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Intelligence

G20 Protests – ”It won’t happen here”

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September 22, 2009

Perhaps the most compelling feature of the Pittsburgh preparations for G20 has been the apparent attitude in Pittsburgh of, “It won’t happen here.” This attitude is dangerous – the local government can argue that it took all necessary precautions to warn people of the threat, but even with less than a month to go the warnings and preparation advice was basically to, “prepare as though it’s a snow day,” and to “have pre-drilled boards available for the windows” just in case.

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Cyber Security is a Priority in Europe

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September 21, 2009

IBM hosted a superb conference for its defense clients in Europe this past week. Several key issues discussed were the proper balance between security and privacy, the need for information sharing, and importance of a public education campaign to achieve real cyber “personal hygiene.” Numerous different approaches were raised and considered, each coming from the experiences and the different governments and cultures represented.

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The Signals & Colors of Reality

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September 16, 2009

With the completion of the Task Force’s Report on the Homeland Security Advisory System (HSAS) now done we have a pretty good idea of how of the oft-maligned terror warning system is going to be restructured. In the eight years since 9/11 and the anthrax attacks, we are finally beginning to put the hard-earned lessons into policies, protocols and operations that can better guide current and future homeland leaders of every sector.

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DHS retains policy of border laptop searches

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August 28, 2009

The Associated Press: Tighter oversight on border laptop searches The Obama administration on Thursday put new restrictions on searches of laptops at U.S. borders to address concerns that federal agents have been rummaging through travelers’ personal information. The long-criticized practice of searching travelers’ electronic devices will continue, but a supervisor now would need to approve […]

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Nice Guys Finish Last

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August 25, 2009

The Department of Homeland Security’s new focus seems to target well-intentioned employers and neglect the rest. In tough economic times, DHS should focus on ensuring a level playing field for honest businesses, and regulating unscrupulous firms who use illegal workers to cut costs and gain a competitive advantage.

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Cartel violence on Mexican border will continue, get worse

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August 20, 2009

Homeland Security Today – preparedness and security news – Mexican Cartel Violence Will Continue, Officials Believe US counterterrorism officials continue to be increasingly concerned about the growth of Mexico’s narco-cartels and the Mexican military’s inability to substantially break up their operations. Officials who spoke on background said the cartels and their “enforcers” have become emboldened […]

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Mexico Continues Border War

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August 20, 2009

In what has been a lightly reported story this past week – but one for which it is impossible to overstate the importance of – President Felipe Calderon terminated 1000 customs officials (700 in some reports) from their positions as inspectors at ports of entry throughout the country. This is another indication of the dedicated and serious manner in which President Calderon has continued to wage war with the drug cartels that exploit the border for their own illegitimate purposes.

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Transportation Security Administration’s Public Engagement

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August 19, 2009

TSA’s engagement with social media is essential given the dynamics of today’s world, especially for a government agency that interfaces in-person with 2 million people everyday in our nations airports.

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Border murder highlights double-edged sword of confidential informants

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August 19, 2009

Security Weekly: Confidential Informants: A Double-Edged Sword Police in El Paso, Texas, announced Aug. 11 that they had arrested three suspects in the May 15 shooting death of Jose Daniel Gonzalez Galeana, a Juarez cartel lieutenant who had been acting as a confidential informant (CI) for the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency. It […]

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Facebook-style Databank – The New Weapon Against Terrorists

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August 19, 2009

Facebook-style Databank – The New Weapon Against Terrorists : Homeland Security News Intelligence agencies are building up a Facebook-style databank of international terrorists in order to sift through it with complex computer programs aimed at identifying key figures and predicting terrorist attacks before they happen. By analyzing the social networks that exist between known terrorists, […]

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