Surveillance

Whether you think former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden is a hero or a traitor, at the very least you now know that the National Security Agency has expanded the scope of its surveillance of American citizens quite a bit. The government…

censorship

Google’s Larry Page: We can’t Have NSA Spying and a Functioning Democracy

Juan Cole

Google’s Page says US online spying threatens democracy (via AFP) Google co-founder Larry Page on Wednesday condemned US government snooping on the Internet as a threat to democracy. His comments came during an on-stage chat at a prestigious Technology Entertainment Design gathering, where a day earlier fellow Google… ——- Related video: Bloomberg News: “What […]

Domestic Surveillance

Col. Manners on the Protocols of CIA Torture and his Love for the NSA’s Aunt Zelda

contributors

(By Tom Engelhardt for Tomdispatch) [Editor’s note]: Our old friend Colonel Manners (ret.) made his first appearance at TomDispatch last October. Today, he’s back for the third time. We have yet to run into anyone more knowledgeable in the mores, manners, and linguistic habits of the national security state. His CV (unfortunately redacted) would blow you away. At […]

CIA

Nancy Pelosi Admits That Congress Is Frightened of The CIA

Juan Cole

Over the past few months, one thing we keep hearing over and over again from defenders of the intelligence community is that everything is under control and “legal” because Congress has powerful oversight. We’ve shown, repeatedly, how that’s something…

Domestic Surveillance

When it is Feinstein being Spied on, Suddenly she Squawks

Juan Cole

(By Juan Cole) Senator Diane Feinstein (D-CA) took to the senate floor on Tuesday to denounce the Central Intelligence Agency for spying on her staff as it undertook an investigation into the CIA torture program conducted under the Bush administration. The corporate media in the US refer to it as an “interrogation” program, often playing […]

Domestic Surveillance

Edward Snowden: The US is Undermining its own Cybersecurity

Juan Cole

SXSW: Snowden Touts Encryption, Swipes at NSA (via slashdot) In a Google Hangout with an auditorium full of South by Southwest attendees, government whistleblower (and former NSA employee) Edward Snowden suggested that encrypted communication should become more ubiquitous and easier to use for the majority of… —– The video: Edward Snowden and ACLU at […]

CIA

CIA: Only Spied On Senate Because They Took Documents Proving We Lied

Juan Cole

Earlier this week, we wrote about the accusations that the CIA was spying on Senate staffers on the Senate Intelligence Committee as they were working on a massive $40 million 6,300 pages report condemning the CIA’s torture program. The DOJ is apparently…

CIA

Rachel Maddow: CIA spying on Congress ‘is death of the Republic stuff’

Juan Cole

A dispute between the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Senate Intelligence Committee may have spilled into dangerous territory, MSNBC host Rachel Maddow said on Wednesday, following a New York Times report that agency operatives gained access…

Barack Obama

Least Transparent Administration Ever: A New Front in Obama’s War on Whistleblowers

contributors

(By Peter Van Buren) The Obama administration has just opened a new front in its ongoing war on whistleblowers. It’s taking its case against one man, former Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Air Marshal Robert MacLean, all the way to the Supreme Court. So hold on, because we’re going back down the rabbit hole with the Most […]