By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI has been quietly using information gathered during warrantless NSA surveillance to comb through emails belonging to foreigners to assist in investigations, the New York Times reports. The Times discovered the FBI was gathering copies of unprocessed communications that were received without a warrant. The Inspector General report commended the…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Drones have long been criticized by privacy advocates as an overreach of law enforcement. Turns out, they’re also wildly expensive to operate, according to a report by the Inspector General, The Washington Post writes. CBP spent at least $62.5 million on drones – or about $12,255 per (flight) mile. That is five…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com The FBI maintains it does not need a warrant to intercept cell phone devices in public, according to a letter written by Senate leaders, Gizmodo reports. The bureau said it does not plan to get search warrants to intercept mobile devices in public. The interception devices, which include Stringrays, quickly extract…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com As FBI Director James Comey wants to force phone makers to create products that are easier to monitor, a Democratic senator is trying to pass a law that would protect the consumer’s privacy, Gizmodo reports. Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon has proposed the Secure Data Act “to protect Americans’ privacy and…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Serious questions have been raised about the FBI’s evidence-handling controls that could be used by defense attorneys to seek reversals on convictions, The Washington Times reports. The problem: The FBI doesn’t have video cameras in some of its evidence rooms, including the Washington field office. The issue was raised by 13…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com For better or worse, the defining moment of Marion Barry’s storied political career was an FBI bust that revealed the D.C. mayor smoking crack in a hotel room in 1990. “Bitch set me up,” Barry said of the woman who was a part of the sting. Barry, who also was a…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Christopher Andrew Gibson is accused of robbing a bank while still wearing the clothes he had on when he was released from jail earlier in the day, NBC 7 San Diego reports. Surveillance video shows Gibson wearing the same button-up shirt he was wearing when he was released from George Bailey…
By Steve Neavling ticklethewire.com Twitter wants its users to know how often the government has requested information for surveillance purposes. The Associated Press reports that Twitter is suing the FBI and Justice Department in hopes of getting permission from a judge to release the information. It’s currently against the law for companies to disclose how…
