With just 2 weeks to go before 2015, it's safe to assume that pundits will not be making any new forecasts for 2014, so it's time for C5IS's annual look at top predictions that didn't happen. We like to do this as a reality check, but also to poke fun at those who think they can predict the future -- and at the charlatans who engage in crystal ball gazing for their own ends, … [Read more...]
Surveillance or Torture — Take Your Pick
In a rare confluence of events, a court ruling on the legality of mass surveillance and a report on the use of "enhanced interrogation techniques," aka torture, emerged within days of one another the past week. While the two incidents were separated by an ocean and not connected, they intersect in ways that define the debate of the decade: What are the limits of government's … [Read more...]
Who Do You Trust: Verizon or NSA?
As the USA Freedom Act enters hibernation during the lame duck session of Congress, word comes that Verizon -- one of the most vocal opponents of government surveillance -- has infected 100s of millions of customer accounts with “super cookies” that reveal nearly every bit as much personal information as the NSA bulk metadata collection program. It’s commonplace for … [Read more...]
Time for Governments to Hunker Down Against Terrorists?
Terrorists make their way unnoticed into the gallery, pull out their weapons and rain semi-automatic fire on lawmakers below. Today’s attack on Canada’s Parliament? Actually the scene dates to 1954, when Puerto Rican nationalists strolled past security, such as it was in the U.S. Capitol then, and shot five Congressmen before being tackled and hauled off to jail. Despite … [Read more...]
Will Apple iOS 8 Encryption Spur Demand for Lawful Intercept?
When FBI Director James Comey took the podium in a recent public forum on “going dark,” all in attendance agreed that Apple iOS 8 encryption and other measures designed to render mobile devices impenetrable will make it far more difficult for law enforcement to gather evidence essential to prosecuting criminals. But the one point no one, including Comey, thought to address: … [Read more...]