Related: DeSantis warns Apple about potentially pulling Twitter from App store
Related: Chinese social media users report Huawei phones automatically deleting* videos of the protests that took place in China, without notifying the owners.
Ve Ave Vays
Reclaim The Net- Dutch finance minister proposes increased financial surveillance
Dutch minister of finance Sigrid Kaag is pushing for the introduction of a central bank digital currency (CBDC) in the Netherlands and the passing of a law requiring banks to monitor all transactions above 100 euro, GB News reported.
The European Central Bank is also pushing for a digital euro. But critics warn that CBDCs can be used to track and monitor citizens, potentially violating some civil liberties.
Imitating China
The Telegraph- The EU’s biometric power-grab is sinister and grotesque
If you’re planning to escape to a chateau next summer, brace yourself for pointless chaos and travel disruption, thanks to the EU’s latest Orwellian move to demand holiday-makers’ biometric data at its borders. Brits hopping across the Channel will first have their fingerprints and photos taken. The new mass data-gathering scheme, which will go live in May, is part of the evolution of a so-called “Smart Border”.
Ethics of Emergencies
It’s a bit late in the game for the left-wing corporate media to start noticing items like this, but perhaps it’s an indication that support for such measures is thankfully dwindling.
Since day one of the pandemic, anyone who questioned the usefulness or cost of ArriveCan was met with a blizzard of condemnation along the lines of “How dare you put a price on saving lives!”.
Canadian tech leaders who have built apps for large corporate clients have described Ottawa’s $54-million price tag for ArriveCan as outrageous, explaining that in their experience, most apps are built for less than $1-million.
They also question why the government did not turn directly to a Canadian app developer rather than 23 separate contractors and an unknown number of additional subcontractors.
We Said, No Talking
Zerohedge- VPN Usage Surges Amid Protests, Conflict, & War In 2022
In Iran, demand for VPN downloads increased by more than 3000 percent in September, according to TopVPN100.com.
Yet, other countries too have seen surges this year. For instance, Sri Lanka saw a 17,000 percent increase in VPN downloads on April 3 2022, when social media platforms Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram and WhatsApp were banned.
The internet blackout came as the government enforced a curfew, attempting to keep protesters from hitting the streets over a disastrous economic downturn, mainly attributed to governmental mishandling, which led to major food and fuel shortages.
“China’s Chew Toy”
Globe and Mail- Why are Chinese police operating in Canada, while our own government and security services apparently look the other way?
This is an outrage. Chinese police setting up offices in Canada, then “persuading” alleged criminals to return to the motherland to face “justice” – while our own government and security services apparently choose to look the other way – represents a gross violation of Canada’s national sovereignty, international law and the norms of diplomacy. China is extending the grip of its Orwellian police state into this country, with seemingly no worry about being confronted by our own national security agencies.
ArriveCan’t
Our app is more important than your emergency. It keeps you “safe”.
Global- Feds deny Nova Scotia’s claim that ArriveCAN delayed U.S. Fiona assistance
The Nova Scotia premier’s office had told Global News earlier Sunday that power crews from Maine were delayed at the border due to the app. In a subsequent phone call following the federal government’s denial, the premier’s office stood by the allegation.