surveillance

Transcript: FBI director on surveillance of 'illegal' Internet activity

When the FBI suggested that it should be able to perform wide-scale Internet monitoring to detect "illegal activity" on Wednesday, the bureau raised more questions than it answered.

To help clear things up, we're providing the transcript of FBI Director Robert Mueller's exchange at a House of Representatives hearing with Rep. Darrell Issa, a California Republican. Issa made his fortune by founding Directed Electronics, a publicly traded company that sells car alarms and home theater loudspeakers.

Issa also is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, which is holding a closed hearing on Thursday devoted to … Read more

Republicans push for phone company immunity

Republican politicians in the U.S. House of Representatives failed last month to persuade Democratic leaders to back a spy law rewrite that would immunize telecommunications companies that cooperated with allegedly illegal government spying. Now they're trying to force the issue.

On Wednesday, a number of Republican leaders, including Lamar Smith (R-Texas), Peter Hoekstra (R-Mich.) and Peter King (R-N.Y.), began circulating what's known as a "discharge" petition, which they characterized as a "rare step." If they obtain 218 signatures from their colleagues, they say the Democratic leadership will be forced to schedule a … Read more

If you see this hovering overhead, cover up

We saw this item a couple of days ago but passed on it because we were certain we'd seen it before--here. But despite the similarities in appearance, there's one big difference: The "Aeryon Scout" is a flying camera, not just a remote-controlled toy.

The Scout is made of four foam rings connected by a rotor in the center, according to Inventor Spot. The camera is attached to the bottom so it can take aerial shots like a miniature satellite--or at least with better range and control than a mini-chopper or rocket cam.

But at an … Read more

Can TSA be trusted not to data discriminate?

The Transportation Security Administration is joining the 21st century. Just 5 years after security experts first outlined methods for faking boarding passes (and 2 years after the FBI raided my home for automating the process), TSA is finally testing out technology to neutralize this security threat. The only problem? The new authenticated boarding passes lay the groundwork for a surveillance state, enforceable all-points-bulletins, and most scary of all, data discrimination.

Can TSA be trusted to do the right thing?

For the last 4 months, Continental Airlines and TSA have been running a pilot project, which permits passengers to pass through security … Read more

Take covert photos and get a tan too

These spy sunglasses may look more Maxwell Smart than James Bond, but the built-in 1.3-megapixel camera might be worth the fashion sacrifice for extended stakeouts.

ThinkGeek's spy-cam shades come with an RF remote control, so any aspiring secret agent can snap a few shots of his subject without ever having to take his hands out of his pockets. And while waiting, he can also listen to this favorite tracks through the built-in earbuds.

Back at HQ, the images can be downloaded through a USB 2.0 port and the lithium-ion battery recharged for another 9 hours of shooting. … Read more

Google: We didn't help the NSA (or did we?)

Google is now the first of the major search engines and e-mail providers to make a firm statement on the issue of the National Security Agency's wholesale surveillance of Internet content.

Google has stated it didn't help the NSA search your e-mails. More specifically the company denies participating in the NSA's Terrorist Surveillance Program. But the company's carefully worded denial might not be enough to reassure savvy readers.

The Wall Street Journal recently revealed the true extent of the NSA's surveillance system:

"According to current and former intelligence officials, the spy agency now monitors … Read more

House's surveillance vote moved to Friday

After convening its first "secret" session in 25 years, the U.S. House of Representatives is preparing anew to vote Friday on a contentious rewrite of electronic surveillance law.

Democratic leaders had originally thought they might get to a vote on the bill late Thursday, but a last-minute request from Republican leaders for a closed session of the House delayed those plans. Congress is scheduled to go into a two-week recess after its Friday vote.

In a closed session--only six of which have been held since 1825--only those politicians who swear to an oath of secrecy are allowed … Read more

Democrats plan last-minute FISA vote

Before Congress departs for its spring recess at week's end, the U.S. House of Representatives is trying to squeeze in a vote on what's shaping up as one of the most contentious bills this year.

That proposal, of course, is a Democratic bill that would make a number of changes to electronic surveillance law--but, much to the Bush administration's chagrin, would not grant retroactive immunity to telephone companies embroiled in some 40 lawsuits accusing them of unlawfully opening their networks to National Security Agency spies. In that regard, it's starkly different from the U.S. Senate version of the bill, … Read more

Democrats: Classified documents show telecoms don't deserve immunity

Classified documents and testimony about the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program show that it's not necessary to grant retroactive immunity to telephone companies accused of unlawfully opening their networks to government spies, key congressional Democrats said on Wednesday.

In a five-page statement (PDF), U.S. House of Representatives Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers and 18 Democrats on that panel contended the Bush administration has "not established a valid and credible case justifying the extraordinary action of Congress enacting blanket retroactive immunity."

Skepticism about the Bush administration's once-secret eavesdropping program is nothing new for the … Read more