Supreme Court just approved a rule change giving the FBI more hacking authority
(Cyberwar.news) WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The Supreme Court on Thursday approved a rule change that would let U.S. judges issue search warrants for access to computers located in any jurisdiction despite opposition from civil liberties groups who say it will greatly expand the FBI’s hacking authority. U.S. Chief Justice John Roberts transmitted the rules to Congress, Read More
America’s police state citizen surveillance modeled after communist China’s citizen reputation scores
Police in the United States are increasingly using a “scoring” technique to assess citizens’ potential threat levels, with critics of the assessment methodology seeing little difference between them and police in communist China. As reported by the Washington Post, a recent scenario that played out in Fresno, Calif., is indicative of just how pervasive America’s Read More
Ed Snowden says FBI claim that it can’t unlock an iPhone is ‘BS’
(Cyberwar.news) Former National Security Agency contractor-turned-whistleblower Edward Snowden has sounded off regarding arguments over the FBI’s attempt to force Apple, Inc., to provide technology to unlock an iPhone 5C that was used by one of the San Bernardino jihadists. Snowden, whose revelations sparked a massive debate over mass government electronic surveillance, ostensibly in the interests Read More
U.S. intel chief wants to use the Internet of things to spy on people
(Cyberwar.news) Just a few years ago, when tech and appliance companies began adding wireless features to their products as part of a new “Internet of things,” members of the U.S. intelligence community were working on ways to use TVs, washers, dryers and other products as a new way to spy on people. The concept was Read More
In the cyber age, privacy advocates believe Americans will lose ground in 2016
(Cyberwar.news) For civil libertarians, 2015 was a decent year when it came to protecting online privacy. They and others managed to force a rollback of National Security Agency bulk data collection and electronic surveillance with a retooling of Patriot Act statutes and other measures that the Obama administration claimed were vital in protecting the country Read More
U.S. citizens’ top fears revealed by university’s Survey of American Fears
What are average Americans most afraid of? In the 2015 Survey of American Fears conducted by Chapman University, a random sample of 1,541 adults from across the United States were asked to rate their level of fear about a variety of topics. The 10 major “domains” of fear included in the survey were crime, daily Read More
Global Internet freedom in fifth year of decline, according to recent report
Human freedom shouldn’t end at a national border, and neither should the right to access and disseminate information on the web. According to a recent report by the non-government watchdog Freedom House, however, global Internet freedom has declined for the fifth year in a row now. Freedom House discovered declines in online freedom of expression Read More
Americans increasingly being spied on by corporate internet-connected devices
There is no question that cell phones, computers and GPS have made life easier. The challenge is balancing the benefits of technology with the risk of mass surveillance. Now, Amazon Echo adds to the list of internet-connected devices that trade privacy for comfort.(1) Amazon Echo is an always-on mic connected to the internet. The voice-command Read More
