Kathleen McGrory and Natalie Weber report: The U.S. Department of Education has opened an investigation into whether the Pasco school district broke federal law by sharing private student information with the Pasco Sheriff’s Office. The Tampa Bay Times reported in November that the school district shared information on student grades, discipline and attendance with the Sheriff’s Office,…
Category: Govt
Microsoft received almost 25,000 requests for consumer data from law enforcement over the past six months
Richard Speed reports: Microsoft has had a busy six months if its latest biannual digital trust report is anything to go by as law enforcement agencies crept closer to making 25,000 legal requests. Requests for consumer data reached 24,798 during the second half of 2020, up from 24,093 during the previous six-month period, and quite a jump from…
The FBI wanted to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. It turned to a little-known Australian firm.
Ellen Nakashima and Reed Albergotti report: The iPhone used by a terrorist in the San Bernardino shooting was unlocked by a small Australian hacking firm in 2016, ending a momentous standoff between the U.S. government and the tech titan Apple. Azimuth Security, a publicity-shy company that says it sells its cyber wares only to democratic…
US government is purchasing smart data to spy on its citizens
Tim Sandle reports: … The information collated by the government, unbeknown to most citizens, is transferred into a database called CLEAR. This digital repository holds in excess of 400 million names, addresses and service records drawn from 80 utility companies providing services like water, gas and electricity, and phone, Internet and cable TV. The database is…