FBI Says Carrier IQ May Be Used In ‚Law Enforcement Proceedings‘
Updated with a response from Carrier IQ. Want to know if Carrier IQ, the dialer- and location-sniffing software installed in millions of phones, is being used by the FBI for law enforcement investigations? The FBI won’t reveal much about the controversial application. And why not? Because, the Bureau says, doing so might interfere with law […]
Tunisia After Revolt Can Alter E-Mails With Big Brother Software
By Vernon Silver Tunisia, Big Brother goes by an alias: Ammar 404. A play on the “Error 404” message for blocked websites, Tunisian bloggers dreamed him up as a fictional front man for the sprawling surveillance state of former ruler Zine El Abidine Ben Ali. Aided directly and indirectly by American and European suppliers, Ammar […]
Spain: Police Target People Who Don’t ‚Look Spanish‘
By Nicholas Edmondson People who do not „look Spanish“ can be stopped by police as often as four times a day, according to report by Amnesty International. The report, titled ‚Stop Racism, Not People“ claims discrimination in the country, often criticised for its history of racism, is condoned by the authorities. According to Spanish law […]
Nigeria: National Assembly to Install Full-Body Scanners
Turaki A. Hassan Full-body scanners that caused outrage in Europe and America because they expose nakedness would soon be installed at the National Assembly to tighten security around lawmakers in the wake of recent incidents of bombings in the country. Investigations by Daily Trust show that the management of the National Assembly has advertised contracts […]
EUROSUR: Providing authorities with tools needed to reinforce management of external borders and fight cross-border crime
What is the aim of EUROSUR? The European Border Surveillance System (EUROSUR) will reinforce the management of the Schengen external border by strengthening the information exchange and cooperation between Member States‘ border control authorities as well as with Frontex. EUROSUR should, in particular, provide the infrastructure and tools needed to improve the monitoring and reaction […]
Two comrades, Guido and Arturo sent to jail (Italy)
Guido and Arturo, two comrades from Cuneo (Italy), were jailed for a few weeks last February following an action to block a Castor train loaded with nuclear waste in Val Susa (northern Italy). The action was carried out during the night by about forty people, mostly anarchists and some village people. Within a short time […]
European Union Bans Exports to Syria of Systems for Monitoring Web, Phones
By Vernon Silver The European Union barred exports of surveillance technology to Syria following reports the regime was procuring and using such gear. “Exports of equipment and software intended for use in the monitoring of internet and telephone communications by the Syrian regime,” are banned, the 27-nation bloc said today in a statement that included […]
Surveillance debunked: A guide to the jargon
Many of the technologies and ideas contained in the Spy Files are obscure and unfamiliar. Privacy International has compiled this glossary, in which experts explain what these technologies are, how they work, and the implications they carry for privacy and civil liberties. Digital forensics Deep packet inspection Social network analysis Data mining Backdoor trojans Open […]
The Arab Spring of “Security made in Germany“
Eric Töpfer Investigative journalists have revealed a secret mission by the German Federal Police to train border guards in Saudi Arabia. The episode sheds light on the much broader engagement of the German security-industrial complex in arming authoritarian monarchies in the Gulf region. More than 500 German police officers are posted to foreign countries. They […]
Malls track shoppers‘ cell phones on Black Friday
By Annalyn Censky Attention holiday shoppers: your cell phone may be tracked this year. Starting on Black Friday and running through New Year’s Day, two U.S. malls — Promenade Temecula in southern California and Short Pump Town Center in Richmond, Va. — will track guests‘ movements by monitoring the signals from their cell phones. While […]
How police infiltrated groups planning G20 protests
adrian morrow AND kim mackrael In early 2009, two strangers started mingling with the activist communities of Kitchener-Waterloo and Guelph. The first was a man. Those who crossed paths with him say he ingratiated himself by chauffeuring people to protests in his white van and buying them pitchers of beer at the bar after. The […]
Cyberwar explodes in Syria
By Ivan Watson A familiar digital chime rang on the computer. Someone was calling via Skype from Syria. It was a law student and opposition activist from the city of Homs who uses the pseudonym Musaab al Hussaini to protect himself from arrest. He had fresh reports that security forces were shooting guns wildly in […]
Train from Hell to Gorleben again
Folks, for the time being this could be the last time you have the opportunity to participate in one of the most impressive acts of eco-resistance in Europe. The Train from Hell is gearing up to start its infernal voyage again. Local activists welcome solidarity from abroad very much. Rumors go that the train will […]
HP computers underpin Syria surveillance
Hewlett Packard Co equipment worth more than $500,000 has been installed in computer rooms in Syria, underpinning a surveillance system being built to monitor e-mails and Internet use, according to documents from the deal and a person familiar with the installation. The gear made by Palo Alto, California-based Hewlett- Packard would run a Damascus monitoring […]
New questions raised over Duggan shooting
Investigators find no forensic evidence that man whose death triggered riots was holding gun Vikram Dodd The investigation into the death of Mark Duggan has found no forensic evidence that he was carrying a gun when he was shot dead by police on 4 August, the Guardian has learned. A gun collected by Duggan earlier […]
Demonstrations in UK to be banned during 2012 Olympics to prevent Occupy-style protests
British ministers are planning legal action to restrict public protests during 2012 London Olympics, amid fears that the upcoming sport event could be disrupted Occupy-style protests. According to the Independent, the Home Office is so concerned about the impact of the stalemate over the Occupy London (OLSX) encampment outside St Paul’s Cathedral that officials have […]
ANONYMITY SECURITY
This is dedicated to all of our tender-hearted co-conspirators in this war against civilization. We’ll meet in the shadows. Every day we see new evidence of the State’s surveillance apparatus at work. Our cell phones are tracking devices; RFID chips threaten to make privacy impossible; surveillance cameras are on every street corner. Each new technological […]
Dual use telecommunication technology and export controls
Dual use telecommunication technology and export controls Stephan Urbach, Peter Piksa, Samuel Brack = What is dual use technology = Dual use technology is a technology that can be used for multiple purposes. The term is especially prevalent for technology that can be used for civilian and military aims. The Wassenaar-Agreement was signed in 1996 […]
Document Trove Exposes Surveillance Methods
By JENNIFER VALENTINO-DEVRIES, JULIA ANGWIN and STEVE STECKLOW Documents obtained by The Wall Street Journal open a rare window into a new global market for the off-the-shelf surveillance technology that has arisen in the decade since the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. The techniques described in the trove of 200-plus marketing documents, spanning 36 […]
Frontex ‚reconsidering‘ Evros operation
Failure of Greek authorities to set up migrant reception centers is jeopardizing mission Officials of the European Union’s border monitoring agency Frontex are becoming increasingly frustrated with the failure of Greek authorities to contribute to their illegal immigration crackdown efforts at the Turkish border and are considering suspending the operation, Skai understands. According to the […]