Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr is accusing the Biden administration of attempting a takeover of the internet, and related private sector businesses, under the guise of “digital equity.”<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr Calls Biden “Equity” Plan For INTERNET CONTROL “Sweeping, Unprecedented, and Unlawful” <a href="https://t.co/TD79rlNu8A">https://t.co/TD79rlNu8A</a> <a href="https://t.co/0kRyDSjVB4">pic.twitter.com/0kRyDSjVB4</a>— Liberty Times &amp; Politics (@dmills3710) <a href="https://twitter.com/dmills3710/status/1721925844166181301?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>The proposed regulations are set to be voted on at an FCC meeting in which Carr will be joined by three other commissioners as well as Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel.Digital Inclusion&nbsp;The concept of digital equity or digital inclusion was first introduced by researchers in 2001. On first impression, one might suspect the academics of merely advocating for affordable internet for the poor. That is something that could easily be accomplished, as the average <a href="https://www.cnet.com/home/internet/consumer-reports-study-of-broadband-costs/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">$900</a> annual cost of high speed internet service could be partially or even fully covered by the tens of thousands of dollars spent on low income families each year. Already in 2013, the Senate <a href="https://www.budget.senate.gov/newsroom/budget-background/america-spent-enough-on-federal-welfare-last-year-to-send-60-000-to-each-household-in-poverty" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">noted</a> that the federal government alone was spending an average of $60,000 annually for each family receiving welfare.<blockquote>Were the $1 trillion spent on federal welfare programs converted into cash and divided exclusively among the 16.8 million households who lived beneath the federal poverty line last year, the government would be able to mail each of those households an annual check for $60,000.</blockquote>The NGO Diversity for Social Impact quickly <a href="https://diversity.social/digital-equity/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">disabuses</a> one of the notion that digital inclusion is just about internet access, though, defining the battle as one for equality of result, not just opportunity. Thus, all people, regardless of how much they or their family invest in their education, are to attain equal capabilities in the cyber world:<blockquote>Digital equity is a term used to describe the state of being where everyone has access to the same opportunities and resources online, regardless of socioeconomic status or location. It is also known as digital inclusion, digital divide, and cyber equity. . . . Digital equity has been further defined as “the capability of individuals and households to participate in, and benefit from, digital opportunities.” [Emphases added].</blockquote>In order to attain equal capabilities, websites and technology, the diversity advocates argue, must be equally understandable to all:<blockquote>Not everyone has the skills necessary to use technology effectively. This can leave them at a disadvantage when competing for jobs or participating in online communities. . . .&nbsp;We need to ensure that the internet is where people can find the information they need. This means creating websites and online resources that are easy to use and available in multiple languages. . . .Design technology in a way that is easy for everyone to use. [Emphases added].</blockquote>The organization does not explain how to make websites on, for example, organic chemistry, electrical engineering or calculus “easy to use.” &nbsp;200+ pages to "Prevent Digital Discrimination”The Biden administration agrees that digital equity goes far beyond internet access for the poor. While free internet for impoverished households could be legislated in just a few sentences, the White House is asking the FCC to approve a 218-page order entitled “<a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-397997A1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Preventing Digital Discrimination.</a>”Opposition within&nbsp;Leading the battle to block the FCC's adoption of this order is Commissioner Carr. That already powerful agency regulates interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite and cable. Carr says the new rules included in the order would greatly expand government powers, allowing it to “micromanage nearly every aspect of how the Internet functions.” Where internet infrastructure is built and even how digital services are marketed would be subject to review:<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">President Biden has called on the FCC to adopt new rules of breathtaking scope. Those rules would give the federal government a roving mandate to micromanage nearly every aspect of how the Internet functions—from how ISPs allocate capital and where they build, to the services… <a href="https://t.co/X8eyxM3Qy0">pic.twitter.com/X8eyxM3Qy0</a>— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) <a href="https://twitter.com/BrendanCarrFCC/status/1721701587289084410?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Bipartisan appointmentsThe FCC's website <a href="https://www.fcc.gov/about/leadership/brendan-carr" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">describes</a> Carr as “the senior Republican on the Federal Communications Commission, having served previously as the FCC’s General Counsel. Nominated by both President Trump and President Biden, Carr has been confirmed unanimously by the Senate three times.” He made headlines in the last year of the Trump administration when he <a href="https://www.politico.com/news/2020/06/02/trump-tech-fight-fcc-295422" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">accused</a> Congressman Adam Schiff of running a “secret and partisan surveillance machine” in gathering evidence for Trump’s Senate impeachment trial.&nbsp;12 years and billions of dollarsCarr <a href="https://docs.fcc.gov/public/attachments/DOC-398244A1.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">published</a> his opposition to the new order with a three page statement posted to the official FCC website. The statement begins with criticism of the government for failing to end the “digital divide” despite spending hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars to do so and despite Democrats controlling federal agencies for 12 of the last 16 years. Carr noted additional government failures:<blockquote><ul><li>The Administration’s broadband policies are failing.&nbsp;</li><li>The costs of building Internet infrastructure in this country have skyrocketed thanks to the Biden Administration’s inflationary policies.&nbsp;</li><li>The Administration has no plan for filling a now empty spectrum pipeline—one that is vital to America’s economy and geopolitical leadership.&nbsp;</li><li>The FCC is just sitting on spectrum that could connect millions of Americans to new, 5G services</li></ul></blockquote>UnconstitutionalInstead of remedying those problems, Carr says Biden is now attempting to give the executive branch powers that must be, but have not been, approved by the legislature. &nbsp;<blockquote>Congress never contemplated the sweeping regulatory regime that President Biden asked the FCC to adopt—let alone authorized the agency to implement it. [Emphasis added].</blockquote>The one piece of legislation used by the White House to justify the rules allows only for much more limited regulations, according to Carr. He also says that those more limited rules must not be implemented, in any case, in the absence of actual biases:&nbsp;<blockquote>Section 60506 of the Infrastructure Act . . . directs the FCC to adopt rules that facilitate equal access to broadband (. . . to the extent technically and economically feasible) and to prevent and eliminate “digital discrimination” based on income level, race, ethnicity, color, religion, or national origin.&nbsp;After nearly two years and several rounds of comments, the FCC’s draft order concludes that “there is little or no evidence” in the agency’s record to even indicate that there has been any intentional discrimination in the broadband market within the meaning of the statute. But . . .&nbsp;Even in the absence of any evidence of intentional discrimination, the Biden plan states the FCC can impose potentially unbounded liability if the agency finds that some act or even failure to act happened to result in a disparate impact based on the FCC’s own judgment. [Emphases added].</blockquote>Under Carr's analysis, the new rules, as written, could be overturned by the judiciary if they are in fact adopted in today's vote as the set of regulations “conflicts with the Supreme Court’s civil rights precedent.” This would be in addition to First Amendment violations which could be used as an alternative basis for invalidating the rules.Construction workers penalized by FCC?Carr goes on to describe how the “Preventing Digital Discrimination” order brings workers in industries related to communications under the control of the FCC, which may then penalize those workers despite the FCC not being tasked with regulating them in the first place.<blockquote>President Biden’s plan sweeps entire industries within the FCC’s jurisdiction for the first time in the agency’s 90-year history. . . .&nbsp;The draft FCC order says that “we are not explicitly tasked with regulating entities outside the communications industry” (a rare moment of regulatory humility) but it then goes on to say that the FCC will do so in this case nonetheless (the moment passed).&nbsp;Landlords are now covered, construction crews are now covered, marketing agencies are now covered, banks are now covered, the government itself is now covered—all newly regulated by the FCC and liable for any act or omission that the agency determines has an impermissible impact on a consumer’s access to broadband. [Emphases added].</blockquote>You must build regardless of profitAn internet service provider (ISP) determining that it is not profitable to construct internet infrastructure in a certain locale may find itself forced to do so under the proposed rules, even in the absence of any discriminatory intent in choosing not to build in that area.<blockquote>President Biden’s plan allows the FCC to impose unfunded build mandates on ISPs and unlimited monetary fines on every covered entity. . . . ISPs could very well be compelled to build out Internet infrastructure without any compensation. [Emphases added].</blockquote>If the ISP does in fact realize losses from the forced work, it would, of course, have to make enough profit elsewhere to avoid bankruptcy.We set the priceThe Hoover Institute <a href="https://www.hoover.org/research/saying-no-again-wage-and-price-controls" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">says</a> price controls should not even be on the radar for economic policy:<blockquote>The vast majority of economists understand that economy-wide price controls are a bad idea. The reason is that they prevent prices from adjusting in individual markets. Supplies and demands for various goods change a lot, and avoiding price controls allows prices to adjust to those changes in supplies and demands. Price controls don’t work, period.</blockquote>The White House believes otherwise. In Carr's words:<blockquote>President Biden’s plan includes price controls. [The] order that the FCC will vote . . . expressly states that the FCC can use it to regulate broadband pricing and even an ISP’s profitability. . . . But the . . . rules do more than that. The FCC arrogates to itself the power to review and determine the lawfulness of promotional pricing and discounts. It even puts the use of credit checks squarely in the cross hairs. Of course, Congress did not give the FCC the power to do any of this—the agency just creates it out of whole cloth. [Emphases added].</blockquote>Beware what you don't doCalling the new rules incompatible with capitalism, Carr describes the unprecedented reach of the regulations to both omissions as well as actions of the people subject to the regulatory scheme:<blockquote>President Biden’s plan hands the Administrative State effective control of all Internet services and infrastructure in the country. . . . Biden’s plan calls for the FCC to apply a far-reaching set of government controls that the agency has not applied to any technology in the modern era . . .As exhausting as it is to read that list [of regulated activities], the FCC itself says it is not an exhaustive list. The Biden Administration’s plan empowers the FCC to regulate every aspect of the Internet sector for the first time ever.&nbsp;The plan is motivated by an ideology of government control that is not compatible with the fundamental precepts of free market capitalism. But it gets worse. The FCC reserves the right under this plan to regulate both “actions and omissions, whether recurring or a single instance.” In other words, if you take any action, you may be liable, and if you do nothing, you may be liable. There is no path to complying with this standardless regime. [Emphases added].</blockquote>“End of Free Speech”Glenn Beck published a segment on Carr's analysis warning that free speech was on the line in today's vote.<div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">According to FCC Commissioner Brendan Carr, the Biden administration is planning to hand the administrative state 'effective control of all internet services.' Team Biden claims this for ‘digital equity’, but if all this is true, it could be the END of free speech online. <a href="https://t.co/3xbwPcJUin">pic.twitter.com/3xbwPcJUin</a>— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) <a href="https://twitter.com/glennbeck/status/1721984826486480901?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 7, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>Carr likewise concludes that the draft of the new rules, “reads like a planning document drawn up in the faculty lounge of a university’s Soviet Studies Department.”Not aloneThe Washington Examiner <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/fcc-commissioner-calls-biden-equity-plan-for-internet-control-sweeping-unprecedented-and-unlawful/ar-AA1juX0b" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">quoted</a> additional critics of the proposed regulations:<blockquote>Former FCC policy adviser Evan Swarztrauber said of Biden's plan, "To call it 'extreme' or 'radical' doesn't do this proposal justice.""Biden is turning 'digital discrimination' into a pretext for regulating everything. For equity," Phil Kerpen, president of American Commitment, said of the Biden plan for the FCC.</blockquote><div class="raw-html-embed"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet">The <a href="https://twitter.com/FCC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCC</a> is claiming the power to control every aspect of broadband infrastructure and the industry itself. To call it "extreme" or "radical" doesn't do this proposal justice. It includes price controls, forced buildout of broadband regardless of ROI, and more. <a href="https://t.co/b7HMYW1sDD">https://t.co/b7HMYW1sDD</a>— Evan Swarztrauber (@SayreEvan) <a href="https://twitter.com/SayreEvan/status/1721645417526341951?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 6, 2023</a></blockquote> <script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> </div>See our previous coverage of Big Tech and the internet:<ol><li><a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/googles-self-interest-attack-on-aflds/">Google exploits immunity to attack AFLDS</a></li><li><a href="https://aflds.org/news/post/google-openly-censors-aflds/">Google suppresses AFLDS</a></li><li><a href="https://www.frontline.news/post/awaken-with-jp-shadow-banned">AwakenWithJP shadow banned</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/elong-musk-shocks-twitter-users">What is Elon Musk thinking?</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/state-department-targeting-dr-gold-aflds-cited-by-judge-who-blocked-biden-censorship">State Department targeting Dr Gold, AFLDS cited by judge who blocked Biden censorship</a></li><li><a href="https://frontline.news/post/law-professor-first-amendment-protects-government-s-free-speech-not-yours">'Law professor': First Amendment protects government's free speech, not yours</a></li></ol>

iStock-1322534651.jpg

fascism

US News

'Biden’s plan hands the Administrative State effective control of all Internet services and infrastructure' - Commissioner

FCC to vote today on 'sweeping, unprecedented' expansion of internet control under guise of 'inclusion'

<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>

account suspended.jpg

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.

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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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British taxpayers cheer vigilante group destroying climate cams

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UK tests emotion recognition cameras in train stations