Author: Joe from MassPrivateI

Gizmodo – by Rhett Jones

The Roomba is generally regarded as a cute little robot friend that no one but dogs would consider to be a potential menace. But for the last couple of years, the robovacs have been quietly mapping homes to maximize efficiency. Now, the device’s makers plan to sell that data to smart home device manufacturers, turning the friendly robot into a creeping, creepy little spy.

While it may seem like the information that a Roomba could gather is minimal, there’s a lot to be gleaned from the maps it’s constantly updating. It knows the floor plan of your home, the basic shape of everything on your floor, what areas require the most maintenance, and how often you require cleaning cycles, along with many other data points. And, according to Reuters, that data is the future of its business strategy:  Continue reading “Roomba’s Next Big Step Is Selling Maps of Your Home to the Highest Bidder”

The Daily Caller – by Kevin Daley

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit entered an injunction Tuesday against a Washington D.C. law limiting the right to carry firearms outside the home, concluding that it may violate the Second Amendment.

The ruling is at odds with other federal courts that have generally limited the right to gun possession outside the home.

The law is third gun control regulation promulgated by the D.C. Council that has struggled in the courts. In its latest iteration, the D.C. law strictly proscribed the circumstances under which concealed-carry licenses may be issued. The court concluded these provisions may be unconstitutional.   Continue reading “Court Rules That Concealed Carry Is Permissible On Streets Of DC”

Anti-Media – by Shaun Bradley

Visa recently announced its new Cashless Challenge program, which offers $10,000 to restaurants willing to transition into accepting only digital payments.  As the largest credit card processor in the U.S., it’s no surprise Visa is spearheading this campaign. Under the guise of increasing transparency and efficiency, they’ve partnered with governments around the world to help convert financial systems into cashless models, but their real incentive is the billions of dollars in extra transaction fees it would generate.

“We are declaring war on cash,” Visa spokesman Andy Gerlt proudly proclaimed after the program was announced.   Continue reading “Banks Are Scheming to Dominate a Future Cashless Society”

The Hill – by John Solomon

The National Security Agency and Federal Bureau of Investigation violated specific civil liberty protections during the Obama years by improperly searching and disseminating raw intelligence on Americans or failing to promptly delete unauthorized intercepts, according to newly declassified memos that provide some of the richest detail to date on the spy agencies’ ability to obey their own rules.

The memos reviewed by The Hill were publicly released on July 11 through Freedom of Information Act litigation by the American Civil Liberties Union.  Continue reading “Newly declassified memos detail extent of improper Obama-era NSA spying”

Institute for Justice – by J. Justin Wilson

St. Paul, Minn.—In a blow to the constitutional rights of Minnesotan renters, the state Supreme Court ruled today that cities do not need to provide evidence of a suspected housing code violation in order to obtain an administrative search warrant to inspect renters’ homes without their permission. Today’s decision denies Minnesota’s renters—and the landlords who want to support them— protection from unconstitutional searches of their homes.

The court also ruled that cities now need to give notice to tenants before trying to get warrants—something that cities were not required to do before—and that tenants have the right to come to court to challenge the scope of the warrant to protect the privacy of their homes.   Continue reading “Minnesota Supreme Court Upholds Unconstitutional Searches of Renters’ Homes”

MassPrivateI

According to an article in Phys.org, Disney Research used facial biometrics to spy on 150 movie audiences during Star Wars and other movies.

Fastcodesign warns, “we could be moving toward an age where cameras lurk in movie theaters”.

Disney used infrared cameras to spy on moviegoers   Continue reading “Star Wars movies to use facial recognition to spy on audiences?”

Tech Dirt – by Mike Masnick

I thought writing about San Diego Comic Con being censorial assholes would be the strangest story we’d write about Comic Con this year, but leave it to airline security to come up with an even more bizarre story. Apparently United Airlines (because of course it would be United) put up a sign at the airport in San Diego telling people that all books needed to be removed from checked bags. A Twitter user named Adi Chappo tweeted a picture of the sign at the airport:   Continue reading “United Says TSA Wants All Comic Con Comic Books Searched; TSA Says ‘Not Us’”

Reason – by Scott Shackford

Chicago’s use of red light cameras to shake every possible cent out of its citizens took a hit this week. The city has agreed to a $38.75 million settlement to end a class action suit by people who say they hadn’t been given adequate notice of violations to respond to them.

The Chicago Tribune reports that as many as 1.2 million people may get refunded half of what they paid to the city.   Continue reading “Chicago to Give Back Millions in Traffic Camera Fines”

CNN

New York Daily News

Pet lovers are barking mad over a little-known city rule that makes dog-sitting illegal in New York.

Health Department rules ban anyone from taking money to care for an animal outside a licensed kennel — and the department has warned a popular pet-sitting app that its users are breaking the law.

“The laws are antiquated,” said Chad Bacon, 29, a dog sitter in Greenpoint, Brooklyn, with the app Rover. “If you’re qualified and able to provide a service, I don’t think you should be penalized.”   Continue reading “NYC law that makes dog-sitting illegal without kennel license triggers rage from pet lovers”

Sac Bee

Explicit anti-cop graffiti was found Wednesday painted across the midtown Sacramento office of a law firm that represents police officers in use-of-force cases, including last year’s controversial shooting of a man on Del Paso Boulevard.

The message was scrawled across the front of the Mastagni Holstedt law firm in red paint, visible to drivers and pedestrians walking in the 1900 block of I Street, where the office is located. By 3 p.m., the first letter of the message had been scrubbed off, though the rest of the message remained until employees and volunteers cleaned it later in the afternoon.   Continue reading “Anti-cop graffiti found at Sacramento law firm that defends police officers”

Belleville News-Democrat – by Elizabeth Donald

Each school in the metro-east will handle the upcoming solar eclipse in its own way, but at least one district is opting to cancel school entirely.

The Edwardsville District 7 school board voted Monday to cancel school for the day of the eclipse, Aug. 21, citing safety concerns with school letting out during the time of day it will be the most dangerous to look at the sun.   Continue reading “Schools decide whether to close on the day solar eclipse hits Southern Illinois”

Jon Rappoport

Press outlets are now reminding us that President Bill Clinton interfered in the 1996 Russia election that brought Boris Yeltsin to power for a second term.

This is by way of saying, “Well, if Putin helped Trump win the 2017 election, so what? The US did the same thing in Russia.”

That’s an interesting but not terribly strong argument. However, there is another piece to the 1996 Clinton op, and it is explosive and quite relevant.   Continue reading “Yes, Bill Clinton ASKED Russia to interfere in a US presidential election”

The Newspaper

South Dakota’s use of catheters to forcibly administer drug tests against motorists and others suspected of minor drug crimes has sparked a class action lawsuit. The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is asking US District Judge Roberto A. Lange to order the South Dakota Highway Patrol, local police departments and hospitals to immediately cease their participation in the practice.

“Forced catheterization is painful, humiliating and deeply degrading,” ACLU attorney James D. Leach wrote. “Forced urinary catheterization has only a marginal advantage over a simple blood draw in detecting the prior use of amphetamine or methamphetamine, and its residual presence in the body. Society has a low interest in detecting the prior use of marijuana, and its residual presence in the body.”   Continue reading “South Dakota: Lawsuit Challenges Motorist Catheterization”

MassPrivateI

According to an article in the Texas Tribune, beginning September 1st., 2017, first responders can avoid prosecution by having ‘first responder specialty courts’ hear their cases. (“public safety employee” means a peace officer, firefighter, detention officer, county jailer, or emergency medical services employee…”)

“Texas police officers and other first responders who have job-related mental health issues can soon be diverted into pretrial treatment programs if they commit a crime..” 
Continue reading “‘Police Specialty Courts’ will let officers avoid prosecution”