… but just so you’ll know. Some of those “let’s find a lame excuse to stop this vehicle so we can search for drugs or drug money” stops are actually the product of a secret spy program. Connection between DEA and NSA still unknown. Because the DEA gives orders (or perhaps takes orders) to keep all this under wraps — even from defense lawyers and sometimes even from their friends the persecutors. Hm. Whatever happened to the right to confront your accuser — your actual accuser — in court? The Wall Street Journal reports that, among other nice things, the…
Category: Privacy and self ownership
Owning our own information and telling Big Brother to get lost
Okay, so here I am. Deadline met. Brief respite from this summer’s chronic busy-ness. Whew. I woke up in the dark this morning and sipped hot, sweet tea as I watched dawn creep in. Watching the world go from black to gray to subtle color has always been one of my favorite things. After months of barely noticing my surroundings, this quiet morning was especially welcome. —– But lounging around in my nightshirt sipping Ahmad English #1, however much a treat it may be for me, doesn’t make great blog fodder. Better blogitude comes from worse news: like the fedgov’s…
If you’re old enough, you remember when Russian dissidents thought they were better off to defect to the U.S. Such a long, long time ago. Really long … Reason # 4,386,542 to be leery of Facebook. Odd one. Viral humor. I was really trying to avoid the Heidi Yewman Ms magazine saga (ignorant hoplophobe forces self to carry a gun for a month and reports on how icky it made her feel to, like, have to be aware of her environment and, you know, have grown-up responsibilities and all). Even when Joel had at Ms. Yewman in his inimitable style,…
Pre-order here. This is for a turnkey privacy-enhancing wifi device with TOR built into it, ready to go to work for you, your non-techie family members, and your houseguests. Original post and discussion here. Remember that no single device or app can guarantee complete security under all circumstances. For instance, you don’t want to be using TOR (which this device provides) while inputting personally identifiable information. However, for your private surfing needs, this may be as easy as basic protection gets. Its maker, Scott, will be around to answer questions.
Beware. Stewart Rhodes and Dan Johnson the latest targets, but not the first. Via Sipsey Street. As the Dutchman notes, this is probably an “Empire Strikes Back” attempt. But even if it’s only a “friends of the empire” trick, it’s a filthy dangerous one.
“And if he could just give up [his addiction to running for office], he could live a full, productive life as an internet sex freak!” “Predator student loans.” Why are so many commentaries so good at analyzing problems and so lame at naming real solutions? Your “representatives” like spying on you. Even when they aren’t personally allowed in on all your secrets. I guess we can comfort ourselves that the vote was at least impressively close. Oh yeah. Now this is a not-bright idea. In more ways than one. The other day we linked to economist and actor Ben Stein.…
* Want the privacy advantages of TOR, but don’t want to install TOR on your computer? * Want the privacy advantages of TOR, but can’t install it on your computer or mobile device? * Want your friends, family, and guests to be able to easily anonymize — even if they aren’t geeks? * Want anonymity you can take wherever you go? That’s what Onion Pi is for. Sez its creator: Using it is easy-as-pie. First, plug the Ethernet cable into any Internet provider in your home, work, hotel or conference/event. Next, power up the Pi with the micro USB cable…
“Stop, Drop, and Cower.” The official DHS guide to safe interactions with government agents. 😉 (H/T David Codrea) Rockin’ Gramma. Yet another (particularly egregious) act of fedgov terrorism and thuggery. Under what authority is Eric Holder ordering Sanford, Florida, police to keep holding Zimmerman’s gun? I already dropped this link into comments, but for you who don’t follow the Commentariat, here’s Justin Raimondo’s excellent piece “Is America a Free Country?” StartPage and IXquick offer an advance in search encryption. Via Borepatch:
App to “geolocate dangerous guns and owners.” The reviews are the best part. Grate boocks four somer reeding. You know, I don’t usually write about golf. In fact, I doubt I’ve ever written about golf even once in my entire life. But oh wow, the Bubba Watson hovercraft golf cart is COOL! There are a lot of outrageous things about secret gummint spying. One of them is that we’re paying for what’s being done to us. Just in case you’re getting closer to being driven offshore. (H/T Sandy Sandfort, who’s as offshore as it gets.) The most stupifyingly boring video…
Time to train cops not to shoot dogs. Ya think? (But if they quit killing our pets, how will the cowards control us??? Oh yeah, that’s right. By SWATting our poker games and busting our kids’ lemonade stands.) Nostalgia has never been my thing. Those “good old days”? They weren’t really so good. Turns out, though, that nostalgia’s actually good for you. Awwwwww. Blind couple fall in love after their guide dogs do. It’s a crappy law and just more permit pushing. But both houses of the Illinois legislature hugely overrode Gov. Pat Quinn’s weird attempt to use his veto…