Tag: police state

German Federal Police Sued Over Facial Recognition Database Use

Germany’s top criminal police authority is facing legal action over the handling of biometric data.

On September 19, 2025, IT-security expert Janik Besendorf, with the support of the Chaos Computer Club (CCC), brought a case before the Administrative Court in Wiesbaden.

He argues that photographs taken of him during a 2018 police matter, which was later dismissed, were unlawfully fed into facial recognition testing programs instead of being deleted.

According to Netzpolitik, images from Besendorf and millions of others stored in the police database INPOL-Z were repurposed without consent or statutory approval.

The legal complaint points in particular to the BKA’s “EGES” initiative, a 2019 project aimed at improving its facial recognition capabilities.

In this program, Fraunhofer IGD ran trials of four commercial recognition systems using roughly five million frontal photos of around three million individuals, in addition to volunteer contributions.

Freedom of information records show that officials had already raised doubts about whether the project had any legal footing.

The BKA maintains that the testing was conducted safely, emphasizing that all work was carried out on isolated internal systems, with no direct handover of personal data to outside partners.

It also insists that the program is qualified as research under the BKA Act. Regulators have taken a different view, arguing that benchmarking market-ready tools cannot be described as scientific research and pointing out the absence of a clear legal mandate.

A judgment against the BKA would set limits on how police photo archives can be repurposed for experimentation and product vetting.

Keep reading

Strict new pet law to cost Aussies $5,000: What you need to know

Cat owners may be forced to spend thousands on building custom enclosures for their pets if powerful new laws are passed next year. 

Local councils in Western Australia could be granted new powers to enforce cat containment and fine owners whose pets stray too far from home. 

The federal government is currently amending the Cat Act 2011, with the changes expected to come into effect from as early as 2026. 

Building a large custom cat enclosure can cost upwards of $4,500.

It’s been estimated that since colonisation in 1788, cats have played a leading role in most of Australia’s 34 mammal extinctions.

A University of Sydney study found that each roaming cat killed an average of 186 reptiles, birds and mammals per year.

The 2020 report showed a death rate of 4,440 to 8,100 animals per square kilometre per year in areas inhabited by pet cats. 

In Australia, 2.7million pet cats, or 71 per cent, are able to roam free and hunt wildlife.

Keep reading

Britain joins the illustrious ranks of North Korea, China and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan as it announces compulsory ID cards: Countries that enforce Big Brother rules – and how they punish those who disobey

Britain will join the illustrious ranks of North Korea, China and Taliban-ruled Afghanistan by declaring it compulsory for every citizen to have a government-issued digital ID card.

The ‘BritCard’ is a fresh attempt by Sir Keir Starmer to clamp down on illegal immigration, allowing the government to clearly verify a citizen’s right to live and work in the UK.

The plan, which is expected to be announced fully in a speech on Friday, will likely be subject to consultation before coming into action.

Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood is already supportive of the idea, which will require anyone enrolling in a new job to first present the digital ID to potential employers.

The card would then be automatically checked against a central database of those entitled to work in the UK – weeding out people who have tried to fake their physical ID documents to get a job.

‘My long-term personal political view has always been in favour of ID cards,’ Ms Mahmood said.

‘We do have to deal with the pull-factors that are making the UK a destination of choice for those that are on the move around the world,’ she continued.

‘I want to make sure that we can clamp down on that. I think that a system of digital ID can also help with illegal working enforcement of other laws as well. I do think that that has a role to play for dealing with our migration.’ 

But the Prime Minister was understood to have reservations about the scheme, over fears it infringes upon civil liberties.

In fact, compulsory ID cards are a feature of many authoritarian governments around the world, including in Russia, Iran and Belarus. 

In North Korea, Kim Jong Un’s insistence on compulsory identity cards has led some to assume that the measure enables his government to easily hunt down people who have fled the country.

Travelling abroad or moving from one province to another without prior consent remains illegal in Kim’s regime and anyone caught violating the law is risking their life. 

Amnesty International states those convicted of illegal border-crossing in North Korea may be executed. 

Keep reading

Will I get fined for not having a national ID card, and what if I don’t have a smartphone? How the scheme could work and the massive pitfalls it faces

A Government-issued digital identity card could be required by every adult in Britain under a ‘dystopian’ plan set to be announced by the Prime Minister.

The ‘BritCard’ could be used to prove a person has the right to work in this country, and even to access public services.

The idea of a mandatory identification system has long been advocated by Labour as a way to tackle illegal migration.

But the proposal is fiercely opposed by civil rights campaigners, who warn it will erode civil liberties and turn the UK into a ‘papers please’ society.

Meanwhile, polls show a majority of the public do not trust ministers to keep their personal data safe from cyber-criminals.

Detailed proposals for what has been dubbed a ‘BritCard’ could be announced by Sir Keir Starmer as early as tomorrow.

The Prime Minister will speak at the Global Progress Action Summit in London alongside Australian prime minister Anthony Albanese and Canadian prime minister Mark Carney. 

These plans will then be subject to a consultation and are expected to require legislation. The UK is one of the few countries in Europe without an ID system. 

Keep reading

Curfew declared in Madagascar capital after violent protests over water, power shortages

Authorities in Madagascar on Sept 25 imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in the capital, after protests over frequent power outages and water shortages turned violent, according to a top security official.

Police fired teargas to disperse the thousands of mostly youth protesters who were marching and carrying placards, in Antananarivo, the capital, according to a Reuters witness.

The demonstrators were denouncing the government and demanding restoration of reliable water and electricity across the country.

“There are unfortunately individuals taking advantage of the situation to destroy other people’s property,” General Angelo Ravelonarivo, who heads a joint security body that includes the police and the military, said in a statement he read on privately owned Real TV late on Sept 25.

To protect “the population and their belongings,” the security forces decided to impose a curfew from 7pm to 5am “until public order is restored,” the statement said.

Keep reading

DoD Redacts Nearly All Records Explaining AARO’s Use of Law Enforcement Exemption for UAP Files

The Department of Defense (DoD) has released a set of heavily redacted emails in response to a FOIA request seeking records that would explain why AARO and UAP materials are now being largely withheld under FOIA Exemption (b)(7). This exemption is intended for “law enforcement” records, raising questions about how it applies to AARO, which is not a law enforcement body.

The release was supposed to show the internal decision-making behind this new practice. Instead, nearly all substance was withheld, and more than 95%+ of the content is either blacked out or withheld in full. The result is another chapter in a growing saga of secrecy surrounding AARO, FOIA, and UAP records.

This issue has now persisted for more than two years. The Pentagon’s Public Affairs office, through spokesperson Susan Gough, continues to refuse to answer The Black Vault’s roughly four dozen inquiries and follow-ups over the course of 27 months sent to her about how this exemption can be legally justified.

The September 18, 2025, release (case 24-F-0154) consisted of 23 pages. Three pages were withheld in their entirety under Exemption (b)(5), while the rest were redacted under (b)(5) and (b)(6).

Keep reading

Farmers Tell Mitch McConnell His Push To Ban Hemp Products With THC Will Cause ‘Catastrophic Consequences’

Dozens of hemp farmers from Kentucky are urging their state’s senior U.S. senator to back off from his push to recriminalize some products that are derived from their crops.

Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-KY), who successfully championed the federal legalization of hemp through the 2018 Farm Bill, has been working this year to roll back that policy by prohibiting hemp derivatives with a “quantifiable” amount of THC, saying that he never intended to allow a market for intoxicating cannabis products.

The recriminalization proposal has advanced in both the House and Senate this session, though a push by McConnell’s home state colleague, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), got the provision removed from their chamber’s bill ahead of its final passage. Paul has cautioned, however, that prohibitionist forces are working to include the ban in other legislative vehicles—which he said could potentially be enacted within weeks.

“If Congress moves to eliminate the end markets that make our crop viable, we will suffer immediate and catastrophic consequences,” the 58 farmers who have agreements to sell hemp crops they have harvested this season wrote to McConnell in the new letter on Monday. “We have taken out loans, hired the necessary help, planted the crop, and contracted with processors and/or brands. Any legislative change that pulls the rug out from under this market—especially mid-season—is a direct blow to our farms, families, and rural communities.”

The farmers, who are requesting an in-person meeting with McConnell, wrote that “hemp is the foundation of our diversified, sustainable farm operations that helps us weather tough commodity cycles, diversify away from tobacco and empower profit in an uncertain economy”—adding that its federal legalization in 2018 gave them a new crop with “real economic opportunity” for the “first time in decades.”

While the letter signatories do not support a ban along the lines of what McConnell has pushed in Congress this year—which they say would “empower the illicit market and destroy American farm income in the process”—they do back “responsible regulation” for the crop.

Keep reading

Popular South Korean Pastor Sits Behind Bars for Speaking Out – Radical Left in South Korea Is Using Democrat Party Tactics to Crush the Opposition

A Pastor Sits Behind Bars for Speaking Out

In a shocking development, South Korean authorities have dismissed a legality review request filed by Pastor Hyunbo Son, keeping him behind bars on allegations of “election law violations.”

On September 24, the Busan District Court rejected Pastor Son’s request for release, citing “flight risk.” Pastor Son’s alleged offense was posting a video of a conversation with a candidate on social media, expressing support for one candidate while criticizing another during an election period.

In South Korea, election law violations are almost always punished with fines.

Detention is nearly unheard of. Yet Pastor Son — who led the “Save Korea” movement and organized mass rallies against the impeachment of President Yoon — is now imprisoned as if he were a dangerous criminal.

Political Persecution Disguised as Law

Observers note that the case goes far beyond technical election law issues. Pastor Son is not an ordinary church leader; he is a conservative Christian figure who mobilized thousands against the left-wing government’s political purge of President Yoon. His imprisonment is widely seen as an attempt to weaken conservative unity and intimidate the Christian community.

Keep reading

American travelers to Europe will be forced to hand over biodata before flights starting next month

Americans flying to Europe will need to be fingerprinted under new EU regulations being brought in next month. 

From October 12, US citizens will have to go through the EU’s Entry and Exit System to enter 29 countries, including France, Germany, Italy and Spain. 

Under the new system, passport control agents will take fingerprints, a facial image and passport details. 

It will be introduced gradually over six months, according to advice from the US Department of State website, which also includes the full list of countries impacted.  

The new digital border program is likely to prompt longer wait times at security on entry to the EU countries as travelers have to register upon their first entry to the impacted zone, known as the Schengen Area. 

American passengers will pass through e-gates and a computerized system which will automatically check passports on entry to the 29 countries within this zone. 

However, once a traveler is within the borders of the Schengen Area, they are free to travel between the 29 countries with minimal security checks. 

The zone includes 25 EU member states, and four non-EU member states – Switzerland, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. 

Keep reading

US Cancer Patient Calls UK Police Visit a “Bullying Tactic” to Force Self-Censorship

A US citizen undergoing cancer treatment in Britain says she was left feeling like a criminal after being confronted at her home by police over a social media post.

Deborah Anderson, who has lived in the UK for years and is a member of the Free Speech Union, believes the encounter was not about enforcing the law but about silencing dissent through intimidation.

As we reported, Anderson was visited by Thames Valley Police after someone filed a complaint about a Facebook post they found offensive.

The officer who turned up at her door, she said, made it clear the incident wasn’t criminal and no arrest would be made. Yet, she was encouraged to apologize for the post, despite the fact that even the officer couldn’t recall what the alleged offense was when questioned months later.

“I’ve never been arrested in my life. I live a very quiet life,” Anderson said, in an interview with Harry Cole. “I think it’s a bullying tactic to just get us to go, oh, gee, I’m an old woman. I’m no harm to anybody.”

The incident comes during an uptick in so-called “offense policing” in the UK, where complaints over online expression have increasingly led to home visits from law enforcement.

One high-profile case involved the arrest of writer Graham Linehan at Heathrow Airport after he expressed views on transgender issues online.

Anderson’s account points to deeper concerns about vague and selectively enforced speech standards.

The officer, she said, arrived unannounced early one morning and spoke to her about “malicious communication.” Initially thinking it was a delivery, she was shocked to be confronted by police over something she posted online, though no one would later be able to tell her exactly what the complaint was about.

Keep reading