Jun 11, 2013 — New York leaders in Washington want more information about the growth in domestic spying.

It was revealed last week that the National Security Agency collects phone data and private emails directly from the servers of major Internet companies such as Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Yahoo.  Go to full article

Syracuse, NY, Feb 26, 2013 — A coalition of universities and defense contractors in upstate New York has submitted a bid to become a federal research and test site for drones.

The Federal Aviation Administration is working on regulations for the use of unmanned aircraft in American airspace by 2015.

To do that, the FAA will name six testing sites - and seeing economic opportunities, upstate New York wants to have one of those sites.  Go to full article

Jan 22, 2013 — Drones are smaller, cheaper, and easier to use than ever, and their cameras are more powerful than ever.

In the near future, drones may be used to find criminals, track wildlife, or find a lost hiker in a remote canyon. They could also be used to look in places where we're not used to prying eyes.

Law professor Gregory McNeal studies the legalities of drone use at Pepperdine University in California. McNeal believes local government, not the courts, should lead the way in writing the rules in the drone era.

He says our notions of privacy may differ from what the law says. McNeal told David Sommerstein the Supreme Court has upheld the right of law enforcement to look for wrongdoing from a helicopter or plane.  Go to full article

Feb 07, 2012 — The Cuomo Administration spent yesterday trying to put out fires after a newspaper reported that the entire staff of the Governor's Inspector General's office had been deputized to examine the private tax records of any state employee, including legislators.

The inspector general's office and the state tax department have quietly drawn up an agreement that allows employees in the office to obtain the tax records of more than 200,000 state workers, as well as contractors doing business with the state.

Karen DeWitt has more.  Go to full article

Albany, NY, Feb 02, 2012 — The state Senate has emphatically passed legislation that would expand New York's criminal DNA database. The bill would require people convicted of all crimes, including misdemeanors, to submit DNA samples to the state's DNA databank. Currently, only someone convicted of a felony, or certain types of misdemeanors, is required to submit a DNA sample.

Senators voted 50-10 Tuesday to pass the DNA Databank Expansion Bill. As Chris Morris reports, the bill has a lot support, but it could be tested in the Assembly.  Go to full article

Fort Drum, NY, Jan 14, 2011 — New York's Air National Guard says it till begin flying unmanned surveillance planes over the Adirondacks beginning this summer. The training missions will be used to help pilots and ground crews learn how to remote-control a spy plane known as the MQ-9 Reaper.

As Brian Mann reports, the planes will fly out of Fort Drum, but the pilots will be manning consoles in Syracuse.  Go to full article

May 16, 2006 — Governor Pataki and leaders of the legislature are moving toward expanding the state's DNA crime database to include all crimes, even misdemeanors. But a Democratic Senator says there are too many unanswered questions about people's privacy and their innocence. Karen DeWitt reports.  Go to full article

May 12, 2005 — St. Lawrence University is seeking a court order to track down the operators of a left-leaning Website they say has targeted students and faculty for harassment.  Go to full article

Apr 19, 2005 — President Bush said last week it's "sad" that he can't count on his e-mails to his daughters remaining private. Commentator Ted Tate, a Star Lake resident, says his life isn't all that private in post-nine-eleven America, either.  Go to full article