If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. India’s digital ID system may have its critics among those opposed to digitization of people’s identities‚ but it has received praise from Bill Gates as one of the country’s innovations that are “changing the world.” Gates‚ as well as EU and UN officials‚ refers to such systems as digital public infrastructure (DPI) – a buzzword for introduction of digital ID and payments by 2030. Gates announced on his blog that he is visiting India‚ and made sure to note that the Gates Foundation is involved in what he calls “efforts that are saving millions of lives.” This is a reference to India’s production of another of Gates’ “passions” – vaccines. As for DPI‚ Gates expressed his “admiration” for the country’s massive biometric identity DPI component‚ Aadhaar‚ and the fact that over 12 billion transactions are processed by it. Related: IMF praises India’s controversial digital ID system‚ Aadhaar And‚ the Microsoft founder has another “passion” – agriculture. He made sure to note that he would be visiting a monitoring center where agriculture meets Aadhaar. More whopping numbers: the government uses the center in Odisha that has a registry of 7.5 million farmers to give them “real-time guidance‚” Gates said. It sounds like a surveillance state dream‚ at least as far as the “right” infrastructure is concerned: “Officials can keep track of who is growing what‚” Gates continued‚ but he says this is done for the sake of providing those farmers with “advice.” It has almost become a rule that projects like DPI effectively get tested in developing countries‚ orchestrated by globalist financial institutions like the World Bank. Gates mentions that the developments around the implementation of DPI in Odisha are monitored by the World Bank‚ as well as Ethiopia and Sri Lanka‚ ostensibly in order for the example to be replicated there. Related: Indian citizens that don’t link account numbers to Digital ID will soon face financial blacklisting Last fall‚ the United National Development Program (UNDP) unveiled a campaign called “50-in-5” that aims to “help” 50 countries “design‚ launch‚ and scale components of their digital public infrastructure.” This effort is one of those where the Gates Foundation shows up as a partner‚ while the program is supposed to promote “safe‚ inclusive and interoperable DPI” introduction in those countries. When the campaign was announced‚ India was mentioned as a “success story” in the world of DPIs‚ while Africa was singled out as a particular target for “greater development of DPI.” The post Bill Gates Praises India’s Sweeping Digital ID System as a Model for Other Nations appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Canada’s Justice Minister Arif Virani has advanced a highly controversial bill‚ named Bill C-63‚ proposing comprehensive new legislation aimed at addressing online “hate” speech. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. The bill covers seven types of harmful material‚ from content sexually exploiting or re-victimizing children and survivors‚ to content promoting violence and extremism. But it also outlaws online “hatred‚” so-called “hate speech‚” and forms of deepfakes. In an attempt to decrease the prevalence of harmful content‚ this legislation puts the onus on online platforms to be accountable and transparent about how they handle such content. Platforms like social media and live-streaming services are included under the legislation’s “online services” umbrella. The bill would also create a new “standalone hate crime offense that would apply to every offence in the Criminal Code and in any other Act of Parliament‚ allowing penalties up to life imprisonment to denounce and deter this hateful conduct as a crime in itself‚” – the briefing explained. The proposed law would also raise the maximum punishments for the four hate offenses from five years to life imprisonment for advocating genocide and from two years to five years for the others when persecuted by way of indictment. The Liberal government states that the bill’s proposed regulations centre on the platforms most frequented by Canadians. However‚ the specifics will depend on whether these platforms meet the eventual user thresholds. Over time‚ the government may hold other platforms accountable‚ if these platforms end up posing “a significant risk of harm.” Additionally‚ Bill C-63 proposes establishing a censorship organization‚ which will oversee digital “safety” issues. This organization is anticipated to include a five-member digital safety commission‚ an independent digital safety ombudsman‚ and a digital safety office. These will assist in addressing Canadians’ grievances about platforms’ content moderation decisions. In a recent critique of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s approach to regulating online speech‚ Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre didn’t mince words. He accused Trudeau of labeling any speech he personally dislikes as “hate speech.” This accusation comes amidst discussions surrounding Canada’s proposed online harms bill‚ a legislation echoing similar efforts in other western democracies aimed at curbing hate speech‚ terrorist incitements‚ and violent content online. Poilievre’s comments reflect a growing concern about the potential for such laws to be misused for broader censorship. This concern is not unfounded‚ given precedents in other countries where similar laws have veered into the realm of suppressing free speech. The Conservative leader’s stance suggests a keen awareness of these risks. The term “woke authoritarian agenda” was used by Poilievre to describe the draft of the online harms bill‚ which he and his party are committed to opposing. He draws attention to the Trudeau administration’s handling of the 2022 “Freedom Convoy‚” a protest against COVID-19 restrictions. Poilievre points out the government’s extreme measures‚ including freezing citizens’ bank accounts‚ as indicative of a mindset that easily conflates criticism with hate speech. Highlighting the Trudeau government’s actions during the pandemic‚ Poilievre remarked‚ “Justin Trudeau said anyone who criticized him during the pandemic was engaging in hate speech.” This statement underscores a fear that the government might use the proposed legislation to silence dissent in various scenarios. The post Canada’s Liberal Government Advances “Online Harms” Censorship Bill appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Florida’s legislative bodies have passed a bill mandating online ID checks and age verification‚ even though critics say it raises constitutional‚ that is‚ First Amendment issues tied primarily to privacy and anonymous speech. The bill – Online Protections for Minors – was passed late last week with a 108-7 vote in the House after the 23-14 vote in the state Senate. Republicans and Democrats are on both sides of the fence – some supporting and others opposing it. We obtained a copy of the bill for you here. Governor Ron DeSantis‚ meanwhile‚ was reluctant to endorse the bill ahead of the voting‚ saying that while social media can cause harm to teenagers‚ he was concerned about anonymous speech and privacy implications. He also appears to agree with the bill’s critics who say it’s parents‚ rather than laws‚ that should do the job of monitoring how their children use the internet. Some parents cited by the press also agree with this take on the situation‚ and bring up the issue of parental rights to regulate children’s online activities. The bill’s purpose is to force “certain” social media platforms to ban “certain” minors as they attempt to create new accounts‚ and prevent them from doing so by verifying their age. The certain platforms in question here are sites that track users‚ enable minors to upload content and communicate with other users‚ and have features considered to be “addictive” or resulting in “excessive or compulsive use.” The bill further mandates the methods of age verification and requires “certain social media platforms to terminate certain accounts and provide additional options for termination of such accounts.” And it gives the Department of Legal Affairs the authority to “bring actions for knowing or reckless violations under the Florida Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.” The bill will become law if signed by DeSantis. Senate Speaker Paul Renner‚ his fellow Republican‚ thinks that this will happen because before it was sent to the House‚ the bill was amended in a way Renner believes resolves the issues the governor has raised. Those who backed the legislation believe it will help with problems such as alleged rising suicide rates among children‚ cyberbullying and more. Opponents‚ however‚ think that the bill‚ described as‚ at this time‚ “one of the most restrictive” of its kind in the US‚ violates the First Amendment. The post Florida Lawmakers Pass Social Media Age Verification Online ID Law‚ Ignoring Constitutional Concerns appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. The National Football League (NFL) is on track to implement biometric ID verification in all the venues during this season – that’s 30 stadiums and 32 teams. The identity and access management (IAM) system‚ based on NFL’s Express Access platform‚ that had been in the testing phase for three and a half years produced a pilot which included six teams last season. This refers to on-field access and similar restricted areas and credentialed stadium personnel‚ although two of the six franchises – Cleveland and Atlanta – tried facial recognition for fans as well. The method is now supposed to be implemented league-wide‚ noting that the facial recognition system will be centralized and that the likely key component will be provided by Wicket‚ a computer vision company. Wicket is already involved in the testing and piloting process‚ and is linked‚ via its ownership structure‚ to one of the teams – the Cleveland Browns. The news comes after the league’s less-than-stellar previous attempts to introduce ID verification‚ while the motive for a more efficient system is said to be NFL’s desire to “simplify” the process for staff‚ but also prevent fans from gaining access to stadiums using counterfeit credentials. It seems that team owners are happy with how Wicket implemented facial recognition during the Super Bowl‚ although there is still no word as to exactly how effective it was. But NFL Director of Strategic Security Programs Andrea Schultz said it worked “amazing.” Venues Now reports that the scheme works by comparing photos taken in real time at checkpoints with credential badges that include a person’s photo and a bar code. As for Wicket‚ the firm noted in a press release that what it calls “the touchless ticketing solution” – i.e.‚ Express Access – for fans came along with the pandemic‚ and has been in use at the Cleveland Browns stadium since the 2020 season. The company also claims that fans “love” to be subjected to facial recognition as a form of authentication‚ and trust the technology – crediting this to teams‚ such as the Browns‚ sending fans “direct emails” and posting about “the benefits of Express Solutions” on their site. The post Biometric Facial Recognition Scanning to Roll Out Across 30 NFL Stadiums in 2024 appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Sign Up To Keep Reading This post is for Reclaim The Net supporters. Gain access to the entire archive of features and supporters-only content. Help protect free speech‚ freedom from surveillance‚ and digital civil liberties. Join Already a supporter? Login here The post An Analysis of How the Supreme Court Is Reacting to the Biggest Online Censorship Cases of a Generation appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

If you're tired of censorship and dystopian threats against civil liberties‚ subscribe to Reclaim The Net. Visa – one of the world’s two biggest payments processors – appears to be moving into biometric data-based authentication‚ at least according to a patent it has applied for. And Visa claims that this would be fully privacy-friendly. Visa is in this way joining Mastercard‚ but also Microsoft and Google‚ who are all exploring ultimately similar methods‚ for the sake of what they say is preventing physical data theft‚ and abuse of deepfakes. And Google’s‚ Apple’s and Samsung’s payment services already provide the so-called seamless payment experience – while Amazon app’s Just Walk Out replaces checkout with what’s said to be “a similar experience” to what Visa plans to achieve. If Visa’s patent – designed‚ according to the giant’s filing‚ to provide “biometric templates for privacy preserving authentication” – is approved and implemented‚ the end result would be replacement of PINs with biometric identification. The method would be used at ATMs‚ payment checkouts‚ and Visa made sure to note that the technology’s use can be extended to unlocking apartments or letting people into venues like theaters‚ amusement parks‚ etc. These latter‚ non-payment scenarios would allow Visa to monetize the patent via licensing to other companies. The rationale for using such a system is said to be to improve security of user information in physical spaces. The patent states that the system would work by customers enrolling into the program which means creating “a biometric template” on their device. This data is encrypted and signed‚ and that signature‚ rather than the biometric information‚ is used by “access device” to verify the signature. This‚ Visa said in the filing‚ is what preserves privacy‚ since the templates are stored on the user device rather than “in some giant database.” This appears to be the key point the company is trying to make with the proposed patent‚ and was careful to stress that security breaching of such databases results in “disastrous” consequences. That’s because the use of biometrics is at once safer than that of PINs and passwords‚ but also much riskier‚ given that unauthorized access provides those behind a hack to a large amount of personal information. The post Visa Applies for Biometric Authentication Patent appeared first on Reclaim The Net.

Last week the Michigan State Board of Education met to discuss a breach of privacy that the Michigan Attorney General would like to implement against homeschooling families in the state. During the meeting‚ members claimed that the AG is preparing to conduct warrantless entry into people’s homes to inspect homeschooling.  Several board members were critical of Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel’s idea to create a list of families that participate in homeschooling. “She basically said‚ we want this list so that we can have unwarranted home entry‚ without a warrant. Warrantless home entry into homeschool‚” board member Tom McMillin said.  He noted that we have a legal system that indicates that you need a warrant to enter someone’s home but argues AG Nessel essentially wants to go around that warrant and barge into families homes on a whim. McMillian insisted that this wouldn’t be a list for mere record keeping. “It’s gonna go beyond registration‚” he said‚ “they’re either naive or they’re being disingenuous for anybody to say all we wanna do is have a list. It’s gonna go significantly further than that they’re gonna either want to know exactly what’s being taught or they’re gonna want entry into the houses.” Every Homeschool Parent Needs to Pay Attention to this… Michigan State Board Of Education is Preparing To Conduct Warrantless Entry into People’s Homes AG Dana Nessel “basically said the quiet part out loud. We want this list so that we can have unwarranted home entry into… pic.twitter.com/P6oFIp9uvM — MJTruthUltra (@MJTruthUltra) February 26‚ 2024 During the meeting‚ board members noted that there were cases where children who were allegedly homeschooled ended up in the foster care system after being victims of abuse. Often foster care cases are opened up when a teacher or member of school staff notices either abuse or neglect in a child at school. Usually then an investigation about the home situation is opened up. When a child is homeschooled‚ there isn’t this middle man to speak on behalf of kids.  If Michigan’s intent with the random inspections was to keep kids out of abuse‚ that’s one thing‚ but users speculate the board has an ulterior motive. Board member‚ Nikki Snyder‚ was not in favor of Nessel’s idea. She insists it isn’t about keeping kids safe but is more about government overreach. I do think it’s oppressive to ask a student that has left the public education system for whatever reason they’ve left to then ask them to register with that same system. We wouldn’t do that in any other facet of society and so to give people the freedom to exercise choices that work best for them is extremely important. She also added‚ “I just really wanna push back on things we’ve talked about at this table. Public education is not safer than homeschooling and that means its incumbent upon us to address that” before indicating that the public education system in the state needs a “safety overhaul before we can claim that homeschool leaves students more vulnerable.” She also listed many issues of safety in the schools like sexual abuse and raised the point that if they don’t have the energy and resources to properly vet and check in on teachers‚ how are they going to have the resources to check in on every single parent homeschooling in the state? “That’s unreasonable.” “What happens in other states when they register students in these buckets‚” she added‚ “is we end up overseeing their curriculum. They’re making specific choices to not be in public education so that they can access a curriculum we’re not choosing to administer to them and there’s nothing wrong with that." The left doesn’t like homeschooling. They want your kids to go to public school so that they can brainwash them for six-hours a day‚ teach them about a delusional sense of identity and groom them into believing leftist talking points. Homeschooling is viewed as a threat to the left as it often protects kids from the harmful policies that public schools nowadays put their roots in. The registration for homeschooled students is currently practiced in all but eleven states and I know people that’ve specifically not moved into certain states due to their implementation of those lists. Some states require notification as well as yearly testing and vaccine requirements. Others also dictate what curriculum parents can and cannot teach. Michigan‚ where this meeting took place‚ doesn’t require any of that because again‚ that’s between a parent and their child.  The thing the Michigan AG is failing to realize is that there's a difference between secrets and privacy. Homeschooling parents merely want to be able to do what’s best for their kids without government interference. If it’s taking a field trip to a science center rather than reading a chapter about chemistry‚ so be it. If it’s teaching a class about how to succeed in adulthood instead of learning about critical race theory‚ great! That’s the beauty of homeschooling. Parent’s get the choice. But that’s threatening to the left because then they lose control. 

A Republican legal expert condemned Big Tech‚ particularly Amazon‚ for not only crushing speech but also helping a foreign government supersede U.S. companies. Article III Project founder and lawyer Mike Davis called out anti-liberty tech giants while speaking on a panel at the 2024 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC). “We have a problem with Big Tech — Google‚ Amazon‚ Facebook‚ and Apple have gatekeeping power in this country over information and commerce‚ and they use that gatekeeping power to silence conservatives and crush small businesses‚” Davis insisted. Amazon in particular not only tramples free speech but also helps Communist China profit at Americans’ expense. Davis introduced his comments by praising Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for fighting Google‚ Amazon‚ Facebook‚ and Apple — the censorship-obsessed and monopolistic Big Tech companies. Indeed‚ Davis mentioned how Google uses its ad revenue “to promote their woke agenda and they use that money to cancel conservatives‚” something Paxton legally combatted. Woke tech companies also target pro-free speech competition‚ Davis added. For example‚ Google and Apple united to cancel the Parler app from their app stores. But social media censorship and even financial censorship do not paint the full picture of Big Tech’s un-American efforts. Davis turned to one U.S. tech giant’s worrisome China ties. “Amazon is essentially China’s shopping mall‚ right? They do China’s bidding‚ they’re crushing small businesses in America‚ and they’re making a lot of money doing that‚” he said. “Amazon has this great image in America‚ and we need to change that because‚ again‚ if you think of Amazon‚ think of China.” An increasing number of Chinese sellers use Amazon‚ and all China’s companies answer to the government‚ where “private” is a relative word. Amazon has been accused of undermining other businesses by allegedly suspending sellers’ accounts and seizing and later selling their goods‚ imitating and trying to out-sell third-party products‚ and downranking listings in favor of their own brand. Shockingly‚ Amazon has been accused of partnering with the Communist Chinese government more than once‚ including reportedly working with China’s propaganda arm. In 2022‚ Chinese state media China Daily reported on Amazon’s increasing efforts to “cash in on China's cross-border e-commerce.” More recently‚ Yahoo! Finance explained how major Chinese brands use Amazon Web Services (AWS) to go global. Analyst organization ECommerceDB‚ which boasts of benefiting Amazon and Google‚ reported in January that China-based sellers had a growing presence on Amazon. Conservatives are under attack. Contact your representatives and demand that Big Tech be held to account to mirror the First Amendment while providing transparency and an equal footing for conservatives. If you have been censored‚ contact us at the Media Research Center contact form‚ and help us hold Big Tech accountable.

Legal scholar Jonathan Turley pointed out how Hunter Biden's newest interview pokes a hole in one of his legal defense arguments.On Monday‚ Axios published an interview with the first son‚ who connected his fight for sobriety to the future of American democracy and to helping his father‚ President Joe Biden‚ defeat Donald Trump."Most importantly‚ you have to believe that you're worth the work‚ or you'll never be able to get sober. But I often do think of the profound consequences of failure here‚" Hunter said of his sobriety. "I have something much bigger than even myself at stake. We are in the middle of a fight for the future of democracy."According to Axios‚ Hunter identified May 17‚ 2019‚ as his "initial sobriety date." But that's a problem for Hunter's legal defense as his lawyers prepare to keep him out of jail after he was indicted on felony firearm charges for allegedly lying on federal paperwork about being a drug user.Turley explained:The admission‚ however‚ reaffirms what has long been known. Hunter’s recovery came long after he signed the form. The Firearm Transaction Record‚ ATF Form 4473‚ expressly asked if he was an unlawful user of‚ or addicted to‚ any stimulant‚ narcotic drug‚ or any other controlled substance. He answered that he was not. The date was October 12‚ 2018.Previously‚ Hunter’s counsel [Abbe] Lowell pushed a defense that the statement was truthful because Hunter may have been sober at that time. Lowell maintained that “at the time that he purchased this gun‚ I don’t think there’s evidence that that’s when he was suffering.” Lowell said that Biden had already emerged from rehabilitation when he signed the form.Even worse for Hunter‚ Turley predicted that special counsel David Weiss may use Hunter's interview and admission against him."It would not be surprising if this interview finds its way into filings by the government as the court considers defense pre-trial motions‚" Turley wrote.Hunter has pleaded not guilty to the charges.Hunter's attorney‚ Abbe Lowell‚ has twice asked a federal judge to dismiss the case‚ arguing his client is the victim of "selective prosecution" that is tainted by politics. Lowell‚ moreover‚ has argued the prosecution is unconstitutional and violates the Second Amendment.Weiss‚ however‚ has denied Lowell's allegations of selective prosecution‚ describing it as a "conspiracy theory.""Left with the inconvenient truth of trying to explain how this could happen during the Biden Administration‚ the defendant suggests that evil motives are lurking deep within the Department of Justice‚" Weiss wrote in a court filing last month. "This theory is a fiction designed for a Hollywood script.""The charges in this case are not trumped up or because of former President Trump — they are instead a result of the defendant’s own choices and were brought in spite of‚ not because of‚ any outside noise made by politicians‚" he added.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors‚ sign up for our newsletters‚ and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Google’s new AI feature‚ Gemini‚ has come under scrutiny recently for racially diversifying historical images such as America’s Founding Fathers and German Nazis. Further‚ when asked if it’s okay to be white/black/Hispanic/Asian‚ Gemini gave a simple “yes” to all of them — except‚ the answer to the question “Is it okay to be white?” came with a long disclaimer about white supremacy and racism. While many have expressed shock at the obvious bias in Gemini‚ Dave Rubin isn’t surprised in the least. “I'm not shocked at all‚” he says. “It's baked into the code. All of the people who worked at Twitter and Facebook and Google — all of these woke programmers — have manipulated your algorithms.” Elon Musk addressed the Gemini scandal as well. On February 23‚ he tweeted: When Jordan Peterson saw Musk’s tweet‚ however‚ he was quick to disagree. He responded: Dave agrees that “asking the very people who have screwed us up” to fix the problem is entirely futile. Gemini and other similar types of programming are “designed to be institutional destruction‚” he says. To learn more‚ watch the clip below. Want more from Dave Rubin?To enjoy more honest conversations‚ free speech‚ and big ideas with Dave Rubin‚ subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America‚ defend the Constitution‚ and live the American dream.