Law and Order: Dubai

BBC News, Click, Law and Order: Dubai Tech and surveillance in Dubai: "Click is in Dubai meeting the newest members of the police force, police Bots."

Facial recognition

Arwa Mahdawi, Guardian, Finding your museum doppelganger is fun – but the science behind it is scary not available in the UK yet: "Facial recognition technology allows Google to find the artwork you most resemble – but it also supports the rise of the surveillance state."

The Swedish Kings of Cyberwar

Hugh Eakin, nybooks.com, The Swedish Kings of Cyberwar, 19 Jan 2017 "In fact, the very qualities that have made Sweden and Norway successful models of advanced democracy may also have made their populations more susceptible to government spying. In Norway, the government committee that put forward the mass surveillance legislation now before parliament has argued that such measures “can be justified as necessary in a democratic society.” And as Swedish and Norwegian scholars point out, Scandinavian citizens are inclined to assume that if the government says it needs certain powers, then it probably does."

'We already have a Muslim registry. It’s called Facebook'

qz.com, We already have a Muslim registry. It’s called Facebook, 30 Dec 2016 [opinion piece by Michael J Coren] "Every major US technology company that tracks customers’ behavior (and that is most of them) is already a registry, and not just for Muslims. Data warehoused by Google, Twitter, Facebook, Verizon, AT&T, Visa, ad networks and others are capable of pinpointing minorities, as well as those with dissident views, says the advocacy group Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)."

Thieves caught on video stealing from pilgrims at Prophet’s Mosque

Thieves caught on video stealing from pilgrims at Prophet’s Mosque | Arab News "Despite the installation of CCTVs in many corners of the Prophet’s Mosque and the Grand Mosque in Makkah, as well as the often-publicized arrest of thieves caught in the act of stealing inside the two holy mosques, incidents of pilgrims losing their personal belongings to pickpockets continue."

Report: Internet Freedom Declining

Report: RFE/RL, Internet Freedom Declining "Freedom House says Internet freedom has declined worldwide in the past year, sparked by broad surveillance, new laws controlling web content, and increasing arrests of social-media users." Freedom of the Net 2013 Report here including a selection of charts and maps

Libya: 'Internet spy room'

Two pieces relating to Libya, which I have caught up on today:

Paul Sonne and Margaret Coker, Wall Street Journal, Firms Aided Libyan Spies: First Look Inside Security Unit Shows How Citizens Were Tracked, 30 Aug 2011 "The recently abandoned room is lined with posters and English-language training manuals stamped with the name Amesys, a unit of French technology firm Bull SA, which installed the monitoring center. A warning by the door bears the Amesys logo. The sign reads: "Help keep our classified business secret. Don't discuss classified information out of the HQ.""

There's also this: Peter Murray, Singularity Hub, Internet Spy Room Found In Tripoli – Packed With Western Technology, 12 Sep 2011 which contains some further links and comments.

Opinion piece on NYPD Mapping

Amna Akbar, aljazeera.net, Blueprints: Mapping US Muslim Communities, 19 Sep 2011 "The NYPD method for mapping home-grown terrorism is flawed and infringes on First Amendment rights, scholar argues. Without any rigorous data or reliable methodology, the report provides justification to spy on almost any Muslim in the United States. Perhaps even more troubling, it invites focused law enforcement surveillance on places where Muslims gather, on political opinions associated with Muslim communities, and on Muslim religious practice."

'Social sites used for surveillance'

thepeninsulaqatar.com, Social sites used for surveillance: Expert, 13 May 2011 "While social networking tools have been a useful mechanism in coordinating protests and motivating activists, it is also becoming an instrument used by regimes for surveillance and spreading propaganda, warns an expert."

Tracking key terror suspects

Frank Gardner, BBC News - Tracking key terror suspects, 13 May 2011 "The path that led the CIA to Osama Bin Laden's doorstep was a long and complex one."

'Communications Capabilities Directorate'

Chris Williams, The Register, Home Office spawns new unit to expand internet surveillance, 28 Jan 2010, "The Home Office has created a new unit to oversee a massive increase in surveillance of the internet, The Register has learned, quashing suggestions the plans are on hold until after the election.

"The new Communications Capabilities Directorate (CCD) has been created as a structure to implement the £2bn Interception Modernisation Programme (IMP), sources said."

Tip: Ubiwar

Saudi Arabia: 'Candid Camera'

Saudi Gazette, New hidden camera rule for Internet cafés, 20 Apr 09 "The Ministry of Interior has made it mandatory for Internet cafés to install hidden cameras and provide a record of names and identities of their customers.

"The new security regulations include a ban on using any Internet service subscription, prepaid cards or unlicensed satellite Internet other than the one certified for use by the café. Those under 18 years of age will not be allowed entry into the cafés, which must close by midnight. Also, a Saudi must be employed and all phone lines must be in the name of the licensed café , not the owner’s or anybody else’s name."

a few comments are also included

More at kippreport.com, Tracking Saudi’s surfers, 16 Apr 09