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This article talks about the want for greater government surveillance after the Paris attacks. It mentions that since Edward Snowden released information about the NSA's digital surveillance power, a lot of measures have been taken to restrict government surveillance. However, since the Paris attacks, the US government is pushing to bring that power back.

"War is declared. Get prepared"

A round up of current conversations about surveillance and privacy in light of the Paris attacks.

Privacy advocates are pushing back against arguments from the intelligence community that more surveillance powers would have prevented the deadly Paris terrorist attacks. They're offended at what they see as naked opportunism from supporters of tough surveillance powers and argue the rhetoric - including suggestions that National Security Agency leaker Edward Snowden has blood on his hands - has gone too far.

"we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions"

WIRED's @KimZetter on encryption, back doors, and the #ParisAttacks. #fywscrypto https://t.co/nRgnRIUN64 - Derek Bruff (@derekbruff) November 17, 2015

An app circulated among the protesters in Hong Kong that supposedly was for coordinating protest efforts, but was in reality a phishing attack that would track keystrokes, messages, and identity information of devices it was installed on. Many signs point to the Chinese government as the origin of the malware, though. Not the first time a government has done something like planting spies and monitoring protestors. We saw this in Little Brother too, with the DHS spies on the Xnet.

Here's some background on the Obama administration's decision to admit Syrian refugees to the US, and Republican governors who want to refuse entry. Alabama governor Robert Bentley: "I will not place Alabamians at even the slightest, possible risk of an attack on our people."

No credible evidence that the PlayStation 4 network was used to coordinate the #ParisAttacks. #fywscrypto https://t.co/8g6Gki4QVj - Derek Bruff (@derekbruff) November 17, 2015

This piece captures some of the complexity of the surveillance / privacy debate as it applies to Snowden and the Paris attacks.

PBS interview showing two sides of the security vs. privacy debate as it applies to the recent attacks in Paris, and all current issues of terrorism and a lack of information even with warrants. Gives a lot of good quotes from reputable sources that can be used to strengthen and support arguments.

This article discusses the faults in former deputy director of the CIA Michael Morell's statement that the use of encrypted apps made it difficult to stop terrorists. Claims that encrypted communications put them out of reach was false - there had been no change in al Qaeda tactics. Also, author Howard points out that there isn't a clear dichotomy between privacy and security.

This article goes over America's security and privacy trade-off, especially after 9/11. The author argues that we have done an excellent job keeping a balance between these two approaches and, while actions such as the Paris attack may make us question if we should add more security, there is no reason to take away the privacy we have as since 9/11 we have been doing a good job of valuing both of these aspects.

Today's New York Times features a debate of sorts over the value of increased surveillance after the Paris attacks. Click through for five different views on this complex issue.

"Alice is the attacker, not me." - Eve

"Signage can be an important legal component in the use of video cameras in schools. As mentioned in the previous section, it is important that the presence of video cameras not lead a person to believe he or she will be rescued if attacked."

Interesting how this article talks about the gait analysis being used for catching terrorists, while in Little Brother, it was used to keep track of the high school students. The technology is not quite ready to be used, but seems to be much more reliable than the gait trackers in the book.

Georgia Tech Research Institute is making gait recognition technology a reality. "The ultimate goal is to detect, classify and identify humans at distances up to 500 feet away under day or night, all-weather conditions. Such capabilities will enhance the protection of U.S. forces and facilities from terrorist attacks."