Oakland Privacy

No Coffee For ICE

by Tracy Rosenberg • January 11, 2018 • 0 Comments

Oakland’s Public Safety Committee voted unanimously on January 9th to end all cooperation between the Oakland Police Department and Homeland Security Investigations/ICE; six months after cancelling a memorandum of understanding and five months after OPD assisted in a West Oakland immigration raid. Oakland’s Privacy Advisory Commission led an investigation into the raid that uncovered what really happened after IndyBay and this website asked some questions, an internal affairs complaint was filed and then city residents besieged the City Council in repeated charged public hearings on November 14 and November 28 to sever all ties to ICE. Council Member Kaplan summarized the resolution she co-sponsored as “we don’t even get ICE a cup of coffee”. January 16 for the full City Council vote.

Data Privacy

What are the Practices of Those Concerned with Online Privacy?

by JP Massar • January 6, 2018 • 0 Comments

One of Oakland Privacy’s newer members created, posted and analyzed an online survey of privacy habits amongst those predisposed to have an interest in online privacy:

An anonymous, thirteen–question online survey was conducted over two days on Nov. 2–3, 2017. 328 people responded. The survey questions were written by @ThatPrivacyGuy, the creator of one of the best sites objectively evaluating Virtual Private Networks (VPNs), ThatOnePrivacySite. Invitations to participate were posted on TOPS.net and two Reddit forums focusing on privacy rights, r/Privacy (Dedicated to the intersection of technology, privacy and freedom in the digital world) & r/PrivacyToolsIO (PrivacyTools.IO provides knowledge and tools to protect your privacy against global mass surveillance). Respondents were self–selecting, not random.

Among the more interesting findings:

More than 50% use PGP or a variant (Pretty Good Privacy, an email encryption methodology)
28% use a VPN (Virtual Private Network)
By a five to one margin, they use Firefox over Chrome, and essentially no one uses Internet Explorer.

Check out the full survey results and analysis here.

Uncategorized

2017 Year In Review

by Tracy Rosenberg • December 9, 2017 • 0 Comments

By Brian Hofer

Dear members and allies of Oakland Privacy:

2017 has been both a remarkable and frustrating year. While the raging dumpster fire that is our national political discourse seems to get worse by the day, Oakland Privacy and our allies have successfully pushed a ‘self-defense’ philosophy throughout the Bay Area and California to enact legislation and policies that will protect the civil liberties of everyone, not just the privileged few.

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Drones

Drones Decide?

by Tracy Rosenberg • December 9, 2017 • 0 Comments

By J.P Massar

Oakland Privacy members provided the impetus for the showing of ‘National Bird’ at the OMNI Commons on November 19th. It is the story of three service members enmeshed in the US government’s drone war; its effect on their lives both during and after they were enlisted; and a look at the cruel toll it takes on the people, the war targets, their families and their neighbors. It’s a good production, and you should see it. (It’s available on Netflix, Amazon, Itunes and VUDO: http://nationalbirdfilm.com/).

The reality it depicts is frightening. But it’s not nearly as frightening as what seems likely to come.

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Transparency Ordinance

Watching the Privacy Advisory Commission: Oct 5

by Tracy Rosenberg • December 9, 2017 • 0 Comments

By Tamara Dalloul

On October 5th, I had the opportunity to attend a Sanctuary City meeting in Oakland City Hall.

It was both surreal and eye opening to witness the behind the scenes work that Oakland’s Privacy Commission has put in to protect members of our so called ‘Sanctuary City’.

The 2017 presidential election last year was a time of high nerves and anxiety for a lot of people. The results would have monumental repercussions for minority groups all over the United States.