Alexandra ThornFor anyone concerned about municipal budgeting for surveillance technology and increased policing in the U.S., here's something to watch for: the new administration's Department of Homeland Security (FEMA and EOPSS) has been denying renewal of grants to local agencies. This shift is creating budget anxieties in local organizations reliant on federal grants.
marthews 🏴
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Reflections from #NewEngland on #surveillance, #justice, #books and #medieval things. Chair of www.restorethe4th.com and www.warrantless.org. U.S. & U.K. person.
Because we don't yet know which #Massachusetts communities are likely to receive these funds, there's no immediate action item. But it's something that will likely be coming up soon, so keep an ear out.
While surveillance cameras and other tools for policing are an obvious area for local spending, the scope of FEMA and EOPSS grants is broader than that, so in theory the same grants could be used for other emergency infrastructure such as ambulances.
Here in #Massachusetts, the Metro Boston Homeland Security Region has over 1 million dollars to spend. It's not clear what #Boston area communities would receive the funds, but when they do, there will likely be City Council discussions about proposals to buy a bunch of new cameras. When that happens, it's important that we be ready to advocate for more pro-social uses of the funds.
The precariousness of federal funding for security and emergency response creates pressure for organizations---unsure of whether their current funding could be rescinded---to rapidly find things to do with the funds. And an obvious area for spending is the purchase of surveillance cameras and similar technology.
Fight for the FutureMask bans violate our fundamental civil liberties and considering the ongoing risks of death or disablement due to COVID and Bird Flu, criminalizing mask wearing is a public health + disability justice issue. https://www.themarshallproject.org/2024/11/12/mask-bans-protest-surveillance
David Graeber InstituteHopelessness isn’t natural. It needs to be produced. If we really want to understand this situa- tion, we have to begin by understanding that the last thirty years have seen the construction of a vast bureaucratic apparatus for the creation and maintenance of hopelessness, a kind of giant machine that is designed, first and foremost, to destroy any sense of possible alternative futures.
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Edward Hasbrouck“No-Fly” case to be argued Monday morning, Jan. 8th in the U.S. Supreme Court:
https://papersplease.org/wp/2024/01/03/no-fly-case-to-be-argued-jan-8th-in-the-supreme-court/
https://papersplease.org/wp/2024/01/03/no-fly-case-to-be-argued-jan-8th-in-the-supreme-court/
The Nexus of PrivacyA good article in Mother Jones on the short-term FISA reauthorization that got added to the NDAA at the last moment.
“It’s tragic,” says Elizabeth Goitein, senior director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security program. “Abuses and civil liberties violations are going to continue at a completely unacceptable rate,” she adds. “For every day, every week, every month that Section 702 continues without reform, that is what’s happening.”
Joseph CoxNew: a marketing company claims it actually *is* listening to people through smartphone/smart TV microphones to hear what people are saying and target ads. From Cox Media, called Active Listening. According to material online and person pitched on product https://404media.co/cmg-cox-media-actually-listening-to-phones-smartspeakers-for-ads-marketing/
Marketing Company Claims That It Actually Is Listening to Your Phone and Smart Speakers to Target Ads
“What would it mean for your business if you could target potential clients who are actively discussing their need for your services in their day-to-day conversations? No, it's not a Black Mirror episode—it's Voice Data, and CMG has the capabilities to use it to your business advantage.”