Privacy & Surveillance News

Stay current on government and institutional surveillance, monitoring technology, and privacy policy, including facial recognition, license plate readers, Flock cameras, biometric systems, and government data collection. Keep general cybersecurity or consumer-tech stories elsewhere unless surveillance or privacy is the core issue.
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  • news

    Sharyl Attkisson on Trump Surveillance Claims: ‘I Don’t Think It’s Outside Realm of Possibility’
    Veteran investigative journalist Sharyl Attkisson said Thursday it’s possible President Donald Trump is right about government surveillance. “I don’t think it’s outside the realm of possibility, especially considering The New York Times and USA Today reported that there was wiretapping going on of some of his top people,” Attkisson told “Fox & Friends.” Attkisson, who…
    James Rogers
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  • news

    Trump Surveillance Allegation Could Trace to Reported Court Order
    There isn’t yet a paper trail, but there is a potential press trail to follow on President Donald Trump’s claim of surveillance by the Obama administration. Still, there’s a question about whether this action was illegal and whether the former president directed it—as Trump asserted in a series of tweets Saturday. “President Trump is onto…
    Fred Lucas
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  • news

    Study Shows Americans Flock to States With Less Burdensome Taxes
    Migration patterns for 2016 show that Americans tended to move away from high-tax states and into states where residents keep more of what they earn. United Van Lines, the nation’s largest moving company, recently released its annual movers study report showing that South Dakota overtook Oregon as the top inbound destination. Generally, more people moved…
    Johnny Kampis
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  • news

    Grounded Surveillance Operation Nabbed 110,000 Illegal Immigrants at Border
    While surveillance helicopters were grounded in Texas, the head of Customs and Border Protection called the flights critical to “countering illegal immigration” from Mexico. Records bear that out: A government report credited Operation Phalanx with apprehending 110,000 illegal border crossers. CBP Commissioner Gil Kerlikowske stated in a Nov. 16 letter that Phalanx “provided tangible benefits…
    Kenric Ward
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  • news

    Obama Administration Shuts Down Aerial Surveillance on Border
    The U.S. Department of Homeland Security quietly shut down Operation Phalanx, an aerial surveillance program that intercepts drugs and illegal crossings along the Mexican border. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Laredo, vows to challenge DHS’ move, saying Congress provided “full funding” for 2017. Cuellar, a member of the House Appropriations Committee and the homeland security subcommittee, is…
    Kenric Ward
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  • opinion

    ISIS Is Getting Smarter About Avoiding U.S. Surveillance
    Social media can be a double-edged sword for terrorists groups such as ISIS, a fact that its leadership appears to be aware of. According to recent reports, the group’s top cadre has curtailed electronic communications, hoping to shrink its footprint and exposure to western intelligence agencies. A terrorist group of the 21st century, ISIS is…
    Helle Dale
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