Archive for the ‘Philosophy’ Category
The Invasion of Throwback Thursday
Posted in Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged blogging, Bluesky, ethics, left-right myth, psychology, Twitter, Washington (state) on July 16, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Sixteenth Anniversary
Posted in Biography, History, Philosophy, tagged artificial stupidity, blogging, internet, language, psychology, Walled Garden on July 10, 2026| 1 Comment »
I’ll keep going, just as I always do and always have done, until the day finally arrives when I no longer have to. – “Fifteenth Anniversary”
Sixteen years is a long time by internet reckoning; some of y’all reading this may not have yet learned to read when I started it in 2010, and even I barely remember some of the topics I covered in the first few years because they have since faded from the public consciousness. I daresay very few people were reading this blog on phones in 2010; now I suspect most read it that way. That is, most of those who still read it at all; before the enshittification of Google I averaged some 3000 visits per day, and now 500 is a good day. Of course, that’s not only due to Google; as I wrote three years ago, “the world and the culture have changed quite a bit since I started this project, and in a world of YouTube and TikTok, blogs are beginning to look as quaint as radio shows did in 1959.” But being considered “quaint” doesn’t actually bother me; after all, 25 years ago I was driving around in this car (though the dress and boots were already about ten years old then; if you’ve ever wondered how long I’ve been doing the snakeskin prints, now you know). This blog is on WordPress rather than Substack or whatever has replaced it in popularity, and my email address is on Earthlink. My books are still intended to be read on paper; the Kindle versions are an afterthought I only create to please those readers who prefer electronic texts. And in philistine circles, even writing essays oneself rather than attaching one’s name to something shat out by a computer program is considered hopelessly passé. You know what I think of all that? My 40-years-younger self would’ve rolled her eyes and dismissively said, “Whatever”. Because I plan to keep doing things the way I prefer doing them until I either croak or the increasing walled-gardening of the internet makes it impossible.
The Slaughter of Throwback Thursday
Posted in History, Miscellaneous, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged Aladdin’s Satellite, animals, artificial stupidity, blogging, cops, ethics, politicians, psychology, Sunset, surveillance, teachers, video, Welcome to the Future on July 9, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Scientists who create weapons of oppression…are moral imbeciles. – “Welcome to the Future (#1252)”
The best thing schools could do to help the US political situation would be to actually start teaching basic math again. – “Readin’, ‘Ritin’, and…um…”
I’m only just beginning to internalize that yes, it really is okay to keep slowing down, rather than just saying it aloud but not really believing it. – “Fourteenth Anniversary”
Chatbots in computers can appear to the ignorant like djinn in bottles, and instead of correcting this irrational belief with scientific fact, tech company marketers are telling people, “YES, this really is a djinni who can grant wishes!” – “Aladdin’s Satellite”
Links #835
Posted in Current Events, History, Links, Miscellaneous, Music, Obituary, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged acting, Aphrodite, archeofeminism, artificial stupidity, cops, Florida, Mississippi, psychology, robots, Texas, video, Washington (state) on July 6, 2026| Leave a Comment »
You owe me lunch. – “Officer” Caleb Pomazon
Today’s video was called to my attention by Jessica Crabbit on Whores’ Day, but this is the first time I’ve had space for it. The links above it were provided by Dan Savage, The Onion, Jesse Walker, Kevin Wilson, Phoenix Calida, Nun Ya, and IncarcerNation, in that order.
- R.I.P. Ann Blyth and Penelope Keith.
- Sometimes The Onion isn’t really satire.
- Zappa had the courage of his convictions.
- Another great moment in artificial stupidity.
- Why is this reporter fixated on the smoking?
- Just another cop demonstrating exactly what he is.
- Crime: shoplifting diapers. Penalty: summary execution of baby.
From the Archives
- Pregnant women & new mothers are uniquely vulnerable to state coercion.
- Sleeping with a cop is one of the most dangerous things a woman can do.
- How long will Western society allow cops to terrorize traumatized women?
- “Claiming age verification preserves online anonymity doesn’t make it so“.
- SCOTUS isn’t quite ready to allow full-on government censorship just yet.
- I’m fine with this as long as it’s only tech companies harming each other.
- Cop violence is never limited to members of the public, nor to male cops.
- Maine defines women as moral imbeciles, and men as our moral betters.
- It’s too bad most authoritarian diktats don’t blow up in politicians’ faces.
- Cop deals with problems as he was trained to, and everyone is shocked.
- “Rescue” profiteers demand government conjure “victims” from thin air.
- SCOTUS rules that the First Amendment does not apply on the internet.
- Contradictory laws are an inevitable result of rampant authoritarianism.
- The first prosocial application of facial recognition technology I’ve seen.
- Pretexts for this would not remain limited to “child porn” & “terrorism”.
- Microsoft makes censorship easier, when it should be making it harder.
- This is what Pride should be: a gigantic “fuck you” to authoritarianism.
- Cops will ignore the Constitution until doing so is actually criminalized.
- Schools could best help the US by actually teaching basic math again.
- The New Orleans city council rewards the NOPD for criminal behavior.
- One of those fools who thinks anything involving gadgets is laudable.
- Cops, pizza, Julian Sands, Sue Johanson,Alan Arkin, and much more.
- shitty laws were used against an actual violent criminal for a change.
- Societies’ tendency to self-lobotomize will probably never be solved.
- “Search” is the most common government euphemism for “molest”.
- He wasn’t a “former” cop when he repeatedly raped a teenage girl.
- There is no “intelligence” in an automated high-resolution scanner.
- Note that cases of actual coercion don’t look much like the myths.
- A short EN Brown piece on the legacy of the Assange persecution.
- This will continue until the evil US immigration policy is reformed.
- Retrospectives of my blogging from June 2013, 2014, and 2015.
- Cops still use laws overturned in 2003 to harass gay men today.
- Unfortunately, a new Chromebook means more enshittification.
- One reason I added on to my house was to host guests at will.
- Your “leaders” work hard to ensure this happens more often.
- Cops, insects, Gailard Sartain, Bill Moyers, and much more.
- Your “leaders” call this “correction”, but you don’t have to.
- Crypto-moralists believe anything people enjoy is “unsafe”.
- Cops, artificial stupidity, Kinky Friedman, and much more.
- I’m happy to have been proven wrong about her chances.
- Cops should not be allowed anywhere near legal minors.
- Cops are not known for intelligence and good judgment.
- In surveillance, fascism beats communism hands down.
- Another of the many reasons not to play with chatbots.
- Good grief, don’t volunteer to be around them either.
- It’s rare that a rapist cop stops at only a few victims.
- The headline writer omitted the word “temporarily”.
- My three previous columns for Independence Day.
- Oh look, another “youth pastor”, what a surprise.
- Anyone “shocked” by this must live in a cave.
- Nearing the end of my annex project.
- The Wedding of Throwback Thursday.
- Good riddance to bad rubbish.
- Expanding my chicken yard.
- The Return of Fridaystein.
I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one. Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful. But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer. So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets. Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements. Thanks so much!
In the News (#1652)
Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged artificial stupidity, Australia, censorship, Censorship Ascendant, child "protective" services, cops, dehumanization, domestic violence, Facebook, Finland, hotels, internet, law, Mad Libs, Michigan, New York, politicians, porn, robots, Shame Shame, surveillance, Twitter, Walled Garden, Without Let or Hindrance on July 5, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Meta spent tens of billions of dollars on building the future of the internet, and all it has to show for it is a handful of bored children in the parking lot of an offbrand drive-thru restaurant. – James Ball
Without Let or Hindrance (#1459) 
[Democratic politician] Pete Buttigieg…and his [4-year-old] children were the [targets] of an [“]investigation[“] by Child Protective Services [because of a malicious] anonymous report…both children [were subjected to terrifying] forensic interviews where no family could be present. Because he…[is a celebrity the ordeal was over in] twenty-four hours…”It’s not lost on me that this happened soon after we shared photos of our family on social media for Father’s Day,” Buttigieg said in his statement…
An excellent essay on the failure of Zuckerberg’s “metaverse” fantasy:
Mark Zuckerberg was so convinced the metaverse was the next big thing that he renamed his company after it…investing more than $80bn…enough to…cover the UN’s humanitarian fundraising target for 2026—designed to support 87m desperate people worldwide—twice over…History…is littered with…major companies that bet on virtual reality…only to suffer extensive public humiliation and financial loss. In 1995, at the peak of its powers, Nintendo launched the Virtual Boy, a [hyperbolically-marketed] 3D system…[which] was discontinued…within six months of its launch…CEOs and venture capitalists told us the future was the metaverse, which would definitely involve NFTs, the blockchain, virtual land and more…Almost overnight, all of them are now pronouncing with equal confidence that the future is, in fact, in artificial intelligence—and the story sounds familiar…But we weren’t consulted on the metaverse, either, and as it turned out that mattered a great deal more to the companies than to us. There are limits to how far big tech moguls can impose their vision of the future…
There is only one way to stop this: aggressive prosecution of Elon Musk:
[Elon Musk] has long promoted [MechaHitler] as a [more vulgar] kind of chatbot…the [reason he] has leaned so hard into that strategy despite [lawsuits, criminal charges and] PR disasters…[is] that NSFW activities account for “well over half” of [MechaHitler]’s traffic …That includes using [MechaHitler] to generate actual porn, as well as “adult role-play chats” and “huge volumes of requests for erotica.” [MechaHitler] users have even apparently discovered that it’s cheaper to channel such requests through the company’s models intended for writing code…Some employees [are] less than thrilled with being assigned to work on “Ani,” [which is basically MechaHitler in drag]. Others [are]…”embarrassed and disturbed” by [MechaHitler creating]…sexualized images of…children…[unfortunately, the Trump regime doesn’t care and keeps shoveling billions into Musk’s money bin]…
The harder Australia tries to “crack down”, the more foolish it will look:
Australia’s prime minister vowed…to [magically] bullet-proof laws [enforc]ing a social media ban for under-16s as the government prepares legal action against platforms [for being unable to do the impossible]…The country’s [asinine] six-month-old experiment is being closely watched by many [wannabe censors] seeking to emulate it [as an excuse for mass surveillance of the internet]. Britain this month said it planned [to pratfall even hard]er [by futilely applying the attempt to] gaming and live-streaming platforms…also…85% of Australians aged 12 to 15 were still using social media three months after the ban took effect, according to a study of 408 adolescents…[but nitwits claim this is] a teething period…and teenagers [will surely start obeying] the [authoritarian] rules [any day now]…
Ford was shocked to discover that autocomplete can’t autocomplete cars:
Ford ha[d]…to rehir[e] hundreds of human workers after it…fired…[them under the idiotic delusion that chatbots could do their jobs. It re]hired over 350 veteran engineers…over the past three years in order to [correct] mistakes made by automated systems…[which] cost the company billions of dollars…Ford had been increasingly relying on [computerized] inspection systems…[only to discover] that [computer programs can’t think]…After rehiring [actual] engineers, Ford experienced a marked improvement in its quality standards…[surprising no one who isn’t a complete fool. Yet]…it [still refuses to] abandon its [attempts to replace humans]…
Medical privacy is going the way of the dodo:
…[Hospitals are attempting to] use…[chatbots] to detect or predict the risk of [domestic violence] in clinical notes, imaging reports, and other types of…data…The rationale is [supposed]ly well-intentioned…[because] only about 7% of [victims are willing to talk about it with strangers]…in clinical settings…However, [adults have the right]…to disclose [or not disclose private details of their lives] on their own terms…at a time and place that is right for them…[an algorithm] that detects [the “]risk[” of domestic violence violates that right. Furthermore]…patients are not told that they are being screened, and there is no option…that allows [them] to opt out. Only patients who are [informed of the snooping]…will know…[that their complex lives have been reduced and flattened into a “]score[” which becomes a permanent part of]…their medical record…[algorithm pushers pretend] the score is…only…available to the care team[, but that ship sailed long ago]…
Goons are now being dispatched to intimidate people for wrongthink:
After two [of Trump’s goons] tracked down a Syracuse woman…to [threaten] her [because she was mean to their gang on] social media…they went to Rochester to [threaten] David Streever…[who] was with his seven-year-old daughter at Moominworld in Finland…[because he wasn’t there, the goons threatened] Streever’s wife [instead, because he had dared to criticize their former boss]…Todd Lyons [in January. But after]…Streever and daughter Helen flew back to New York…[on June 25th, the goons tracked him] to [his] hotel, where they [would have barged in on him at 10 PM had]…the hotel staff…not [had the good sense to refuse to answer any questions about them]…Streever [later read] about [the same goons]…similar[ly threate]ning…Paigelynne Gonyea…[recognizing them from images captured by his doorbell camera. He has contacted] his credit card company to start an investigation of how the [goons discovered which hotel he would be in and when]…
I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one. Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful. But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer. So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets. Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements. Thanks so much!
Socratic Stupidity?
Posted in Philosophy, Words, tagged Bluesky, internet, language, psychology, teachers on July 3, 2026| 1 Comment »
I would never have guessed that so many people online not only don’t know what a Socratic question is, but are so insecure about their ignorance they call such questions “stupid”. But last week a parade of clowns on Bluesky declared that such a question I posed was not only “stupid”, but also not a Socratic question at all because…they believe all Socratic questions follow some kind of rigid and predictable form, I guess. Given that they could simply have consulted the Wikipedia entry I linked above, this cannot be a mere failure of education; it appears to be a manifestation of Asimov’s observation that Americans seem to think that “democracy” means an ignorant opinion is equal to an educated one. Another factor is that very few (two people as of this writing) of those who responded with more than a “like” or retweet seem to have actually understood the question that was being asked. Unfortunately, there’s a great deal of that online; most people seem to glance at a sentence or tweet, recognize a few words, quickly form their own question from those few words, and respond to that mistaken notion of the question rather than the one which was actually asked. I’m not sure if that has to do with the “guess the meaning” school of reading which was popular in US public schools for several decades, or if it’s a manifestation of the inability to focus that seems to plague many younger Americans, or both. Most social media users would rather guess at the meaning of a tweet and vomit out a quick reaction than actually read the question asked and consider it before replying, or else simply ignore it and move on to something else. They seem to consider it some kind of moral failing to simply bypass things without spewing out some kind of reaction, yet at the same time they don’t want to invest the cerebral effort to answer like a rational adult rather than like an ill-bred and rather stupid child who would rather be playing in the mud than actually [ugh] thinking.
The World of Throwback Thursday
Posted in Biography, History, Miscellaneous, Music, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged activism, blogging, censorship, consensual crime, cops, fascism, games, holidays, law, lawheads, LGBT rights, politicians, psychology, universal criminality, weaponry on July 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
I liked Pride so much better when it was one day celebrated by grass-roots organizations than a whole month ballyhooed by major corporations with rainbow-hued consumer goods, and with hypocritical expressions of solidarity from politicians and cops.
– “June is Tweeting Out All Over”
One…aspect of my neuroatypicality…[is] that…[I] spend [a lot of] time composing and performing a kind of music only I can hear.
– “The Music in the Numbers”
Unfortunately, societies’ tendency to self-lobotomize into stagnation and decay is something that will almost certainly never be solved.
– “The Eternal Frontier”
The only moral form of warfare is War of Assassins, in which the only combatants and the only legitimate targets are the rulers, their henchmen, and their agents. – “War of Assassins“
In the News (#1651)
Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged abortion, artificial stupidity, censorship, Censorship Ascendant, cops, dehumanization, drugs, fascism, internet, law, Louisiana, Mad Libs, Monsters, New York, Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs, politicians, porn, prisons, Pyrrhic Victory, Russia, Size Matters, sporting events, surveillance, The Last Shall Be First, The Vultures Descend, transgender, Utah, Walled Garden, You Were Warned on July 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »
If there are no punishments for violating someone’s rights, they’re not really rights at all. – Hemant Mehta
The only religion which it’s actually free to practice in the US is Christianity:
The Supreme Court has made it official: Religious freedom only applies if you’re a conservative Christian…[by] rul[ing] 6-3…that a Rastafarian man whose hair was cut off against his will—violating his religious beliefs—had no legal remedies available to him…Damon Landor…hadn’t cut his hair in decades because he follows the Nazarite vow—which includes a reference to Numbers 6:5: “… No razor may be used on their head… they must let their hair grow long.” He continued that vow even after entering two Louisiana jails in 2020, for a five-month sentence…[but] when he was transferred to a third [dungeon]…Landor worried they might try to cut his hair to fit in with [victim subjugation] policies, so he showed [screws] paperwork [of]…The Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act of 2000…[which] says prisons that receive federal funding can’t violate someone’s religious beliefs unless there’s a really good reason for it…They threw his paperwork in the trash, handcuffed him to a chair, and shaved off his hair. He later sued…both the prison and the individual [screw]s for violating his rights…[but] writing for the majority, Justice Neil Gorsuch said [because the screws didn’t want to follow the law]…they couldn’t be held accountable…
Madison Square Garden compiled a list of activists who have publicly criticized [its] use of facial recognition…in…a document…accessible to [anyon]e in…the company…MSG[‘s owner] Jim Dolan[, who also owns Radio City Music Hall]…has…a reputation for being pernicious against his perceived enemies, [and] is…keeping track of specific people who take issue with [his creepy surveillance]…The…list…[includes] three people who have criticized MSG’s use of facial recognition: Evan Greer…of…Fight for the Future; Albert Fox Cahn…of the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project…and…[Adam] Schwartz…of [EFF, and]…includes background information…social media handles and…screenshots of [criticism]…“The fact that MSG is creating dossiers on activists who say things they don’t like shows exactly why private companies should not be allowed to use dangerous surveillance technologies like facial recognition,” [said] Greer…“Given their recent treatment of a trans woman trying to use the bathroom…I’m also not surprised they misgendered me”…
Goons are now being dispatched to intimidate people for wrongthink:
Two…[ICE goons threaten]ed…a Syracuse [New York] woman…[in an attempt] to [censor her] social media account[, claiming she was mean to them]…PaigeLynne Gonyea said she believes they [we]re referring to a January post where she named the [goon] who [murdered] protester Renee Good. Gonyea was working as a poll worker…at the Central Library…when [the goons showed up]. She…invited them in[side because]…she did not want to meet them outside alone…The [goons] handed [her] a form letter [full of Trumpist] threats…[of] prosecution…“They tried to scare me into signing it”…she said…she does not intend to delete her post…[but instead contacted] the attorney general’s office…[her US representative, the] Mayor [of Syracuse] and the New York Civil Liberties Union…
Only Rights Can Stop the Wrongs (#1532)
Never forget that this started with censorship of internet porn:
Anastasia Ovsyannikova…has been detained [in Russia for being] on [OnlyFans]…She gained fame through her collaborations with Diana Shurygina, wh[o]…was [also] arrested in Moscow earlier this month [when cops staged a theatrical raid] on her apartment and [stole] cameras and [other] filming equipment…the…p[er]secution is part of a growing wave of cases targeting women over online adult content. In a separate case, a woman named Anastasia F. was detained in Yekaterinburg on similar charges [for] posting explicit content on OnlyFans…The Kremlin has for several years sought to position the country as more [puritanical]…But this stance hardened a[s part of its propaganda campaign to draw attention away from its disastrous] invasion of Ukraine in February 2022…
Western nations are competing to out-China China:
[Politicians have]…unveil[ed] a [uniparty collaboration] on [the massive internet surveillance and censorship bill named]…KOSA…[which] now…includes age verification for [any website that any politician points at while belching “]sexually explicit[“, plus provisians allowing the government to control the design of] video game[s] and…social media…platforms…[plus threats to attack]…platforms [which refuse] to silence users [enough for politicians’ tastes]…
This was always the endgame, regardless of claims to the contrary:
In its quest to outlaw abortion across the country, the [forced birth] movement has [long courted the wishy-washy by claiming they want]…women who get the procedure…spared punishment, while doctors and others who make it available should be p[ersecuted]…But a growing number of [forced-birth fanatics] are starting to [drop the mask,] argu[ing] that the only way to stop women from ending their pregnancies [is] to arrest them. The [unmasking] is coming as [forced-birth fanatics] express frustration that the number of abortions happening now is higher than [before] Roe v. Wade was overturned, largely because [women don’t want fanatical strangers controlling their bodies]…
Reason needs to be far more skeptical of the outlandish claims of chatbot pushers:
…Utah has passed several laws and initiatives to [funnel]…healthcare [money into the hands of chatbot purveyors], including a[n ill-considered scheme] launched earlier this year to allow…chatbots to fill prescriptions…[via a fascist collaboration named] Doctronic…[so far] the project [only allows algorithmic refills of ongoing]…prescriptions and medication for asthma, diabetes, and other c[hronic] health conditions. Patients still need to visit a[n actual] doctor for new prescriptions…but…[as AMA executive John Whyte points out] “It’s really a concern about a slippery slope. Do we start here with prescriptions, then all of a sudden, is it going to lead to diagnostic tests?”…Doctronic [claims] its platform is guided by the opinions of board-certified physicians[, but the exact same statement is made by insurance companies about the medical washouts whom they employ to deny claims]…
I find paywalls distasteful, and so many people find this blog valuable as a resource I just can’t bring myself to install one. Furthermore, I find ad delivery services (whose content I have no say over) even more distasteful. But as I’m now semi-retired from sex work, I can’t self-sponsor this blog by myself any longer. So if you value my writing enough that you would pay to see it if it were paywalled, please consider subscribing; there are four different levels to fit all budgets. Or if that doesn’t work for you, please consider showing your generosity with a one-time donation; you can Paypal to maggiemcneill@earthlink.net or else email me at the same address to make other arrangements. Thanks so much!
Throwback Thursday and the Playgirls
Posted in Diary, Miscellaneous, Philosophy, tagged blogging, imaginative fiction, left-right myth, propaganda, psychology, Twitter on June 25, 2026| Leave a Comment »
There is nothing as good for anxiety as feeling supported and cared for! – “Diary #625”
It’s hardly incisive criticism or inspired analysis to point out that children see and enjoy different things in a movie or show than adults do, or that young adults and older adults may enjoy different things about the same show. –
“The Eye of Childhood”
Art cannot exist as handmaiden to politics. This is not to say that art cannot be political; “Guernica” is art. But if the artistic impulse does not precede the political one, the result is mere propaganda. Artists can make political statements, but partisans can’t make art. – “Tweets Aplenty”
Grief, loss, and pain are transmuted [by the brain’s alchemy] into art, much like a compost heap transmutes organic garbage into humus for growing new plants. – “Diary #782“
In the News (#1648)
Posted in Current Events, Miscellaneous, News, Perception, Philosophy, Tyranny, tagged agency denial, Broken Record, California, cell phones, cops, Europe, fascism, Florida, games, hysteria, Imaginary Evils, LGBT rights, Nebraska, Panopticon, politicians, prohibitionist myths, propaganda, psychology, Pyrrhic Victory, restaurants, robots, Size Matters, sporting events, surveillance, Time Warp, Welcome to the Future on June 20, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Academics who have studied human trafficking at big sporting events…say that it is all hokum. – Dave Mastio
Nebraska politicians recently held a bizarrely-anachronistic press conference during which they spouted the kind of “sex trafficking” fantasies which were popular at the height of the hysteria 14 years ago; the panic is so moribund that even a journalist in a largely-rural state feels comfortable calling these politicians liars and debunking a boss hog’s nonsense “statistics”. It took far too long, but it’s still good to see; contrast with “Broken Record” below.
…At least three gay bars in [San Francisco] have started using Patronscan…a [facial recognition system sold as] intended to flag fake IDs…[and] the experience of having a camera turned on every person entering the venues, often without warning, has left many [justifiably] outraged…Management at Mix, Badlands, and Toad Hall [refus]ed to speak to the Gazetteer about the issue, though…the Patronscan website…admits…the [scan] goes beyond simple document checks to…include…third-party checks…[to betray] people [to cops, spooks, and goons]…a…bouncer [also admitted]…facial scans would be stored [indefinitely on a bouncer’s say-so]…The company [justified jumping off a bridge by saying]…more than 700 [other kids have already done it]…But it has already become the subject of…a class-action lawsuit in Illinois…
This is a very unusual development:
A European religious freedom group is slamming the prosecution of OneTaste founder Nicole Daedone and former executive Rachel Cherwitz…Coordination des Associations et des Particuliers pour la Liberté de Conscience…has United Nations consultative status, which means it’s accredited by the U.N. to submit written statements and make oral arguments before the U.N. Human Rights Council…prosecutors seemed intent on putting the group’s beliefs and practices on trial…”The legal theory used…marks a major departure from established constitutional principles…The defendants were convicted…based solely on psychological influence, without evidence of threats, violence, or physical coercion.” You can see how this theory might apply to a wide range of religious groups, philosophical movements, political movements, self-improvement programs, health regimens, lifestyle groups, and so on. If the federal statute against human trafficking [can be used thus]…we risk turning all sorts of influence and ordinary business into a crime. All authorities have to do is label something a cult, and voila—any of the group’s instructions, practices, and marketing tactics become sinister…
The only way to keep data from being abused or leaked is not to collect it:
…ALPR…company Flock exposed the reasons cops conducted searches, and sometimes the specific searched license plates, in common search engines like DuckDuckGo and Bing, according to tests by…the NoCo Privacy Coalition…“Flock appears to be leaking tons of law enforcement vehicle queries and possible user data. Data publicly visible in search result URLs includes: license plate state and numbers, make, model, color, identifiers such as ‘window stickers’ and ‘top rack,’ case number, and more,” the organization said…Flock’s [response was to absurdly belch that] “Protecting customer data is a top priority for Flock” [when their entire business model is to enable cops to conduct unconstitutional warrantless searches]…
When an internet service is “free”, you are the product:
Hundreds of millions of Pokémon Go players spent years filming the streets, parks, and buildings around them to earn [make-believe] rewards. Those roughly 30 billion environmental scans are now owned by Niantic Spatial, and [were sold to] train a camera-based navigation model that a [fascist] contractor is preparing to put into drones and other military robots…[so they can] locate…by sight when satellite signals fail…Niantic Spatial CTO Brian McClendon, who previously led the team behind Google Maps, Google Earth, and Street View, has said the approach suits robots operating where GPS regularly drops out, such as dense cities, and where signals are deliberately blocked, such as war zones…
Government thugs don’t care how many lives are destroyed by their evil:
Police arrested a man in Florida for attempted child abduction in a town he had never visited, [ignoring all evidence other than a]…facial recognition [false positive]. Represented by the…ACLU…he is now suing the [pig]s and [cop shop]s who put him through it. In November 2023, police in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, responded to a call about an attempted child abduction at a McDonald’s…In August 2024, deputies arrested Dillon at his home in Fort Myers, Florida—hundreds of miles away…More than two months later, prosecutors dropped the charges after his attorney provided evidence that he was at work on the day in question. But [cops ignored]…mobile ordering records, payment data…online account information from McDonald’s…the [fact that the] manager recognized the assailant as a “regular customer”…and…his cell phone’s GPS data, showing…he was…300 miles away…on the night in question…
[Even] sex worker platform[s sometimes buy into ridiculous myths, as demonstrated by the platform] Erobella, [which moronically claims] that…9,000 [European sex workers are “]planning[” travel to North American for the World Cup], while 22,000 others are [“]considering[“] it…[given that] Erobella [claims it] is…committed to combating stigma around sex work, [it seems especially bizarre that it is promoting the nonsensical propaganda]…that major sporting events like the World Cup have historically been really lucrative periods for the sex industry, [given that any sex worker who has ever actually worked during one of these events knows better]…
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