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Special Digital Currencies Issue: Bitcoin and CBDCs What Is Bitcoin? The Answer to Government Surveillance and Control Through Money An Essential Introduction, Glossary of Multidisciplinary Terminology, and Colorful History by Richard Resch “It is well enough that people of the nation do not understand our banking and monetary system, for …
From the Editor by Richard Resch Welcome to this month’s issue of Criminal Legal News (“CLN”). As you can see, it’s devoted to the revolutionary and controversial topic of digital currencies, spotlighting the two most important participants in the enduring clash between individual liberties and state control. In this issue, …
Central Bank Digital Currencies: Trojan Horses Delivering Mass Surveillance Under the Guise of Monetary Innovation by David Kim “He who controls the food supply controls the people; he who controls the energy can control whole continents; he who controls money can control the world.” – Widely Attributed to Henry Kissinger …
Article • August 1, 2025 • from CLN August, 2025
DEA’s Secret Phone Surveillance Program ‘Hemisphere’ Sparked Internal Warnings—Then a Cover-Up by Charles "Keith" Wampler When it was discovered that the Drug Enforcement Administration (“DEA”) had obtained access to billions of American phone records through a program they called “Hemisphere,” advocates for civil liberties were not convinced—in spite of assurances …
Article • August 1, 2025 • from CLN August, 2025
The Quiet Transformation of Government Data into a Mass Surveillance Tool by David Kim In recent years, the federal government has been repurposing data originally collected for public services—such as tax filing, health care enrollment, and labor oversight—into a powerful tool for mass surveillance and law enforcement. Fueled by executive …
New Orleans Police Continue Using Facial Recognition Despite City Restrictions by James Mills The New Orleans Police Department (“NOPD”) has used artificial intelligence-­powered facial recognition technology since at least 2018, often bypassing city ordinances designed to limit such surveillance, according to public records, internal emails, and a 2025 Washington Post …
Article • July 1, 2025 • from CLN July, 2025
Driverless Vehicles Are the Newest Mass Surveillance Tool of Law Enforcement by James Mills The ever-­growing army of self-­driving vehicles quietly traveling through our cities are becoming something far more than just driverless vehicles—they’re morphing into the most sophisticated mobile surveillance network law enforcement has ever had. Police departments across …
Facial Recognition at the Border: CBP’s Push to Scan Every Car Passenger Sparks Privacy Concerns by David Kim by David Kim At United States border crossings, Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) wants to photograph every vehicle occupant, from drivers to back-seat passengers, using real-time facial recognition to match images with …
Car Subscriptions: Another Means of Mass Surveillance by Law Enforcement by David Kim by David Kim Police records obtained by WIRED reveal that the rise of internet-connected car features, spurred by automakers’ subscription models, is increasing drivers’ vulnerability to government surveillance. These documents expose how law enforcement agencies exploit the …
ICE’s Expansive Surveillance Tool Monitors Hundreds of Websites and Apps by James Mills by James Mills U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) has developed a powerful surveillance tool that allows analysts to extract metadata from hundreds of websites, apps, and platforms, enabling the agency to gather detailed information on individuals, …
Article • April 15, 2025 • from CLN May, 2025
D.C. Police Continue Heavy Investment in Social Media Monitoring by Anthony Accurso by Anthony W. Accurso The Metropolitan Police Department (“MPD”) in Washington, D.C., has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to monitor social media activity, targeting protesters and others not suspected of crimes, according to public records obtained through …
Questionable Retail Theft Panic Fuels More Mass Surveillance and Police Militarization by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott The shoplifting crisis dominating recent news may be exaggerated, but it has delivered major wins for police departments nationwide. An investigation by The Appeal on March 27, 2025, reveals that fears …
Article • April 15, 2025 • from CLN May, 2025
The FBI’s Encrypted Phone Sting by Michael Thompson by Michael Dean Thompson A San Diego-based company called ANOM, often stylized as “ANØM,” distributed encrypted phones worldwide. These devices were stripped down, hardened against intrusion, and designed to allow messaging only between phones on the same closed network. Unbeknownst to users, …
How Online Behavioral Ads Fuel Mass Surveillance by Michael Thompson by Michael Dean Thompson It is no secret that digital advertising companies profit handsomely by accessing and exploiting the private information of consumers. What may be surprising, however, is the increasing efficiency with which these companies collect, distribute, and monetize …
Filming ICE Agents at Work: Know Your Rights by Jo Ellen Nott by Jo Ellen Nott Across the United States, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (“ICE”) activity is intensifying, including highly visible raids. Amid this escalation, it is important to remember that the public has a First Amendment right to film …
Reining in Police Monitoring of Social Media by Michael Thompson by Michael Dean Thompson Social media has revolutionized connectivity, allowing people to develop and maintain relationships well beyond what was possible just a generation earlier. The revolution has, however, enabled the joint planning, execution, and documentation of crimes. It is …
Law Enforcement Obscures Use of Facial Recognition Technology by Sam Rutherford by Sam Rutherford According to an investigative report conducted by the Washington Post and follow-up reporting on TechDirt.com, police departments nationwide are hiding the fact that they are identifying criminal suspects using facial recognition software. A Washington Post article …
Police Departments Are Now Using AI to Write Reports by Anthony Accurso by Anthony W. Accurso Axon, a company that makes products (including weapons) and services available to police departments, has begun selling a new product designed to use artificial intelligence (“AI”) to turn bodycam audio into police reports. However, …
Article • February 1, 2025 • from CLN February, 2025
Careful What You Search For by Michael Thompson by Michael Dean Thompson Don’t ask Google this simple question: “Are Bengal cats legal in Australia?” That is the gist of an urgent warning on cybersecurity firm Sophos’ website. People who have clicked on the resulting links have had their personal information …
Article • December 1, 2024 • from CLN December, 2024
Chula Vista’s Police Drones by Michael Thompson by Michael Dean Thompson The Federal Aviation Administration has relaxed its rules so that drones can be flown beyond line-of-sight by certain groups such as cops, firefighters, and even construction companies. Some policing agencies are choosing drones that only point the camera down …
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