"There is one, and only one, thing in modern society
more hideous than crime -- namely, repressive justice."
-- Simone Weil
It’s Been a Bad
Decade for Freedom & Privacy in the US-You have no rights in this age of
government repression.
“Government
creep” is something we can all feel, and if we’re being honest, it’s only
getting worse with time… Because of prying government eyes, your freedom and privacy are at
risk.
Six months ago last week, The Guardian and The Washington Post published the
first stories based on leaks from Edward Snowden. Since then, in what has
become a steady drumbeat of revelations about the U.S. National Security Agency
and other nations' spy agencies, we've learned how utterly hostile our
governments have become to our most fundamental rights in the post-Sept. 11
world…
Back in 1999 when we first
started our efforts at long term food storage and prepping we owned a 38-acre
homestead and a 2-bedroom guest house, barns, etc. It was a lot of work but fun and we sure
enjoyed the produce we grew. When we
started this project we didn’t even think about Y2K until it became a
newsworthy item. We maintained a
shooting range (with professional training available) and held a monthly
potluck dinner for all our supporters and friends.
Eventually, the world became consumed with Y2K and word spread
about our “compound” and Fox news did a report on our activities…soon we were
swamped with inquiries and both my wife and I were a little taken aback by all
of the publicity. After the newscast, we
had strangers show up at our door asking our advice. At that point we learned it was better to
keep a low profile.
I even wrote a manual on
the subject which promptly sold out…now, many of the techniques I advised won’t
work as the government has become even more insidious…
Thanks to
government pinheads who don’t believe in freedom, it’s been a bad decade for
privacy.
The government is actively trying to increase the odds of
identity theft with its non-stop demand for use of the Social Security number,
especially since passage of the Patriot Act (in violation of the Privacy Act of
1974) –>Carol J-ID Theft Activist – AARP
Since our ‘lame stream’ press is nowhere to be found (Oh yeah,
they’ve become government lackeys) exposes from newspapers and television have
become extinct so in order to shame powerful people and entities, we now rely
on groups such as Anonymous for its brand of internet vigilantism.
Anonymous illustrates how a group of justice-seeking hackers can
defy the clowns in the NSA. They’ve
become the closest thing citizens have to a superhero as we sure can’t trust
the government with that role. Indeed,
many argue our government has become the enemy of the people.
This past Month’s 60 Minutes interview with
the heads of the NSA failed to convince me of their integrity about spying on
its own citizens…Call me jaded, but I simply do not trust much of what comes
out of Washington (the district of corruption):
NSA director admits
agency trawls Facebook and Twitter … but insists they are NOT building personal
files on Americans…
When Snowden blew the whistle on the NSA, he single-handedly reignited a
global debate about government surveillance and our most fundamental rights as
individuals.
And on Monday, a federal judge vindicated Snowden’s actions by declaring
unconstitutional the NSA’s spying program, labeling it “Orwellian”—adding that
James Madison would be “aghast.”
This could be the key tipping point for the American public to fully realize
the service Snowden provided to all of us by exposing the NSA’s illegal spying
program…
And now the
White House thinks that six months is the right amount of time before they
sweep everything under the rug.
When the
country realized that practically everything done on the Internet was recorded
and stored on government databases, the White House came forward and tried to
make amends. The president said he was shocked things were this bad. He even
saw a silver lining in the whole debacle.
He actually
"welcomes debate" when it comes to striking the right balance between
your privacy and national security.
In fact, the
White House set up a review panel to go over the NSA programs already in place
and find ways to ensure Americans' privacy and rights are respected. Finally,
we have a third party that's willing to curtail government overreach and
respect the rights of citizens.
At least,
you probably hoped that would be the case.
In a leaked
report delivered to the government yesterday, the review panel recommended only
modest changes in the way the agency does its business.
Like we
said, it's been months since Edward Snowden spilled the beans. Now they're
hoping you don't care as much and they can sneak these "reforms"
through without much fanfare.
Sascha
Meinrath, director of the Open
Technology Institute, had this to say about the report:
"The
review group was searching for ways to make the most modest pivot necessary to
continue business as usual. ... [the report] does nothing to alter the lack of
trust the global populace has for what the U.S. is doing, and nothing to
restore our reputation as an ethical Internet steward."
Meinrath said it best when asked about
the modest proposed changes:
"I think what [the
administration is] going to find is when the initial dust settles from this
attempt to spin the story is that people are going to be quick to realize this
is not meaningful reform, this is not a bold new direction, and it is not going
to do much to rein in a surveillance regime run amok."
According to every poll, Congress and the White House are
universally despised for its corruption, anti-citizen laws, mismanagement of
the economy and so on.
The right to privacy is the
time-travel paradox of constitutional law: even though it didn't exist as a
constitutional doctrine until 1961, and didn't form the basis of a Supreme
Court ruling until 1965, it is in some respects the oldest constitutional
right. It is the right to privacy that forms the common foundation of the
freedom of conscience outlined in the First
Amendment, the right to be secure in one's
person outlined in the Fourth
Amendment, and the right to refuse
self-incrimination outlined in the Fifth
Amendment - despite the fact that the word
"privacy" itself appears nowhere in the U.S.
Constitution.
More at:
Whistle-blower Edward Snowden revealed the NSA has
been abusing their stated mission. As
usually happens in these situations, politicians and officials are lying to
cover their tracks. They don't like the fact that they got caught with their
pants down. (It is the Information Age. Duh.)
They say they are doing all of this in the interest of "national
security." But I have to ask how much national security do we need before
we reach a point of diminishing returns?
How many times are we going to keep going to the well of referencing the tragic
events of Sept. 11 to justify deepening security while we continue sacrificing more of our privacy?
Why do the feds feel the need to violate everything we hold dear in this
country?
Sneaky Smart gadgets are watching you…
Cell phones and laptops are the main culprits that may be watching
you without your knowledge. Devices
provided by schools and employers are especially prone to watching you without
your knowledge…built-in cameras and built-in software which tracks every
keystroke.
Your own smartphone or laptop may be able to recognize your
face. HP, Dell and others now
automatically include biometric facial recognition technology in their laptops
and some newer laptops contain fingerprint scanners. Your best bet for securing your privacy is to
remain as low-tech as possible.
Revelations of the surveillance programs of the National
Security Agency(NSA) and the U.K. Government Communications Headquarters(GCHQ)
have sparked technical innovations, legal challenges, and pursuits of political
reforms in the United States and Britain. While some established providers of
secure e-mails have bowed out, new companies are moving in to offer consumers
protection from prying.
This Is How The NSA Is Tracking
You This Instant
That cell phone in your back pocket, which you are so
addicted to thanks to all its apps, videos, messaging function and all other
cool bells and whistles, that you can’t possibly live without? It is simply the
definitive NSA tracking beacon used to find where you are at any given moment.
More tips you can use to protect yourself from privacy
predators…
Shred
computer files easily…Go to Download.com and find wipe programs
and other security tools to ensure that old passwords, old website visits, old
emails and other information on your hard drive can’t be retrieved later (for
example, when you donate a computer to a charity).
Encrypt your
cellphone: Stop being tracked
by GPS or listened to by hackers with a cell phone frequency scanner. Two good options include CellCrypt.com and
PrivateWave.com
Ramp up
security by using a free
open-source program such as TrueCrypt.org
The safest
way to use the ‘Cloud’ is to
encrypt your files first or use a service such as Wuala.com
Stop giving
up your privacy on facebook, Google, Twitter, etc. by using a new technology called Privly – Learn more at: www.priv.ly
The Poor Man has long warned - Keep your
business to yourself…
Operational security is a military
term that essentially means the security necessary to deny the enemy any useful
information about what you are doing, and it’s not
just a term for military folks, either. It has lots of ramifications into the
civilian prepper world – guidelines that most people who term themselves
preppers ought to be following.
Consider that little good can come
from revealing your plans to anyone outside your family unit. The
information you inadvertently reveal about your preparations and plans is
almost certain to arouse suspicion with authorities at various levels, not to
mention opportunistic criminals. It’s not that preppers are engaged in any
illegal activities – to whit, the overwhelming majority of those that take on
the moniker of prepper or survivalist are overwhelmingly law abiding – it’s
just that certain activities are twisted by some people into something they are
not. A certain person might enjoy shooting, and acquire a perfectly legal gun
collection only to be branded as “having an arsenal.” Another person might have
a huge food stockpile and be termed a “hoarder” or even implicated of being
insane.
The reasons for these perceptions
mainly have to do with America’s shift to more leftist political leanings and
general moral decay. There isn’t much that can be done about that
problem, but there is much you can do about remaining operationally secure in
your preps and not arouse attention. Here are some tips:
1.
Keep your mouth shut: It’s important to not volunteer more information than people
need to know in any given conversation. Be wary about revealing too much
information to strangers – if you’re thinking right now that you don’t talk to
strangers, consider your average store purchase. If you buy a cart full of
canned goods and the cashier asks if you’re planning for World War III, don’t
take the bait. Oftentimes, store clerks and low level store employees act as
tipsters to higher level people.
2.
Watch what you say in texts and
email: Assume that nothing is
secure with these forms of communication. Never write anything that would even
be perceived as incriminating or reveal a clue as to what your preparations
are. Best to not write it down for any reason, since as soon as you hit send,
the communication is forever gone and no longer your property.
3.
Be wary of posting photos on the
Internet: Besides vain bragging, what is to
be gained by posting a photo of that new rifle or that pantry full of canned
goods stacked from floor to ceiling? Even if you think the photo reveals little
in terms of location, consider that many smartphones will attach a GPS
coordinate to the metadata in the photo. This invisible geotag is by default on
unless you disable it, and many people unwittingly send photos all over
cyberspace with their full GPS coordinates embedded within. It’s an elementary
process to see the geotag as well – anyone can do it within 30 seconds. Now
that distant retreat cabin is no longer in a secure, undisclosed location – it
is at precisely X GPS coordinates!
4.
Keep your ride anonymous: Don’t put little stickers on your car that show how many are in
your family, where your son or daughter is an honor student at, or anything
else that reveals where you live. Even car dealer license plate frames that
show were you bought the car can even be used against you. Make sure your car
has nothing on the outside that easily identifies you, and leave the interior
devoid of items that would do the same.
5.
Keep your home anonymous: Do you often leave your garage door open so that passersby can
see what’s inside? Consider that they can not only see the contents, but get a
visual on where the interior door is that leads to the home and even what kind
of lock is on it. At night, all drapes should be closed, making it harder for
people to see in your home. All it takes is a clear night, open drapes, and a
dime store telescope for someone to completely map out the layout of your home.
Operational security is essentially
a big fancy word that means common sense
©
2013 Off The Grid News
Lawmakers can do more to
protect their citizens, and there's a rising recognition in Congress that
America has gone too far. There's genuine momentum for at least some reform.
The USA Freedom Act would curb some bulk collection of data and has bipartisan
support, and this is progress.
No one should take seriously
President Obama's promise to a TV interviewer that he is planning to "rein
in" the surveillance. The president's record of broken promises when it
comes to civil liberties is long and disheartening. What is valuable, however,
is that he is now on the defensive.
Bill Binney is the high-level NSA executive who created the
agency’s mass surveillance program for digital information. A 32-year NSA
veteran widely regarded as a “legend” within the agency, Binney was the senior
technical director within the agency and managed thousands of NSA employees.
Binney has been interviewed by virtually...
It’s time for all real Americans to tell
the government to mind its own business AND not ours!
Find more privacy resources and free downloads at:
And a Merry little Christmas to all...
Click here to watch our little Christmas Greeting
video…
