Scientology Chased, Spied On, Imprisoned Defectors

Justices reject file-sharing case

(NEWSER) - The Supreme Court is taking on the heightened government surveillance that's sparked a furor since the 9/11 attacks. Justices will determine the validity of a 2008 law that has allowed the government to keep a closer eye on international communications, the New York Times reports. Activists, lawyers, and journalists say the law has given the government license to stick its nose in their phone calls and emails. Officials argue that the plaintiffs haven't suffered damages that give them clear grounds to sue; a US appeals court disagreed. More»

Also talks Scientology in 'Playboy' interview

(NEWSER) - Tom Cruise promotes his upcoming musical Rock of Ages in the latest issue of Playboy , but not surprisingly, the movie talk isn’t getting quite as much attention as the quotes about Cruise’s personal life. Some highlights:

• On plastic surgery: "I haven't [gotten any], and I never would."
• On his PR nightmare: Asked what he learned from his controversial interview with Matt Lauer (in which he disparaged psychiatry and prescription drugs for post-partum depression) and his Oprah couch fiasco, Cruise replied, “When I go back and look at it, I find myself thinking, I don’t feel that way. I get how it came across, but I don’t feel that way, and I never have. Telling people how to live their lives? I saw how that came across and how pieces were edited.”

Louise Losos resigns amid controversy after former student makes claim

(NEWSER) - A Missouri high school principal resigned last week, one month after she was first accused of impersonating a student on Facebook so she could spy on students and parents online. The profile for "Suzy Harriston" claimed she was from Clayton; many of her 300 Facebook friends were from Clayton High School. But on April 5, a 2011 Clayton grad accused principal Louise Losos of being the actual person behind the account. The account quickly vanished, Losos began a leave of absence, and then later resigned. More»

Impersonators send infected files

(NEWSER) - The Syrian government is hacking into the computers of activists and secretly surveilling them by spreading malicious software through Skype, reports TechWeek Europe . Recently, an activist thought she was Skype-chatting with an ally, but she suddenly realized her friend was in jail and could not possibly be online. She received a file from the impersonator that was later identified as malware capable of spying on and controlling her computer remotely. The malware had an IP address that belonged to a company that reports to the government. More»

Undercover officers kept files on them: AP investigation

(NEWSER) - Looks like Muslims aren't the only ones the NYPD has spied on . The AP has uncovered documents showing that undercover NYPD officers infiltrated liberal political organizations, attending meetings and keeping intelligence files on activists. The effort ranged well outside their jurisdiction; in April 2008, for example, an officer was sent to the People's Summit in New Orleans. He reported back with info on which groups opposed US immigration policy, labor laws, and racial profiling, naming one journalist and one organizer by name. More»