Big Brother News Watch
Should Alexa Read Our Moods? + More
Should Alexa Read Our Moods?
If Amazon’s Alexa thinks you sound sad, should it suggest that you buy a gallon of ice cream?
Joseph Turow says absolutely no way.
Dr. Turow, a professor at the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania, researched technologies like Alexa for his new book, “The Voice Catchers.” He came away convinced that companies should be barred from analyzing what we say and how we sound to recommend products or personalize advertising messages.
Gov. Newsom Sending Vax Checkers Door to Door
The California Globe reported:
Thousands of people hired by the State of California are out knocking on doors asking residents if they’ve been vaccinated. The goal is to target the “vaccine hesitant” and to get as many Californians vaccinated as possible, the Sacramento Bee reports.
The state is paying $10 million to fund the effort, “which is being led by Healthy Future California and UCLA, in partnership with 70 community-based organizations.”
University of Pennsylvania Health System Requires Employees to Get COVID Vaccine or They’re Fired
The University of Pennsylvania Health System has given its employees an ultimatum: get the COVID vaccine before Sept. 1 or get fired.
The memo, which comes amid a debate about how far companies should go in compelling vaccines, was sent to employees on Wednesday.
Big Tech Uses ‘Socially Awkward’ and ‘the Spectrum’ to Cover Their Sins
So much for the Good Tech Overlord.
One detail about Bill Gates has always stuck with me, and I was forever astounded that, over his 20-year makeover, it was never again mentioned: Upon his engagement to Melinda French, he insisted that if they were to marry, he would need one long weekend alone each year with his ex-girlfriend Ann Winblad.
Not only that — Gates asked Winblad for permission to marry, then told Time magazine all about it.
“I called Ann and asked for her approval,” Gates told Walter Isaacson in 1997. Gates characterized these annual rendezvous as sexless nerd stuff, and who wouldn’t believe him? Just look at that eyewear and the penchant for synthetic knits.
1 In 10 Police Departments Can Now Access Videos From Millions of Consumers’ Ring Security Cameras
Nearly one in 10 U.S. police departments have access to videos from millions of privately owned Amazon Ring devices.
Ring’s Active Agency Map shows the home security camera company now has partnerships with more than 1,800 police departments in the U.S. out of nearly 18,000 total departments across the country.
The company’s “Neighbors” app notifies Ring users when neighbors or local law enforcement agencies send out public safety alerts.
Facebook’s EU – U.S. Data Flows are Under Threat — That May Spell Trouble for Other Tech Giants
Facebook faces a potential ban on the transfer of Europeans’ data to the United States. That would be a “massive blow” to the social networking giant, according to experts, and has serious implications for other large American tech firms.
Last week, Ireland’s High Court dismissed a challenge from Facebook over a regulatory inquiry that could lead to a ban on the flow of its user information from the European Union to the U.S.
It comes after a landmark ruling from the EU’s top court invalidated the use of Privacy Shield, a framework for the transatlantic sharing of data.
Searches for Fake COVID Vaccine Cards Spiked When the CDC Announced New Mask Guidance Based on an Honor System
Shortly after the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention relaxed its masking guidelines for vaccinated Americans, internet searches for counterfeit vaccination cards — one of the only ways people can prove they have been fully vaccinated — soared, raising further questions about how sensible an honor-based policy really is during a pandemic characterized by intense partisan division over lockdowns, masking and vaccination.
Students Protest Mandatory COVID Vaccinations at Colleges + More
Students Protest Mandatory COVID Vaccinations at Colleges
Across the country, a growing number of colleges and universities have said vaccinations will be mandatory for the fall of 2021.
Now, hundreds of thousands of students will be required to get the COVID-19 vaccine, whether they want to or not.
For the most part, students will get vaccinated if it means campus life can return to a pre-pandemic “normal” by September. But not everyone feels that way.
EU Agrees to Allow Entry to Vaccinated Travelers
Almost a year after closing its borders, the European Union has agreed to allow entry to vaccinated travelers from countries with low infection rates, raising the possibility of summer getaways to the continent.
The highly anticipated move was confirmed on Wednesday as the EU published its recommendations for lifting travel restrictions into the bloc.
An approved list of “safe” destinations is due to be signed off this week, although there’s still no confirmation as to when these changes will be implemented.
Technocrat Vaccine Passports Will Inflict Economic, Social Carnage
Vaccine passports have been implemented, or are being developed, in a number of countries around the world. In February 2021, Israel introduced its “Green Pass,” which becomes “effective the week after receiving the second dose” of the vaccine and expires after six months.
It was followed by China, which launched its digital “International Travel Health Certificate” in March. Subsequently, in April, Denmark implemented its “Coronpass” and Estonia introduced its “VaccineGuard.”
Although the United States government recently dismissed the idea of a national vaccine passport, the state of New York has already launched its own “Excelsior Pass,” and several other states are developing similar programs, whereas South Dakota, Montana, Idaho, Utah, Florida, Texas and Arizona have banned the use of COVID-19 immunity passports within their borders.
DOJ Won’t Ask About Employees’ Vaccine Status as Federal Government Goes Maskless
The Department of Justice (DOJ) won’t ask about employees’ vaccination status even as vaccinated employees have been given the green light to go maskless in the agency’s buildings.
The Friday memo obtained by The Hill warns managers not to ask whether employees have been vaccinated. The new policy, however, is a departure from DOJ guidance in February that said employers have the right to ask employees about their status.
“Supervisors and managers should not ask about an employee’s vaccination status or use information about an employee’s vaccination status to make decisions about how and when employees will report to a workplace instead of teleworking,” DOJ told employees in a Friday email from the office of DOJ’s assistant attorney general for administration.
FRIDAY: Medical Freedom Advocates to Hold Rally at Rutgers, as Students Push Back Against Vaccine Mandates
Rutgers was the first university to announce it will require the COVID vaccine for all students returning in the fall.
Since then, hundreds of universities — including the University of Notre Dame, Brown, Cornell, Northeastern University, New York’s State University (SUNY) and City University (CUNY) systems, and many other colleges and universities throughout the country — have said they will require COVID vaccines for the upcoming fall semester.
The Rutgers announcement prompted Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Children’s Health Defense’s (CHD) chairman and chief legal counsel, to send a letter to Rutgers President Jonathan Holloway to remind him that mandating Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) products violates federal law.
Yes, the Fully Vaccinated Can Start Going Maskless Outside, but Oregon Still Working on Updating Its Official Guidance
The Oregon Health Authority has a long list of exceptions for its mask requirements, especially for the fully vaccinated, ranging from “most outdoor settings” to being in “an uncrowded private or public space.”
It also includes exceptions to the exceptions, such as: “These exceptions to the mask, face covering, or face shield requirement ARE NOT applicable to workplaces.”
Confused? If so, you’re definitely not the only one.
Santa Clara County Mandating Workplaces to Track Employees’ Vaccination Status
Santa Clara County will require employers to determine the vaccination status of their employees starting Wednesday as the state moves away from remote office work, aiming to get ahead of a wider June 15th reopening and potential revisions to workplace rules.
The mandate appears to advance beyond what the state has so far required of employers, though California already allows businesses to use vaccination status to determine whether people may attend certain larger gatherings like sports games, weddings, conferences, concerts or theater shows.
County Counsel James Williams told reporters Tuesday that the requirement is part of the county’s latest reopening order as it progresses into the yellow reopening tier. Workplaces will no longer be required to maximize remote work, but they must begin determining whether employees have been vaccinated. The order also requires workplaces and schools to continue reporting COVID-19 cases.
Amazon Extends Ban on Facial-Recognition Tech for Law Enforcement Indefinitely
Amazon has extended its ban on providing facial-recognition technology to law enforcement indefinitely.
The company declined to elaborate on the decision, but it comes about a week after civil liberties groups called on Amazon to “permanently ban law enforcement from using Amazon’s facial recognition software, Rekognition.” As Forbes reports, it’s also a week before a May 26 shareholder meeting, where a “shareholder proposal is calling for an independent third-party audit on the risks linked with government use of Rekognition.”
Amazon’s Ring Is Largest Civilian Surveillance Network U.S. Has Ever Seen + More
Amazon’s Ring Is the Largest Civilian Surveillance Network the US Has Ever Seen
In a 2020 letter to management, Max Eliaser, an Amazon software engineer, said Ring is “simply not compatible with a free society.” We should take his claim seriously.
Ring video doorbells, Amazon’s signature home security product, pose a serious threat to a free and democratic society. Not only is Ring’s surveillance network spreading rapidly, it is extending the reach of law enforcement into private property and expanding the surveillance of everyday life. What’s more, once Ring users agree to release video content to law enforcement, there is no way to revoke access and few limitations on how that content can be used, stored, and with whom it can be shared.
28 Groups Demand Facebook Stop Intimidating WhatsApp Users
A coalition of 28 groups across the globe May 14 sent a letter to Facebook demanding the company stop intimidating WhatsApp users to accept extended data collection, originally set to take effect on May 15.
Instead of forcing users to immediately accept new terms, Facebook is now pestering WhatsApp users to accept its policy change by May 15 or, under a new opaque timeframe, within a few weeks. WhatsApp will continually remind users to accept the new privacy policy and gradually degrade or remove core features of the app for those who do not — such as removing access to their personal chat list and deactivating message notifications. The company has not said when it plans to start restricting features.
Californians Back Proof of COVID Vaccine or Negative Test at Workplaces, Other Venues
Los Angeles Times via MSN reported:
As California’s businesses reopen, a majority of state residents are in support of allowing entertainment venues require proof that their patrons are vaccinated or have tested negative for COVID-19, and for some employers to require vaccinations of workers, according to a statewide poll conducted by UC Berkeley’s Institute of Governmental Studies that was funded in part by The Times.
CDC Chief Said Change on Mask Guidance Not Due to Public Pressure
On Thursday, the CDC changed course on its COVID guidelines and said that fully vaccinated Americans can now gather with other individuals without masks — both indoors and outdoors — even if some of those people in their group are unvaccinated.
Just weeks earlier, the White House was still urging the public to not let its guard down and to continue to adhere to its strict guidelines — masks included.
And as host Chris Wallace noted, Walensky was still arguing as of Wednesday night that even those who have been fully vaccinated should continue to wear masks indoors — a stark contrast to Thursday’s CDC announcement. But Walensky said the decision was based on data and science.
Apple Faces Dilemma Over Chinese Censorship and Surveillance
China is home to most of Apple’s manufacturing and accounts for a significant and growing share of its sales. At the same time, doing business in China requires the company to make significant concessions that run counter to the company’s positioning as a protector of the “human right” of privacy.
Between the lines: Apple says that it’s simply following local laws in China, as it does elsewhere. However, China’s “local laws” require granting the government access to a great deal of user content, as well as severely limiting what can be said about a wide range of issues, from Taiwan and Tibet to mentions of the 1989 Tiananmen Square uprising.
EufyCam Users Should Turn off Their Security Cams Immediately
In the latest privacy woe to hit security cam owners, folks using Anker’s EufyCam products are reporting unwarranted access to random people’s camera feeds. Eufy hasn’t addressed any specific issues but acknowledged there’s a bug and a fix.
On Reddit and across multiple Eufy community forums, users are describing being logged into stranger’s cameras, giving them full access not only to a live feed of a stranger’s personal property but their cloud storage and admin controls, too. Right now, the majority of users reporting this security snafu seem to be based in Australia and New Zealand. While Gizmodo wasn’t able to independently verify the issue, one EufyCam user confirmed to AppleInsider that it hit their system as well.
Vaccine Passports Are Catnip for Big Tech + More
Vaccine Passports Are Catnip for Big Tech
Just over a year ago, international borders closed as part of the unprecedented emergency response to the pandemic.
Governments began to experiment with technological solutions to managing the movement of people, specifically at borders, but also more broadly for the purposes of contact tracing and enforcing social distancing rules. Since then, we have witnessed the rapid acceleration of the militarization of border policing in the name of profit.
The idea of vaccine passports is the logical next step. They have been floated in various ways, and the concept can mean different things.
Physician Who Proudly Rejected Wearing Masks Ordered to Stop Practicing Medicine During COVID-19
Amid the ongoing global pandemic, people who work in health care have gotten well-deserved thanks. Physicians, nurses, aides, janitorial staff, and others who work in hospital, clinic, and outpatient settings have put up with grueling schedules, a lack of personal protective equipment, and burnout from witnessing so much illness and death in rapidly changing environments. That said, there have been medical professionals who have tried to downplay and dismiss the severity of the novel coronavirus.
As is the case with one physician in Oregon, Steven LaTulippe, he once bragged that neither he nor his staff would wear masks while serving patients at his family health clinic in Dallas, Oregon, as reported by The Independent. Perhaps unsurprisingly, the Oregon Medical Board ruled that LaTulippe will not be allowed to practice medicine until Oregon’s public health emergency is over, as reported by BuzzFeed News.
Some States and Retailers Usher in Return to Normalcy for People Vaccinated Against COVID-19
Several state governors and big retailers signaled a return to normal on Friday, a day after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said it’s safe for fully vaccinated people to remove their face masks in most settings.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announced Friday the state — which just recently battled a surge in coronavirus cases — will lift its mask requirement for fully vaccinated people effective Saturday at 9 a.m.
“The vast majority of us have trusted the scientists and experts to keep us safe during the pandemic, and it has worked. With millions of Michiganders fully vaccinated, we can now safely and confidently take the next step to get back to normal,” Whitmer said.
Hundreds of Epidemiologists Expected Mask-Wearing in Public for at Least a Year
When federal health officials said on Thursday that fully vaccinated Americans no longer needed to wear masks in most places, it came as a surprise to many people in public health. It also was a stark contrast with the views of a large majority of epidemiologists surveyed in the last two weeks by The New York Times.
In the informal survey, 80% said they thought Americans would need to wear masks in public indoor places for at least another year. Just 5% said people would no longer need to wear masks indoors by this summer.
How Apple’s Airtag Turns Us Into Unwitting Spies in a Vast Surveillance Network
Apple has launched the latest version of its operating system, iOS 14.5, which features the much-anticipated app tracking transparency function, bolstering the tech giant’s privacy credentials.
But iOS 14.5 also introduced support for the new Apple AirTag, which risks doing the opposite.
For the uninitiated, an AirTag is a small device (similar to a Tile) that can be attached to personal items such as keys, wallets or luggage. The tag periodically sends messages that can be used to track its location, letting you find any lost or missing items with the help of an app.
While clearly useful, AirTags can also potentially be misused. Concerns have been raised that they might facilitate stalking, for example.
