Our picks“Cloud Extraction” & Privacy | Banning Facial Recognition | Out of Africa, and more

Report Says Secret Service Return to Treasury Could Harm Homeland Security (Zolan Kanno-Youngs and Alan Rappeport, New York Times)
The White House is likely to propose the Secret Service return to Treasury, but an administration report warns of the damage that could do to the Homeland Security Department.

Privacy International Report on “Cloud Extraction” Programs Sheds Light on Far-Reaching Government Surveillance Technology (Scott Ikeda, CPO Nagazine)
A new report from Privacy International paints a picture of a largely opaque, unaccountable system of surveillance technology used by government agencies online. So-called “cloud extraction” tools are largely unknown to the public and subject to relatively low levels of oversight, but are used regularly to analyze and extract private data from all of the major cloud services.

We’re Banning Facial Recognition. We’re Missing the Point. (Bruce Schneier, New York Times)
The whole point of modern surveillance is to treat people differently, and facial recognition technologies are only a small part of that.

Pressure Builds against the Pentagon as It Weighs Reducing Troop Numbers in Africa (Dan Lamothe and Danielle Paquette, Washington Post)
The defense secretary believes European allies can lend more help, a senior Pentagon official said.

Far-right activist sent to Scotland to infiltrate army as veterans targeted by race hate groups

(Stephen Stewart, Daily Record)
A Daily Record investigation has discovered For Britain – headed by ­Islamophobe Anne Marie Waters – has targeted the Forces in ­Scotland.

Extinction Rebellion Listed as “Key Threat” by Counter-Terror Police (Jamie Grierson and Russell Scott, Guardian)
A police force in London labelled Extinction Rebellion one of its “key threats” in a counter-terrorism assessment and provided awareness training on the climate crisis group across the capital, resulting in “intelligence” tip-offs.
City of London police grouped the environmental protest movement alongside “far-right organizations” in an assessment of its counter-terrorism operations seen by the Guardian.
The report provides further evidence that Extinction Rebellion has become of interest to counter-terrorism police after the Guardian revealed that the group was included in anti-radicalization materials alongside violent far-right and jihadist groups.

Europe Mulls Five Year Ban on Facial Recognition in Public… with Loopholes for Security and Research (Thomas Calburn, The Register)
Euro Commission also wants to loosen purse strings for AI investment while tightening reins

Pyrenees Glaciers “Doomed,” Experts Warn (Hervé Gavard, AFP)
Glaciers nestled in the lofty crags of the Pyrenees mountains separating France and Spain could disappear within 30 years as temperatures rise, upending ecosystems while putting local economies at risk, scientists say.

The Terrorism Paradox (Robert Skidelsky, Project Syndicate)
As the number of deaths from terrorism in Western Europe declines, public alarm about terrorist attacks grows. But citizens should stay calm and not give governments the tools they increasingly demand to win the “battle” against terrorism, crime, or any other technically avoidable misfortune that life throws up.

How Well Does “See Something, Say Something” Work to Stop Terrorism? (Stratfor Worldview / National Interest)
Actually, it does work.