Google: US Government Spying Has Tripled Since 2010

Google announced Thursday that the number of requests for individual user data by the US government has increased threefold in the same number of years.

The Search Engine’s statistics, released in its Transparency Report, show that In the six months of 2013, the government issued 10,918 requests for data on 21,683 users, a huge increase on just 3,580 requests in the latter half of 2009, when Google first began compiling the figures.

The number also represents a 32 percent jump on the 8,438 user data requests that were submitted by US government entities in the last six months of 2012.

“Since we began sharing these figures with you in 2010, requests from governments for user information have increased by more than 100 percent,” writes Richard Salgado, legal director for Google.

The requests were made at the local, state, and federal levels of government, and include subpoenas for direct access to IP addresses, names, and detailed account information, in addition to search warrants issued by police for emails, photos and videos.

Breaking down the figures, Google notes that 68 percent of the American requests were subpoenas, 22 percent were warrants, and 6 percent were “other court orders”. A further 2 percent were “pen register orders”, a dubious warrantless legal order only previously applied to telephone companies, with a further 1 percent being described as “emergency disclosure requests.”

According to Google’s report, the US government easily tops the list of worldwide requests, with 25,879 total worldwide requests submitted, covering 42,500 users. This means that over half of all users affected were targeted by the US government.

Google indicates that it agreed to 83 percent of the US government requests, overall complying with 63 percent globally. However, the statistics DO NOT encompass surveillance at the hands of the NSA, with which Google’s intimate relationship has been well documented.

“This comes as usage of our services continues to grow, but also as more governments have made requests than ever before,” Google man Salgado also noted. “And these numbers only include the requests we’re allowed to publish.”

Google is effectively under a gag order at the hands of The Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISA), which has refused to allow private companies to publish details of requests for information, citing national security as justification.

Google is one of several companies, along with Apple, Yahoo, Facebook and Microsoft, that claim they are pushing for more transparency on US government spying on users of their products. The companies are suing for the right to publish more details, arguing that they have a First Amendment right to do so.

“We believe it’s your right to know what kinds of requests and how many each government is making of us and other companies,” Salgado wrote in the Google blog on the matter.

“Earlier this year, we brought a federal case to assert that we do indeed have the right to shine more light on the FISA process. In addition, we recently wrote a letter of support for two pieces of legislation currently proposed in the U.S. Congress.” Salgado added.

As Google is still compiling the data, it remains to be seen how many takedown orders Google received from US authorities pertaining to “government criticism”. In 2011, it was revealed that the demands to remove information, including videos containing “government criticism,” increased by 70 per cent.

As we have previously documented, Google-owned You Tube has complied with thousands of requests worldwide to remove political protest videos that are clearly not in violation of any copyright or national security interests and do not constitute defamation.

Leslie Harris, president of the Center for Democracy and Technology, noted that the Google report “illustrates the government’s steadily growing appetite for more data from more users.”

“As our most personal information continues to move online, where physical barriers to government access are diminished, it’s vital that our laws are updated to protect against warrantless searches.” Harris added.

Source: Infowars

A Warning From Anonymous – 9/11 Style Attack in LA in May Be Imminent

The world renowned hacker activist group “Anonymous” issued one of their civic-minded warnings yesterday on behalf of the people of Los Angeles. Anonymous has indicated that they have information which leads them to believe that a false flag event similar to the twin tower attacks in New York is in the works for the Citi Bank building. The chief tenant of that building at this time is Freddie Mac.

They are specific in their information, with the attack expected on Friday, November 15^th. They indicated that their information alerted them to SWAT drills being conducted in the downtown area in a manner different from other drills which have been recently carried out. They did not specify in what way they were different.

They also stated that the insurance coverage for the building has been dropped with the exception of those portions of coverage which provide for special conditions, physical damage, and coverages related to terrorism. Those coverages remain in effect, according to Anonymous’ sources. They identify the certificate holder for the insurance Hines Vaf.

In addition to the Citi Bank building, the adjacent US Bank building is also named as a possible target in the Anonymous warning. They recommend that people avoid the buildings in particular this Friday, but the window for a possible terror event appears to be for several days. The buildings are located at the intersection of South Flower and West Fifth St. in Los Angeles.

Anonymous does not claim to have concrete proof of plans to destroy the building(s), but they found enough similarities between this possible event and the suspicious circumstances surrounding the attacks of September 11^th that they chose to err on the side of caution by coming forward with the information at this time.

Just over five months ago, extensive terror drills were held in Los Angeles as part of the 2013 National Homeland Security Conference. It is a well-documented fact that there are invariably terror drills of a very similar nature conducted prior to virtually every suspected false flag operation from 9/11 and Oklahoma City all the way up to the recent LAX TSA incident. The information provided to Anonymous also references recent, less publicized drills.

This, in addition to the changes in the insurance coverage, gave rise to the reasonable suspicion that something reprehensible may be in the works.

Anonymous closed their statement with a warning to potential perpetrators, “We do not forgive, we do not forget. Expect to be held accountable for your actions if you follow through with your sinister agenda. We will not tolerate your wicked greed in pursuit of more wealth and restructure. We are Anonymous.  We do not forgive.  We do not forget.  Expect us.”

link to thelibertydigest.com

Google Tracks Everything You Do, Even Offline

Google tracks everything you do, and they are not limited to just tracking you online. The search giant is now developing ways to track users across laptops, tablets and smartphones. They can even follow you right down to the the stores you visit and businesses you call from your mobile device.

The new Google AdWords feature, called “Estimated Total Conversions“, is aimed at advertisers that use the platform to serve their ads to you while you browse the Internet. The idea behind the new technology is to track a user from the time they are served an advertisement, until the time they walk into a brick and mortar store, or shop online in order to purchase the advertised product. Google uses the following pitch when selling the new feature to advertisers:

People are constantly connected, using multiple devices throughout the day to shop, communicate and stay entertained. A September 2013 study of multi-device consumers found that over 90% move sequentially between several screens for everyday activities like booking a hotel or shopping for electronics.

As consumers are increasingly on the go and switching between devices, marketers are telling us they want to see a more complete and accurate picture of how their online advertising drives conversions. Conversions can come in many forms: visits to stores, phone calls, app downloads, website sales or purchases made after consulting various devices. Getting better insight into these complex purchase paths can help you optimize your online advertising and allocate budget more effectively.

In addition to your web browsing habits, Google is now tracking your call logs, your GPS records, and a list of the devices that you use on a daily basis. This of course includes your mobile phones, tablets, laptops and more. All in the name of targeted advertising and conversion statistics.

Google Adwords “Estimated Total Conversions”

Google has the ability to access many types of user data from Android apps as well as Google branded apps for the Apple iOS including Google search, Gmail, Google Maps and the Chrome web browser. If a person is using any of these apps while they are shopping, or happens to have them running in the background, Google can use that data to pinpoint the user’s location and see if they are in a store or other place of business.

So if you were on your laptop searching for a new television, and you were presented with a Best Buy advertisement in the search results, Google could tell if you walked into, or called a local Best Buy an hour later to make the purchase. You would only need to have your mobile device along for the ride, Google would be recording the entire process. This would be an example of Google’s “Cross Device Conversion” technology.

Android users give permission for Google to track them in this manner when they opt-in to use “location services” on their smartphone’s Options menu. iPhone users allow this behavior when they agree to allow “location services” for apps like Google Maps and Gmail.

Online tracking is nothing new, however Google has taken this a step further by continuing its tracking efforts into the real world.

Source: Activist Post

WikiLeaks Release of Secret Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP)

Today, 13 November 2013, WikiLeaks released the secret negotiated draft text for the entire TPP (Trans-Pacific Partnership) Intellectual Property Rights Chapter. The TPP is the largest-ever economic treaty, encompassing nations representing more than 40 per cent of the world’s GDP. The WikiLeaks release of the text comes ahead of the decisive TPP Chief Negotiators summit in Salt Lake City, Utah, on 19-24 November 2013. The chapter published by WikiLeaks is perhaps the most controversial chapter of the TPP due to its wide-ranging effects on medicines, publishers, internet services, civil liberties and biological patents. Significantly, the released text includes the negotiation positions and disagreements between all 12 prospective member states.

The TPP is the forerunner to the equally secret US-EU pact TTIP (Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership), for which President Obama initiated US-EU negotiations in January 2013. Together, the TPP and TTIP will cover more than 60 per cent of global GDP. Read full press release here

Download the full secret TPP treaty IP chapter as a PDF here

Link to Wikileaks

Bitcoin Hits New All-Time High, Commands Over $300 Per Coin!

Feds Deploy National Spy System of Microphones Capable of Recording Conversations

The revelations of Edward Snowden shone fresh light on NSA spying targeting the American people, but what has gone largely unnoticed is the fact that a network of different spy systems which can record real time conversations are already in place throughout many urban areas of the United States, as well as in the technology products we buy and use on a regular basis.

These systems are no secret – they are hiding in plain view – and yet concerns about the monolithic potential for their abuse have been muted.

That lack of discussion represents a massive lost opportunity for the privacy community because whereas polls have shown apathy, indifference, or even support for NSA spying, anecdotal evidence suggests that people would be up in arms if they knew the content of their daily conversations were under surveillance.

The dystopian movie V for Vendetta features a scene in which goons working for the totalitarian government drive down residential streets with spy technology listening to people’s conversations to detect the vehemence of criticism against the state.

Such technology already exists or is rapidly being introduced through a number of different guises in America and numerous other developed countries.

The Washington Post recently published a feature length article on gunshot detectors, known as ShotSpotter, which detailed how in Washington DC there are now, “at least 300 acoustic sensors across 20 square miles of the city,” microphones wrapped in a weather-proof shell that can detect the location of a sound down to a few yards and analyze the audio using a computer program.

While the systems are touted as “gunshot detectors,” as the New York Times reported in May 2012, similar technology is already installed in over 70 cities around the country, and in some cases it is being used to listen to conversations.

“In at least one city, New Bedford, Mass., where sensors recorded a loud street argument that accompanied a fatal shooting in December, the system has raised questions about privacy and the reach of police surveillance, even in the service of reducing gun violence,” states the report.

Frank Camera, the lawyer for Jonathan Flores, a man charged with murder, complained that the technology is “opening up a whole can of worms.”

“If the police are utilizing these conversations, then the issue is, where does it stop?” he said.

This led the ACLU to warn that the technology could represent a clear violation of the Fourth Amendment if misused.

The ACLU’s Jay Stanley asked, “whether microphones can be remotely activated by police who want to listen to nearby conversations,” noting that it was illegal for police “to make audio recordings of conversations in which they are not a participant without a warrant.”

“If the courts start allowing recordings of conversations picked up by these devices to be admitted as evidence, then it will provide an additional incentive to the police to install microphones in our public spaces, over and above what is justified by the level of effectiveness the technology proves to have in pinpointing gun shots,” wrote Stanley.

Eventually, if indeed it is not already happening in some major metropolitan areas, voices will be linked to biometric facial profiles via the Trapwire system, which allows the government to monitor citizens via public and private CCTV networks.

As we have also previously highlighted, numerous major cities in the Unites States are currently being fitted with Intellistreets ‘smart’ street lighting systems that also have the capability of recording conversations and sending them directly to authorities via wi-fi.

As we reported on Sunday, the Las Vegas Public Works Department has begun testing the devices, which act as surveillance cameras, Minority Report-style advertising hubs, and Homeland Security alert systems. As ABC 7 reported in 2011, they are “also capable of recording conversations.”

Televisions, computers and cellphones are already utilizing technology that records conversations in order to bombard users with invasive targeted advertising. Last year, Verizon followed Google’s lead and officially filed a patent for a set-top box that will actively spy on Americans in their own homes by turning TVs into wiretaps.

The patent application says that the technology will be capable of detecting “ambient action” including “cuddling, fighting and talking” in people’s living rooms.

The box will even listen to your conversations, according to the communication giant’s patent.

“If detection facility detects one or more words spoken by a user (e.g., while talking to another user within the same room or on the telephone), advertising facility may utilize the one or more words spoken by the user to search for and/or select an advertisement associated with the one or more words,” the document states.

In an article we published back in 2006, we highlighted the fact that, “Digital cable TV boxes, such as Scientific Atlanta, have had secret in-built microphones inside them since their inception in the late 1990′s.”

This technology is now commonplace, with products like the Xbox utilizing in-built microphones to allow voice control. Microsoft promises that it won’t use the microphones to record your conversations, which is a fairly hollow guarantee given that Microsoft collaborated with the NSA to allow the federal agency to bypass its encryption services in order to spy on people.

App providers on the Android network also now require users to agree to a condition that, “Allows the app to record audio with the microphone,” on cellphones and other ‘smart’ devices. “This permission allows the app to record audio at any time without your confirmation,” states the text of the agreement.

Image: David Petraeus welcomes the ‘smart’ spy grid.

Virtually every new technological device now being manufactured that is linked to the Internet has the capability to record conversations and send them back to a central hub. Is it really any wonder therefore that former CIA director David Petraeus heralded the arrival of the “smart home” as a boon for “clandestine statecraft”?

Whistleblowers such as William Binney have warned that the NSA has virtually every US citizen under surveillance, with the ability to record all of their communications. The agency recently completed construction of a monolithic heavily fortified $2 billion facility deep in the Utah desert to process and analyze all of the information collected.

If the revelations of Edward Snowden taught us one thing then it’s that if the NSA has the capability to use a technology to spy on its primary target – the American people – then it is already doing so.

The state has already had blanket access to phone records since at least 1987 under the Hemisphere program, under which AT&T gave the Drug Enforcement Agency access to call logs.

This network of computer programs, urban wi-fi infrastructure and technological products inside our homes that all have the capability of recording our conversations represents an even more invasive and Orwellian prospect than anything Edward Snowden brought to light, and yet discussion of its threat to fundamental privacy has been virtually non-existent.

Source: Infowars

Facebook Users "Troll" Mainstream Media - MSM Ignores it

On Sunday night, Facebook users took to the pages of Mainstream Media Networks such as ABC, NBC, FOX News, and CNN; and "trolled" them to raise awareness about the corruption, and lies the Media partakes in on a daily basis.

The post that appears on several pages show a common link, that which appears to be a 'March Against Mainstream Media'. The March, seeks to expose the MSM as the corporate machine it is, as it delivers propaganda and buries the truth about alternative news that could enrich the lives of millions.

This was one of the posts that appeared on the CNN Website:

The screenshot shows images and links that would send the users to the March Against Mainstream Media's pages, and a short message showing that a march will take place protesting each network.

Here is a post that appeared on 'Fox and Friends':

Once more, this appeared on ABC News' Facebook Page:

The screenshot shown above has a "meme" that appears to say "we're coming", speaking in reference to the November 16th March planned nation-wide.

Over and over again we see people awakening to this overt mechanism of control in nearly all aspects of our lives. The Mainstream Media is simply a tool that is being used to seemingly divide society into two camps, those in the "know"; and those who have no idea in the world the wealth of knowledge that is available at their fingertips. It certainly is reassuring, though, that social media, and alternative media is using all the tools at their disposal to awaken the sleeping giant, that is America.

Source: Activist Post