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‘Secret Campaign’ Used Thousands of New Yorkers’ Identities Without Consent to Influence Federal Policy: NY AG
Some of the nation’s largest broadband companies funded a “secret campaign” that used the identities of millions of consumers without their consent to generate fake public comments and ultimately convince the federal government to repeal net neutrality in 2017, the New York Attorney General’s Office said Wednesday, announcing a $615,000 settlement.
New York Attorney General Letitia James on Wednesday secured $615,000 from three companies — LCX, Lead ID and Ifficient — that her office found supplied millions of fake public comments to influence a 2017 proceeding by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to repeal net neutrality rules.
An investigation by the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) found that the fake comments used the identities of millions of consumers, including thousands of New Yorkers, without their knowledge or consent.
“Public comment opportunities are a chance for Americans to give their input on important government policies, and these companies abused that for their own selfish purposes,” James said in a statement. “No one should have their identity co-opted by manipulative companies and used to falsely promote a private agenda.”
EU Draft Legislation Will Ban AI for Mass Biometric Surveillance and Predictive Policing
The EU has taken a step closer to enforcing strong regulation of AI, drafting new safeguards that would prohibit a wide range of dangerous use cases.
These include prohibitions on mass facial recognition programs in public places and predictive policing algorithms that try to identify future offenders using personal data. The regulation also requires the creation of a public database of “high-risk” AI systems deployed by public and government authorities so that EU citizens can be informed about when and how they are being affected by this technology.
The law in question is a new draft of the EU’s AI Act, which was approved today by two key committees: the Internal Market Committee and the Civil Liberties Committee. These committees are comprised of MEPs (members of the European Parliament) who have been charged with overseeing the legislation’s development. They approved the finished draft with 84 votes in favor, seven against, and 12 abstentions.
Prince George’s May Sue Social Media Firms Over Students’ Mental Health
Prince George’s County Public Schools could be the latest district to take legal action against the social media companies behind Instagram, TikTok and other apps arguing they are contributing to a youth mental health crisis and should be held accountable.
The county’s board of education will decide Thursday night whether members want to move forward with retaining legal representation.
Several school systems, including Seattle Public Schools in January, have filed suit against the social media companies, and school districts in California, Pennsylvania and Florida have joined. In Maryland, public school systems in Cecil and Carroll counties are also suing.
Attorneys who could be retained wrote in a memo to the Prince George’s school system that the goal of the legal action is to achieve “meaningful recoveries” for the school districts that have been “on the frontlines of a nationwide youth mental health crisis” fueled by social media. They argue that research shows there is a “direct connection” between the youth mental health crisis and the rise of social media.
Senate Republican Unveils Bill to End Government Internet Censorship
Missouri GOP Sen. Eric Schmitt introduced legislation Wednesday that would outlaw government-requested censorship of lawful online speech — restarting discussion of how to accomplish the lofty goal after earlier ideas stalled.
Schmitt’s COLLUDE Act would strip Big Tech platforms of legal immunity for third-party content under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 if they cooperate with government demands to remove First Amendment-protected speech.
“Big Tech executives have no business acting as censors on behalf of the federal government, and accountability is coming for those who sought to silence those whom they disagreed with,” Schmitt said.
Although it faces an uphill climb in the Democrat-held Senate, Schmitt’s proposal offers a fresh idea for heading off federal efforts to police so-called disinformation on subjects such as COVID-19 and alleged political corruption, after repeated instances of censored perspectives later gaining broad acceptance as fact.
Inslee Rescinds COVID Vaccine Requirement for WA State Employees
Gov. Jay Inslee has rescinded a requirement that Washington state employees receive vaccinations for COVID-19, ending one of the strictest such mandates in the country. Inslee made the announcement Wednesday morning, saying the state will no longer require current or prospective employees to show proof of vaccination.
Unlike many other states that imposed vaccine requirements, Washington’s mandate did not allow workers to take regular coronavirus tests in lieu of receiving the vaccines.
While Inslee’s mandate was followed by the vast majority of government employees, more than 2,100 workers who refused to be vaccinated were fired or resigned, according to the state Office of Financial Management.
The Washington Federation of State Employees, which represents nearly 47,000 public-service workers, posted an online message to members noting that the Inslee administration is making those who lost their jobs due to the vaccine mandate “apply, interview, and openly compete” for government positions.
Evolutionary Transhumanism: The End of Our Species as We Know It?
This subject will likely be very foreign to most, will be avoided by many, and will certainly offend those clinging to a god or religion in hopes of gaining everlasting life, by accepting certain dogma laid down in the past by ancient beliefs, religions, churches, monarchs, or rulers.
Those who depend on what is currently called ‘science,’ may be more interested, but will normally fail to see as clearly as they might, the true ramifications of this world being created today. The saying, “living in interesting times,” takes on a new meaning given our circumstances, and the great ‘advancement’ of ‘artificial intelligence,’ technological discovery, and the drive for global dominance, all happening at the same time.
In order to have gotten to this level of ‘thinking’ by the many, man’s achievements, supposed morality, history, and societal norms, had to be destroyed and demoralized, so that artificial life would be sought and desired by the herd. Given all that is happening, the absolute hatred and division that is evident, the loss of freedom, the insane drive for global dominance, and the mass belief in sameness and equality, all at the expense of others, and life itself, one cannot help but see the writing on the wall.
In order to achieve this fully controlled, technological, computerized non-human world, a world where robotic existence is deemed necessary and essential for survival, the mindset of the herd must be altered to such an extent, as to reach a level where the abandonment of this species is accepted as beneficial.
EXCLUSIVE: Congressman Urges Biden Administration to End Healthcare COVID Vaccine Mandate
President Joe Biden’s administration should immediately end its COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, a top congressman said on May 10.
The COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE) is ending just after midnight on May 12. Several COVID-19 vaccine mandates are ending at the same time. But it’s not clear when the mandate imposed by the Department of Human Services (HHS) Centers for Medicare and Medicaid (CMS) is ending, prompting the new letter from Rep. Mike Johnson (R-La.).
The White House said recently that HHS would be “start[ing] the process” to end the healthcare worker mandate. But no end date was given.
The congressman noted that there are serious healthcare worker shortages that have grown worse during the pandemic. Causes include the mandate and burnout.
South Korea to Lift Quarantine Mandate for COVID and End Testing Recommendation for Travelers
South Korea will drop its COVID-19 quarantine requirements and end testing recommendations for international arrivals starting next month after the World Health Organization declared the end of the global health emergency.
The decision was announced during a meeting attended by President Yoon Suk Yeol, where he thanked the country’s medical workers and said it was “delightful that people are getting their normal lives back after three and a half years.”
He said his government will take steps to improve the country’s capacity to deal with future pandemics, including providing stronger support for vaccine developments and expanding international cooperation.
