Insecurity is everywhere. (pun intended)

Ananova: "Burger King customers told: 'You are too fat to have a Whopper'"

Police believe teenage pranksters are hacking into the wireless frequency of a US Burger King drive-through speaker to tell potential customers they are too fat for fast food. Policeman Gerry Scherlink said the pranksters told one customer who had just placed an order: 'You don't need a couple of Whoppers. You are too fat. Pull ahead.'

The offenders are reportedly tapping into the wireless frequency at the restaurant in Troy, Michigan. Police believe the culprits are watching and broadcasting from close range."

Secret courts challenged in not-so-secret courts.

Sun-Sentinel: "Miami federal court has 'secret docket' to keep some cases hidden from public.. A secret docketing system hiding some sensitive Miami federal court cases from public view has been exposed and is being challenged in two higher courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court.

'We don't have secret justice in this country,' said Lucy Dalglish, executive director of The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press. The Washington-based journalists watchdog group is asking the appellate courts to open up two Miami federal cases it says were litigated in secret."

Er. Yes, we clearly DO have a secret justice infrastructure in this country. You're soaking in it...

Under the Wire...

Wired News: : "While the nation was distracted last month by images of Saddam Hussein's spider hole and dental exam, President George W. Bush quietly signed into law a new bill that gives the FBI increased surveillance powers and dramatically expands the reach of the USA Patriot Act.

The Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2004 grants the FBI unprecedented power to obtain records from financial institutions without requiring permission from a judge. Under the law, the FBI does not need to seek a court order to access such records, nor does it need to prove just cause.

And the law broadens the definition of "financial institution" to include such businesses as insurance companies, travel agencies, real estate agents, stockbrokers, the U.S. Postal Service and even jewelry stores, casinos and car dealerships.

The law also prohibits subpoenaed businesses from revealing to anyone, including customers who may be under investigation, that the government has requested records of their transactions. "

Fingerprinting, photographing foreign visitors gets under way at U.S. airports

Via SFGate: "Authorities began scanning fingerprints and taking photographs of arriving foreigners Monday as part of a new program that Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge said will make borders 'open to travelers but closed to terrorists.'"

..no word on how airport employees were able to get the fingerprints of known terrorists into the system for comparison...