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Flock Cameras Face Removal Nationwide Under New Bill
Federally funded Flock cameras could face removal under a new bill proposed by two Republican lawmakers amid widespread concerns about privacy and police abuse.
Reps. Thomas Massie of Kentucky and Eric Burlison of Missouri introduced the “Flock-Off Act” on Wednesday, a bill to ban federal funding for flock cameras, which would require federal agencies to remove federally funded systems and require state and local recipients to stop operating them within 180 days.
Massie told WHAS11 on Wednesday that the measure would not ban Flock cameras. However, it would prevent local governments from using federal funding to buy or operate them. If enacted it would allow federal funds to be used for automated license plate readers (ALPRs) for “the sole purpose of collecting, administering, or enforcing tolls.”
The measure already counts five co-sponsors, almost all Republicans in the House of Representatives. These include Lauren Boebert of Colorado, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Ro Khanna of California (a Democrat), Chip Roy of Texas, and Victoria Spartz of Indiana.
Supreme Court to Decide on Hearing COVID-19 Vaccine Mandate Case in Bellingham, WA
Former City of Bellingham employees and contractors are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to review a lawsuit challenging the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Mayor Seth Fleetwood issued an executive order in September 2021 requiring COVID-19 vaccinations for city employees, volunteers and contractors.
Seventeen city employees were fired for refusing to comply, six resigned and four others lost their jobs under a similar state vaccine requirement. The plaintiffs argue workers were forced to choose between vaccination and their jobs and cite the federal PREP Act, which limits many lawsuits related to emergency medical countermeasures.
Both a federal district court and the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed the case, finding the mandate was supported by existing legal precedent and public health considerations. Attorneys for the city have waived their initial response unless requested by the Supreme Court, which has not yet decided whether to hear the case.
Americans Love AI. They Don’t Want the Data Centers That Power It.
They’re ugly. They’re noisy. They sprawl across the landscape. They gobble up energy and water. Americans hate data centers and don’t trust the Big Tech companies that need them. But they love using the artificial intelligence models they power.
More than half of Americans used an AI chatbot in July, according to new data from Morning Consult. And it’s not just experimenting — Americans are increasingly using AI chatbots multiple times a week. Yet 70 percent of Americans oppose constructing data centers for artificial intelligence in their community, according to a Gallup poll from May.
The disconnect is emerging as one of the central political challenges surrounding the AI boom — and it’s one that politicians from both parties must navigate as the midterms approach. The issue has repeatedly shown up as a divisive theme in races across the country.
Smart Glasses Are Facing Bans in Public Spaces
At this point, if you wear smart glasses, you can expect to be unwelcome in at least some locations, especially ones that are closed off to the general public, like courts, schools, and cruise liners. If you’re in Germany, though, things might be a little different, and by different I mean a lot more strict.
According to a report from European news site Euractiv, Hamburg, Germany’s parliament has adopted a motion to ban smart glasses in some public spaces, including on public transit and at public pools. The adopted motion comes from a proposal made in July, seemingly in response to incidents where Hamburg residents were recorded without their consent.
One instance involved a woman being recorded with smart glasses near Alster Lake without her knowledge or consent. That video was allegedly shared on social media and was watched thousands of times, according to a representative for Hamburg’s Green Party.
America Mocked the Amish and Other Groups Over Technology. Maybe They Were Right
The irony was hard to miss last week. The same day that a documentary (with more than 35 million views as of Sept. 2) portrayed Hasidic restrictions on smartphones and the internet as evidence of a backward, insular world, Meta agreed to a proposed settlement worth up to $17 billion with a coalition of states over allegations that Facebook and Instagram harmed children through addictive design. Meta denies wrongdoing.
As a kid, I spent enormous amounts of time outdoors, growing up near the Santa Monica Mountains and later in the rural mountains of Tehachapi, California. I explored the hills, watched wildlife, fished, stared at the stars, listened to coyotes howl and loved sleeping outside so much that sending me indoors for the night was my punishment.
Try that punishment on a child with a smartphone today.
A bedroom can contain a universe more compelling than anything outside: social media, YouTube, video games, group chats and an infinite stream of entertainment engineered to keep us hooked. When our oldest daughter was one year old, she became so attached to her iPad Mini that she’d shake her crib, crying, “iPad! iPad! iPad!” when we took it away.
