Tag: Government

I sexually harassed my NSA polygrapher

There is a hotel near the Baltimore airport where National Security Agency (NSA) recruits stay. Some are linguists. Some are computer scientists. Some are security experts. Most are introverts. At night everyone uses their dinner vouchers sitting at one person tables around the perimeter of the hotel dining room. It is quiet. Everyone reads or... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
August 6, 2013 at 8:29 am • 

NSA XKeyscore can search nearly everything you do on the Internet

NSA XKeyscore can search nearly everything you do on the Internet
NSA XKeyscore is the latest privacy invasive technology revealed by documents leaked by Edward Snowden. According to the leaked documents Xkeyscore allows the NSA to search “nearly everything a typical user does on the internet” including the content of emails, websites visited and search history. Previously the NSA has asserted that they only collected “meta-data,” but... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
July 31, 2013 at 10:11 am • 

Edward Snowden nominated for Nobel Peace Prize

Edward Snowden has been nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for the leaking of government documents about NSA spying programs. The nomination was made by a Swedish sociology professor to symbolize ‘that individuals can stand up for fundamental rights and freedoms.’ Does Edward Snowden deserve a Nobel Peace Prize for his actions? When I wrote a... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
July 15, 2013 at 9:05 am • 
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Forget Edward Snowden, Aaron Swartz is your true Internet hero

This is the story of someone who publicly released government documents and was ruthlessly pursued by the U.S. government for his actions, but this is not the story of Edward Snowden. This is not the story of Bradley Manning either. This is the story of Aaron Swartz, and it doesn’t have a happy ending. Aaron Swartz... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
July 2, 2013 at 8:42 am • 

Why I chose not to work for the NSA

Why I chose not to work for the NSA
I got a job offer from the National Security Agency. Yes, the NSA. I might have had the opportunity to do some interesting work there, but I chose not to work for the NSA because I was concerned I might be asked to do something I’d find objectionable. It seems I made the right choice.... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
June 7, 2013 at 2:19 pm • 

What is CISPA and what happened to the planned blackout to protest it?

What is CISPA and what happened to the planned blackout to protest it?
The hacker group Anonymous called for a voluntary Internet blackout to protest CISPA, but at this time no major websites seem to be participating. So what is CISPA anyway, and why would anyone want to protest it? Furthermore, why did the CISPA blackout fail to get high profile participants? What is CISPA? CISPA is the... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
April 22, 2013 at 9:39 am • 
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Obama Wasn't the Only One Who Won Tonight

I had to step away from election coverage. My little girl woke up. I went up and rocked her for 45 minutes until she fell back asleep. (I fully admit that I was trying to avoid co-sleeping.) As I held my daughter in a darkened room, silent but for the creaking of the rocking chair,... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
November 7, 2012 at 12:07 am • 

Don't Tweet (or Instagram or Facebook) Your Vote, Photographing Your Ballot is Illegal

A reminder to everyone, that in most places it is illegal to take a photograph of your completed ballot. The reasoning is that documenting your vote could lead to vote buying. In a year when some employers were allegedly pressuring their employees to vote for a particular candidate, it seems like those concerns are merited.... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
November 6, 2012 at 11:49 am • 

Video of Voting Machine Altering Votes. How to Report Voting Fraud.

Here is one of what will unfortunately probably be many videos of a voting machine not accurately recording a vote. What should you do if you have a problem at the polls? Here is information from the Federal Election Commission web site: Where do I Report Suspected Election Fraud? The first step individuals should take... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
November 6, 2012 at 9:52 am • 
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Did Chrysler Give Its Workers the Day Off to Vote? Everyone Should Have Election Day Off

I’ve seen a few tweets about Chrysler giving its entire work force the day off to vote. I haven’t seen any news stories corroborating this, but I really hope it’s true. I hope it’s true, and I wish other employers did the same. I’ve seen multiple reports of people waiting in line for over an... Read more »
By Kim Z Dale,
November 6, 2012 at 9:11 am •