More life with Big Brother: FBI Monitors G-Mail, Yahoo, Hotmail…

This isn’t news to me; I have made many blog posts regarding privacy and Government. Still, there are those who need reminding…  For the record, Facebook has over 751 million mobile users.

The Tea Party Economist

Helping you to get through the economic mine field in  one piece.

FBI Monitors G-Mail, Yahoo, Hotmail, and Facebook  Accounts

Written by Gary North on May 13, 2013

If you store your emails for over 180 days, the FBI says it can legally  monitor them without a warrant.

It took a Freedom of Information Act inquiry to find this out.

This defies a ruling made in 2010 by a federal appeals court.

An FBI “Operations Guide” makes exemptions for any email that stored by a  service provider for more than 180 days. It says:

“[I]f the contents of an unopened message are kept beyond six months or  stored on behalf of the customer after the e-mail has been received or opened,  it should be treated the same as a business record in the hands of a third  party, such as an accountant or attorney. In that case, the government may  subpoena the records from the third party without running afoul of either the  Fourth or Fifth Amendment.”

G-mail is a third party.

Outlook isn’t. The FBI has to get a warrant to look at Outlook emails.

I use Outlook. I don’t use G-mail. I never have. Why not? Because of exactly  this reason. I did not want a third party to store my emails.

In a statement, the FBI insisted its methods are constitutional: “In all  investigations, the FBI obtains evidence in accordance with the laws and  Constitution of the United States, and consistent with Attorney General  guidelines.”

Continue  Reading on www.ibtimes.com

Read more: http://teapartyeconomist.com/2013/05/13/fbi-monitors-g-mail-yahoo-hotmaii-and-facebook-accounts/#ixzz2TBFIqUgW

U.S. employees set to be forced to give bosses their Facebook PASSWORDS

Among many other issues, the fact that people are being  induced to update their programs to “improvements” using cloud technology, has me becoming nauseous again. This posting, largely ignored is still apropos. http://partneringwitheagles.wordpress.com/2012/11/16/rfid-in-your-hard-drive-laptop-cell-phone/  Now this revolting development:

 

[Patriot Update ran this article; obtained this direct link from them.]

U.S. employees set to be forced to give bosses their Facebook PASSWORDS

• A last minute alteration to CISPA was  defeated in a Congress vote
• It would have protected user’s social media  passwords from employers
• The late amendment was put forward by  Democrat Ed Perlmutter

By  Steve Nolan

PUBLISHED: 04:00 EST, 23  April 2013 |  UPDATED: 05:46 EST, 23 April 2013

An attempt to ban US bosses from asking  employees to hand over their Facebook login details has been blocked by  Congress.

A last minute alteration to the controversial  Cyber Intelligence Sharing and Protection Act (CISPA) that would have prevented  employers demanding that prospective employees disclose social media passwords  as a condition of employment was voted down in the house of  representatives.

The proposal, put forward by Democrat Ed  Perlmutter was defeated by a 224-189 majority, according to the Huffington  Post.

Invasion of privacy? An amendment to a new US bill on cyber attacks aimed at  preventing employers asking prospective employees for their Facebook login has  been rejected

Checking up: CISPA does nothing to address concerns that US employers can  legitimately ask employees for social media login details as a condition of  employment (file picture)

Handing over passwords could legally be a  condition of acquiring or keeping a job, said WebProNews.

Perlmutter said of his amendment before it  was defeated: ‘It helps the individual protect his right to privacy and it  doesn’t allow the employer to impersonate that particular employee when other  people are interacting with that person across social media  platforms.

More…

• Senate  endorses bill on internet sales tax that would raise the cost of online  shopping
• Shamed  former congressman Anthony Weiner is back on Twitter – the SAME social network  that RUINED his career less than two years ago

He warned of an invasion of privacy and the  potential of employers to ‘impersonate’ employees online.

The Democrat initially proposed the password  privacy measure as part of the Federal Communications Commission Process Reform  Act of 2012 and warned that social media users have a reasonable expectation of  privacy.

Blocked: The amendment to CISPA was put forward by  Democrat Ed Permutter who says that social media users have an expectation of  privacy

In a statement he added: ‘They have an  expectation that their right to free speech and religion will be respected when  they use social media outlets.

‘No American should have to provide their  confidential personal passwords as a condition of employment.’

Perlmutter faced criticism from bill sponsor  Mike Rogers who claimed that he was trying to kill the act.

He said that the issue should be addressed in  separate legislation.

But previous attempts to counteract the  increasing trend of employers asking for prospective employees social networking  login details have failed.

The Password Protection Act 2012 was  introduced to Senators and Congressman but was not passed.

The overall act would allow the US Government  and private companies such as Facebook to share information with one another  should they come under cyber attack.

But critics of the contentious bill, which  initially failed when it was rejected by Senators last year, say that it would  bypass privacy laws and allow companies to hand over users’ information to the  Government.

They claim that it would prevent companies  who hand over people’s personal details from facing legal action and effectively  justify social media spying.

But CISPA recieved support from both  Democrats and Republicans in the House of Representatives.

Reassurance: Facebook told its US users earlier this month that it has no  intention of sharing sensitive personal information

Although the Act was ratified by the House of  Representatives, there is a good chance that it could yet fall  through.

CISPA was also approved by Congress in April  2012, but was rejected by the Senate. The White House even threatened to veto  the act at the time.

Republicans Mike Rogers and Dutch  Ruppersberger have once again put CISPA forward as they say that it is vital  that companies have the ability to stop threats materialising in light of an  increase in the number of foreign cyber attacks from countries like  China.

Facebook initially came out in support of  CISPA, but its name has since disappeared from a list of firms fully supporting  the bill this time around.

Under threat: CISPA is aimed at allowing companies to share information to  thwart potential cyber attacks

And the social networking site vice president  of US Public Policy Joel Kaplan reassured users that Facebook has no intention  of sharing sensitive personal information with the Government.

He said: ‘The overriding goal of any  cybersecurity bill should be to protect the security of networks and private  data, and we take any concerns about how legislation might negatively impact  Internet users’ privacy seriously.’

But other big name companies including IBM,  Intel, McAfee and Time Warner Cable are in favour of CISPA.

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2313367/CISPA-Amendment-US-cyber-attack-law-banning-employers-asking-Facebook-passwords-blocked.html#ixzz2RVd3q38a

Data Mining for Big Brother

 

By Dawn Shockley / 5 April 2013 /

On March 7th, I received an email from my local state representative telling me that anonymous sources inside Missouri Department of Revenue (DOR) offices, which handles our state drivers licenses, non-license IDs and Concealed Carry Weapon endorsements (CCW), had reported that the DOR was compromising the privacy and security of it’s citizens.  Informants stated that several DOR offices were freely, and voluntarily, handing over to the Department of Homeland Security scanned copies of documents required of private citizens who were applying for their Missouri CCW endorsement and that others offices were in the process of acquiring the hardware and software necessary to follow suit.  All of this was in spite of the fact that it is clearly in violation of state laws already in place forbidding such activity.

As a result, a lawsuit was filed against one such office in Bloomfield, MO.  A ten-day restraining order was issued for that single DOR office restricting it from issuing any CCWs, but this pertained to only that one office in that single county.  While the order was eventually extended, issues within other offices and counties remain, and the question remains as to how wide spread this cooperative leak may be.

Most would agree that the forwarding of information to the DHS or any federal entity for databasing is problematic from the perspective of security of personal information – including a photo ID, and it is.  In the state of Missouri, it is expressly forbidden by statute.  After all, these are law-abiding citizens who are seeking only to legally secure their inherent right to self-defense and preservation if called upon to do so.  However, those with these concerns have another problem – without the endorsement they are now disarmed, prohibited from lawfully carrying a firearm.  Surely the Missouri DOR and Big Brother knew that there would be those who would object so strenuously to this outright invasion of privacy that they would sooner forgo their CCW then have their personal information forwarded onto the DHS.  Those who choose to conceal carry without virtue of a CCW endorsement are committing a felony; which could, in the event they use or are found to have the gun on their person outside their home or vehicle, even if the use is in the case of self-defense, result in fines, jail time and/or cost them their constitutional right to own or purchase a firearm for the rest of their life.  Should the Missouri DOR continue it’s alleged collaboration with the DHS, it is paramount to requiring citizens to choose between their privacy and their right to bear arms, at least as it pertains to outside their vehicles and homes.

Both of these thought processes are unpleasant enough.  However, there is another school of thought that should also be considered.  Americans, by and large, have balked at the notion of a federal gun registration program.  Those fearing a massive confiscation of arms or infringement of rights call it invasive.  Those who abhor big government say it is overreaching and an illegitimate use of power.  Constitutionalists will remind you that the 10th Amendment states that any laws not specifically delegated to the federal government, under the Constitution, are retained by the individual states.  Still, we see terrible encroachments each day in places our federal government has no express power.  If the DHS were unsuccessful in the implementation of a federal firearms registration program, a useful secondary tool would be the acquisition of the records of those who have lawful right to conceal and carry a firearm.  You can be assured those in possession of such rights also have at least one firearm to go with it; chances are fairly good, they have more – and big brother knows this.

While investigation continues into the claims of an unlawful relationship between the Missouri DOR and the DHS, with Governor Jay Nixon denying the claims, and Lt. Governor Peter Kinder offering assistance to those who have been victims of the collaboration, citizens of other states should not rest easy.  There can be no magical thinking – it would never happen here.  Look at what C-scope has done to the state of education in Texas, the uproar created by violations of deep-rooted principles and trusts.  No one can deny that the curriculum issues strike at the most vulnerable and malleable members of our society, in a state known for staunch Christian ideals and traditional values.  One has to wonder if the powers that be see it is a sort of experiment – if they can get it through Texas without ruffling too many feathers other states will fall into line far more quietly.  Follow that logic and one can be fairly confident that if one conservative state has agreed to quietly collaborate with the DHS record finding agenda, there are probably more states covertly walking the same path, data mining if you will, on behalf of Big Brother.

http://girlsjustwannahaveguns.com/2013/04/data-mining-for-big-brother/

From Cowboy Byte: FBI ‘secretly spying’ on Google users

Well, at least there are those in the “Google beast” who attempt to be forthcoming…

FBI ‘secretly spying’ on Google users, company  reveals

Posted  on March 7, 2013 byCowboy Byte

The FBI used National Security Letters — a form of surveillance that privacy  watchdogs call “frightening and invasive” — to surreptitiously seek information  on Google users, the web giant has just revealed.

Google’s disclosure is “an unprecedented win for transparency,” privacy  experts said Wednesday. But it’s just one small step forward.

“Serious concerns and questions remain about the use of NSLs,” the Electronic  Frontier Foundation’s Dan Auerbach and Eva Galperin wrote. For one thing, the  agency issued 16,511 National Security Letters in 2011, the last year for which  data was available. But Google was gagged from saying just how many letters it  received — leaving key questions unanswered.

“The terrorists apparently would win if Google told you the exact number of  times the Federal Bureau of Investigation invoked a secret process to extract  data about the media giant’s customers,” Wired’s David Kravets wrote. He  described the FBI’s use of NSLs as a way of “secretly spying” on Google’s  customers.

Continue Reading on www.foxnews.com

Read more: http://cowboybyte.com/19667/fbi-secretly-spying-on-google-users-company-reveals/#ixzz2Mro03BXc

Big brother – New spy software can “predict future”

I’d just viewed a PAN video from YT on a Meteor hitting Russia.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Rp5eg_lk8zA

Stumbled on this video;  I was reminded of the Sct Fi movie Minority Report. This is real:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=nsw6YRe2Syg

Another incremental step toward One World Government

“There is a time for all things, a time to preach and a time to pray, but those times have passed away. There is a time to fight, and that time has now come.” –Peter Muhlenberg, from a Lutheran sermon read at Woodstock, Virginia, 1776

posted on January 9, 2013 by Mark Horne

Federal Texas Judge: Schoolchildren = Cattle

I have to admit that, as much as I hate the judge’s decision, I can’t deny that it will improve the student’s education by preparing him for what American life is going to be like when he grows up to take his place as a serf in the system. Reuters reports,

“A public school district in Texas can require students to wear locator chips when they are on school property, a federal judge ruled on Tuesday in a case raising technology-driven privacy concerns among liberal and conservative groups alike. U.S. District Judge Orlando Garcia said the San Antonio Northside School District had the right to expel sophomore Andrea Hernandez, 15, from a magnet school at Jay High School, because she refused to wear the device, which is required of all students. The judge refused the student’s request to block the district from removing her from the school while the case works its way through the federal courts.”

Of course, preparing students for this kind of future is a self-fulfilling outcome. It is by training children to accept RFID monitoring that the state is more likely to get away with mandating it for adults in the future. The ACLU said it well:

“We don’t want to see this kind of intrusive surveillance infrastructure gain inroads into our culture. We should not be teaching our children to accept such an intrusive surveillance technology.”

No, we should not.

I was somewhat surprised to see the Christian organization, the Rutherford Institute, represent Hernandez and vow to appeal the case, claiming the electronic monitoring violated Hernandez’s “right to privacy.” After all, that “right” was notoriously “discovered” in order to justify overturning all state laws against abortions. But it also made me realize the sheer horrible irony. There have been states (and maybe still are) in which the right to privacy meant a public school could take your daughter to get an abortion without telling the parents. The “right to privacy” is somehow only aimed against the family to restrain common law relationships. It is virtually never aimed at an agency of the State. If a parent wanted to chip a child, I am willing to bet the courts would find some excuse to claim that is not permitted. Only public institutions get to monitor us by remote.

The school staff is full of assurances that they are not using the monitoring to actually spy on people, but only to make sure they are in class when the bell rings. This seems like a really expensive and intrusive substitute for taking attendance. And it only makes sense that these new technologies will not be full abused overnight. First, some minimal and non-threatening excuse must be developed so that the technology is implemented. Then, either publicly or secretly, the use of the technology can be widened. The only way to realistically stop from becoming a slave in a Big-Brother system is to keep the Big-Brother tools from ever being used.

In any case, a couple of years ago a school official busted a student for eating candy at home because he had borrowed a laptop from school that was equipped to spy on students. I know not every school is equally bad, but I still think it is stupid to simply accept these new means of monitoring students and pretend there is no reason to be concerned.

In Israel, if a creditor came to a poor man’s door to get his collateral for the debt, he was not permitted to enter the poor man’s home. He had to stay and wait outside the door until his debtor brought the collateral out to him (Deuteronomy 24.10, 11). Symbolic boundaries are what preserves our dignity and communicates to the State that we are not its property.

In my opinion, RFID chips might be appropriate for prisoners who have committed a crime, but not for free Americans.

Read more: http://politicaloutcast.com/2013/01/federal-texas-judge-schoolchildren-cattle/#ixzz2HUsVurKg

Gov’t, like Dogs, won’t mind their own stinking business

Gary North

The Tea Party Economist

Helping you to get through the economic mine field in one piece.

A Bill to Register Buyers of Gold and Silver Coins

Written by Gary North on January 8, 2013

It had to come. It has been introduced in Illinois, the most anti-gun state in the USA.

Creates the Precious Metal Purchasing Act. Provides that a person who is in the business of purchasing precious metal shall obtain a proof of ownership, create a record of the sale, and verify the identity of the seller. Provides that a person who is in the business of purchasing precious metal shall not pay for the precious metal in cash and shall >record the method of payment. Requires the purchaser to keep a record of the sale for one year or, if the purchase amount is over $500, for 5 years. Provides that a person who violates the Act is guilty of a petty offense and subject to a fine not exceeding $500. Provides that the Attorney General may inspect records, investigate an alleged violation, and take action to collect civil penalties.

To read the whole bill, click the link.

Continue Reading on www.ilga.gov

Read more: http://teapartyeconomist.com/2013/01/08/a-bill-to-register-buyers-of-gold-and-silver-coins/#ixzz2HOjz3YGj

PRIVACY AND – GOV’T,GOOGLE,FACEBOOK,CORPORATIONS,FBI,NSA…

A valued fellow blogger has invited me to a group which is on Google+.  Though I would like to accept this offer, despite precautions I have taken [pseudonym, no personal info on my "profile", etc] I must reluctantly decline.

Anyone who has followed my blog, and made use of the convenient tabs under the site name, knows about my approach to Gov’t intrusion on privacy.  NOBODY should bank, or fall prey to this fornicating “paperless” bill paying online.  Large organizations with supposedly “secure” files -including government- have been hacked. 

MILLIONS HAVE THUS BEEN PUT AT RISK OF IDENTITY THEFT.

Think perhaps their security software might be juat a smidgen better then the average joe?  Hmmm?  Yet altogether too many people have jumped on the bandwagon, in the name of “convenience” and a misplaced notion of it being good to “go green”.  I’M SICK OF THIS EFFLUENT!

PLEASE DON’T BE A VICTIM OF THIS SALES PITCH.  

Since the 40′s, the phone company has been in bed with the gov’t.  So my “ATT/Yahoo”  browser is enough to be reason for a pseudonym, and that might not be enough!

Google?

The Tea Party Economist – Google Sued for G-Mail Snooping

Filed under: Big Brother

Godfather Politics: Google Goes Anti-Gun

Filed under: 2nd amendment

Big Brother and YOU

http://partneringwitheagles.wordpress.com/2012/01/29/big-brother-and-you/

Filed under: Free country?

Illegal Immigration Fighting Organization Silenced by Google & YouTube Attack

Filed under: Patriot posts

Nucking Futs! I don’t like Google but…

Filed under: Commentary

FACEBOOK?

FACEBOOK – Privacy, data sharing, make the news again… 3rd posting on this issue.

Filed under: Commentary

What are you agreeing to when you install Facebook Applications?

Filed under: Internet safety

Your face on Facebook ‘your own worst enemy’

Filed under: Free country?,

Reissue – For those of you on Facebook… OMG – Patriot Action Network

Filed under: Internet safety

GOVERNMENT, THE  NSA, FBI,CORPORATIONS, ALL ARE IN THE INFORMATION HUNT ON YOU:

Senate bill rewrite lets feds read your e-mail without warrants WTF.

Filed under: Big Brother

Why is the FBI Keeping Track of Apple Device Users?

Filed under: Free country?

HOW I CAME TO JOIN WORDPRESS, AND A SNEAKY ASPECT OF GOOGLE:

http://partneringwitheagles.wordpress.com/2012/01/31/and-you-see-here-we-are-oh-my-goodness/

You Have No Privacy

Filed under: Big Brother

I SENT MANY OF MY CONTACTS AN E-MAIL IN REGARD TO THE NEWSMAX SOURCE  OF THIS PRESENTATION.  THE VIDEO  IS LONG, AND THE FOLLOWING EXCERPTS ARE JUST A SMALL  EXAMPLE OF THE INFO THIS PERSON IS TALKING ABOUT:

Excerpts from a Stansberry & Associates Investment Research member -

A Midwestern doctor and former Wall Street Banker (who’s one of America’s Most Patriotic and Conservative Citizens) Says:

I’ve spent most of my life on the straight and narrow.

I went to college, got an MBA from one of America’s top business schools, then landed a job at Goldman Sachs, the most powerful investment bank in the world.

Then I had a second career in medicine.

I finished my studies at the University of North Carolina and became an eye doctor. Along the way I even got a pilot’s license, was published in peer reviewed medical journals and helped start several quite successful businesses.

The point is, I’ve done very well so far, playing within the rules of “the system.”

Today I’m surrounded with a loving family, a grown son, and close friends all around the globe. My hobbies include wine making (I just made my first 120 cases), playing America’s 100 best golf courses (I’ve crossed nearly two dozen courses off the list so far), and big game fishing off the coast of South Florida.

I’m telling you these things because I don’t want you to get the wrong idea about me.

I don’t want you to think I’m some type of hippie-anarchist-radical.

Far from it.

I love America. This country has given me the opportunity for an incredible life, and it’s still far and away the best place on the planet to live and pursue your dreams.

However…

[a selection of his observations] BOLD FONT MY EMPHASIS “X”

From my perspective, it’s been the slow adoption of a series of almost imperceptible new laws, regulations, corrupt ideas… coupled with major changes in technology, which have left us with a country that is barely recognizable from the place we knew only a dozen or so years ago.

My solutions—at least for now—are going to certainly be viewed by those in power as outside the norm at the very least… or perhaps even traitorous.

As a result, the last thing I want to do is to attract the attention of some neo-conservative or wacko-liberal organization, or to make it easy for the government to put my photo on one of their infamous “watch lists.”

Our Gov’t is About to Get VERY Aggressive

#1. The first big change in America that’s going to dramatically affect you is that our governments–on both the state and federal levels–are broke… in every sense of the word.

As a result, they are becoming increasingly desperate, and aggressive.

And as we are all going to learn the hard way over the next few years: Desperate governments will do truly desperate things.

Did you know, for example, that the government has already discussed requiring every citizen to put some of your retirement savings into government-controlled retirement accounts.

And have you seen what’s been happening in some desperate states, where the government is essentially seizing regular people’s safety deposit boxes, and auctioning off the contents?

There are many new tax rates that are set to jump by more than 100% next year. And there are new laws about where you can and can’t move your money without the government knowing.

New laws and new technologies make it easier for the government to have nearly instant access to all of your money.

#2. The second critical shift that’s now taking place is that we are witnessing the near complete loss of Individual Privacy.
Now maybe you’re like some of the folks I talk to, and you say, “Who cares? If you’re not doing anything wrong, you shouldn’t have anything to hide.”

Well let me tell you one thing I know for sure:

We will lose our identity and power as a country, and America will become a much less desirable place to live, work, and start businesses, if everything we do or say is observed, monitored, and recorded.

In Baltimore, the local government has started a project to record all conversations that take place on public buses.
Also, did you know that our top spy bureau, the National Security Agency (NSA) has now basically turned much of its attention from foreign countries… directly onto U.S. citizens?

In fact, NSA is now building the largest data storage facility on the planet in the middle of the Utah desert.

Set to open in 2013, they’ll have the capability of storing a hundred years of electronic communication for every U.S. citizen.

Also, did you know that 20 state and local governments and 24 universities have already been authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration to fly remotely piloted “drones” in U.S. skies, allowing them to spy, take photos, etc. And according to a source quoted in Bloomberg News, “the Federal government has already allocated billions [of dollars] for these, and state and local governments will follow.”

Yes, these are the same type of miniature flying machines we have previously used to spy on enemy movements in Iraq and Afghanistan.

10 years ago, this was unthinkable in the U.S.

Also, did you know that the government has placed RFID chips into all new passports? These chips allow tracking and easy access to all your personal information, anywhere you go.

#3. The third big change I want to address is the near-complete corruption of the mainstream institutions we’ve entrusted to handle our money.

I’m talking specifically about Wall Street’s investment institutions, and big banks located all over the country.

If you have a money market fund, for example, odds are good that some of your money has been placed into very risky debt instruments—yet you are likely being paid less than 1% for taking such big risks!

If you own regular stocks, there’s a good chance your broker is borrowing your shares from YOUR account to execute other trades, without notifying you. This is all completely legal. But most Americans have no idea this is going on.

And I can just about guarantee we’re going to see more firms than ever blow up in the coming years because nearly everyone on Wall Street is involved in “high-frequency trading.”

If you’re not familiar with the term, it basically describes a strategy of using high-powered computers to execute trades at incredibly fast speeds… sometimes making thousands or even millions of trades PER SECOND.

Companies use high-powered computer algorithms to attempt to capture the tiny price differentials in the markets.

Some estimates show that 70% of the trading on the markets today is simply automatic, high-powered computers attempting to capture miniscule gains.

Of course, high-frequency trading has already led to many disasters. The most recent one involved a firm called Knight Capital Partners. Their errant algorithm caused the company to lose $440 million in a span of about 30 minutes.

They (and their customers!), were extremely lucky the firm did not go bankrupt

I have seen horror stories in recent years, in which completely innocent people had their life savings seized or frozen—even though they did absolutely nothing wrong. In fact, this is exactly what happened to one of my best friends not too long ago. Turns out he didn’t owe the government a penny… and they actually owed him money… yet they froze tens of thousands of dollars in his bank account for weeks with the simple click of a button.

Think about what you would do if all of a sudden you could not withdraw any money out of your traditional bank accounts… and you couldn’t use your ATM or credit cards.

——————————————————————————————————————–

POINT IS;  WE MUST THINK “OUTSIDE THE BOX”.  THE TRANSCRIPT IS FAR LONGER THEN THE EXCERPTS I HAVE LISTED.

He is promoting a subscriptiion to a magazine with his solutions to these egregous intrusions.  If you want to take about an hour to view the video,

HERE is the URL:

http://pro.stansberryresearch.com/1212GRIDRTRD/LREMNC79/

Senate bill rewrite lets feds read your e-mail without warrants WTF.

Wanted: Longshoreman to do my swearing for me… WAIT!  I CAN’T DO THAT!  THAT’S BEING A…   A DEMOCRAT!

More insanity.  I got this link in today’s e-mail from a friend: The Senate will be voting on authorizing warrantless access to Americans e-mail.  Use the Senate list in my earlier post to contact your senators.  Read ‘em the riot act while you’re at it.  How long have I ranted about PRIVACY???  “X”

 

Proposed law scheduled for a vote next week originally increased Americans’ e-mail privacy. Then law enforcement complained. Now it increases government access to e-mail and other digital files.

Sen. Patrick Leahy previously said his bill boosts Americans’ e-mail privacy protections by “requiring that the government obtain a search warrant.” That’s no longer the case.

(Credit: U.S. Senate)

See also the follow-up story: Leahy scuttles his warrantless e-mail surveillance bill

A Senate proposal touted as protecting Americans’ e-mail privacy has been quietly rewritten, giving government agencies more surveillance power than they possess under current law.

CNET has learned that Patrick Leahy, the influential Democratic chairman of the Senate Judiciary committee, has dramatically reshaped his legislation in response to law enforcement concerns. A vote on his bill, which now authorizes warrantless access to Americans’ e-mail, is scheduled for next week.

Leahy’s rewritten bill would allow more than 22 agencies — including the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Federal Communications Commission — to access Americans’ e-mail, Google Docs files, Facebook wall posts, and Twitter direct messages without a search warrant. It also would give the FBI and Homeland Security more authority, in some circumstances, to gain full access to Internet accounts without notifying either the owner or a judge. (CNET obtained the revised draft from a source involved in the negotiations with Leahy.)

It’s an abrupt departure from Leahy’s earlier approach, which required police to obtain a search warrant backed by probable cause before they could read the contents of e-mail or other communications. The Vermont Democrat boasted last year that his bill “provides enhanced privacy protections for American consumers by… requiring that the government obtain a search warrant.”

MUCH MORE AT: http://news.cnet.com/8301-13578_3-57552225-38/senate-bill-rewrite-lets-feds-read-your-e-mail-without-warrants/

What are you agreeing to when you install Facebook Applications?

I was a bit surprised by this – When I found that I needed to change my firewall due to incompatibility issues, most of the problems I was having with my WP pg vanished; this deals with privacy, and most of you have seen my blogs on this subject. Patriots on facebook please take note.

ZoneAlarm Newsletter October 2012

What are you agreeing to when you install Facebook Applications?
In a recent study of 50 million Facebook users and 500,000 Facebook applications, the following conclusions paint a different picture than what most people perceive about the apps they’ve come to love…