The FBI Likes Your Water Protectors Post Too: The Do’s and Don’ts

Fellow water protectors should think carefully and act responsibly when posting any information about themselves or others – because the authorities are watching

by Tara Houska, Indian Country Media Network, April 17, 2017

The fight against Dakota Access is not over. Court battles continue, divestment efforts have pulled billions from the company, and resistance all over Turtle Island is ongoing. But while we, water protectors, stand up for the future generations, a massive strategy by state and federal law enforcement seeks to repress and destroy us.

CIA could listen through cellphones, smart TVs, WikiLeaks claims

WikiLeaks claims the CIA has developed malware to eavesdrop through cellphones, and that it can bypass the encryption on apps including WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram. (Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press)

Leaks suggest spies can bypass encryption of messaging apps such as WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram

The Associated Press, March 7, 2017

WikiLeaks on Tuesday published thousands of documents purportedly taken from the Central Intelligence Agency’s Center for Cyber Intelligence, a dramatic release that appears to provide an eye-opening look at the intimate details of America’s cyberespionage toolkit.

D.C. police demand Facebook hand over data on Trump protesters

Black bloc participants smash corporate property in Washington, DC, during Trump’s presidential inauguration on Jan 20, 2017.

By Colin Daileda, Mashable, Feb 7, 2017

The D.C. police department subpoenaed Facebook for information regarding several protesters arrested while demonstrating against the inauguration of President Donald Trump on Jan. 20.

Police seek more telecom surveillance powers

“Give us the passwords… counter-surveillance is futile!”

Rogers, TekSavvy and others say the government hasn’t justified why it needs expanded digital powers

By Matthew Braga, CBC News, Dec 20, 2016

Rogers, TekSavvy, and a consortium of Canadian information technology companies are pushing back against proposed changes to Canada’s national security legislation.

Police are Creating Fake Facebook Accounts to Monitor You — Here’s How to ID a Fake Account

Graphic: American Intelligence Report

by Kristan T Harris, American Intelligence Report, April 23, 2016

Police departments around the nation have taken predictive crime prevention to a new level by building fake user accounts, as well as posing as genuine people to gather information about local events, Tech.Mic reports.

Local agents put on a “digital mask” and pose as “members of the community,” allowing them to gather personal information about suspects they consider a high risk of being involved in a future crime or have existing charges.

Social media a ‘double-edged sword’ in Site C camp injunction

Photo from Facebook used in affidavit against Site C dam protesters. Photo: Twitter

by Jonny Wakefield, Alaska Highway News, February 22, 2016

BC Hydro has been monitoring social media to identify people at a Site C protest camp, a B.C. Supreme Court affidavit shows.

The affidavit, filed by BC Hydro lawyer Patrick Hayes, is a key piece evidence in an upcoming injunction to have the camp removed.

Bob Paulson, RCMP boss, wants warrantless access to online subscriber info

Police say telecos demand court approval for nearly all types of requests for basic identifying information

By Jim Bronskill, The Canadian Press, Nov 25, 2015

Police need warrantless access to Internet subscriber information to keep pace with child predators and other online criminals, says RCMP Commissioner Bob Paulson.

Feds Ponder Warrantless Police Access To Internet Subscriber Info: Chiefs

By Jim Bronskill, Huffington Post, August 24, 2015

A new administrative scheme that would allow police to obtain basic information about Internet subscribers without a warrant is one option being considered by federal officials following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that curbed access to such data, Canadian police chiefs say.

The glimpse into federal deliberations about how to address the highly influential court decision comes in a newly published background document from the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police, which is urging the government to fill the legislative gap.

Law-enforcement agencies require “real-time, or near real-time” access to basic subscriber information — usually a telecommunications customer’s name and address — to investigate everything from child sexual exploitation to terrorist threats, the police chiefs say in a resolution passed at their recent annual conference.

RCMP tracked Toronto activists with fake Facebook profile

The fake RCMP Facebook account of “Bebop Aroonie.”

Mounties created bogus profile so as to reach out to protest groups from Black Lives Matter Toronto to Idle No More.

By Laurent Bastien Corbeil, The Star (toronto), July 27 2015

Has a waddle of penguins ever “liked” your Facebook page? If so, your account may have been monitored by the RCMP.

Officers with the national police force used a Facebook profile to pose as a broke student so as to communicate with protest groups in Toronto, according to documents obtained under the Access to Information Act.

Through the Facebook page, RCMP agents prodded organizers with seemingly innocuous questions.

Police asked telcos for client data in over 80% of criminal probes

Ottawa also sought legal advice on telco’s transparency reports

By Amber Hildebrandt, CBC News, April 10, 2015

Canadian police seek online and phone data from telecommunications companies in almost every criminal investigation, according to a briefing note to the federal minister for public safety, obtained by CBC News.

The scale of the practice suggested in the memo indicates it has become routine for officers to tap into private internet activity.