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Big Brother Is Watching

Started by H Needles; Last updated Feb 27, 08 6:56 AM CST by D Lim | View history

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Big Brother Is Watching

"The advance of civilization is nothing but an exercise in the limiting of privacy." -Janov Pelorat

Privacy concerns are on the rise in cyberspace, as marketers, mobile phone companies and social networks like Facebook tap into new levels of targeted advertising. "Protecting anonymity isn't a fight that can be won," said the Deputy Director of National Intelligence.

Stories

Stories 21 - 40 of 96

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June 2008
- Big Brother Sees Washington
  
  Los Angeles Times | Jun 16, 08 1:55 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - If you plan to go outdoors in Washington, DC, comb your hair first, because someone's probably going to see you. The capital is ramping up a video surveillance system that puts most others in the entire world to shame, the LA Times reports. Unsurprisingly, the 5,625-camera network has captured the attention of privacy and civil-liberties advocates, and they're not happy. More »
- Blogger Busts Tripled Last Year: Report
  
  Ars Technica | Jun 16, 08 10:49 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The number of blogging "citizen journalists" arrested worldwide in political crackdowns tripled in 2007 from the previous year, Ars Technica reports. Over half of last year's 36 arrests occurred in Egypt, Iran, and China, according to a new survey, which sorted arrests into six categories, most related to stirring up political controversy. More »
- EU Eyes Anti-Terror Camera for Every Seat
  
  New Scientist | Jun 1, 08 6:48 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A camera may be planted in every airline seat in Europe, if an EU plan under development is approved. Dubbed SAFEE (Security of Aircraft in the Future European Environment), the system would also aim cameras at the aisles. Software would then watch for suspicious movements, gestures, and even facial expressions. More »
May 2008
- Smart Billboards: They're Watching You
  
  New York Times | May 31, 08 7:18 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Advertisers are bringing billboards into the 21st century by fitting them with cameras that record details used to determine a passer-by's age, sex, and race, the New York Times reports. Companies plan to use the technology to tailor the advertising to the person standing in front of it. The tiny cameras, which send info back to a central database, are hard for passers-by to spot. More »
- Spy Scandal at German Phone Giant Grows
  
  Der Spiegel | May 30, 08 3:44 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Deutsche Telekom apparently didn’t stop at looking through the phone records of board members and journalists in its bid to end leaks. The German phone giant also tracked their movements and may have snooped into personal bank records, Der Spiegel reports. Top executives also worked with a detective agency run by members of the former East German secret police. More »
- German Telecom Spying Ignites Privacy Uproar
  
  New York Times | May 27, 08 4:35 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - German phone giant Deutsche Telekom has ignited a privacy firestorm by admitting it tracked board members’ phone calls to root out the source of embarrassing press leaks. The dominant national fixed-line provider revealed “severe and far-reaching” misuse of private information, generating anger in a country sensitive to civil liberties abuses, the New York Times reports. More »
- Feds Want to Help Cover Your Web Tracks
  
  Washington Post | May 22, 08 6:57 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - The Federal Trade Commission is considering guidelines governing how online advertisers target consumers based on their Web surfing—and some lawmakers want them to be mandatory, the Washington Post reports. Privacy advocates are pushing to limit behavioral tracking, but some Internet companies say that could mean sites won’t be able to keep offering content free. More »
- Government's Spy Powers Up, But Terror Arrests Down
  
  Los Angeles Times | May 12, 08 11:15 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Big Brother is watching … but hasn’t found much, the Los Angeles Times reports. Despite vastly increased domestic spying activities, terrorism prosecutions have plummeted 50% since 2002; last year alone saw a 19% drop, despite a 9% increase in eavesdropping warrants. The Bush administration, meanwhile, is pushing for even greater surveillance powers, and says the decrease in prosecutions doesn’t mean much. More »
- Facing Suit, FBI Drops Secret Order
  
  Washington Post | May 8, 08 8:56 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Facing a lawsuit, the FBI has withdrawn a secret order demanding that an Internet library turn over a user's records—only the third time the bureau has backed down from such a demand, known as a "national security letter." The San Francisco-based Internet Archive, which stores old versions of websites, challenged the order on the grounds that the Patriot Act provision that protects libraries from similar requests should apply online as well. More »
April 2008
- Email Mining Software No Slam-Dunk
  
  Wall Street Journal | Apr 21, 08 7:31 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Software that allows co-workers to share customer and client information without the initial contact's explicit permission is catching on, overcoming worries about privacy that initially kept the applications from gaining traction, the Wall Street Journal reports. One exec who saw "a very harsh reaction from people who viewed it as a Big Brother-type system" at his previous job is having less trouble this time around. More »
- DNA Used to Nab Criminal Kin
  
  Washington Post | Apr 21, 08 12:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Law-enforcement agencies are using DNA of family members—often without their consent—to identify and convict criminals, the Washington Post reports. Privacy advocates object that it turns family members into unwitting informants, and subjects innocent relatives to “lifelong genetic surveillance” because someone in their family committed a crime. But investigators say it could increase DNA-solved cases by as much as 40%. More »
- LAX Readies 'Strip Search' Scans
  
  Los Angeles Times | Apr 18, 08 9:59 AM CDT
  
  (Newser) - New technology will allow screeners at Los Angeles International Airport to scan passengers with a device that effectively looks beneath their clothes, the LA Times reports. The “whole body imaging” machines are drawing mixed reviews—a TSA spokesman praised the "brand-new security tool," but an ACLU rep compared a scan to a “high-tech strip-search.” More »
- EU Takes Aim at Search Engines Over Personal Data
  
  BBC | Apr 8, 08 3:51 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - A European advisory body has sharply criticized Internet search companies’ use of personal data, the BBC reports. Its recommendations, likely to be adopted by the European Commission, say search companies should delete users’ information within six months. The opinion comes alongside reports of a new kind of computer cookie that tracks Internet surfers’ behavior in much more detail than ordinary cookies. More »
- Congress Looks Into FBI's Telecom Spying
  
  Washington Post | Apr 8, 08 12:00 PM CDT
  
  (Newser) - Congressional Democrats are questioning the cozy relationship between the FBI and telecom companies, the Washington Post reports. Thanks to a 1994 law, all telecom firms have “Quantico circuits”—little-known electronic lines straight to the FBI technology office in Virginia. Telecom technicians can instantly send data over those lines, telling investigators who’s calling whom and from where. More »
- Couple Seeks $25K Over Google's 'Street View'
  
  The Smoking Gun | Apr 4, 08 6:11 PM CDT