X-ray vans: NYPD still shielding details of military-grade surveillance techThe New York City Police Department has refused a court order for ten months to release records on its vans ‒ honed by the US military in Afghanistan ‒ that use X-ray radiation on city streets. The NYPD was sued over the surveillance tool three years ago.
‘They don’t care who gets killed’: Ex-drone pilot turned whistleblower to RTGuilt-ridden American drone pilots continue to quit in unprecedented numbers. One former secret mission operator, Brandon Bryant, who’s received a whistleblower award, spoke to RT of the horrors of indiscriminate killing from a safe distance. “The people that are giving the order to kill – they don’t care who gets killed as long as their target gets attacked…
Guantanamo survivors sue psychologists who designed CIA torture programThe American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit on behalf of three former Guantanamo detainees against two psychologists responsible for creating and overseeing the CIA’s torture program at the US naval base in Cuba.
Need stingray surveillance? Get a warrant! California gov signs landmark privacy lawA new law signed by California Governor Jerry Brown enacts sweeping digital privacy protections, such as imposing a warrant requirement for police to access nearly any type of digital data produced by or contained within a device or service. Governor Brown had rejected several similar proposals in past years, but on Thursday he signed the California Electronic Communications Privacy Act.
Another one bites the dust: MERS wins againMERSCORP Holdings announced Monday that it secured another victory over a homeowner who challenged its authority to assign a mortgage. MERS, parent of the electronic mortgage registry with the same name, had its authority upheld this time by the Court of Appeal of California for the Third Appellate District, which heard a lawsuit brought against MERS and Bank of America (BAC) by homeowners claiming wrongful foreclosure.
Bernanke calls for prosecutions of top financial execs over 2008 meltdownFormer Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke, who led the US through the financial meltdown of 2008, said that top financial executives should have been prosecuted for their role in creating the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.
On-duty police officers have shot and killed more than 700 people this yearThe tally of people shot and killed by on-duty police officers passed 700 on Wednesday night – a fatal milestone that is almost double the highest number of police shootings ever reported by the FBI for an entire year – according to a Washington Post database tracking all shootings death at the hands of police this year.
Somali man issues legal challenge against US, Germany over father’s drone killingA Somali man has filed a criminal complaint against the United States and Germany for their roles in the alleged drone killing of his father, whom he claims was an innocent man caught up in an attack on a suspected member of Islamist group Al-Shabaab.
‘F*ck your town’ is free speech, court says after NY town detains man for speeding ticket reactionA man defended his First Amendment right to cursing the government, after a rude message he’d left on a paid speeding ticket got him arrested by a New York town. The defense discovered the town has a history of prosecuting people for cursing.
Businessman wins 11-year court battle over FBI’s surveillance gag orderA New York federal district court has ordered the FBI to lift a surveillance gag order that was imposed on a business man under the Patriot Act. Nicholas Merrill spent 11 years challenging its constitutionality. The case concerns the FBI sending a National Security Letter (NSL) to Merrill, who ran an internet service company, which requested access to his customer’s records.
New Justice Department rules target corporate executives for prosecutionNew guidelines issued by the Justice Department provide instructions on prosecuting corporate officers. The rules could put pressure on corporations to turn over evidence against their own executives.
Warrant now required for federal ‘Stingray’ surveillance use – DoJUS Department of Justice agents now have to acquire a search warrant before utilizing a cell-site simulator, the department said, though the new policy allows for exceptions. The devices, known as ‘Stingrays,’ trick phones into connecting to them.
Whistleblowers sue DOJ, FBI, and NSA for malicious prosecution, civil rights violationsFive whistleblowers are suing the Justice Department, National Security Agency, FBI and their former directors for violating their constitutional and civil rights after they complained about government waste and fraud through proper channels.
Associated Press sues US DoJ over access to FBI recordsThe AP has sued the US Department of Justice over the FBI’s refusal to provide public records on a case when the agency created a fake news story to trap a suspect. A former FBI agent told RT that respect for the First Amendment is falling in the agency.
Former Salt Lake City mayor sues Bush administration, NSA for spyingThe former mayor of Salt Lake City is suing former President George W. Bush, former Vice President Dick Cheney and the National Security Agency for spying on the city during the 2002 Winter Olympic Games.
US activist faces copyright lawsuit for making Georgia Code publicA US non-profit which campaigns to make statutes, case decisions and government documents freely available to the public, has been sued by the state of Georgia for violating copyright law after distributing an annotated version of Georgia’s code.
Bank of America sued for allegedly manipulating foreign exchange marketBank of America is being sued over allegations that the bank manipulated foreign exchange markets. Robert Charles filed the lawsuit on June 24 in United States District Court in New York against Bank of America, claiming the bank manipulated the foreign exchange spot market, which caused prices to fluctuate.