Proposed new FBI rules draw civil liberties worries

The American Civil Liberties Union expressed concern the rewritten rules had been drafted in a way to allow the FBI to begin surveillance without factual evidence to back it up.

It said that under the new guidelines, a person's race or ethnic background could be used as a factor in opening an investigation, a move the ACLU believes will institute racial profiling as a matter of policy.

Read more.

New Guidelines Would Give F.B.I. Broader Powers

The senators said the new guidelines would allow the F.B.I. to open an investigation of an American, conduct surveillance, pry into private records and take other investigative steps “without any basis for suspicion.” The plan “might permit an innocent American to be subjected to such intrusive surveillance based in part on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, or on protected First Amendment activities,” the letter said. It was signed by Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island.

Read more.

Fingerprint test tells much more than identity

With a new analytical technique, a fingerprint can reveal much more than the identity of a person. It can also identify what the person has been touching — drugs, explosives or poisons, for example.


...

As it becomes cheaper and more widely available, the Desi technology has potential ethical implications, Cooks said. Instead of drug tests, a company could surreptitiously check for illegal drug use of its employees by analyzing computer keyboards after the employees have gone home, for instance.

Ah, the future looks so bright, doesn't it? Just think how this can be abused.

Read more, and wear gloves more often.

Feds to Collect Millions of DNA Profiles Yearly, Stay Out if You Can

The feds will soon be collecting about one million DNA samples a year under a new program that lets federal agents collect cheek swabs from citizens merely arrested for any federal crime or from any non-citizen detained by federal agents -- including visitors to the country who have visas.

Read more.

Court: Government Must Reveal Watch-List Status to Constantly Detained Americans

Eight Americans of south Asian and Middle Eastern descent who were repeatedly detained at the border for questioning will be able to learn if they are actually on the government's terrorist watch list, a federal court in Illinois ruled last week, marking the first time that citizens have been able to learn whether they have been added to a sprawling and error-prone list used for screening at borders and traffic stops.

The government invoked the powerful state secrets privilege in the case, arguing that letting the plaintiffs know if they are or aren't on the list would harm national security since that could alert them to the fact they have been under government scrutiny.

But since the government admits it has stopped the six men and two women more than 35 times, federal Magistrate Judge Sidney Schenkier of the United States Northern Illinois District Court dismissed that argument. Instead he found that the government "failed to establish that, under all the circumstances of this case, disclosure of that information would create a reasonable danger of jeopardizing national security."

Read more.

Soon U.S. Citizens Must Ask for Government Permission to Fly or Travel

The Department of Homeland Security's Transportation Security
Administration (TSA) is moving forward to institute a rule that would
require all passengers to go through a government review process before
boarding any airplane that takes off or lands anywhere with in the
United States.

Read more, but don't fly anywhere.

You think you are free?

Unless we tear ourselves away
from our pretty toys and distractions just long enough to remove our
rose-coloured specs, freedom will be obsolete except as a slogan above the gate
of the Ministry of Truth.

Read more.

Rule by fear or rule by law?

Beginning in 1999, the government has entered into a series of single-bid contracts with Halliburton subsidiary Kellogg, Brown and Root (KBR) to build detention camps at undisclosed locations within the United States. The government has also contracted with several companies to build thousands of railcars, some reportedly equipped with shackles, ostensibly to transport detainees.

According to diplomat and author Peter Dale Scott, the KBR contract is part of a Homeland Security plan titled ENDGAME, which sets as its goal the removal of "all removable aliens" and "potential terrorists."

It gets worse:

Also in 2007, the White House quietly issued National Security Presidential Directive 51 (NSPD-51), to ensure "continuity of government" in the event of what the document vaguely calls a "catastrophic emergency." Should the president determine that such an emergency has occurred, he and he alone is empowered to do whatever he deems necessary to ensure "continuity of government." This could include everything from canceling elections to suspending the Constitution to launching a nuclear attack. Congress has yet to hold a single hearing on NSPD-51.

And worse:

A clue as to where Harman's commission might be aiming is the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act, a law that labels those who "engage in sit-ins, civil disobedience, trespass, or any other crime in the name of animal rights" as terrorists. Other groups in the crosshairs could be anti-abortion protesters, anti-tax agitators, immigration activists, environmentalists, peace demonstrators, Second Amendment rights supporters ... the list goes on and on. According to author Naomi Wolf, the National Counterterrorism Center holds the names of roughly 775,000 "terror suspects" with the number increasing by 20,000 per month.

What could the government be contemplating that leads it to make contingency plans to detain without recourse millions of its own citizens?

All this and more in the San Francisco Chronicle.

Religious minorities face Real ID crackdown

More than two decades after the Quaring case, approximately a dozen states now offer religious exceptions when issuing driver's licenses. But because of a federal law called the Real ID Act that takes effect on May 11, residents of those states who have pictureless licenses could expect problems flying on commercial airliners and entering federal buildings, including some Social Security and Veterans Affairs offices.

Read more.

UK Couple banned for life from shopping centre and branded 'terrorists' - for taking photos of their grandchildren

They were thrown out of the centre after they took out a camera to snap the look on the youngsters' faces when they turned up unexpectedly.

Read more.

No proof airport security makes flying safer-study

Airport security lines can annoy passengers, but there is no evidence that they make flying any safer, U.S. researchers reported on Thursday.

A team at the Harvard School of Public Health could not find any studies showing whether the time-consuming process of X-raying carry-on luggage prevents hijackings or attacks.

They also found no evidence to suggest that making passengers take off their shoes and confiscating small items prevented any incidents.

It's all about "conditioning".

Read more.

The land of the free - but free speech is a rare commodity

You can say what you like in the US, just as long as you don't ask awkward questions about America's role in the Middle East.

It used to be said that academic rows were vicious because the stakes were so small. That's no longer true in America, where a battle is underway on campuses over what can be said about the Middle East and US foreign policy.

Read more.

DHS to begin full fingerprint scans for visitors

The Homeland Security Department intends to begin scanning all 10 fingerprints for foreign visitors starting Nov. 29 at Dulles International Airport in Virginia, department officials said Tuesday.

...

The 10-finger U.S. Visit scans are being rolled out at U.S. airports and at all land and sea border crossings, with a goal of being fully operational by the end of 2008, according to press reports of the briefing.

Why would anyone choose to visit the United States?

Read more.

Now passengers need ID to travel within Britain

Passengers on domestic flights and ferries between mainland Britain and Northern Ireland will be required to carry identity papers for the first time from next year.

Read more.

Dominatrix who claimed to have S&M sex with Bush said to be missing

Leola McConnell, the former dominatrice and militant for civil equality for people of all sexual orientations — who claimed in her memoir, “Lustful Utterances,” to have had S&M sex with George Bush in the 1980s — is feared by friends to be missing, according to this report:

Read more.

Terror crackdown: Passengers forced to answer 53 questions BEFORE they travel

Travellers face price hikes and confusion after the Government unveiled plans to take up to 53 pieces of information from anyone entering or leaving Britain.

For every journey, security officials will want credit card details, holiday contact numbers, travel plans, email addresses, car numbers and even any previous missed flights.

Make...note: ... Never...visit...Britain.

Read more.

Gordon Brown reveals 'Fortress Britain' plan

He conjured up visions of ''Fortress Britain" as he unveiled a succession of security measures at airports, railway stations, sports venues and other public places.

There is also to be a huge "hearts and minds" drive aimed at diverting young Muslims away from the influence of fanatics.

Religious fanatics are not limited to Muslims.

Read more.

Peace of mind when they ask to borrow the car

Proponents say the devices help teenagers become more aware and therefore become more responsible drivers. But most teenagers understandably are not thrilled at more parental control.

...

While no statistics show that monitoring prevents youthful driver injury and death, some parents are convinced that knowing what their teenagers are up to is far better than not knowing.

Insurance companies are beginning to agree, with some offering discounts for families with tracking technology in their cars. Starting October 4, Safeco began offering up to a 15 percent discount on policies for customers in 39 states who opt for "Teensurance," which includes roadside assistance and the installation of a free GPS device.

The device allows the parent to set a vehicle's maximum speed, how far it can travel and a curfew--at which time the car can no longer be driven. If the curfew is violated, for example, parents receive a cell phone or e-mail notification--for a monthly service fee.

...

"If you realize you are being monitored, it keeps you constantly aware," she said.

Getting the next generation accustomed to constant surveillance.

Read more.

Homeland Security Is Googling You

We’ve all undoubtedly heard the warnings about being careful about the information we put online, as well as the stories of potential employers and college admissions and coaches checking up on people online through Google and social networking sites like MySpace and Facebook. But here’s a new one for you: the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is also using this information to check up on individuals entering the country. “They” are watching you, and “they” know what you’ve been up to.

Read more, but look over your shoulder.

In Britain, law has long arms, eagle eyes

The closed-circuit television camera lurking just down the street from the fast-food restaurant bellows menacingly at the first sign of danger to the flora, or a cast-off cigarette butt or fast-food wrapper, for that matter. "Pick it up," commands a booming voice from . . . where, exactly?

The CCTV cameras in Gloucester and several other British towns now come equipped with speakers, meaning Big Brother is not only watching, he's telling you what to do.

...

For all the increased anti-terrorism security measures in the U.S., there is probably no society on Earth more watched than Britain.

...

The DNA profile of every person arrested -- even those briefly detained for, say, loitering, and released without charge -- is on file in what is believed to be, per capita, the largest such database in the world, with 3.9 million samples. It includes the genetic markings of an estimated 40% of Britain's black male population.

I ask again, why would anyone still live in the UK?

Read more.