privacy
Could Police Drones Be an Unexpected Guest in Your Yard?
Legislation passed by the N.C. General Assembly would allow drones to take pictures of an open-invitation gathering, even if it’s on private property, without a warrant. North Carolina is figuring out the boundary between expectations of privacy and the use of surveillance drones by law enforcement agencies.
Surprise! Retailers Can No Longer Track iPhone Users by Wi-Fi in Stores
Well, the retailer could, once. But the merchant would never know if the shopper returns because iOS 8 randomizes the device ID every time it connects to a Wi-Fi network. The solution? No surprise! Beacons. When Apple Inc. made the latest version of its mobile operating system, iOS 8, available last week, CEO Tim Cook launched a new section of the Apple site devoted to mobile privacy.
FBI Finishes $1 Billion Facial Recognition System
It’s a program that still sounds futuristic, even today. The FBI announced its facial recognition program is finally up and running – and it has some privacy advocates a little concerned. Labeled as the “Next Generation Identification System," or NGI, the $1-billion program has been in development since at least 2008 when the FBI announced it was granting Lockheed Martin a contract to start building it.
Ex-Lowell MA Library Aide Claims Foul Over City’s Surveillance
Former Pollard Memorial Library Assistant Diane Cloutier says the city of Lowell’s surveillance of her constitutes an invasion of privacy. The city’s hiring of private investigators to covertly track employees […]
Some Claim Boston Schools Go Too Far With Audio Surveillance Of School Buses
EDITORIAL – Matthew J. Lee, Bostom Globe staff – A new video camera system is installed above the drivers seat in a Boston school bus. Boston’s school […]
On Photography, Cops Need To Get A Clue
We can’t expect privacy in public, but neither should police officers and public employees. Security cameras operated by the Department of Homeland Security are installed in front of a federal […]
Is It Legal To Post Business Surveillance Video Online?
Is it legal to post business video-surveillance footage online? Many businesses employ video surveillance systems and the footage can often result in useful— or humorous— clips that somehow find their […]
Hanover Restaurant Not Guilty For Security Cameras In Bathroom
The owner of Mechanicsville, Virginia’s Calabash Seafood Restaurant and Midway Lounge is off the hook after being charged for installing surveillance cameras in the men’s bathroom. A judge found the […]
Study: Cops Like License Plate Scanners, Privacy Advocates Do Not
Here are some civil-liberty questions worth debating: assuming you’re an ordinary everyday person going about your life without harming others —an assumption which holds true for the overwhelming majority of […]
EFF And 31 Other Organizations Call For Privacy Assessment Of FBI’s Biometric Database
The FBI plans to roll out the face recognition component of its massive Next Generation Identification (NGI) biometrics database this summer – but the Bureau has six years of catching […]
Top 4 Ways US Gov?t Acting Unconstitutional On 4th Amendment
Editorial By Peter Van Buren. The views expressed below are those of Mr. Peter Van Buren. Leave us your comments below. Here’s a bit of history from another America: the […]
Civil Liberties Groups Reject IBIA Biometric ?Best Practices? Recommendations
The International Biometrics and Identification Association (IBIA) recently issued a “best practices” document listing numerous recommendations on how to best deploy biometric technology for commercial situations. The IBIA is participating […]
Years After Court Ruling On GPS Tracking, Muddy Landscape For Judges, Law Enforcement
A 2-year-old Supreme Court decision has caused more confusion than clarity on how police may track the whereabouts of criminal suspects, illustrating how hard it is for the slow-moving judicial […]
U.S. House Of Reps Votes To Ban Purchase Of License-Plate Cameras
Moving to protect privacy amidst increased public fear about government surveillance, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Tuesday to ban certain federal agencies from purchasing cameras that capture images of […]
Scapegoating Face Recognition Technology As Privacy Wormhole Doesn?t Solve Anything
Facial recognition technology is facing a blitz of negative media with wormhole-like theories that this technology results in mass surveillance, destroys anonymity, and will forever change the way people behave […]
Chicago Security Camera Surge Sparks Concerns Of ‘Massive Surveillance System’
Between traffic-light cameras, blue-light cameras that scan neighborhoods for violent crime, cameras on board city trains and buses —not to mention private security cameras— there are few places you can […]
Hide From Surveillance By Wearing A Mask Of This Artist’s Face
By Zach Sokol: There’s this really funny scene in Infinite Jest where David Foster Wallace imagines a future where video phone calls make people so self-conscious and insecure that they […]
The Public Calls For No Drone Zone: The City Council Dithers
It was supposed to be a night to "Ground the Drones" but, as Berkeley, CA., Peace and Justice Commissioner Bob Meola put it, "it was more like the movie, Groundhog […]
The New Big Brother: Your Neighbors – Households Urged To Stop Using CCTV To Film Those Living Next Door
Fears of excessive state surveillance are commonplace. But it seems the real spies could be closer to home – the neighbors. Members of the public have been urged to stop […]
Bill Gates Files Patent To Protect You From ?Glassholes?
Google opened up its new Glass product for sale to the general public for the first time recently and Bill Gates is already taking steps to protect you from the […]