Free Republic

The body charged by President Obama with protecting the civil liberties and privacy of the American people exists in shadows almost as dark as the intelligence agencies it is designed to oversee. The Privacy & Civil Liberties Board (PCLOB) was due to meet Obama at the White House on Friday afternoon at 3pm in the situation room to discuss growing concerns over US surveillance of phone and internet records – or, at least, that´s what unnamed "senior administration officials" said would happen. The meeting did not appear on the president´s official diary issued to journalists, nor has

Big Brother is selling you. If you're a Wisconsin driver, outdoor enthusiast or voter, chances are state government has sold your name, address or other potentially sensitive personal information about you. State officials say they're legally obligated to make the information public. But privacy advocates say collection and sale of personal information by the state erodes personal privacy and puts people at risk of identity theft - especially in light of the December accidental release of more than 171,000 Social Security numbers by the state Department of Revenue. Social Security numbers and other personal data are used by criminals for...