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Amazon Brands Vaccinated Employees + More
Rantz: Amazon Brands Vaccinated Employees, Forces Private COVID Decisions Public
At Amazon, employees are not allowed to keep one particular medical decision private.
Amazon is forcing its employees to brand themselves with stickers indicating they’ve received a COVID-19 vaccination, even if they’d prefer to keep that medical decision private. This move also forces employees to disclose if they have not received a vaccine.
The decision, which impacts all U.S. Field Operations employees, suggests Amazon doesn’t trust its own staff to be honest about their vaccination status.
Uttar Pradesh: Village Refuses COVID Vaccine, Power Supply Goes Off
Over 100 families of Chhibramau village in Kannauj district are living in darkness for the last three days because they didn’t want to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
“A team from the health department had visited our village on Wednesday morning. They wanted the entire village to be vaccinated. However, around 40 per cent of the villagers refused to take the vaccine because they believed that their immunity level would go down for a few days and they might fall sick,” a villager, who didn’t want to be named, told reporters on Friday.
Royal Caribbean Reverses, Won’t Require Passengers on U.S. Cruises to Be Vaccinated
Royal Caribbean International will no longer require any of its cruise passengers to be vaccinated for COVID-19 as it had previously planned to.
In a press release Friday announcing cruises for sale on eight of its ships from U.S. ports this summer, starting with Freedom of the Seas from PortMiami on July 2, the company said it will recommend passengers get the COVID-19 vaccine, but not require it. The announcement is a reversal from previous statements and vaccine protocols the company submitted to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last month that said it would require all passengers at least 18 years old and older to be vaccinated.
Tiny Trackers Give Rise to the Age of Stalking
When Apple released its coin sized AirTags, it proclaimed “a super easy way to keep track of your stuff.” In reality, it now appears that your “stuff” may include your children, co-workers, ex-spouses, enemies, lovers and complete strangers. ⁃ TN Editor
But amid concerns the Bluetooth trackers instead are enabling stalking, Apple last week pledged to update the devices to boost privacy. Now, the AirTags emit an audible tone whenever separated from the device owner for more than eight hours, which would warn someone who’s being followed without her or his knowledge. (Originally, the tone emitted after three days.)
Genius Media, The Nation Sue Google in Advertising Antitrust Lawsuit
Online publishers including Genius Media Group and news website The Nation alleged in a lawsuit seeking class-action status on Wednesday that Alphabet Inc’s Google has unlawfully stifled advertising competition, hurting their businesses.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, California, resembles an antitrust complaint filed earlier in the day by Texas and nine other U.S. states against Google.
Genius, which provides song lyrics, and two online magazines the Nation and the Progressive, said they used Google software to sell ads but received what they viewed as an unfair split of sales because the search giant had taken over the market.
Most Vaccinated California Workers Must Keep Masks On + More
Most Vaccinated California Workers Must Keep Masks On
Conflicted California workplace regulators approved controversial rules Thursday night that allow workers to go maskless only if every employee in a room is fully vaccinated against the coronavirus.
But the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board made clear that the regulations are only a stopgap while they consider further easing pandemic rules in coming weeks or months. The new rules are expected to take effect June 15, the same day the state more broadly loosens masking and other precautions in social settings.
Fauci Emails:How Top Public Health Officials SpunTangled Web of Lies Around COVID Origin, Treatments
In early 2020, there was a lot of chatter about where the virus, later named SARS-CoV-2, actually came from.
In an excellent, detailed article written earlier this month for the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, former New York Times science writer Nicholas Wade described how two short pieces published in March 2020 — one in The Lancet and one in Nature Medicine — determined how this chatter would be channeled to the public.
These two extraordinarily influential pieces, each published under the heading “correspondence,” were parroted by mainstream media for a year. Both were plainly intended to shut down any discussion of the possibility that the virus originated in a lab.
Why You Should Disable ‘Amazon Sidewalk’ on All Devices Before June 8
On June 8, Amazon will activate Amazon Sidewalk, a mass wireless sharing network. Users of all Amazon smart devices will be automatically enrolled, without consent, unless they opt out by disabling the network settings.
Amazon Sidewalk will connect all Amazon devices, such as Alexa, Echo speakers and Ring security cameras — including tile trackers, Ring spotlight and floodlight cameras, smart lights and smart locks — to a local “mesh wireless network.” For a complete list of devices that will be activated, review Amazon’s FAQ.
The Amazon Sidewalk network will allow shared internet use up to within about a half-mile radius of the Amazon device. In effect, this network is part of the creation of “smart cities.” The more devices connected, the stronger the network will become, according to Amazon.
Jonathan Turley: Facebook Says Mentions of COVID-19’s Possible Origins in Wuhan Are Now Allowed. How Generous
Fox News via MSN News reported:
Read the headline above a couple times. There was a time when such a headline would only appear on the satirical outlet The Onion but it is actually true.
Facebook has long banned anyone who discussed the evidence that a worldwide pandemic killing millions and destroying the global economy may have been released from a government lab in Wuhan, China.
Facebook would not allow the theory to be discussed as “debunked” despite widespread criticism that the social media giant was, again, engaging in corporate censorship.
Oklahomans Will Soon Get Texts About COVID-19 Vaccine From State Health Department
Oklahomans can expect to get texts beginning this week from the Oklahoma Health Department with information about COVID-19 vaccinations.
The department is launching a statewide texting campaign to reach people across the state with details about how to find an appointment near them.
The state Health Department said the texts will be sent to residents in areas across the state with lower vaccination rates. The campaign will target adults ages 18 to 54 in rural areas, excluding the Oklahoma City and Tulsa metro areas.
Amazon Customers Have 1 Week to Opt Out of Mass Wireless Sharing + More
Amazon U.S. Customers Have One Week to Opt Out of Mass Wireless Sharing
Amazon customers have one week to opt out of a plan that would turn every Echo speaker and Ring security camera in the U.S. into a shared wireless network, as part of the company’s plan to fix connection problems for its smart home devices.
The proposal, called Amazon Sidewalk, involves the company’s devices being used as a springboard to build city-wide “mesh networks” that help simplify the process of setting up new devices, keep them online even if they’re out of range of home wifi, and extend the range of tracking devices such as those made by Tile.
Media Scrambles to Save Face After Massive Fail on COVID Origins Reporting
For the past year, anyone who discussed the possibility of SARS-CoV-2 coming from a lab was slandered and censored. Mainstream media insisted SARS-CoV-2 made the jump from bats to humans at one of Wuhan’s open-air wet markets.
To support this assertion, mainstream journalists relied on papers and “scientific consensus” statements concocted by individuals who are deeply involved in the very research that might have created this pandemic.
Many legacy journalists now find themselves in the uncomfortable position of being called out for their collusion with people who have worked to deceive us.
Michigan Bill Would Ban COVID Vaccine Passport
A northern Michigan representative has introduced a bill that would prevent tax-payer funded entities from requiring people to be vaccinated for COVID. Such a move would include universities like the University of Michigan and the University of Oakland, who have already mandated that students must get vaccinated if they are living on campus.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has said that, as things stand right now, the state is not planning on requiring a vaccine passport — but Republican state Rep. Sue Allor isn’t taking the governor for her word. Rather, Allor sponsored Michigan Bill 4667, which would ban vaccine passports or any other systems where individuals’ civil rights are diminished by their COVID-19 vaccination status.
Is 5G Unsafe For Humans?
Actor Juhi Chawla, also an environmental activist, has filed a lawsuit against the 5G rollout stating that the “radiation” caused by it will be “extremely harmful and injurious to the health and safety of the people”.
On FYI, we speak to experts and leaders on whether 5G is harmful to people and also look at what various studies say about it.
Amazon Warehouse Workers Suffer Serious Injuries at Higher Rates Than Other Firms
Amazon, the second-largest private employer in the United States, is also a leader in another category: how often its warehouse workers are injured.
New work-related injury data from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration showed those jobs can be more dangerous than at comparable warehouses. Since 2017, Amazon reported a higher rate of serious injury incidents that caused employees to miss work or be shifted to light-duty tasks than at other warehouse operators in retail.
EU Privacy Groups File Complaint, Assert Clearview AI Facial Recognition Software Violates Data Protection Laws
Already facing substantial legal difficulties in the United States and Canada, Clearview AI’s controversial facial recognition software is facing a new challenge in the European Union. A coalition of privacy groups headed up by Privacy International has filed a set of legal complaints challenging the troubled company on the basis of violating data protection laws by “scraping” websites for photos without user knowledge or permission.
The complaints have been filed in four EU nations as well as the United Kingdom; the timeframe of the data harvesting dates back to when the terms of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) were still enforced in the latter country, though it is also likely to fall afoul of the UK’s current and similar laws. Clearview AI operated in virtual secrecy for years before a New York Times expose in early 2020 drew attention to the massive scope of its data scraping, which includes some 3 billion public images harvested from sites such as Facebook and Instagram.
Survey: Fewer Employers Considering Vaccine Mandates + More
Fewer Employers Considering Vaccine Mandates, Survey Reveals
Employers appear to be more keen on encouraging vaccines than requiring them, according to Fisher Phillips’ findings. It’s also apparent that, for a third of the firm’s more than 600 respondents, fears of infringing on anti-discrimination laws hold them back from making a mandate.
Fisher Phillips pointed out in its analysis that there’s some irony in how these findings broke down. When the results were published, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission — the agency that enforces the nation’s anti-discrimination legislation — had indicated that employers could require workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, but it had yet to make clear whether or how employers could incentivize vaccination.
Seven EU Countries Just Got a Digital Vaccine Passport
The European Union’s digital vaccine passport system went live in seven countries yesterday, ahead of a full launch for all 27 member states on July 1. The document, called a digital green certificate, shows whether someone has been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, recovered from the virus, or tested negative within the last 72 hours.
Travelers who can prove they fit one of these three criteria are not required to be tested or go into quarantine. The certificate is now being accepted in Bulgaria, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Germany, Greece, and Poland.
Companies Can Mandate COVID-19 Vaccine, Incentivize Workers To Get Shot, EEOC Says
Employers are allowed to require the COVID-19 vaccine, and can also legally provide incentives, including cash, to workers who get jabbed, according to updated guidance from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Companies must still provide reasonable accommodation for employees who are exempt from mandatory immunization under the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act.
The commission also stated that employer incentives must not be “coercive,” but stopped short of providing examples of illegal offers.
Biden Declares June ‘National Month of Action’ for COVID-19 Vaccinations
ABC News via MSN News reported:
President Joe Biden on Wednesday declared June a “national month of action” to mobilize even more Americans to get vaccinated by July Fourth, in order to enjoy what he called “a summer of freedom.”
With the help of vaccinations, Biden said, Americans are headed into a summer vastly different from last year.
“A summer of freedom. A summer of joy. A summer of get-togethers and celebrations. An all-American summer that this country deserves after a long, long, dark winter that we’ve all endured,” he said.
Maine Lawmakers Reluctant to Share Vaccine Status With Mask Standoff Looming
Both Maine lawmakers’ reluctance to respond to a survey on vaccinations and a standoff over a mask mandate threatening to upend State House business have underscored ongoing political tension around COVID-19 policies.
Gov. Janet Mills’ decision to lift Maine’s mask mandate on May 24 followed guidelines from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention saying fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear masks in most indoor spaces. But Democratic legislative leaders kept a State House mandate in effect ahead of a Wednesday return to the Capitol for the first time in over a year.
Cruise Lines and Florida Gov. Desantis Square Off Over Vaccine Passports
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis is on a collision course with one of the state’s biggest industries over a law he signed banning businesses from asking customers whether they’ve been vaccinated against COVID-19.
Cruise ship operators, who sail out of Florida’s large southern ports, say the order will make it harder for them to safely return to the seas, possibly imperiling a major economic driver in the state.
Groups Representing Facebook, Twitter, Amazon, and Google Are Suing Florida Over Gov. Desantis’ New Bill Banning Online ‘Deplatforming’
Two industry groups that represent tech companies including Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Amazon have filed a lawsuit against the state of Florida, claiming a new law that targets online speech violates the First Amendment.
The lawsuit was filed by Netchoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association (CCIA), and is aimed at a new bill signed last week by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
Washington’s Largest County Bans Government Use of Facial Recognition Software
The most populous county in Washington state has become the first in the nation to ban government use of facial recognition software.
King County, which comprises the greater Seattle area and is home to some 2.3 million people, announced Tuesday that a proposal to ban government agencies use of facial recognition software had been approved by a vote of 9-0.
Tennessee Hat Store’s ‘Not Vaccinated’ Star of David Patches Spark Protest
Manufacturer Stetson announced Saturday it’s pulling its products from a store in Nashville, Tennessee, which advertised the sale of “not vaccinated” Star of David patches for $5.
Driving the news: Protesters rallied outside Hatwrks Saturday, displaying signs with messages including “The Holocaust is not a marketing op.”