War Zone Tactics Come Home as Pentagon Admits Domestic Spy Drone Use

By Lauren McCauley / Common Dreams Mar 10, 2016 "The appetite to use surveillance drones in the domestic environment to collect airborne imagery continues to grow," an internal report states. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

George Washington’s Farewell Address: A ‘Warning Against the Impostures of Pretended Patriotism’

Staff / Truthdig Jul 4, 2015 On Independence Day, against official claims that mass domestic surveillance is needed to ensure U.S. security, Truthdig reprints the farewell address of the first president of the United States. Dig deeper ( 23 Min. Read )

Controversial British Intelligence Unit Engaged in Domestic Law Enforcement

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 22, 2015 Documents published by The Intercept on Monday reveal that a British spy unit purported by officials to be focused on foreign intelligence and counterterrorism -- and notorious for using the “most controversial tactics of surveillance, online propaganda and deceit” -- is heavily focused on political groups and other domestic matters. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Google to Californians: Help Us Protect Your Electronic Privacy

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 10, 2015 In an email message to subscribers, Google supported a proposed update of California telecommunications law, a change that would restrict authorities' ability to look at people's email and other electronic information without a warrant. Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Obama Lawyers Asked Secret Court to Bypass Public Court’s Decision on NSA Spying

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 9, 2015 The Obama administration asked a federal court to resume the NSA surveillance programs ended by the expiration of parts of the Patriot Act on June 1. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Can the U.S. Government Still Spy on Me?

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 6, 2015 The expiration of certain parts of the Patriot Act and passage of the USA Freedom Act ended authority for several forms of surveillance of U.S. citizens. But the government still has ways of listening to your phone calls. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Obama Administration to Ask Secret Court to Revive NSA Surveillance

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 5, 2015 The Guardian on Wednesday reported that the Obama administration “intends to use part of a law banning the bulk collection of US phone records to temporarily restart the bulk collection of US phone records.” Dig deeper ( 1 Min. Read )

Edward Snowden on the Expiration of Surveillance Powers: ‘This Is the Power of an Informed Public’

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig Jun 5, 2015 The whistleblower who let Americans know their government had trained its surveillance powers on them as a matter of policy takes stock of the legislative and technological progress that has been made in the two years that have passed since his revelations. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

NSA Whistleblower William Binney: Seeking Blackmail Power, U.S. Officials Enabled 9/11

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig May 15, 2015 The 31-year National Security Agency veteran blew the whistle when he realized technology that he had developed to protect Americans was being used to spy on them. In a wide-ranging, 45-minute discussion, he and Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer discuss who's responsible for the surveillance program, how authorities' desire for blackmail power through mass spying was a factor in their failure to stop the 9/11 attacks, and more. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Critics: USA Freedom Act Will Codify Government Data Collection

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig May 14, 2015 Legislative critics of the USA Freedom Act, which was celebrated by privacy advocates as it passed the House of Representatives on Wednesday, say the law will merely adjust and codify the government’s practice of bulk telephone data collection, rather than end it. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )

Interview: Robert Scheer and Chris Hedges on the Military-Industrial-Intelligence Complex (Part 1)

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig May 13, 2015 In the first part of a wide-ranging, seven-part discussion about Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer’s new book, “They Know Everything About You,” Scheer says the US government and private industry have merged to turn the Internet into a massive machine for simultaneously selling to and spying on AmericansIn the first part of a seven-part discussion about Truthdig Editor-in-Chief Robert Scheer’s new book, “<a href="https://www. Dig deeper ( 14 Min. Read )

Absurdity: Attorney Says Spy Chief Forgot About NSA Program When He Misled Congress (Video)

Alexander Reed Kelly / Truthdig May 11, 2015 The top lawyer representing James Clapper, director of National Intelligence, said Clapper had “forgotten” about the NSA’s massive spying program when he wrongly told Congress in 2013 that the government does not “wittingly” collect information about millions of Americans. Dig deeper ( 2 Min. Read )