The Ugandan government is using its national biometric ID program to crack down on its political opponents, a report revealed this week.<h2>Program introduced ‘to identify criminals’</h2>Uganda first established its National Identification and Registration Authority (NIRA) in 2014. The governmental body began issuing ID cards to citizens that tie their national identities to their fingerprints and digital footprints. Citizens are now required to use these IDs to vote, receive medical care, complete bank transactions, and even purchase mobile SIM cards.Approximately 60% of Ugandans are enrolled in NIRA’s ID program, which was originally promoted by Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as a way “to identify criminals accurately and promptly.”NIRA-issued IDs are linked to personal data such as facial scans, fingerprints, license plate details, and mobile phone user data. Officials who have access to government databases can use a citizen’s ID to track his or her movements, social media accounts, and relatives’ places of residence.<h2>‘No due process’</h2>Nick Opiyo, a human rights lawyer in Uganda who has been persecuted for opposing the government, says there is “absolutely no due process” requirement that limits government access to citizens’ private data. Officials at various levels track citizens at will by accessing their biometric data.“There is almost no confidentiality in my work anymore,” Opiyo&nbsp;<a href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2024-06-04/uganda-yoweri-museveni-s-critics-targeted-via-biometric-id-system?embedded-checkout=true">told</a> Bloomberg. “There’s pervasive fear and self-censorship.”But it is not only officials who can access citizens’ biometric data. Sixty-seven private companies and government organizations can access the NIRA databases.<h2>AI surveillance cameras help locate private citizens</h2>Agather Atuhaire, a journalist and mother of two, published a report in 2022 on the government’s mismanagement of taxpayer funds. The government began tracking her phone records, social media accounts, and movements. Her landlord evicted her.Ugandan authorities are open about the government’s surveillance capabilities. The country signed a $126 million contract with Chinese megacorp Huawei for an AI-based surveillance camera system. The CCTV cameras capture license plates and driver’s faces from passing cars.Those cameras come in useful if officials want to track a private citizen who has never committed a crime and is not in the police database. Authorities can pull the taxpayer’s photo from NIRA and then enter it into the Huawei CCTV system, which will send an alert when its facial recognition cameras locate the individual.&nbsp;The Ugandan government is planning to roll out a new ID card which will capture even more biometric data, such as iris scans.Bloomberg&nbsp;says Uganda serves as a “cautionary tale” for countries who are using biometric identity systems “without rigorous checks and balances.”<h2>The UN’s vision</h2>Biometric identity programs are increasing in Western countries, at least partially at the urging of the United Nations.According to the UN, it is a human right for every individual to be issued a legal ID. The UN’s&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/un-to-inspire-behavior-change-with-digital-i-ds">vision</a> is that each individual’s digital identity will be tied to other aspects of his or her life, creating a kind of digital web. At the center of this web would be the ID, which would be accessible to government authorities.&nbsp;Frontline News&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/un-aims-to-tie-vaccinations-to-legal-identity-says-biometric-firm">learned</a> last year, for example, that GAVI, a UN-sponsored vaccination body, began pilot testing a program in Ghana that immediately registers the biometric data of every newborn. At birth, infants’ fingerprints are scanned, as are the voices of their parents or caregivers. These data are used to create digital identities that track each baby’s vaccinations and allow him or her to receive government benefits.The UN&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/un-to-inspire-behavior-change-with-digital-i-ds">hopes</a> that governments around the world will use biometric ID programs to track citizens “for climate change” and to “inspire behavior change.”<h2>Biometric ID systems already used in airports</h2>Several Western countries are already advancing systems like Uganda’s.According to a&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/ai-digital-i-ds-to-dominate-air-travel-by-2030-says-report">report</a> on airport travel trends, travel documents like passports and boarding passes by 2030 will have been fully replaced by AI-powered biometric technology that scans facial features and matches them to a digital identity. This information will be shared between governments to make air travel more “seamless” for passengers.“Standardization of immigration and customs processes will be needed, including the sharing of facial recognition and passport data across international authorities. This will enable the integration of biometrics and AI technologies,” said the report.Even now, in international airports like those in Dubai, Tel Aviv, and Los Angeles, biometric scanners use facial recognition technology to analyze travelers’ facial features, which are then matched against a database of faces linked to passports.&nbsp;<h2>Surveillance in the US</h2>Last year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) began&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/tsa-rolls-out-facial-recognition-systems">rolling out</a> facial recognition systems in airports across the country to identify travelers. Passengers can insert their driver's license into a slot or passport onto a scanner and look into a camera about the size of a tablet. The camera uses an algorithm to analyze the passenger’s face and match it against their identification card.But surveillance in the US is mostly carried out by private corporations who then may or may not share the data with state and federal governments.In 2022, for example, a lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/google-illegally-gathers-biometric-data-on-non-consenting-individuals-says-texas-ag">revealed</a> that Google has been using sophisticated technology to capture and store faces and voiceprints of Google users and non-users, including both adults and children.&nbsp;One of the ways Google captures this information is through FaceNet, a face-mapping technology which allows Google to identify and group faces together on Google Photos. FaceNet scans and maps the faces of both users and non-users on the app, which has been downloaded over 6 billion times, and stores them “for an unreasonable amount of time.”&nbsp;Another lawsuit&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/massachusetts-google-spied-on-1-million-phones-during-covid-19-alleges-lawsuit">revealed</a> that during the pandemic, the Massachusetts Department of Health (DPH) worked with Google to tap into over one million Android smartphones for contact tracing.The complaint alleged that a tracking app was secretly auto-installed on the phones, though it was not visible alongside other apps. The app,&nbsp;named MassNotify, could only be found by the user when opening Settings and using the View All Apps feature. If a user found the app and deleted it, the DPH simply had it re-installed.&nbsp;<h2>Surveillance in Israel</h2>Israel’s Hawk Eye program&nbsp;<a href="https://www.timesofisrael.com/police-said-to-keep-huge-secret-database-on-movement-of-israelis-cars/">uses</a> license plate recognition (LPR) cameras to track vehicles “just in case their vehicle is involved in a crime in the future.” Police reportedly maintain a massive database containing data on the movements of vehicles belonging to taxpayers across Israel. Officials have said that the program is necessary for “detecting serious criminal offenses.”In Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion Airport, the Israel Police employ a secret artificial intelligence algorithm to profile and detain passengers at the airport who have no criminal history and provide no cause for suspicion. It gathers private information about citizens from government ministries, including databases from the Ministry of Interior, Ministry of Welfare, the Tax Authority and others. The algorithm then compiles the data, which may include socioeconomic status, marital status, relatives, etc., and matches them against a predetermined criminal profile. It is unclear what significance the algorithm assigns to various data.&nbsp;If there is a match, even if there is no criminal history, the passenger is detained at the airport by police before passing through border control. The reason for the detention is known only to police officers, who then conduct a search of the passenger’s luggage and may also conduct an invasive body search.&nbsp;<h2>Surveillance in Australia</h2>Last year, Australia’s Finance and Public Service Minister Katy Gallagher&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/australian-banks-mandate-biometrics-introduce-digital-i-ds">announced</a> plans to expand the government’s digital ID program. Each ID contains digital versions of government-issued documents such as birth certificates, driver's licenses, and passports, as well as the taxpayer’s unique biometric data. Over 10 million Australians currently use MyGovID to access any one of the government's 130 services.&nbsp;But Gallagher seeks to expand MyGovID to the private sector, where third-party institutions can access taxpayers’ digital IDs before providing their services.In September, the Australian government also&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/australia-announces-digital-id-for-employment">announced</a> plans for a “national skills passport” which will serve as digital identification for employment. The passport will consolidate individual taxpayers’ skills, qualifications and education and will be accessible to employers. Treasurer Jim Chalmers, Education Minister Jason Clare, and Skills and Training Minister Brendan O’Connor say the passport’s purpose is “to help workers promote their qualifications and businesses find more skilled workers.”But it is not only government institutions that are enforcing biometric ID programs.Australian banks have joined forces to require biometric checks from customers, along with other restrictions designed to “combat fraud.”The Scam-Safe Accord, as the initiative is called, is intended to “protect Australian consumers” by implementing “anti-scam measures.” All customers opening new accounts must provide at least one biometric data point such as a facial recognition check or fingerprint. Another possibility is a behavioral check, which will monitor customers’ behavior when interacting with the banks’ online systems. For example, users who copy and paste data into online forms when the customers whose account is being accessed usually key in the data might not be authenticated.<h2>Surveillance in the UK</h2>The United Kingdom is&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/uk-can-now-enforce-more-traffic-offenses-with-ultra-surveillance-cameras">rolling out</a> robust new traffic cameras across the country which will not only be used to catch drivers violating the speed limit but also those holding phones in their hands or not wearing seatbelts.These “ultra cameras" are stealthy. There is no flash to alert drivers they have been photographed. The devices also use infrared technology and Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) to help identify drivers. The VECTOR-SR cameras, made by German manufacturer Jenoptik Traffic Solutions, run 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year.&nbsp;Last year, British Policing Minister Chris Philp&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/british-government-tells-police-to-increase-facial-recognition-surveillance">penned</a> a letter to police forces nationwide urging them to increase their use of facial recognition searches. UK law enforcement has come under fire, though, for its practices regarding its databases and watchlists. Police have yet to delete over three million images of people who were never charged with a crime despite being ordered to do so by a court in 2012.

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surveillance

World News

Are Western democracies following in Uganda's footsteps?

‘A cautionary tale’: Uganda’s surveillance state built on biometric ID program

<h2>Move over book burning, hello de-platforming?</h2>Closed out of your Facebook or Instagram account? Maybe your website suddenly disappeared, or your YouTube channel was demonetized or deleted? Perhaps you lost access to thousands of hours of posts and videos you produced, and your years of work were gone in an instant? That's de-platforming; the modern version of book burning, a “punishment” for going against the mainstream narrative. And, the censorship doesn't stop with social media, it includes PayPal accounts and more.<h3>Getting up again</h3>How do individuals who went afoul of the globalists, who didn't keep quiet and let others do their thinking for them, respond when they find themselves de-platformed by social media companies and other services? Here's what London Real's Brian Rose, Americas Frontline Doctor founder Dr. Simone Gold, and independent researcher James Roguski did to pick themselves up and continue their work despite the heavy-handed censorship they experienced.Brian RoseWhen London Real YouTuber Brian Rose publicly began trying to understand COVID-19 and its countermeasures, he soon found his entire life seemingly deleted from the internet by the social media giants.&nbsp;Not only did he lose all his years of work, amounting to thousands of videos which he had uploaded to the internet. He also lost access to his Paypal account, and more, because in his search for the truth about the pandemic; his counter-narrative interviews with David Icke were too dangerous for the globalists to allow. &nbsp;In his below documentary, Rose&nbsp;recounts his experiences and how he ultimately started a channel of his own. He explains that he was wholly unprepared for what happened on May 3, 2020, even though he knew that many would want to stop the interview (@about 3:36):<blockquote>Over the past few weeks, our entire world has been transformed. Everything we took for granted has now been taken away and our freedoms have been replaced with fear. All those rights we fought centuries for have been handed over without a second thought.&nbsp;We all process fear in different ways. I cope by immersing myself in my work and today my job is to ask questions. One million people will be watching and they all want answers.&nbsp;Countless others are trying to stop this from happening. At any moment they can walk through that door or lock this broadcast. I'm scared but I don't know what else to do. I prepared my whole life for a moment like This. But nothing would prepare me for what happened next. . .</blockquote>&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">WATCH THE MOVIE THAT YouTube DOES NOT Want YOU TO SEE (and SHARE IT Far And Wide ) <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/LondonReal?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#LondonReal</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/WeWillNotBeSilenced?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#WeWillNotBeSilenced</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/StopCensorship?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#StopCensorship</a> <a href="https://t.co/txcVpjPDWz">https://t.co/txcVpjPDWz</a>— Brian Rose, Founder &amp; Host of London Real (@LondonRealTV) <a href="https://twitter.com/LondonRealTV/status/1796285778517221575?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 30, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>&nbsp;Dr. Simone GoldDr. Simone Gold, founder of <a href="https://www.aflds.org" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">America's Frontline Doctors</a>, was one of the first doctors to understand that how she was being told to treat COVID patients wasn't normal. Very alarmed at what was taking place she, along with other doctors, held the “<a href="https://www.whitecoatsummit.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">White Coat Summit</a>” on July 27, 2020, as well as a press conference on the Supreme Court steps. As she tweeted below, the press conference went viral, garnering millions of views before Big Tech and Big Media took the video down.She concluded by explaining their purpose and the result:<blockquote>Our fight was to show America the propaganda vs the truth, and then we were censored.</blockquote>&nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Our press conference in front of the Supreme Court on July 27th, 2020 was a turning point in the fight against COVID Tyranny. After 20 million views in 8 hours, Big Tech colluded to wipe the video from online platforms. We knew in this moment that we would win the fight. <a href="https://t.co/9CP0Ogpnfp">pic.twitter.com/9CP0Ogpnfp</a>— Dr. Simone Gold (@drsimonegold) <a href="https://twitter.com/drsimonegold/status/1610416861723729921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>Dr. Gold continues to <a href="https://aflds.org/about-us" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">advance</a> the mission of America's Frontline Doctors, to protect medical freedom and civil liberties.'James RoguskiIndependent researcher James Roguski who, <a href="http://jamesroguski.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to his website, has been calling out lies and propaganda for decades, found years of work gone when the company that hosted most of his websites terminated his account for what they said were “terms of service” violations. It did not deter him from continuing his work, either.<blockquote>They deleted many of my websites, but they ignited my passion to burn even brighter. I now have most of my work on Substack.&nbsp;</blockquote>Roguski is interested in building a holistic alternative to the WHO and <a href="https://jamesroguski.substack.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">recruits</a> others to join him.<blockquote>The old system is crumbling, and I intend to help speed its demise, but we must build its replacement quickly.If you are fed up with the government, hospital, medical, pharmaceutical, media, industrial complex and would like to help , then feel free to contact me directly anytime.</blockquote>&nbsp;The information contained in this article is for educational and information purposes only and is not intended as health, medical, financial or legal advice. Always consult a physician, lawyer or other qualified professional regarding any questions you may have about a medical condition, health objectives, or legal issues.&nbsp;Related articles:<ul><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/covid-sceptics-won-out-globalists-fear-an-increasingly-disbelieving-public" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">'COVID skeptics won out' — Globalists fear an increasingly disbelieving public</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/colorado-governor-signs-off-on-bill-establishing-state-ministry-of-truth-students-atarget-of-new-law">Colorado governor signs off on bill establishing state 'ministry of truth'? Students a target of new law</a></li></ul>

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Censorship

Globalism

How three individuals got up again after being de-platformed

Who's afraid of Big Bad Tech? 

A British vigilante group known as the “Blade Runners” is receiving widespread support from British taxpayers as it continues to destroy climate surveillance cameras across London.<h2>The ULEZ mandate</h2>By order of London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the city is peppered with ultra-low emission zones (ULEZs), areas accessible only to low-emission vehicles. Cars that do not meet the city’s environmental standards are charged £12.50 ($16) for entering the ULEZ. Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras positioned around the zones read license plates and check them against the vehicles’ make and model in real time. If a vehicle does not meet the environmental threshold, a fine is levied against the car owner.&nbsp;The ULEZ climate mandate has drawn heavy&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/london-hundreds-protest-against-climate-mandates">protests</a> from residents, including&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/british-veteran-launches-hunger-strike-as-unrest-grows-over-climate-mandates">hunger strikes</a> and refusals to pay fines. Taxpayers have also taken to disabling the ANPR surveillance cameras which Transport for London (TfL), the city’s transportation department, said will be used both for climate and law enforcement.<h2>Taxpayers cheer the ‘Blade Runners’</h2>Since the climate restrictions were expanded last year, the Blade Runners have taken to disabling and destroying hundreds of cameras. Between April and September 2023, Metropolitan Police recorded 200 reports of cameras being stolen and 595 reports of cameras being vandalized.TfL began placing black boxes around ULEZ camera wirings to protect them from being cut, but taxpayers found other ways to disable the cameras — like removing them completely.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-media-max-width="560"> MUST SEE: Blade Runners topple THREE ULEZ cameras in a coordinated strike… The people are fighting back! <a href="https://t.co/Yvr2Xr7Lun">pic.twitter.com/Yvr2Xr7Lun</a>— David Morgan #StayFree (@david_r_morgan) <a href="https://twitter.com/david_r_morgan/status/1802726912050995623?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div>In response, the city&nbsp;<a href="https://frontline.news/post/london-taxpayers-attack-surveillance-vans-in-continued-revolt">deployed</a> mobile surveillance vans mounted with ANPR cameras across London in the hopes of evading attacks, but Blade Runners soon began targeting those as well. Some surveillance vans have been spotted covered in graffiti with their tires slashed, while others have been completely covered in tarp.Last month, 21 cameras were destroyed in the hours after Sadiq Khan was re-elected mayor of London, the&nbsp;Daily Mail&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13538797/Moment-Blade-Runner-uses-power-tool-cut-ULEZ-camera-traffic-light-latest-attack-Sadiq-Khans-hated-scheme.html">reported</a>. Last weekend, Blade Runners used power tools to topple a ULEZ camera and traffic lights to the delight of some fellow taxpayers. In a video that was posted to social media, passing cars can be heard honking in support.The video received over 37,000 likes. Comments on the post were largely supportive, with users writing that, “When tyranny becomes law, rebellion becomes duty,” and “Fair play to them, it's a complete scam that does nothing.”Blade Runner Matt Hardy told the&nbsp;Daily Mail&nbsp;that the Blade Runners are “people pissed off about the tyranny reigning over us and getting out and doing things about it – real votes, real boys here.”<h2>‘These cameras are not about the climate. They are about control’</h2>British actor and influencer Laurence Fox said this week he was just given back his electronic devices by police after being arrested earlier this year for cheering on the Blade Runners:<blockquote>These cameras are not about the climate. They are about control. They are the primary infrastructure for all sorts of things that ideologues like the midget dictator [Sadiq Khan] would like to impose upon us.I can now finally say the word ‘Bladerunners’ again. One of the ridiculous restrictions on free speech imposed by the police.It’s a dreadful shame to see so many of these cameras dying suddenly. I’m not at all thrilled about it. Just because I am smiling like a Cheshire Cat, it doesn’t mean that I am over the moon that these scameras continue to topple in high winds.&nbsp;Vive la résistance!</blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">POLICE UPDATE Following 6 coppers bursting into my house earlier this year to arrest me for saying how pleased I was that the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ULEZ?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ULEZ</a> scam was meeting such robust resistance, this morning the <a href="https://twitter.com/metpoliceuk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@metpoliceuk</a> were ordered by the magistrate to hand back all my devices, including my…— Laurence Fox (@LozzaFox) <a href="https://twitter.com/LozzaFox/status/1803030521095622912?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 18, 2024</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></div> &nbsp;

ulez sign camera.jpg

Pushback_Resistance

Climate Change

‘Pissed off about the tyranny reigning over us’

British taxpayers cheer vigilante group destroying climate cams

Fisker is filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, the electric vehicle (EV) company announced Tuesday.<h2>‘Like other companies in the electric vehicle industry’</h2>“Fisker has made incredible progress since our founding, bringing the Ocean SUV to market twice as fast as expected in the auto industry and making good on our promises to deliver the most sustainable vehicle in the world,” a spokesperson <a href="https://assets.ctfassets.net/cghen8gr8e1n/6W19OiEBJDVIFVEmo4feHA/df902c5cb2b067251a300efb0b35f611/Fisker-Filing-FINAL.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">said</a>.The California-based company added it is not the only EV maker that has been struggling to stay in business.“We are proud of our achievements, and we have put thousands of Fisker Ocean SUVs in customers’ hands in both North American [sic] and Europe. But like other companies in the electric vehicle industry, we have faced various market and macroeconomic headwinds that have impacted our ability to operate efficiently. After evaluating all options for our business, we determined that proceeding with a sale of our assets under Chapter 11 is the most viable path forward for the company.”Fisker’s collapse is the latest indication that the EV industry is folding due to sinking demand. Other EV industry players are also cutting their losses as they jump ship.<h2>Hertz</h2>In March, Hertz CEO Stephen Scherr&nbsp;<a href="https://www.motorfinanceonline.com/news/hertz-ceo-resigns-amid-ev-investment-setback/#:~:text=Scherr's%20departure%20coincides%20with%20Hertz's,electric%20vehicle%20(EV)%20rentals">resigned</a> after his bet on EVs cost the car rental giant its biggest quarterly loss since 2020. Hertz had been praised by the Biden administration for its ambition to convert 25% of its fleet to EVs by the end of this year. In January, however, the company announced it would instead be selling its 20,000 EVs — including Teslas — at heavily discounted prices and replacing them with gas-powered cars.<h2>Mercedes-Benz</h2>Mercedes-Benz also recently had to give up its ambition to only sell electric cars by 2030. Instead, EVs are expected to make up only 50% of the German carmaker’s sales over the next decade.<h2>Apple</h2>In February, Apple abandoned its multi-billion dollar effort to create an electric car. Despite being a decade in the works and employing 2,000 people, Project Titan was axed due to falling consumer demand.<h2>Aston Martin</h2>A lack of consumer demand is also partly to blame for Aston Martin&nbsp;<a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13138123/Aston-Martin-puts-brakes-new-electric-supercar-2026-bosses-say-drivers-want-engines-throaty-roar.html">placing</a> its battery-operated “supercar” on hold until 2026.“Demand, certainly at an Aston Martin price point, is not what we thought it was going to be two years ago,” said Aston Martin Executive Chairman Lawrence Stroll.&nbsp;<h2>Ford</h2>In December, Ford slashed production of its flagship EV at its assembly plant in Dearborn, Michigan by half. The automaker cut the monthly production quote for the all-electric F-150 Lightning pickup truck from 3,200 units to 1,600 units per month.<h2>Biden administration continues to force EV production</h2>Nevertheless, the Biden administration in March issued new climate mandates aimed at forcing more EV production. The new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) contain tight emissions standards that will&nbsp;<a href="https://apnews.com/article/epa-electric-vehicles-emissions-limits-climate-biden-e6d581324af51294048df24269b5d20a">require</a> 56% of new vehicle sales to be fully electric by 2032, with an additional 13% required to be hybrids.

car market decline.jpg

US News

Biden administration continues to force EV production

Electric car company files bankruptcy as EV market folds

For the last two years, British authorities have been testing AI-powered emotion recognition cameras on travelers in train stations, according to recently disclosed documents.<h2>What can the cameras see?</h2>In each of eight train stations around the UK, five to seven cameras or sensors scan the passing crowds. Using AI software from Amazon, the cameras use object recognition algorithms to spot criminal activity, trespassing, weapons, wet floors, overcrowding, and overstuffed trash cans.&nbsp;They can also alert authorities when passengers engage in “unusual behavior,” such as shouting, running, smoking, or skateboarding.&nbsp;A combination of existing cameras and newly installed smart cameras are being used for the surveillance project. All are equipped with Amazon’s Rekognition surveillance system.<h2>Emotional recognition</h2>Through a combination of facial and behavioral analyses, the Rekognition software allows officials to also <a href="https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-ai-cameras-emotions-uk-train-passengers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">analyze visitors’ emotions</a>. Internal documents note that the cameras can detect whether a passenger is “happy, sad [or] angry.” They can also recognize passenger satisfaction, which “could be utilized to maximum advertising and retail revenue.”<h2>Anti-social behavior</h2>Authorities can also detect passengers who exhibit “anti-social behaviour,” which&nbsp;<a href="https://www.met.police.uk/advice/advice-and-information/asb/asb/antisocial-behaviour/what-is-antisocial-behaviour/">according</a> to London’s Metropolitan Police Service means “behaviour by a person which causes, or is likely to cause, harassment, alarm or distress to persons not of the same household as the person.”<h2>Social distancing, face masks, and demographics</h2>Other&nbsp;<a href="https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/24757655-usecases_dpas_review_managed_stations?responsive=1&amp;title=1">use cases</a> for the surveillance cameras include detecting whether passengers are keeping to social distancing rules and wearing face masks. The cameras can also scan for demographics by identifying people’s age profiles and “socio-economic classification,” which the documents note can create “revenue opportunities for better targeted advertising and product placement.”<h2>‘Quite a concerning step’</h2>The documents were obtained by Big Brother Watch, a civil rights and government watchdog group, in response to a Freedom of Information (FOI) request. Network Rail, a body within the Department of Transportation which manages most of the country’s train network, has been overseeing the surveillance project.&nbsp;“The rollout and normalization of AI surveillance in these public spaces, without much consultation and conversation, is quite a concerning step,” Jake Hurfurt, head of research and investigations at Big Brother Watch,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-ai-cameras-emotions-uk-train-passengers/">told</a> Wired.As of now, the surveillance systems do not use facial recognition technology, which analyzes faces and matches them against facial images stored in certain databases.

crowd surveillance.jpg

Cameras can also detect 'anti-social behavior,' social distancing

UK tests emotion recognition cameras in train stations

‘A cautionary tale’: Uganda’s surveillance state built on biometric ID program

Are Western democracies following in Uganda's footsteps?

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Who's afraid of Big Bad Tech?

British taxpayers cheer vigilante group destroying climate cams

Electric car company files bankruptcy as EV market folds

UK tests emotion recognition cameras in train stations