The New Yorker published an interview with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden last night in which he explains why recent claims by Rep. Mike Rogers that he is a Russian spy are “absurd.” (more…)
January 2014
Fri 24 Jan 2014
Before Snowden, Nixon Admin Pioneered Evidence-Free ‘Russian Spy’ Smears Against Daniel Ellsberg
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , DemocracyNo Comments
Sun 19 Jan 2014
How the US Used a “Terrorism” Ploy to Attack Islamic Charity to Iran
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , DemocracyNo Comments
Gareth Porter Truthout.org
Contrary to President Obama’s promise to make it easier for American Muslims to fulfill their religious obligation to give one-fifth of their surplus income to charity, federal prosecutors continue to target Islamic charities and their donors, as illustrated by the recent prosecution of a Portland, Oregon, couple. (more…)
Sat 18 Jan 2014
The Special Ops Surge: America’s Secret War in 134 Countries
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , Democracy , Globalization/EmpireNo Comments
Nick Turse TomDispatch.com
Since September 11, 2001, U.S. Special Operations forces have grown in every conceivable way, from their numbers to their budget. Most telling, however, has been the exponential rise in special ops deployments globally. This presence — now, in nearly 70% of the world’s nations (more…)
Sat 18 Jan 2014
Ecuador Guarantees the Constitutional Right to Health and Education for All Its Citizens
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , DemocracyNo Comments
Aside from providing asylum to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, Ecuador has progressed leaps and bounds in the past two decades. From nearly going bankrupt on multiple occasions to creating a new constitution, the country is placing education and health at the top of its agenda. (more…)
Sat 18 Jan 2014
Why 15-Year-Old Travion Blount Got More Than 6 Life Sentences for a Crime in Which No One Was Hurt
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , DemocracyNo Comments
Marc Schindler, executive director of the Justice Policy Institute, told me in an interview, “We are seeing in this country over the past 30 or 40 years a significant ratcheting up in the severity of penalties within our justice system, and [Blount’s case] is an example of that.” (more…)
Wed 15 Jan 2014
Do You Play Video Games or Do They Play You?
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , DemocracyNo Comments
Video games are migrating from television screens to mobiles and smartphones. Even the nominally free games are being monetised and the information they generate about their players linked with other data to target ads. Where’s the pleasure in that? (more…)
Tue 14 Jan 2014
Privacy Tools: How to Safely Browse the Web
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , DemocracyNo Comments
In the course of writing her book, “Dragnet Nation,” ProPublica reporter Julia Angwin tried various strategies to protect her privacy. In this blog post, she distills the lessons from her privacy experiments into useful tips for readers. (more…)
Tue 14 Jan 2014
Internet for Sale: Federal Court Guts Net Neutrality
Posted by k under Civil Liberties , DemocracyNo Comments
The Washington, D.C., District Court of Appeals just eliminated the FCC’s already-compromised protection of a free and open Internet and moved to limit the federal watchdog’s authority over broadband. (more…)