Big Brother is Watching You

[Vrede too]

Speaking of way past suspicious, and guilty:

Facial recognition, fake identities and digital surveillance tools: Inside the post office's covert internet operations program

The post office’s law enforcement arm has faced intense congressional scrutiny in recent weeks over its Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP), which tracks social media posts of Americans and shares that information with other law enforcement agencies. Yet the program is much broader in scope than previously known and includes analysts who assume fake identities online, use sophisticated intelligence tools and employ facial recognition software, according to interviews and documents reviewed by Yahoo News....

[neoplacebo]

I once worked for USPS and it was the weirdest job I ever had. Most post offices have secret, but obvious, surveillance of the employees. Enclosed walkways with view ports that may or may not be manned by postal inspectors. Not many people realize it, but USPS investigators have more power than a US marshal.

[Vrede too]

FBI sought info on who read USA Today news article for case

... The agency demanded the newspaper USA Today hand over records on who had read an article about the killing of two FBI agents.

The newspaper's owner is resisting the request and asked a judge to quash the demand.

It says the FBI's demand is a "clear violation" of protections to press freedom.

The FBI issued a subpoena - an order to submit evidence - to USA Today's owner Gannett, asking it for information about anyone who clicked on an article published in February about the fatal shooting of two of the bureau's agents in Florida....

It's an article that I might have clicked on except for USA Today's AdBlock wall. I wonder if they'll go after Yahoo reprint readers, too.

[GoCubsGo]

How bizarre.

[O Really]

How bizarre.

Bizarre, indeed. I schlogged through the subpoena text and don't see any likelihood that's gonna fly. IF the FBI had evidence or good reason to think somebody they're chasing did access that story during that time and they were looking for more information about him/her, then asking for everyone who accessed it is still overbroad.

[GoCubsGo]

How bizarre.

Bizarre, indeed. I schlogged through the subpoena text and don't see any likelihood that's gonna fly. IF the FBI had evidence or good reason to think somebody they're chasing did access that story during that time and they were looking for more information about him/her, then asking for everyone who accessed it is still overbroad.

Especially as the shooter killed himself.

[O Really]

Somebody - it might have been I, said the FBI subpeona wouldn't last:

The FBI is withdrawing its subpoena of USA Today records that would show all the IP addresses and phone numbers of everyone who read one of its articles during a 35-minute period in February saying they caught the suspect 'by other means.'

Meanwhile, every conspiracy nut in the country is even more convinced that the FBI is tracking them personally with magic chips and cameras hidden in their flatscreens.

[Ulysses]

Somebody - it might have been I, said the FBI subpeona wouldn't last:

The FBI is withdrawing its subpoena of USA Today records that would show all the IP addresses and phone numbers of everyone who read one of its articles during a 35-minute period in February saying they caught the suspect 'by other means.'

Meanwhile, every conspiracy nut in the country is even more convinced that the FBI is tracking them personally with magic chips and cameras hidden in their flatscreens.

No, the tracking is primarily done via microchips in covid vaccine shots.

Jeez, I thought you knew this.

[Vrede too]

They were never looking for the shooter. He had immediately barricaded himself. It was someone else they wanted. This article makes the connection to other FBI abuses, ones that Joe and Garland say they are now ending:

Justice Department withdraws FBI subpoena for USA TODAY records ID'ing readers

... Withdrawal of the subpoena came on the same day that the Justice Department announced it will no longer secretly obtain reporters' records during leak investigations, a departure from a policy used by previous administrations to try to identify sources who provided journalists with classified information. The reversal came after recent revelations that the Trump administration had secretly obtained the phone records of reporters from The New York Times, The Washington Post and CNN.

"Going forward, consistent with the President's direction, this Department of Justice – in a change to its longstanding practice – will not seek compulsory legal process in leak investigations to obtain source information from members of the news media doing their jobs," Justice Department spokesman Anthon Coley said in a statement Saturday.

President Joe Biden recently criticized the policy, saying it's "simply wrong" to seize journalists' records....

It's not just 45SHOLE. Obama was also aggressive in going after whistle blowers and their media contacts.

[Vrede too]

... Meanwhile, every conspiracy nut in the country is even more convinced that the FBI is tracking them personally with magic chips and cameras hidden in their flatscreens.

I'm sure there is surveillance that we're unaware of and things that can be accessed when LEOs and others wish, but there are also the cameras not hidden in our computers and "listeners" that we know about:

Lawsuits say Siri and Google are listening, even when they're not supposed to

[O Really]

According to the lawsuit...

"These conversations occurred in their home, bedroom, and car, as well as other places where Plaintiffs Lopez and A.L. were alone or had a reasonable expectation of privacy," the lawsuit alleges.

Ummm, no. The conversations were in their home, etc. in the presence of a device they paid for, installed, and are or should be well aware of its name and what happens when it hears its name. Sure, it would be nice if there was, for example, a light that comes on when it's recording, but c'mon - they knew it was there.

"I think this lawsuit is part of people finally starting to realize that Siri doesn't work for us, it works for Apple," she said.

Ya think?

[Vrede too]

According to the lawsuit...

"These conversations occurred in their home, bedroom, and car, as well as other places where Plaintiffs Lopez and A.L. were alone or had a reasonable expectation of privacy," the lawsuit alleges.

Ummm, no. The conversations were in their home, etc. in the presence of a device they paid for, installed, and are or should be well aware of its name and what happens when it hears its name. Sure, it would be nice if there was, for example, a light that comes on when it's recording, but c'mon - they knew it was there.

"I think this lawsuit is part of people finally starting to realize that Siri doesn't work for us, it works for Apple," she said.

Ya think?

Apple, Google, etc claim that privacy is protected and that recording/transmitting only occur when the customer is aware and approving. If this is not the case the lawsuit has validity. Regardless, people need to be cautious with what they invite into their lives.

[O Really]

Apple, Google, etc claim that privacy is protected and that recording/transmitting only occur when the customer is aware and approving. If this is not the case the lawsuit has validity. Regardless, people need to be cautious with what they invite into their lives.

Alexa doesn't start until you call her name - or another wake-up word if you've designated it. From the user start-up manual: "You’ll always be able to tell when Alexa is listening to your request because a light indicator will appear on your Echo device or an audible tone will sound."

These "private" conversations happen because somebody says "Alexa" and doesn't stop talking. She would also have responded to her name, which apparently they didn't hear. Or maybe there was some other glitch. But in any case, it's a glitch, not a conspiracy.

[neoplacebo]

It would have been better if they'd named it "Asshole." "Hey, Asshole, what time is it?"

[O Really]

It would have been better if they'd named it "Asshole." "Hey, Asshole, what time is it?"

There are choices, but "Asshole" isn't there yet. You can change Alexa to, for example, Shaquille O'Neill's voice and then say "Hey Shaq." I'm sure Amazon would be receptive to one of your classic communications requesting an adaptation to include your choice of asshole voice and the "Hey Asshole' wake-up. Personally, I wouldn't choose it though. It's too hard already to stay away from assholes IRL - I wouldn't intentionally bring one home.

[Vrede too]

It would have been better if they'd named it "Asshole." "Hey, Asshole, what time is it?"

That would confuse husbands everywhere.

[neoplacebo]

It would have been better if they'd named it "Asshole." "Hey, Asshole, what time is it?"

There are choices, but "Asshole" isn't there yet. You can change Alexa to, for example, Shaquille O'Neill's voice and then say "Hey Shaq." I'm sure Amazon would be receptive to one of your classic communications requesting an adaptation to include your choice of asshole voice and the "Hey Asshole' wake-up. Personally, I wouldn't choose it though. It's too hard already to stay away from assholes IRL - I wouldn't intentionally bring one home.

I think some of the choices should be ones that would insult you. Something like a Don Rickles or Rodney Dangerfield sort of thing. "Hey, Don, hey Rod, one of you guys give me the soccer scores." Then one of them says "who the hell is this guy? get your own goddamn scores." But I guess that would be like not having that sort of assistant or assistance at all.

[O Really]

I think there was at one time a sarcastic voice available for one Garmin model. Instead of saying "recalculating" when you missed the turn, it would say something like " left, I said turn left, idiot..."

[billy.pilgrim]

https://www.zdnet.com/article/signal-un ... ut-people/

"In the search warrant, Santa Clara Police sought to get the name, street address, telephone number, and email address of a specific Signal user. It also wanted billing records, the dates of when the account was opened and registered, inbound and outbound call detail records, voicemails, video calls, emails, text messages, IP addresses along with dates and times for each login, and even all dates and times the user connected to Signal."


"The non-disclosure order was then extended four times, which resulted in Signal's request to unseal the search warrant being repeatedly pushed back. In total, it took Signal almost a full year before the company was able to legally publicly disclose the process it underwent when it received the search warrant."

[Ulysses]

When I drive the most I do is call up a map on my cell phone. No voice prompting or other distraction. If I miss a turn, it's all on me. But usually not a problem.