Day: December 11, 2020

U.S. Schools Are Buying Phone-Hacking Tech That the FBI Uses to Investigate Terrorists

Ms. Cat

U.S. Schools Are Buying Phone-Hacking Tech That the FBI Uses to Investigate Terrorists

In the case New Jersey v. T.L.O, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that schools do not necessarily need a warrant to search students so long as officials have a reasonable belief a student has broken the law or school policy, and the search is not unnecessarily intrusive and reasonably related in scope to the circumstances under which the search was originally justified. The “reasonableness” standard is extremely broad, largely deferential to the whims of school officials, and can serve as the basis for fishing expeditions; courts have only rarely ruled that school searches violate the Fourth Amendment.

Pentagon searching for ‘vetted Official Twitter Partner’ to help it influence platform’s users

Ms. Cat

RT | December 11, 2020

While the US military has tracked and infiltrated dissident groups for decades in ‘real life,’ its capabilities in both impersonating and monitoring human conversation online have exploded over the past decade as more of what is considered ‘war’ takes place in the minds of targeted populations. Using private contractors allows the government – technically bound by the First and Fourth Amendments forbidding it from impinging on Americans’ free speech or right of protection from unreasonable search and seizure – to ignore constitutional concerns, as it’s technically an independent corporation violating targets’ rights.

Pentagon searching for ‘vetted Official Twitter Partner’ to help it influence platform’s users

Science Magazine Report Praises China’s COVID-19 Vaccine

Ms. Cat

Science Magazine Report Praises China’s COVID-19 Vaccine

“If CNPG’s vaccine indeed prevented 86% of infections and 100% of symptomatic disease, it would stand out as the best efficacy data yet,” said the article.

Related:

Great efficacy claimed for another COVID-19 vaccine, this one from China

UAE’s Ministry of Health and Prevention said the vaccine, which contains a chemically inactivated version of the pandemic coronavirus and is given in two doses, had 86% efficacy “against COVID-19 infection”—a phrase that puzzled outsiders, as other vaccines have mainly been assessed for their ability to prevent symptoms. The press release further states that the vaccine completely prevented moderate and severe cases of the disease and raised “no serious safety concerns.”

Patriot Act Used By The FBI To Collect Internet Browsing Data, Contradicting Claims Made To Oversight

Ms. Cat

By Tim Cushing | TechDirt | December 8, 2020

The NSA shut down its bulk phone records collection — authorized under Section 215 — after it became apparent it wasn’t worth the effort. Reforms put in place by the USA Freedom Act prevented the agency from collecting it all and sorting it out later. Instead, it had to approach telcos with actual targeted requests and only haul away responsive records. The NSA somehow still managed to overcollect records, putting it in violation of the law. The NSA hinted the program had outlived its usefulness anyway, suggesting it had far better collections available under other authorities that it would rather not subject to greater scrutiny.

Patriot Act Used By The FBI To Collect Internet Browsing Data, Contradicting Claims Made To Oversight

Government Efforts to Counter Propaganda Risk Undermining Public Trust

Ms. Cat

Government Efforts to Counter Propaganda Risk Undermining Public Trust

This is not helped by worrying statements in recent UK Government documents on ‘information manoeuvre’ and Integrated Operating Concept for 2025. Former clarity has been replaced by declarations that “the old distinction between foreign and domestic defence is increasingly irrelevant.” Calls for “innovation and experimentation” accompany statements that “our legal, ethical and moral framework needs updating to deny our adversaries the opportunity to undermine our values.” Britain’s MOD must provide citizens with clearer information on how it intends to ‘update’ its moral framework.