associated press
Petraeus' preferential punishment
Petraeus' preferential punishment
Mitch Weiss of the Associated Press reports:
A federal judge in Charlotte unsealed the documents Monday, two months after the retired four-star general was sentenced to two years of probation and fined $100,000 for unauthorized removal and retention of classified information.
Once again, it’s hard to see this as anything but hypocrisy from the letter-writers. After all, he didn’t merely disclose classified information, he did it in the context of moral turpitude (providing it to his then-mistress/biographer), and then he lied about it.
Speaking of context, here’s a bit more about someone who only disclosed classified information, with no moral turpitude or subsequent lying:
Supporters of Jeffrey Sterling, a former CIA officer convicted of giving a New York Times reporter classified details of an operation to derail Iran's nuclear ambitions, had noted the Petraeus case. Sterling was sentenced last month to 42 months in prison, but federal prosecutors in Virginia had been urging a stiffer sentence.
Perhaps some people will agree Petraeus, a retired four-star general, should get more latitude than mere officers and analysts would get. But he was the head of the CIA at the time of his offense, and should have been a shining example of perfect adherence to national security classification regulations. Isn’t it possible that the head of the CIA had information even more sensitive than the anti-nuclear Iran operation disclosed by Sterling?
Of course it is possible, and likely. So it’s hard to see justice in an outcome that results in zero jail time for Petraeus.
Previously: Petraeus reaches plea deal with Justice Department - joeross.me/blog
Public domain CIA-produced image found at Wikipedia
Reuters nixes Next: Failed redesigns and the challenge of expanding a digital audience
Reuters nixes Next: Failed redesigns and the challenge of expanding a digital audience
That’s a shame. This image alone illustrates the design strides made by the Next team (the cancelled redesign is on the right).
The Reuters iOS app is better than that of Associated Press, for what it’s worth.
Non-interfering citizens should be able to videotape on-duty police
Non-interfering citizens should be able to videotape on-duty police
If someone is videotaping a police incident, but not interfering therewith, there is no lawful justification for police interference. I’m not always in agreement with the ACLU, but this harassment must end. A nation where state surveillance is only increasing must be open to the right of citizens to turn the lens in the other direction.
$22.5M FTC fine against Google for Safari tracking
$22.5M FTC fine against Google for Safari tracking
Michael Liedtke, writing for Associated Press:
In the Safari case, Consumer Watchdog argued that the fine amounts to loose change for a company like Google, which generates about $22.5 million in revenue every four hours.
It’s a very good deal for Google, especially because they don’t need to admit liability. It’s a decent deal from the FTC’s perspective, as well, because it’s (sadly) the largest fine they’ve ever levied in this context. I’m not sure how effective it’s going to be, but if you’re unnerved by Google’s privacy issues, there’s always DuckDuckGo.