The FBI currently uses technology, which acts as a fake cell phone tower to track and locate phones being used by targets. Known as “Stingray,” the technology can locate, interfere and intercept communications. The use of this technology is being challenged in the case of Daniel Rigmaiden, a “hacker” who was indicted on charges of conspiracy, [...]

On RT America, I discuss the recent court ruling in a lawsuit where an unnamed telecommunications company (believed to be Credo) challenged the gag provisions in FBI national security letters. A US district court in California found in a decision made public on Friday that  Nondisclosure or gag provisions of National Security Letters “significantly infringe [...]

Before his sentencing hearing, Andrew Auernheimer, who was convicted on one of charge of conspiracy under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and one charge of fraud involving personal information, declared in a statement that he was going to jail for “arithmetic.” Twenty-six year-old security researcher, known as “Weev,” was sentenced to forty-one months [...]

Nondisclosure or gag provisions of National Security Letters “significantly infringe upon speech regarding controversial government powers,” a district court in California ruled on March 15. The provisions were found to violate the First Amendment and “separation of powers principles.” National Security Letters (NSLs) are issued by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI). They are issued to [...]

Legislation sponsored by two members of the House of Representatives has been introduced to regulate how the government uses drones. The legislation would require law enforcement to get a search warrant or some other kind of judicial approval for surveillance before using drones to investigate criminal wrongdoing. It would, however, allow drone use for fire and rescue [...]

A classified intelligence assessment shows the United States is “the target of a massive, sustained cyber-espionage campaign that is threatening the country’s economic competitiveness,” according to the Washington Post. In the story, Ellen Nakashima reports the “National Intelligence Estimate identifies China as the country most aggressively seeking to penetrate the computer systems of American businesses and institutions.” [...]

The increasingly omniscient and omnipresent corporation that is Google has released its latest transparency report on requests from government authorities around the world to take down content and hand the data of users over to agencies. The report indicates “authorities worldwide made 20,939 requests for access to personal data from Google users, including search results, [...]

Privacy rights and civil liberties advocates know that businesses and politicians have put America on a path toward the acceptance and normalization of drone use in domestic airspace. And, the concern about increased drone use being inevitable, especially after President Obama signed a law that requires the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to “integrate drones into [...]

Department of Justice (photo: DOJ ) On Wednesday, the Justice Department announced 72 people from all over the world had been charged for their participating in a major online child pornography network. The online bulletin board, which was used by around 600 people from the US and abroad, according to news reports, was used to [...]