Privacy & Security

I got a good laugh earlier this month when a federal appeals court ruled that the National Security Agency (NSA) could no longer collect the phone records of all US persons – and then store them in a massive database.

I’ve written frequently about FATCA, the Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act. This one-sided law forces other countries to enforce US tax laws. If they fail to do so, they’re effectively locked out of US markets and the US dollar – the world’s reserve currency (at least for now).

Have you ever wondered what really goes on behind the scenes at Transportation Security Administration airport checkpoints? Wonder no more. Recently, a former TSA screener wrote a tell-all article for Politico Magazine describing how America’s airport security apparatus actually works.

A recurring theme in my work is that Big Brother and big business conspire against the interests of ordinary citizens in countless ways. And just last week, I discovered another example. An article in a respected scientific journal confirmed...

For me, one of the most ironic aspects of the Edward Snowden spy scandal is watching the reaction of foreign governments to it. Top-secret documents Snowden leaked to the press reveal that the US National Security Agency monitors phone calls, e-mail messages, and other electronic data in many countries.

If you live in the eastern USA, you've probably encountered an automatic toll-collection system called "E-Z Pass." No need to stop. No need to fish for quarters in your pocket. And no need to roll down the window to confront the often grumpy tollbooth attendant. No wonder E-Z Pass is popular! Indeed, about 25 million drivers in 15 states now use E-Z Pass. Now for the not so easy to stomach side.

Thanks to secret documents released by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, we know that the U.S. government routinely monitors email messages, chat sessions, voice sessions, what sites we visit, what we buy and on and on... But when it comes to personal privacy, there's another group out there that makes the NSA look like simpletons.

By some estimates, more than two-thirds of company-provided computers in the U.S. are monitored by employers. If you work for such a firm, every email you send, every cute and crazy cat video you watch on YouTube, and every Google search you make is tracked, catalogued, and archived somewhere in the system.

Whistleblower Edward Snowden needs to disappear if he is to avoid kidnapping, assassination, extradition, or deportation to the United States.  If you're ever faced by a situation in which you need to disappear, right away, what would you do?

In the aftermath of the forced confiscation of bank accounts in Cyprus, the question that clients ask me most is, “could it happen here?” “Here” is wherever the client lives or invests, and could be the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, or any other country.  The answer is yes. This result stems from the nature of our modern financial system, built as it is on the flawed foundation of a poorly-understood concept called “fractional reserve banking.”

No, I’m not saying that you’re a dummy.  What I am saying is that it’s easy for someone to monitor your cell phone activity.  Almost any dummy can figure it out,  hence the title "Cell Tracking For Dummies".

Do you routinely put the "do not disturb" sign on your hotel room door? If you do, you may fit the profile of a suspected terrorist, and the FBI and Homeland Security Administration want to know about it.

For the last three days, I've been in bustling downtown Panama City, Panama, speaking at an offshore conference. Panama is as dynamic as ever, and I've made considerable progress filing my application for permanent residence.

In my last post, I wrote that there are two sets of rules with which you must be concerned when you move precious metals across a U.S. border:

Sometimes people ask what I fear most. My answer isn't really what they expect.

Are you a U.S. citizen or U.S. resident alien who held assets outside the USA at any time during 2011?  If so, you need to know about a rapidly approaching deadline for filing Form 8938, "Statement of Specified Foreign Financial Assets." Non-resident aliens may need to file this return as well in certain circumstances. See the instructions for Form 8938 for details.

The blogosphere has been humming the last couple of weeks with condemnation of the 2012 National Defense Authorization Act. This bill, which funds U.S. military forces for the coming year, has a neat little provision tucked away in Sec. 1031.  It permits anyone the government claims is “a member of, or part of, al-Qaida or an associated force” to be held in military custody “without trial until the end of the hostilities authorized by the Authorization for Use of Military Force.” Including, according to numerous blog posts, U.S. citizens residing in the United States.

Your DNA is your genetic blueprint.  It's unique to you and your DNA profile is the equivalent of a bar code stamped on your forehead.

Thinking about getting a tattoo?  If you are, better not pay cash!  If you do, the FBI has informed tattoo parlors in Los Angeles, and perhaps other cities, that you might be a terrorist.

When you retain a licensed attorney, you generally have the right to refuse to disclose all "confidential communications" between you and your attorney.  You also have the right to prevent others from disclosing confidential communications.  In U.S. law, this is known as the attorney-client privilege.