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Mandates Put World’s Unvaccinated ‘Into Internment Camps’ Says Senator + More
Senator Ron Johnson Says Mandates ‘Basically’ Put World’s Unvaccinated ‘Into Internment Camps’
Republican Senator Ron Johnson on Tuesday criticized the treatment of people who choose not to get the COVID-19 vaccine and claimed they are being put “basically into internment camps” around the world.
The Wisconsin senator made the comparison during an interview on Your Talk Show, a program on the Janesville-based radio station WCLO. “We are demonizing [unvaccinated] people,” Johnson said.
Johnson told Newsweek in a statement that “other countries like Austria, Australia, and Germany are arresting their citizens for not wearing masks outside, and ordering lockdowns for those who are not vaccinated. In Australia, an article from The Age writes, ‘the quarantine camp is likely to still have a use for unvaccinated people.’
Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Takes Another Hit in the Courts
A U.S. district court in Georgia became the fourth court to enjoin a Biden administration vaccine mandate this week.
As with the other trial and appellate courts, District Judge R. Stan Baker found that President Joe Biden had exceeded his authority in mandating the vaccine for all federal contractors. In the meantime, outgoing New York Mayor Bill de Blasio has ordered all private workers to be vaccinated.
All of these mandates are on course for a showdown in the Supreme Court, where three justices have already expressed skepticism over the mandates.
Amtrak to Congress: Service Cuts Are Coming Over Vaccine Rules
An Amtrak executive told Congress on Thursday the railroad doesn’t expect to have enough people to operate all of its trains next month, when a federal coronavirus vaccination mandate takes effect.
Amtrak President Stephen Gardner said about 5% of its workforce has yet to get vaccinated less than four weeks before the Jan. 4 deadline.
Amtrak last month warned it would send letters to uncompliant workers starting Dec. 8 in preparation for termination Jan. 4. The railroad is expected to publish a revised service schedule next week to reflect the cuts. Gardner said the carrier is still determining what trips will be removed, adding that the railroad wants to give passengers enough time to rebook trips.
New York to Issue Mask Mandate for Businesses Without Vaccine Requirements
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) announced Friday that the state will implement an indoor mask mandate for businesses that do not require vaccinations for customers and staff, citing rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations.
Starting Monday, all indoor businesses will have to either validate people’s vaccination status or mandate all people age 2 and older wear a mask.
The policy is slated to last until Jan. 15 when the state will “re-evaluate based on current conditions,” the governor said in a release, saying the measures are meant to get “through the holiday season.”
Violations could cost businesses a maximum fine of $1,000 per infraction.
Union Pacific, BNSF Pause COVID Vaccine Mandate After Court Ruling
U.S. railroad operators Union Pacific Corp (UNP.N) and BNSF Railway said on Thursday they were suspending their COVID-19 vaccine mandate for their employees, two days after a judge blocked the Biden administration’s inoculation rule for federal contractors.
The company and its unions have filed lawsuits against each other after the Nebraska-based railroad made COVID-19 vaccines compulsory under a rule issued by U.S. President Joe Biden for federal contractors. read more
Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway Inc-owned (BRKa.N) BNSF said it was pausing its implementation of the federal mandate for its about 35,000 employees, adding that its stance remained that the decision to be vaccinated is a personal one.
Chief Justice Rejects Request to Block Air Travel Mask Mandate
Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts on Thursday dismissed an emergency request to block the federal mask mandate for air travel amid litigation in the lower courts.
Michael Seklecki, a Florida resident, filed a lawsuit against the Transportation Security Administration on behalf of himself and his 4-year-old son, and Lucas Wall, from Washington, joined the suit, all citing medical reasons.
The government argued in an appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit that Congress had authorized the policy for safety reasons and noted “the challengers had not pursued an available procedure for obtaining medical exemptions,” per the New York Times.
Minnesota Bar Owner Who Defied Virus Orders Found Guilty
The owner of a bar in Albert Lea was found guilty Thursday of six criminal misdemeanor charges and sentenced to 90 days in jail for defying Gov. Tim Walz’s executive orders to close her business last winter.
The jury found Lisa Hanson, 57, guilty after deliberating for an hour, the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported. Prosecutors had asked that Hanson be fined $500 and jailed for several days, but Judge Joseph Bueltel gave her a 90-day jail sentence and a $1,000 fine, saying he wanted to send a message to people who violate executive orders.
Hanson has also been hit with fines totaling over $27,000 from separate legal actions brought after she left the state while facing the charges. Her business, The Interchange, closed in February.
Philly Could Require Proof of Vaccination for Indoor Dining, Like New York
The Philadelphia Inquirer reported:
Philadelphia officials are considering implementing a COVID-19 vaccine mandate at all indoor dining establishments, requiring both patrons and employees to show proof of vaccination, according to two sources briefed on the matter.
The proposed mandate would bring Philly closer in line with cities like New York and San Francisco that have required proof of vaccination since August for entry at restaurants and indoor events.
According to sources who were briefed by Philadelphia officials this week, the mandate would likely include standard exemptions for religious and medical reasons, as well as for children under 5.
South Carolina GOP Removes Private COVID Vaccine Ban in Sudden Switch
For five hours Thursday, the South Carolina House debated a proposal to prevent private companies in South Carolina from firing employees who refuse to get a COVID-19 vaccine.
Then, just before members were set to vote, Republican leadership stripped that ban from the bill, leaving it only banning COVID-19 vaccine mandates for state and local government employees, contractors and public school students.
The proposal requires employers to honor religious or medical exemptions and said a medical exemption can include a prior positive COVID-19 test, pregnancy or presence of coronavirus antibodies. It also makes businesses pay unemployment benefits to a worker fired for not being vaccinated.
Japan Researchers Use Ostrich Cells to Make Glowing COVID Detection Masks
Japanese researchers have developed masks that use ostrich antibodies to detect COVID-19 by glowing under ultraviolet light.
The discovery by Yasuhiro Tsukamoto and his team at Kyoto Prefectural University in western Japan could provide for low-cost testing of the virus at home, they said in a press release.
In a small study, test subjects wore the masks, and after eight hours, the filters were removed and sprayed with a chemical that glows under ultraviolet light if the virus is present. The filters worn by people infected with COVID-19 glowed around the nose and mouth areas.
Germany Mandates Vaccines for Healthcare Workers
Workers at German hospitals, doctor’s offices and nursing homes must prove that they are vaccinated or have recovered from COVID-19 by mid-March as part of new legislation passed by the parliament on Friday.
Beyond compulsory vaccinations for certain professions from mid-March, the new legislation also allows for Germany’s 16 federal states to close bars and restaurants as well as to ban large events due to high infection rates.
Mark Zuckerberg and Wife Priscilla Chan Invest $3.4 Billion for Science Advances
The company that runs the philanthropy of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife, Priscilla Chan, is investing up to $3.4 billion to advance human health over 10 to 15 years, according to a spokesperson for the organization.
The Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, or CZI, announced Tuesday its new effort is aiming to “observe, measure, and analyze any biological process throughout the human body — across spatial scales and in real time.” It will focus its science work over the next 10 years on developing new research, institutes and technologies that can help its mission.
Jeff MacGregor, a CZI spokesperson, said $500 million will be given to establish an institute at Harvard University that focuses on artificial intelligence.
Bill Gates Predicts Our Work Meetings Will Move to Metaverse in 2 to 3 Years
Getting work done in the metaverse might happen a lot sooner than we think. Microsoft co-founder and billionaire Bill Gates predicts most workers will take their virtual meetings within the metaverse in the next two or three years.
“There’s still some work to do, but we’re approaching a threshold where the technology begins to truly replicate the experience of being together in the office,” said Gates.
The metaverse is a digital realm combining technology such as VR, augmented reality and video where users “live” in a virtual universe. Supporters of the metaverse including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg believe the metaverse could supplant the modern internet.
Austria to Implement Vaccine Register, Fine Unvaccinated Residents up to $4,000 + More
Austria to Implement Vaccine Register, Fine Unvaccinated Residents up to $4,000
New legislation in Austria will create a central COVID-19 vaccination register to record all vaccinated and vaccine-exempt people, fining people who don’t fall into either group as much as 3,600 euros, or $4,000 every three months.
The new measures will take effect on Feb. 1. Austrian Health Minister Wolfgang Mueckstein said the vaccination register will be checked every three months, with the first cutoff date being Mar. 15.
Government authorities will send letters to unvaccinated people who are unexempt at these three-month intervals reminding them to get the vaccine or a doctor-issued exemption by the next cutoff date. If they refuse, they will be fined until they comply.
Senate Votes to Block Biden Vaccine Mandate for Large Companies
The U.S. Senate voted on Wednesday night to block President Joe Biden’s mandate for coronavirus vaccinations or testing for private-sector workers in a mostly symbolic defeat for the administration but one that illustrates the nation’s political polarization over dealing with the pandemic.
Two Democrats representing states Biden lost last year — Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana — joined all 50 Republicans to oppose the mandate, which has already been paused by the courts and is not yet being enforced.
The measure passed with a vote of 52 to 48 in the evenly divided chamber.
Judge to Review New York City Vaccine Mandate for Public Sector
A New York judge has scheduled a hearing for next Tuesday to consider whether to block New York City from enforcing its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for public-sector workers.
In an order on Tuesday, Justice Frank Nervo of the New York state court in Manhattan said he will consider whether to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) at the Dec. 14 hearing.
Nervo has not ruled on the mandate’s merits. He issued an order on Wednesday clarifying that he had not “issued a stay,” following incorrect media reports that he had issued a TRO. The city says the mandate remains in force.
White House to Fund Tech to Evade Censorship and Increase Privacy
The White House launched an initiative to award grants to innovators working on technology to bolster democracy by developing tools that enhance privacy or circumvent censorship, a White House official told Reuters.
A total of $3.75 million will be awarded to winners of the grants, the official said.
As part of the program, the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) and National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) will work with the United Kingdom to offer grants to advance and boost the adoption of technology that promotes privacy and protects intellectual property.
Pandemic Tech Tools Raise Risk of Everyday Tracking
Tech tools like digital contact tracing apps and artificial intelligence that European governments rolled out to combat COVID-19 failed to play a key role in solving the pandemic and now threaten to make such monitoring widely accepted, a new report shows.
The health surveillance technologies that many European countries deployed after the coronavirus pandemic erupted last year were often adopted without enough transparency, safeguards or democratic debate, according to a report released Thursday by AlgorithmWatch, a nonprofit research group that tracks the impact of AI systems.
The report’s authors said the most worrying trend was how the pandemic was used to “further entrench and normalize the surveillance, monitoring, measuring and prediction of an increasing number of daily activities — now essentially including public and personal health purposes.”
NYC Correction Officers Union Sues City Over Vaccine Mandate
The union representing the city’s correction officers sued City Hall on Wednesday in hopes of halting the “draconian vaccine mandate” that has exacerbated the agency’s staffing crisis.
Hundreds of officers who refused to get the jab by last week’s deadline have been sent home — and the suit also seeks to undo the city’s order requiring officers to work 60-hour weeks in order to help make up for the lost manpower.
For NYC Businesses, Vaccine Mandates Put Damper on Holiday
A surprise year-end decree by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio ordering virtually all businesses in his city to get workers vaccinated has sowed confusion and frustration — and could set off a mad holiday dash to force vaccine holdouts to choose between jabs or jobs.
Tens of thousands of unvaccinated New Yorkers and their employers are now thrust into an unwelcome reckoning over the mandate, set to go into effect two days after Christmas.
Francisco Marte, who employs 16 people at three bodegas across the Bronx, is in a precarious position: Force the shots on his few unvaccinated workers, or fire them. “It’s going to be hard to force them to do it,” said Marte, who voiced defiance should the city follow through with the edict. “I’m not going to lose a good employee because of de Blasio’s orders.”
Coronavirus Tests Are Needed for International Travel. But They Can Cost More Than a Flight.
Thinking of traveling internationally?
On top of uncertainty over waves linked to the Delta variant and the emergence of the Omicron variant, there’s the matter of those coronavirus tests needed to travel: Per person, they can cost hundreds of dollars depending on the place of departure, the destination, the type of test and the company providing them.
PCR test prices for travel can vary widely — and for many individuals and families, prohibitively — from under $10 in Mumbai to about $80 in Kenya to nearly $400 in Kansai, Japan.
Less sensitive rapid antigen tests, required within 24 hours of flying to the United States as of Dec. 3, can cost about $50 in Britain — and $134 at the airport in Oslo.
COVID Vaccine Passports Shouldn’t Sacrifice Privacy
Last week, Governor Charlie Baker confirmed that he plans to introduce COVID-19 vaccine verification technology in Massachusetts, similar to those used in several other states. The system will allow people to verify their vaccine status with a single scannable quick response code, or QR, when visiting restaurants, bars, and other public accommodations that require proof of vaccination for entry.
Many key details remain unclear, and there are privacy and civil liberties concerns with any system that relies on QR codes tied to our personal data.
First, absent law preventing it, companies may be able to use information derived from digital vaccine passports to keep records of where people go, and when.
Fauci Says Families Should ‘Ask,’ ‘Maybe Require’ COVID Vaccine for Holiday Guests Before Indoor Celebrations
Dr. Anthony Fauci suggested American families should consider enforcing a vaccine mandate in their own homes ahead of the holidays as fears mount over the spread of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus across the country.
Fauci made the suggestion during an interview with The Washington Post, recommending families ask their holiday guests about their COVID vaccination status and even potentially require the vaccine before celebrations take place.
This is how families can “enjoy” their holiday traditions in an indoor setting, he said.
Get Booster or Get Out: Massachusetts Colleges Requiring Extra COVID Vaccine
Several colleges will require eligible students, staff and faculty to get COVID-19 booster shots for the spring semester.
The Boston Globe reported Wednesday Boston College, UMass and Emerson are among those mandating the extra dose of vaccination.
The news comes as COVID-19 cases spike and the Omicron variant spreads ahead of what could be another harsh pandemic winter.
Social Platforms Say It’s Hard to Tell Which Users Are Kids
Tech giants including Instagram are calling for Congress’ help in figuring out just how old their users actually are. In order to create child-friendly experiences, online platforms need to identify which users are actually children.
Instagram head Adam Mosseri became the latest industry leader to highlight the challenges of verifying the ages of users at a hearing before the Senate Commerce consumer protection subcommittee on Wednesday.
A federal law, the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act, or COPPA, requires online services to obtain parental consent before collecting data and personal information about users under 13.
Mosseri pitched lawmakers on age verification at the phone-level. “Have a parent who gives their 14-year-old a device tell the phone that their child is 14, as opposed to having every app — and there’s millions of apps out there — trying to verify the age on their own,” Mosseri said.
Everything Instagram Won’t Do to Protect Kids
On Wednesday, Instagram head and top Mark Zuckerberg deputy Adam Mosseri appeared before the Senate Subcommittee on Consumer Protection, Product Safety, and Data Security to testify about the platform’s impacts on children and teens.
A number of lawmakers pressured him to commit to various proposed fixes, which he largely dodged unless they were part of initiatives that Instagram already had in the works. Here’s a breakdown of everything Mosseri wouldn’t commit to.
Kelly Evans: The iPhone is Going Away
This may seem like a comical thing to say when Apple is about to potentially sell 40 million iPhones this holiday season, according to Wedbush. But the iPhone is in its sunset years. It has maybe the rest of this decade left before it’s put out to pasture. And all the buzz now is over Apple’s upcoming goggles.
This point was really driven home to me in my recent podcast with the CEO of Octi, Justin Fuisz (“Apple and the Metaverse”). Octi is a new, TikTok-like app that debuted last month to decent popularity.
For all the attention Facebook has garnered by changing its name to Meta Platforms, Fuisz says Apple is the real player to watch here. Of all the big tech giants, Apple is the only one he singles out as being well-positioned for this massive upcoming shift.
Mom Says Son Vaccinated in Exchange for Pizza Without Her Consent + More
Mom Says Son Vaccinated in Exchange for Pizza at Los Angeles Unified School District Without Her Consent
Maribel Duarte says her 13-year-old son, a student at the Barack Obama Global Prep Academy in South Los Angeles, brought home a vaccine card after having accepted the COVID-19 vaccine at school.
She says he said yes when someone offered it in exchange for pizza. “The lady that gave him the shot and signed the paper told my son, ‘Please don’t say anything. I don’t want to get in trouble.'”
Duarte says she’s not against the vaccine. She’s vaccinated herself, but it’s different with her son. “He has problems with asthma and allergy problems,” Duarte said.
Jennifer Kennedy an attorney who is following closely the two cases against the LAUSD over the vaccine mandate currently making their way through court, said the problem is that kids in California can’t consent to vaccination. “The LAUSD does not have the power to add a vaccine to the California school schedule,” she said.
34,000 L.A. Unified Students Have Not Complied With Vaccine Mandate, Signaling Problems Ahead
About 34,000 students have not yet complied with the COVID-19 vaccine mandate in the Los Angeles Unified School District — and there’s no longer enough time for students who have not gotten their first shot to be fully vaccinated by the Jan. 10 start of the second semester, portending significant disruption to their education as they will be barred from campus.
The high number of students who will not be able to meet the full inoculation deadline is likely to force difficult decisions on leaders of the second-largest U.S. school system, which has enacted among the strictest vaccine mandates in the nation.
Students who are not fully vaccinated — or exempt — will be forced into the district’s independent study program or will have to leave the Los Angeles public school system. The L.A. school system is one of the few in the nation with a student vaccine mandate — and also among a small number with an employee vaccine mandate.
Senate Expected to Vote to Overturn Biden Vaccine Mandate for Businesses as Soon as Wednesday
Republicans in the Senate are expected to win a vote — as soon as Wednesday — to overturn President Joe Biden’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for private businesses with 100 or more employees.
Two Democrats — Senators Jon Tester of Montana and Joe Manchin of West Virginia — have said they back the GOP effort, which is being led by Indiana Sen. Mike Braun, and it needs just a simple majority of 51 votes to be approved by the chamber.
Thousands of Service Members Miss COVID Vaccination Deadlines
Thousands of active-duty service members have failed to comply with the Biden administration’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate, raising the prospect that they will be forced to leave their positions or the military altogether.
The vaccination deadline for active-duty members of the armed services has passed for the Air Force, Navy and the Marine Corps. The Army’s deadline is Dec. 15.
Despite the Pentagon’s vaccine mandate, approximately 27,000 members of the Marines, Air Force, Space Force and the Navy are still considered unvaccinated. About 19,000 of the Army’s soldiers have yet to start the protocol with only a week left before that branch’s deadline.
New COVID Fears Are Reviving Governments’ Worst Instincts
For a while there, it looked like we were on the COVID exit ramp. Now it seems we’re likely to exhaust the Greek alphabet labeling variants that ripple outward from the coronavirus nucleus, keeping us awash in concerns over how to react to each new strain.
The Omicron variant has yet to fully introduce itself. Our understanding of its transmissibility and severity remains sketchy at best. But that hasn’t kept it from leading daily newscasts that fill our ears with nervous speculation and fill the minds of global leaders with fresh incentives to shut down people’s lives in response.
Europe is buzzing with various lockdown plans, focused mostly on the unvaccinated. Austria has already penned in its unvaccinated citizens. Germany is on track to follow suit, with vaccination mandates to follow. Greece has already announced mandates for anyone 60 or over, beginning next month.
Los Angeles Unified School District School Board Fires Nearly 500 Unvaccinated Employees
The Los Angeles Unified School District school board has voted unanimously to fire nearly 500 workers who did not follow a district mandate to get vaccinated.
The district required all workers to get their first dose by the middle of October and be fully vaccinated by Nov. 15., though it did make exemptions for medical or religious reasons.
The LA school district is not saying how many of the workers are teachers. They did add that people who decide to get vaccinated will be eligible to be rehired.
NYC Vaccine Mandate Blocked by Judge in Blow to Bill De Blasio
Mayor Bill de Blasio‘s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for New York City employees, including the NYPD, has been blocked by a Manhattan court.
On Tuesday, Judge Frank P. Nervo in the Supreme Court of New York gave notice that the mandate was suspended, pending a hearing scheduled for Dec. 14.
On Oct. 20, de Blasio imposed the order that required all city employees to have at least their first shot by Oct. 29, or face being suspended without pay. It affected roughly 160,000 employees and was met with much opposition. Police and firefighter union leaders warned that the rule would lead to staff shortages.
Phoenix Pauses COVID Vaccine Mandate for City Workers
Phoenix paused implementation Tuesday of a federal COVID-19 vaccine mandate for the 14,000 workers in the nation’s fifth largest city, just hours after a federal judge temporarily blocked President Joe Biden’s administration from enforcing a mandate for those employed by federal contractors.
The pause was announced shortly before a planned afternoon hearing to discuss the city’s plan to get all city employees inoculated against the virus by Jan. 18. It was the latest standoff around the country over federal guidelines for the vaccines that have been challenged by more than a dozen lawsuits nationwide.
Unvaccinated Austrians to Remain in Lockdown, Have Limits on Why They Can Leave Home
Austrians vaccinated against COVID-19 and those who have recently recovered from the virus will no longer be subject to a national lockdown come Sunday, Chancellor Karl Nehammer announced Wednesday. However, the lockdown will remain in place for the unvaccinated as the nation seeks to combat one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe.
The country has seen pushback from tens of thousands of residents who staged protests in recent weeks against the lockdown and a vaccine mandate set to take effect in the coming months.
The current lockdown, which began Nov. 22, permits people to leave their homes only for certain reasons like grocery shopping, going to medical appointments and exercising. Parents were asked to keep their children at home, but schools and day care centers did not close doors just in case they were needed.
Poland to Require Vaccine Shots for Teachers, Medics, Police
Poland is introducing mandatory vaccinations by Mar. 1 for teachers, medical workers, and uniformed security workers like police, the military, firefighters and security guards.
Health Minister Adam Niedzielski said Tuesday that after Mar. 1, vaccination will be a condition for jobs in these sectors. He said amid a continuing high level of daily new infections of some 23,000, Poland was following in the footsteps of Germany and Austria in requiring vaccine jabs for these three professional groups.
Parents of the Social Media Generation Are Not OK
Last September, just a few weeks into the school year, Sabine Polak got a call from the guidance counselor. Her 14-year-old daughter was struggling with depression and had contemplated suicide.
After taking her to a crisis center, which banned phone use for anyone checking in, Polak learned from her daughter that the pressures of social media were driving her increased anxiety.
Polak is among a generation of parents who did not spend their childhoods with social media apps and are now struggling to understand and navigate the potential harms that social media can have on their kids’ mental health as they grow up.
The Metaverse Could Let Silicon Valley Track Your Facial Expressions, Blood Pressure and Your Breathing Rates — Showing Exactly Why Our Internet Laws Need Updating
The metaverse is supposedly coming, which means it may need the same thing (some say) as social media: regulation. That’s especially pressing since problems created by social media will likely be amplified in this futuristic virtual landscape — and could drum up issues that are even more monumental if left unchecked.
Without clear policies in this new space, you won’t be able to tell the difference because content that’s authentic and what’s paid placement injected into your field of view, Louis Rosenberg — a 30-year veteran of AR development and the CEO of Unanimous AI — told Insider.
The metaverse, not unlike today’s internet, will likely be controlled by a handful of powerful corporations, chiefly Google, Facebook, Apple, and the like. You’ll be either wearing AR glasses as you walk around the real world or headsets that will entirely immerse you in the metaverse while you sit comfortably on the couch.
Verizon Might Collect Your Browsing Data Even if You Previously Opted Out
The changes Verizon has made to its Selects program also changed at least some subscribers’ privacy settings. Verizon (Engadget’s former parent company) collected users’ location, web browsing and mobile application usage data to send them marketing messages or offers under Selects, though subscribers could opt out if they wanted to.
As Ars Technica notes, the carrier recently replaced its Selects program with the Verizon Custom Experience Plus and Custom Experience programs. And that’s all well and good, except users have been receiving emails to tell them that they’d been automatically enrolled.
In the email, Verizon stated that they will be included in the programs, which means their data will be collected, even if they previously opted out of participating in Selects. Custom Experience only collects browsing and app usage history, while the Plus version also collects location information and data about the numbers that users call and call them.
The Case Against Big Tech
Big Tech has become Too Big. Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google are facing very real threats to their considerable power over our everyday lives from all sides: lawsuits, federal and state legislation, international action, and a public that is increasingly distrustful of these companies and eager for more regulation and enforcement.
Over the last several years, these companies have become bigger and more powerful, and their business decisions have had more impact on our daily lives and society, from the things we buy and where we buy them to the news and opinions we see on social media.
Biden Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors Blocked Nationwide + More
Biden Vaccine Mandate for Federal Contractors Is Blocked Nationwide
The Biden administration’s mandate for federal contractors’ employees to be vaccinated will be halted nationwide, amid a slew of challenges from states that say the president overstepped his authority in requiring the COVID-19 shots.
Led by Georgia, the seven states that challenged the mandate set to take effect on Jan. 4 are likely to succeed in their lawsuits against the administration’s order, U.S. District Court Judge R. Stan Baker of the Southern District of Georgia said in an order issued Tuesday.
Baker’s order follows a Kentucky federal judge’s grant last week of a preliminary injunction in a lawsuit involving Kentucky, Tennessee, and Ohio. Baker echoed what his Kentucky counterpart said, that blocking the mandate didn’t indicate that the vaccine wouldn’t be effective in stopping the spread of COVID-19, but rather that Biden didn’t have the power to issue such an executive order.
Popular Safety App Life360 Is Reportedly Selling the Precise Location Data of Millions of Kids and Their Families
Popular family safety app Life360 is selling the raw location data of millions of children and their families, according to an investigation by The Markup released Monday. The company, which is in the midst of acquiring Tile in a deal worth $205 million, sells the information to dozens of data brokers who then sell the data “to virtually anyone who wants to buy it,” the outlet reported.
This can include hedge funds and firms involved in targeted advertising, or in some unique cases, government agencies such as the CDC and the U.S. Department of Defense.
As Life360 struggles to become profitable, selling location data has become a key money-maker for the app. Last year, the company made $22 million from location data sales and partnerships, accounting for approximately 20% of its yearly revenue, The Markup found.
Unvaccinated Illinoisans Would Pay COVID Hospital Bills Under New Proposals
Legislation filed at the Illinois House of Representatives on Monday proposed that “a person who is eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine and chooses not to be vaccinated shall pay for healthcare expenses out-of-pocket if the person becomes hospitalized because of COVID-19 symptoms.”
Such a bill would apply to any health insurance policies “amended, delivered, issued, or renewed on or after Jan. 1, 2023.”
The legislation has been criticized by Senate Republican Leader Dan McConchie, who likened it to “taking healthcare away from Illinoisans.”
Over 200 UMass Memorial Health Employees Fired After Not Receiving COVID Vaccine
About 200 UMass Memorial Health employees are out of a job because they missed the healthcare system’s COVID vaccination deadline.
UMass Memorial announced the mandate over the summer with a deadline to get vaccinated or receive an exemption by Nov. 1.
Employees were let go on Dec. 1 if they did not get the vaccine.
White House Mocks Idea of Mailing Every American Free COVID Tests
White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki mocked the idea of mailing out free COVID-19 tests to every American household on Monday, in just the latest sign that President Joe Biden’s lack of imagination is making the pandemic worse.
The Biden administration announced a plan last week to reimburse people for the costs of rapid COVID-19 tests through insurance, but there are an estimated 28 million Americans without health insurance of any kind.
And on Monday the White House press pool wanted to know why a complicated rebate scheme was being implemented when the U.S. could just follow the lead of other countries and make the tests free.
Oregon Moves to Make Indoor Mask Mandate Permanent
Oregon is moving to make its indoor mask mandate permanent, meaning the rule will only be able to be repealed in the highly unlikely event of Republicans winning the state.
Authorities are progressing in making compulsory face coverings an indefinite mandate and have taken “the first step in making the rule permanent,” reports KATU.
Dr. Paul Cieslak, the medical director for communicable diseases and immunizations with the Oregon Health Authority (OHA), defended the proposal by ludicrously attempting to argue that permanent doesn’t mean permanent. “Permanent means indefinite. It doesn’t necessarily mean permanent,” Cieslak said.
Belgian Health Workers Rally to Oppose Mandatory Vaccines
Thousands of Belgian healthcare workers rallied Tuesday in Brussels to oppose mandatory COVID-19 vaccines and to demand better working conditions as a surge in new cases weighs heavily on hospitals.
Starting Jan. 1, healthcare workers in Belgium will have a three-month window in which to get vaccinated against the coronavirus. Those who remain unvaccinated will be notified that their contracts will be suspended unless they provide a certificate proving recovery from COVID-19 or a recent negative test.
From April, those without a proper justification for refusing to comply could be dismissed. According to some estimates, around 60,000 health workers across the country of 11.5 million people are not vaccinated against COVID-19.
Fact Check: Has Israel Announced a Fourth COVID Vaccine Shot for All Citizens?
For most people, a booster shot means a third dose of the COVID vaccine, but in Israel experts are already preparing to consider what might happen when protection from that third dose wanes.
On Dec. 5, Eli David, an artificial intelligence researcher and co-founder of the Deep Instinct cybersecurity firm, tweeted that Israel “announced today it will soon approve the 4th vaccine shot.”
He said: “It will mean that all those with 3 shots who don’t get the 4th shot will have their COVID passes revoked (as happened to those with 2 shots).”
Fines: What’s The Latest on Austria’s Compulsory Vaccine Plan?
Austria’s planned vaccine mandate law will take a step towards becoming reality this week, and will reportedly apply from the age of 14, with fines of €600 which can be issued multiple times. According to the media reports, the law will come into effect on Feb. 1, but fines will not be issued until Mar. 15, allowing people the chance to get vaccinated after the law becomes reality.
The law would require three doses: the second between 14 and 42 days after the first, and a third between 120 and 270 days after the second. The Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Johnson & Johnson vaccines would be recognized.
People who cannot get vaccinated for medical reasons would be excluded, as they have been from 2G requirements. Pregnant people would also be excluded from the mandate, as would those who had recently recovered from a COVID-19 infection, although only for 180 days following the infection.
Instagram Introducing Tool Allowing Parents to Monitor How Much Time Kids Spend on App
Instagram launched a new tool on Tuesday, and announced more to come, striving to encourage parents and children to spend less time on the app.
The newest feature, “Take A Break” alerts users when they have been active on the app for a certain amount of time allotted, and is now available for app users in the U.S., United Kingdom, New Zealand, Canada, Ireland and Australia.
Instagram has also announced another new tool specifically for parents that will be available in early 2022 that not only allows parents to monitor how much time their children spend on the app, but gives them the ability to set time limits for their children’s scrolling habits.
Scoop: Over 200 Papers Quietly Sue Big Tech
Newspapers all over the country have been quietly filing antitrust lawsuits against Google and Facebook for the past year, alleging the two firms monopolized the digital ad market for revenue that would otherwise go to local news.
What started as a small-town effort to take a stand against Big Tech has turned into a national movement, with over 200 newspapers involved across dozens of states.
Elon Musk Said Neuralink Hopes to Start Implanting Its Brain Chips in Humans in 2022, Later Than He Anticipated
Elon Musk has said that Neuralink, his brain-interface technology company, hopes to start implanting its microchips in humans next year.
Neuralink, cofounded by Musk in 2016, is developing a chip that would be implanted in people’s brains to simultaneously record and stimulate brain activity. It’s intended to have medical applications, such as treating serious spinal-cord injuries and neurological disorders.
Musk said that Neuralink’s “standards for implanting the device are substantially higher than what the FDA requires.”
Meta Has a ‘Moral Obligation’ to Make Its Mental Health Research Transparent, Scientists Say
In an open letter to Mark Zuckerberg published Monday, a group of academics called for Meta to be more transparent about its research into how Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp affect the mental health of children and adolescents.
The letter calls for the company to allow independent reviews of its internal work, contribute data to external research projects, and set up an independent scientific oversight group.
The open letter comes after leaks from Facebook revealed some data from the company’s internal research, which found that Instagram was linked with anxiety and body image issues for some teenage girls.
It’s a longstanding frustration that big tech companies don’t release data, which makes it challenging for external researchers to scrutinize and understand their products.