Yearly Archives: 2018

Zuckerberg: Facebook looking into how it can use cryptocurrency

"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."

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USAF General: Nobody’s Ready for the Killer Robot

"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."

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Florida Bill Would Ban Warrantless Stingray Spying

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…

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New Pot Policy from Jeff Sessions Will Have Little Practical Effect

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.

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Sessions rescinds Obama-era directive that eased federal marijuana enforcement

"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."

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Bitcoin Adoption Rate In Iran Surges Despite Censorship And Protests

"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."

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French president announces ‘fake news’ law

"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."

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New German hate speech law tested as Twitter blocks satire account

"A German satirical magazine’s Twitter account was blocked after it parodied anti-Muslim comments, the publication said on Wednesday, in what the national journalists association said showed the downside of a new law against online hate speech. Twitter, Facebook and other social media platforms are scrambling to adapt to the law, and its implementation is being closely watched after warnings that the threat of fines could prompt websites to block more content than necessary."

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Facebook Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Governments

"As is always true of censorship, there is one, and only one, principle driving all of this: power. Facebook will submit to and obey the censorship demands of governments and officials who actually wield power over it, while ignoring those who do not. That’s why declared enemies of the U.S. and Israeli governments are vulnerable to censorship measures by Facebook, whereas U.S and Israeli officials (and their most tyrannical and repressive allies) are not."

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Mississippi Bill Would Legalize Some Raw Milk Sales; Foundation to Nullify Federal Prohibition Scheme

JACKSON, Miss. (Jan. 3, 2017) –  A bill introduced in the Mississippi House would legalize limited raw milk sales in the state, taking an important step toward nullifying a federal prohibition scheme in effect. Rep. Dan Eubanks (R-Walls) introduced House Bill 12 (HB12) on Jan. 2. The legislation would legalize raw milk sales direct from…

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