U.S. Defense contractor Planet Risk, Inc. discovered sensitive U.S. mission data buried in app data that is sold to data brokers. The data was pulled from popular apps such as weather, games, dating services, and social media apps that collect a user’s location. The sensitive data showed U.S. troops traveling to Syria from abroad and gathering at Lafarge cement factory in northern Syria. The contractor was working on a software prototype when its employees came across the sensitive data. Byron Tau of The WSJ writes (abridged): WASHINGTON—In 2016, a U.S. defense contractor named PlanetRisk … [Read more...]
Pandemic Creates Virtual Panopticon
“In the 1600s a series of civilization-threatening plague epidemics gave birth to one of the most heavy-handed surveillance states in the Western world,” writes Annie Jacobsen in First Platoon. “In order to impose the rule of law, the government ordered the full-scale cataloging of people.” You felt like you were being watched because you were, especially by your neighbors.
Historian Michel Foucault draws the parallel between the surveillance state during the plague, in Discipline and Punish: The Birth of the Prison, and a prison called the Panopticon or “all seeing.” It was a circular prison with a guard tower in the middle from which a single guard could observe the prisoners—but where they couldn’t see him. They felt like they were constantly watched, creating a fear that produced obedience.
The technology is growing at the speed of science fiction, faster than your Fourth Amendment rights. Technology can be used against you before you even commit a crime just by using A.I. and analysis of your patterns to examine how you live your life.
Americans are now caught in a "Virtual Panopticon" created by the pandemic. Read more below about this scary new reality.
Cybersecurity—Ignore at Your Own Risk: Tim Yee, FBI
A client sent me this video “Cybersecurity—Ignore at Your Own Risk,” by SA Tim Yee, FBI New Orleans. The presentation is around a half-hour, followed by questions. You can watch the entire presentation below. If you’re pressed for time, go to my top three sections at minutes: 12:30, 24.00, and 32.00. P.S. If you want to feel better about yourself go to minute 44.00. … [Read more...]
To Whom You’re Really Paying Property Taxes
Right on cue, more chaos in Portland: An Officer is surrounded and punched in the face and ends up on the ground on his back with the suspect on top. This was a very dangerous situation. Subject was arrested. https://t.co/JbkDSWybFE — Portland Police (@PortlandPolice) April 21, 2021 Originally posted April 21, 2021. OK, we’ve seen how some governors can and will go wild, turning a virus into their personal crusade. Governors went wild in states like California, Michigan, and New York, and that’s not even counting the mayors of cities like Portland. How can you survive the … [Read more...]
PANOPTICON: Is Your Phone Spying on You?
You probably have dozens of apps on your smartphone. Chances are they are collecting your personal information en masse, and either selling it to third parties or keeping it for themselves. Most likely both. You have read here about the widening surveillance state I'm calling the virtual panopticon. The efforts by the government to surveil Americans are expanding quickly as technologies make it easy to watch every part of your life. But how much surveillance are you inviting right into your home? Apps on your phone are collecting massive amounts of information about you every day. Some … [Read more...]
Secession: Impossible? Not if You Think Locally
If it’s so easy to rule the world at Amazon.com, how hard would it be to change the rules? The states figured out how to get their piece of the pie by taxation. What other barriers to entry are there? There was a time when hanging out at the mall on a Friday night was a thing. Now you mention that to a teenager, and you’re met with blank stares. Why would you do that when you can shop online? Yes, Amazon can get a package to your door, but it’s still a challenge. It’s still hard to get up and down your driveway. They haven’t solved the “local” last mile challenge quite yet. And that’s … [Read more...]
UPDATE: Your Gun Rights and Freedom Are Under Assault
UPDATE 2.23.21: You've read here recently that Montana and Utah have recognized their citizens' inalienable rights to self-defense, and passed laws protecting their rights to carry a firearm without a permit. Indiana could be the next state to join the "Freedom Corridor" by doing the same. The Indy Star reports (abridged): The Indiana House on Monday voted to eliminate the license to carry a handgun in Indiana. House Bill 1369 passed the House by a 65-31 vote and now heads to the Senate, where its already picked up key endorsements. Under the legislation, sometimes called … [Read more...]
Tucker Carlson: Big Tech Censors COVID-19 Vaccine Dissent
Getting the Covid vaccine is a personal health decision. If you have questions about it you should be able to get some straight answers, don’t you think? But that’s not what’s happening. Tucker Carlson explains (abridged): Anyone who tells you the details of the ongoing Potemkin impeachment trial are important is probably trying to distract you from something that actually is, like our ongoing COVID pandemic. After months of hearing that life could never return to normal until we get a vaccine, we got a vaccine (two, actually), but life did not return to normal. In fact, life got worse. We … [Read more...]
GameStop Helps Explain Robinhood’s Free Stock Trades
As I explained to you yesterday in Money 101: There’s a Reason Family Always Comes 1st, when something is free, you’re probably the product being sold. Sold to whom? Well, in the case of GameStop, for example, Robinhood sold high-speed traders customer order flow as reported in the WSJ back in December: Robinhood Financial LLC has agreed to pay $65 million to settle regulatory claims that it didn’t sufficiently disclose its business deals with high-speed trading firms, the Securities and Exchange Commission said Thursday. The fine is a setback for the fast-growing company, which has helped … [Read more...]
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis Fires Back at Big Tech
“You’re trying to tell me if there’s hacked information that could damage me, you guys wouldn’t print it? Give me a break.” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said yesterday. “You guys would print it every single day if you could. And Big Tech would allow it to proliferate 24/7.” DeSantis is taking the fight directly to the Big Tech companies that censored President Trump and the NY Post’s Hunter Biden article, and millions of conservative Americans exercising their First Amendment rights. DeSantis announced the Transparency in Technology Act, which will hold companies accountable for politicized … [Read more...]
“An Informer for Federal and Local Law Enforcement”
On January 27, amidst media consensus that the “Proud Boys” and other right-wing organizations had organized the Capitol riots, a former federal prosecutor turned over federal court proceedings to Reuters showing that the Proud Boys’ national leader, one Enrique Tarrio, was “an informer for federal and local law enforcement.” But Tarrio was not at the Capitol riot. Nor is there any evidence that anyone in his organization did anything to organize it. This much is clear: the FBI knew everything that this little group was doing, and has had at least some hand in what the Proud Boys have and … [Read more...]