From Wikileaks.org: Summary The CIA and other intelligence agencies have long been interested in the Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial Telecomminications (sic), or SWIFT. The Society, headquartered in Belgium, is the primary system used for international, and some national, bank transfers. Whoever controls SWIFT has access to the full details of millions of yearly bank…
Category: Surveillance
TSA Changes Rules On Airport Searches … Very Quietly
TSA hassled the wrong person. Previous coverage here. TSA has changed two rules about airport searches after an aide to Congressman Ron Paul recorded an incident on his iPhone. The rules changes have prompted the ACLU to drop legal action against TSA on behalf of Steve Bierfeldt. Bierfeldt was detained in March while attempting to…
EFF Obtains Records from Behind-the-Scenes Negotiations on Telecom Immunity
From the good folks over at EFF: Today the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) posted thousands of pages of records detailing behind-the-scenes negotiations between government agencies and Congress about providing immunity for telecoms involved in illegal government surveillance. The documents include drafts of legislation and communications between Congress and the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the…
Obama stares down Patriot Act criticism
Susan Crabtree reports: The Obama administration is standing firm in its support of several George W. Bush-era Patriot Act powers in the face of sharp criticism from civil rights groups, liberal Democrats and a Dec. 31 deadline to extend key provisions of the bill. The Justice Department recently reiterated its request for Congress to extend…