA Spying
 How to Block NSA Spying 
OPINION
Jun 10, 2013 1:45 PM CDT

How to Block NSA Spying

Timothy B. Lee offers up 5 ideas

(Newser) - Don't like the idea of the NSA spying on your phone calls and emails? In the Washington Post , Timothy B. Lee offers five ways for you to protect yourself:
  • Tor : This Internet browser lets you remain anonymous, and does not reveal your IP address or other identifiers. One fan:
...

Obama is Our Big Brother
 Obama Is Our 
 Big Brother 
OPINION
Jun 9, 2013 4:27 PM CDT

Obama Is Our Big Brother

The NSA spying is double-plus-ungood, writes Maureen Dowd

(Newser) - In 2007, President Obama said he didn't want to run an administration that was "Bush-Cheney lite." No worries there, writes Maureen Dowd in the New York Times —with new revelations about the NSA's snooping on our phone and Internet activities, "there’s nothing lite...

Phone Spying Prevented NYC Subway Attack: Sources

When House intel chief said phone records foiled terrorist attack, this is what he meant

(Newser) - On Thursday, Rep. Mike Rogers defended the NSA's phone and Internet snooping program with the claim that, "Within the last few years, this program was used to stop a terrorist attack in the United States." Now we (likely) know which one he meant: The 2009 subway bombing...

Greenwald: I'm Not the One You Should Investigate

People who reveal government's secrets are heroes, he argues

(Newser) - Glenn Greenwald isn't worried about the prospect of a Justice Department investigation —and he thinks it's vile that the Obama administration is going after the people behind the NSA leaks in the first place. "The people who do this are heroes," he writes at the...

Obama: 'Nobody Is Listening to Your Phone Calls'

President defends the government's surveillance programs

(Newser) - President Obama tried to defuse the growing surveillance controversies during a speech in San Jose today, reiterating that anything the government does is limited in scope and necessary to keep the country safe, reports the Washington Post . (Pretty much the argument that the New York Times bashed him about.)...

The People Behind the NSA Leaks

Glenn Greenwald faces Justice Department investigation

(Newser) - How did word of the NSA's massive Internet and phone surveillance programs leak to the press? We don't know much, but it looks like the story comes from one or more insiders who object to the government's actions. Here's what we know:
  • Tucked at the end
...

Phone Records Foiled Attack, Says Lawmaker

House intel chief defends NSA; Obama 'welcomes' debate

(Newser) - Mike Rogers has one-upped his colleagues on Capitol Hill in defending the NSA's use of phone records from Verizon . The chairman of the House intelligence panel says the strategy is not only legal but has foiled at least one terror attack, reports the Hill . Rogers did not provide details,...

Phone Files: Why You Should, Shouldn't, Be Angry

Reaction is all over the map to Verizon story

(Newser) - So just how creeped out should we be that the NSA has been collecting phone records about Verizon users? Reaction ranges from shrugs to outrage:
  • Alex Pareene, Salon : It's "equal parts shocking and unsurprising." That the NSA can do this under the Patriot Act is old news,
...

Supreme Court Upholds DNA Swabs of Those Under Arrest

Not a violation of 4th Amendment

(Newser) - DNA swabbing the cheek of a person arrested—but not yet convicted—for a "serious offense" is just as acceptable as fingerprinting and photographing that person, the Supreme Court ruled today. Such DNA swabs do not violate a person's Fourth Amendment protection from unreasonable searches, the justices found....

Stop Trusting Geeks Like Obama
 Stop Trusting 
 Geeks Like Obama 
OPINION
Jun 3, 2013 12:30 PM CDT

Stop Trusting Geeks Like Obama

Like Google, Facebook, and co., Obama assures us he's got good intentions

(Newser) - Many people are confused by President Obama's relentless prosecution of Bradley Manning , and pursuit of other leakers . Isn't he supposed to be a Silicon Valley-style transparency-loving geek? That view is "charmingly naïve," writes Edward Luce at the Financial Times . "Obama is no traitor to...

Google Bars Facial Recognition Apps for Glass

At least for now, on privacy concerns

(Newser) - Google doesn't want users of Google Glass to be able to get the lowdown on people they encounter, at least for the time being. In a blog post last night, the company said it would not allow facial recognition apps for the device, reports Mashable . "As Google has...

Idaho Restricts Use of Spy Drones by Police

Authorities will need a warrant first

(Newser) - Idaho has become the second state to restrict what one lawmaker calls "high-tech window peeping" by police or even nosy neighbors. The governor has signed a bill requiring police to get a warrant before using drones in most cases, reports Reuters . The new law also makes it illegal for...

IRS Might Be Peeking at Emails Without Warrants

ACLU calls for a clear explanation of policy

(Newser) - It's probably not wise to talk about all your deep, dark tax-dodging secrets via email, but if you do, know that the IRS might be poking into them without a warrant. So says the ACLU, which complains that it can't get a straight answer from the agency about...

CVS to Workers: Disclose Weight or Pay $600 Fine

Privacy group cries foul

(Newser) - CVS has touched a nerve with a new policy requiring workers to disclose a host of health data—including their weight, body fat and glucose levels, and blood pressure—or else pay an extra $50 a month for their health insurance. The move has drawn outrage from at least one...

Privacy, We Hardly Knew Ye
 Privacy, We 
 Hardly Knew Ye 
OPINION
Mar 18, 2013 1:10 PM CDT

Privacy, We Hardly Knew Ye

Facebook is reverting us to a pre-urban state: David Frum

(Newser) - Between Facebook and cell phone videos that propel any unguarded moment into a viral one, we spend a fair amount of time these days bemoaning the loss of privacy. But the truth is, privacy has only existed for a matter of decades, writes David Frum at CNN . "For most...

Facebook Changes Actually Got Users to Share More

...whether they realized it or not

(Newser) - Facebook users started sharing a lot more after the site modified its interface and default settings in 2009 and 2010—whether they realized it or not. A seven-year study from Carnegie Mellon researchers found that from 2005 to 2009, users were trending toward keeping more information private, a trend that...

EU Considering 'Repressive Action' Against Google

France says the company hasn't responded adequately to privacy concerns

(Newser) - Google may be about to face a serious privacy challenge on the other side of the pond. France's privacy watchdog said yesterday that it and several other EU regulators want to coordinate a "repressive action" against Google, the Wall Street Journal reports. The regulators allege that Google has...

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