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  23. <title>Australian Authorities Push for Encryption Backdoors After Internet Censorship Attempt</title>
  24. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/australian-authorities-push-for-encryption-backdoors-after-internet-censorship-attempt</link>
  26. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Didi Rankovic]]></dc:creator>
  27. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 18:47:53 +0000</pubDate>
  28. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech and Censorship]]></category>
  29. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  30. <category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
  31. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195406</guid>
  32.  
  33. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/australian-authorities-push-for-encryption-backdoors-after-internet-censorship-attempt" title="Australian Authorities Push for Encryption Backdoors After Internet Censorship Attempt" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>Australia ramps up calls for "accountable encryption," pushing tech giants toward compliance with controversial backdoor legislation.</p>
  34. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/australian-authorities-push-for-encryption-backdoors-after-internet-censorship-attempt">Australian Authorities Push for Encryption Backdoors After Internet Censorship Attempt</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  35. ]]></description>
  36. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/australian-authorities-push-for-encryption-backdoors-after-internet-censorship-attempt" title="Australian Authorities Push for Encryption Backdoors After Internet Censorship Attempt" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/aus-surveil-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  37. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  38. <p>In a relentless bid to give some of the most authoritarian regimes in the world a run for their money where internet censorship is concerned, Australia&#8217;s government continues to come up with one dubious initiative after another.</p>
  39. <p>Recently, there was an attempt to censor content globally (related to two stabbing attacks in Australia), and shortly after, the country&#8217;s intelligence chief Mike Burgess, and Federal Police Commissioner Reece Kershaw addressed the National Press Club, to launch yet another attack on encryption by urging compliance with encryption backdoors legislation.</p>
  40. <p>Burgess chose to call this &#8211; &#8220;accountable encryption.&#8221;</p>
  41. <p>It isn&#8217;t &#8220;accountable&#8221; right now because, while Australia has passed laws to essentially break encryption, those who are supposed to implement them, technology companies, are not cooperating.</p>
  42. <p>&#8220;I am asking the tech companies to do more. I&#8217;m asking them to give effect to the existing powers and to uphold existing laws. Without their help in very limited and strictly controlled circumstances, encryption is unaccountable,&#8221; <a href="https://www.asio.gov.au/director-generals-national-press-club-address">he said.</a></p>
  43. <p>Burgess was careful to nestle his encryption backdoors plea among seemingly reasonable arguments, such as that encryption provides privacy and is &#8220;clearly a good thing&#8221; that &#8220;enables&#8221; transactions (he for some reason chose not to stress that it is in fact necessary for secure transactions).</p>
  44. <p>But, the Australian spy chief went on, encryption also &#8220;creates safe spaces for violent extremists to operate, network and recruit.&#8221;</p>
  45. <p>And it is their encrypted messages &#8211; and only theirs, governments around the world promise faithfully &#8211; that the authorities, as &#8220;good actors,&#8221; would like to be able to access communications at will.</p>
  46. <p>However, what Burgess and his ilk choose not to take into account is that undermining encryption is a zero-sum game, where it becomes a matter of time before, once introduced, backdoors become available to &#8220;all actors&#8221; &#8211; including ordinary criminals, as well as governments, and other governments they don&#8217;t like.</p>
  47. <p>Commissioner Reece Kershaw made a point of Australia not being alone in its aversion toward secure and private internet communications and transactions, quoting a recent statement made by 32 European police chiefs who complained that &#8220;the way&#8221; end-to-end encryption is deployed &#8220;undermines their ability to investigate crime.&#8221;</p>
  48. <p>And Kershaw&#8217;s own &#8220;door is open,&#8221; he told the gathering, &#8220;to all relevant tech CEOs and chairmen, including Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.&#8221;</p>
  49. <p>But what would they discuss? &#8220;How to make our lives easier,&#8221; the Australian police chief confessed. Oh and &#8211; allegedly, also how to make our lives &#8220;safer.&#8221;</p>
  50. <p>Kershaw also emphasized that his country already has the legal framework in place, but just needs tech companies to work with the authorities.</p>
  51. <p>&#8220;If a judicial officer decides there is reasonable suspicion that a serious crime has been committed, and it is necessary for law enforcement to access information to investigate that serious crime, tech companies should respect the rule of law and the order of a court, or independent judicial authority, and provide that information,&#8221; he said.</p>
  52. <!-- CONTENT END 1 -->
  53. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/australian-authorities-push-for-encryption-backdoors-after-internet-censorship-attempt">Australian Authorities Push for Encryption Backdoors After Internet Censorship Attempt</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  54. ]]></content:encoded>
  58. </item>
  59. <item>
  60. <title>Free Speech Platform Gab Rejects German Request for Data on User&#8217;s Posts Insulting Politician Ricarda Lang</title>
  61. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-rejects-german-request-for-data-on-users-posts-insulting-politician</link>
  63. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Didi Rankovic]]></dc:creator>
  64. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 18:47:10 +0000</pubDate>
  65. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  66. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech and Censorship]]></category>
  67. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  68. <category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
  69. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195413</guid>
  70.  
  71. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-rejects-german-request-for-data-on-users-posts-insulting-politician" title="Free Speech Platform Gab Rejects German Request for Data on User&#8217;s Posts Insulting Politician Ricarda Lang" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>Gab is standing up to citizens facing Germany's oppressive speech policies.</p>
  72. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-rejects-german-request-for-data-on-users-posts-insulting-politician">Free Speech Platform Gab Rejects German Request for Data on User&#8217;s Posts Insulting Politician Ricarda Lang</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  73. ]]></description>
  74. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-rejects-german-request-for-data-on-users-posts-insulting-politician" title="Free Speech Platform Gab Rejects German Request for Data on User&#8217;s Posts Insulting Politician Ricarda Lang" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/gab-germany-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  75. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  76. <p>The German authorities have attempted to get Gab, a free speech software company, to release personal data identifying a user of its platform, for making comments about a politician&#8217;s weight that are considered offensive.</p>
  77. <p>Gab founder and CEO Andrew Torba revealed this in a <a href="https://news.gab.com/2024/04/gabs-response-to-the-german-governments-data-request/">blog post</a>, reassuring the user community that the request will not be complied with &#8211; the response was &#8220;a firm rejection,&#8221; he wrote. He also provided details of this fairly, even by today&#8217;s standards of government speech control and repression, an extraordinary case.</p>
  78. <p>Namely, the user targeted by Berlin made a comment in 2022 that described the Greens politician, Ricarda Lang, as &#8220;fat.&#8221;</p>
  79. <p><img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-195417" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/germany-censorship.jpg" alt="" width="1396" height="1900" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/germany-censorship.jpg 1396w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/germany-censorship-220x300.jpg 220w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/germany-censorship-752x1024.jpg 752w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/germany-censorship-768x1045.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/germany-censorship-1129x1536.jpg 1129w" sizes="(max-width: 1396px) 100vw, 1396px" /></p>
  80. <p>In addition, the user is accused of making two posts that &#8220;sexualize&#8221; Lang, the sum total of all this, according to the German government (the request came from the German Federal Criminal Police Office), being an attack &#8220;on the honor of the politician,&#8221; as well as a show of disrespect.</p>
  81. <figure id="attachment_195419" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-195419" style="width: 1182px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-195419" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-00.26.jpg.jpg" alt="" width="1182" height="1116" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-00.26.jpg.jpg 1182w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-00.26.jpg-300x283.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-00.26.jpg-1024x967.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-00.26.jpg-768x725.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-00.26.jpg-24x24.jpg 24w" sizes="(max-width: 1182px) 100vw, 1182px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-195419" class="wp-caption-text">Greens Politician Ricarda Lang.</figcaption></figure>
  82. <p>And that, the notice received by Gab continued, violates the section of the German criminal code that deals with the offense of &#8220;insult&#8221; (and envisions imprisonment &#8211; up to five years according to Torba &#8211; or a fine).</p>
  83. <p>From here, things start to spiral: the posts, the federal police said in the request, were in German, so they suspect the user is located in Germany.</p>
  84. <p>But to &#8220;confirm the real identity and current location&#8221; they wanted Gab to turn over an exhaustive list of personal information, including account ID, registration date and time, and IP address, port number included.</p>
  85. <p>Further, they wanted the user&#8217;s full name, date of birth, display name, usernames, email addresses, alternatives included, and phone numbers.</p>
  86. <p>The list goes on: postal and billing addresses, payment method, means of payment &#8211; in all instances the data was to be both current and historical.</p>
  87. <p>The German police also wanted ID and proof of address and copies of ID, if available.</p>
  88. <p>&#8220;At Gab AI Inc., we stand resolute in our belief that free speech is a fundamental human right and that our users should be able to express themselves without fear of censorship or retaliation,&#8221; Torba said.</p>
  89. <p>&#8220;We also take the privacy of our users very seriously and will not compromise their civil liberties for the sake of appeasing foreign governments that seek to stifle free speech,&#8221; he continued, adding:</p>
  90. <p>&#8220;In light of this, we have responded to the German government&#8217;s request with a firm rejection. We will not be providing any user data related to the alleged offense, as the speech in question is protected by US law.&#8221;</p>
  91. <!-- CONTENT END 2 -->
  92. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/gab-rejects-german-request-for-data-on-users-posts-insulting-politician">Free Speech Platform Gab Rejects German Request for Data on User&#8217;s Posts Insulting Politician Ricarda Lang</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  93. ]]></content:encoded>
  97. </item>
  98. <item>
  99. <title>House Passes Antisemitism Bill Amid Free Speech Fears</title>
  100. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/house-passes-antisemitism-bill-amid-free-speech-fears</link>
  102. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Cindy Harper]]></dc:creator>
  103. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 18:36:40 +0000</pubDate>
  104. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  105. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech and Censorship]]></category>
  106. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  107. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195435</guid>
  108.  
  109. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/house-passes-antisemitism-bill-amid-free-speech-fears" title="House Passes Antisemitism Bill Amid Free Speech Fears" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>Amidst rising campus protests, the House endorses an antisemitism bill, igniting a fierce debate over free speech and the definition of hate.</p>
  110. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/house-passes-antisemitism-bill-amid-free-speech-fears">House Passes Antisemitism Bill Amid Free Speech Fears</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  111. ]]></description>
  112. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/house-passes-antisemitism-bill-amid-free-speech-fears" title="House Passes Antisemitism Bill Amid Free Speech Fears" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/anti-sem-awareness-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  113. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  114. <p>In response to the ongoing tensions concerning Israel and Hamas, coupled with a wave of pro-Palestinian protests at colleges across the United States, the US House of Representatives, led by a New York Republican, voted in favor of a divisive <a href="https://docs.reclaimthenet.org/BILLS-118hr6090eh.pdf">antisemitism awareness bill</a>. Despite engendering controversy, the bill was successful with 320 votes for and 91 against, manifesting some level of bipartisan support.</p>
  115. <p>The legislation, fronted by Mike Lawler, aims to “provide for the consideration of a definition of antisemitism set forth by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance for the enforcement of federal anti-discrimination laws concerning education programs or activities, and for other purposes.”</p>
  116. <p><img decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-195437" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-19.18.jpg.jpg" alt="" width="792" height="1026" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-19.18.jpg.jpg 792w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-19.18.jpg-232x300.jpg 232w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-19.18.jpg-790x1024.jpg 790w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-19.18.jpg-768x995.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 792px) 100vw, 792px" /></p>
  117. <p>The legislation mandates that the Department of Education adopt the IHRA’s definition of antisemitism to enforce anti-discrimination laws.</p>
  118. <p>The bill faced opposition beyond political disagreements. The American Civil Liberties Union also disapproved of the legislation, pointing out that antisemitic discrimination and harassment by federally funded bodies were already legally prohibited. The Union contended that the bill&#8217;s presence is unnecessary for combating antisemitism and instead, it may curb free speech among college students by misinterpreting criticism of the Israeli government as antisemitism.</p>
  119. <p>Critics of the bill, however, including Rep. Matt Gaetz, argue it infringes on free speech. Gaetz notably derided the measure as a “ridiculous hate speech bill” and voiced his concerns that it could potentially label biblical passages as antisemitic.</p>
  120. <p>Expressing his stance on the social platform X, Gaetz announced, “This evening, I will vote AGAINST the ridiculous hate speech bill called the ‘Antisemitism Awareness Act.&#8217;”</p>
  121. <p>He elaborated, stating, “Antisemitism is wrong, but this legislation is written without regard for the Constitution, common sense, or even the common understanding of the meaning of words. The Gospel itself would meet the definition of antisemitism under the terms of this bill!” According to Gaetz, the bill’s definition of antisemitism, as per the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA), would include biblical assertions such as “claims of Jews killing Jesus.”</p>
  122. <p>Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene also opposed the bill for similar reasons. She argued that it could unjustly accuse Christians of antisemitism simply for adhering to Gospel narratives. “The bill could convict Christians of antisemitism for believing the Gospel that says Jesus was handed over to Herod to be crucified by the Jews,” she stated on social media.</p>
  123. <!-- CONTENT END 3 -->
  124. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/house-passes-antisemitism-bill-amid-free-speech-fears">House Passes Antisemitism Bill Amid Free Speech Fears</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  125. ]]></content:encoded>
  129. </item>
  130. <item>
  131. <title>US Lawmakers Grill Former Biden Admin Officials Who Pressured Social Media Companies To Censor</title>
  132. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/us-lawmakers-grill-former-biden-admin-officials-who-pressured-social-media-companies-to-censor</link>
  134. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Christina Maas]]></dc:creator>
  135. <pubDate>Thu, 02 May 2024 17:47:15 +0000</pubDate>
  136. <category><![CDATA[Covid]]></category>
  137. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech and Censorship]]></category>
  138. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  139. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195423</guid>
  140.  
  141. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/us-lawmakers-grill-former-biden-admin-officials-who-pressured-social-media-companies-to-censor" title="US Lawmakers Grill Former Biden Admin Officials Who Pressured Social Media Companies To Censor" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>As expected, their responses are vague.</p>
  142. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/us-lawmakers-grill-former-biden-admin-officials-who-pressured-social-media-companies-to-censor">US Lawmakers Grill Former Biden Admin Officials Who Pressured Social Media Companies To Censor</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  143. ]]></description>
  144. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/us-lawmakers-grill-former-biden-admin-officials-who-pressured-social-media-companies-to-censor" title="US Lawmakers Grill Former Biden Admin Officials Who Pressured Social Media Companies To Censor" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/flaherty-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  145. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  146. <p>In a session of the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government, Congressman Jim Jordan intensely questioned <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/former-biden-official-rob-flaherty-is-subpoenaed-censorship">Rob Flaherty</a>, former White House Director of Digital Strategy, on the Biden administration&#8217;s messaging on COVID-19 and its interactions with Big Tech platforms.</p>
  147. <p>During the hearing, Jordan pressed Flaherty on several controversial statements made by the administration regarding the pandemic. Flaherty was specifically grilled about whether these statements constituted misinformation or disinformation, particularly in relation to claims that vaccinated individuals could not contract the virus, the effectiveness of masks, and the denial of natural immunity.</p>
  148. <div style="width: 640px;" class="wp-video"><!--[if lt IE 9]><script>document.createElement('video');</script><![endif]-->
  149. <video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-195423-1" width="640" height="360" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-jim-jordan-rob-flaherty-1.mp4?_=1" /><a href="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-jim-jordan-rob-flaherty-1.mp4">https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-jim-jordan-rob-flaherty-1.mp4</a></video></div>
  150. <p>&#8220;Was that a guess or was that a lie?&#8221; Jordan asked pointedly about the administration’s early assurances regarding vaccines &#8211; that they prevent disease transmission. Flaherty responded, &#8220;Congressman, when we were communicating on behalf of the administration, we were communicating the best information provided by some of the best medical scientists in the world.&#8221;</p>
  151. <p>Jordan continued to press for clearer answers, challenging Flaherty to define &#8220;misinformation.&#8221; Flaherty&#8217;s response was evasive, noting, &#8220;Congressman, you know, certainly there&#8217;s different and varying definitions of misinformation&#8230;&#8221;</p>
  152. <p>The Congressman also scrutinized Flaherty&#8217;s role in influencing content moderation on social media platforms, citing specific instances where the White House appeared to have urged tech giants to censor certain viewpoints, particularly conservative ones. &#8220;You weren&#8217;t a medical expert, but you could suggest to Facebook that they needed to change their algorithms so that the American people would not see stuff from the Daily Wire, they&#8217;d only see stuff from the New York Times,&#8221; Jordan highlighted, emphasizing the selective suppression of information.</p>
  153. <p>Flaherty defended his actions, stating, &#8220;Congressman, again, we had the ability to flag whatever we wanted, and the platforms had an ability to say, &#8216;No.’ I can&#8217;t speak to whether or not they took any action on the particular meeting.&#8221;</p>
  154. <h3>Congressman Matt Gaetz Intensely Questions Rob Flaherty on Censorship and Pressure on Social Media Platforms</h3>
  155. <div style="width: 640px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-195423-2" width="640" height="360" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-matt-gaetz-rob-flaherty-1.mp4?_=2" /><a href="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-matt-gaetz-rob-flaherty-1.mp4">https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-matt-gaetz-rob-flaherty-1.mp4</a></video></div>
  156. <p>Congressman Matt Gaetz aggressively questioned Rob Flaherty on his role in influencing content moderation on social media platforms, particularly regarding COVID-19 information. Flaherty dodged most of the questions, seemingly reluctant or unwilling to provide a specific answer.</p>
  157. <p>Gaetz pressed Flaherty on who specifically directed the efforts to flag and possibly censor online content. Gaetz asked pointedly, &#8220;When we say we, I just want to know which human beings were involved in deciding like this Leonardo DiCaprio meme had to go.&#8221; Flaherty&#8217;s response was vague, often using collective terms without giving specific names: &#8220;In general, we were discussing specific pieces of content when we were discussing it.&#8221;</p>
  158. <figure id="attachment_195428" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-195428" style="width: 1174px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-195428" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-17.31.jpg.jpg" alt="" width="1174" height="1476" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-17.31.jpg.jpg 1174w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-17.31.jpg-239x300.jpg 239w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-17.31.jpg-814x1024.jpg 814w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot-2024-05-02-at-17.31.jpg-768x966.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1174px) 100vw, 1174px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-195428" class="wp-caption-text">The meme, referenced by Congressman Gaetz, that The White House flagged.</figcaption></figure>
  159. <p>Gaetz, dissatisfied with the lack of clarity, pushed further for specifics, highlighting an email from Flaherty dated April 21, 2021, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/facebook-files-facebook-felt-censorship-pressure-from-outraged-biden-white-house">expressing concern over YouTube promoting vaccine hesitancy.</a> Flaherty mentioned in the email, &#8220;This concern is shared at the highest, and I mean highest, levels of the White House.&#8221; When asked to clarify whom he was referring to, Flaherty responded, &#8220;Congressman, I can&#8217;t recall specifically who I&#8217;m referencing.&#8221;</p>
  160. <p>The Congressman’s line of questioning also delved into the extent of the White House&#8217;s influence over social media companies&#8217; content policies. Gaetz brought to light another email exchange involving Facebook executives, discussing pressure from the administration to remove claims that COVID-19 is man-made. Flaherty could not directly confirm his involvement when Gaetz asked, &#8220;Were you part of that pressure campaign?&#8221;</p>
  161. <p>The discussion took a critical turn when Gaetz cited documents suggesting the US Surgeon General requested the removal of true information about vaccine side effects. &#8220;Mr. Flaherty, should true information be removed?&#8221; Gaetz asked. Flaherty responded, &#8220;Congressman, I can&#8217;t speak to what they&#8217;re writing.&#8221;</p>
  162. <p>Congressman Gaetz expressed his concerns about the implications of such actions: &#8220;What we have a problem with is when the United States government is putting their thumb on the scale.&#8221; He emphasized the potential threat to freedom of speech and the principle of open discourse on digital platforms, highlighting a broader debate on the balance between public health messaging and censorship.</p>
  163. <h2>Congressman Greg Steube Grills Andy Slavitt Over Alleged Coercion of Social Media Platforms</h2>
  164. <div style="width: 640px;" class="wp-video"><video class="wp-video-shortcode" id="video-195423-3" width="640" height="360" preload="metadata" controls="controls"><source type="video/mp4" src="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-greg-steube-andy-slavitt-1.mp4?_=3" /><a href="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-greg-steube-andy-slavitt-1.mp4">https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-greg-steube-andy-slavitt-1.mp4</a></video></div>
  165. <p>Congressman Greg Steube challenged former White House Senior Advisor for the COVID-19 Response, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/the-white-houses-social-media-censorship-demands">Andy Slavitt</a>, regarding his involvement in what Steube termed a coercion campaign against social media platforms and retailers like Amazon to control information related to COVID-19.</p>
  166. <p>Steube questioned the sincerity of Slavitt’s earlier statements in which he claimed, &#8220;Further we had no intention of coercing social media companies into taking action. And I never received any indication that our dialogue was ever interpreted that way.&#8221; Steube countered sharply, outlining a series of email exchanges that suggested otherwise. &#8220;What was your intent? If your intent wasn&#8217;t to coerce,&#8221; Steube pressed, pointing to an internal Amazon document that noted, &#8220;Feeling pressure from the White House.&#8221;</p>
  167. <p>Highlighting the absence of medical or scientific qualifications between Slavitt and another former White House official, Rob Flaherty, Steube underscored the aggressive push from non-experts to influence content related to the pandemic. He cited numerous emails where both engaged extensively with social media platforms to flag and potentially remove content they deemed misinformation, including specific books on Amazon that discussed vaccine safety and efficacy.</p>
  168. <p>On March 2, 2021, a particularly active day of communications cited by Steube, Slavitt and his colleagues pushed Amazon to define their policies on content, as illustrated in an email exchange initiated by Flaherty at 6:16 PM, which read, &#8220;Let&#8217;s talk about what your policies are. We want to understand what lines are here.&#8221;</p>
  169. <p>Steube further detailed an internal email from Amazon on March 12, 2021, where pressure from the White House regarding book bans was explicitly mentioned. This campaign continued into April, with another internal Amazon email discussing the removal of 1,500 books due to what was described as White House coercion.</p>
  170. <p>The Congressman passionately argued that these actions represented a significant breach of First Amendment rights (something currently <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/supreme-court-biden-admin-big-tech-censorship">being decided by the Supreme Court</a>) and accused Slavitt of misleading the committee and the public in his testimony. &#8220;So to testify under oath that you didn&#8217;t intend to coerce the social media companies, to act in a certain manner favorable to your political position is an outright lie to the American people,&#8221; Steube concluded, underscoring the gravity of the accusations and the evidence laid out during the hearing.</p>
  171. <!-- CONTENT END 4 -->
  172. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/us-lawmakers-grill-former-biden-admin-officials-who-pressured-social-media-companies-to-censor">US Lawmakers Grill Former Biden Admin Officials Who Pressured Social Media Companies To Censor</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  173. ]]></content:encoded>
  176. <enclosure url="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-jim-jordan-rob-flaherty-1.mp4" length="29121319" type="video/mp4" />
  177. <enclosure url="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-matt-gaetz-rob-flaherty-1.mp4" length="32786367" type="video/mp4" />
  178. <enclosure url="https://video.reclaimthenet.org/articles/weaponization-hearing-greg-steube-andy-slavitt-1.mp4" length="33310599" type="video/mp4" />
  179.  
  180. </item>
  181. <item>
  182. <title>OpenAI CEO&#8217;s Eyeball-Scanning Digital ID Project, Worldcoin, Hopes To Partner With OpenAI and Has Had Conversations With PayPal</title>
  183. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/worldcoin-hopes-to-partner-with-openai-and-has-had-conversations-with-pp</link>
  185. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Didi Rankovic]]></dc:creator>
  186. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:19:10 +0000</pubDate>
  187. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  188. <category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
  189. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195384</guid>
  190.  
  191. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/worldcoin-hopes-to-partner-with-openai-and-has-had-conversations-with-pp" title="OpenAI CEO&#8217;s Eyeball-Scanning Digital ID Project, Worldcoin, Hopes To Partner With OpenAI and Has Had Conversations With PayPal" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>Worldcoin eyes partnerships with OpenAI and PayPal amid regulatory challenges and privacy concerns, signaling a potential expansion in digital ID networks.</p>
  192. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/worldcoin-hopes-to-partner-with-openai-and-has-had-conversations-with-pp">OpenAI CEO&#8217;s Eyeball-Scanning Digital ID Project, Worldcoin, Hopes To Partner With OpenAI and Has Had Conversations With PayPal</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  193. ]]></description>
  194. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/worldcoin-hopes-to-partner-with-openai-and-has-had-conversations-with-pp" title="OpenAI CEO&#8217;s Eyeball-Scanning Digital ID Project, Worldcoin, Hopes To Partner With OpenAI and Has Had Conversations With PayPal" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eye-scan-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  195. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  196. <p>Worldcoin, a digital ID project based on biometrics, namely, eyeball scanning, co-founded by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, is eying (no pun) partnerships not only with OpenAI, but also PayPal, reports say.</p>
  197. <p>However, these movements are not accompanied by any clarity for now, an example of this being another Worldcoin co-founder and its CEO Alex Blania refusing to make a direct announcement regarding the deal with OpenAI.</p>
  198. <p>Blania at the same time confirmed that the company (specifically, Tools for Humanity, the main Worldcoin developer) is talking to <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/usforthem-pp-debanking-demands-answers">PayPal</a> &#8211; but the payments transactions giant is currently not commenting on any of this.</p>
  199. <p>The general trend, albeit on a much smaller scale (despite the grandiose ambitions) seems to be the tried-and-tested Big Tech path of acquisitions or collaborations in a particular space in order to consolidate the grip on a market.</p>
  200. <p><a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2024-04-25/eyeball-scanning-worldcoin-project-looks-to-openai-partnership">Reports note</a> that Tools for Humanity previously started working with Okta, an identity and access management company, while just this April, it bought Ottr Finance, a startup developing digital wallets.</p>
  201. <p>This is happening as Worldcoin is facing pushback from regulators in multiple countries around the world, who are mostly concerned about the enrollment standards (such as age verification) and data storage policies the controversial company has in place.</p>
  202. <p>Worldcoin&#8217;s stated effort is to have &#8220;every person in the world&#8221; in its ID service, where the transactional nature of the thing is users giving up the sensitive biometric data contained in the irises of their eyes in exchange for what some might call &#8220;cryptocurrency change.&#8221;</p>
  203. <p>The ultimate goal is to create the biggest &#8220;human identity and financial network&#8221; in the world, and the promise is, no surprise there &#8211; that this can and will be done while at the same time &#8220;preserving privacy.&#8221;</p>
  204. <p>But it is precisely privacy fears that are underpinning the scrutiny over Worldcoin&#8217;s operations, and so its plans have been hitting some snags in places as far apart as Hong Kong and Spain, Malaysia, and Portugal.</p>
  205. <p>However, Blania has shared that Worldcoin is taking a &#8220;proactive&#8221; approach in dealing with regulators, that is &#8211; it is hoping that compromising on some features will render the operation as a whole sustainable.</p>
  206. <!-- CONTENT END 5 -->
  207. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/worldcoin-hopes-to-partner-with-openai-and-has-had-conversations-with-pp">OpenAI CEO&#8217;s Eyeball-Scanning Digital ID Project, Worldcoin, Hopes To Partner With OpenAI and Has Had Conversations With PayPal</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  208. ]]></content:encoded>
  212. </item>
  213. <item>
  214. <title>Leak: EU Governments Impose Bulk Scanning Orders on Encrypted Messaging Services</title>
  215. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/leak-eu-governments-impose-bulk-scanning-orders-on-encrypted-messaging-services</link>
  217. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Didi Rankovic]]></dc:creator>
  218. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:08:08 +0000</pubDate>
  219. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech and Censorship]]></category>
  220. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  221. <category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
  222. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195376</guid>
  223.  
  224. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/leak-eu-governments-impose-bulk-scanning-orders-on-encrypted-messaging-services" title="Leak: EU Governments Impose Bulk Scanning Orders on Encrypted Messaging Services" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>The EU's latest draft pushes for stringent surveillance of privacy-focused communication services, raising alarms among digital privacy advocates.</p>
  225. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/leak-eu-governments-impose-bulk-scanning-orders-on-encrypted-messaging-services">Leak: EU Governments Impose Bulk Scanning Orders on Encrypted Messaging Services</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  226. ]]></description>
  227. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/leak-eu-governments-impose-bulk-scanning-orders-on-encrypted-messaging-services" title="Leak: EU Governments Impose Bulk Scanning Orders on Encrypted Messaging Services" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/eu-message-scan-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  228. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  229. <p>Yet another leaked document has emerged revealing details from the European Union policy regarding the implementation of the Child Sexual Abuse Regulation.</p>
  230. <p>(That&#8217;s &#8220;<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/eus-plan-to-mass-surveil-private-chats-has-leaked">chat control</a>&#8221; &#8211; ultimately designed to allow for bulk scanning of all private communications under the guise of looking for illegal content.)</p>
  231. <p>The latest leak, again first published by the Contexte website, is a working document from the current (Belgian) EU Presidency that concerns draft methodology and criteria for the risk categorization of services.</p>
  232. <p>Things are moving fast over in Brussels, at least on this issue &#8211; the draft was published on April 10 to member delegations and was to be discussed as soon as five days later by the Law Enforcement Working Party.</p>
  233. <p>But the direction things are moving, according to long-time &#8220;chat control&#8221; opponent and member of the European Parliament (MEP) <a href="https://www.patrick-breyer.de/en/leak-eu-governments-double-down-on-penalising-privacy-friendly-and-encrypted-messaging-services-with-chat-control-bulk-scanning-orders/">Patrick Breyer</a>, is towards &#8220;doubling down&#8221; on, by various means, control and/or suppress what he calls &#8220;services that allow people to protect themselves.&#8221;</p>
  234. <p><strong>Read the document <a href="https://docs.reclaimthenet.org/2024-04-24-conseil-csam-criteres-classification-services-risque.pdf">here</a>.</strong></p>
  235. <p>Those would be privacy-focused encrypted services, and messaging apps, which, under the methodology presented in the document, would receive lower risk scale scores if people can use them without an account, or with pseudonyms, VPNs, TOR, encryption, cryptocurrencies &#8211; in other words, in ways that make surveillance and tracking difficult or impossible.</p>
  236. <p>That&#8217;s not something the EU likes at all, and so the plan is to be able (and even likely) to slap those with low scores with orders to scan all content.</p>
  237. <p>However, those who are not focused on private chats but &#8220;predominantly engage in public communication&#8221; (i.e., are already open to surveillance and data collection, so that detection orders leading to full scanning are not really necessary) will receive better scores.</p>
  238. <p>The EU&#8217;s logic here is consistent since those who do not harvest user data are automatically slated to have lower scores. Another thing the EU dislikes is decentralized content sharing (such as P2P-based platforms).</p>
  239. <p>That&#8217;s because, as Breyer, a German lawyer and member of the Pirate Party remarks, P2P renders attempts at server-site scanning useless.</p>
  240. <p>Such a methodology demonizes services like torrenting (P2P) platforms, TOR, ProtonMail, and the like, he said.</p>
  241. <p>&#8220;This leaked paper reveals most EU government&#8217;s push to mass surveillance and undermining encryption on services essential to citizens, NGOs, lawyers, etc.,&#8221; the MEP stated.</p>
  242. <p>&#8220;In contrast, the European Parliament&#8217;s approach would only permit the interception of conversations by people connected to child sexual abuse, while mandating many more safety-by-design measures than the Council only mentions in this paper without making them mandatory,&#8221; Breyer added and concluded:</p>
  243. <p>&#8220;We Pirates will not stop fighting for our fundamental right to digital privacy of correspondence and secure encryption.&#8221;</p>
  244. <!-- CONTENT END 6 -->
  245. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/leak-eu-governments-impose-bulk-scanning-orders-on-encrypted-messaging-services">Leak: EU Governments Impose Bulk Scanning Orders on Encrypted Messaging Services</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  246. ]]></content:encoded>
  250. </item>
  251. <item>
  252. <title>Maricopa County and Arizona State Collaborate To Surveil Social Media and Censor “Misinformation”</title>
  253. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/maricopa-county-and-arizona-state-collaborate-to-surveil-social-media-and-censor-misinformation</link>
  255. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Didi Rankovic]]></dc:creator>
  256. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 16:04:34 +0000</pubDate>
  257. <category><![CDATA[Culture]]></category>
  258. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech and Censorship]]></category>
  259. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  260. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195366</guid>
  261.  
  262. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/maricopa-county-and-arizona-state-collaborate-to-surveil-social-media-and-censor-misinformation" title="Maricopa County and Arizona State Collaborate To Surveil Social Media and Censor “Misinformation”" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>Arizona's latest free speech controversy unveils a complex web of alleged collusion between state officials and social media giants.</p>
  263. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/maricopa-county-and-arizona-state-collaborate-to-surveil-social-media-and-censor-misinformation">Maricopa County and Arizona State Collaborate To Surveil Social Media and Censor “Misinformation”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  264. ]]></description>
  265. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/maricopa-county-and-arizona-state-collaborate-to-surveil-social-media-and-censor-misinformation" title="Maricopa County and Arizona State Collaborate To Surveil Social Media and Censor “Misinformation”" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/speech-maricopa-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  266. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  267. <p>The Arizona Secretary of State&#8217;s Office and the Maricopa County Recorder&#8217;s Office have been exposed as doing their best to team up with social media companies, non-profits, as well as the US government to advance online censorship.</p>
  268. <p>This, yet another case of &#8220;cooperation&#8221; (aka, collusion) between government and private entities to stifle speech disapproved of by federal and some state authorities has emerged from several public records, brought to the public&#8217;s attention by the Gavel Project.</p>
  269. <p>The official purpose of several initiatives was to counter &#8220;misinformation&#8221; using monitoring and reporting whatever the two offices decided qualified; another was to censor content on social platforms, while plans also included restricting discourse to the point of banning users from county-run accounts.</p>
  270. <p>&#8220;Online harassment&#8221; was another target, and Maricopa County took it upon itself to &#8220;identify&#8221; &#8211; and then report to law enforcement.</p>
  271. <p>One striking example of the mindset behind all this is a draft of a speech County Recorder Stephen Richer delivered to Maricopa Community Colleges.</p>
  272. <p>As <a href="https://justthenews.com/politics-policy/elections/ariz-sos-maricopa-county-censor-election-misinfo-view-first-amendment">reports</a> note, Richer is hoping to be reelected this year, while back in September 2021, he complained that &#8220;lies and disinformation&#8221; are undermining &#8220;the entire election system.&#8221;</p>
  273. <p>&#8220;And it is in this respect, that the Constitution today is in some ways a thorn in the side of my office. Specifically the First Amendment,&#8221; Richer said &#8211; before declaring himself &#8220;a huge fan of the Constitution.&#8221;</p>
  274. <p>When his office was earlier in the month asked to, essentially, &#8220;make it make sense&#8221; &#8211; they didn&#8217;t, stating only that Richer &#8220;stands by his speech (&#8230;) especially the part where he says he&#8217;s &#8216;a huge fan of the Constitution&#8217;.&#8221;</p>
  275. <p><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-195373" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-30-at-22.59.jpg.jpg" alt="" width="1362" height="1246" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-30-at-22.59.jpg.jpg 1362w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-30-at-22.59.jpg-300x274.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-30-at-22.59.jpg-1024x937.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/Screenshot-2024-04-30-at-22.59.jpg-768x703.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 1362px) 100vw, 1362px" /></p>
  276. <p>And while there was no denying the fact that the official expressed these sentiments, more revelations from the documents &#8211; including the banning of users from official social media accounts &#8211; are now described by Maricopa County as drafts that were &#8220;never implemented.&#8221;</p>
  277. <p>Even those willing to take the county&#8217;s word at face value might be surprised to learn what some of those &#8220;never implemented&#8221; plans included.</p>
  278. <p>One was, opponents might say, to spread their own propaganda. Like so: &#8220;(Partnering) with influencers in our community and across the country who share our desire to spread accurate information about elections and combat disinformation.&#8221;</p>
  279. <p>This document, titled, &#8220;Building a Partnership of Election Fact Ambassadors,&#8221; is believed to have been drafted around the 2022 midterm elections.</p>
  280. <p>Earlier, now former Arizona Secretary of State Katie Hobbs, a Democrat, &#8220;worked with social media companies and censorship nonprofits to track election information online and combat it when they deemed necessary,&#8221; say reports citing the public records.</p>
  281. <p>&#8220;We&#8217;ve heard feedback from elections authorities that they need better tools to track potential voter interference content on Facebook,&#8221; Facebook told her office in a September 2019 email, adding:</p>
  282. <p>&#8220;In response to this feedback, we are building a dashboard that will track this content in each state &#8211; and we&#8217;d like to share those dashboards with the respective elections authorities. These Dashboards will allow for keyword searches of public content on Facebook in each state &#8211; and will be able to be customized to each state&#8217;s needs.&#8221;</p>
  283. <p>Hobbs welcomed this development as &#8220;great news.&#8221;</p>
  284. <!-- CONTENT END 7 -->
  285. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/maricopa-county-and-arizona-state-collaborate-to-surveil-social-media-and-censor-misinformation">Maricopa County and Arizona State Collaborate To Surveil Social Media and Censor “Misinformation”</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  286. ]]></content:encoded>
  290. </item>
  291. <item>
  292. <title>Recommended Open-Source Password Managers</title>
  293. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/recommended-open-source-password-managers</link>
  295. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Rick Findlay]]></dc:creator>
  296. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 15:51:15 +0000</pubDate>
  297. <category><![CDATA[Big Tech Alternatives]]></category>
  298. <category><![CDATA[Members]]></category>
  299. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  300. <category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
  301. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195391</guid>
  302.  
  303. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/recommended-open-source-password-managers" title="Recommended Open-Source Password Managers" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>An open-source password manager serves as your ultimate digital keyring, securing and simplifying your online life. These are the best.</p>
  304. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/recommended-open-source-password-managers">Recommended Open-Source Password Managers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  305. ]]></description>
  306. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/recommended-open-source-password-managers" title="Recommended Open-Source Password Managers" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/open-source-password-manager-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  307. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  308. <p style="text-align: center"><div class="su-box su-box-style-default" id="" style="border-color:#720000;border-radius:3px"><div class="su-box-title" style="background-color:#A50E25;color:#FFFFFF;border-top-left-radius:1px;border-top-right-radius:1px">Sign Up To Keep Reading</div><div class="su-box-content su-u-clearfix su-u-trim" style="border-bottom-left-radius:1px;border-bottom-right-radius:1px"></p>
  309. <p style="text-align: center"><strong>This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters.</strong></p>
  310. <p style="text-align: center">Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content.</p>
  311. <p style="text-align: center">Help protect free speech, freedom from surveillance, and digital civil liberties.</p>
  312. <p style="text-align: center"><strong><a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/join">Join</a></strong></p>
  313. <p style="text-align: center"><strong>Already a supporter? <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/?memberful_endpoint=auth" role="sign_in">Login here</a></strong></p>
  314. <p style="text-align: center"></div></div></p>
  315. <!-- CONTENT END 8 -->
  316. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/recommended-open-source-password-managers">Recommended Open-Source Password Managers</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  317. ]]></content:encoded>
  321. </item>
  322. <item>
  323. <title>London&#8217;s Surveillance Scheme Rakes in Millions While Failing the Community</title>
  324. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/londons-surveillance-scheme-rakes-in-millions-while-failing-the-community</link>
  326. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Didi Rankovic]]></dc:creator>
  327. <pubDate>Wed, 01 May 2024 14:51:13 +0000</pubDate>
  328. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  329. <category><![CDATA[Privacy]]></category>
  330. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195360</guid>
  331.  
  332. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/londons-surveillance-scheme-rakes-in-millions-while-failing-the-community" title="London&#8217;s Surveillance Scheme Rakes in Millions While Failing the Community" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>Despite generating millions, London's ANPR traffic system faces backlash for high error rates and unmet community goals.</p>
  333. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/londons-surveillance-scheme-rakes-in-millions-while-failing-the-community">London&#8217;s Surveillance Scheme Rakes in Millions While Failing the Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  334. ]]></description>
  335. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/londons-surveillance-scheme-rakes-in-millions-while-failing-the-community" title="London&#8217;s Surveillance Scheme Rakes in Millions While Failing the Community" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/car-track-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  336. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  337. <p>A scheme implemented by a Labour Party-controlled council in London, relying on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/uk-surveillance-concerns-increase-as-london-police-could-be-given-access-to-controversial-low-emission-zones-cameras">Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR)</a> surveillance, is proving to be a lucrative &#8220;business&#8221; for the council &#8211; but is essentially failing the community it is supposed to serve.</p>
  338. <p>The system is meant to reduce traffic (&#8220;rat runs&#8221;) in what is known as low-traffic neighborhoods (LTNs). These projects gained momentum with the pandemic, with some now featured in the data gained through freedom of information requests, first introduced in mid-2020.</p>
  339. <p>Two such areas under the authority of the Hammersmith and Fulham council &#8211; while reporting significant monetary gains (up to £1.5 million last month in just one LTN) &#8211; at the same time had the system issue an exorbitant amount of erroneous fines last year &#8211; 83%.</p>
  340. <p>This means that more than 200,000 penalty notices (PCNs) were given to drivers who in reality had the right to enter a given LTN (52,000 fines were collected, while 266,400 PCNs had to be canceled).</p>
  341. <p>And yet, both LTNs <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2024/04/27/labour-council-hammersmith-secret-15m-ltn-fines-earned/">now under scrutiny</a> brought in a total of £12 million in 2023, (that number could still grow by as much as 9 million if 75,000 pending PCNs are turned into collected fines.)</p>
  342. <p>ANPR surveillance surveils vehicles via CCTV, while the system is also used to enforce restrictions and issue fines. But, residents who oppose the system say it doesn&#8217;t work.</p>
  343. <p>Except, that is &#8211; as a &#8220;cash cow&#8221; for the council.</p>
  344. <p>The council first tried to withhold revenue data but then had to make it public thanks to the FOIA request, and, for good measure, apologize because of the attempt to keep this information secret.</p>
  345. <p>Given all this, opponents are now declaring the scheme a failure.</p>
  346. <p>It was sold to the public as a way to &#8220;train&#8221; drivers not to use certain routes and tactics to avoid traffic jams, etc. Yet proof that this goal has not been achieved is in the financial pudding: four years on, had drivers picked up these new habits, revenue would have been falling.</p>
  347. <p>Instead, the data the council had to release shows that it has been at more or less the same level as in 2020.</p>
  348. <!-- CONTENT END 9 -->
  349. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/londons-surveillance-scheme-rakes-in-millions-while-failing-the-community">London&#8217;s Surveillance Scheme Rakes in Millions While Failing the Community</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  350. ]]></content:encoded>
  354. </item>
  355. <item>
  356. <title>UN Official Condemns Health &#8220;Misinformation,&#8221; Advocates for &#8220;Digital Integrity Code&#8221;</title>
  357. <link>https://reclaimthenet.org/un-official-condemns-health-misinformation-advocates-for-digital-integrity-code</link>
  359. <dc:creator><![CDATA[Didi Rankovic]]></dc:creator>
  360. <pubDate>Tue, 30 Apr 2024 18:26:54 +0000</pubDate>
  361. <category><![CDATA[Covid]]></category>
  362. <category><![CDATA[Free Speech and Censorship]]></category>
  363. <category><![CDATA[News]]></category>
  364. <guid isPermaLink="false">https://reclaimthenet.org/?p=195343</guid>
  365.  
  366. <description><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/un-official-condemns-health-misinformation-advocates-for-digital-integrity-code" title="UN Official Condemns Health &#8220;Misinformation,&#8221; Advocates for &#8220;Digital Integrity Code&#8221;" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><p>Under the guise of combating disinformation, the UN advocates for stricter censorship with its new Code of Conduct for Information Integrity.</p>
  367. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/un-official-condemns-health-misinformation-advocates-for-digital-integrity-code">UN Official Condemns Health &#8220;Misinformation,&#8221; Advocates for &#8220;Digital Integrity Code&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  368. ]]></description>
  369. <content:encoded><![CDATA[<a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/un-official-condemns-health-misinformation-advocates-for-digital-integrity-code" title="UN Official Condemns Health &#8220;Misinformation,&#8221; Advocates for &#8220;Digital Integrity Code&#8221;" rel="nofollow"><img width="2560" height="1440" src="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-scaled.jpg" class="webfeedsFeaturedVisual wp-post-image" alt="" style="display: block; margin: auto; margin-bottom: 15px;max-width: 100%;" link_thumbnail="1" decoding="async" srcset="https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-300x169.jpg 300w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-1024x576.jpg 1024w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-768x432.jpg 768w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-1536x864.jpg 1536w, https://reclaimthenet.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/un-speech-2048x1152.jpg 2048w" sizes="(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" /></a><div class='code-block code-block-5' style='margin: 8px 0; clear: both;'>
  370. <p style="text-align: left;"><strong>If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties, <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/go/pt">subscribe to Reclaim The Net.</a></strong></p></div>
  371. <p>The United Nations continues with an attempt to advance the agenda to get what the organization calls its <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/the-un-calls-for-a-code-of-conduct-on-social-media">Code of Conduct for Information Integrity on Digital Platforms</a> implemented.</p>
  372. <p>This code is based on a previous policy brief that recommends censorship of whatever is deemed to be &#8220;disinformation, misinformation, hate&#8221; but that is only the big picture of the policy UN Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming is staunchly promoting.</p>
  373. <p>In early April, Fleming gave a talk at Boston University, and here the focus was on AI, whose usefulness in various censorship ventures makes it seen as a tool that advances &#8220;resilience in global communication.&#8221;</p>
  374. <p>A piece on the <a href="https://www.bu.edu/ceid/2024/04/25/how-can-we-tackle-ai-fueled-misinformation-and-disinformation-in-public-health/">Boston University Center on Emerging Infectious Diseases</a> site first asserts that AI had a &#8220;major role&#8221; in helping spread misinformation and conspiracy theories &#8220;in the post-pandemic era,&#8221; while the UN is described as one of the institutions that have been undermined by all this, while &#8220;working to dispel these narratives.&#8221;</p>
  375. <p>(The article also &#8211; helpfully, in terms of understanding where its authors are coming from &#8211; cites the World Economic Forum (WEF) as the &#8220;authority&#8221; which has proclaimed that &#8220;the threat from misinformation and disinformation as the most severe short-term threat facing the world today&#8221;).</p>
  376. <p>You will hardly hear Fleming disagreeing with any of this, but the UN&#8217;s approach is to &#8220;harness&#8221; that power to serve its own agendas. The UN official&#8217;s talk was about AI can be used to feed the public the desired narratives around issues like vaccines, climate change, and the &#8220;well-being&#8221; of women and girls.</p>
  377. <p>However, she also went long into all the aspects of AI that she perceives as negative, throwing pretty much every talking point already well established among the &#8220;AI fear-mongering genre&#8221; in there:</p>
  378. <p>&#8220;One of our biggest worries is the ease with which new technologies can help spread misinformation easier and cheaper, and that this content can be produced at scale and far more easily personalized and targeted,&#8221; she said.</p>
  379. <p>Flemming said that with the pandemic, this &#8220;skyrocketed&#8221; around the issue of vaccines. But she didn&#8217;t address why that may be &#8211; other than, apparently, being simply a furious sudden proliferation of &#8220;misinformation&#8221; for its own sake.</p>
  380. <p>Flemming then mentions a number of UN activities, basically along the lines of &#8220;fact-checking&#8221; and &#8220;pre-bunking&#8221; (like &#8220;Verified,&#8221; and #TakeCareBeforeYouShare&#8221;).</p>
  381. <p>Some might refer to Flemming as one of the &#8220;merchants of outrage&#8221; but she has this slur reserved for others, such as &#8220;climate (change) deniers.&#8221;</p>
  382. <p>And it wasn&#8217;t long before X and Elon Musk cropped up.</p>
  383. <p>&#8220;Since Elon Musk took over X, all of the climate deniers are back, and (the platform) has become a space for all kinds of climate disinformation. Here is a connection that people in the anti-vaccine sphere are now shifting to the climate change denial sphere,&#8221; Flemming lamented.</p>
  384. <p>But, the UN official reassured everyone that &#8220;she and her team are working to build coalitions and initiatives that leverage AI to promote exciting, positive, fact-driven global public health communications.&#8221;</p>
  385. <!-- CONTENT END 10 -->
  386. <p>The post <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org/un-official-condemns-health-misinformation-advocates-for-digital-integrity-code">UN Official Condemns Health &#8220;Misinformation,&#8221; Advocates for &#8220;Digital Integrity Code&#8221;</a> appeared first on <a href="https://reclaimthenet.org">Reclaim The Net</a>.</p>
  387. ]]></content:encoded>
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