Twitter's 400 million users were taken by surprise over the weekend when the the micro-blogging platform's owner, Elon Musk, curtailed usage of the forum without warning. Within hours, though, Musk backtracked, twice increasing those limits to curb user criticism.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Now to 10k, 1k &amp; 0.5k— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1675260424109928449?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Even with the updated limits, new unverified users could only view 500 tweets a day, apparently including unread tweets appearing in a Twitter feed (though USA Today <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/news/2023/07/01/elon-musk-twitter-tweet-reading-limits/70375995007/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> that it remained, "unclear how the site was calculating what counted as a read tweet"). This left many users locked out with a “Rate limit exceeded” notice. Some reported getting the daylong ban after about two hours on the platform.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">About 2 hours of (off &amp; on) scrolling &amp; I’ve hit my rate limit. DMs still work, &amp; I can tweet into the void but I can’t see new stuff til tomorrow. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/RateLimitedExceeded?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#RateLimitedExceeded</a>— Rebecca Forstner (@RebeccaForstner) <a href="https://twitter.com/RebeccaForstner/status/1675451798339874816?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>One accepted the forced “time out” with grace.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Rate limit exceeded, time to touch grass <a href="https://t.co/VwePO4A0er">pic.twitter.com/VwePO4A0er</a>— Laura Wendel (@Lauramaywendel) <a href="https://twitter.com/Lauramaywendel/status/1675469017123831810?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 2, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Others with a mix of humor and frustration.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Anybody else getting a “rate limit exceeded” message? <a href="https://t.co/XanH3qIWAp">pic.twitter.com/XanH3qIWAp</a>— Iggy(The Igneous Rock) (@morbidcuriosit9) <a href="https://twitter.com/morbidcuriosit9/status/1675167134253723648?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Or just humor.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Rate Limit Exceeded if Seinfeld <a href="https://t.co/mELKhQ1H8U">pic.twitter.com/mELKhQ1H8U</a>— Gershon Rabinowitz (@GershOnline) <a href="https://twitter.com/GershOnline/status/1675862568433246208?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 3, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Making that last meme seem to ring eerily true, Musk actually boasted about hitting “all-time high” usage just one day before enacting his limits.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This platform hit another all-time high in user-seconds last week— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1674894268912087040?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 30, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Do the opposite?Twitter users <a href="https://www.demandsage.com/twitter-statistics/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">post</a> over half a billion tweets each day, with more than $4 billion in annual revenue generated by users viewing those tweets. That being the business model, data scientist and ex-Twitter employee Dr. Rumman Chowdhury expressed his shock at Musk's decision in an <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-66087172.amp" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">interview</a> with the BBC.<blockquote>For a platform that requires engagement, limiting posts seems to go in the opposite direction. It is a "very extreme and unprecedented tactic" which is "already failing", said Dr Chowdhury.</blockquote>The Atlantic <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2023/07/twitter-outage-elon-musk-user-restrictions/674609/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">called</a> the move, “the social-media equivalent of Costco implementing a 10-items-or-fewer rule.”Data scraping &amp; system manipulation?Musk's ability to run a social media company was questioned before his Saturday surprise. &nbsp;<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"> <a href="https://t.co/W9lwZikrAP">pic.twitter.com/W9lwZikrAP</a>— Aldwin Salig (@Aldztrust) <a href="https://twitter.com/Aldztrust/status/1598921004428189698?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 3, 2022</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>But now, tech savvy Musk followers have a major decision and his proffered reasoning by which to judge the platform's owner as Musk provided more details about his claimed need to combat “data scraping &amp; system manipulation.”<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">This will be unlocked shortly. Per my earlier post, drastic &amp; immediate action was necessary due to EXTREME levels of data scraping. Almost every company doing AI, from startups to some of the biggest corporations on Earth, was scraping vast amounts of data. It is rather…— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/1674942336583757825?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Ehden Biber, a <a href="https://ehden.substack.com/about" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">self-described</a> “cybersecurity and privacy professional,” took Musk to task for these claims.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Either Elon is lying, or he needs to fire his <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/infosec?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#infosec</a>/<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/cybersecurity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#cybersecurity</a> team! Elon sent out a tweet today saying that in order "to address extreme levels of data scrapping &amp; system manipulation" they applied a temporary bad. I call bullshit. The next tweets will explain why — Ehden (#PfizerLeak/#MonkeyBusiness/#COptiGate) (@eh_den) <a href="https://twitter.com/eh_den/status/1675220890542305284?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Biber followed up with a series of seven additional tweets, arguing that if this were truly about data scraping Musk would have left Apple and Android phone users out of his limit, since those phones allow for easy detection of data scraping bots. As for other users, Biber insists there's no chance Twitter's chief information security officer (CISO) does not know how to tackle that challenge without limiting usage. Biber concludes that Musk has issued his own company a self-inflicted wound, adapting the words of a popular song to express his frustration with the billionaire.<blockquote>Shot through the heart and you're to blame Darling, you give #DevOps a bad name!</blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none">6) We are in the midst of one of the most important events in modern France history, and Elon decides to address data scrapping and system manipulation, at this moment?!? "Shot through the heart and you're to blame Darling, you give <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/DevOps?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#DevOps</a> a bad name!"<a href="https://t.co/qmj3J3cGNE">https://t.co/qmj3J3cGNE</a> <a href="https://t.co/4c9icxGaTQ">pic.twitter.com/4c9icxGaTQ</a>— Ehden (#PfizerLeak/#MonkeyBusiness/#COptiGate) (@eh_den) <a href="https://twitter.com/eh_den/status/1675244217633783809?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Free speech king or chief censor?A report by the Washington Post <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/05/02/musk-twitter-censorship-government/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">revealed</a> that, despite claims to the contrary, Musk was, in some ways, increasing Twitter's censorship policies.<blockquote>So much for free-speech absolutism. Elon Musk proclaimed his devotion to expression above all else when he took over as Twitter CEO — but his tenure has seen the platform become, in many ways, more restrictive. A recent report on global government-ordered takedowns is the latest example.Rest of World, a nonprofit publication that covers global technology, examined self-reported data on companies’ compliance with requests from authorities to take down users’ posts or hand over their data. It found that Twitter hasn’t refused a single demand since Mr. Musk took over. Those demands, meanwhile, have only mounted — surging from 550 in the six months before the site’s sale to more than 970 in the six months after. Twitter’s records show that it fully complied in 808 requests and partially complied in 154. What they don’t show is a single case in which it did not acquiesce. [Emphasis added].</blockquote>CNN <a href="https://edition.cnn.com/2023/05/29/tech/elon-musk-twitter-government-takedown/index.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">compared</a> this total compliance with the company's pre-Musk days.<blockquote>[P]rior to Musk’s takeover, Twitter frequently fought government takedown requests in court, including from India and Turkey, in addition to publicly releasing detailed information about such requests and how it handled them . . . before Musk’s takeover, Twitter said it received more than 47,000 removal requests between July and December 2021, and complied with 51% of them. In many cases, when it did comply with a removal request because of a certain country’s laws, it removed the violating content only in that country, rather than globally.</blockquote>More such censorship is <a href="https://www.gizmodo.com.au/2023/06/elon-musk-and-censorship/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">described</a> by Gizmodo in, “Elon Musk, King of Censorship: 10 Times the ‘Free Speech Absolutist’ Silenced Twitter Users.”Unclear decisions, unclear futureBusiness Insider <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musks-twitter-limits-damage-last-best-hope-linda-yaccarino-2023-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">noted</a> that Twitter was already suffering a large decrease in ad revenue before the new limits led to what they called an “exodus” of users.<blockquote>While Musk told&nbsp;the BBC in April that "almost all advertisers have come back," an internal presentation obtained by The New York Times showed that US ad sales that same month were down 59% compared to a year prior . . . [The new limits] prompted an exodus of users to similar platforms like Bluesky, backed by Twitter cofounder Jack Dorsey, which had to pause new sign-ups due to a surge in demand.</blockquote>Mark Zuckerberg may even attempt to capitalize on Musk's potential "missteps,” <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2023/jul/03/how-twitter-new-changes-will-affect-users-rate-limited-limit-exceeded-restrictions" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">according</a> to The Guardian.&nbsp;<blockquote>It appears that Meta, the company behind Facebook and Instagram, is preparing to step in to fill the gap Twitter is leaving, with reports the text-based app Threads or “Project 92” is about to be released imminently. Some speculated on the long term effects on the company.</blockquote>Some are predicting the worst for the company.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">RIP Twitter <a href="https://t.co/7kUKp2YlFL">https://t.co/7kUKp2YlFL</a> <a href="https://t.co/ueiTFfDItp">pic.twitter.com/ueiTFfDItp</a>— PHOOD (@DDhellali) <a href="https://twitter.com/DDhellali/status/1675209789775773696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Or a clear path?Twitter is now out of the control of the politically motivated Jack Dorsey who regularly removed the accounts of political conservatives. Unable to rely on Twitter to continue to remove conservative content through their own algorithms, some suspect that censors in the government, NGOs and universities, who flag content and users for removal and file complaints with social media companies to accomplish just that, use data scraping to gather and analyze content, with the help of AI, on a level that is orders of magnitude higher that human capability.Former State Department cybersecurity specialist Mike Benz believes that Musk is, knowingly or not, interfering with that censorship operation and, if successful, could save free speech, since, without unlimited access to content, the bots would not be able to analyze hundreds of millions of daily tweets.He adds that Twitter is singled out for data mining because, uniquely, almost all users are themselves publicizing information (unlike YouTube) and do not require a friend status to access their posts (unlike many Facebook users).<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">Wow. Musk has no idea the DARPA rattlesnake he just stepped on by this doing this… My take on <a href="https://twitter.com/elonmusk?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@elonmusk</a>’s new rate limit policy, from the lens of the censorship industry: <a href="https://t.co/AZ5SPIgHiz">https://t.co/AZ5SPIgHiz</a> <a href="https://t.co/Rw4KBZsT9O">pic.twitter.com/Rw4KBZsT9O</a>— Mike Benz (@MikeBenzCyber) <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeBenzCyber/status/1675254646942896128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Zach Vorhies, who joined James O'Keefe to blow the whistle on Google's algorithms that control access to information, believes Benz is spot-on, concluding, “Elon just threw a fat monkey wrench into the whole [censorship] machine.”<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">This guy wins todays internet award for correctly analyzing all the factors in Twitters lockdown. The intelligence community built a “Censorship Deathstar” by scrapping everyone’s data and Elon just threw a fat monkey wrench into the whole machine. <a href="https://t.co/JbDmUyP1Si">pic.twitter.com/JbDmUyP1Si</a>— Zach Vorhies / Google Whistleblower (@Perpetualmaniac) <a href="https://twitter.com/Perpetualmaniac/status/1675287728555167744?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>

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Twitter

US News

Censorship

Self-inflicted wound? Increased censorship? Or a 'monkey wrench in the censorship machine'

What is Elon Musk thinking?

<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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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;

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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.

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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.

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