Kevin Gosztola’s Notes on Civil Liberties from August 23, 2011
Here’s the latest news and updates on civil liberties and digital freedom issues. If you have any news tips and would like to contact me, email kevin.gosztola@shadowproof.wpengine.com.
Former Guantanamo detainee David Hicks has had his book short-listed for a taxpayer-funded literary prize in Australia. The short-listing has drawn criticism, but Queensland’s Premier Anna Bligh defends the short-listing saying the nomination is a “profound reaffirmation of the values that distinguish us from those who want to terrorize others.”
Christian Dominionism poses a profound threat to society. However, reporting on the threat has been attacked. Adele M. Stan has details in a post at AlterNet.
Author of Underground: Tales of Hacking, Madness and Obsession on the Electronic Frontier, Suelette Dreyfus, defended WikiLeaks on “Q & A” show. She suggested WikiLeaks had shown regulators of democracy “failed” the people and that WikiLeaks and the media were the people’s last safeguard. “I would say that the US is at a crisis point because it has become a surveillance state and the [National Security Agency] is intercepting 1.7 billion emails and telephone calls,” Dreyfus added.
If you didn’t get enough on Round 2 of the OpBART protest yesterday evening, Mission Local has a nice collection of tweets, video, photos, etc. Highlights show police let journalists go, because they were able to show their websites to police. Tweets leading to the arrest of a Mission Local appear in the story. (cont’d)
