Archive for the 'Police State' Category
‘Apple’s Silence in China Sets a Dangerous Precedent’
July 31st, 2017Dangerous precedent? I think it’s more of a dangerous precedent du jour. Apple blocks apps for the Chinese regime. Yes, that’s bad. But Cisco built China’s god damned Great Firewall in the first place! In mentioning Apple’s, “Dangerous Precedent,” this New York Times article doesn’t mention Cisco at all. I’m definitely not defending Apple—their manufacturing […]
Judge Offers to Cut Jail Time if Inmates Get Vasectomies or Long Term Birth Control Implants
July 25th, 2017Via: News Channel 5: Inmates in White County, Tennessee have been given credit for their jail time if they voluntarily agree to have a vasectomy or birth control implant, a popular new program that is being called “unconstitutional” by the ACLU. On May 15, 2017 General Sessions Judge Sam Benningfield signed a standing order that […]
Facial Recognition Coming to Police Body Cameras
July 17th, 2017Via: Defense One: Even if the cop who pulls you over doesn’t recognize you, the body camera on his chest just might in the future. Device-maker Motorola announced Monday that would partner with artificial intelligence software startup Neurala to build “real-time learning for a person of interest search” on Motorola products such as the Si500 […]
Mark Zuckerberg: Facebook Can Play a Role that Churches and Little League Once Filled
June 27th, 2017I’ll see you down at Reverend Wayne’s Pearly Gates. Via: CNBC: Mark Zuckerberg wants Facebook groups to play an important role that community groups like churches and Little League teams used to perform: Bringing communities together. And with nearly 2 billion people around the world on Facebook today, he might have a chance to make […]
London Mosque Attack: Man, 48, Arrested on Suspicion of Attempted Murder
June 19th, 2017Via: Guardian: A man has died and eight others have been injured after a van ploughed into a group of people near a north London mosque in an attack police are treating as terrorism. A 48-year-old man has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder. Two people hit by the van were said to be […]
Japan Passes Controversial Bill Boosting Surveillance Powers
June 15th, 2017Via: Bloomberg: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe’s government passed controversial legislation that gives prosecutors the power to monitor and arrest people in the planning stages of crimes. As dawn broke in Tokyo on Thursday, bleary-eyed lawmakers voted to pass the so-called anti-conspiracy bill, which the government says is needed to bolster counter-terrorism precautions ahead of […]
Chinese Style Internet Censorship… in Britain?
June 10th, 2017Via: Independent: Theresa May has refused to rule out censoring the internet like China. The prime minister has looked to introduce sweeping and deep changes to the way the internet works, in what she claims is a necessary move to prevent terror. Those have included restricting the kinds of things people can post online and […]
Cost to Keep Each Prisoner Locked Up in California Per Year: $75,560
June 6th, 2017Madness. Via: Los Angeles Times: Gov. Jerry Brown’s spending plan for the fiscal year that starts July 1 includes a record $11.4 billion for the corrections department while also predicting that there will be 11,500 fewer inmates in four years because voters in November approved earlier releases for many inmates. The price for each inmate […]
Why Jails Are Booming
June 2nd, 2017Via: The Atlantic: A new report from the Prison Policy Initiative examines the reasons behind this explosive growth. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it’s not driven by crime. Crime rates nationwide have dropped over the past few decades, as have conviction rates in court. So then why do jails keep swelling? It basically comes down to two things, […]
How Facebook’s Tentacles Reach Further Than You Think
May 26th, 2017Via: BBC: Facebook’s collection of data makes it one of the most influential organisations in the world. Share Lab wanted to look “under the bonnet” at the tech giant’s algorithms and connections to better understand the social structure and power relations within the company. … “If Facebook were a country, it would be bigger than […]
