▶ William Binney on the NSA: ‘They’re Scrapping Our Constitution’
Also watch Scheer, Binney and Truthdig columnist Bill Blum talk about the NSA’s ability to ignore the provisions of the Patriot Act.
Section 215 of the Patriot Act Expires in June. Is Congress Ready?
You may have heard that the Patriot Act is set to expire soon. That’s not quite the case. The Patriot Act was a large bill, as were the reauthorizations that followed in 2005 and 2006. Not all of it sunsets. But three provisions do expire on June 1st: Section 215, the "Lone Wolf provision," and the "roving wiretap" provision.
Just Security: The Patriot Act’s Sunset is the Perfect Chance to Make the FISA Court More Like a Real Court
The collection of Americans’ personal information by intelligence agencies is one of the most intrusive powers the executive branch can exercise. Such programs require a strong check in the form of robust judicial review. By Elizabeth Goitein, Faiza Patel Just Security CommonDreams.org April 14, 2015 The collection of Americans’ personal information by intelligence agencies is one of More
▶ John Oliver: Government Surveillance (Interview with Edward Snowden)
There are very few government checks on what America’s sweeping surveillance programs are capable of doing. John Oliver sits down with Edward Snowden to discuss the NSA, the balance between privacy and security, and dick-pics.
Glenn Greenwald: Why John Oliver can’t find Americans who know Edward Snowden’s name (it’s not about Snowden)
Greenwald: Propagandizing 70 percent of the population is not easy to do, and obviously requires active deceit or pervasive acquiescence by the country’s news media. As part of his discussion last night, Oliver showed my favorite MSNBC clip in order to illustrate the lack of substantive surveillance discussion in the media:
Thor Benson: Why Wikimedia Just Might Win Its Lawsuit Over NSA Surveillance
From the article: “We believe that the NSA’s upstream surveillance has a chilling effect not only on Wikimedia’s writers and editors but on all of our plaintiffs,” Gorski said. “As a general matter, the private communications of innocent Americans don’t belong in the government’s hands, and if people know the NSA is watching, they’re going to hesitate before visiting controversial websites, before discussing controversial issues or investigating online politically sensitive questions.”
Glenn Greenwald: US threatened Germany over Snowden, vice chancellor says
Greenwald: In the case of Germany, no government official has previously claimed that they were threatened by the U.S. as an excuse for turning their backs on Snowden...
Wikimedia vs. NSA: Major Lawsuit Challenges Government Surveillance Of US Citizens
Filed in federal court in Maryland where the NSA is headquartered, the lawsuit (pdf) argues that the NSA is violating the plaintiffs’ privacy rights under the Fourth Amendment and infringing on their First Amendment rights.
▶ Noam Chomsky: Snowden & Chomsky, ISIS, Iraq War, U.S. Terrorism, U.S. Slavery, Venezuela, Greece, Spain
Democracy Now! interviews Noam Chomsky: A series of video vignettes on a range of current issues. DemocracyNow.org March 3, 2015 Click the the title link below each photo to watch the video. Noam Chomsky: To Deal with ISIS, U.S. Should Own Up to Chaos of Iraq War & Other Radicalizing Acts Subscribe or “Follow” us on RiseUpTimes.org. Rise More
Alfred W. McCoy: The Real American Exceptionalism
From the article: According to documents whistleblower Edward Snowden leaked to the Washington Post, the U.S. spent $500 billion on its intelligence agencies in the dozen years after the 9/11 attacks, including annual appropriations in 2012 of $11 billion for the National Security Agency (NSA) and $15 billion for the CIA. If we add the $790 billion expended on the Department of Homeland Security to that $500 billion for overseas intelligence, then Washington had spent nearly $1.3 trillion to build a secret state-within-the-state of absolutely unprecedented size and power.
The Intercept | The Great SIM Heist: How Spies Stole the Keys to the Encryption Castle | Full Story
AMERICAN AND BRITISH spies hacked into the internal computer network of the largest manufacturer of SIM cards in the world, stealing encryption keys used to protect the privacy of cellphone communications across the globe, according to top-secret documents provided to The Intercept by National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snowden.
Explosive New Snowden Doc: NSA/GCHQ Stole Vital Cell Phone Encryption Keys
New reporting by The Intercept, based on documents leaked by whistleblower, reveals how spy agencies hacked world's largest SIM card manufacturer. 'One of the biggest Snowden stories yet,' says journalist Glenn Greenwald