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CRS In Focus, IF13068, July 21, 2025. “Automated license plate readers (ALPRs) are camera systems that capture the license plate data of vehicles, along with related information. They are generally available in fixed and mobile formats. Fixed ALPR systems are mounted in specific locations, often using existing infrastructure such as light poles, traffic lights, buildings, …
TMP Morning Memo: “Under a memo issued by the Office of Personnel Management yesterday, federal workers are permitted to talk to their co-workers about their religion, including engaging a colleague “in polite discussion of why his faith is correct and why the non-adherent should re-think his religious beliefs.” They are also allowed to engage in …
Kirkus Review: “The full list of the 596 books banned in schools run by the U.S. Department of Defense has been revealed. The list was made public by a federal judge who is hearing the case, EK v. Department of Defense Education Activity, challenging the department’s banning of the books from its 161 schools across …
Reddit/privacy: “You do not have to be famous or break any laws to end up under digital watch. New reports confirm that a US agency is expanding its contracts with private firms to quietly track internet activity. This includes what you post, what you like, what you share, and even how you express emotion. The …
Internet Archive Blogs – July 24, 2025. “Announced today, the Internet Archive has been designated as a federal depository library by Senator Alex Padilla. The designation was made via letter to Scott Matheson, Superintendent of Documents at the U.S. Government Publishing Office. Senator Padilla explained the designation in a statement to KQED: “The Archive’s digital-first …
Mind-War – “As my readers know, I have been doing a lot of testing and reporting on AI—what’s it’s useful for, and what it’s not, along with some remarkable analyses of Stephen Miller and Donald Trump. I also recognize the downsides. But we must fight on the battlefield that exists, not the one we hope …
Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE collects data on every person it encounters, arrests, detains, transports via flight, and deports. We post below data that ICE produced in response to several FOIA requests by multiple organizations. Crucially, in some data releases, there are linked identifiers across data types such as arrests and detainers, allowing merges that …
BiometricUpdate.com: “U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has quietly deployed a new surveillance tool in its Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arsenal – a smartphone app known as Mobile Fortify. Designed for ICE field agents, the app enables real-time biometric identity verification using facial recognition or contactless fingerprints. Based on leaked emails reported by 404 Media, the …
404 Media – no paywall: “When your laptop is infected with infostealing malware, it’s not just hackers that might get your passwords, billing and email addresses, and a list of sites or services you’ve created accounts on, potentially including some embarrassing ones. A private intelligence company run by a young founder is now taking that …
Christina Pagel – “With the help of amazing volunteers, I’ve converted my Trump action tracker spreadsheet into an easy to use website – now up to 740 actions and counting. Today I’m launching TrumpActionTracker.info – a live, searchable list of authoritarian‑style actions from Trump’s second term (over 740 actions so far). Logging actions of the …
“We’ve been covering the technological infrastructure powering Trump’s mass deportations for months by this point. We believe there is a high public interest in knowing what tech companies are working with Immigrations and Customs Enforcement (ICE), what surveillance capabilities are being used, and how those may contribute to a lack of due process. Because ICE …
Donate to Your Local Station – Congress has voted to rescind public media’s funding. Help preserve independent journalism and community programming across America by adopting a station. [This site will allow you to choose by state, radio and or TV station] Step 1: Donate to Your Local Station – Select a state to view public …
