Surveillance

terrorism surveillance of political activistsThe FBI, Homeland Security, and corporations have repeatedly been exposed spying on political activists as “terrorists.” Tactics include informants, wiretaps and undercover cops.

For example:

Here are some recent articles about terrorism surveillance:

Nuns Put on “Domestic Terrorist” List

Last week I wrote about how some Homeland Security officials don’t think Timothy McVeigh is a terrorist, but peace activists, animal rights activists, pro-choice activists and environmentalists are. You know who else are terrorists? Nuns! The Saginaw News reports that among the 53 non-violent activists labeled as “terrorists” in that Maryland operation are two Dominican […]

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Humane Society Defends Donation to Eco-Terrorism Witch Hunt

After the recent bombings in California–which the press, industry groups and FBI recklessly rushed to attribute to animal rights activists—I reported that the Humane Society of the United States donated money to the “eco-terrorist” witch hunt. That didn’t sit well with many people, even those who oppose direct action. Now, HSUS’ Wayne Pacelle has come […]

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UK Handbook on Policing “Eco-Terrorists” and Animal Rights “Extremists”

Check out this handy dandy guide to policing the protests of “eco-terrorists” and “domestic extremists” that activists in the UK obtained. From the UK Indymedia: Sometime during a busy day of policing the Camp For Climate Action, near Kingsnorth Power Station in Kent, an officer dropped a so-called ‘Pocket Legislation Guide on Policing Protest’. The […]

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Cops Spying on HoneyBaked Ham Protestors and Peace Activists

Two activists who handed out vegan pamphlets outside of a HoneyBaked Ham store– and were harassed, spied on, and arrested for it– can proceed with a lawsuit against the cops, a federal appeals court recently ruled. Caitlin Childs and Christopher Freeman were leafletting in an Atlanta suburb in 2003. Here’s much more from the ACLU, […]

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AT&T Works in More Places, Like NSA Headquarters

Following up on the recent post on surveillance, and Big Brother myths, I found this brilliant billboard improvement on the Groundswell Collective blog. There’s also a YouTube video of the editing in action. Many thanks to the Billboard Liberation Front for keeping our streets factually accurate.

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Dispelling Some Big Brother Myths

There’s been a lot of talk in the press lately about government surveillance; Congress, instead of providing checks and balances on President Bush’s illegal spying program, actually voted to radically EXPAND the spy powers (and, of course, give legal immunity to phone corporations). It seems like whenever government surveillance and harassment makes the news, coverage […]

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Animal Advocate Detained, Searched, Questioned at Canadian Border about Activism

As the New York Times reported last week, the Department of Homeland Security routinely stops Americans who are re-entering the country so government officials can snoop through laptops and even copy files. For many animal and environmental advocates, though, this is old news. And it’s only part of the story. The government labels the animal […]

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Corporations Tracking Who Activists Are Dating

We’ve recently learned that Burger King has been spying on human rights activists, and the FBI would like to be spying on vegan potlucks. Not to be outdone, it looks like the Society of Toxicology commissioned a “threat analysis” to try to get smart about, among other things, who activists are dating. The organization held […]

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FBI Looking for Informants to Infiltrate Vegan Potlucks

Eric McDavid was just sentenced to 20 years in prison, as a “terrorist,” in a case that would never have been possible without a “confidential source” known only as Anna. She was paid by the FBI. She provided the group with bomb-making recipes; at times financed their transportation, food and housing; strung along McDavid, who […]

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“Burger With a Side of Spies”

Eric Schlosser has a great oped in The New York Times about how Burger King hired a sketchy private security firm to spy on non-violent activists. WHILE the Patriot Act has raised fears about government spying on ordinary citizens, the growing threat to civil liberties posed by corporate spying has received much less attention. During […]

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