Disabled woman denied entry to U.S. after agent cites supposedly private medical details

Posted on November 29, 2013 by mea

The Weston woman was told by the U.S. agent she would have to get “medical clearance’’ and be examined by one of only three doctors in Toronto whose assessments are accepted by Homeland Security. She was given their names and told a call to her psychiatrist “would not suffice.’’

At the time, Richardson said, she was so shocked and devastated by what was going on, she wasn’t thinking about how U.S. authorities could access her supposedly private medical information.

via Disabled woman denied entry to U.S. after agent cites supposedly private medical details | Toronto Star.

From: Canadians with mental illnesses denied U.S. entry

Data entered into national police database accessible to American authorities: WikiLeaks

More than a dozen Canadians have told the Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office in Toronto within the past year that they were blocked from entering the United States after their records of mental illness were shared with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

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Picturesque Chicago

Posted on November 21, 2013 by mea

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Terminal Cornucopia

Posted on November 16, 2013 by mea

What is Terminal Cornucopia?

In early-2013, independent security researcher, Evan “treefort” Booth, began working to answer one simple question: Can common items sold in airports after the security screening be used to build lethal weapons? As it turns out, even a marginally “MacGyver-esque” attacker can breeze through terminal gift shops, restaurants, magazine stands and duty-free shops to find everything needed to wage war on an airplane. Just how easy is it to build these weapons? The bulk of Evan’s research, Terminal Cornucopia, has been released publicly for you to see for yourself. This work is ongoing, so be sure to check back for future updates.

Via Terminal Cornucopia

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MPAA backs anti-piracy curriculum for elementary school students

Posted on November 12, 2013 by mea

“It’s important to prepare children to succeed and thrive and learn how to share and create and move files in a way that’s ethical and responsible,” said Marsali Hancock, president of iKeepSafe.

via MPAA backs anti-piracy curriculum for elementary school students – latimes.com.

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Why Monopolies Make Government Spying Easier

Posted on October 28, 2013 by mea

What we now call electronic privacy first became an issue in the eighteen-seventies, after Western Union, the earliest and, in some ways, the most terrifying of the communications monopolies, achieved dominion over the telegraph system. Western Union was accused of intercepting and reading its customers’ telegraphs for both political and financial purposes (what’s now considered insider trading). Western Union was a known ally of the Republican Party, but the Democrats of the day had no choice but to use its wires, which put them at a disadvantage; for example, Republicans won the contested election of 1876 thanks in part to an intercepted telegraph. The extent of Western Union’s actions might never be entirely known, since in response to a congressional inquiry the company destroyed most of its relevant records.

via Why Monopolies Make Government Spying Easier : The New Yorker.

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