civil-liberties

ICE Is Using Paragon Spyware on American Soil. Congress Wants to Know Who They're Watching.

John Z Black Apr 7, 2026

Policy, Law & Governance #ice #paragon #spyware #graphite #surveillance #congress #civil-liberties

House Democrats demand answers on ICE's use of Paragon's Graphite spyware, raising questions about domestic surveillance and oversight.

Robots Are Moving Into Sensitive Environments. Security Gets Decided at Procurement.

John Z Black Mar 19, 2026

Security Operations & Resilience #robotics #procurement #cyber-physical #supply-chain #civil-liberties #enterprise-security #governance

U.S. robotics firms are pushing Congress for procurement barriers against Chinese suppliers. Robot dogs are already patrolling data centers. The security posture is decided before install day, during sourcing and contract language.

DOGE's Data Problem: Why America's Federal Privacy Crisis Is a Cybersecurity Story

John Z Black Mar 15, 2026

Privacy & Digital Rights #data-governance #privacy #federal-data #access-controls #doge #civil-liberties

DOGE personnel reportedly accessed federal systems holding tax returns, Social Security records, and benefits data without proper audit trails or legal authority. This isn't politics. It's a data governance failure affecting tens of millions of Americans.

The FBI's Warrant-Free Surveillance Just Hit a New High -- Right as Congress Finally Moves to Stop It

John Z Black Mar 14, 2026

Privacy & Policy #section-702 #fisa #fbi #surveillance #privacy #congress #warrantless-search #civil-liberties

The FBI searched Americans' private communications without a warrant 7,413 times last year, up 34%. A bipartisan bill just landed to require warrants going forward.