When the U.S. Senate approved the nomination of Nicholas J. Rasmussen as Director of the U.S. National Counterrorism Center (NCTC) on Dec. 18, the timing and nature of this momentous event fit the character of a man who has held vital positions at the highest reaches of The Intelligence Community -- but always quietly and in the background. Rasmussen's appointment was one of … [Read more...]
Did Palantir Blow the 2008 Mumbai Attacks?
Research published in today's New York Times on the Nov. 26, 2008 terrorist strike in Mumbai blames poor coordination between the CIA, GCHQ and Indian intelligence -- and by inference also questions the value of systems such as Palantir. Are these accusations true or just a red herring planted by the report's backers, which include Pro Publica and Edward Snowden? Let's take a … [Read more...]
Best Electronic Surveillance Companies of 2014
The vote is in for the Best Electronic Surveillance Companies of 2014. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first effort to examine surveillance companies side-by-side and pick winners that provide superlative value to "customers" -- law enforcement and intelligence agencies, the military, and of course, communications service providers that must meet compliance … [Read more...]
Cisco, Huawei and Semptian: A Look Behind the Great Firewall of China
As the surveillance and censorship network monitoring 1.2 billion people, the Great Firewall of China is at once the most complex and little understood in-country electronic surveillance system on the planet -- even though much of its core technology is American made, and Chinese developers themselves often get an assist from U.S. tech leaders. The principle application used … [Read more...]
Nuance Voice Biometrics for Law Enforcement: Not Long for This World?
Just in time for Thanksgiving, voice biometrics giant Nuance on Nov. 24 issued another earnings gobbler, reporting its eighth consecutive money-losing quarter. Should law enforcement customers risk investing in a voice biometrics tool made by a company that seems financially non-aerodynamic? On the upside, the company touted it beat analyst expectations for the year, which … [Read more...]