AI social-distancing enforcement tool. "You will be TRACKED!"

RT: Coronavirus inspires DYSTOPIAN new AI social-distancing enforcement tool (VIDEO).

An AI start-up company has developed a video surveillance system that can tell if we’re abiding by social distancing rules. It’s the latest example of the pandemic inspiring what some might view as sinister technology.
[.]
Californian software developer Landing AI has created a video tool that can be used to ascertain whether people are following social distancing rules.

“Landing AI has developed an AI-enabled social distancing detection tool that can detect if people are keeping a safe distance from each other by analyzing real-time video streams from the camera,” the company chirps, in a blog post about the new software.

Remove your mask and smile for the camera! Big Brother wants a nice, clear image of your facial recognition for their database.

Transgender bathroom policy: "It's not everything we want."

It never is.

Stream: ‘My Privacy is Being Invaded’: High School Girl Reacts to New Transgender Bathroom Policy.

Video footage shows a high school girl choked up when her high school ruled that trans students have unrestricted access to bathrooms and locker rooms.

A high school student identified by the Daily Herald as Julia Burca chokes up as she discusses how her school district ruled Thursday that transgender students will have unrestricted access to bathrooms of their choice, video footage created by the Daily Herald shows.

“I feel uncomfortable that my privacy is being invaded,” Burca says, who had a red nose and eyes. “As I am a swimmer, I do change multiple times naked in front of the other students in the locker room. I understand that the board has an obligation to all students but I was hoping they would go about this in a different way that would also accommodate students such as myself.”

Palatine High School in northwest Illinois [is] where board members voted to give unrestricted locker room and restroom access to transgender students[.]
[.]
A transgender student identified as Nova Maday [said], "It passed, it passed," Maday reportedly says happily in the video. "I’m ecstatic."

"It’s definitely a first step forward in many more steps, it’s a great policy, unfortunately, it’s not everything we want," [said Maday].

What are those "many more steps"?

-
Stream Archived

Tech News: 5G Updates.

Daily Mail: Devonshire officials 'ban' installation of 5G after campaigners demand further research into its effects on health.

-

Tech Spot: Woman terrified of 5G uses copper sleeping bag to avoid EMFs.

-

C|Net: 5G Overview, what it means, what are the dangers.

-

Tech Spot: 5G; A Decade-long evolution of technology.

-

MSN: Russia gives big welcome to Huawei 5G.

-

U.S. News and World Report: UAE Telecom Du Sees No Evidence of ‘Security Holes’ in Huawei's 5G Technology.

-

-

C|Net Archived

Mystery towers in Cincinnati causing concern. 5G danger?

WCPO 9 Cincinnati: Mystery towers going up all over Cincinnati area.

Homeowners worry about possible health effects.

If you drive around the Cincinnati area you may have noticed mysterious cylinder-type cell phone towers, that look nothing like any cell tower most of us have seen.

Now, a growing number of Tri-Staters are getting worried about these towers, and the 5G signals they believe they will soon be sending out, as part of the nationwide rollout of faster 5G cell service.

Michelle Krinsky is a nurse who was out walking near her Cleves home earlier this summer, when she looked up and said, "What's that? You can see it's this ugly menace sitting there," she said.

Right at the entrance to the Village of Cleves from US 50 (River Road) is the strangest looking cell tower many people have ever seen.
[.]
Krinsky decided to call the village administration office, then Hamilton County, and the State of Ohio, but no one knew anything about it, she says.

The most information she and some other homeowners were able to find out is that the tower is on the US 50 right-of-way, not in the Village, so that local officials would not have to be consulted.

"We don't know who put it up, if it is running 4G right now, and if it will run 5G soon," she said.
[.]
...the FCC allows these towers to go in with almost no local approval. The FCC and FAA claim there are no proven links between 5G cell service and health effects, and say local residents have no reason to fear these new towers.

But Hamilton County Engineer Ted Hubbard told us a few months ago that even he, and other county officials are left in the dark.

"The ownership is a big question," Hubbard said. "And I have asked that. We are having a hard time finding out who actually owns it."

That means no one has publicly stated who owns the mysterious Cleves tower, or any of the others popping up across the Tri State. It has no company name on the base.

It's not that hard to find out who owns these towers. Hypothetically speaking, there are a lot of things someone could "do" to these towers and then sit around and wait to see who shows up to undo whatever is done to them.

I'm not advocating any type of property damage. That would be so wrong. There's plenty of alternatives available that one could "do" to these towers that doesn't involve any property damage. Then, wait around and see who shows up. Have your camera ready, remain on public property, start filming and ask questions of the people who show up. Note the vehicle license plate number and make, model, color and other identifying features.

That county board members are in the dark about these towers seems a bit...NWO-ish, doesn't it?

How safe is 5G? Search that subject and you'll find both pro and con, from "it'll fry us," to, "it's harmless." I'm undecided. Anyone?

I do think when we have concerns like those expressed over 5G, it's best to err on the side of restraint. We don't need another epidemic on our hands in five or ten years. It's not like technology has taken a back seat to law, ethics, safety and personal security.

Vice has a (five year old) story on What Wi-Fi would look like if we could see it. It's a good story, check it out.

Artist Nickolay Lamm imagines the size, shape, and color of wi-fi signals were they visible to the human eye.

Smart Ovens Turning Themselves on and Preheating during the night. Manufacturer blames other apps.

The Verge: Your smart oven might be more ready for breakfast than you realize.

Multiple people report that their June Smart Oven turned on by itself during the night and preheated to 400 degrees, perhaps in eager anticipation of the meal it might soon cook. June did not issue a statement regarding the potential cause of this heating fiasco, but it told The Verge that user error was to blame.

In one instance, June blamed the Amazon Alexa integration for the preheating and in another instance said the user may have tapped something within the app that triggered the preheat functionality. In only one case did June send out a new oven, but the company said it was due to “unrelated issues.” The events have users concerned.

"Blame the Other App." Way to go PR Department of June.

One could consider unplugging the oven. This may trigger the physical act of reprogramming when plugged back in. Gee, can the App Dependent Generation burn one calorie by the intense manual labor required to reprogram it? If you get short of breath, sit down, relax, you'll be okay. Really. There's an App for that.

The self-activation, preheating and possible fire is the least of the worries. The smart oven is probably spying on those who own it. It's recording their words and movements. It's monitoring everything they do. And it's talking about them behind their back with the smart fridge, Alexa, the Flat Screen and all the other Black Mirror devices. And their car, and gas, water and electric meters. Wave to the hidden cameras in the ovens, Fitbits, cell phones and flat screens. Your life is being live-streamed on the Dark Web. Yeah, the camera does add ten pounds, but don't worry, ya look fine.

Related: House Beautiful - Delta's new tech lets you turn on faucets, preheat water and more.

[Delta] also works with Google Assistant. (Because who doesn't want more Gulag in their lives? DD)

[--] while getting ready in the morning, you can rely on this new technology to help prepare your morning joe, just by saying, “Alexa, ask Delta to fill up the coffee pot.” Or if you’re a busy parent trying to get the kids out of the door and you remember that the dog needs water, Delta VoiceIQ technology can also help with that too via an app.

It's always the, "...And More," that gets us to fork over our money, isn't it?

Steve Wozniak: "Get off Facebook!"

Steve Wozniak, "Get off Facebook." Via TMZ:

LA Wire: Steve Wozniak Warns People to Get Off Facebook Over Privacy Concerns.

Steve Wozniak has a warning for anyone who uses social media … the platforms are eavesdropping on your private conversations, and sending that precious data to advertisers.
[.]
...he explains why anything you say in the presence of your electronics is readily made available to all sorts of entities.

The Urban Twist: Steve Wozniak warns to GET OFF Facebook and Instagram.

Wozniak, [accuses] platforms under the umbrella of Facebook [of] using audio surveillance tactics to gather information to sell to advertisers.

Is You Tube planning to hide its Comment section?

Slashgear: YouTube may be planning to hide the comment section by default.

YouTube is testing a feature that makes [its comment section] avoidance easier.
[.]
YouTube is testing a feature on Android that hides the comment section by default. Rather than having comments readily available by scrolling down, they’re now hidden behind a new ‘Comments’ section in the menu directly beneath the video that is currently playing.

A prompt in the app warns users that ‘comments have been moved,’ advising them to tap on the new menu section to open the comments. Scrolling down only reveals additional recommended videos; tapping ‘Comments’ pulls up the expected comment section.
[.]
It’s unclear why YouTube has decided to test this new design, which appeared for users in India.

 Kommentare, Der Kommissar?

Mark Zuckerberg privacy joke gets no laughs.Howard Beale - "Network": as relevant today as in 1976.

Mashable: Zuckerberg joke a slap in the face to Facebook victims.

Most awkward Zuck moments revolve around the CEO's inability to exhibit human emotion. This one comes with a serving of insult, added to injury.

[Zuckerberg] opened Facebook's annual F8 developer conference on Tuesday with a manifesto-ish address about how the future of Facebook is focused on privacy.
[.]
    The moment Mark Zuckerberg tries to make a joke about privacy and nobody laughs: pic.twitter.com/izt7kIhjLz

    — alfred 🆖 (@alfredwkng) April 30, 2019
[.]
"I know that we don't exactly have the strongest reputation on privacy right now, to put it lightly," Mark Zuckerberg joked, amid some understated snorty laughs. Not even the audience — packed with Facebook employees and developers — could muster more than that.

Advisory - NSFW language:

Reference: Howard Beale.

Reference: "Network".

Tech News

Extreme Tech: Don't Miss tonight's Super Blood Moon eclipse.

WIRED: What IS a "Super Blood Wolf Moon"?
- - -
Ars Technia: Facebook facing record-setting financial penalty by FTC.
- - -
Ars Technia: Dr. Richard Sackler family blamed for Oxy addiction?

Members of the Sackler family, particularly Richard Sackler, aggressively pushed for extreme sales figures—and profits—which they accomplished in part by bullying their sales representatives; targeting vulnerable patients, such as the elderly and veterans; suggesting that the addictive opioid was an alternative to safe medications like Tylenol; and encouraging doctors to write longer and higher dose prescriptions, according to the lawsuit.

- - -
UberGizmo: World's first 5G remote surgery conducted in China.

The test involved a doctor in the southeastern province of Fujian removing the liver of a laboratory test animal at a remote location. The doctor performed the surgery by controlling robotic surgical arms over a 5G connection.

- - -
Tech News World: Cops can't compel unlocking of phone with body or physical parts.

"The Government may not compel or otherwise utilize fingers, thumbs, facial recognition, optical/iris, or any other biometric feature to unlock electronic devices," Magistrate Judge Kandis A. Westmore wrote in an opinion for the U.S. District Court for Northern California.
[.]
Passcodes used to unlock devices already are protected by the Fifth Amendment, which prevents the government from forcing people to testify against themselves, she explained.
[.]
"The judge rightly recognized that traditional constitutional principles must be adapted as technology changes in order to preserve privacy and other rights ensured by the Fourth and Fifth Amendments," [said Alan Butler, senior counsel with the Electronic Privacy Information Center].

- - -
Tech Crunch: Building a Chevy Silverado out of Legos. Or watch below.

- - -
TechSpot: Ford's F-150 electric pickup truck.

Increased customer demand and rising competition have finally pushed Ford to announce the development of an electric version of the world and America’s best-selling truck: the F-150 pickup.

- - -
C|Net: Facebook adding "Petitions" to your news feed.

The social network will start rolling "Community Actions" out to its US users on Monday.

- - -
Beta News: Win 10 built-in screen recorder you might not know about.

You didn't know that Windows 10 could record videos of on-screen activity? You're not alone. The screen recorder is built into the Game bar and you may well not have seen it.

- - -
Security Week: Bulgaria extradites Russian hacker to U.S.

Alexander Zhukov had been extradited on January 18 and was being held in a jail in Brooklyn, New York.
[.]
Zhukov is one of eight people, most of them Russian, indicted in November for creating fake advertising schemes through remote data centres and malware-infected computer networks.

 Well-known Russian "bad actor." Hacker status unconfirmed.

Anne Arundel County Police involved shooting serving an “emergency risk protective order,” aka "Red Flag Order".

This is recently-breaking news and, so far, appears to be legit.

FOX 5 News Baltimore: Man shot being served Red Flag Order.

When officers began to serve [ Gary J.] Willis with the order, he became irate, opened the door to the residence and grabbed the gun according to police. They say, an attempt was made by an officer to take the gun away from Willis when Willis fired the gun.

A second officer fired their service weapon, striking Willis, who was pronounced deceased at the scene.
[.]
The 'red flag' legislation is already law in five states- including California, Connecticut, Indiana, Oregon, and Washington. It has been introduced in 18 states and D.C.

This is an active and ongoing investigation. Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact the Homicide Unit at [deleted - D.D.]. Callers wishing to remain anonymous are asked to call the Tip Line at [deleted - D.D.]

This "Red Flag" issue is already getting coverage, Standing By, Zack, and I'm guessing, (among many others), these folks will weigh in on this issue in the days ahead: 90 Miles, Phil, Irish, the GBBL and other fine writers at the Blogroll; see right-hand sidebar.
- - -
Typos fixed; 01/17/2019.

Micro-chipped employees can pay for snacks at the vending machine with a "swipe" of their finger!

Average reading time: 2m 30s

The recent micro-chipping of employees at a Wisconsin company  isn't anything all that new. The Ladders.com:

...employees can get chips faster from the vending machine. With the microchip implanted in their hands, employees can wave their hands and get chips from the company vending machine[.]

Yah, yah, yah...they can also open doors within the company and log onto their computer without signing in. Well, if their corporate office is using any version of Windows - sorry - that micro-chip isn't going to do a thing to make MS boot any faster.

What more could we ask from technology? Technology ends here, Mister Musk.  We can go no further in technology than micro-chipping us for vending machines. "Stop all the research, somebody call CERN and tell 'em 'shut her down', we've gone as far as we'll ever go. We've reached the zenith of technology with this vending machine thing."

The earliest news story about employee chip implants that I found is from The Daily Mail, from January 2015 :

A Swedish company has implanted microchips in its staff which allows them to use the photocopier, open security doors and even pay for their lunch.

I don't believe the type of chipping above is The Mark of The Beast, and I base this opinion on someone I know who knows the Bible inside and out, backwards and forwards, and left to right, upside down and in reverse. And he said, there will be no mistaking the mark of the beast as The Mark of The Beast. There will be no question about it. People will clearly know they are accepting the Mark of the Beast, as opposed to chipping for vending machine access and opening office doors, or a credit card or your means of digital payment.

I think this was just a PR stunt by the Wisconsin company that had voluntary employees be chipped. After all, this company makes and produces vending machines. Do you think there was some vested interest in their publicizing the chipping?

Candy bars, soda, M&M's, gum, granola bars, those small cheese and cracker plastic containers with barely nothing in them, Ho-Ho's, Skittles, all of which are ludicrously overpriced...and you can PAY with your FINGER?!?!? What a huge step in the advancement of technology.

Anyway, here's what it comes down to. (If I were to say that properly, without ending with a preposition, it would be, "to here is what it comes down").

Does anyone, anywhere, really think that the line at the vending machines will move more quickly just because their co-worker ahead of them can pay by waving their finger?

No. The entire thesis of more efficiently advancing the line at the snack machines because your co-worker is chipped has no legs.

Why? Because the same people micro-chipped are still going to be the same ones standing at the vending machine pondering, "Hmmmm, chips or a Twix?  Cheetos or trail mix. The trail mix is more healthy but I kinda want some Cheetos. Oh, Oreos too???!"

And then, as they're about to make their selection on the A,B,C,D,E,F and 1,2,3,4,5,6 vending buttons, their finger freezes. Again, they're mulling over, "salt or chocolate."

No, I'm afraid nothing will speed up the selection process of the undecided minds of people who - well...how can you not be relatively 90% certain of what you want long before you even enter the break room?

Propaganda film maker Michael Moore ponders vending machine snack choices.

Vault 7: Wikileaks shows Comrades at CIA can Access Macs and iPhones

Image located at www.monomakhos.com

The CIA has tools for hacking Macs and iPhones.

What's particularly interesting about the documents is that they appear to show that the CIA had the ability to exploit Apple hardware and software a full decade ago.

Not all of the hacks revealed in Dark Matter are quite so old, however. The user guide for Sonic Screwdriver, for instance, was updated as recently as November 2012. It shows how a Thunderbolt or USB port can be used to infect and access a MacBook Pro or MacBook Air, right up to mid-2012 models.

Of course, this doesn't surprise you, does it? Every country seems to be ridiculously more paranoid about their own population than those of other countries, including their enemies.

Screwdriver and Screwdriver

Ars Technia has a wonderful article on the Sonic Screwdriver. (And no, we're not talking about the adult beverage containing Swarovski Alizé Vodka).

The following juicy bit from Tech News World, is simply diabolically clever:

The CIA's Embedded Development Branch developed malware that could persist even if the targeted computer were reformatted and its OS were reinstalled, according to data WikiLeaks exposed.

Recall the brouhaha over the so-called unlocked San Bernardino shooters' iPhone between Apple and the government?

Let me state this: that iPhone of the San Bernardino shooter was cracked so fast and so efficiently it would have made your head spin.

The fight between Apple CEO Tim "The Pinhead" Cook and the government was a dog and pony show. Apple didn't want their customers knowing their phones weren't secure and do you really think the government is going to let any company have such a degree of encryption that it can't be hacked? I have a nice shiny bridge in San Fran to sell you if you believe the above.

(The "Pinhead" reference to Cook is exactly that, btw - I think he's a pinhead who is a spot-light whore. And a poor CEO, but that's another story.)

"1984"  is taking it's sweet time in arriving. But with as quickly as technology is progressing  - ("...modem...modem..." anyone even remember them?) - we're nearing a generation of people who have no idea what a modem is/was.  "1984" is catching up to us, so quickly, that both the legality issues and privacy issues lag behind technological growth and advancement.

The Singularity is here. Welcome to 1984. Welcome to Big Brother.

If you have any questions, please direct them to The Ministry of Truth.

Additional  Reading on this subject at: 

C/NET: CIA Tools

Wired: How CIA can hack MACS

Heavy: Factory Fresh CIA Bugged Cell Phones