• Nigerian Islamist terrorists and U.S. security

    Boko Haram is an Islamist religious sect that formed in the northern part of Nigeria, Africa’s leading oil producer, in 2002. Its Hausa-language name means “Western education is sin.” The group’s continuing attacks on Western targets in Nigeria and a death toll reaching 330 people in 2011 have made U.S. lawmakers and security experts take notice.

  • CIA terror plot-tracking technology is intriguing, worrisome

    A program developed by Palantir Technologies for PayPal is now used by intelligence and law enforcement agencies. It allows the CIA to detect a terrorist plot in the making, and do so without subjecting the general public to intrusive measures.

  • Congressional approval of cybersecurity bill looks promising

    Amid the partisan acrimony of the budget battles on Capitol Hill, the Obama administration and the Senate have made promising efforts to pass a sweeping cybersecurity bill in a rare show of bipartisan agreement; the bill is now at the top of the Senate’s agenda, and Senator Harry Reid (D – Nevada), the majority leader, said he plans to bring the bill to the floor during the first working session of 2012

  • Early Egyptian election returns confirm Islamist trend

    The immediate results of the Arab Spring so far have complicated the manner in which the United States protect its interests and negotiate regional issues, but these results also offer new opportunities; the news is not all bad for the United States: the Islamist parties which won in Morocco, Tunisia, and Egypt may use anti-American rhetoric, but their rise to power also means an increase in the influence of Saudi Arabia in the region; this will likely mean a more robust Sunni Arab containment posture vis-à-vis Iran and its Shi’a and non-Sunni allies (Hezbollah, Syria)

  • Chinese rare earth embargo would be “disastrous,” says mining executive

    Mike Parnell, the CEO of U.S. Rare Earths, Inc., recently took the time to chat with Homeland Security NewsWire’s executive editor Eugene K. Chow; in the interview Parnell discusses the potential consequences of a full Chinese rare earth metal embargo, efforts to develop alternatives to rare earth metals, and the progress made in making the drilling process more environmentally friendly

  • British law enforcement exploits flaw in iTunes to spy

    British law enforcement agencies and Apple are coming under sharp criticism after it was discovered that authorities exploited a security flaw in iTunes to spy on individuals

  • Florida’s falling crime rate has experts puzzled

    With unemployment at record highs and police departments struggling with budget cuts, the fact that Florida’s crime rate has fallen nearly 33 percent in the last decade has many experts puzzled

  • House Intelligence panel investigates Chinese telecom giants

    As Chinese telecom giants Huawei Technologies Co. and ZTE Corp continue to eye the lucrative American market, they have come under increasing scrutiny from U.S. lawmakers who fear their technology could be used by Chinese hackers to steal U.S. secrets; the two Chinese companies are now the subject of a House Intelligence Committee investigation aimed at determining whether they are a threat to the United States

  • Indiana sheriffs use video conferencing to reduce costs

    In an effort to reduce costs, officials in Tippecanoe County, Indiana have begun using video conferencing technology to hold court hearings without transporting the defendant to the courtroom

  • LAPD named best counterterrorism squad

    The Los Angeles Police Department’s (LAPD) Counter-Terrorism and Special Operations Bureau (CTSOB) recently received Government Security News’ highest honor for a division of its kind

  • Digital DNA the new DNA

    With the increasing ubiquity of computers, smart phones, and other electronic devices comes a torrent of “digital DNA,” which can be used to record an individual’s every move and even convict them of a crime

  • Yet another mysterious explosion in an Iranian nuclear facility

    A powerful explosion rattled Iran’s third-largest city Isfahan early Monday evening Iran’s time (late morning EST); a major nuclear weapons-related facility is located eight miles from Isfahan; the facility is used for processing uranium so it can be fed into uranium enrichment centrifuges; the massive blast is the latest in a series of mysterious explosions in Iran during the past two years – explosions which not only destroyed military facilities and development centers, but which also wrecked natural gas transport facilities, oil refineries, bridges, and other infrastructure assets; the blasts have caused dozens of deaths, disrupted Iran’s nuclear weapons program, and inflicted damage on key infrastructure

  • Georgia to build privately funded first responder training center

    A local firm in Georgia is set to build a privately funded training facility for first responders that would bring more than 100 jobs to Perry; the sophisticated training center, built by Guardian Centers of Georgia, would help prepare first responders for natural disasters and terrorist attacks

  • Pierce County Washington effort to upgrade marine fleet stymied by cost

    The Pierce County Sheriff’s Department needs a new patrol boat. The problem? A $730,000 price tag which has county officials balking

  • NYPD spying on Muslims leads to spiral of mistrust

    Following the revelation that the New York City police department was spying on the daily lives of ordinary Muslims, community activists have launched a campaign encouraging people to avoid directly reporting suspicious activity to the police