Category Archives: CIA Spy Shit

The Security State Exists to Inhibit You, Not Protect You: The Texas Poopgate Edition

Posted on September 4, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

It’s a point I’ve made before–most of our ‘anti-terrorism’ infrastructure, at least within the U.S., targets people who are essentially harmless. Depending on your point of view, they might be annoying or even disruptive, but they hardly constitute a clear … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties | 1 Comment

Is the NSA Actually Aware of All Internet Traditions? Some Thoughts on Incompetency

Posted on August 26, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

By aware of all internet traditions, I mean competent. Juan Cole makes a very good point about NSA (and who knows who else) surveillance: If the NSA and ATF have the telephone, credit card and internet records of all Americans, … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties | 3 Comments

When Secrecy Classification Is Used to Stigmatize

Posted on July 26, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

In an incredible display of idiocy, the Department of Homeland Security has ordered its employees to avoid reading news stories that feature the leaked NSA information: Per the National Cybersecurity Communications Integration Center: There is a recent article on the … Continue reading →

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Because Organized Vagrants and Pacifist Grandmothers Are a Clear and Present Danger

Posted on July 24, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

One of our great counterterrorism failures are the government fusion centers–these are supposed to be information clearing houses that focus on terrorism and share information among local, state, and federal agencies to prevent intelligence lapses. That’s the idea anyway. The … Continue reading →

Posted in Boston, CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties | 1 Comment

Government By Fraidy-Cats

Posted on July 13, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

So the FISA courts–the secret court that decides whether or not to grant warrants for anti-terrorism surveillance–have had some very interesting judges. Here’s one (boldface mine): That fatigue is fueled, in part, by the disheartening details of terrorism investigations presented … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties, Fucking Morons | 2 Comments

Will We Have a Data Security Problem With Obamacare?

Posted on July 10, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Because this, from a story about the federal insurance exchange contractors for the ACA, is just to juicy to pass up (boldface mine): The Government Accountability Office found that the administration had spent $394 million on contracts to establish federal … Continue reading →

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Yes, Complete Surveillance Will Be Misused: The Mail Cover Edition

Posted on July 8, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

While mail covers, which track record the outside of envelopes and parcels, have been around for a very long time, according to the NY Times, the outside of every piece of mail is now being scanned and saved. But what … Continue reading →

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Did I Miss the Discussion About Constant Surveillance?

Posted on June 26, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

So I’m continuing to dig out from grant writing, and I see that NYC Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly had some interesting things to say about the NSA revelations: Police Commissioner Ray Kelly launched a stinging rebuke to the federal government’s … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties | 2 Comments

Civil Liberties Through the PRISM of Greenwald and Snowden

Posted on June 19, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

Reading much of the commentary about the NSA revelations, what I’ve noticed is that arguing about Edward Snowden’s and Glenn Greenwald’s character has become a proxy, as well as a replacement, for discussing what the NSA is doing. It’s bizarre … Continue reading →

Posted in CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties | 5 Comments

We Didn’t Give Away Our Information–It Was Extorted From Us (The Death of Contracts)

Posted on June 10, 2013 by mikethemadbiologist

In the discussion surrounding the NSA spying revelations, I’ve seen a few people mention how people have freely given away their personal information. For instance, David Sirota writes: As I noted on CNN, when it comes to civil liberties, the … Continue reading →

Posted in Bidness, CIA Spy Shit, Civil Liberties, Internet | 2 Comments