168 Mitarbeiter eines neu gegründeten Informationszentrums und der Generalstaatsanwalt haben sich angeblich aus Sicherheitsgründen einen GPS-Chip implantieren lassen...

http://www.telepolis.de/tp/deutsch/inhalt/te/17867/1.html

By TERESA HAMPTON & DOUG THOMPSON

Jun 8, 2004, 08:19

You’re on your way to work in the morning and place a call on your wireless phone. As your call is relayed by the wireless tower, it is also relayed by another series of towers to a microwave antenna on top of Mount Weather between Leesburg and Winchester, Virginia and then beamed to another antenna on top of an office building in Arlington where it is recorded on a computer hard drive.

The computer also records you phone digital serial number, which is used to identify you through your wireless company phone bill that the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency already has on record as part of your permanent file.

A series of sophisticated computer programs listens to your phone conversation and looks for “keywords” that suggest suspicious activity. If it picks up those words, an investigative file is opened and sent to the Department of Homeland Security.

Congratulations. Big Brother has just identified you as a potential threat to the security of the United States because you might have used words like “take out” (as in taking someone out when you were in fact talking about ordering takeout for lunch) or “D-Day” (as in deadline for some nefarious activity when you were talking about going to the new World War II Memorial to recognize the 60th anniversary of D-Day).

If you are lucky, an investigator at DHS will look at the entire conversation in context and delete the file. Or he or she may keep the file open even if they realize the use of words was innocent. Or they may decide you are, indeed, a threat and set up more investigation, including a wiretap on your home and office phones, around-the-clock surveillance and much closer looks at your life.

Welcome to America, 2004, where the actions of more than 150 million citizens are monitored 24/7 by the TIA, the Terrorist Information Awareness (originally called Total Information Awareness) program of DARPA, DHS and the Department of Justice.

Although Congress cut off funding for TIA last year, the Bush Administration ordered the program moved into the Pentagon’s “black bag” budget, which is neither authorized nor reviewed by the Hill. DARPA also increased the use of private contractors to get around privacy laws that would restrict activities by federal employees.

Six months of interviews with security consultants, former DARPA employees, privacy experts and contractors who worked on the TIA facility at 3701 Fairfax Drive in Arlington reveal a massive snooping operation that is capable of gathering – in real time – vast amounts of information on the day to day activities of ordinary Americans.

Going on a trip? TIA knows where you are going because your train, plane or hotel reservations are forwarded automatically to the DARPA computers. Driving? Every time you use a credit card to purchase gas, a record of that transaction is sent to TIA which can track your movements across town or across the country.

Use a computerized transmitter to pay tolls? TIA is notified every time that transmitter passes through a toll booth. Likewise, that lunch you paid for with your VISA becomes part of your permanent file, along with your credit report, medical records, driving record and even your TV viewing habits.

Subscribers to the DirecTV satellite TV service should know – but probably don’t – that every pay-per-view movie they order is reported to TIA as is any program they record using a TIVO recording system. If they order an adult film from any of DirecTV’s three SpiceTV channels, that information goes to TIA and is, as a matter of policy, forwarded to the Department of Justice’s special task force on pornography.

“We have a police state far beyond anything George Orwell imagined in his book 1984,” says privacy expert Susan Morrissey. “The everyday lives of virtually every American are under scrutiny 24-hours-a-day by the government.”

Paul Hawken, owner of the data information mining company Groxis, agrees, saying the government is spending more time watching ordinary Americans than chasing terrorists and the bad news is that they aren’t very good at it.

“It’s the Three Stooges go to data mining school,” Hawken says. “Even worse, DARPA is depending on second-rate companies to provide them with the technology, which only increases the chances for errors.”

One such company is Torch Concepts. DARPA provided the company with flight information on five million passengers who flew Jet Blue Airlines in 2002 and 2003. Torch then matched that information with social security numbers, credit and other personal information in the TIA databases to build a prototype passenger profiling system.

Jet Blue executives were livid when they learned how their passenger information, which they must provide the government under the USA Patriot Act, was used and when it was presented at a technology conference with the title: Homeland Security – Airline Passenger Risk Assessment.

Privacy Expert Bill Scannell didn’t buy Jet Blue’s anger.

“JetBlue has assaulted the privacy of 5 million of its customers,” said Scannell. “Anyone who flew should be aware and very scared that there is a dossier on them.”

But information from TIA will be used the DHS as a major part of the proposed CAPSII airline passenger monitoring system. That system, when fully in place, will determine whether or not any American is allowed to get on an airplane for a flight.

JetBlue requested the report be destroyed and the passenger data be purged from the TIA computers but TIA refuses to disclose the status of either the report or the data.

Although exact statistics are classified, security experts say the U.S. Government has paid out millions of dollars in out-of-court settlements to Americans who have been wrongly accused, illegally detained or harassed because of mistakes made by TIA. Those who accept settlements also have to sign a non-disclosure agreement and won’t discuss their cases.

Hawken refused to do business with DARPA, saying TIA was both unethical and illegal.

"We got a lot of e-mails from companies – even conservative ones – saying, ‘Thank you. Finally someone won’t do something for money,’" he adds.

Those who refuse to work with TIA include specialists from the super-secret National Security Agency in Fort Meade, MD. TIA uses NSA’s technology to listen in on wireless phone calls as well as the agency’s list of key words and phrases to identify potential terrorist activity.

“I know NSA employees who have quit rather than cooperate with DARPA,” Hawken says. “NSA’s mandate is to track the activities of foreign enemies of this nation, not Americans.”

© Copyright 2004 by Capitol Hill Blue

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4656.shtml


Informant: ECOTERRA Intl.

Erfinderische Arbeitgeber kontrollieren sogar Toilettengang

08.07.2004 13:40 | von silicon.de

In deutschen Büros, LKW-Fahrerkabinen, Fabrikhallen, Arztpraxen und an Supermarktkassen geht immer häufiger Big Brother um. Dank ausgefeilter technischer Möglichkeiten, gehen die Arbeitgeber dabei verstärkt ins Detail. Das ist das Ergebnis einer Untersuchung, die die Dienstleistungsgewerkschaft Verdi beim Verein zur Förderung des öffentlich bewegten und unbewegten Datenverkehrs (FoeBuD) in Auftrag gegeben hat.

Besonders beliebt ist demnach Überwachungssoftware, die alle Internet- und PC-Aktivitäten protokolliert. Zum Leistungsumfang solcher Software gehören Bildschirmaufnahmen, ein Rekorder für alle ein- und ausgehenden E-Mails, ein Chat-Rekorder und das Aufnehmen aller Tastenanschläge in Bezug auf die benutzten Programme. Ein Warnsystem informiert den Chef sofort bei "unrechtmäßiger Benutzung".

Doch nicht nur Büroangestellte sind nach Verdi-Angaben so gut wie gläsern. Im Einzelhandel wird oft jeder Tastendruck an der Kasse mitgeschrieben. Storniert eine Kassiererin zum Beispiel auffallend oft oder gibt sie, nachdem eine Kreditkarte automatisch gelesen wurde, anschließend die Nummer mehrfach manuell ein, so verhält sie sich verdächtig. Denn auch Betrugsversuche äußern sich in solchen Verhaltensmustern.

Zunehmend werden inzwischen auch die Flotten von Speditionsunternehmen mit Hilfe von GPS-Handys überwacht. Die Ortung ist auf zehn Meter genau. Auch für Außendienstmitarbeiter und Monteure würden solche Techniken eingesetzt, so die Gewerkschaft. Zusätzliche Möglichkeiten eröffnet hier die RFID-Technik (Radio Frequency Identification). In den USA würden einige Unternehmen bereits die Berufskleidung mit den Chips ausrüsten. So lasse sich auch kontrollieren, ob sich ein Angestellter nach dem Toilettengang die Hände gewaschen hat.

Selbst die Schweigepflicht der Ärzte werde von Seiten der Arbeitgeber in einigen Fällen ausgehebelt. Als Beispiel nannte Verdi ein großes deutsches Dienstleistungsunternehmen, dass seinen Arbeitnehmer teilweise spezielle Verträge vorlegt. Darin heißt es, "der Arbeitnehmer entbindet den Arzt hiermit von seiner Schweigepflicht, soweit es für die Beurteilung der Arbeitsunfähigkeit notwendig ist."

Der stellvertretende Verdi-Vorsitzende Franz Treml sagte, es müssten klare und eindeutige Regelungen darüber getroffen werden, was erlaubt sei und was nicht. Bei einem Missbrauchsverdacht müsse es zwar Kontrollmöglichkeiten geben. Beschäftigte, Betriebs- und Personalräte müssten jedoch bei ihrer Einführung beteiligt und informiert werden. "Es ist belegt, dass intensive Telekommunikations- und Internet-Uberwachung zu Unzufriedenheit, Stress und Depressionen führt, aber auch physische Probleme und chronische Kopfschmerzen verursachen kann", so Treml.

Quelle: Stoppschild.de Meldungen

bigbrotherawards.at 2004

Weil der Überwachungswahn heuer besonders tolle Kapriolen schlägt, werden Vorschläge für die Awards 2004 bereits ab jetzt entgegengenommen. Reichet die Wunschkandidaten auf der Website ein und tuet es jenen gleich, die mit einem Logo und einem Link ein Zeichen setzen. Es gibt noch viel zu wenige Leute, die eine Ahnung haben, was läuft.

http://www.bigbrotherawards.at/2003/nominees/index.php

Mille tnx an lool.at für den Ankick!
http://www.lool.at/

Der Verlauf des ersten Halbjahrs 2004 lässt in puncto Deutlichkeit leider keine Wünsche offen. So schnell ist es mit Datenschutz, Privatsphäre und anderen Rechten des Individuums in der europäischen Praxis noch nie binnen sechs Monaten bergab gegangen, seitdem es die Preise für die großen Brüder gibt [1998].

Damit die Überwachungs/schweinereien des ersten Halbjahrs 2004 nicht in Vergessenheit geraten, weil sie von aktuelleren überdeckt werden, wollen wir ausdrücklich darauf hinweisen, dass die Infrastruktur für Nominierungsvorschläge vom Vorjahr auch für Einreichungen der schlimmsten Überwacher zum BBA-A 2004 offen steht und diese die Redaktion sicher erreichen.

Wir ersuchen um möglichst präzise Angaben dabei, da alle Fälle nachrecherchiert werden.

Hier eine kurze Liste der wichtigsten Bewegungen im Bürger/überwach/ungsspiel, die durch konkrete Beispiele zu vervollständigen ist. Kaum waren LKW-Mautsystem und die erste Strecken mit Section Control in Betrieb, kamen die Forderungen der Polizei nach dauerhafter Speicherung aller Daten und naturgemäß auch das Zugriffsrecht.

Derweil beschloss die EU-Kommission mit der Auslieferung der Flugpassagierdaten einen handfesten Bruch des Datenschutzrechts, mit der laufenden EU-Initiative zur obligatorischen Verkehrsdatenspeicherung bei Providern aller Art ist eine neuer Rechtsbruch bereits in Arbeit.

Nicht nur in Österreich ist ein sprunghafter Anstieg der Videoüberwachung öffentlicher Räume durch Behörden und Private zu verzeichnen. Als Draufgabe dazu: Funkchips zur Kontrolle aller Bereiche der Lebenswelt bis hin zu biometrischen Merkmalen in den kommenden Reisepässen. Aber es gab auch erste, sichtbare Proteste gegen die Einführung des Gehrer'schen Datenmolochs auch bekannt als "Bildungsevidenz" in Österreich. Besagte Ministerin wurde für ihr Lebenswerk bereits mit mehreren Awards bedacht.

relayed by Harkank

http://educate-yourself.org/BBB/index.shtml


Informant: Laurel

Salt Lake Tribune | June 26 2004

Comment: I post this in the big brother section because in past programs of this nature, the drones 'accidentally' strayed and started spying on US citizens. This has nothing to do with border control, since Bush's proposal of blanket amnesty, illegal immigrants attempting to cross has increased 15%.

FORT HUACHUCA, Ariz. -- The Border Patrol launched an unmanned drone Friday that uses thermal and night-vision equipment to help agents spot undocumented immigrants trying to cross the desert into the United States.

The stepped-up surveillance is part of a mission that officials hope will stem the tide of undocumented immigrants who have made Arizona the busiest illegal entry point along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico.

The two drones used in the project can detect movement from 15 miles up, read a license plate, view a vehicle's occupants and even detect weapons, officials said.

The drones weigh almost 1,000 pounds, have a 35-foot wingspan and can fly faster than 100 mph. They will patrol at 12,000 to 15,000 feet. They can stay aloft for 20 hours.

The overall cost of the mission is $10 million. The government spent about $4 million on the drones.

Pilots on the ground will remotely control them unless the flight is preprogrammed. Another agent interprets the images and uses global positioning to send agents to respond to what the drones detect.

The aircraft are a key element of the Department of Homeland Security's efforts to achieve "operational control" of the border in Arizona. The drones' mission ends Sept. 30, when it will be assessed to determine the future of drones with the Border Patrol.

Border Patrol agents catch hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants trying to cross Arizona's sprawling, cactus-covered deserts each year. The agency had recorded more than 330,000 apprehensions since Oct. 1 in the Border Patrol's Tucson sector, which covers most of the Arizona border.

The Hermes 450s, which Israel uses to patrol its frontiers, join a number of unmanned aerial vehicles used in the United States.

Remote-controlled planes help gather data for environmental studies and patrol Western skies on wildfire watch. In Alaska, the Coast Guard is also testing a drone this summer for fisheries patrols and other uses.

Drones called Predators have also been successful in U.S. military and CIA operations. Missiles fired from Predators have killed al-Qaida operatives in Afghanistan and Yemen.

http://www.prisonplanet.tv/articles/june2004/062604surveillancedrones.htm


Informant: m macleod

WHILE YOU were watching President Ronald W. Reagan’s caisson wend its way up Constitution Avenue to the Capitol Rotunda on your television screen, Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tommy Thompson was watching you on his screen...

http://www.theunionleader.com/articles_showfast.html?article=39195


From Information Clearing House

Opinion

Posted on Fri, Jun. 18, 2004

LENORE SKENAZY

'I see London, I see France. I can get a bead on the exact location of your underpants and where you bought them and how often you've taken them to the laundermat, if ever — thanks to RFID."

Now, maybe that chant is not going to be popular anytime soon, but RFID is. And what is RFID? Some kind of universal surveillance system? Well, yes. Potentially.

RFID stands for Radio Frequency Identification — tiny chips that can be embedded or even sewn into a product and programmed to emit a radio signal. That signal can be read by anyone with an RFID receiver, from across the room — or across the street. It can be read through clothing and even wallets. Think of it as a bar code on steroids, broadcasting heaps of info:

"I am a pair of Hanes bikini briefs, size 8, shipped to the Poughkeepsie, N.Y., Wal-Mart on Sept. 9, and purchased the day before Halloween by Lenore (last name deleted), who also bought a whopping mountain of fun-size Snickers that day. Waaaay more than she needed for the kids in her building at (address deleted). Let's see how long she fits in these briefs!"

Well, it's not quite as snippy as that. But all that info could well be there. And Wal-Mart is planning to implement RFID throughout its stores by 2005.

At first, the tiny transmitters will be placed only on pallets of goods, not individual items. This will be a godsend to managers wondering, "Where is that load of digital cameras Sony claims it shipped last Tuesday from Denver?" Because that particular pallet of cameras will beep, "Here I am!" As it moves into the store, the pallet will also beep: "Time to order more!"

So RFID is efficient. It keeps shelves stocked and losses low. But what happens when companies start putting RFID chips on individual items?

If the chip is not turned off at the checkout counter, it will keep transmitting. So if, say, a robber is standing on your street wondering, "Any brand-new cameras around here?" The one in your living room beeps to his receiver, "Here I am!"

And what if instead of a robber, it's a private detective checking to see if you were cheating on your spouse last Sunday? You say you were home all day. But when the detective waves his RFID wand, the camera beeps, "I was purchased Sunday at Wal-Mart." Calling Raoul Felder!

What happens when RFID tags are placed on everything from your razor (as Gillette is already doing) to your tires (Michelin is experimenting with this) to your shirt (as Benetton planned, until swayed by consumer protest)? You will walk around virtually bugged.

And if you paid with an RFID credit card — as someday you will — your personal info may be there, too: This is who she is, what she bought, when and where.

Is there any way to stop this tracking in its tracks? Maybe. Consumers must insist that RFID tags be easily visible, removable and turned off at checkout.

Otherwise, it won't be only our underpants Big Brother can see. It will be everything about us.

And that stinks.

http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/news/editorial/8948818.htm?1c

Evolver-Presseinformation: Neue Kolumne AUSWEISKONTROLLE


http://ecolog.twoday.net/stories/241904/

Welcome to America, 2004, where the actions of more than 150 million citizens are monitored 24/7 by the TIA, the Terrorist Information Awareness (originally called Total Information Awareness) program of DARPA, DHS and the Department of Justice...

http://www.capitolhillblue.com/artman/publish/article_4656.shtml


From Information Clearing House