The Defender’s Big Brother NewsWatch brings you the latest headlines related to governments’ abuse of power, including attacks on democracy, civil liberties and use of mass surveillance.
The Harms of Masking Young Students Are Real
Scientists have an obligation to strive for honesty. And on the question of whether kids should wear masks in schools—particularly preschools and elementary school s— here is what I conclude: The potential educational harms of mandatory-masking policies are much more firmly established, at least at this point, than their possible benefits in stopping the spread of COVID-19 in schools.
To justify continued masking of schoolkids — with no end date in sight — we have to prove that masks benefit kids, and at what ages. States and communities that are considering masking policies just to be safe should recognize that being overly cautious has a cost, while the benefits are uncertain.
First Responders Nationwide Resist COVID Vaccine Mandates
The Associated Press reported:
March 11, 2021. It was supposed to be a turning point in the coronavirus pandemic for Erin Tokley, a longtime Philadelphia police officer, Baptist minister and 47-year-old father of three. It was supposed to be the day of his vaccine appointment.
Instead it was the date of his funeral.
Tokley — “Toke” to his friends and family — died on March 3, becoming the Philadelphia Police Department’s sixth confirmed COVID-19 death.
Philadelphia officers first became eligible for their shots in late January and Tokley was eager to get it as soon as he could. But he fell ill in early February, before it was his turn to roll up his sleeve.
Seattle Could Lose Over 200 Cops Due to COVID Vaccine Mandate, Report Says
Over 200 Seattle police officers could lose their jobs over the city’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate because they’ve either not received the jab or would refuse to hand over their private medical data, according to a report Monday.
The Jason Rantz Show on the city’s KTTH said the number represents about 20% of the department’s deployable staff. The department and Mayor Jenny A. Durkan’s office did not immediately respond to after-hour emails from Fox News.
The Officer Down Memorial Page said 132 members of law enforcement have died of COVID-19 this year. Last year, the total figure was 241—making the virus the leading cause of law enforcement line-of-duty deaths.
Florida to Start Issuing $5,000 Fine for Requiring Proof of Coronavirus Vaccine
Beginning on September 16 the state of Florida will start issuing a $5,000 fine to businesses, schools, and even government agencies that require people to show proof of having a coronavirusvaccine.
“Promises made, promises kept,” DeSantis spokesperson Taryn Fenske said Wednesday, according to the Orlando Sentinel:
“The fines, however, will not apply to cruise lines because of a federal court order that at least temporarily blocked enforcement of the law for that industry, according to an earlier statement from the governor’s office. DeSantis is appealing that decision.”
Vaccine Passports Linked to COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy – Study
There’s a link between COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy and a perceived lack of free will over vaccine passports, according to a new study from Imperial College London.
A survey of 1,358 people was taken from across the UK and Israel and it was found that people who feel their sense of free will is stifled by government incentives such as vaccine passports are less likely to take the COVID-19 vaccine.
Published in the peer-reviewed journal Vaccines, the study highlights that public health incentives such as domestic vaccine passports may affect people’s vaccination decisions in unintended and undesirable ways.
Australia Traded Away Too Much Liberty
In a bid to keep the coronavirus out of the country, Australia’s federal and state governments imposed draconian restrictions on its citizens. Prime Minister Scott Morrison knows that the burden is too heavy. “This is not a sustainable way to live in this country,” he recently declared. One prominent civil libertarian summed up the rules by lamenting, “We’ve never seen anything like this in our lifetimes.”
Up to now one of Earth’s freest societies, Australia has become a hermit continent. How long can a country maintain emergency restrictions on its citizens’ lives while still calling itself a liberal democracy?
Australia has been testing the limits.
Man Sentenced to Five Years in Vietnam Jail for Breaking Quarantine and Spreading COVID
A Vietnamese man was sentenced to jail for five years after he disobeyed a 21-day quarantine mandate and spread COVID-19, according to a local media reports.
Le Van Tri was found by a court in Vietnam as guilty for “transmitting dangerous infectious diseases” to eight people – including one person who later died, according to the Vietnamese News Agency (VNA).
Van Tri, 28, traveled by motorcycle from Ca Mau to Ho Chi Minh City, breaking his quarantine back in July. It was discovered that Van Tri also lied on a health declaration form.
Candidates Bash Big Tech While Owning Their Stock
When it comes to how he feels about big tech, Jeff Bartos didn’t mince his words.
“From shadow-banning conservatives, censoring content online, biased fact-checking, and now funneling millions of dollars into our elections it’s become clearer than ever: Big Tech must be reined in,” Bartos, a Republican candidate for U.S. Senate from Pennsylvania, wrote on Twitter on July 1.
But even as the suburban Philadelphia businessman parroted a popular Republican talking point, he and his wife also were enjoying the financial benefits that come with investing in such big tech titans as Alphabet Inc., which owns Google, and Apple.
Tech Giants Are Rushing to Develop Their Own Chips — Here’s Why
Not content with relying on standard chips that are in high demand, some of the world’s biggest tech firms are developing their own semiconductors.
Apple, Amazon, Facebook, Tesla and Baidu are all shunning established chip firms and bringing certain aspects of chip development in-house, according to company announcements and media reports.
“Increasingly, these companies want custom-made chips fitting their applications’ specific requirements rather than use the same generic chips as their competitors,” Syed Alam, global semiconductor lead at Accenture, told CNBC.
“This gives them more control over the integration of software and hardware while differentiating them from their competition,” Alam added
Source: children health defense organization