Can Tsarnaev be ruled an ‘enemy combatant’?

By Ari Melber – The short answer is no – unless evidence emerges that tangibly links the suspect to enemy forces, like al Qaeda, that are listed in the September 11, 2001 authorization of force. This is the main source of the administration’s war powers.

There are also many strong reasons why it would be bad policy – even if it were legal. Revoking the constitutional rights of American citizens, on American soil, based on a suspected crime, opens the door to a two-tiered justice system and executive abuse. more> http://tinyurl.com/bsh344c

Related>

• Boston Marathon Bombings, Brookings Institution
• For American-Muslims, dread, David Rohde, Reuters
• Caught on camera: Boston manhunt sparks privacy debate, Jordy Yager and Jeremy Herb, Hill
• Lawmakers question FBI handling of Boston terror attack suspect, Mike Lillis, Hill
• Report: Suspects not licensed to own guns, Mike Lillis, Hill
• Schumer, Graham: Boston brings urgency to immigration reform, Mike Lillis
• Lawmakers fear gun vote has poisoned the well on immigration reform, Russell Berman and Bernie Becker, Hill

Cybersecurity Bill Passes House After Obama Veto Threat

By Chris Strohm – The U.S. House passed cybersecurity legislation backed by companies including Boeing Co. (BA) and AT&T Inc. (T), defying a veto threat by President Barack Obama’s administration over what it called inadequate privacy protections.

The bill doesn’t require companies “to take reasonable steps” to remove personal information when sharing cybersecurity data with the government or other companies, the White House said April 16 in a statement on the veto threat. more> http://tinyurl.com/bproon9

Related>

• Cybersecurity Standards for Electric Grid Seen Expanding, Brian Wingfield, Businessweek
• As CISPA cybersecurity bill passes House, privacy advocates mobilize, Chenda Ngak, CBS News
• CISPA Vote: House Passes Cybersecurity Bill To Let Companies Break Privacy Contracts, Zach Carter and Sabrina Siddiqui, huffingtonpost.com
• CISPA Passes In The House, (Again) But Faces Resistance In Senate And White House (Again), Andy Greenberg, Forbes

Big Brother Takes The Wheel

By Meaghan Ziemba – What is contemporary privacy? With most people freely exposing their ‘private’ lives via Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare, Instagram, and all the other available apps out there, is one tiny black box, meant for determining the cause of an accident, really that invasive? People are already supporting similar practices by installing  snapshot from Progressive Car Insurance.

If drivers are following the laws of the road, and driving carefully, the information fed into the data recorder doesn’t even get looked at.  However, if an individual does get into a wreck, the information that the little black box contains actually might help someone’s case instead of hindering them. After all, if it proved your innocence, would you play the ‘invasion of privacy’ card then? Probably not.

We seem to have a double-edged sword. more> http://tinyurl.com/czdxkhj

Black Boxes In Cars Raise Privacy Concerns

English: Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) system failure icon. Based on icon shown in U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, Docket No. NHTSA 2004-19054. See http://www.nhtsa.gov/cars/rules/rulings/tpmsnprmpost2cir/tpmsnprmpost2cir.html
(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

By Joan Lowy – In the next few days, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is expected to propose long-delayed regulations requiring auto manufacturers to include event data recorders — better known as “black boxes” — in all new cars and light trucks. But the agency is behind the curve. Automakers have been quietly tucking the devices, which automatically record the actions of drivers and the responses of their vehicles in a continuous information loop, into most new cars for years.

The idea is to gather information that can help investigators determine the cause of accidents and lead to safer vehicles. But privacy advocates say government regulators and automakers are spreading an intrusive technology without first putting in place policies to prevent misuse of the information collected. more> http://tinyurl.com/bltqgj9

Related articles

• NHTSA expected to propose mandatory black boxes in vehicles (slashgear.com)
• Black boxes in cars raise privacy concerns | Fox News (familysurvivalprotocol.com)
• Obama Gives OK For Black Box Data Recorders to Be Installed in All Cars (lynleahz.com)
• Feds Order ‘Black Boxes’ in Cars: More government spying in the name of ‘safety’ (illinoisreview.typepad.com)
• Black boxes in cars raise privacy concerns (wtvm.com)
• Black boxes in cars raise privacy concerns – Business – Modbee.com (cdljobs.typepad.com)
• Obama Gives OK For Black Box Data Recorders to Be Installed in All Cars (activistpost.com)
• Black Boxes In Cars Raise Privacy Concerns (libertycrier.com)