Month: December 2015

German Parliament Spy Oversight Board Sues German Government Over Data Sharing With NSA | Techdirt

The German Foreign Intelligence Services, supported by the government, tapped the German Internet Exchange Point Decix, the largest internet exchange point globally. While the G10 Commission had approved the blanket tapping, they were unaware that some of the tapped data were forwarded to the NSA, the US National Security Agency, based on a list of so-called “selectors” — names or numbers the NSA sent to their German colleagues.

Source: German Parliament Spy Oversight Board Sues German Government Over Data Sharing With NSA | Techdirt

Turing’s Martin Shkreli regrets 5,000% price hike—says it wasn’t high enough | Ars Technica


In a Healthcare summit hosted by Forbes on Thursday, Martin Shkreli, the founder and CEO of Turing Pharmaceuticals, admitted he made a mistake by raising the price of a decades-old drug by more than 5,000 percent. But it’s not the mistake you might expect.

Source: Turing’s Martin Shkreli regrets 5,000% price hike—says it wasn’t high enough | Ars Technica

Appeals Court Sees Nothing Wrong With The ATF Busting People For Thinking About Robbing Fake Stash Houses | Techdirt

In these stash-house cases, the Government’s “participation in the offense conduct” is what makes them particularly repugnant to the Constitution. Everything about the scheme—and therefore almost everything bearing upon a defendant’s ultimate sentence—hinges solely on the Government’s whim. Why were there not 10 kilograms in the stash house? Or 100? Or 1,000? Why were the guards allegedly armed—necessitating that Defendants bring weapons along with them? All of these factors came down to the ATF and the undercover agent alone. That sort of arbitrariness offends the Constitution’s due-process demands.

Source: Appeals Court Sees Nothing Wrong With The ATF Busting People For Thinking About Robbing Fake Stash Houses | Techdirt

Defense Contractors Cite “Benefits” of Escalating Conflicts in the Middle East

Lockheed Martin tells investors it will see “indirect benefits” from the war in Syria. Raytheon notes “a significant uptick.”

Source: Defense Contractors Cite “Benefits” of Escalating Conflicts in the Middle East

Judge: Prenda lawyer must sell condo, liquidate assets to pay $2.5M debt | Ars Technica


A federal judge in Minnesota has ordered one of the men behind the notorious Prenda Law group to liquidate his assets. Paul Hansmeier must now sell his condominium, among other assets, in order to pay back $2.5 million of debts more quickly rather than having the case drag out for years.

Source: Judge: Prenda lawyer must sell condo, liquidate assets to pay $2.5M debt | Ars Technica

Appeals Court Issues Fantastic 1st Amendment Ruling Against Censorious Sheriff Thomas Dart In His Crusade Against The Internet | Techdirt

Source: Appeals Court Issues Fantastic 1st Amendment Ruling Against Censorious Sheriff Thomas Dart In His Crusade Against The Internet | Techdirt

Taser and the Myth of Non-Lethal Weaponry


Taser claims its products are safe. But if that’s true, wonders a new documentary, why do people keep dying?

Source: Taser and the Myth of Non-Lethal Weaponry