Tag Archives: Privacy

After the Appeals Court ruled the NSA’s mass telephone metadata collection illegal, pundits and congressmen have come out in droves to press their point of view on the issue. I find it hard to understand how anyone could support something … Continue reading →

A disturbing thought from Glenn Greenwald. Be sure to follow the link. The biggest threats to free speech come from western governments claiming to protect it. http://t.co/QN1ojnvt4T pic.twitter.com/B9VbmchxMk — The Intercept (@the_intercept) May 16, 2015

Back in April, Matt Blaze, a cryptographer and security expert from the University of Pennsylvania, testified before Congress concerning proposals to require “back doors” in encryption systems—especially in communication applications. The idea is that law enforcement would have a special … Continue reading →

The Second U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled that the NSA’s mass metadata collection is illegal. That’s great news, of course, but the ruling is narrower than we’d like. The Court ruled that Section 215 of the Patriot Act, which … Continue reading →

I’m sure most Irreal readers are familiar with the fake cell phone towers known colloquially as “Stingray” after the version manufactured by the Harris Corporation. Vox has a nice article on the status of the Stingray and the deteriorating government … Continue reading →

If you offer it, they will come. You’ve been warned.

The UK government's unironic embrace of Orwellian imagery is really something. pic.twitter.com/11BvAZCUL8 — Franklin Harris (@FranklinH3000) March 10, 2015 I wanted to add further comment but, really, I don’t know what to say.

It turns out that it’s not just the U.S. Britain, too, has bozos in charge of keeping us safe (via Nic Ferrier): Tories plan porn site age checks http://t.co/mftZlYDrHq <- more unicorn-farming fantasies from the techno-illiterate — Simon Phipps (@webmink) … Continue reading →

FBI Director James Comey just hates it that he’s not able to snoop on us at will. His shameless invocation of the 4 Horsemen descends into self-parody. Sadly, his message resonates with some of our more weak minded representatives, one … Continue reading →