fbi

FBI Re-Releases Lost Photos of the Pentagon from 9/11 After Glitch

About a week ago, the FBI quietly re-released a collection of photos from the 9/11 aftermath into their online records vault. The photos, which focus on the wreckage at the Pentagon, were originally published in 2011, but disappeared for some time due to a technical glitch.

ACLU Sues US Gov Over Program that Can Mark You as ‘Suspicious’ for Taking Photos in Public

The American Civil Liberties Union is helping four individuals take the United States Government to court over something called the Suspicious Activity Reporting (SAR) Initiative.

The program has received wide criticism recently, led in large part by a photographer who made the FBI's suspicious activity list for taking pictures of a piece of public art called the Rainbow Swash.

FBI Snags Banker in the US in Connection with the Olympus Accounting Scandal

Well, if you thought the drawn-out drama of the notorious Olympus accounting scandal was over -- we definitely did -- you were wrong. It seems that white collar criminals not included in the original seven people arrested in the case shouldn't take the yacht out of the marina just yet (or maybe they should), because, as former bank executive Chan Ming Fon learned yesterday, the FBI is still looking for you.

FBI Shows Up on Man’s Doorstep After He Shoots Photo of Clouds

The next time you're photographing clouds, make sure those clouds aren't hovering over a location that's considered "sensitive". National Weather Service volunteer Michael Galindo learned this lesson last month after pulling over to the side of the road near Houston to snap a photo of storm clouds brewing in the distance (shown above). Problem was, between Galindo and the clouds sat the Lyondell Refinery.

Photographers Can Now Use the FBI Anti-Piracy Seal to Scare Away Thieves

You know that FBI anti-piracy seal that appears at the beginning of home movies? The one that's displayed alongside the messsage, "The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of a copyrighted work is illegal. 
Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain
is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by fines and federal imprisonment"? Well, you can now use it to remind would-be infringers that your photographs are copyrighted.

Prior to a new policy that was enacted this past week, only certain members of the entertainment and software industries were allow to display the warning. Now, all copyright holders in the US -- including photographers -- can make use of the Anti-Piracy Warning (APW) seal and message.

Iconic Civil Rights Photographer Exposed as FBI Informant

Some of the most raw, intimate and iconic photographs of the Civil Rights Movement were taken by photojournalist Ernest C. Withers. He was present during the entire Emmett Till trial, when Martin Luther King, Jr. rode the first desegregated bus, and in the hotel room where Dr. King was assassinated. Many civil rights activists would cite Withers' images as key to informing America of their plight and fight for equality.

But recent reports by Memphis publication The Commercial Appeal indicate that Withers, who passed away in 2007, was also informing the FBI -- on their payroll.

The Commercial Appeal posted documents indicating that while Withers was photographing key members of the movement, he was also acting eyes and ears for a now inoperative wing of the FBI that heavily tracked civil rights activists.

Due to a clerical error revealing Withers' informant number, reporters at The Commercial Appeal were able to connect Withers' name to informant activities.