The beloved Department of Homeland Security is providing grants to help municipalities equip public transit buses, and in the case of San Francisco, vintage trolleys, with video surveillance. But they're also installing microphones throughout the vehicle, including one outside, so they can get synchronized audio. Baltimore, MD considered doing ( Read more... )

If the carrier has flights to the US, the data, even if the flight originates and ends in Europe, will be sent to the USA.http://www.computerworlduk.com/news/public-sector/3352378/european-parliament-agrees

One million British travellers planning to fly to Canada, the Caribbean and Mexico this year face the risk of being turned away at the airport - at the insistence of the US Department of Homeland Security ( Read more... )

*sigh*

So I guess the easiest thing to do if you're traveling to another country and returning is to replace your hard drive, fresh install the OS, install the minimum amount of programs and data that you need, and be ready to lose your equipment when you return to the good ol' U.S. of A.

From the article: In dissent, Judge Betty Fletcher wrote ( Read more... )

"Documents obtained by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC) suggest that the US Department of Homeland Security has signed contracts for the development of mobile and static systems that can be used scan pedestrians and people at rail and bus stations and special event venues - apparently at times without their knowledge. Under ( Read more... )

Bruce Schneier collected many links of interest on the issue. Included are some t-shirts, I wouldn't mind having a couple of them and may be placing an order ( Read more... )

Wednesday, November 24. If you're flying, and have some time, demand a pat-down in a private room by the TSA rather than the body scanner. The intent is that if enough people do it across the country, it will send a message to government that these scanners are too much. The Electronic Privacy Information Center have sought a court order to stop ( Read more... )

In an effort to herd more people through the full body scanners at airports, the TSA is making the opt-out pat-downs 'more vigorous', including moving their hands up your leg until the meet "resistance", i.e., your scrotum. I'm not sure where they stop for women ( Read more... )

It states that as of July 1, TSA employees will no longer be allowed to access five categories of websites that have been deemed "inappropriate for government access."

The categories include:
Chat/Messaging
Controversial opinion
Criminal activity
Extreme violence (including cartoon violence) and gruesome content
GamingI don't really have too much ( Read more... )

I really love the article title: Too Scary To Fly, Not Scary Enough To Arrest. "Ten U.S citizens and residents, three of whom are veterans, are stuck abroad or cannot fly within or out of the United States because they are wrongly on a no-fly list, according to a federal lawsuit lodged Wednesday. The suit was filed by the ACLU in Oregon. Senator ( Read more... )