homeland security

Trump’s Pointless, Racist Anti-Immigration Hotline Is Outing Domestic Violence Survivors to Their Abusers 

President Trump’s effort to track and prevent violence from undocumented immigrants has instead become a nightmare for domestic violence and human trafficking survivors, according to an advocacy group that helps immigrants suffering from abuse. As the Los Angeles Times reported in April, DHS-VINE—launched in June as part of Trump’s Victims of Immigration Crime Engagement Office—is…

Trump Administration Backs Down From Order to Unmask ‘Rogue’ Twitter Critic

The United States Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has now withdrawn its outrageous and unconstitutional order demanding Twitter give up user data related to an account frequently critical of the Trump administration. https://gizmodo.com/twitter-sues-trump-administration-over-order-to-unmask-1794088714 On Thursday, Twitter filed a lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security, the CBP, and others, arguing that the CPB’s demand to…

Dear US Visitors: Homeland Security Would Like Your Passwords, Please

Last night, Secretary of Homeland Security John Kelly was grilled by the House Homeland Security Committee on Trump’s Muslim ban, when he let slip an unusual strategy under consideration: demanding passwords from visa applicants. Louisiana congressman Clay Higgins asked Kelly about “increased and enhanced use of social media to track potential terrorists” that could “link…

Huge Sand Trucks Deployed in New York For New Year’s Eve

If you notice a bunch of enormous trucks that are filled with sand around New York this weekend, it’s not for a sand castle competition. It’s the first line of defense against a terrorist bomb attack, as the city is on heightened alert for New Year’s Eve. There are expected to be about 1 million…

US Customs Wants to See Foreigners’ Dumb Tweets and Embarrassing Snaps

If you’re a foreigner traveling into or out of the United States, US Customs and Border Protection wants to see your social media accounts. If my Twitter account is any indication, they are in for a dumb, boring time. The Hill reports that the agency has put forth a new proposal that would target travelers…

Applying for a US Visa? Expect DHS to Look at Your Facebook Posts 

The Department of Homeland Security is planning to look more closely at visa applicants’ social media footprints before letting them into the country. This new push dovetails with amplified fears about extremist immigrants. The day that she and her husband killed 14 people in San Bernadino, Ca., Tashfeen Malik “pledged allegiance” to ISIS on Facebook.…

Now Homeland Security Will Also Need a Warrant to Spy on Cellphones Using StingRays 

Last month, the Department of Justice announced that investigators would require a warrant to use a tool called a StingRay that mimics a cell tower to spy on phones. There were a few exceptions listed, however, including issues of homeland security. But now the Department of Homeland Security says it will also require a warrant.…

How To Survive A Mass Shooting

As a kid, fire drills taught you fire safety. And you haven’t been killed by a fire. Your parents trained similarly for nuclear war. With 248 mass shootings in US in the 238 days of 2015, it’s time we began treating those the same way. This is how. That statistic is drawn from ShootingTracker.com, a…

Welcome to the Fake City Where Homeland Security Tests Its Drones

Does Homeland Security have a sense of humor? This is Liberty City, the Grand Theft Auto inspired “urban obstacle course” where the department tests drones for potential public safety applications. Thanks to documents acquired through a FOIA request by MuckRock, we finally have more details about Homeland Security’s Robotic Aircraft for Public Safety (RAPS) program.…

95 Percent of Fake Bombs Made It Through Airport Security in DHS Test

Does taking off your shoes, emptying your pockets and putting your laptop in a little plastic bin make you feel safe? Maybe it shouldn’t. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the TSA is doing a lousy job. Like, “failed to detect mock weapons 95 percent of the time” lousy. That number comes from a…

The US Government’s Biometric Tracking Tech Makes Being a US Spy Harder

Here’s some fun irony: The same biometric tracking technologies developed by the US government to track terrorists and would-be unauthorized immigrants is so effective it can also be used to out US spies in the field. AsForeign Policy writes, iris and fingerprint scanners, not to mention more passive forms of biometric tracking like facial recognition,…

Homeland Security’s Drones Really Suck at Border Patrol

For nearly a decade now, 10 Predator B drones have been zipping around our nations’s borders at $12,000 an hour under the pretense of securing our borders. Except that, according to a scathing report released earlier today by Homeland Security, not only do these drones cost five times as much as advertised, but they’re doing…

Hackers Broke Into a Public Utility Control Room By Guessing a Password

In a rare gesture of transparency, the Department of Homeland Security just announced that hackers recently targeted and compromised a public utility’s control system. They didn’t say exactly where, but it happened inside United States borders. And it doesn’t sound like it was even that hard. Specific details about the breach are scant. However, DHS…

Nude Bodies, Free Booze, Endless Radiation: An Ex-TSA Agent Tells All

Nobody likes the TSA. They slow you down at the airport. They pat you down. They take away your Christmas presents. Their tactics are questionably effective at making everyone resent them. It’s easy to forget that the TSA is made up of real human beings like you and me being told what to do in…

You Just Missed a Massive, Destructive (Fake) Cyberattack

What would happen if an army of hackers put America’s power grid in its sights and pulled the trigger? How fast would the country descend into darkness? Would there be anarchy in the streets? Would people die? According to a war game carried out across the country this week, the answer is not necessarily good…

A Homeland Security intelligence bulletin has warned that it could be “impossible” to stop 3D-printed guns from being made. Astute, guys. Very, very astute.

TSA has announced that it will soon allow passengers to carry small knives onboard planes. So, that should be fun.

Even though Oracle’s patched its recent vulnerability, Home Security still thinks you’re better off without Java. Ouch.

The Head of Homeland Security Stays Secure by Not Using Email, At All

If you’re super concerned about cybersecurity and keeping your information and personal rendezvous private, there are plenty of measures you can take. If you’re super hardcore, you can do the same thing Department of Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano does: just don’t use email. During a cybersecurity conference on Friday, Napolitano said that she doesn’t…

Hidden Government Scanners Will Instantly Know Everything About You From 164 Feet Away

Within the next year or two, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security will instantly know everything about your body, clothes, and luggage with a new laser-based molecular scanner fired from 164 feet (50 meters) away. From traces of drugs or gun powder on your clothes to what you had for breakfast to the adrenaline level…