Russell Brandom reports: The FBI has a new view into what’s happening on Twitter. Last week, the bureau hired Dataminr, a Twitter-linked analytics firm, to provide an “advanced alerting tool” to over 200 users. Twitter owns a 5 percent stake in Dataminr and provides it with exclusive access to the full “firehose” of live tweets, making it a…
Category: Govt
Big Brother is spying on everyone’s ‘rewards card’ purchases
Joe Cadillic follows up on an article out of Seattle about how those who purchased pet food using a store loyalty card at their supermarket received reminders from the government about the requirement of pet licenses. I had noted the Seattle Times editorial on the issue. Joe writes, in part: Direct mailing companies are using…
Mayor: Database of undocumented New Yorkers could be deleted
David Shortell reports: A database containing the identity of undocumented immigrants living in New York City would not be opened up to a Trump administration without a “real fight,” the city’s mayor said on Thursday. Mayor Bill de Blasio, speaking at a news conference the day after President-elect Donald Trump’s stunning electoral victory, also left open…
Pondering pet privacy: Big Brother shouldn’t peer into your groceries
The Seattle Times has an editorial that begins: Recently, some King County residents received a letter from the government reminding them they are required by law to register their pets. The letter was sent to a mailing list generated by a marketing company that gets its information from various sources, including grocery-store loyalty cards. Wait!…