American companies are providing technology to China to be used in their mass surveillance of their people.

The Fourth Amendment prohibition against illegal search and seizure made it into the U.S. Constitution precisely because its drafters understood that the power to snoop is addictive. Even if we happen to trust in the good intentions of the snoopers, the nature of any government can change rapidly — which is why the Constitution places limits on the tools available to any regime. But the drafters could never have imagined the commercial pressures at play today. The global homeland-security business is now worth an estimated $200 billion — more than Hollywood and the music industry combined. Any sector of that size inevitably takes on its own momentum. New markets must be found — which, in the Big Brother business, means an endless procession of new enemies and new emergencies: crime, immigration, terrorism.

We're in very real danger of what they have over there being implemented here. And it's already begun. (H/T to slashdot for the link) Tags: Big Brother

The EFF has an excellent article about how to avoid being searched at the border. Specifically, how to protect your laptop data that courts recently ruled could be searched without warrant. Tags: Big Brother, EFF

Here's a guide on how to make a very low cost GPS tracking device useful for monitoring your own car, your loved ones, or anyone else for that mater so long as you can slip this device into their bag or car. (H/T to digg for the link) Tags: Big Brother, GPS

You can be forced to turn it on and let border agents browse around for stuff to charge you with. Isn’t that nice? Tags: Big Brother

It was just yesterday that I was explaining why closed circuit tv systems (the the ones they have prominently installed all over London) don't work. Here's an article about a London Graffiti artist who carefully painted a giant message to the authorities that spans three full stories on a building right next to a security camera.

The secretive graffiti artist managed to erect three storeys of scaffolding behind a security fence despite being watched by a CCTV camera. Then, during darkness and hidden behind a sheet of polythene, he painted this comment on 'Big Brother' society.

Way to make a point. Tags: Big Brother, UK

D.C. officials are giving police access to more than 5,000 closed-circuit TV cameras citywide that monitor traffic, schools and public housing — a move that will give the District one of the largest surveillance networks in the country.

(H/T to The Electronic Privacy Information Center - EPIC for the link) Tags: Big Brother

Many states have defied REAL ID for privacy (but mostly money) reasons. Now it looks like things are coming to a head with the DHS warning Maine that if they don't implement REAL ID, their identification may no longer be accepted at airports. (H/T to privacyorg for the link) Tags: Big Brother, Security Theater

If you're not aware of this already, Bush authorized the NSA to spy on Americans without a warrant (which is illegal, duh). He's managed to keep Congress from impeaching him somehow and, emboldened by his victory, he's even pushing to protect giant telecommunications companies like AT&T from the lawsuits that have sprung up against them for participating in the spying.

[Bush] Now the question is, should these lawsuits be allowed to proceed, or should any company that may have helped save American lives be thanked for performing a patriotic service; should those who stepped forward to say we’re going to help defend America have to go to the courthouse to defend themselves, or should the Congress and the President say thank you for doing your patriotic duty? I believe we ought to say thank you.

Well… I guess he has a point. Let me try: "Thank you Telcos for helping Bush to violate our rights violently and repeatedly for years". Wait, I don't think I did that right. Let me try again: "Thank you Telcos for scrambling to cover your butts as much as possible and helping to shield our corrupt leadership from direct responsibility". Dang. Maybe this time: "Thank you for treating our privacy and personal rights as so much cow dung to be buried and stepped upon as you see fit". You know, I don't think I can get the hang of this. (H/T to digg for the link) Tags: Big Brother, Bushiness

Because of fears of data sharing, data loss, and inappropriate disclosure, people are circumventing their doctors and insurance companies when getting DNA tests. Smart people. Can and would they use your DNA results against you? Do credit card companies raise your rates according to unrelated things on your credit report? Do insurance companies raise your rates due to traffic tickets that have little to do with telling how good or safe a driver you are? Like I said, avoiding a record of your DNA is a smart idea. By the way, Gattica is a great movie that describes what a future of DNA discrimination would look like. Tags: Big Brother, DNA Testing

According to an Associate Press article, it's quite common for employees to snoop through customers' personal data.

Vast computer databases give curious employees the ability to look up sensitive information on people with the click of a mouse. The WE Energies database includes credit and banking information, payment histories, Social Security numbers, addresses, phone numbers, and energy usage. In some cases, it even includes income and medical information. Experts say some companies do little to stop such abuses even though they could lead to identity theft, stalking and other privacy invasions. And companies that uncover violations can keep them quiet because in many cases it is not illegal to snoop, only to use the data for crimes.

But of course, if they didn't store all that unecessary data, this would be far less of an issue. (H/T to The Consumerist for the link) Tags: Big Brother