surveillance on Vice

A Brief History of the US Government Spying on Its Citizens

The NSA’s surveillance of the internet and the phone records of millions of Americans isn't not the first time US government has taken an Big Brotherly interest in its citizens. The feds have been tapping into the private lives of Americans without warrants and with the help of communication companies for nearly a century. Full story

Hiding Your Calls and Texts from Big Brother

The Encryption Start-Up Silent Circle Says It Can Restore Your Privacy

Silent Circle is a company that offers a way for individuals and companies to protect their communications from everyone from the NSA to run-of-the-mill identity thieves. They say they don't store your data and that their system is so secure that even the FBI is a customer. Full story

How to Build a Secret 'Facebook'

For years, William Binney, a retired NSA cryptographer, has been telling anyone who will listen about a vast data gathering operation being conducted by his former employers that could build a "social graph" of nearly any user of the American internet, like some massive, secret s… Full story

Why Did a Student in Montreal Get Arrested for an Instagram Post?

A 20-year-old in Montreal was arrested Wednesday for posting a photo taken of a graffiti wheat-paste illustration that showed Montreal's police commander with a bloody bullet hole in his forehead. Full story

Anonymous Hacked Bank of America

And Seemingly Revealed That They Are Spying on Hacktivists

A massive amount of data allegedly belonging to Bank of America was leaked by Anonymous this week. It seems to indicate that the bank is spying on the hacktivists. Full story

Drone Surveillance Just Got Scary Awesome

This week, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency introduced "the most advanced surveillance system in the sky." Codenamed ARGUS—Autonomous Real-Time Ground Ubiquitous Surveillance Imaging System—the new camera system comes equipped with 1.8 gigapixels worth of sensors. Ar… Full story

Adam Harvey Wants to Cloak You from Drones

The New York-based artist-engineer just revealed a new line of nickel-metalized garments, including hijab and a version of a burqa, that are designed to thwart IR-detection by thermal cameras. Full story

Motherboard's Droneworld Is Tonight

Drones are coming to the States. They're actually already here. Check out this teaser for Motherboard's upcoming documentary, 'Drone On,' and then come hang out with us at Droneworld, an evening we're curating as part of the Et Cetera ideas festival. Full story

Getting Off on Looking Down

You've seen the pictures. Full story