Tell Harry Reid to block granting telecoms immunity from the spy scandal

It’s heartening to see how Democrats and the American public alike are rallying behind the idea that the major telecom companies should not be immune from prosecution for their role in abetting the NSA’s illegal spying. The common wisdom is that Americans care less about esoteric issues like privacy than those that hit them in [...]

Dodd threatens filibuster of FISA bill

“Why does Harry Reid hate America and freedom?”
That’s the question I was asking myself after S&R reader “Dee Loralei” pointed out in comments to my post yesterday that Senate Majority Leader Reid was planning to move ahead with a vote on the FISA update, even in the face of Dodd’s hold on the bill. [...]

Democrats’ spines turn to jelly on warrantless spying once again–but there’s still hope

It was largely expected, but no less disappointing to wake up this morning and find out that Senate Democrats on the Intelligence Commitee agreed to carry water for the Bush administration by granting retroactive immunity to the telecom companies involved in the NSA’s warrantless wiretapping scandal:
The draft Senate bill has the support of the [...]

Verizon to the government: “Our customer information…let us show you it.”

In response to an inquiry launched by House Democrats as to the role the major telecoms played in abetting the NSA surveillance program, Verizon came out yesterday and admitted that it had turned over customer data to federal authorities 720 times between 2005 and 2007–or once a day, every day, for the last two years:
The [...]

The NSA was spying on Americans before 9/11, and telecoms were in on it

That’s the accusation levied by disgraced former Qwest CEO Joe Nacchio, who claims that he was approached by officials from the Bush administration to bring his company into an NSA surveillance program in February 2001–as in, several months before the 9/11 attacks, and contradicting claims made by the White House that 9/11 was the reason [...]

“Data Shadows” and online privacy

I learned a new word yesterday: “Data Shadow”. It’s the footprint your activity data makes on the infosphere- your credit, cell phone and banking records, and your tracks on the Internet. I’ve been online for over 15 years, so my Internet ‘data shadow’ is quite long, I’m afraid. There isn’t much I can do to [...]

Democrats sell out America thanks to spy bill vote

What an absolute disgrace this is:
The Senate bowed to White House pressure last night and passed a Republican plan for overhauling the federal government’s terrorist surveillance laws, approving changes that would temporarily give U.S. spy agencies expanded power to eavesdrop on foreign suspects without a court order…The legislation, which is expected to go before the [...]

Scrogues Converse: Open-space, Identity and the Missing Web

Scrogues Converse is our new feature where scrogues engage in informed discussion of fringe topics fast approaching from the grey fog behind you. In our first conversation Martin Bosworth and Gavin Chait discuss the nature of Open-source vs Open-standards and the way in which Web 2.0 is not so much re-inventing the web as in [...]

Truth, lies and Alberto R. Gonzales

I’m a big fan of Al’s . . . I think Al has done a good job under difficult circumstances. The debate between he and the Senate is something they’re going to have to resolve. But I think he has testified truthfully.
— Vice President Dick Cheney during a July 30 interview with CBS Radio.
It is [...]

Microsoft again earns the moniker “Micro$haft”

Slashdot’s nightly headlines brought this bit of news from Information Week and Ars Technica to my attention last night: Microsoft submitted an adware patent back in 2006 that will use “context data” from your hard drive to select focused advertising for you to view while you’re surfing, reading your email, working on Word and [...]

Appeals court nixes lawsuit against warrantless spy program

Read it and weep:
CINCINNATI – A federal appeals court on Friday ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit challenging President Bush’s domestic spying program, saying the plaintiffs had no standing to sue.

Revived immigration bill will lead to REAL ID–and to identity theft and data breaches

 
Like a zombie lurching from the grave, the Senate has decided to resurrect the behemoth “guest worker compromise” immigration bill. And just as before, not only will this bill create a permanent underclass of indentured slave labor that will depress American wages and crush union negotiating clout, but it will be a security disaster that [...]

The iPhone and AT&T: it’s a devil’s bargain

For everyone who is slavering with anticipation at the debut of the shiny new Apple iPhone, keep this in mind: If you buy one of those admittedly slick new devices, you’re essentially subsidizing efforts to violate your privacy and restrict your ability to use the Internet freely.
Why?

Immigration capitulation

As mad as I am about the Dems bending over and dropping trou for the Decider on the Iraq war bill, there’s actually another case of “surrender monkeying” that bothers me more, and that’s the much-heralded “guest worker” immigration compromise that is also (in all likelihood) going to fly its way to Bush’s seal of [...]

Seeds of a dictatorship?

Sunfell linked to an interesting bit of news that slipped under the radar a few weeks back–the Bush regime has issued its new continuity of operations plan in case of a national emergency or disaster.
If this were any other administration, at any other time, we’d probably just nod and be impressed that the Feddie Gov [...]