"....I briefly had to remind myself that this was not North Korea or Nazi Germany. This is the land of the Free.", states Anthony Silva, Mayor of Stockton, California

 

Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva’s Statement On Detainment At San Francisco Airport

 

 

STOCKTON (CBS13) — The following is Stockton Mayor Anthony Silva’s statement on his detainment at San Francisco International Airport on Monday and the seizure of his electronic devices after a trip to China.

My name is Anthony R. Silva, and I am the Mayor of Stockton, California.
On Saturday September 28 (sic), 2015 I attended a Mayor’s Conference to China to promote “good will” between the China and the United States. The trip was hosted and sponsored by China Silicon Valley and the primary goal was to promote our Cities and investment opportunities. I had a wonderful experience on this trip. Upon my return on Monday September 28, 2015, I was briefly detained by the Department of Homeland Security. They searched my belongings. A few minutes later, (2) DHS agents confiscated all my electronic devices including my personal cell phone. Unfortunately, they were not willing or able to produce a search warrant or any court documents suggesting they had a legal right to take my property. In addition they were persistent about requiring my passwords for all devices. Although they were reluctant at first to present their badge and credentials; they eventually showed me their identification and gave me a business card. They indicated that this action to confiscate personal property at the airport was in fact routine and not unusual. They promised to return my items within a few days. They also mentioned that I had no right for a lawyer to be present and being a United States Citizen did not entitle me to rights that I probably thought.

Read More Here

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ArsTechnica UK

Californian mayor forced to give up electronics and passwords to agents at SFO

As US government battles over privacy, mayor compares the situation to North Korea.

by Nathan Mattise (US) - Oct 5, 2015 1:25am CDT

 

Stockton, California Mayor Anthony R. Silva attended a recent mayor's conference in China, but his return trip took a bit longer than usual. At the San Francisco International Airport (SFO) this week, agents with the Department of Homeland Security detained Silva and confiscated his personal cell phone among other electronics. According to comments from the mayor, that may not even be the most alarming part.
“Unfortunately, they were not willing or able to produce a search warrant or any court documents suggesting they had a legal right to take my property," Silva told SFGate. "In addition, they were persistent about requiring my passwords for all devices.”
The mayor's attorney, Mark Reichel, told SFGate that Silva was not allowed to leave the airport without forfeiting his passwords. Reichel was not present for Silva's interaction with the DHS agents, either. The mayor was told he had “no right for a lawyer to be present” and that being a US citizen did not “entitle me to rights that I probably thought,” according to the paper.

Read More Here

Poll: Only 37 percent of Democrats responded that the surveillance agency "goes too far"; that's compared to 47 percent of Republicans and 51 percent of independents.

Published on Thursday, November 21, 2013 by Common Dreams

Who's Least Critical of NSA Spying? Democrats

New poll reveals growing discontent with NSA surveillance

- Andrea Germanos, staff writer

Photo: EFF Photos/cc/flickr A new ABC News/Washington Post poll released Thursday poll reveals that while a growing number of Americans feels that the National Security Agency violates privacy, the party the least critical of the agency's surveillance activities are Democrats.
The poll found that, overall, an increasing number of Americans believes that the NSA's activities intrude on their privacy. Sixty-eight percent said that the agency's activities violate the privacy of some Americans. Forty-eight percent said that those intrusions were unjustifiable; that's up from 40 percent in a July poll.
Forty-six percent said that agency "goes too far" in its surveillance activities.
But the poll revealed significant partisan differences.
Only 37 percent of Democrats responded that the surveillance agency "goes too far"; that's compared to 47 percent of Republicans and 51 percent of independents.
Also, asked if the NSA intrusions on "some Americans' privacy rights" were justifiable or unjustifiable, Democrats were 18 points less likely than Republicans and independents to say they were unjustifiable.
The poll also asked respondents about Edward Snowden.
It found that 60 percent of Americans said that the whistleblower's disclosures have harmed U.S. security—a surge from 49 percent in their July poll.
Support for Snowden was strongest from youth; just 35 percent of respondents under 30 say he should be charged with a crime, compared with 57 percent of older respondents.
And while over half (56 percent) of those under 30 said Snowden did the “right thing” in revealing the extent of NSA spying, only 32 percent of those over 30 agreed.

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'I used to think US best country for privacy & freedom' - Lavabit founder

 

Published on Nov 8, 2013

His business suffered in the wake of the NSA leaks scandal because the service he provided was used by the person now most wanted in the US - Edward Snowden. SophieCo is talking to Ladar Levison, founder and owner of encrypted email service Lavabit.com, who says all he cares for is the privacy and the trust of his clients.
FULL SCRIPT: http://on.rt.com/a0w0ru
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Related articles

• Lavabit encryption key ruling threatens Internet privacy, EFF argues
• Lavabit's Refusal to Give FBI "Unrestricted" Access to Emails of 400,000 Customers
• Yet Another Privacy Service Has Shut Down to Avoid the Feds
• Lavabit security was a facade says crypto expert

 

Google Privacy Changes : Streamlining by popular demand OR Corporate over reach and invasion of privacy?

March 4, 2012 by desertrose   

Uploaded by RTAmerica on Mar 1, 2012

Google is under scrutiny once again. Google’s latest privacy changes went into effect on Thursday and the search engine giant claims the modifications will make a more personalized internet surfing experience. Now all Google’s services such as Gmail and YouTube will now streamline into one profile. Critics believe these changes will allow the company to gather vast amounts of personal information on any given user. Conn Hallinan, columnist for Foreign Policy in Focus, joins us to give his taken on what Google is doing with this information.




Uploaded by sarkcqure on Mar 1, 2012 BBC news further explores concerns growing over Google’s new privacy policy as it effects users – even to the extent of Android phone users now being assimilated into the Googlesphere “collective”. A bit of vox pop and expert comment, bottom line: Google’s monopoly position appears to be somewhat out of control. Read more at http://www.google.com/intl/en/policies/ Is it time for an ethical search engine to be launched? Wiki foundation



Uploaded by sarkcqure on Feb 12, 2012 BBC Click Online reports on new EU rules and laws backed with real sanctions, address the questions around social networks and the ownership of data at last.