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Wednesday, October 03, 2012

Be Careful What You Say In Email

Thanks to an ACLU Freedom of Information Act request, the Department of Justice handed over startling new documents showing that warrantless surveillance on Americans has increased dramatically since 9/11. What are called "pen register, and trap and trace" surveillance methods allow law enforcement to collect information on cell phone and email networks. In the old days, that required physical hardware, today it doesn't and law enforcement taking advantage of new technology without warrants and with very little oversight. This sort of surveillance on phone lines has increased 60% since 2009 – and on email it's increased by 361%. In fact, more people were subjected to this sort of surveillance in just the last two years than the entire previous decade combined. Anonymity and privacy are key ingredients for successful mass movements, and without them "we the people" will find it very difficult in the near future to participate in the activist movement politics this nation needs.

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