terrorism

Alan Rappa

Amazon Reports Selling Stuff To Iranian Embassies, Person On Terrorism Watch List

Amazon — the “Everything Store” to most of the world — sells to just about anyone, anywhere. Problem is, it’s not supposed to do that. The company has revealed it’s under federal investigation for selling items to customers linked to the Iranian government (including its embassies), and also to someone on the terrorism watch list. [More]

jayRaz

Former FCC Commissioner Uses Terror Attacks To Make Worst-Ever Argument Against Net Neutrality

There are many misleading, questionable, and frankly just plain bad arguments against net neutrality out there these days, but a former FCC commissioner may have outdone them all for pure inanity, somehow blaming the push for an open internet for global terrorism. [More]

Senate Advances Bill That Would Require Social Media Sites To Report “Terrorist Activities”

Senate Advances Bill That Would Require Social Media Sites To Report “Terrorist Activities”

If it seems like everyone uses social media, well, that’s because basically everyone does. But it’s not just cake recipes and birthday party meet-ups people plan online; plenty of illegal activity gets talked about in digital space, too. And now members of the Senate want to make sure that when certain kinds of no-no topics pop up, the platform owners let the feds know. [More]

Yes, Tweeting “Jokes” To An Airline About “Doing Something Big” Can Get You Arrested

Yes, Tweeting “Jokes” To An Airline About “Doing Something Big” Can Get You Arrested

Although sometimes it can feel like engaging in social media is akin to shouting into a bottomless pit and no one is really listening, you better be sure that if you claim to be part of a terrorist group planning “something” big and tweet that to a major airline, well, someone’s going to hear you. And maybe put you in jail. [More]

(frankieleon.)

Tenn. Official Warns Residents That Water Quality Complaints Could Be Seen As Terrorism

Taking a page straight out of the book Things You Should Not Compare To Terrorism, Especially While You’re Being Recorded, a Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation deputy director is under fire after warning a group of residents from one county that any unfounded complaints they made about water quality in their area could be considered “an act of terrorism.” [More]

Senator Proposes "No-Ride List" For Amtrak

Senator Proposes "No-Ride List" For Amtrak

Apparently the only way for a terrorist to plant a bomb on any of the thousands and thousands miles of completely unsecured railroad track in this country is to actually be a passenger on a train — specifically an Amtrak train. Thus, Senator Chuck Schumer of NY has figured out a way to keep our entire rail system safe: A “no-ride list.” [More]

Federal Courts Fear Bombs Disguised As Smartphones

Federal Courts Fear Bombs Disguised As Smartphones

If you’ve ever wondered why some federal court jurisdictions refused to allow cell phones on the premises, the answer lies partially in the potential threat of your technological doohickies. [More]

Airport Body Scanners May Replace Your Naked Body With A Generic Avatar, Eventually

Airport Body Scanners May Replace Your Naked Body With A Generic Avatar, Eventually

Bloomberg reports that one of the big companies behind airport full-body scanners has released a software update that replaces your misshapen nakedness with a generically proportioned, nondescript avatar. The software then indicates on the avatar where you should be searched. [More]

United Hates U.S. Diplomatic Relations With Pakistan

United Hates U.S. Diplomatic Relations With Pakistan

United has already mastered guitar bashing, so now the airline is moving on to more ambitious projects: screwing up diplomatic relations with other countries. [More]

Courthouse In Florida Has 35,000 Body Scans Of
Citizens

Courthouse In Florida Has 35,000 Body Scans Of Citizens

Like it or not, advanced imaging technology (AIT)–capable of producing highly detailed pics of your naked body–is expanding rapidly throughout U.S. airports. Last month, there were at least 142 AIT units deployed in eleven airports, but by the end of the year that will jump to more than 450 nationwide, spread across at least forty airports (see full list below). The TSA has tried to downplay privacy issues by saying that the units won’t save images, but that doesn’t mean that they can’t. In fact, the U.S. Marshals Service in Florida says they’ve got over 35,000 AIT scans of people saved. They also say that an AIT unit tested in the Washington, D.C. federal courthouse was sent back to the manufacturer with images still stored on it. [More]

United Removes Passenger From Flight After He Asks Whether A Meal Will Be Served

United Removes Passenger From Flight After He Asks Whether A Meal Will Be Served

Over at JoeSugarman.com, Joe writes that on his way home from a seminar in Austin, he settled into his first class seat–he’s what United Airlines calls a 1K traveler because he flies over 100,000 miles with them every year–and asked the flight attendant, “Are you serving any meals during our flight?” A few minutes later, he writes, “two armed Austin police officers boarded the plane, looked at me and said, ‘Sugarman, follow us.'” [More]

TSA Gets Some Damned Sense, Eases Flight Restrictions

TSA Gets Some Damned Sense, Eases Flight Restrictions

Good news, people who are in the unfortunate position of having to do business with an airline in the near future: the TSA’s embarrassingly reactionary new “security rules” have been eased as of this afternoon. Now it is up to the captain whether they’re enforced on each flight, reports CBS News. [More]

Don't Threaten To Kill Telemarketers

Don't Threaten To Kill Telemarketers

We know how you feel; telemarketers suck. But no matter how much they’re in the wrong, please don’t threaten to burn down their place of business and then kill them and their families—even if they call you a jackass—because they may report you to the police. Then, if your police are anything like the ones in St. Louis, Missouri, you’ll likely be arrested and charged for making terrorist threats, like poor Charles Papenfus.

REI Says ATM Photographer Is Welcome In Their Store Any Time

REI Says ATM Photographer Is Welcome In Their Store Any Time

REI’s Director of Corporate Communications contacted us with an official statement about the recent showdown between two Loomis security guards and a customer with an iPhone at one of their Seattle stores. She says despite the document Shane says he was forced to sign at the police station, he is not banned from their stores. Below is REI’s official statement.

Loomis Rent-A-Cops Have Shopper Cuffed, Hauled Away Over ATM Photo

Loomis Rent-A-Cops Have Shopper Cuffed, Hauled Away Over ATM Photo

While Shane was standing in the customer service line at a Seattle REI, he watched two Loomis employees open and change out the cash in an ATM machine. Shane took a photo of them with his iPhone. This apparently freaked out the Loomis guards, the REI security staff, and then the Seattle police, who put handcuffs on Shane, drove him to the police station, and then made him sign a statement that he wouldn’t return to a REI store for a year. You might have noticed in that summary that they didn’t actually bring any charges against him, which should make it clear to anyone who wants to side with the faux Po-Po that what Shane did wasn’t illegal, that the rent-a-cops should be fired, and that REI and Loomis owe Shane a big apology.

Traveler Arrested For Bathroom Emergency On Delta Flight

Traveler Arrested For Bathroom Emergency On Delta Flight

Is there a worse place to have sudden diarrhea than on an airplane? Well, yes, and that would be on a water slide, but let’s stay with the airplane for a bit. Joao Correa was on a Delta Airlines flight from Honduras to Atlanta last week when something bad happened down below, and he had to immediately use the bathroom. Unfortunately, there was a drink cart blocking his way and the flight attendants wouldn’t let him by.

JetBlue Passenger Forced To Cover Arabic Shirt Gets $240k From JetBlue, TSA Employees

JetBlue Passenger Forced To Cover Arabic Shirt Gets $240k From JetBlue, TSA Employees

In 2006, Raed Jaer, an Iraqi-born U.S. resident, was forced by TSA officials and JetBlue to cover his t-shirt—it read, “We Will Not Be Silent” in both Arabic and English—before he could board a flight. The airline and the two TSA officials (TSA was not named in the suit) settled out of court last week for $240,000, although JetBlue still denies they did anything wrong, and the TSA says they don’t “condone profiling in any way shape or form.” [More]

AirTran Removes Muslim Family From Flight, Refuses To Reseat After FBI Clears Them

AirTran Removes Muslim Family From Flight, Refuses To Reseat After FBI Clears Them

AirTran removed a Muslim family and their friend from their flight, had them questioned by the FBI, and then refused to re-seat or rebook them after they were cleared by the FBI.