Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Federalism as a Check on Abuses by Federal Law Enforcement

5 39 72

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Matthew Guariglia @mguariglia.bsky.social · 14d

Big takeaway here is a mass erosion of barriers between governmental and corporate data collection/surveillance--and the idea that the one-off surveillance of walking past a single CCTV camera is over, the consolidation of ALL data means true mass surveillance from 100 redundant pieces of data.

6 150 550

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Matthew Guariglia @mguariglia.bsky.social · 14d

I spent the week at the police surveillance convention and let me tell you my biggest observation: The name of the game now is consolidating as much information as humanely possible from surveillance devices, the internet, other governmental data, and literally a million other places. 🧵

46 910 1.9K

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Mike German @rethinkintel.bsky.social · 23d

My latest article on what state and local authorities can do to curb federal law enforcement abuses: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

States and cities have the power to decide whether and how their police departments collaborate with federal law enforcement.

Closing the Data Broker Loophole

10 15

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Spencer Reynolds @sreynolds.bsky.social · 24d

NEW: Internal report reveals DHS intelligence portal was accidentally opened to tens of thousands of users for months, exposing sensitive intel about Americans. @brennancenter.org obtained the docs. @wired.com has the story. 🧵

www.wired.com/story/a-dhs-...

www.wired.com

36 370 650

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

Legislators must step up to rein in this harmful industry. Congress can pass the bipartisan Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act. And states can pass a similar bill and a strong consumer privacy law w/o broad law enforcement exemptions. 8/ shorturl.at/Sd0og

Congress must pass legislation that prohibits government agencies from buying its way around the Fourth Amendment and other legal privacy protections.

CFPB Quietly Kills Rule to Shield Americans From Data Brokers

3

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

The FTC cracked down on data brokers’ abusive practices, prohibiting their sales of certain location data. The CFPB proposed rulemaking that would've restricted data brokers from sharing certain sensitive personal and financial info, but it recently withdrew the proposal. 7/ shorturl.at/7eS9g

Russell Vought, acting director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, has canceled plans to more tightly regulate the sale of Americans’ sensitive personal data.

Montana Becomes First State to Close the Law Enforcement Data Broker Loophole

1 1

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

Some states have passed laws to address this harmful industry, incld strong consumer privacy in CA and MD and laws allowing users to opt-out of collection and delete data. MT recently became the 1st state to prohibit its govt agencies from buying certain info from data brokers. 6/ shorturl.at/Xb2m9

Montana has done something that many states and the United States Congress have debated but failed to do: it has just enacted the first attempt to close the dreaded, invasive, unconstitutional, but ea...

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

That helps data brokers and agencies evade accountability, frustrating efforts to increase oversight into the govt’s purchase and use of such info. Even intel agencies are often unsure what data they buy and how they use it, as a govt report acknowledged. 5/ shorturl.at/uwI1X

Airlines Don't Want You to Know They Sold Your Flight Data to DHS

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

Data brokers often hide behind confidentiality provisions in govt contracts that require agencies not to reveal where brokered information came from. ARC had a similar provision in its government contracts. 4/ www.404media.co/airlines-don...

A contract obtained by 404 Media shows that an airline-owned data broker forbids the feds from revealing it sold them detailed passenger data.

www.404media.co

Closing the Data Broker Loophole

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

Govt agencies have turned to data brokers like ARC to purchase data rather than obtain it through legal process like warrants, court orders, or subpoenas. They are exploiting legal loopholes to bypass statutory and constitutional privacy protections. 3/ shorturl.at/Sd0og

Congress must pass legislation that prohibits government agencies from buying its way around the Fourth Amendment and other legal privacy protections.

Inside the U.S. Government-Bought Tool That Can Track Phones at Abortion Clinics

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

Data brokers like ARC thrive in the US, thanks to outdated and limited privacy laws and a stalled 4th Am. doctrine. They traffic in data that can be used to track people crossing state lines seeking abortions, reveal people’s ideologies, and monitor places of worship. 2/ shorturl.at/MoQEx

Privacy advocates gained access to a powerful tool bought by U.S. law enforcement agencies that can track smartphone locations around the world. Abortion clinics, places of worship, and individual peo...

Airlines Sell 5 Billion Plane Ticket Records to the Government For Warrantless Searching

Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 25d

🧵 NEW from 404 Media: ARC, a data broker owned by major US airlines, including American Airlines, United, and Delta, is selling access to 5 billion ticketing records to the government (incl. ICE and FBI), which can be used for warrantless searching and monitoring of peoples’ movements. 1/

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 26d

New from 404 Media: airlines are selling *5 billion* ticketing records to the government for warrantless searching, per new docs we obtained. ARC is a data broker owned by United, American, Delta, etc. Then sells peoples' travel info to ICE, Secret Service, FBI etc www.404media.co/airlines-sel...

New documents obtained by 404 Media show how a data broker owned by American Airlines, United, Delta, and many other airlines is selling masses of passenger data to the U.S. government.

www.404media.co

1 2 3

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Joseph Nunn @josephanunn.bsky.social · Sep 2

THREAD: This morning, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that President Trump's use of National Guardsmen and Marines to support federal law enforcement in and around Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. (1/22) www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-t...

Judge rules Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles violated federal law

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his challenge to President Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles.

www.cbsnews.com

1 50 80

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

The @brennancenter.org obtained a letter the ‪ @nyccomptroller.bsky.social and @advocate.nyc.gov
sent to the Mayor on Tuesday asking an important question: What’s going on with the NYPD Inspector General’s office?

One Week of Trump’s DC Takeover Attempt: An analysis of the president’s use of military, police, and security services in the nation’s capital

1 10 19

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Joseph Nunn @josephanunn.bsky.social · Aug 19

One Week of Trump’s Attempted DC Takeover

@sreynolds.bsky.social and I look at how the admin has abused legal authorities to deploy the National Guard, surge federal law enforcement, and attempt to commandeer the local police in the nation's capital. www.justsecurity.org/119227/trump...

Detailed legal analysis of federalization of DC police and the deployment of Guard, DHS and other forces.

www.justsecurity.org

1 23 35

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Liza Goitein @lizagoitein.bsky.social · Aug 19

At Trump’s request, multiple red state governors are sending hundreds of armed National Guard forces into DC. This military occupation of the district is unprecedented and unjustified. If it’s allowed to stand, this country will be well on its way to becoming a police state. 1/22

14 140 410

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Joseph Nunn @josephanunn.bsky.social · Aug 11

THREAD: This morning, President Trump and members of his cabinet announced a set of sweeping, unprecedented, and unwarranted actions to impose federal control over local policing in Washington, D.C.

2 23 41

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Spencer Reynolds @sreynolds.bsky.social · Aug 8

Amid chaos this summer from the national guard and Marines, Homeland Security used a little-known police agency to lead its protest response in Los Angeles.

TIME has my analysis of images & video—and solutions to prevent future DHS abuse. 🧵

time.com/7307963/trum...

Trump’s Troubling Deployment of DHS Officers

An investigation from the Brennan Center highlights the impact of a little-known federal force which was deployed in LA.

time.com

1 20 34

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Amos Toh @amostoh.bsky.social · Aug 4

A more comprehensive analysis for @brennancenter.org of how the Trump administration's latest AI policy could leave us more divided and less informed: www.brennancenter.org/our-work/ana...

16 30

Reposted by Emile Ayoub

Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · Jul 24

The government has proposed expanding the mandatory collection of social media identifiers. It would widen social media surveillance to include not only travelers and visa applicants and visa holders, but also their U.S. citizen contacts.
www.brennancenter.org/our-work/res...

The Government’s Growing Trove of Social Media Data

It’s increasingly collecting and using social media information to make high-stakes decisions related to immigration.