Als ich vor Jahren das George W. Bush-Regime als Polizeistaat bezeichnete, wurden auf dem rechten Flügel die Augenbrauen gehoben. Als ich das Obama Regime als den noch schlimmeren Polizeistaat bezeichnete, verdrehten die Liberalen ihre Augen. Ach wie gut! Jetzt bin ich nicht länger umstritten. Jeder sagt das.

Was bekommt der Iran als Gegenleistung für diese Geste seines guten Willens? Neue Sanktionen seitens der Administration der Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika nach Absprache mit Israel, das gemeinsam mit den Vereinigten Staaten von Amerika seit Jahrzehnten geheime und Stellvertreterkriege gegen den Iran geführt hat.

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MI5 was still in contact with Islamist fanatic Michael Adebolajo just months before he murdered soldier Lee Rigby, it has been claimed.

Given the earlier reports suggesting that the „independent“ task force set up to review the NSA‘s activities had come back with a list of suggestions for changes that were mostly cosmetic, rather than substantive, it was a bit of a surprise to see the White House come out today to say that those earlier reports were incorrect and that they were releasing the report in full today (way ahead of schedule). And, now the report is out. After giving it a single read (300+ pages), it is a lot more substantial than many of us expected

32-year NSA Veteran Who Created Mass Surveillance System Says Government Use of Data Gathered Through Spying “Is a Totalitarian Process”

ladimir Putin says he has never met or worked with NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, but says he envies the former contractor. In his annual news conference on Thursday, the Russian president says Russia has made no attempt to extract information from Snowden, who is living in his country after seeking asylum there

One of the National Security Agency‘s primary defenses against criticism has been that it is subject to robust oversight from all three branches of the federal government. In the past week, however, all three branches have called for reform.

NSA oversight was never as robust as the „three branches“ claim, which the agency has made repeatedly. (One quick example, from an August presentation: „all three branches of our government exercise oversight over NSA‘s use of [FISA] authority.“ Or just do a Google search.)

Deputy Foreign and Expatriates Minister, Faysal Mikdad, said that the massacre committed by armed terrorist groups against citizens in Adraa al-Omalia (workers) city in Damascus suburbs will terrify the world when its full reality is exposed.

A Russian diplomat signaled on Thursday that Syrian President Bashar al-Assad should refrain from statements suggesting he might seek re-election because it could fuel tension before planned peace talks.

An official inquiry has found that British agents may have been „inappropriately involved“ in the rendition and ill-treatment of terrorist suspects. In a statement to the Commons, Kenneth Clarke, the minister without portfolio, said that the 27 questions raised by the inquiry by Sir Peter Gibson, which never got the chance to finish its work because criminal proceedings are underway, would be investigated by parliament‘s intelligence and security committee.

Gestern veröffentlichte das Weiße Haus den von U.S.-Präsident Barack Obama, im Zuge der durch Veröffentlichungen von “Genie unter Genies” Edward Snowdens Dokumenten begonnenen Aufarbeitung der Zustände im durch 12 Jahre weltweiten Krieg “on terror” verselbstständigten Spionage-Apparat, selbst in Auftrag gegebenen Bericht einer fünfköpfigen Kommission. Der Bericht, der keineswegs ausschließlich die Aktivitäten der National Security Agency N.S.A. thematisierte, war dem Präsidenten bereits am Freitag dem 13. übergeben worden.

Wir vestehen: Zaunpfähle gibt es nicht. Denn das wäre ja Politik.

In der sogenannten „Ausspäh-Affäre“ geht es um viel mehr als die Gefahr der Totalüberwachung. Die dahinterstehende Idee ist die Annahme, mit nur genügend an Informationen das Verhalten von Individuen, Gruppen und Gesellschaften nicht nur bestimmen, sondern auch vorhersagen und entsprechend manipulieren zu können. Hinter diesem technischen Turmbau zu Babel liegt ein Glaube, der unser ganzes Wertesystem auf den Kopf stellen kann.

Das fünfköpfige Gremium hatte dem Präsidenten seinen Bericht mit insgesamt 46 nicht bindenden Empfehlungen vor einer Woche vorgelegt. Die eigentlich für Januar geplante Veröffentlichung zog das Weiße Haus nun wegen „unvollständiger und unzutreffender“ Medienberichte über den Inhalt vor.

Today, President Obama met with his Review Group on Intelligence and Communications Technologies — Richard Clarke, Michael Morell, Geoffrey Stone, Cass Sunstein and Peter Swire — to discuss the report they submitted to the President on December 13.

This meeting offered President Obama an opportunity to hear directly from the group’s members and discuss the thinking behind the 46 recommendations in their report.

D. Privacy Protections for Non-United States Persons
Recommendation 13

We recommend that, in implementing section 702, and any other authority that authorizes the surveillance of non-United States persons who are outside the United States, in addition to the safeguards and oversight mechanisms already in place, the US Government should reaffirm that such surveillance:

(1) must be authorized by duly enacted laws or properly authorized executive orders;
(2) must be directed exclusively at the national security of the United States or our allies;
(3) must not be directed at illicit or illegitimate ends, such as the theft of trade secrets or obtaining commercial gain for domestic industries; and
(4) must not disseminate information about non-United States persons if the information is not relevant to protecting the national security of the United States or our allies.

In addition, the US Government should make clear that such surveillance:

(1) must not target any non-United States person located outside of the United States based solely on that person’s political views or religious convictions;