Sacked: former UK defence secretary Gavin Williamson was dismissed following the alleged leak of sensitive government information.
EPA-EFE/Facundo Arrizabalaga
Politicians have been leaking secrets to journalists as long as newspapers have existed. But it’s getting more difficult thanks to surveillance technology.
Margot Susca, American University School of Communication
American citizens have long favored government openness over secrecy. But with heightened anti-leak and anti-press rhetoric, do some now want strengthened government control of information?
Is someone watching while you work?
Jay Moff/flickr
US intelligence agencies can no longer collect and store the telecommunications data of US citizens but other countries are strengthening their efforts.
When is a harbour not a safe harbour?
Dominic Lipinski/PA
Digital mass surveillance is having a chilling effect on US democracy, affecting journalists and lawyers, a report from human rights organisations has warned. The report, by Human Rights Watch and the…
Edgware Road: where big decisions are made.
HowardLake
The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is holding its 50th public meeting in London from June 22. An international crowd spanning business, politics and civil society will be meeting across…
Drone strikes may be slowing in Pakistan, but the damage has already been done.
EPA/Nadeem Khawer
The US’s program of drone strikes in Pakistan has, according to recent reports, slowed down considerably. But while this will encourage various observers, and while the Obama administration earned some…
Anyone could be Clarksoned these days.
Mark Hooper
Jeremy Clarkson is in the soup again for saying the wrong thing. This time he has been accused of using deeply offensive, racist language, in a Top Gear outtake two years ago. The usual gang of anti-Clarksonites…
Someone get a fire extinguisher! Just, you know, maybe not Mark Zuckerberg.
cibomahto
Just ahead of the 25th anniversary of the World Wide Web, Edward Snowden has sent what he hopes will be a strong message to the powers that control the internet in a video link streamed live to South by…
GCHQ has been making friends online. Shame it didn’t tell them.
Magic Madzik
News that government intelligence agency GCHQ has been intercepting and storing webcam images from 1.8 million users of Yahoo’s chat service under the codename Optic Nerve is a reminder of how close we…
The latest intelligence documents published by The Guardian tell us that the US National Security Agency (NSA) is harvesting up to 200 million text messages a day under the DISHFIRE programme, and that…
Whatever Barack Obama says, the fact is the US president reined in spying powers in response to public knowledge gained from leaks about NSA activities.
EPA/Shawn Thew
All eyes were on US president Barack Obama when he announced his plan to reform the National Security Agency (NSA) and its ability to collect phone metadata. Three main changes will be pursued: the government…
Caroline Criado-Perez learnt the hard way about internet trolls in 2013.
Chris Ratcliffe/PA Wire/Press Association Images
It was an extraordinary year for social media. We saw sites such as Twitter shift from being a fun pastime to a fundamental part of life. The change might not have been unexpected but each time a new incident…
‘Yes we scan!’ NSA monitoring will be a Christmas headache for Barack Obama.
Mike Herbst
Even before opening his stocking on Christmas morning, Barack Obama has his holiday reading cut out for him. His Review Group on Intelligence and Surveillance Technologies has handed him a 300-page report…
Like butter wouldn’t melt: Francis Maude thinks we’re doing pretty well on cybersecurity.
Cabinet Office
Anyone who took the time to read the UK government’s latest update on its cybersecurity strategy could be forgiven for thinking that a man called Edward Snowden never existed. Most people who are even…
What are the implications for democracy if our greatest communication tool - the internet - is turned on the citizenry and used for surveillance?
EPA/Jim Lo Scalzo
Since June, thanks to the information disclosed by National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower Edward Snowden, a troubling truth has come to light. The internet, and with it the entire gamut of new communication…
The backlash against state surveillance is growing stronger by the day.
ubiquit
More than 500 high-profile names, including authors, musicians and five Nobel laureates, have signed a petition to the United Nations calling for a bill of digital rights to be developed in the wake of…