Monthly Archives: March 2014

CA Law Enforcement Using Invasive Surveillance Technology

You can add the Northern CA Bay Area to the growing list of U.S. citizens falling victim to America’s ever-growing — more-likely-than-not illegal — surveillance state. Newly released documents obtained through multiple Freedom of Information Act requests reportedly reveal the widespread use of so-called StringRay devices in California by 9 law enforcement agencies across the Bay area allowing them to gather everyone’s cell phone data in dragnet fashion.

The StingRay device, manufactured by the Harris Corporation, is a troubling tracking device that mimics cell phone towers by tricking wireless tools on the same network and making the tools communicate with the StingRay device, allowing law enforcement agencies to collect data on innocent third parties in a certain radius that are not subject to any investigation. The documents, originally obtained by Sacramento News 10, reveal that the devices are capable of pinpointing targets of investigations with extreme precision, even when they are inside their homes.

Some agencies provided documentation to Sacramento News 10, but none would provide details on how StringRays work or admit to having them, but records show that at least seven Northern CA agencies have the technology and two more have received grants to buy them in 2014. The San Jose Police Department responded to Sacramento News 10’s request with documentation revealing insight into what agencies have the technology and why they want it. San Jose PD requested feedback from other agencies that were already using StingRay when a 2012 grant to the Bay Area Urban Shield initiative (UASI) was approved.

JUSTIFYING DRAGNET SURVEILLANCE AS FIGHTING TERRORISM

Unsurprisingly, terrorism was used as the primary justification for acquiring the StingRay technology in every grant application obtained by Sacramento News 10 because it could allegedly be used to track and disrupt terrorist networks and protect critical infrastructure, but documents obtained also reveal the “mission creep” – an extremely common phenomenon that occurs when one purpose is offered to justify the collection of data on everyone in the surrounding radius that is used for a myriad of other purposes than fighting terror – is prevalent and normal.

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) reported that the StingRay devices, which were reported by the Wall Street Journal as being used by the Federal government in 2011, are highly obtrusive and completely unregulated and once again we are seeing the proliferations of powerful new surveillance tools without any rules on constraints on their use. Making matters worse is the fact that the acquisition of the StingRay devices by local Bay Area law enforcement agencies is shrouded in secrecy and driven by federal grant money, which undermines any local democratic oversight. Despite the fallacious claims that these devices are being used to “fight terrorism,” local law enforcement agencies appear to be using them for ordinary criminal law enforcement.

Some of the devices sold to law enforcement agencies are allegedly not configured to capture all the communications of everyone, but many of them can be used for illegally eavesdropping on everyone in violation of their privacy and there are real questions as to whether or not the devices can ever be used in a constitutional fashion because they are the equivalent of dragnet “general searches” which are prohibited by the Fourth Amendment. Of course there is very little Case Law on the subject that specifically addresses how and under what circumstances StingRays can be used and currently there are no statutes or regulations addressing their use.

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Ukrainian Propaganda Charades American Style

In its typical fashion after major crimes against humanity have been committed by Washington and its crooked cronies, America’s illusory Corporate press corps is busily pushing propaganda as fact while neglecting to mention the major discrepancies in the official story or mention of fact or both sides of the story. The latest example of this journalistic malpractice is evident in the coverage of the Ukrainian “crisis” that came about due to Washington’s latest imperialistic endeavors in its quest for world domination.

On February 23 of this year the U.S., in collusion with the European Union and NATO, orchestrated a coup d’état in Kiev to overthrow the democratically elected — albeit obscenely corrupt — regime of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to appoint a pro-Western puppet government in Ukraine to force austerity on its unsuspecting populace and open the floodgates for Western plunderage. Also in typical fashion– after using neo-Nazi fascists to perpetrate the apparently successful coup — no one in Washington bothered to think things through. When Russia put its foot down and sent its military to Ukraine, America’s illusory press corps had a field day spinning Washington’s fairy tales as truth without bothering to tell the whole story.

The stakes are high in Ukraine after Washington successfully orchestrated regime change as Crimea quickly annexed itself from Ukraine to seek a union with Russia which obviously isn’t too pleased with a fascist takeover of Ukraine because the majority of Crimea’s population are Russian whose loyalties lie with Russia. The American public isn’t hearing both sides of the story regarding the Russian military on Crimea’s border which isn’t surprising since propaganda has ruled the News since George W. Bush’s appointment to the White House in 2000.

WASHINGTON’S BLOVIATIONS RIDDLED WITH HYPOCRISY

This time around with the coup in Ukraine, the U.S. may have gone too far. Russia President Vladimir Putin’s responses to the overblown Ukrainian “crisis” have been well choreographed and there are no signs of his backing down any time soon as he appears to be willing to use force if necessary to counter Washington’s attempts to use economic enticement and subversive incitement to protect Crimea. Unfortunately for Washington, there is more than sufficient evidence revealing that the U.S. was largely responsible for the violence in Kiev and may have broken international law by overthrowing the Ukrainian government. Russia — and everyone else not entrenched is Washington’s corruption — is profoundly aware of this.

There are a multitude of strategic implications and intentions for the premeditated U.S-European coup in Ukraine against its elected government. one of which involves the planned removal of the Black Sea base of the Russian Navy which is currently being used to supply and defend Syria. Russia has had an agreement with Crimea to keep part of their military there for decades. A U.S. takeover of that Russian base would also lead to a takeover of the local Crimean government. In December 2013 it was revealed that the U.S. and its EU allies have been planning a Crimean takeover and the Governmental Intelligence of Turkey trained jihadists for the premeditated U.S.-EU-NATO Ukrainian coup.

As usual, the delusional statements coming out of Washington are riddled with hypocrisy but America’s illusory press corps escalates Washington’s propaganda offensive without question. Americans continue being fed overblown propaganda about what is happening in Ukraine to serve the interest of Washington and its criminal allies so most of what you hear about Ukraine isn’t true. I say the Ukrainian “crisis” is overblown because America’s illusory corporate press corps claims that Russia has invaded Crimea when in reality, both the Russian and U.S. militaries are in Crimea. Russia’s military is there to protect Crimea. American soldiers — “military advisors” undoubtedly tied to Academi’s (formerly BlackWater’s) private army are there to patrol Kiev and try to suppress the revolt in Donetsk. These “military advisors” were officially “invited” by their newly installed pro-Western Ukrainian regime to spearhead the U.S. invasion while trying to prop up their puppets and break down all resistance. You won’t find that information in the U.S. press.

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