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How Much of Your Income — And Life — Does Big Tech Control? + More
How Much of Your Income — And Life — Does Big Tech Control?
In a review of Shoshana Zuboff’s groundbreaking Surveillance Capitalism (2019), computer science historian Erik J. Larson recounts a 1950s conflict of ideas between two pioneers, Norbert Wiener (1894-1964) and John McCarthy (1927–2011).
Wiener warned, in his largely forgotten book The Human Use of Human Beings (1950), about “new forms of control made possible by the development of advancing technologies.” McCarthy, by contrast, coined the term “artificial intelligence” (1956), implying his belief in “the official effort to program computers to exhibit human-like intelligence.”
His “AI Rules” view came to be expressed not in a mere book but in — probably — hundreds of thousands of media articles warning about or celebrating the triumph of AI over humanity.
Bombshell Video, Leaked Documents Detail How Facebook Censors Facts When They Don’t Fit CDC, Big Pharma Narrative
Investigative journalist James O’Keefe from Project Veritas on Monday released a bombshell video of two Facebook insiders blowing the whistle on the tech giant’s effort to secretly censor — on a global scale — COVID vaccine questions and concerns.
The Facebook whistleblowers alleged the company is pushing an initiative to censor vaccine hesitancy on its platform.
According to new leaked documents, the social media giant uses algorithms to target users who disseminate messaging that runs counter to the company’s political ideology and vaccine narrative — even if the comments are factually accurate.
An internal memo obtained by Project Veritas explained “Vaccine Hesitancy Comment Demotion.” O’Keefe told Sean Hannity on Monday that Facebook initiated a “beta” test for the algorithm that classifies some users under two incremental tiers of what they dub “vaccine hesitancy” or a “VH Score,” and does so without the user’s knowledge.
Florida Gov. DeSantis Signs Law to Hold Big Tech Companies Accountable for Content Moderation Practices
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis on Monday signed a measure that he says will protect state residents from Silicon Valley’s “power grab on speech, thought and content.”
The Big Tech Bill, as DeSantis calls it, allows residents to fight back against de-platforming and censorship, allowing them to sue tech companies for up to $100,000 in damages for each proven claim in a bid to ensure companies are more transparent about their content moderation practices.
Growing Mystery of Suspected Energy Attacks Draws U.S. Concern
The Biden administration is facing new pressure to resolve a mystery that has vexed its predecessors: Is an adversary using a microwave or radio wave weapon to attack the brains of U.S. diplomats, spies and military personnel?
The number of reported cases of possible attack is sharply growing and lawmakers from both parties, as well as those believed to be affected, are demanding answers. But scientists and government officials aren’t yet certain about who might have been behind any attacks, if the symptoms could have been caused inadvertently by surveillance equipment — or if the incidents were actually attacks.
As the U.S. Unmasks, the Pressure Is on for Vaccine Passports
A year ago, Americans were confronting the unnerving reality that the COVID pandemic wouldn’t be a shared experience: Disruption and risk would unroll differently depending on where they lived and how their local politicians responded. Nationwide, deaths had just crossed 100,000. Washington, DC, remained under a stay-at-home order.
In New York state, Governor Andrew Cuomo was about to declare that masks would be mandatory inside businesses. But in Texas, Governor Greg Abbott reopened professional sports, and in Georgia, Governor Brian Kemp did the same with bars and nightclubs.
If you thought 2021 would be different: Sorry.
Wisconsin Catholic Pastor Who Preached Against COVID-19 Vaccine Ordered to Step Down
The pastor of a Roman Catholic parish in Wisconsin who told his congregation to shun the COVID19 vaccine and preached right-wing politics from the pulpit has been asked to step down by his bishop.
The Rev. James Altman, of the St. James the Less Roman Catholic Church in La Crosse, made the announcement during his sermon at Sunday Mass, calling himself a victim of the “cancel culture.”
Indian Police Visit Twitter Office to Serve Notice About Inquiry
Indian police said on Monday they visited a Twitter office to serve notice to its country managing director about an investigation into the social media giant‘s tagging of a post by a ruling party spokesman as “manipulated media.”
Leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party last week shared portions of a document on Twitter they said was created by the main opposition Congress and highlighted government failures in handling the COVID-19 pandemic.
Congress complained to Twitter saying the document was fake, after which the U.S. company marked some of the posts — including one by BJP spokesman Sambit Patra — as “manipulated media.”
Vaccine Mandates More Popular Than Vaccine Passports + More
Vaccine Mandates Are More Popular Than Vaccine Passports
By the numbers: 62% of respondents said they somewhat or strongly support local, state or federal governments requiring everyone to get a vaccine.
- Even higher percentages supported vaccine mandates for getting on an airplane or going back to university.
- On the other hand, much fewer said they support vaccine “passports.” The survey asked different versions of the question, but the results didn’t change much based on wording, whether the question explicitly mentioned the term “vaccine passport” or not.
On average, only 27.5% of respondents said they support businesses using vaccine passports. Slightly more people support voluntary — versus required — use of passports by businesses.
Tyranny: Big Tech and How It Addicted Us to the Internet
Microsoft, Apple, Amazon and Google holding company Alphabet and Facebook account for a combined market capitalisation of $5.3 trillion (close to R75 trillion).
U.S. Senator Josh Hawley has been banging on this monopolistic drum for years, and recently compiled the case against Big Tech into a new book, The Tyranny of Big Tech.
As if to underscore the problem he identified in the book, the original publisher Simon & Schuster cancelled its publication, citing Hawley’s apparent support of protestors storming the U.S. Capitol in January in support of former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Hawley, a divisive figure in U.S. politics, promptly found another publisher.
UK Vaccine Angst: Millions Secretly Surveilled After Taking Shot
The British government has been reported to have secretly surveilled the movements of millions of citizens to track changes in behaviour following the administration of coronavirus vaccines.
A report from the SPI-B committee of government scientists has revealed that the government tracked up to 10% of the British public’s phones in February, all without permission or notification to the public.
The report, which was seen by the Sunday Telegraph, said that researchers at Oxford University for the SPI-B — a subgroup of the British government’s SAGE quango — monitored the behavioural changes of vaccinated Britons through “CDR [call data records] with corresponding location observations.”
TikTok Takes Down Hundreds of Australian Videos in Misinformation Crackdown
False claims about COVID vaccines — including that the Australian prime minister faked getting his jab – were among some of the hundreds of Australian videos TikTok removed from its platform as part of a misinformation crackdown.
In February, Facebook, Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Redbubble, Apple, Adobe and TikTok signed on to a new voluntary industry code aimed at combating misinformation and disinformation online.
Facebook Removes 110,000 Pieces of COVID Misinformation Posted by Australian Users
Facebook has removed more than 110,000 pieces of COVID-related misinformation generated by Australian accounts in the first year of the pandemic, the company has revealed.
In February, Facebook, along with Twitter, Google, Microsoft, Redbubble and TikTok, signed on to a new voluntary industry code aimed at combating misinformation and disinformation online.
NY Mandate Requires Kids Over 2 to Wear Face Masks at Daycare + More
New York Mandate Requires Kids Over 2 to Wear Face Masks at Daycare, Camp
New York lifted its indoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated adults on Wednesday, while Governor Andrew Cuomo also announced that children ages 2 to 11 will be required to wear face coverings at day care and summer camps.
New York lifted its indoor mask mandate for fully vaccinated adults on Wednesday, while Governor Andrew Cuomo also announced that children ages 2 to 11 will be required to wear face coverings at day care and summer camps.
Cuomo and the state Office of Children and Family Services defended the mandate, saying it was in compliance with federal guidelines.
“I understand the science, and I understand the data. And that’s what drove the federal government to those guidelines,” Cuomo said in a press conference on Thursday.
California Won’t Create a Vaccine Passport, but Large Events Will Be Screened
Los Angeles Daily News reported:
California will not require an official vaccine passport for residents when all social distancing requirements and capacity limits are lifted on June 15, Health and Human Services Secretary Mark Ghaly said Friday.
But the state will mandate that indoor events with at least 5,000 people, such as Golden State Warriors and San Jose Sharks games, verify vaccination or a negative COVID test. That will require fans to obtain some sort of proof — whatever the venue decides to require — before they can attend.
As Employees Return to the Office, Banks Explore Surveillance Tech
Reservation systems for seats. Algorithms that say whether a location is crowded or not. Cameras to show what’s happening in real-time. Trackers that let others know you are there.
Technology that has swept the world for convenience, curiosity, and accountability is arriving at workstations of U.S. bank employees, as they prepare to return to offices in coming months because of the pandemic easing, industry sources and outside vendors said.
Big Tech Uses ‘Socially Awkward’ and ‘the Spectrum’ to Cover Their Sins
It’s understandable America fell for the well-crafted image of Bill Gates, the cuddly nerd in a V-neck and khakis, BFFs with Warren Buffett, most interested in climate change, global health initiatives, education, and, like Oprah, loving nothing more than recommending a good book …
The seeming lack of morality or empathy has traditionally been explained away as a politically incorrect third rail: These men might be on the spectrum, a bit autistic, we’ve been told.
It’s a defense that’s always somehow in the ether, as is the excuse that these men are such geniuses that their greed, ruthlessness and meanness is something closer to eccentricity.
Once Tech’s Favorite Economist, Now a Thorn in Its Side
Paul Romer was once Silicon Valley’s favorite economist. The theory that helped him win a Nobel prize — that ideas are the turbocharged fuel of the modern economy — resonated deeply in the global capital of wealth-generating ideas. In the 1990s, Wired magazine called him “an economist for the technological age.” The Wall Street Journal said the tech industry treated him “like a rock star.”
Not anymore.
Today, Mr. Romer, 65, remains a believer in science and technology as engines of progress. But he has also become a fierce critic of the tech industry’s largest companies, saying that they stifle the flow of new ideas. He has championed new state taxes on the digital ads sold by companies like Facebook and Google, an idea that Maryland adopted this year.
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.