Tag: Spying

Reddit’s Warrant Canary On National Security Letters… Disappears | Techdirt

Well, here’s something to speculate about. On Thursday, Reddit posted its latest transparency report concerning government requests for user information or content removal. This is the second such report, following its 2014 report. As one Reddit user quickly noted, the 2014 transparency report had something of a “warrant canary” concerning National Security Letters (NSLs).
However, no such line is in the latest report.

Source: Reddit’s Warrant Canary On National Security Letters… Disappears | Techdirt

Mass Surveillance Silences Minority Opinions – Schneier on Security

Abstract: Since Edward Snowden exposed the National Security Agency’s use of controversial online surveillance programs in 2013, there has been widespread speculation about the potentially deleterious effects of online government monitoring. This study explores how perceptions and justification of surveillance practices may create a chilling effect on democratic discourse by stifling the expression of minority political views. Using a spiral of silence theoretical framework, knowing one is subject to surveillance and accepting such surveillance as necessary act as moderating agents in the relationship between one’s perceived climate of opinion and willingness to voice opinions online. Theoretical and normative implications are discussed.

Source: Mass Surveillance Silences Minority Opinions – Schneier on Security

Senator Wyden Warns That The Justice Department Is Lying To The Courts; Also Still Worried About Secret Law | Techdirt

We’ve been noting for years: when Senator Ron Wyden says that (1) there’s a secret interpretation of a law that is at odds with the public’s understanding of it, or (2) that government officials are lying, you should pay attention.

Source: Senator Wyden Warns That The Justice Department Is Lying To The Courts; Also Still Worried About Secret Law | Techdirt

US Government Has Apparently Demanded, And Obtained, Tech Companies’ Source Code In The Past | Techdirt

The US government has made numerous attempts to obtain source code from tech companies in an effort to find security flaws that could be used for surveillance or investigations.

The government has demanded source code in civil cases filed under seal but also by seeking clandestine rulings authorized under the secretive Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA), a person with direct knowledge of these demands told ZDNet. We’re not naming the person as they relayed information that is likely classified.

With these hearings held in secret and away from the public gaze, the person said that the tech companies hit by these demands are losing “most of the time.”

Source: US Government Has Apparently Demanded, And Obtained, Tech Companies’ Source Code In The Past | Techdirt

Fearing no punishment, Denver cops abuse crime databases for personal gain | Ars Technica


A nurse complained she got a phone call from an officer at a hospital crime scene.

Source: Fearing no punishment, Denver cops abuse crime databases for personal gain | Ars Technica

San Bernardino DA says seized iPhone may hold “dormant cyber pathogen” | Ars Technica


He says iPhone might be “a weapon” to trigger some nefarious worm of some sort.

Source: San Bernardino DA says seized iPhone may hold “dormant cyber pathogen” | Ars Technica

California Legislator Says Encryption ‘Threatens Our Freedoms’ Calls For Ban On Encrypted Cell Phones | Techdirt

California assembly member Jim Cooper (D-Elk Grove) introduced the legislation, bill 1681, that would require any smartphone manufactured “on or after January 1, 2017, and sold in California after that date” to be “capable of being decrypted and unlocked by its manufacturer or its operating system provider.”

Any smartphone that couldn’t be decrypted on demand would subject a seller to a $2,500 fine.

Source: California Legislator Says Encryption ‘Threatens Our Freedoms’ Calls For Ban On Encrypted Cell Phones | Techdirt

UK Home Secretary Wants Everyone’s Metadata; But If You Ask For Hers, Gov’t Says You’re Being Vexatious | Techdirt

Source: UK Home Secretary Wants Everyone’s Metadata; But If You Ask For Hers, Gov’t Says You’re Being Vexatious | Techdirt

Judge Not Impressed With Government’s Warrantless 921-Page ‘Peek’ Into A Suspect’s Cellphone | Techdirt

All the DHS wanted was a warrantless “peek” at the contents of a seized iPhone. The phone, one of three seized from a person suspected of drug trafficking, was examined by the DHS, with the warrant arriving a month later. Now, all of the evidence obtained from the phone is being tossed out.

In the order granting the suppression of evidence obtained from the phone, Judge Sterling Johnson points out that the government revised its story several times during oral testimony.

DHS Special Agent Thomas Wilburt worked with the CBP to detain the suspect, Adamou Djibo, at the JFK Airport. Djibo’s iPhone was taken and examined by Wilburt, who couldn’t seem to accurately recall the details of the examination.

Source: Judge Not Impressed With Government’s Warrantless 921-Page ‘Peek’ Into A Suspect’s Cellphone | Techdirt