Surveillance & Loss of Freedom

When freedom & privacy fades, our only real security is in Jesus Christ. Those who belong to Him need not fear the future. Psalm 27:1-3 and Psalm 32:7

January 2012

18 St. Louis Schools Place Monitoring Devices on Students: "Missouri elementary schools plan on monitoring their students in and out of school, while they sleep and while they’re awake.... Moreover, the report goes on to say that the data collected from each student will be used to assess 'achievement and behavior.' First through fifth graders are subject to the testing assuming that the parents give parental consent; however, at least one parent had discovered the testing device on her child after the fact, and had given no permission." See An International Information System

December 2011

Idea of civilians using drone aircraft may soon fly with FAA: "Drone aircraft, best known for their role in hunting and destroying terrorist hide-outs in Afghanistan, may soon be coming to the skies near you. Police agencies want drones for air support to spot runaway criminals. Utility companies believe they can help monitor oil, gas and water pipelines. Farmers think drones could aid in spraying their crops with pesticides. ... Still, there are vast privacy concerns to be confronted by government officials, such as what kinds of surveillance should be allowed and who should be permitted to use these drones."

Future drones: Kill by software, not by humans: "More than 50 countries have purchased surveillance drones, and many have started in-country development programs for armed versions because no nation is exporting weaponized drones beyond a handful of sales between the United States and its closest allies.'... Last year, (Iran) also claimed two of its drones, the Rad and Nazir, were 'capable of conducting long-range reconnaissance, patrolling, assault and bombing missions with high precision.'...

"Climbing to 800 and 1,000 feet over the military base, 'the automated, unpiloted planes worked on their own, with no human guidance."

Feds Saving All Tweets Forever On Massive Database: "Watch what you Tweet, because the government will be able to retrieve it for years– or decades– to come."

September 2011

Getting Iinked up electronically (Video). See Outline of End-Time Events

June 2011

Union Wants Mailmen To Thwart Terror Attacks: "As the United States Postal Service looks at ways to cut budgets and deal with declining revenue, the president of the National Association of Letter Carriers is going against the grain by suggesting the agency should be increasing the services offered, including thwarting terrorists....'There’s things they could do with sophisticated scanners because they go everywhere.'” See Your friendly community spies

May 2011

Americans, Everything You Do Is Monitored: "Transparency, it seems, had nothing to do with making government more visible. It did, however, have everything to do with making your life more transparent."

April 2011

Facebook knows plenty about you: "Julee Morrison has been obsessed with Bon Jovi since she was a teenager. ...Then it dawned on her why all those Bon Jovi ads appeared every time she logged onto the social-networking site. 'Facebook is reading my profile, my interests, the people and pages I am ‘friends’ with and targeting me,' Morrison said. It’s brilliant social media, but it’s absolutely creepy.'...

"Now, the company is looking to cash in by helping advertisers pinpoint exactly whom they want to reach.... Facebook doesn’t have to guess who its users are or what they like. Facebook knows, because members volunteer this information freely — and frequently — in their profiles, status updates, wall posts, messages and 'likes.' ....'Facebook has perfected a stealth digital-surveillance apparatus that tracks, analyzes and then acts on your information, including what you tell your friends.”

Apple, Google Collect User Data: "Google and Apple are gathering location information as part of their race to build massive databases capable of pinpointing people's locations via their cellphones. These databases could help them tap the $2.9 billion market for location-based services—expected to rise to $8.3 billion in 2014." See An International Information System

INTERPOL eyes biometric IDs for international workers and travelers: "Such an electronic ID would ensure that a traveller can be identified in different countries using the same identification document. Participating countries would be tasked with issuing electronic residence and work permits that conform to a single universal standard. ...the card would likely include biometric data of an individual, including DNA and fingerprints that would also be uploaded to a global database."

March 2011

Fed instructs teachers to Facebook creep students: "Education Department officials are threatening school principals with lawsuits if they fail to monitor and curb students’ lunchtime chat and evening Facebook time for expressing ideas and words that are deemed by Washington special-interest groups to be harassment of some students. There has only been muted opposition to this far-reaching policy....The agency’s threats...have the support of White House officials, including President Barack Obama, who held a Mar. 10 White House meeting to promote the initiative as a federal 'anti-bullying' policy....

     "Under the new interpretation, principals and their schools are legally liable if they fail to curb 'harassment' of students, even if it takes place outside the school, on Facebook or in private conversation among a few youths.....

     "Facebook is developing new features that will make it harder for principals to miss episodes of online 'harassment,' and so will increase the likelihood of government action against the teenage users of Facebook and other social-media....

     "The leading advocate for the expanded rules is Kevin Jennings... Jennings founded the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network advocacy group, and raised at least $100,000 for the Obama campaign in 2008....

     "The primary purpose behind the administration’s initiative is to 'create a social and political climate where it is impossible to express conservative moral beliefs' about sexuality, even when research data shows those beliefs help many people live prosperous and happy lives....Children... have a right to speak their minds and champion their beliefs." See Spiritual Warfare

October 2010

India launches universal ID system with biometrics: "Starting this month, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) will begin processing people in various locations around the country. ...and to ID 600 million people in the next four years!... While residents are not mandated to get a UID, a growing list of services including social welfare and even some bank accounts will soon require the identification number. If successful, this will be the first biometrically verified universal ID implemented on a national scale."

Iris Scanning Set To Secure City in Mexico, Then the World: "When you get masses of people opting-in, opting out does not help. Opting out actually puts more of a flag on you than just being part of the system. We believe everyone will opt-in.” See An International Information System

September 2010

Controversial Program Tracks Preschoolers with Electronic Tags: "Officials in Contra Costa County, California are using RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to track some 240 preschoolers as part of a new Head Start program to keep the children safe and to make better use of its teachers. [Really?] ...The county received a $115,000 stimulus grant... under [Obama's] American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009....

"...the child is assigned a little jersey with a number on it that has a tracking device, or RFID tag....Using software, teachers and administrators can then monitor the children’s activities on a computer screen. The children are displayed as moving dots. If a child moves out of the area, the system sounds an alert....' [Wouldn't it be better if actual adults watched and encouraged those children? An RFID mentor sounds rather impersonal.]

"'I don’t think kids should be treated like guinea pigs or farm animals,' [said Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center] 'Up until now these tracking devices have been used for farm animals or house pets.'" See No Place to Hide?

June 2010

[EU] 'Targets include: “Extreme right/left, Islamist, nationalist, anti-globalisation etc”: "[On April 26] the General Affairs Council of the Council of the European Union 'nodded' through without debate Council Conclusions 'on the use of a standardised, multidimensional semi-structured instrument for collecting data.... Firstly by analyzing the 'various environments' where 'radicalisation' occurs, then secondly by introducing 'systematic ways' of exchanging information on individuals or groups who use hate speech or incite terrorism....

     '“Nationalist'? There are lots of different 'nationalist' groups many of whom hold moderate and 'radical' views on seeking to establish rights for their nation. Equally many liberation struggles could be defined as 'nationalist'. 'anti-globalisation etc' seems to be a general 'catch-all' covering just about every group that is opposed to the status quo.

     "Who is going to be using this 'instrument' placing a very wide spectrum of people and groups under surveillance? EU police forces, security and intelligence agencies plus 'EU institutions and agencies' (eg: SITCEN Europol are mentioned....

     "The individual or groups on which the information is to be gathered and exchanged are called 'AGENTS' and: 'data assessment will therefore automatically be built into tactical operational decision-making, with the measures and steps considered appropriate here being taken.” See The Enemy of the People

Britain to Participate in Controversial EU Citizen Surveillance Scheme: "European governments are planning to force all of the continent’s telephone carriers, mobile network operators and Internet service providers to store details of their customers’ web use, e-mails and phone calls for up to 2 years.... 'The ‘instrument’ is not primarily about people or groups intending to commit terrorist acts. But rather directed at people and groups who hold radical views described as those propagating ‘RM’ (radical messages).'... In Britain’s current political climate, Christian and politically or socially conservative groups have already been heavily targeted for state interference." See Seeds of Persecution

U.S. School District to Begin Microchipping Students: "A Rhode Island school district has announced a pilot program to monitor student movements by means of radio frequency identification (RFID) chips implanted in their schoolbags.... Parents or school officials could log onto a school web site to see whether and when specific children had entered or exited which bus, and to look up the bus's current location as provided by the GPS device....

     "The school is perfectly entitled to track its buses, he said, but 'it's a quantitative leap to monitor children themselves.' He raised the question of whether unauthorized individuals could use easily available RFID readers to find out students' private information and monitor their movements."

     Such tracking may seem justifiable at first, but it's likely to be the start of oppressive government surveillance. See George Orwell's 1984

March 2010

Babies' DNA given to military database: "A report that the state of Texas forwarded the DNA from hundreds of newborn babies to a military database without parental permission or knowledge raises some very alarming questions. The paperwork trail the publication uncovered revealed federal officials wanted to share the database worldwide 'for international law enforcement and investigation in the context of homeland security and anti-terrorism efforts.'"

February 2010

School Spies on Students at Home With Webcams: "Lower Merion School District officials are spying on students and their families inside their homes with Web cameras installed in pupil laptops, claims Blake J. Robbins in a lawsuit against the district.... Robbins’ father, Michael Robbins, got confirmation from Matsko that the school district does in fact have the ability to remotely activate any of the students’ webcams at any time -- even if the computer is not being used. 'Occasionally a green light would go on on your computer which would kind of give you the feeling that somebody’s watching you,' Harriton High School student Drew Scheier told NBC..." See George Orwell's 1984

During the Olympics, The Feds Will Be Reading Your Tweets: "As the winter Olympics begin, the Department of Homeland Security has disclosed that it will be monitoring the comments and posts on websites and social media like Twitter for information on possible terror threats."

January 2010

Google...They're telling us they will turn data over to the feds': "Who in the world knows as much about you and your private thoughts as Google?...'It would blow people's minds if they knew how much information the big search engines have on the American public..."

Mind-reading systems could change air security: "A would-be terrorist tries to board a plane, bent on mass murder. As he walks through a security checkpoint, fidgeting and glancing around, a network of high-tech machines analyzes his body language and reads his mind.... As far-fetched as that sounds, systems that aim to get inside an evildoer's head are among the proposals floated by security experts thinking beyond the X-ray machines and metal detectors used on millions of passengers and bags each year.... The reaction could be a darting of the eyes, an increased heartbeat, a nervous twitch or faster breathing.... 'One by one, you can screen out from the flow of people those with specific malicious intent.'"

Probably not if their conscience is dulled or they're mentally trained for jihad and death.

November 2009

[Israel's] Residents Warned Not to Speak with US Snoops: “In light of the pressure constantly being exerted upon us from the Americans,' Haetzni continued, 'cooperation with them is like a victim cooperating with his executioner.'... 'Any piece of information, no matter how insignificant it seems, can be used against us by a hostile element.” See Reinventing the World Part, 3

Brussels 'Home Office' plot to snoop on all of Europe: "Brussels bureaucrats are plotting a massive expansion in the use of surveillance and controversial extradition powers.... There would be an increased sharing of British DNA, health and tax records with foreign governments and investigators, as well as the introduction of new Big Brother surveillance techniques.... 'We are fast approaching a situation where the EU will have the full coercive machinery of a state but without the proper democratic controls or robust checks on power that citizens should expect.'" See The 'New European Soviet' "The Americas" is following the same UN pattern for regional integration.

Your smart meter is watching: "North America's electrical grid is one of the greatest technological achievements of the 20th century. However, at the time of its design, the main goal was to make sure the lights stayed on, with no serious thought to energy efficiency, environmental conservation, alternative energy sources, consumer-tailored choices, or cyber security. But times have changed, and today the grid offers a virtual window into your home – providing granular levels of information such as when you cook or shower, and for how long.... President Barack Obama's infusion of $3.4 billion (U.S.) to build the smart grid is greatly accelerating the delivery of the program across the U.S."

Microchip Implant to Link Your Health Records, Credit History: "The VeriMed Health Link homepage describes the chip: …a tiny, passive microchip (the nation’s first and only microchip cleared for patient identification by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration).... Your Health Link is always with you and cannot be lost or stolen. That database can be accessed by doctors and nurses: About the size of a grain of rice, the microchip is inserted just under the skin.... But VeriChip’s ambitions don’t end there.... Yes, it shows your Health Link chip linked to Google, Microsoft, employers and insurers...."

Micro Air Vehicles (MAVs): Bugbots (bug-sized robot spies).

VeriChip shares jump after H1N1 patent license win: "The patents, held by VeriChip partner Receptors LLC, relate to biosensors that can detect the H1N1 and other viruses, and biological threats such as methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, VeriChip said in a statement. The technology will combine with VeriChip's implantable radio frequency identification devices to develop virus triage detection systems."

October 2009

Surveillance Nation: [UK] "...the police have a series of databases recording the personal details of thousands of people who attend protests or rallies, which are searchable by a number of officers and come complete with color photographs assembled and printed onto 'spotter cards' which are then distributed to enable agencies to monitor attendees at events. Cost of this part of the surveillance state alone? Over nine million pounds.... Now, it seems that the U.S. is thinking about following our example. The people of the good city of Atlanta are currently debating the installation of an additional 500 -- yes, 500 -- CCTV cameras." See Homeland Security and the Transformation of America

Smart meters could be 'spy in the home': "The devices, which the government plans to install in every home by 2020, will also tell energy firms what sort of appliances are being used, allowing companies to target customers who do not reduce their energy consumption. Privacy campaigners have expressed horror at the proposals, which come as two million homes have 'spy' devices fitted to their rubbish bins by councils who record how much residents are recycling.

"The government wants every home in Britain to have smart meters.... In its impact assessment, however, the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) says there 'is theoretically scope... for using the smart metering communications infrastructure to enable a variety of other services, such as monitoring of vulnerable householders by health authorities or social services departments'....

"'This is Orwellian. We're already under surveillance for what we put outside the home in bins and now we could be watched for what we're doing inside as well."

September 2009

Get ready! Here come the energy police: "Google is developing an Internet-based power monitor designed to monitor energy usage inside homes. ...the meter will provide utilities and any government regulators access to data on a household's energy footprint and carbon footprint.....'Energy offenders' could be charged substantial fines...."

Who Watches Big Brother? [UK] In George Orwell’s classic dystopian novel 1984, government propaganda constantly says: Big Brother is watching you. In Britain today, he certainly is. ...there is at least one camera for every 14 people in the country (and that’s an old statistic). Automatic Number Plate Recognition ... logs the registration of vehicles on motorways via a series of cameras.... And it’s not just motorists. Britain’s government has contemplated monitoring all e-mails. And phone calls. And internet use. ... The TV Licensing agency... makes a habit of automatically sending the most ghastly threatening letters to many law-abiding citizens, and constantly boasts of its comprehensive surveillance with the gloriously Orwellian slogan, 'It’s all in the database'. ...

"Garbage bins are having data chips installed in the lids to allow the state to monitor people’s 'disposal habits.'... Avoiding the standard of proof required in criminal law, the government has introduced Anti-Social Behaviour Orders, Dispersal Orders, Controlled Drinking Zones (of which there are more than 700, so far...."

August 2009

Another target of Obamacare: Americans’ right to financial privacy: "Buried in the 1,017 pages of the House Democrats’ health-care bill is a little-noticed provision that for the first time could give the government access to the checking or credit-card information of every American. Under section 163, which is entitled 'Administrative Simplification,' the bill sets new 'standards' for electronic transactions between individuals and their health-care providers. According to section 163, the standards will 'enable the real-time (or near real-time) determination of an individual’s financial responsibility at the point of service.' ... In addition, they will 'enable electronic funds transfers, in order to allow automated reconciliation with related health care payment and remittance advice.'”

White House stops collecting 'fishy' e-mails: "The White House on Monday shut down its controversial effort to collect information about what opponents of the president's health care overhaul were saying in person and on the Internet, but said it will continue to track 'misinformation' through its Web site....

"The fear has been expressed that the White House was asking neighbors to inform on neighbors in a government-led data collection effort,' Mr. Issa wrote.... 'To help ease these concerns, please tell us what actions take place or have been discussed in regard to e-mails deemed 'fishy' and what safeguards the White House has put in place to insure no retributive steps are taken against those who express dissent.' The White House has not responded."

June 2009

I'll be watching you online: "The Barack Obama administration has announced plans to lift a government ban on tracking visitors to government websites, and potentially, collect their personal data through the use of 'cookies' – an effort some suspect may already be in place on White House sites."

June 2009

Database of all children launched: "A controversial database which holds the details of every child in England has become available to childcare professionals for the first time.... 390,000 people will have access to the database, but will have gone through stringent security training. ...fears were raised that information about children's whereabouts could fall into the wrong hands."

Big Brother asks: 'Do you have a flush toilet?' "The federal government is forcing 3 million Americans to disclose sensitive, personal information about finances, health and lifestyle in a 14-page survey.... The 2009 American Community Survey, an annual supplement to the decennial Census, asks about residents' personal relationships and whether a home has hot and cold running water, a flush toilet, bathing facilities, appliances and phone services. It also asks how many rooms are in a home and what vehicles are used at each household....

"The Census Bureau claims its question is used as a 'measure of fertility' and is used to 'carry out various programs required by statute, including … conducting research for voluntary family planning programs.'

"...citizens are required by law to complete it and may be fined as much as $5,000 for willfully refusing. While an individual may feel uneasy about answering each question truthfully, the fine for filing false information can be as much as $500. ....It goes on and on, mixing inane questions with highly detailed inquiries about your financial affairs." See Trusting God, not the world

May 2009

Spying on Neighbors for Govt (U.K.): "Children as young as seven are being recruited by councils to act as 'citizen snoopers'.... The 'environment volunteers' will report on litter louts, noisy neighbours - and even families putting their rubbish out on the wrong day. There are currently almost 9,000 people signed up to the schemes.... After basic training, volunteers are expected to be the 'eyes and the ears' of the town hall. They are given information packs about how to collect evidence, including tips about writing down numberplates, which could later be used in criminal prosecutions. ... It is also recruiting 'Junior Street Champions', aged between seven and 11. ...

"Last year the council undertook a recruitment drive for youngsters aged nine and above, called Junior Eyes. Children are given special books to write down reports on littering or graffiti in their schools, which they then send to the council. ... The information is then uploaded to a map of trouble spots."

Wisconsin court upholds GPS tracking by police: "Wisconsin police can attach GPS to cars to secretly track anybody's movements without obtaining search warrants.... As the law currently stands, the court said police can mount GPS on cars to track people without violating their constitutional rights -- even if the drivers aren't suspects." See Your friendly community spies

No matter what they might want to know about our families and activities, our God is our refuge!

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures,
He leadeth me beside still waters.
He restoreth my soul..." Psalm 23

April 2009

Every phone call, email or website visit 'to be monitored': "The proposals will give police and security services the power to snoop on every single communication made by the public with the data then likely to be stored in an enormous national database."

Soon, cable TV may start watching you: "Targeted ads track interest, viewing habits; privacy advocates worried."

Will bill give Obama control of Internet? "Senate bills No. 773 and 778, introduced by Sen. Jay Rockefeller... are both part of what's being called the Cybersecurity Act of 2009, which would create a new Office of the National Cybersecurity Advisor, reportable directly to the president.... Privacy advocates and Internet experts have been quick to sound the alarm over the act's broadly drawn government powers...."

March 2009

RFD America: "Smart Grid is closely related to the National Animal Identification System (NAIS), and both programs are designed to spy on Americans. Even more disturbing than the purpose of these government-condoned intrusions into our lives is the fact that the Obama Administration feels that Smart Grid is so important that it had to be funded in the stimulus package—which is supposed to be used for emergencies only. What’s the emergency? Why does Smart Grid need to be implemented within 60 days of the bill passing? ....Smart Grid is part of a global initiative to manage information, all information."

February 2009

Why veins could replace fingerprints and retinas as most secure form of ID: "Finger vein authentication, introduced widely by Japanese banks in the last two years, is claimed to be the fastest and most secure biometric method. Developed by Hitachi, it verifies a person's identity based on the lattice work of minute blood vessels under the skin. ... In Japan, thousands of cash machines are operated by finger vein technology."

Secret police target government critics: "Called the Confidential Intelligence Unit, the agency will be housed in a high-security annex at Scotland Yard.... The unit will have the same powers as MI5 to mount secret surveillance operations and recruit informers who will provide details of 'domestic extremists'..."

January 2009

Economic Stimulus Bill Mandates Electronic Health Records for Every Citizen without Opt-out or Patient Consent Provisions: "...the economic stimulus bill mandates electronic health records for every citizen without providing for opt-out or patient consent provisions. 'Without those protections, Americans' electronic health records could be shared -- without their consent -- with over 600,000 covered entities through the forthcoming nationally linked electronic health-records network.'. ...The federal medical privacy rule promulgated under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996... already permits the disclosure of personal health information without patient consent."

Whistleblower Says NSA Monitors Everybody: "Massive dragnet sweeps up communications metadata, and financial records..."

A grocery store that practically reads your mind: "Each shopping cart comes equipped with a computer so customers can scan in purchases as they load up. The smart cart also knows what you've bought at the same store before. Its computer can display custom-tailored coupon offers, trigger TV ads beamed on plasma-screen monitors as you pass by and chart a path to items you cannot find.... Thanks to digital cameras, they can distinguish a potato from a pomegranate.... 'It works,' said Zygmunt Mierdorf, chief information officer of Metro Group, the world's fifth largest retailer. 'Consumer acceptance has exceeded our expectations.'"

RFID ink product could track humans: "A US company has launched a chip-less RFID (radio frequency identification) ink that can be used to track both animals and people. Visible or invisible ink 'tatoos' can be applied to the skin and tracked by RFID readers positioned a few feet away. The company, Somark, said it had successfully tested its Biocompatible Chipless RFID Ink product on cattle and laboratory rats..."