ALBANY, N.Y. (Jan. 5, 2018) – A bill introduced in the New York Senate would allow customers to opt out of installing “smart meter” technology on their homes and businesses. Passage of this bill would allow New Yorkers to protect their own privacy, and it would take a step toward blocking a federal program in…
JACKSON, Miss. (Jan. 5, 2018) – Two bills introduced in the Mississippi House would outlaw abortion in the state and impose criminal penalties on physicians who illegally perform them, nullifying the Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade. Rep. Dan Eubanks (R-Walls) introduced House Bill 45 (HB45) on Jan. 2. Under the proposed law, “anyone who purposefully,…
SANTA FE, N.M. (Jan. 5, 2018) – A bill pre-filed in the New Mexico Senate would give voters the opportunity to amend the state constitution and legalize marijuana, setting the foundation to nullify the unconstitutional federal prohibition on cannabis in practice. Senate Joint Resolution 4 (SJR4) is scheduled to be introduced on Jan. 16 by…
"Zuckerberg outlined two areas of technology that he wanted to research in 2018: encryption and cryptocurrencies. He said both technologies led to decentralised power, which Zuckerberg saw as a positive move. Zuckerberg wasn't explicit in his post about Facebook's plans regarding cryptocurrencies. He didn't say the company would add bitcoin as a payment option, for example. But it shows that one of the world's most powerful companies is looking closely at the technology."
"If you go back to Aquinas and to St. Augustine, they talk about things like 'right intention.' Does the person who is doing the killing have right intention? Is he even authorized to do it? Are we doing things to protect the innocent? Are we doing things to prevent unnecessary suffering? And with autonomy and artificial intelligence, I don't believe there's anybody even in the business who can actually demonstrate that we can trust that those systems are doing what they should be doing."
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Jan 4, 2018) – A bill introduced in the Florida Senate would ban warrantless location tracking and the use of stingray devices to sweep up electronic communications in most situations. The new law will not only protect privacy in Florida, but will also hinder one aspect of the federal surveillance state. Sen. Jeff Brandes (R-St. Petersburg) introduced…
Sessions hates marijuana. He wants to crush legal marijuana in the states. But he's nothing but an impotent dinasour. Without help from the states and people he can't do it - no matter how many mandates and policy changes he issues.
"In a memo sent to U.S. attorneys Thursday, Sessions noted that federal law prohibits the possession and sale of marijuana, and he undid four previous Obama administration memos that advised against bringing weed prosecutions in states where it was legal to use for recreational or medical purposes."
"The government has blocked popular messaging services like Telegram and Signal, in addition to several internet networks. Yet despite censorship and civil unrest, the Iranian bitcoin community is growing rapidly. Iranian customers protested outside local branches in 2017, demanding deposits because they worry some of the country’s largest credit institutions are on the verge of collapse. Meanwhile, Iranians remain politically ostracized from most international businesses and financial institutions. Part of the inspiration behind the Iranian revolution in 1979 was a belief that the Shah’s regime perpetuated economic inequality."
"French President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans for a new law to combat so-called fake news. He said that during elections social media would face tougher rules over the content that they put online. Speaking at a new year reception for the media, Mr Macron said it was possible now at a cost of just a few thousand euros to propagate untruths over social media. In response, he proposed imposing tougher rules on social media about revealing the sources of apparent news content."