Big Brother News Watch
New Bill Would Force WH to Disclose Facebook Censorship Requests + More
New Bill Would Force White House to Disclose Facebook Censorship Requests
A new bill would force the White House to disclose its requests for Facebook and other social media companies to censor content it considers “misinformation. ”Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.) on Wednesday introduced the Disclose Government Censorship Act To reveal the extent of censorship requests.
“The recent collusion that has come to light between the Biden Administration and Big Tech is not only disturbing, but inconsistent with the government’s constitutional role in American life,” Hagerty said in a statement.
Judge Offers an Alternative to Community Service Sentences: COVID Vaccination
The Washington Post via MSN reported:
The COVID-19 vaccination giveaways started early in the summer, when the pace of vaccinations first started to fall off. There were gift cards, free trap shooting targets and even the occasional joint. A few months later, with the delta variant spreading and case numbers continuing to rise, a vaccination might now be considered an act of community service.
In East Baton Rouge, some people appearing before Judge Fred Crifasi, of the 19th Judicial District Court, are being afforded the opportunity to get vaccinated in lieu of certain community service hours.
Disney’s Domestic Theme Parks Will Require All Parkgoers to Wear Masks Indoors Starting Friday
Disney has amended the mask policy at its U.S.-based theme parks in the wake of new guidance from health and government officials.
Starting Friday, the company will require all guests, regardless of vaccination status, to wear face coverings in indoor locations at Walt Disney World Resort in Florida and the Disneyland Resort in California. Children under the age of two are exempt from this mandate.
Biden’s New Weapon Against COVID: Don’t Call It a Mandate
The White House is readying its most aggressive action to date on COVID vaccinations. But it’s trying to avoid one word: mandate.
President Joe Biden is due to issue a directive Thursday requiring some 2 million federal employees to attest they’ve received the shot or submit to weekly testing, according to four people familiar with the plans. The move would avoid the kind of top-down order Biden has resisted using for months to contain the virus. But it would give federal departments and agencies discretion to force certain employees to show proof of vaccination, as the Department of Veterans Affairs did this week with its front-line health workers.
Google and Facebook to Require Vaccinations for in-Office Employees, Paving the Way for Rivals to Follow
Washington Post via MSN reported:
Silicon Valley’s tech giants are starting to require vaccinations for employees returning to the office and pushing back campus reopening dates as the highly contagious Delta variant continues to spread across the United States and around the world.
Google on Wednesday became the first Big Tech company to announce that it will require employees who work in its offices to be fully vaccinated. Facebook later announced a similar policy requiring all in-person workers to get vaccinated before coming into a Facebook office in the United States.
Top House Republicans Drop New Bill to Rein in Big Tech Censorship
Washington Examiner via Yahoo!News reported:
Top House Republicans dropped new legislation Wednesday to overhaul a controversial law that gives social media platforms legal immunity for content, attempting to reduce what they say is rampant censorship of conservatives.
House Energy and Commerce Committee Republican Leader Cathy McMorris Rodgers of Washington and House Judiciary Committee ranking member Jim Jordan of Ohio introduced a draft discussion bill to amend Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, a provision that protects social media companies such as Facebook, YouTube, and Twitter from being sued for content posted by their users.
Let the Debates Begin! Policymakers Should Engage With COVID ‘Dissidents’ in Public and Put the ‘Conspiracy Theories’ to Bed
It is common practice for patients to request a second opinion before submitting to any medical treatment. Yet in the age of COVID only one opinion appears to count at all. This approach flies in the face of sound science.
On Tuesday, the top headlines on the Drudge Report, a popular U.S. news aggregate for trumpeting the liberal party line, captured the full spirit of the ‘new normal’, which the doomsayers fear is snowballing into nothing less than a totalitarian police state.
Two More Health Systems Mandate Employee Virus Vaccinations
Two of Michigan’s largest health systems will require all employees and physicians at their hospitals and other facilities to be vaccinated against COVID-19.
Spectrum Health, a 14-hospital network, and eight-hospital Beaumont Health announced the mandates Wednesday. At least five major hospital systems in the state have announced such requirements.
Biden’s COVID Vaccine Mandate Draws Postal Union Backlash
The influential American Postal Workers Union on Wednesday said that at this point, it opposes a coronavirus vaccine mandate from the Biden administration but encouraged workers to voluntarily take the jabs.
“While the APWU leadership continues to encourage postal workers to voluntarily get vaccinated, it is not the role of the federal government to mandate vaccinations for the employees we represent,” the union said in a statement obtained by Fox News.
Big Tech Could Be Forced to Give up Algorithms, Data and Money in Data Abuse Cases + More
Big Tech Could Be Forced to Give Up Algorithms Alongside Data and Money in Data Abuse Cases, FTC Official Says
Big Tech companies such as Facebook and Google could be forced to give up proprietary algorithms, at the heart of their business, if they abuse privacy to gather user data, a top official at the Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday.
The chief technologist at the trade commission, Erie Meyer, said at a privacy conference on Tuesday that tech companies that gather user data illegally could face traditional penalties, such as paying fines and disclosure of data, but also could be forced to give up “algorithms that were juiced by ill-gotten data.”
Biden Expected to Announce Vaccine Mandates for All Federal Employees After DOJ Declares Mandates Legal
After Justice Department officials on Monday said federal law doesn’t prohibit mandating COVID vaccines, President Biden on Tuesday signaled he may require all federal employees to get the vaccine, or undergo repeated testing for the virus.
White House officials said Biden is considering requiring all civilian federal employees to be vaccinated or be forced to submit to regular testing, social distancing, mask requirements and restrictions on most travel.
University of California Vaccine Mandate Violates Students’ Civil Rights, Lawsuit Says
America’s Frontline Doctors reported:
With supporting declarations from top medical experts and students, America’s Frontline Doctors (AFLDS) on Monday filed a civil rights lawsuit in Federal Court against the University of California (UC), targeting the university system’s plan to mandate COVID-19 vaccination for all students regardless of natural immunity.
AFLDS, students and even the UC’s own top doctors, are criticizing the rushed mandate as arbitrary, unscientific, not medically necessary.
So Now Students Need a Vaccine Passport to Attend University? Stop Patronising Young People
This allegedly Conservative government has been patronising young people with the threat of coercive vaccine passports for over a week. Though I was open to vaccine passports at first, it’s now clear to me that this government is using them to target and mistreat young people. Again.
Since the beginning of this pandemic young people have been let down by the government. I personally lost about half of my university experience to lockdown and this pandemic. It’s ludicrous that students, who have sacrificed their teens and early 20s for this government’s COVID strategy, might now be locked out of lecture theatres. Has our education not suffered enough?
Washington Post to Mandate COVID Vaccinations for Reporters and Staff
All Washington Post employees will be required to present proof of full COVID-19 vaccination by mid-September as a condition of employment, with exceptions for medical and religious concerns, Publisher Fred Ryan announced on Tuesday in a memo to staff.
These Cities Are Reviving Mask Mandates With New CDC Guidance, Delta Surge
Following updated mask guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention as well as a surge of COVID-19 Delta variant cases, several cities and counties across the nation have revived mask mandates.
One of the most recent cities to reinstate a mask mandate is Kansas City, Missouri. In a tweet on Tuesday evening, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas wrote, “I have stuck with CDC guidance throughout the pandemic and today is no different. I will return Kansas City to a mask mandate indoors based upon national and regional health guidance and discussion with other Kansas City leaders. I will provide further details in the morning.”
Google, Apple and Microsoft Report Record-Breaking Profits
Google, Apple and Microsoft reported record-breaking quarterly sales and profits on Tuesday night as the firms continue to benefit from a pandemic that has created a “perfect positive storm” for big tech.
Apple made a $21.7bn (£15.6bn) profit for the three-month period that ended in June, its best fiscal third quarter in its 45-year history, boosted by strong sales of the iPhone 12 and growth in its services business.
IOS 15: Apple Could Use Selfies to Validate Your ID Cards in Updated Wallet App
IOS 15 is officially on the way, with a bunch of new features including an update to the Wallet app that lets you carry digital versions of government issued ID cards like your drivers license on your iPhone. We don’t know much about the update right now, but according to code uncovered by 9to5Mac in the latest version of iOS 15 for developers, Apple could be using facial recognition selfies to validate your digital ID cards when adding them to your wallet.
3 Downsides to Those QR Codes You’re Seeing Everywhere
From restaurant menus to the Olympics, QR codes are showing up everywhere. The handy “quick response” barcodes can pull up a menu, a payment system, or any number of websites and widgets on your smartphone. While they’ve been around since 1994, the pandemic prompted more businesses to adopt QR codes — first as a safety precaution but now in other ways, such as for personalizing orders or tracking customer information.
But as with any new advancement in technology, QR codes come with some downsides. Here’s what you need to know if you use the barcodes in your business.
DeSantis Blasts CDC for K-12 Mask Recommendation: ‘It Isn’t Based in Science’
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ office sharply rebuked the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for urging that all children, regardless of vaccination status, be required to wear masks when school returns in the fall.
CDC Director Rochelle Walensky on Tuesday cited an increase in COVID-19 cases from the delta variant for the changes, which also recommend some vaccinated individuals to resume wearing masks in certain situations to protect against COVID-19. “It isn’t based in science. There is no indication that areas with mask mandates have performed any better than areas without mask mandates. In fact, this policy could actually backfire,” DeSantis press secretary Christina Pushaw told Fox News.
UK Opens Doors to Fully Vaccinated U.S. and EU Visitors, No Quarantine Required
U.S. and European Union residents who have been fully vaccinated will be able to visit the UK without quarantining beginning Monday, Britain’s top transportation official said Wednesday, opening up a key transportation route for business and tourism even as coronavirus cases remain high across all three regions.
‘A Tipping Point’: Gov. Officials, Health Groups Move to Require Vaccines for Workers + More
‘A Tipping Point’: Government Officials, Health Groups Move to Require Coronavirus Vaccines for Workers
The Department of Veterans Affairs, which runs one of the nation’s largest health systems, announced Monday it would mandate coronavirus vaccines for its front-line workers, becoming the first federal agency to do so and signaling what some experts said could be a national pivot to such requirements.
Faced with the explosive growth of a new virus variant, the state of California and the city of New York gave workers a choice: Get vaccinated or face weekly testing. And an array of hospitals from coast to coast, including the prestigious Mayo Clinic, declared they would require staff to get vaccinated, following a joint plea from the nation’s major medical groups.
Rutgers Sent ‘False and Misleading’ Emails to Students About COVID Vaccine Mandate, Attorney Says
A New Jersey attorney last week accused Rutgers university officials of sending “false and misleading” communications to students about the university’s COVID-19 vaccine policy.
In a letter to Jay Hoffman, Rutgers senior vice president and general counsel, attorney Julio C. Gomez asked Hoffman to investigate the misleading communications and direct university officials to retract them.
DOJ Says Federal Law Doesn’t Bar Businesses, Agencies From Mandating COVID Vaccines
Justice Department lawyers say that federal law doesn’t stop private businesses or public agencies from mandating COVID vaccines, according to an opinion released on Monday just hours after the Department of Veterans Affairs became the first federal agency to mandate inoculations for some of its employees.
The opinion from the department’s Office of Legal Counsel, dated July 6, opens the door for more businesses to require the shots for U.S. workers as COVID spreads among the unvaccinated, and comes two months after the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission released guidance saying U.S. employers could require all employees physically entering an office space to get the vaccine.
NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio Says Voices Against the COVID Vaccinations Are ‘Criminal’
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said Tuesday that anti-vaccine voices are “criminal” at this juncture in the pandemic, as the country fights a fast-moving coronavirus variant and schools get ready to reopen.
“What they are doing to this country is undermining our future. They really are. They’re taking away the future of this country, because if we go backwards, if we go back to restrictions and shutdowns, this country’s going to be in a horrible, dangerous place in terms of our lives, our livelihoods, our economy,” Mr. de Blasio, a Democrat, told MSNBC’s “Morning Joe.” “And if we don’t get it right on vaccination, we’re going to lose a huge number of Americans.”
San Francisco Bars Saw a ‘Surge’ of Breakthrough COVID Cases. Now They’re Requiring Vaccine Cards to Enter.
Washington Post via MSN reported:
At the Latin American Club on Monday night, the rule was already in effect. Bouncer Jason Voisine, 54, asked patrons for proof of vaccination at the San Francisco bar known for its stiff margaritas. A photo of the vaccination record, he said, would do just fine.
“You’re going to see a lot of bars doing this now,” he warned.
Indeed, starting Thursday, hundreds of San Francisco bars will require patrons to show proof of vaccination or a negative coronavirus test before they can drink inside. It was a decision made Monday by the San Francisco Bar Owner Alliance, a coalition of more than 500 bars in the densely populated city. While it’s up to individual bars to participate, most members have opted in, Ben Bleiman, the organization’s founder, told The Washington Post.
CDC: Vaccinated People Should Wear Masks Indoors Again Amid Spread of COVID Delta Variant
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released stricter mask guidance Tuesday afternoon in response to the highly-contagious delta variant of COVID-19, but little is known about what that guidance could mean for Coloradans.
The CDC recommended that fully vaccinated people wear masks indoors in counties with high or substantial community transmission as COVID-19 cases continue to rise, the majority of which are now believed to be the delta variant, said CDC director Dr. Rochelle Walensky.
Tech’s Massive Money Shield
The tech industry’s leading giants are floating on a cushion of record profits in lakes of reserve cash, and all that money makes them just about unsinkable.
Driving the news: Tech’s big five — Google, Apple, Amazon, Facebook and Microsoft — all report their earnings between Tuesday and Thursday this week. Recent quarters have delivered blowout results for these companies, and many observers expect the same again.
As David Streitfeld writes in the New York Times: “Silicon Valley, still the world headquarters for tech start-ups, has never seen so much loot.”
Biden’s ‘Antitrust Revolution’ Overlooks AI — at Americans’ Peril
DESPITE THE EXECUTIVE orders and congressional hearings of the “Biden antitrust revolution,” the most profound anti-competitive shift is happening under policymakers’ noses: the cornering of artificial intelligence and automation by a handful of tech companies. This needs to change.
There is little doubt that the impact of AI will be widely felt. It is shaping product innovations, creating new research, discovery, and development pathways, and reinventing business models. AI is making inroads in the development of autonomous vehicles, which may eventually improve road safety, reduce urban congestion, and help drivers make better use of their time. AI recently predicted the molecular structure of almost every protein in the human body, and it helped develop and roll out a COVID vaccine in record time.
Joint Open Letter by Civil Society Organizations and Independent Experts Calling on States to Implement an Immediate Moratorium on the Sale, Transfer and Use of Surveillance Technology
Amnesty International reported:
In this joint open letter, 146 civil society organizations and 28 independent experts worldwide call on states to implement an immediate moratorium on the sale, transfer and use of surveillance technology. Alarmed by the Pegasus Project revelations that NSO Group’s spyware has been used to facilitate human rights violations around the world on a massive scale, the undersigned highlight the key human rights implications of this major exposé and issue a series of recommendations to states, as well as states that export surveillance technology.
Portland Will Not Mandate Vaccinations or Weekly COVID Tests for City Workers
Portland officials said Monday the city will not require municipal workers to get vaccinated or submit to weekly coronavirus tests, hours after the largest state and city in the U.S. each imposed similar mandates.
Instead, the city will continue to promote “evidence-based information campaigns” about the importance of the COVID-19 vaccine and encourage high-risk or unvaccinated workers to wear face coverings and take other safety precautions, said Heather Hafer, a spokeswoman for the Office of Management and Finance.
Missouri AG Sues Over St. Louis Area Mask Mandate
The attorney general in Missouri has sued in an effort to halt a mask mandate that took effect Monday in the St. Louis area amid a rise in COVID-19 cases that are burdening a growing number of hospitals around the state.
The mandate, one of the first to be reinstated in the country, requires everyone age 5 or older to wear masks in indoor public places and on public transportation in St. Louis city and St. Louis County even if they are vaccinated. Wearing masks outdoors is strongly encouraged, especially in group settings.
Vaccine Should Be Mandatory for Those Receiving Government Healthcare, ABC News’s Margaret Hoover Says
ABC News panelist Margaret Hoover said on Sunday that patients receiving government healthcare should be required to get the coronavirus vaccine. During a segment on This Week with George Stephanopoulos, Hoover explained that she thinks the government should make life “almost impossible” for those who are unvaccinated.
Thousands Protest Amid Global Anger Against COVID Restrictions + More
Thousands Protest Amid Global Anger Against COVID Restrictions
Tens of thousands of people across several countries, including France and Italy, have protested against anti-COVID measures, with the French police using tear gas and water cannon to disperse protesters in the capital Paris.
In France, an estimated 160,000 took to the streets in nationwide protests against President Emmanuel Macron’s health pass that will drastically curtail access to restaurants and public spaces for unvaccinated people.
Amazon Tracking Device for Kids? It’s Time to Crack Down on Surveillance
Last week, Bloomberg News reported that Amazon planned to release an Alexa-enabled tracking device for children. This latest revelation — which isn’t Amazon’s first attempt at targeting children with tracking-like devices — comes as no surprise from a corporation that has made surveillance a critical part of its business model.
As Amazon continues its relentless crusade to monopolize markets, crush rivals and extract as much data as possible from unsuspecting consumers and third-party merchants, Congress and federal law enforcers must step up to restructure the corporation and prevent it from using these harmful practices. A new report by the Open Markets Institute (where I am employed) details how.
Senate Bill Would Strip Facebook, Twitter of Immunity for Spreading Vaccine ‘Misinformation’
A provision that protects social media platforms from being sued for content shared by its users is under attack by both the left and right — but for different reasons.
Section 230, passed as part of the 1996 Communications Decency Act, gives legal immunity to internet giants such as Facebook and Twitter for content hosted on their platforms.
Democrats say Section 230 is being used to “spread anti-vaccine misinformation,” while Republicans argue the provision promotes censorship of conservative viewpoints.
Supporters of Section 230 say the law is an important tool to protect free speech.
U.S. on Course to Become ‘Digital Dictatorship’ Under Proposed Biomedical Research Agency
A “new” proposal by the Biden administration to create a health-focused federal agency modeled after DARPA is not what it appears to be. Promoted as a way to “end cancer,” this resuscitated “health DARPA” conceals a dangerous agenda.
April 28, 2020, President Biden was widely praised in mainstream and health-care–focused mediafor his call to create a “new biomedical research agency” modeled after the U.S. military’s “high-risk, high-reward” Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, or DARPA. As touted by the president, the agency would seek to develop “innovative” and “breakthrough” treatments for cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and diabetes, with a call to “end cancer as we know it.”
High Price of Admission for Today’s College Students? Loss of Constitutional Freedoms
Once upon a time, kids aspired to go to college so they could spread their wings, assert their independence and expand their horizons in an academic setting that facilitated the cultivation of character, intellect and skills.
But in 2021, the price of admission for many colleges includes forfeiture of both bodily autonomy and critical thinking as COVID-19 vaccine mandates stand between students and the educations they worked hard to access.
For many students, a sense of panic is setting in as deadlines for submitting proof of COVID vaccinations approach. Some were holding out hope new evidence of potential harm to young people would convince administrators that mandates were a bad idea.
California, NYC to Require Employees to Get COVID Vaccine
California and New York City announced Monday that they would require all government employees to get the coronavirus vaccine or face weekly COVID-19 testing as officials raced to beat back a summer surge driven by the delta variant.
Meanwhile, in a possible sign that increasingly dire health warnings are getting through to more Americans, vaccination rates began to creep up again, offering hope that the nation could yet break free of the coronavirus if people who have been reluctant to receive the shot are finally inoculated.
In New York City, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced that all municipal workers — including teachers and police officers — will be required to get vaccinated by mid-September or face weekly COVID-19 testing, making the city one of the largest employers in the U.S. to take such action.
Doctors, Nurses, Medical Groups Call for Mandatory Vaccinations of Healthcare Workers
Leading groups for doctors, nurses and other health care professionals are calling for COVID-19 vaccines to be mandated for health care workers as vaccinations lag amid the spread of the Delta variant.
“Due to the recent COVID-19 surge and the availability of safe and effective vaccines, our health care organizations and societies advocate that all health care and long-term care employers require their workers to receive the COVID-19 vaccine,” the American Medical Association, American Nurses Association and more than 50 other health care groups said in a statement on Monday. “This is the logical fulfillment of the ethical commitment of all health care workers to put patients as well as residents of long-term care facilities first and take all steps necessary to ensure their health and well-being.”
As Coronavirus Surges, GOP Lawmakers Are Moving to Limit Public Health Powers
Across the country, GOP lawmakers are rallying around the cause of individual freedom to counter community-based disease mitigation methods, moves experts say leave the country ill-equipped to counter the resurgent coronavirus and a future, unknown outbreak.
In some states, anger at perceived overreach by health officials has prompted legislative attempts to limit their authority, including new state laws that prevent the closure of businesses or allow lawmakers to rescind mask mandates. Some state courts have reined in the emergency and regulatory powers governors have wielded against the virus. And in its recent rulings and analysis, the U.S. Supreme Court has signaled its willingness to limit disease mitigation in the name of religious freedom.
Fauci Says Health Officials Considering Mask Guidance Revision for Vaccinated
Anthony Fauci, the White House chief medical adviser, said on Sunday top U.S. health officials were discussing whether to revise mask guidance for Americans vaccinated against COVID-19.
“This is under active consideration,” Fauci told CNN’s State of the Union, though he also emphasized that local governments can issue their own rules under current guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
California’s School Closure Rules Violated Private School Families’ Rights, Appeals Court Rules
An appeals court Friday ruled that state leaders violated the rights of parents by forcing private schools to stay closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
But the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals essentially upheld the state’s decision to keep public schools closed to in-person instruction during the pandemic.
The appeals court ruling is the latest development in the lawsuit Brach vs. Newsom, which was filed against Gov. Gavin Newsom last July by California public school and private school families, including two from San Diego. A national conservative group called the Center for American Liberty led the lawsuit effort.
U.S. Will Not Lift Travel Restrictions, Citing Delta Variant — Official
The United States will not lift any existing travel restrictions “at this point” due to concerns over the highly transmissible COVID-19 Delta variant and the rising number of U.S. coronavirus cases, a White House official told Reuters.
The decision, which comes after a senior level White House meeting late Friday, means the long-running travel restrictions that have barred much of the world’s population from the United States since 2020 will not be lifted in the short term.
Court Reverses Course on COVID Cruise-Ship Regulations, Lifting CDC’s Safety Measures
In a matter of days, things have changed again for the cruise industry in Florida.
Judges for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 11th Circuit in Atlanta reversed course Friday, siding with the state and ruling that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cannot impose COVID-19 safety rules on cruises sailing from Florida ports this summer.
The ruling was a victory for Gov. Ron DeSantis, but the court’s turnabout surprised some legal observers.
Sununu Signs ‘Medical Freedom’ Immunization Bill
New Hampshire residents can’t be required to be vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to access public facilities, benefits or services under a bill signed into law by Gov. Chris Sununu.
Supporters say the bill signed this week establishes “medical freedom” by specifying that all residents have the “natural, essential and inherent right to bodily integrity, free from any threat or compulsion by government to accept an immunization.”
It does not, however, supersede the state law regarding vaccinations as a prerequisite for admission to school. That law lists seven required vaccinations but does not currently include the COVID-19 vaccine.
