Buying domestic data from data brokers is just something the government does all the time. Bypassing restraints enacted by the Supreme Court, federal agencies (along with local law enforcement agencies) are hoovering up whatever domestic data they can from private companies all too happy to be part of the problem.
Well, That’s Everyone: Senator Wyden Letter Confirms The NSA Is Buying US Persons’ Data From Data Brokers
Tag: court orders
The Coming Fight Over American Surveillance
The Coming Fight Over American Surveillance
But no threat of any kind is required to conduct surveillance under Section 702. The law permits surveillance of any foreigner abroad, as long as a significant purpose of the surveillance is to acquire “foreign intelligence information.” FISA defines this term extremely broadly to include any “information related to . . . the conduct of U.S. foreign affairs.” A conversation between friends about whether the United States should do more to support Ukraine would justify surveillance under this definition.
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How MKO indoctrinated refugees in Germany to be ‘child soldiers’ against Iran
Luisa Hommerich, a Berlin-based investigative journalist with the German weekly newspaper Die Zeit, couldn’t hide her joy and thrill on February 10 as she triumphantly announced the end of a protracted legal battle against a terrorist cult.
How MKO indoctrinated refugees in Germany to be ‘child soldiers’ against Iran
Incessant, Bonkers Anti-Paul Hastings Protest Continues
One court order didn’t do the trick. Another issued this month doesn’t seem to be doing much either. No matter how many times the justice system tries to clamp down on the goofy ongoing protest campaign targeting Paul Hastings, the placards keep showing up.
Incessant, Bonkers Anti-Paul Hastings Protest Continues
GOP Has Not Created a New Church Committee
If U.S. Congress is going to form a special subcommittee looking at government overreach and illegality, then it should do exactly that.
John Kiriakou: GOP Has Not Created a New Church Committee
Politicians and commentators are blocked online in Brazil after censorship order targets Bolsonaro support
The censorship power lies with a single judge, Alexandre de Moraes.
Politicians and commentators are blocked online in Brazil after censorship order targets Bolsonaro support
Related:
Tech companies under fire after Brazilian riots repeat Jan. 6 pattern
[SumOfUs] Researchers analyzed five livestream broadcasts from far-right YouTubers taking part in the riots and mapped how the content was posted across other platforms, mainly Facebook.
How Meta and Google enabled and profited from the terrorist attacks in Brazil’s capital (PDF)
Stop the Steal 2.0: How Meta and TikTok Are Promoting a Coup (PDF)
When the FBI Attacks Critics as “Conspiracy Theorists,” It’s Time to Reform the Bureau
Below is my column in the Hill on the need for a new “Church Committee” to investigate and reform the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) after years of scandals involving alleged political bias. In response to criticism over its role in Twitter’s censorship system, the FBI lashed out against critics as “conspiracy theorists” spreading disinformation. However, it still refuses to supply new information on other companies, beyond Twitter, that it has paid to engage in censorship.
When the FBI Attacks Critics as “Conspiracy Theorists,” It’s Time to Reform the Bureau
Previously:
The FBI Paid Twitter $3.4 Million for Processing Requests:
Twitter’s “Guidelines for law enforcement” does state under a section titled “Cost reimbursement” that “Twitter may seek reimbursement for costs associated with information produced pursuant to legal process and as permitted by law (e.g., under 18 U.S.C. §2706).” But the fact that this garnered millions from the FBI was not, as far as I can tell, known until now.
The FBI Paid Twitter $3.4 Million for Processing Requests
The FBI Paid Twitter $3.4 Million for Processing Requests
There’s been ample insinuation that these agencies were politically motivated. But all of this was happening at a time when President Donald Trump was in power and his people were running DHS and the FBI. Rather than agencies intent on swaying the 2020 election for Biden, their actions seem like run-of-the-mill paranoia and attempts at control.
This brings us back to the money the FBI gave Twitter for “time spent processing requests.” In the last installment of the Twitter Files, Matt Taibbi reported on some of those requests, many of which were related to potential election misinformation. Twitter looked into the flagged tweets and accounts, sometimes complying with the FBI and sometimes not.
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Twitter’s “Guidelines for law enforcement” does state under a section titled “Cost reimbursement” that “Twitter may seek reimbursement for costs associated with information produced pursuant to legal process and as permitted by law (e.g., under 18 U.S.C. §2706).” But the fact that this garnered millions from the FBI was not, as far as I can tell, known until now.
Related:
No, The FBI Is NOT ‘Paying Twitter To Censor’
But this is a misreading/misunderstanding of how things work. This had nothing to do with any “influence campaign.” The law already says that if the FBI is legally requesting information for an investigation under a number of different legal authorities, the companies receiving those requests can be reimbursed for fulfilling them.
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I do think it remains a scandal the way that 2703(d) orders work, and the inability of users to push back on them. But that is the law. And it has literally nothing whatsoever to do with “censorship” requests. It is entirely about investigations by the FBI into Twitter users based on evidence of a crime. If you want, you can read the DOJ’s own guidelines regarding what they can request under 2703(d).
Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, law enforcement must obtain a court order under 18 U.S.C. §2703(d) (2703(d) order) to compel a provider to disclose more detailed records about a customer’s or subscriber’s use of services, such as the following
A tiny company with a UPS Store address could help the government get around browser security
A report from The Washington Post has raised doubts about a root certificate authority used by Google Chrome, Safari, Firefox, and other tech companies with ties to US intelligence. The company in question, called TrustCor, works as a root certificate authority to validate the trustworthiness of websites — and while the report found no concrete evidence of wrongdoing, it raised significant questions about the company’s trustworthiness.
A tiny company with a UPS Store address could help the government get around browser security
Related:
[04-27-2021] Shadowy DARPA-Linked Company Took Over ‘Chunk’ Of Pentagon’s Internet
State Dept. gives law enforcement, intelligence agencies unrestricted access to Americans’ personal data
The State Department is giving law enforcement and intelligence agencies unrestricted access to the personal data of more than 145 million Americans, through information from passport applications that is shared without legal process or any apparent oversight, according to a letter sent from Sen. Ron Wyden to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and obtained by Yahoo News.
State Dept. gives law enforcement, intelligence agencies unrestricted access to Americans’ personal data
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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