Keith Alexander to Earn $600,000 a Month for Preventing DDos Attacks
When Politico reported that Keith Alexander was shacking up with shadow regulator Promontory Financial Group to profit off his cyber fear-mongering, I knew he'd be raking in the bucks.
Bloomberg provides more details on how much: his asking…
Massie-Lofgren Would Shut Down ALL Back Door Searches under Section 702
There are two details about the Massie-Lofgren Amendment -- which passed the house by a 293-123 vote last night -- that are currently being missed. First, the bill would shut down all back door searches under Section 702.
Except as provided…
"Trap and Trace Confidentiality" and National Dragnets
As a number of outlets are reporting, ACLU liberated some emails catching Florida cops agreeing to lie about the Stingray devices used to capture suspects.
As you are aware for some time now, the US Marshalls and I believe FDLE have had equipment…
Massie-Lofgren Amendment Closes NSA's Back Door (for Now)
The Massie-Lofgren amendment to the appropriations bill just passed, 293-123.
The amendment would prohibit funds to be used to do either of two things:
Conduct back door searches on US person selectors
Require companies to put back…
Defund All "Bad Guy" National Security Thinking
Ellen Nakashima has a report on the development of CyberCommand's national mission teams. Here's how her anonymous "senior defense official" source described their job.
Part of their job is to do reconnaissance work on foreign networks to…
Time for an Executive Branch Internet Dragnet
As George Zornick and Josh Hicks laid out (saving me the trouble) the news that IRS lost Lois Lerner's emails from the period during which she reviewed the tax status of political groups is not all that surprising. After all, there's a long…
Important Victories for the Fourth Amendment May Pose Big Threat to Dragnet
Sorry for the absence of late. I've been traveling and working on outside deadlines. But I should be back in the saddle for the next little while.
During the period I've been traveling, there have been two significant victories for the Fourth…
Dick Cheney's Interests: Not Ours
In Salon today, I've joined the chorus of people objecting to PapaDick Cheney and his spawn Liz BabyDick's op-ed claiming of Obama that, “Rarely has a U.S. president been so wrong about so much at the expense of so many.”
In addition…
The Ugly Political Sock Puppetry of Arizona's Top Educator
Despite the obvious heat surplus and water shortage issues, Arizona continues to be one of the most growth intensive states, and has pegged much of its future on what can be loosely called "smart sectors" such as information technology, solar,…
Richard Posner Wants You To Learn to Love Secrecy
As you've likely already heard, the 7th Circuit ruled aggressively against Adel Daoud, overturning Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman's ruling that his lawyers could review his FISA warrant. This was utterly predictable, but unfortunate nevertheless.
Steve…
The Black Holes in USA Freedumber's Inspector General Reports
I'm still working on understanding all the crud that is included in the USA Freedumber Act. And for the first time, I have looked really closely at the language on Inspector General Reports, which effectively modifies Section 106 of the 2005…
Post Snowden: The Government Doubles Down on Hard Power
I was asked to participate in a CATO debate about where we are a year post Snowden. My contribution to that debate -- in which I argue any big drama going forward will come from the newly adversarial relationship between Google and the NSA --…
Will Obama Treat Victoria Nuland More Leniently than PJ Crowley?
Over three years ago, State Department spokesperson PJ Crowley had to resign after he called Chelsea Manning's treatment "ridiculous and counterproductive and stupid."
In a bizarre NYT story suggesting that Assistant Secretary of State for…
Remotely Yours: Internet of Things Meets Father's Day
After all you father-types have finished opening your gift-wrapped nifty new cellphones and car stereo systems, wireless remote thermostats, fitness tracking watches, and Google Glasses received from your adoring spawn, you might want set aside…
SouthCom Commander Calls Gitmo Hunger Strikes "a Joke"
The government has made 10 of the videos showing the force-feeding of Abu Wa’el Dhiab available to his lawyers. They are reportedly watching the video this weekend.
In a piece seemingly meant to diminish concerns about the claims the…
Judge Will Review DOJ's Withholding of More Section 215 Orders
Citing the significant public interest and past overclassification, the judge in EFF's side of the Section 215 FOIA has ordered DOJ to cough up 5 (actually, I believe it is 6) orders, so she can review them in camera to see whether the government…
What if US Government Had Not Demanded We "Drop It" on Maliki's Corruption in 2010?
The other day, Marc Lynch wrote a piece posing these questions about the ISIS advance in Iraq.
The more interesting questions are about Iraq itself. Why are these cities falling virtually without a fight? Why are so many Iraqi Sunnis seemingly…
Mike Rogers Says Google Must Lose Its Quarter to Save a Rickety Bank
Josh Gerstein already wrote about some of this Mike Rogers blather. But I wanted to transcribe the whole thing to display how utterly full of shit he is.
At a conference at Georgetown the other day, (see video 3), Rogers laid into the tech…
Did the Government Invent Terrorist Threats Out of Adel Daoud's Term Paper?
I'm just now getting around to listening to the Mulligan hearing in Adel Daoud's hearing at the 7th Circuit on Monday which the panel held because the hearing held the previous Wednesday had not been taped.
The hearing (as opposed to Judge…
USA Freedumber Reverses John Bates' Attempts at Oversight
I've written about this here and here, but I'm going to make one more effort at explaining why I believe HR 3361 (AKA USA Freedumber Act) will undo the paltry efforts John Bates made to rein in the NSA.
My argument is that with section 202…