We're creating a nation of spies and our tax dollars are being used to do it!
Our personal lives have increasingly become public information: Each day people enthusiastically post 400 million tweets and upload 300 million new photos to Facebook. Americans are routinely tracked through smartphone apps and instantly background-checked through surveillance cameras. We each leave a treasure trove of per sonal information in places that are surprisingly accessible—such as Tyler Yagerhofer's Xbox Live profile—and so widespread that it's impossible to keep track of it, much less secure it all.
This slow and steady degradation of personal privacy has become so pervasive that many citizens are inured to it. But when personal data suddenly falls into the hands of those willing to abuse it, victims get a chilling reminder of how exposed the free flow of that information has left them. So much of our information gets collected, traded, and aggregated that it's not difficult for a shady company, corner-cutting law enforcement officer, or snickering online troll with a twisted sense of humor to find out where we live, how we spend our time, and whom we care about, then wreak havoc.
Over the past decade, vast networks of police surveillance cameras have also been trained on pedestrians in cities such as New York City, Baltimore, Detroit, and Long Beach, Calif. Currently many systems use video analytics to automatically alert authorities to suspicious movement or behavior. But recent improvements in the technology of facial recognition at a distance means that it won't be long before surveillance cameras will be able to ID faces as easily as they do license plates. And law enforcement facial-recognition databases are already under development. As part of its $1 billion Next Generation Identification system, the FBI is currently testing facial- recognition technology in Michigan and expects the system to be operational by 2014.
As large databases that profile the movements of private citizens build up with little oversight, it is difficult to know whether these systems are being abused. But evidence collected from law enforcement databases that are monitored shows that, even though the vast majority of police officers use the technology for legitimate purposes, there are always a few rule-bending cops willing to use these tools for illicit ends. In 2010 rookie LAPD officer Gabriel Morales printed out information on witnesses in a murder trial from the California Law Enforcement Telecommunications System and gave the information to his girlfriend's father—whose son happened to be the defendant. In 2009 Cincinnati police officer Barry Carr used the computer in his police cruiser to look up information on a woman he was attracted to, then proceeded to pull her car over multiple times and make passes at her. Similar database access outside official duty has been detailed in Las Vegas, Nev., and in Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, and Oregon. In 2000 the Indiana State Police even suspended the Highland Police Department's access to the FBI's criminal database because of chronic misuse.
And police have not been shy about tracking citizens with the technologies already available to them. In an August 2011 review of 230 nationwide police departments, the ACLU found that virtually all track citizens' cellphones, yet only a tiny minority consistently demonstrated probable cause before doing so. Police training materials prepared by California prosecutors in 2010 advised officers on "how to get the good stuff," adding that today, "subtler and more far- reaching means of invading privacy have become available to the government." Sprint's electronic surveillance manager mentioned at a 2009 industry conference that the company had provided police with 8 million location data points in one 13-month span—enough that they simply set up a dedicated website for police to access tracking information from their desks.
The NSA has turned over documents on the controversial "Perfect Citizen" program to EPIC in response to a FOIA request. "Perfect Citizen" is an NSA program that monitors private networks in the United States. The redacted documents obtained from the federal agency by EPIC state that "the prevention of a loss due to a cyber or physical attack [on Sensitive Control Systems, like large-scale utilities], or recovery of operational capability after such an event, is crucial to the continuity of the [Department of Defense] , the [Intelligence Community], and the operation of SIGNIT systems." The NSA claims that Perfect Citizen is merely a research and development program. The documents obtained by EPIC suggest that the program is operational.
No one has greater access to the intimate details of your life than the private companies you do business with every day. "We leave a lot of our digital detritus with phone companies, Internet service providers, e-commerce sites—about who we are, what we do, whom we associate with," says Mark Rasch, former head of the Department of Justice's computer crime unit and now director of cyber security and privacy consulting at CSC. "Because no legal paradigm exists to oversee it, the assumption is that your data belongs to whomever collected it."
By now most Internet users are aware of the cookies that track their movements online, but the scope and depth of the information gathering still has the power to astound. Using the Firefox plug-in Collusion, which monitors online tracking, PM conducted a simple experiment, surfing popular websites to shop for children's toys and research a trip from New York City to Orlando, Fla. We visited just five sites, yet our browsing information was shared with more than 30 data-tracking and -aggregation firms with names such as BlueKai, AppNexus, Atlas, and Collective Media.
And the tracking continues when you shut down your computer. Facebook recently allowed data-mining firm Datalogix to combine personal information from the social network's users with the real-world information Datalogix collects from brick-and-mortar stores—so Facebook users could be tracked offline.
Verizon came under fire last year for gathering a mountain of app, browsing, and location information from its customers and selling it to marketers. "We're able to view just everything that they do," Bill Diggins, a Verizon Wireless marketing executive told a business intelligence conference last May. "Data is the new oil."
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/computer-security/what-to-do-when-digital-spies-come-for-you-14940797?click=pp
(Slideshow) Surveillance state: Who's Spying on you?
http://www.popularmechanics.com/technology/how-to/computer-security/surveillance-state-whos-spying-on-you#slide-1
A new phone app from the PA state police encourages citizens to spy on each other.
A new smartphone application has been developed to help the Pennsylvania State Police receive reports regarding suspicious activity that may be linked to terrorism.
The new See Something, Send Something app allows suspicious activity to be captured as a photo or written note and sent to the Pennsylvania Criminal Intelligence Center (PaCIC).
“This App provides concerned citizens with an effective communications and reporting tool,” State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan said. “The See Something, Send Something mobile app, developed by My Mobile Witness, sends terrorism-related tips directly to PaCIC where tips are evaluated by analysts and assigned for investigation as warranted,” Noonan said.
The application, which is available at no cost for iPhone and Android phone users, also includes information on what to look for and when to report suspicious activity, along with how to receive important alerts.
“No one knows what goes on in your neighborhood better than you,” Noonan said. “You may see or hear things that seem out of the ordinary and raise your suspicions — if you see something suspicious taking place, report it.”
“One tip from an alert citizen can prove valuable and protect Pennsylvania from a potential terrorist act,” Noonan said.
My Mobile Witness uses patent-pending privacy protection software for safeguarding the integrity of tips and citizens’ personal information. The system allows the PaCIC to engage citizens without tracking location or storing of personal information. Submitted tips are immediately removed from the mobile device and purged from the My Mobile Witness system once delivered to the intelligence center for analysis.
http://fox43.com/2013/01/10/pa-state-police-launch-new-app-to-help-fight-terrorism/
The MBTA was the first transit system in the U.S. to launch the "See Say" smartphone (spy) app that's spread across the country.
MA- The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Transit Police Department
release of the See Say smartphone app. With this new iPhone App, riders are able to easily and instantly report suspicious activity on the MBTA to Transit Police. In just a few clicks, riders can share pictures, text, and incident location details.
“Transit Police are always looking for new tools to empower riders and keep the system safe,” said MBTA Transit Police Chief Paul MacMillan. “With this new app, we continue to empower riders to be our eyes and ears in the system.”
The related “If You See Something, Say Something” campaign is funded by a grant from the Department of Homeland Security’s Transit Security grant program. It promotes a collaborative effort of state and local agencies working together educating the public to be more aware of their surroundings, and report any behavior that may appear suspicious to the proper transportation and law enforcement authorities. The MBTA originally adopted the campaign in 2003, based upon a campaign implemented by New York City’s Metropolitan Transit Authority.
The MBTA is the first transit system in the United States to launch a smart phone application as part of the “If you see something, say something” efforts. This new app allows MBTA riders to proactively communicate with transit authorities and also to receive alerts from authorities in emergency situations. In addition, the See Say app:
Is designed for transit and other environments with limited cell service, sending reports immediately once riders have signal.
Is discrete - riders may choose to send reports•anonymously and a rider’s smartphone flash is automatically turned off when taking a photo of something suspicious.
Routes reports to a web console at the Transit Police dispatch center, where a dispatcher then manages reports from riders.
Allows 2-way communication so riders can receive and comment back on alerts from Transit Police (eg. “I see the missing person”) and for the Transit Dispatcher to ask a rider for more detail regarding a specific report from a rider.
Alerts riders when there is a delay or service issue via built in T-Alerts.
The application was developed through a partnership between the MBTA and ELERTS, creators of an industry-first personal safety social network for emergency notification. ELERTS is creating better emergency response systems by embracing high-speed mobile networks, smartphone technology and social media.
“People get it. We need to be watchful to help protect each other. The See Say App makes it easy for riders to contribute to improving safety on the transit system,” said Ed English, CEO of ELERTS. “We’re proud to roll out this industry first with the MBTA and hope others will recognize the power of new technology for safety and security.”
From the ELERT company website:
"ELERTS is a software solution designed specifically to improve the capabilities of security personnel. Whether its campus police, transit police, or hospital security, ELERTS helps improve communications – providing better, faster information and more appropriate and effective response. By allowing users to download a free smartphone application to communicate critical incident information & receive important safety and security alerts, ELERTS helps create safer environments. Our solution is currently enabling thousands of users to quickly & easily give security teams that critical heads up – without having to find a landline or emergency phone. By enabling everyone to participate in keeping the venue safe, security is able to more effectively manage & prevent potential incidents."
http://www.mbta.com/about_the_mbta/news_events/?id=24872&month=5&year=12
So, DHS funds the spy app program and a private company profits from it under the guise of public safety. We're creating a nation of spies and our tax dollars are being used to do it!