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Thread: Emerging Surveillance State?

  1. #591
    ALCU reports, March 13th 2019: Documents Reveal ICE Using Driver Location Data From Local Police for Deportations. Click here to read article.

    Over the years in this thread, the development and rolling-out of government "license plate readers / scanners" was discussed. It is now a reality...

    The article mentioned that one system "Vigilant contains over Five Billion license plate scans nationwide", and referenced as a " Nationwide Mass-Surveillance Dragnet".

    Illegal immigration, terrorists, and criminals are used to justify "Mass-Surveillance".

    Although H.R.4760 - Securing America's Future Act of 2018 was defeated in 2018, it was tabled for a later vote. More-than-likely it will be rebranded and voted on again.

    The other day, I was at a gas station. Person in front of me was buying cigarettes, and the cashier had to scan his driver license at the register. Was that scan entered into a data base?

    People use electronic debt cards to pay for most everything, creating a record of what was bought. Is a cashless society is on the horizon?

    Food for thought: Drive to church, work, store, doctor's office... GPS within cellphones tracks it. In route to the locations license plate readers scan and record movement. Facial Recognition cameras on the streets, at airports and ports of entry. Cameras at stores, the work place and schools records and tracks people. Tech Giants are recording internet behavior of individuals. Companies are now implanting RFID bio-chips into employees' hands.

    Massive Surveillance is a reality.
    Last edited by CasperParks; 03-13-2019 at 06:55 PM.

  2. #592
    Lead Moderator calikid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CasperParks View Post
    ALCU reports, March 13th 2019: Documents Reveal ICE Using Driver Location Data From Local Police for Deportations. Click here to read article.

    Over the years in this thread, the development and rolling-out of government "license plate readers / scanners" was discussed. It is now a reality...

    The article mentioned that one system "Vigilant contains over Five Billion license plate scans nationwide", and referenced as a " Nationwide Mass-Surveillance Dragnet".

    Illegal immigration, terrorists, and criminals are used to justify "Mass-Surveillance".

    Although H.R.4760 - Securing America's Future Act of 2018 was defeated in 2018, it was tabled for a later vote. More-than-likely it will be rebranded and voted on again.

    The other day, I was at a gas station. Person in front of me was buying cigarettes, and the cashier had to scan his driver license at the register. Was that scan entered into a data base?

    People use electronic debt cards to pay for most everything, creating a record of what was bought. Is a cashless society is on the horizon?

    Food for thought: Drive to church, work, store, doctor's office... GPS within cellphones tracks it. In route to the locations license plate readers scan and record movement. Facial Recognition cameras on the streets, at airports and ports of entry. Cameras at stores, the work place and schools records and tracks people. Tech Giants are recording internet behavior of individuals. Companies are now implanting RFID bio-chips into employees' hands.

    Massive Surveillance is a reality.
    Our town has Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) at every major intersection leading into/out of the city.
    "They" know when you arrive/leave town.
    Local PD also has cruisers, with trunk mounted ALPR units, that can drive up and down your street logging info, like what time your car is parked in your driveway, and when it is gone. Some controversy recently about car covers obscuring vehicle's license, interfering with ALPR.

    Interesting that the town buys the equipment, and stores the data into a local police department database.
    There is then some options (agency policy) about IF all the data is voluntarily shared with the manufacturer, or other LEO agencies (like ICE, Sheriff, Highway Patrol, etc.) vs requiring a warrant for specific vehicle information.
    Here in California, each agency is required by state law to publish the policy on their website (compliance currently being monitored/audited).
    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
    progress. -- Joseph Joubert
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  3. #593
    If you're visiting this site for the first time, this is one of many threads worth surfing through. Over the years, there has been a lot of information posted within this thread.

    Quote Originally Posted by calikid View Post
    Our town has Automated License Plate Readers (ALPR) at every major intersection leading into/out of the city.
    "They" know when you arrive/leave town.

    Local PD also has cruisers, with trunk mounted ALPR units, that can drive up and down your street logging info, like what time your car is parked in your driveway, and when it is gone. Some controversy recently about car covers obscuring vehicle's license, interfering with ALPR.

    Interesting that the town buys the equipment, and stores the data into a local police department database.

    There is then some options (agency policy) about IF all the data is voluntarily shared with the manufacturer, or other LEO agencies (like ICE, Sheriff, Highway Patrol, etc.) vs requiring a warrant for specific vehicle information.

    Here in California, each agency is required by state law to publish the policy on their website (compliance currently being monitored/audited).
    All the sharing of information regarding individuals, sounds like a marriage between corporations, local, state and federal agencies.

    I wonder how long, if not already that cellphone GPS, Facial Recognition and Automated License Plate Readers databases are interlinked... And or all the information is transmitted to central databases.

    How many local, state and federal governments are subcontracting corporations to process and store data? Then calm; "No the government doesn't own Massive Surveillance Databases" and having full access to it.

  4. #594
    Lead Moderator calikid's Avatar
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    I have never been a fan of "secret courts" used to approve questionable Law Enforcement investigations. To easy for abuse of power to occur without proper oversight. But in this case I have to wonder if an abuse occurred, or if this is simply a case of punishment for the offense of "Contempt of President". As in, how dare anyone question the integrity of a high official. Almost funny how sensitive politicians become when (IMHO) 'questionable tools like FISA warrants' are pointed in their direction. Maybe some good can come out of it if the entire process ends up under review.

    Lindsey Graham will probe alleged FISA abuses at FBI, calls on Barr to appoint new special counsel

    Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham said Monday that he will probe alleged abuses of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) at the start of the Russia investigation, while calling on Attorney General Bill Barr to appoint a new special counsel to investigate the “other side of the story.”

    Graham, R-S.C., made the comments during a press conference on Capitol Hill following the release of the findings in the Robert Mueller investigation, which did not uncover evidence of a Trump-Russia conspiracy in 2016. Graham and other Trump allies cited the findings to renew scrutiny of the probe's origins at the FBI. The chairman said he'll look into any alleged misconduct related to the Russia investigation on the part of the Justice Department, the FBI and the Democrats, but added that due to “the emotional nature of this” he believes a new appointment is necessary.
    “I’d like to find somebody, like a Mr. Mueller, that can look into what happened with the FISA warrants, the counterintelligence investigation... "
    Story Continues
    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
    progress. -- Joseph Joubert
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  5. #595
    NBC News: How facial recognition became a routine policing tool in America. Click here to read article.

    The technology is proliferating amid concerns that it is prone to errors and allows the government to expand surveillance without much oversight.
    A lot of the information within the article is a rehash of what is known regarding law enforcement's usage of Facial Recognition. The article did mention that, very often police are not informing anyone how a suspect was identified. Worth repeating, the technology is making errors with identification of people.

    Aside from government data bases, are they accessing other resources?

  6. #596
    Lead Moderator calikid's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by CasperParks View Post
    NBC News: How facial recognition became a routine policing tool in America. Click here to read article.



    A lot of the information within the article is a rehash of what is known regarding law enforcement's usage of Facial Recognition. The article did mention that, very often police are not informing anyone how a suspect was identified. Worth repeating, the technology is making errors with identification of people.

    Aside from government data bases, are they accessing other resources?
    Figure mug shots. Wanted poster photos. Interpol most wanted. Known terrorist. All in the mix.
    .
    More gray area would be DMV pics. Passport photos. Anything mandatory NOT associated with criminal activity.
    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
    progress. -- Joseph Joubert
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  7. #597
    Lead Moderator calikid's Avatar
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    Does privacy even exist anymore?
    Senator blasts Amazon's Ring doorbell as an 'open door for privacy and civil liberty violations'
    By CATHERINE THORBECKE

    A "chilling" investigation from a Massachusetts lawmaker alleges Amazon's Ring smart doorbell has gaping privacy concerns -- including that footage of you and your family could potentially be used, shared and even sold by law enforcement.

    “Connected doorbells are well on their way to becoming a mainstay of American households, and the lack of privacy and civil rights protections for innocent residents is nothing short of chilling,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in a statement Tuesday.

    Markey added that Ring's policies "are an open door for privacy and civil liberty violations."
    "If you’re an adult walking your dog or a child playing on the sidewalk, you shouldn’t have to worry that Ring’s products are amassing footage of you and that law enforcement may hold that footage indefinitely or share that footage with any third parties," he said. "Amazon’s Ring is marketed to help keep families safe, but privacy rights are in real danger as a result of company policies. Amazon is not doing enough to ensure that its products and practices do not run afoul of our civil liberties.”

    Ring has no security requirements for law enforcement officials to gain access to users' footage, and no restrictions on them sharing it with third parties, according to the findings of the investigation released by Markey's office. Ring also "refuses to commit to not selling users' biometric data," according to the findings.
    Story Continues
    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
    progress. -- Joseph Joubert
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  8. #598
    Lead Moderator calikid's Avatar
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    You watch TV, and the TV watches you!
    .
    Now even the FBI is warning about your smart TV's security.
    By Zack Whittaker.

    If you just bought a smart TV on Black Friday or plan to buy one for Cyber Monday tomorrow, the FBI wants you to know a few things.

    Smart TVs are like regular television sets but with an internet connection. With the advent and growth of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services, most saw internet-connected televisions as a cord-cutter's dream. But like anything that connects to the internet, it opens up smart TVs to security vulnerabilities and hackers. Not only that, many smart TVs come with a camera and a microphone. But as is the case with most other internet-connected devices, manufacturers often don't put security as a priority.

    That's the key takeaway from the FBI's Portland field office, which just ahead of some of the biggest shopping days of the year posted a warning on its website about the risks that smart TVs pose.

    "Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home. A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her an easy way in the backdoor through your router," wrote the FBI.

    The FBI warned that hackers can take control of your unsecured smart TV and in worst cases, take control of the camera and microphone to watch and listen in.
    Story Continues
    The aim of an argument or discussion should not be victory, but
    progress. -- Joseph Joubert
    Attachment 1008

  9. #599
    Quote Originally Posted by calikid View Post
    You watch TV, and the TV watches you!
    .
    Now even the FBI is warning about your smart TV's security.
    By Zack Whittaker.

    If you just bought a smart TV on Black Friday or plan to buy one for Cyber Monday tomorrow, the FBI wants you to know a few things.

    Smart TVs are like regular television sets but with an internet connection. With the advent and growth of Netflix, Hulu and other streaming services, most saw internet-connected televisions as a cord-cutter's dream. But like anything that connects to the internet, it opens up smart TVs to security vulnerabilities and hackers. Not only that, many smart TVs come with a camera and a microphone. But as is the case with most other internet-connected devices, manufacturers often don't put security as a priority.

    That's the key takeaway from the FBI's Portland field office, which just ahead of some of the biggest shopping days of the year posted a warning on its website about the risks that smart TVs pose.

    "Beyond the risk that your TV manufacturer and app developers may be listening and watching you, that television can also be a gateway for hackers to come into your home. A bad cyber actor may not be able to access your locked-down computer directly, but it is possible that your unsecured TV can give him or her an easy way in the backdoor through your router," wrote the FBI.

    The FBI warned that hackers can take control of your unsecured smart TV and in worst cases, take control of the camera and microphone to watch and listen in.
    Story Continues
    Almost six years ago, I bought my first flat screen television. I remember hearing about "Smart TVs" having cameras and microphones. The television I bought doesn't have any of that. Now televisions have app capabilities. I wonder what will happen to streaming devices like Amazon Fire-stick and Roku? Streaming sticks are simply aging-out.

    I disabled Alexa on my portable Bluetooth speaker, yet I wonder is it truly disabled or can it be turned on remotely. When the Bluetooth device wanted me to allow an internet connection, I denied it. The Bluetooth is connected to my phone or tablet, why would it need an internet connection away from devices?

    The battle for privacy continues to worsen.

    I'm expecting within a year or two, we'll be reading or hearing about law enforcement accessing cameras and microphones on Smart TVs and similar devices.

  10. #600

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