patrick.net

https://justthenews.com/government/millions-americans-are-having-their-phone-calls-listened-secret-surveillance-program

Millions of Americans who use AT&T’s phone network are having their phone calls monitored by a surveillance program called Data Analytical Services (DAS), which has had coordination with federal and local law enforcement agencies.

According to a document obtained by WIRED, DAS has been secretly collecting and analyzing over one trillion domestic phone records within the U.S. each year.

The program used to be called Hemisphere and is run by AT&T in coordination with different agencies, according to Fox News.

The program uses a technique known as chain analysis. This goes after those who have been in direct contact with a criminal suspect, and anyone else who has had communications with them.

This program also allows law enforcement agencies to receive any data access in the records of any calls that use AT&T’s infrastructure. This information can include phone numbers, locations, dates and even the addresses of those subscribed.

According to Fox, this surveillance raises serious concerns about privacy rights and the 14th Amendment.

This program has reportedly been operating for more than ten years and has received millions of dollars from the White House’s Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP) under a program called HIDTA, or "high-intensity drug trafficking area."

AT&T has refused to comment specifically on the program, only responding that it is required by law to comply with a lawful subpoena, according to the outlet.

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden sent a letter last week to Attorney General Merrick Garland, urging him to investigate and review the program. “I have serious concerns about the legality of this surveillance program, and the materials provided by the DOJ contain troubling information that would justifiably outrage many Americans and other members of Congress,” Wyden wrote.

Cars these days can report your location and be remotely disabled.

https://babylonbee.com/cleanArticle/husband-reaches-out-to-nsa-to-see-if-they-know-what-his-wife-wants-for-christmas

Patrick says

Oregon Democratic Sen. Ron Wyden

Been consistently raising the alarm on these intrusions since 9/11.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2023/12/07/youre-being-spied-on-apple-confirms-it-provides-governments-with-push-notification-data/

Apple has recently admitted to secretly supplying governments around the world with data related to push notifications from its devices. The data provided goes beyond the display text of notifications that users see to backend directives to individual apps.

Ars Technica reports that tech giant Apple has come under scrutiny following its admission of secretly providing governments with push notification data from its devices. This revelation was brought to light by Senator Ron Wyden (D-OR), who has been investigating the issue. In a recent letter, Wyden demanded that the Department of Justice update policies that prohibit companies from informing the public of data requests from the government.

Push notifications, often used for alerts about new messages, emails, social media comments, and news updates, are sent through servers run by the phone’s operating system provider, such as Apple or Google. This system ensures timely and efficient delivery of notifications, but also means that these companies can be compelled by governments to hand over this information.

Patrick says

Edward, you sorry cunt, you literally live with the KGB dick up your ass balls-deep, so shut the fuck up about being subject of spying upon and that kind of stuff.

Why the fuck this person lets his washing machine access internets?
Patrick says

Bd6r says

Why the fuck this person lets his washing machine access internets?

I just deleted my comment on this after seeing you beat me to it.

Could I piggyback this thread to complain about the complete lack of "dumb" TVs with large size? I think I must have bought the very last dumb 65-inch 4k about 7 years ago. I haven't seen a dumb TV of that size since then and I've never seen a bigger 4k at any time that was dumb. I suppose if I eventually "upgrade" I'll just have to put a password on my WiFi, but I won't be happy with the typical complicated procedure to put it in "just show the video signal (no sound) on HDMI port 1" mode. Right now my universal remote has a single button for the TV: on/off toggle.

SunnyvaleCA says

Could I piggyback this thread to complain about the complete lack of "dumb" TVs with large size?

What's preventing you from not connecting your TV to the internet? As in if you want to stream, use an external box connected to a HDMI port.

SunnyvaleCA says

I'll just have to put a password on my WiFi

Does this mean what I think it does?

Sounds like you want to disable sound for your HDMI connection? Why not just use a non-integrated connection type and not plug in the audio? Also, I believe you can disable wifi on the TV directly.

I have a 50in Plasma, superior picture in many ways. Although there might be more 4k content available now? Dumb as shit. I use a Roku box, but I let networking rules and Pihole throttle everything I don't want be sent, plus a little foam in the speaker on the remote makes our voices inaudible. Although since I'm blocking the recording files from leaving my network, not really needed. We also have a small Samsung that connects only for the internal Plex server. I've setup rules at the router and in Pihole to block ALL external traffic from that device.

https://slaynews.com/news/biden-admin-funding-censorship-network-flag-misinformation-private-messages/

Biden Admin Funding Censorship Network to Flag ‘Misinformation’ in Private Messages

Rather than backing away from the unconstitutional practice, White House officials have been working on more sophisticated tactics to subvert the public’s free speech rights.

Reports are now emerging about companies getting hired to make massive databases of supposedly unwelcome speech in private conversations on messaging platforms like WhatsApp.

The examples of wrongthink are compiled and stored thanks to users effectively spying and reporting on each other.

Benz calls this “a snitch network of citizen informants.”

The information thus obtained is then analyzed using some form of artificial intelligence (AI), resulting in the identification of “misinformation trends.”

In a post on X, Benz explains:

“The US gov’t is paying millions of dollars to censorship mercenary firms to build up a snitch network of citizen informants to report private text messages on WhatsApp for ‘misinformation’ — then create a vast database of banned memes & ideas.”

One of these companies is the Algorithmic Transparency Institute.

The money for the operation comes from congressionally chartered organizations that receive taxpayer-funded grants from the Biden admin.

The need to resort to “old school” citizen-informant methods arises from the nature of the platforms the government would like to spy on, and get content flagged and eventually censored.

The targets of the operation are encrypted private messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram.

Due to the nature of these messaging apps, the now-established forms of “monitoring” places like Facebook or YouTube cannot be used.

Critics of this euphemistically dubbed “civic listening” draw parallels with how authoritarian regimes notoriously use people spying on each other even before the digital age.

Now, the spying “format” once used by the likes of Stalin, the Nazis, etc., has reached America.

The principle is simple: In the areas where the government can’t reach, private chat apps’ users themselves are encouraged to report what’s being said.

That flagged “misinformation” data is then fed into the censorship machine with the creation of databases before undergoing AI analyses.

Foundation For Freedom Online singles out US-based non-profit Meedan as being “at the forefront of creating this snitch network.”

The group received $5.7 million in tax dollars as a grant from the Biden admin via the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Among the things flagged by these “censorship mercenary firms” are memes and “claims.”

Now cars are spying on people too:

Just wait until your Tesla starts posting your adultery porn on the internet.

Patrick says

Cameras pointed at politicians? Haven't we seen enough gay porn?

RWSGFY says

Patrick says

Edward, you sorry cunt, you literally live with the KGB dick up your ass balls-deep, so shut the fuck up about being subject of spying upon and that kind of stuff.

Correcting you is pointless, but the only reason that Snowden is in Russia, is that his passport was revoked when he was in a layover in Russia by the United States. He was travelling to Hong Kong.

But you'll lie about it again, because you're dishonest.

NuttBoxer says

Also, I believe you can disable wifi on the TV directly.

In order to use WiFi you have to purposely enable it. It needs the password to access your network.

SunnyvaleCA says

I suppose if I eventually "upgrade" I'll just have to put a password on my WiFi,

@SunnyvaleCA You DEFINITELY want to put a password on your WiFi regardless. If you don't have one, somebody can put a little device just outside of your house to download unlimited child porn or god knows what, and it will only be traceable to you.

20 years ago I would leave my wifi open so my neighbors could share my internet, and whatever they downloaded, really didn't matter back then. Today, it does.

Patrick says

Been warning you guys for years. Facial recognition is beyond what you even realize. You cannot hide anymore. This is 1984 in real life.

That's why you need to primarily be in rural areas if you can. Get out of cities and suburbs where there are few cameras if any for municipalities. Really hard, but avoid any business with CCTV as well. Vegas has been tracking people almost two decades now with facial recognition. Get used to it.

WookieMan says

Been warning you guys for years. Facial recognition is beyond what you even realize. You cannot hide anymore. This is 1984 in real life.

You know, that's very good news for identifying corrupt FBI agents who refuse to show their ID. Could facial recognition be used to ID these guys?

https://www.aier.org/article/fact-checkers-are-gaslighting-you-on-the-feds-vehicle-kill-switch-mandate/

In November 2021, former US Representative from Georgia Bob Barr wrote a little-noticed political column claiming that buried inside President Joe Biden’s $1 trillion bipartisan infrastructure legislation was a dangerous provision that would go into effect in five years.

“Marketed to Congress as a benign tool to help prevent drunk driving, the measure will mandate that automobile manufacturers build into every car what amounts to a ‘vehicle kill switch,’” wrote Barr, who was the Libertarian Party’s nominee for president in 2008.

Like most Americans, I had never heard of this alleged “kill switch” until a few days ago when Representative Thomas Massie, a libertarian-leaning Republican, proposed to strip the mandate’s funding.

“The right to travel is fundamental, but the government has mandated a kill-switch in new vehicles sold after 2026,” said Massie. “The kill-switch will monitor driver performance and disable cars based on the information gathered.”