from the look,-we-honestly-thought-no-one-would-keep-asking-questions dept
Thu, Sep 28th 2023 10:41am – Tim CushingTwo years ago, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) released its initial review of federal use of facial recognition tech. That report found that at least half of the 20 agencies examined were using Clearview’s controversial facial recognition tech.
Oversight Report Finds Several Federal Agencies Are Still Using Clearview’s Facial Recognition Tech
For all the (mostly misleading) talk of the US government having too much say in content moderation decisions, this move would literally put US government officials effectively in control of content moderation decisions for TikTok. Apparently the thinking is “welp, it’s better than the Chinese government.” But… that doesn’t mean it’s good. Or constitutional.
…
Honestly, what this reads as is the moral panic over China and TikTok so eating the brains of US officials that rather than saying “hey, we should have privacy laws that block this,” they thought instead “hey, that would be cool if we could just do all the things we accuse China of doing, but where we pull the strings.”
…
So, look, if we’re going to talk about US government influence over content moderation choices, why aren’t we talking much more about this?
Related:
TikTok and U.S. rekindle negotiations, boosting app’s hopes for survival
CFIUS monitoring agencies, including the departments of Justice, Treasury and Defense, would have the right to access TikTok facilities at any time and overrule its policies or contracting decisions. CFIUS would also set the rules for all new company hires, including that they must be U.S. citizens, must consent to additional background checks and could be denied the job at any time.
A Draft Of TikTok’s Plan To Avoid A Ban Gives The U.S. Government Unprecedented Oversight Power
The left-wing government of Germany has passed a controversial new “green” heating law that will force at least 65 percent of all new installed heating systems to be “renewable” energy.
Germany passes impossible “green” heating legislation that will cost economy $1 TRILLION
Related:
Germany Heating Law: How the Building Energy Act Became So Controversial
“If we really want to tackle climate change, the state has to interfere more in what had been private issues because we have to change our behavior,” Römmele said.
Germany mandates switch to heating via renewables with Building Energy Act amendment
The focus of the amendment is on new heating systems, as these are used for an average of 20 to 30 years and the government wants to ensure they are low carbon from the outset. Existing heating systems, however, can continue to be operated as before. This is a compromise reached in the legislative process to mitigate the economic hardships otherwise caused by the amendment.
Records from the Department of Homeland Security show it sought to expand undercover operations online despite pushback from Facebook
Revealed: how US immigration uses fake social media profiles across investigations
Related:
Meanwhile, social media surveillance continues uninterrupted. The documents show CBP is still allowed to create fake profiles to passively monitor public Facebook posts. ICE can go a bit further. It has been given explicit permission to create fake accounts to engage in undercover investigations as long as the tactics used online are somewhat analogous to undercover activities carried out in the real world.
So, we’ve been talking a lot about age verification of late, as governments around the world have all (with the exception of Australia?!?) seemed to settle on that as a solution to “the problem” of the internet (exactly what that problem is they cannot quite identify, but they’re pretty sure there is one). Of course, as we’ve explained time and time again, age verification creates all sorts of problems, including undermining both privacy and speech rights.
You Can’t Wish Away The 1st Amendment To Mandate Age Verification
Related:
The Moral Panic Over Internet Porn Can’t Overrule the First Amendment
The Office of the Director of National Intelligence is throwing $22 million in taxpayer money at developing clothing that records audio, video, and location data.
U.S. Spy Agency Dreams of All-Seeing “SMART ePANTS”
Related:
We have covered the Protecting Kids On Social Media Act a few times, when it was first introduced back in April, where we highlighted how it was both unconstitutional and the rationale behind it was not supported by any actual evidence, and then again just recently when Senator Chris Murphy (one of the bill’s co-sponsors) wrote a ridiculously confused op-ed for the NY Times, claiming it was necessary because kids these days get too many music recommendations and no longer could discover new music on their own.
The Protecting Kids On Social Media Act Is A Terrible Alternative To KOSA
Related:
The new policy for the service formerly known as Twitter says it will use collected biometric data for ‘safety, security, and identification purposes.’
X wants permission to start collecting your biometric data and employment history
Related:
The U.S. government, through the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS), proposed a draft agreement last summer that would grant it extensive access and control over TikTok‘s operations. This move comes as an attempt to address national security concerns related to the Chinese-owned app. A draft agreement, sourced from Forbes, outlines the following potential powers for the U.S. government:
U.S. Government Seeks Extensive Oversight over TikTok
I’ve talked before about the utter stupidity (and danger) of trying to turn the internet into Disneyland: a safe space for little kids, where they’ll never encounter any content that makes them upset, but plenty of states (and many people in Congress) are trying to do it anyway.
Wisconsin Pushing Bill That Requires Websites To Treat All Users As If They’re Children
Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
You must be logged in to post a comment.