Surveillance

Virginia City Bans Drones

1:46 PM, Feb 5, 2013 • By DANIEL HALPER

Local news reports reveal that last night the Charlottesville, Virginia, city council voted to ban drones:

"City council also passed a resolution banning drones," reports NBC 29. "The use of drones for surveillance is not allowed in Charlottesville. the resolution supports a two year ban on drone use and prohibits city entities from purchasing them.

Another report offers a couple more details:

"City council also passed two other resolutions: one banning drones, and another dealing with towing standards," another NBC 29 report states. "The anti-drone resolution passed by a 3- to-2 [vote]. The use of drones for surveillance is not allowed in Charlottesville. The resolution supports a two year ban on drone use and prohibits city entities from purchasing them."

drone

Timid New World

8:05 AM, May 16, 2012 • By GEOFFREY NORMAN

A notional woman named “Julia” recently made her debut on the Obama campaign’s website. Julia, it seems, needs help at every stage in her life, and if the president has his way, the government will be there to assist her in, among other things, getting a college education, finding a job, securing birth control, and providing for her retirement. But it turns out that all this assistance will not be enough for the hapless Julia as she moves through life. It seems she will also need some close air support.

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Photo of Chinese Flag with surgical stitches in it

Chinese Blind Spot

4:00 PM, Mar 22, 2012 • By ETHAN GUTMANN

Investigating Chinese surveillance is a rather lonely job. For all the dissidents yammering about dramatic arrests and torture and harvesting of organs, you can’t really guarantee publication or much of an audience unless you can prove that there are links to America: brand name corporations, scary cutting-edge U.S. technology, insidious Washington collusion. That’s the trifecta—and, now, if you could somehow squeeze the elections in there somehow…

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With Power Comes Responsibility

With Power Comes Responsibility

Why is Obama embracing the very Bush administration policies that he campaigned against?

12:32 PM, Jul 30, 2010 • By GABRIEL SCHOENFELD

“Breaking a Promise on Surveillance,” is the headline of a New York Times editorial this morning. At issue is an Obama administration proposal to allow the FBI to obtain lists of anyone’s email correspondents and web browsing history by issuing a National Security Letter without going to court.

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