National Security

China will return the US Navy drone it seized earlier this week

by @AndrewLiptak Dec 17, 2016, 4:59pm EST

On Thursday, a Chinese navel vessel seized an underwater drone from a US Navy oceanographic research ship, which prompted a quick call from the Department of Defense to return the vehicle. After “direct engagement” between the two countries, China...

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The political fight behind Facebook and Google’s new terrorist content database

by @russellbrandom Dec 8, 2016, 12:52pm EST

This week, Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and Twitter announced a new database for images and videos that promote terrorism. The database, which is hosted by Facebook, is designed as a defense against propaganda videos and imagery by terrorist...

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Obama says he can't pardon Snowden, even though he could

by @amartoo Nov 21, 2016, 6:22am EST

President Barack Obama suggested in an interview last week that he won't pardon Edward Snowden because the former NSA contractor "hasn't gone before a court," though Snowden's advocates have disputed his reasoning, pointing to historical...

The US is reportedly readying cyber attacks if Russia tries to hack the election

by @AndrewLiptak Nov 5, 2016, 11:31am EDT

In October, news broke that the CIA was preparing options to launch a cyberattack against Russia following revelations that the country was likely behind hacks at the Democratic National Committee earlier this summer. Now, a source has told NBC...

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Yahoo wants the US to explain its email surveillance order

by @amartoo Oct 20, 2016, 4:28am EDT

Yahoo has called on the US government to explain why it compelled the company to scan millions of its users' email accounts. Yahoo's call, outlined in a letter published on Wednesday, comes after a report from Reuters showed that the web company...

Police should rein in facial recognition programs, says new report

by @thedextriarchy Oct 18, 2016, 4:56pm EDT

A coalition that includes the ACLU, EFF, and 50 other organizations has asked the Department of Justice to investigate how the FBI and police are using large-scale facial recognition databases in criminal investigations. The letter comes alongside...

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The CIA is reportedly preparing for a major cyber attack against Russia

by @AndrewLiptak Oct 16, 2016, 1:00pm EDT

The Obama administration is considering a major retaliatory cyber attack against Russia, NBC News reports. The move is in response to allegations of the country’s involvement in recent hacks against the Democratic National Committee earlier this...

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How to watch tonight’s second presidential debate: start time, schedule, and streaming

by @AndrewLiptak Oct 9, 2016, 6:33pm EDT

Tonight's second presidential debate comes a day after a report from The Washington Post on Donald Trump’s past comments about women, which have left his campaign in turmoil. The revelations from the report will likely frame the debate between...

New York is adding facial recognition and license plate readers to its river crossings

by @russellbrandom Oct 7, 2016, 10:57am EDT

In a press conference this week, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced an ambitious plan to revamp New York City’s bridges and tunnels, dubbed the New York Crossings Project. But while the focus of the Crossings project is revamping...

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Was Yahoo's mass wiretap legal?

by @russellbrandom Oct 5, 2016, 3:49pm EDT

Yesterday, a very aggressive and very secret surveillance operation was abruptly made public. According to an exclusive Reuters report, Yahoo complied with a government order last year asking the company to scan all incoming emails for a specific...

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An NSA contractor has been arrested for removing classified documents

by @russellbrandom Oct 5, 2016, 12:39pm EDT

The NSA has arrested a contractor as part of an investigation into the theft and disclosure of highly classified source code, as first reported by The New York Times. The contractor was working for the NSA on behalf of Booz Allen, the same...

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Yahoo helped US spies scan all its emails in real time for a single phrase

by @russellbrandom Oct 4, 2016, 2:15pm EDT

Yahoo built an unprecedented surveillance system in response to a government request last year, according to a bombshell report published today by Reuters’ Joseph Menn, which cites three persons familiar with the matter. The request asked for all...

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Suspected New York City bomber bought components on eBay, feds say

by @amartoo Sep 21, 2016, 5:39am EDT

Ahmad Khan Rahami, the man accused of planting bombs across New York and New Jersey over the weekend, purchased components for the explosives on eBay, according to a complaint filed this week. The complaint also describes a cell phone video in...

Was New York's mass-text manhunt really unprecedented?

by Adi Robertson Sep 20, 2016, 9:47am EDT

Yesterday morning, millions of phones across New York City’s five boroughs blared with a siren-like alarm and an ominous message. "Wanted: Ahmad Khan Rahami, 28-yr-old male. See media for pic," it said. "Call 9-1-1 if seen." Though the text didn’t...

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Wireless alerts sound for NYC bombing suspect

by @thedextriarchy Sep 19, 2016, 9:20am EDT

New Yorkers’ morning commute was interrupted this morning by a chorus of emergency alerts, part of a manhunt for bombing suspect Ahmad Khan Rahami. The notification, delivered through an emergency system more often used for extreme weather...

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The ACLU is launching a campaign to pardon Edward Snowden

by @thedextriarchy Sep 12, 2016, 11:28am EDT

Several human rights organizations will soon launch a campaign urging President Obama to pardon NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, coinciding with the premiere of the Oliver Stone biopic based on his life. Motherboard reports that the American...

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New leaked files reveal more about NSA satellite eavesdropping

by @thedextriarchy Sep 6, 2016, 11:37am EDT

Newly published documents from Edward Snowden have shed more light on American surveillance operations in the UK. The Intercept details how the NSA and GCHQ used information gathered by Menwith Hill Station, a massive but tightly sealed facility...

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France and Germany want Europe to crack down on encryption

by @amartoo Aug 24, 2016, 6:22am EDT

France and Germany this week called on the European Union to adopt a law that would require app companies to make encrypted messages available to law enforcement, as part of Europe's ongoing efforts to thwart terrorist attacks. French Interior...

After Shadow Brokers, should the NSA still be hoarding vulnerabilities?

by @russellbrandom Aug 19, 2016, 9:53am EDT

This weekend’s Shadow Brokers leak dropped 300MB of stolen data onto the open web, including live exploits for some of the web’s most crucial network infrastructure, apparently stolen from the NSA in 2013. But while experts are still sorting out...

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New Snowden documents confirm leaked NSA tools are real

by Colin Lecher Aug 19, 2016, 9:03am EDT

Newly released documents from the Edward Snowden archive, published today by The Intercept, confirm what was already suspected this week: some of the NSA's secret malware is out in the open.

WikiLeaks posts leaked DNC emails, including donor personal information

by @thedextriarchy Jul 22, 2016, 4:09pm EDT

The week before Hillary Clinton is expected to become the Democratic presidential candidate, WikiLeaks has published over 19,000 emails it says come from seven top Democratic National Committee figures. Among them are hundreds of messages that...

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Chelsea Manning hospitalized in possible suicide attempt, say reports

by @russellbrandom Jul 6, 2016, 12:03pm EDT

Chelsea Manning has been hospitalized at Fort Leavenworth, in what multiple outlets are describing as a possible suicide attempt. Manning was taken from her cell on Tuesday and is currently being monitored, according to independent reports from C...

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Obama's targeted air strikes killed 64 to 116 civilians outside war zones, says White House

by @thedextriarchy Jul 1, 2016, 3:04pm EDT

The US government has released numbers estimating that targeted air strikes have killed 64 to 116 civilians outside war zones since President Barack Obama took office in 2009. The New York Times reports that 473 strikes, mostly carried out by...

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US Customs wants to collect social media account names at the border

by @russellbrandom Jun 24, 2016, 3:49pm EDT

Your Twitter handle may soon be part of the US visa process. Yesterday, US Customs and Border Protection entered a new proposal into the federal register, suggesting a new field in which persons entering the country can declare their various...

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Senate temporarily votes down controversial online surveillance expansion

by Adi Robertson Jun 22, 2016, 4:17pm EDT

Congress has failed to pass an expansion of online surveillance powers for monitoring suspected terrorists — at least for now. In a vote today, the Senate fell just short of the 60 votes needed to adopt an amendment brought by Senator John McCain...

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Senate Republicans want to expand surveillance powers after Orlando shooting

by @amartoo Jun 21, 2016, 7:50am EDT

The US Senate is set to vote on a bill that would expand FBI surveillance in the wake of a shooting at a gay nightclub in Orlando. As Reuters reports, Senate majority leader set up the vote Monday night by introducing an amendment to a criminal...

Russia launched its first military icebreaker in almost a half-century

by @andyjayhawk Jun 14, 2016, 11:41am EDT

Last week, Russia launched its first military icebreaker in 45 years, according to the TASS news agency. The vessel, named Ilya Muromets after a Russian folk hero, has a cruising range of 12,000 nautical miles and an endurance run of two full...

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French terror suspect reportedly streamed attack on Facebook Live

by @amartoo Jun 14, 2016, 7:44am EDT

A 25-year-old Frenchman accused of killing two police employees outside Paris Monday night reportedly broadcast the attack on Facebook Live, according to reports in French media. The suspect, identified as Larossi Abballa, stabbed a police...

Hillary Clinton says tech companies need to 'step up' fight against ISIS propaganda

by @amartoo Jun 14, 2016, 5:54am EDT

Hillary Clinton said this week that if elected president, she would work with major technology companies to "step up" counter-terrorism efforts, including surveillance of social media and campaigns to combat jihadist propaganda online. As Reuters...

The NSA wants to monitor pacemakers and other medical devices

by Jacob Kastrenakes Jun 11, 2016, 4:00pm EDT

The NSA is interested in collecting information from pacemakers and other biomedical devices for national security purposes, according to The Intercept. Richard Ledgett, the agency's deputy director, reportedly said at a conference yesterday that,...

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France launches terror alert app ahead of Euro 2016 tournament

by @amartoo Jun 8, 2016, 5:46am EDT

The French government has launched a smartphone app that would alert users to possible terror attacks and provide them with information on how to stay safe. The French Interior Ministry announced the app on Wednesday ahead of the UEFA Euro 2016...

UK spies circumvented surveillance laws with no 'meaningful' oversight

by @amartoo Jun 6, 2016, 6:47am EDT

Privacy International has released previously confidential government documents that shed light on how British spy agencies circumvented legal restraints on their surveillance powers, with little interference from the commissioner charged with...