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Neal, Allen and McKinley making progress in injury rehab – Atlanta Journal Constitution

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

The Falcons report that safety Keanu Neal (Achilles), safety Ricardo Allen (shoulder) and defensive end Takk McKinley (shoulder) are all progressing from in-season and postseason surgeries.

All of the guys are making progress, coach Dan Quinn said Monday. They are hitting the markers that they want to. In that space, you have to make sure from a rehab standpoint that they can hit all of those things. Fortunately, for all of those guys, there are guidelines in place for all of them to continue on the same path that they would have been on.

McKinley has been closely monitored.

Im fully expecting Takk to come back and play at the level that we want, and he does, too, Quinn said.

The Falcons are hoping McKinley and free-agent signee Dante Fowler can lead the pass rush.

We anticipate him fully recovered and playing a significant role for this year for this defense, Quinn said.We are pleased with where hes at and his progress. All things are making a good trajectory for him to throw a hell of a year.

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Neal, Allen and McKinley making progress in injury rehab - Atlanta Journal Constitution

Trump’s surprise immigration ban expected to include major exemption – POLITICO

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Whatever order Trump issues will have significant political ramifications. Cutting off all immigration would bolster Trumps standing with his hard-line conservative base, but anger the business community, which wants Trump to ease restrictions on temporary worker visas. Conversely, if Trump chooses to exempt any temporary workers from his immigration ban, hell bolster his standing with the business community but risk creating a backlash among his more conservative base.

Trump kicked off speculation about his intentions Monday with a late-night tweet proclaiming: In light of the attack from the Invisible Enemy, as well as the need to protect the jobs of our GREAT American Citizens, I will be signing an Executive Order to temporarily suspend immigration into the United States!

The tweet did not indicate what specific action Trump would take: He could simply suspend entries for a period of time, or cancel a specific program for the year. The White House did not offer clarity when it issued its first official statement on the issue Tuesday morning.

President Trump is committed to protecting the health and economic well-being of American citizens as we face unprecedented times, said White House press secretary Kayleigh McEnany. As President Trump has said, Decades of record immigration have produced lower wages and higher unemployment for our citizens, especially for African-American and Latino workers. At a time when Americans are looking to get back to work, action is necessary.

When asked what prompted the decision, a top DHS official responded: 22 million unemployed Americans and counting due to Covid-19.

Since the pandemic began, international travel has come to a virtual standstill as countries across the globe have imposed travel restrictions to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

In the U.S., the Trump administration has restricted foreign visitors from China, Europe, Canada and Mexico, and has paused processing for immigrants trying to come into the U.S. on nonworker visas because of office closures. Trump has boasted that such moves demonstrated his administrations serious and early response to the growing outbreak. Public health experts say the moves likely bought the U.S. some time but that the administration did not use that time to properly prepare for a domestic surge in cases.

Trump has faced calls from conservative groups to go further than the slate of travel restrictions. They have been urging the Trump administration to halt all foreign workers from entering the U.S., citing the millions of Americans who have been put out of work amid economic shutdowns intended to help slow the coronavirus outbreak.

But for weeks, his administration has allowed the foreign workers to enter.

Specifically, the U.S. eased requirements for immigrants to get certain jobs, such as farmworkers, landscapers and crab pickers, aware that certain industries, including those that fill grocery store shelves, could be hurt during the pandemic if they couldnt hire foreign employees. It has also begun easing the process for companies looking to hire foreign workers, altering some paperwork requirements, including allowing electronic signatures and waiving the physical inspection of documents.

In early April, under pressure from immigration activists, the administration did backtrack on a plan to pause the approval of 35,000 more seasonal worker visas, pending further review.

Former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who is running for a Senate seat in Alabama, pushed for a complete moratorium on immigration to the U.S. on Tucker Carlsons show on Fox News last week. Carlson has been in close contact with Trump during the course of this virus and was one of the primary outside allies pushing him to do the China travel ban back in early January.

Immediately after the presidents tweet on Monday night, hard-line immigration groups cheered the decision.

The president's comments reflect a sensitivity to a primary purpose of all immigration laws of every country, and that is to protect a nation's vulnerable workers, said Roy Beck, president of NumbersUSA, which supports restrictions. With tens of millions of Americans who want to work full time not able to, most immigration makes no sense today, and to allow it to continue at its current level at this time would show a callous disregard for those enduring deep economic suffering.

The excitement could change if the White House confirms exemptions for foreign worker visas in its upcoming order.

One question remains, said RJ Hauman, government relations director at the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which favors immigration restrictions. Are there any caveats like guest workers being excluded from the order? Well see.

Trump's surprise immigration ban expected to include major exemption - POLITICO

Whats behind Trumps fresh push to wrest control of Voice of America – POLITICO

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

"VOA should be leading the charge in exposing the exact timeline of the lies of the CCP concerning human-to-human transmission and community spread. Instead, we get Amanda Bennett, Bannon told POLITICO. She is a classic 'useful idiot' who kowtows to Beijing's Party Line.

The vitriol from the right doesnt sit well with mainstream journalists, who fear that Trump, through Pack, could transform VOA into a vehicle for his own brand of politics. The National Press Club issued a statement strongly backing Bennett, and citing VOAs history of providing accurate and unbiased news to counter the lies of totalitarian regimes.

Michael Freedman, president of the National Press Club, said that VOA has produced exemplary reporting under Bennett. "Amanda is a respected journalist, he said. When you're providing accurate and fair information, somebody is going to be unhappy with it."

The independence of the federal governments broadcast media for foreign audiences has been an issue for decades, dating back to the Cold War. Conservative activists have long sought to remake the U.S. Agency for Global Media, formerly known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors with its annual budget of $750 million and a weekly audience of nearly 350 million people in a more confrontational mold. Trumps election renewed the issue, sparking speculation that he and Bannon would move quickly to turn Voice of America into full-throated, pro-Trump state TV.

But such changes have not come to pass, and as the White House looks again to advance its nominee, Democrats are pushing back against Pack, who served as president of the conservative Claremont Institute until 2017 and is the producer, most recently, of "Created Equal: Clarence Thomas in His Own Words.

On Monday, Senate Foreign Relations Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) sent the White House a letter about Pack, saying his nomination remains tainted by unanswered questions about possible self-dealing during his time at Claremont and unresolved issues with the Internal Revenue Service over money from government grants to his non-profit that ended up being paid to his production company.

Mr. Pack has acknowledged that he made false statements to the IRS, yet he has indicated that he has no intention of correcting the record, Mendendez wrote to Chief of Staff Mark Meadows. Does the White House agree that there is no need for Mr. Pack to provide accurate information or required disclosures to the IRS? If so, how did the White House arrive at this conclusion and does the IRS agree? Does this position apply only to Mr. Pack, or does it apply more broadly to Trump Administration nominees and other U.S. taxpayers?

Pack did not respond to requests for comment. A person familiar with his nomination said he was following standard procedure for nominees by avoiding contact with the press.

In 2017, the White House settled on Pack as its pick to head the Broadcasting Board of Governors, which was renamed the U.S. Agency for Global Media the following year. In addition to VOA, the agency oversees the funding of Radio Free Europe and Radio Free Asia, which are privately incorporated but publicly funded and often take a more antagonistic stance than VOA does towards covering authoritarian regimes.

Pack, whom Bannon has described as his mentor in documentary filmmaking, has previously served on the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the National Council on the Humanities, two other flashpoints for political fights over publicly funded cultural programming.

That culture war lens has had an enduring influence on his approach to media. "There's a lot of complaining sometimes on the right that there aren't documentaries like this, he said of his Clarence Thomas film during a recent radio appearance. But the left supports its documentary filmmakers and in that sense it deserves to own the culture because it shows up for it."

Trump formally put Pack forward in 2018, but his nomination languished in the Senate, in large part due to a lack of enthusiasm from Republicans on Capitol Hill. Former Tennessee Sen. Bob Corker, who chaired the Foreign Relations Committee at the time and was one of few Senate Republicans to openly defy Trump, showed little interest in moving Packs nomination.

Corkers replacement as chairman, James Risch of Idaho, is a more reliable ally of Trumps, and support from conservative activists has rekindled Packs nomination in recent months. In September, Pack got a hearing, but since then, his nomination has again stalled as he has jousted with Menendez over questions related to his taxes and his tenure at Claremont.

In November, a group that included former Attorney General Ed Meese, Family Research Council President Tony Perkins, former South Carolina Sen. Jim DeMint, and Justice Thomass wife, Ginni Thomas, signed an open letter in support of Pack.

Per Senate rules, Packs nomination was sent back to the White House in January, which re-submitted it on February 25. By the time Pack had sent in his paperwork in March, coronavirus had brought Senate proceedings to a halt.

It is expected Pack would fire Bennett if confirmed. For some Hill Republicans who remain lukewarm on Pack, the drawn-out nomination fight has already diminished his chances of successfully remaking VOA in a more hawkish image.

Trumpworld has known about [Bennett] since the transition but they didnt care because they didnt think VOA mattered, said a congressional Republican aide. Now they have a problem because she had four years to install her people at every level and shes going to absolutely steamroll Pack. From day one everything he sees and hears is going to be prebaked. He doesnt have a chance.

VOAs coverage of China under Bennett had been drawing fire from the right at least as early as 2018, when Stanford Universitys conservative Hoover Institution relayed complaints of a pattern of avoiding stories that could be perceived to be too tough on China in a lengthy report on Chinese influence in the U.S.

Amid the coronavirus crisis, the White House has seized again on VOAs China coverage and Packs nomination to oversee it.

Behind the scenes, White House Chief Digital Officer Ory Rinat who worked at the Heritage Foundation and is aligned with many of Packs movement conservative supporters has been active in pushing for change at the governments broadcasters.

On April 10, Rinats office blasted Voice of America in the White Houses 1600 Daily newsletter, writing, VOA too often speaks for Americas adversariesnot its citizens.

The day before, White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino had taken issue with VOAs coverage of a light show marking the end of the lockdown in Wuhan, the Chinese city where the coronavirus outbreak began. American taxpayerspaying for Chinas very own propaganda, via the U.S. Government funded Voice of America! DISGRACE!! Scavino tweeted.

Bennett issued a lengthy response, pointing to VOAs critical coverage of Chinas coronavirus response and saying, One of the big differences between publicly-funded independent media, like the Voice of America, and state-controlled media is that we are free to show all sides of an issue and are actually mandated to do so by law as stated in the VOA Charter signed by President Gerald Ford in 1976.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Hogan Gidley did not respond to a request for comment.

Bennett did not respond to requests for comment and VOAs press office declined to make her available for an interview.

Bennetts husband Don Graham, whose Graham Holdings sold the Washington Post to Jeff Bezos in 2013, has taken to defending her on his personal Facebook page, appealing to taxpayers.

You, through your tax payments, have built up a worldwide broadcasting organization with considerable worldwide credibility. And now we have a chance to throw it away, he wrote, in addition to authoring a lengthy post about Bennetts work as an editor at Bloomberg News in exposing the riches of Chinese President Xi Jinpings family.

She has been a truthful reporter and editor, he wrote, willing to stand up to the Chinese government (as the family of Xi Jinping will attest), at Bloomberg and at VOA.

Daniel Lippman contributed to this report.

Whats behind Trumps fresh push to wrest control of Voice of America - POLITICO

Yes, Cindy Adams Is Still Besties With Donald Trump: What Did We Expect? – Vanity Fair

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Donald Trump took a break from his scattershot coronavirus-pandemic management and his regular Twitter program to wish the New York Post gossip columnist Cindy Adams a happy birthday on Wednesday, writing, Happy Birthday to the great Cindy Adams of the New York Post. Cindy is 90, but looks 39 to me. She is going strong!

He also called her earlier in the week, according to Adamss column on Tuesday.

The column addressed the birthday celebration shed been planning before the crisis, which wouldve been held this coming Friday. Reached by phone on Wednesday, Adams said that with the party off, she had no plans. Im not gonna do anything, she said. She added that her housekeeper would like to make me goat curry. And I really dont think I want any goat curry for my birthday, instead of the 500 people I was going to give a huge five-course dinner to.

On the call with Trump, I remember saying, Dont worry about [Joe] Biden, he cant find his way to the urinal in the White House, Adams said. She was on speakerphone in the Oval Office, and the room erupted in laughter. I dont remember what other things we said or what Im gonna tell you about it, she said.

The cozy column and backatcha tweet caused some minor commotion on Twitter, coming as it did in the middle of a crisis that, by the confirmed numbers, has killed just under 50,000 people in the U.S., infected over 800,000 more, and generally thrown the country into varying degrees of distress. There was also Adamss waxing nostalgic about how the president used to try to date Miss Universe contestants while she was an official for the competition. In the column Adams wrote that she told Trump on the phone, If you could handle a locked skirt you can handle a locked-down country. The room broke out laughing. (At least 23 women have publicly made allegations of sexual misconduct against Trump. He has denied all the allegations.) Not that Adams was reading the comments, as it were. He tweeted whatever it was he tweeted today, she said on the phone on Wednesday.

Trump has long had a kind of codependent relationship with the New York City tabloids. If you worked for a newspaper in New York in the 1980s, you had to write about Trump, the former Post and Newsday editor and columnist Susan Mulcahy wrote for Politico a few months before Trumps election. At times, I would let several months go by without a single column mention of The Donald, she added. This doubtless upset him, as he loves Page Six and used to have it brought it to him the moment it arrived in his office.

Adams said that she and Trump have been friends for 50 years. Hes been to her home for dinner, as have many other politicians. Ive had mayors, governors, Ive had presidents here for dinner, Adams said. But they were nice, small little dinners. I never had 500 people at a dinner that I was arranging and I was paying for, and Im not ever doing it again.

The benefits and risks of AI and post-human life – Independent Australia

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Philosophers involvedin the theories ofpost-humanism and transhumanismare captivated by the possibilities, or dangers, that the future poses to our understanding of human life.

According to Wikipedia,the idea of the post-human originates in the fields of science fiction, futurology, contemporary artand philosophy that literally refers to a person or entity that exists in a state beyond being human. In other words, a human so advanced that he or she is more or less distinct from our current conception of the ordinary person. This will mostly be facilitated by technological developments.

Steps towards post-humanism are already set in motion: they are not simply dystopian fantasies. Despite some of the hype around AI and robots might lead us to believe, noneof these massive changes are happening soon. These developments will be made in incrementally;often two steps forwards and three steps back. This is more linked to the way we humans are, rather than to the state of technology.

Philosophers such as Francesca Ferrando argue that transhumanism understands the meaning of humanity, in relation to technology and ecology. We should start to see humans not as the pinnacle of evolution and the rulers of the world, but as an integral part of the biosphere equal to other organisms. No longer can it be"them and us", with uncontrolled exploitation.

Humans are tribalistic in nature. There is discrimination between gender, race, nationality, ability. We will need to overcome this, yet progress here isn't linear. It is questionable if humanity can overcome tribalism. We might solve some form of these issues.At the same time, humans in their current form will rapidly find new ones to fight over (technology, robots, AI and so on).

In order to overcome some of these deeply ingrained human obstacles, post-humanism pointsto technologies that can be of assistance to manage humanity and our planet earth in a more sustainable way. A prerequisite for this is open societies.

Key issues that humanity will have to surmountare corruption, despotism and roadblocks to human development, whether itbesocially, culturally or economically. None of this will be easy and in the political reality of today, it could be seen as pure fantasy. But over decennia and centuries, things will change.

It is also interesting to contemplate what driveshumans to develop these new technologies.

From a philosophical and scientific point of view, we can think of scenarios that could take us further. Even if we see a global crisis creating massive havoc among our global population, we have already developed technologies that can assist us beyond such a situation, and with the coronavirus, we are seeing a spur of internationally collaborative developments that will greatly enhance this situation further.

In small ways, we are already seeing that "post-humans" will be far more intertwined with technology.

Look at pacemakers, bionic ears and eyes, artificial limbs and so on. We already have smart pills. Cybernetics has seen many breakthroughs in recent years, including the development of advanced prosthetics, used to provide amputees with a better quality of life.

The latest developments here are linking these prostheses direct to our brain and nervous system, making it increasingly more seamless. Soon individuals, otherthan disabled persons, may want similar functionalities. Think here for example about athletes the military and people that are already experimenting themselves with these technologies.

The MIT Media Lab is one of many organisations looking into cyborg developments. This is a being with both organic and biomechatronic body parts.

Going one step further, we are seeing the technology ofhumanoids. They are something that has an appearance resembling a human without being one. The current attempts still look underdeveloped,but compare them with the robots from a few decades ago.

Away from the hardware, now on to the software. Digital technology is already having an enormous impact on how we see ourselves.We already have some primitive forms of digital twins: our persona in digital formats, such as on social media. But there are other developments underway that would go far beyond that, if they ever get off the ground.

Neurotechnology is also a growth area. Utilising nanotechnologies, these technologies are progressing well with developments such as Neuralink: an optogenetic technology that will allow a human brain to download directly from a computer.

Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies will soon be able to assist humans withthe most complex and difficult problems. Through mind-uploading such as theNectomeprogram and mind-merging, the best brains of the world can work together, creating the Brainternet.

A technology known as neural-lace will see the implanting tiny of electrodes into the brain. The result would be the enhancement of memory and cognitive powers by effectively merging humans and AI. Could this lead to a universal consciousness? Is this what we need to overcomecurrent tribal human problems? Is it consciousness, rather than physical appearance, that makes us human?

Obviously, we would need to redefine what human means in such a situation. Who knows what lays ahead in the centuries, let alone the millennia (hopefully) in front of us? Planet earth perhaps has another billion years to goand it's highly unlikely that humans remain the same as humanswe knowtoday. Will we be able to travel to distant galaxies and in what form will we travel?

Most likely, it will be in some form of software that could emulate our mind. It would require highly integrated computer technologies that could instantly process zettabytes of information, something that is extremely hard to fathom.

A huge question will be how are we going to manage these developments? There will, of course, be many ethical issues that we as a society need to address. We also know that looking at the current unwanted digital technology developments that are happening, we must start planning for the futurebefore technologies like AI makethe decisions for us.

Many industry leaders and scientists have urged governments to start this process now. But like taking preventative measures in relation to the current pandemic, governments equally have been procrastinating in this area.

Rather than trying to preempt developments in the decades or centuries ahead, we should follow and, wherever necessary, regulate these developments as we go. However, it is critical to take this post-human concept into account and have a holistic discussion about these topics between scientists, technologists, politicians and indeed the broader community.

Though, it is impossible to make transhuman predictions from our current position.On the positive side, in order to overcome the current political, cultural, social and economic problems, we will need technology to ensure that all global citizens will have a viable and sustainable place to live with a good quality lifestyle.

Scientists and engineers are certainly making progress.

Paul Buddeis an Independent Australia columnist and managing director ofPaul Budde Consulting, an independent telecommunications research and consultancy organisation. You can follow Paul on Twitter@PaulBudde.

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The benefits and risks of AI and post-human life - Independent Australia

The reach of cyberattacks related to Covid-19 – Politico

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

With help from Eric Geller, Martin Matishak and Laurens Cerulus

Editors Note: Morning Cybersecurity is a free version of POLITICO Pro Cybersecuritys morning newsletter, which is delivered to our subscribers each morning at 6 a.m. The POLITICO Pro platform combines the news you need with tools you can use to take action on the days biggest stories. Act on the news with POLITICO Pro.

Coronavirus-themed cyberattacks show no sign of slowing, as federal agencies and companies explore whos vulnerable and whos responsible.

MC exclusive: An examination of cyber-related sanctions and indictments showed disparities across U.S. administrations and nations.

The NSA and an Australian spy agency warned about a kind of attack thats on the rise.

A message from Global Strategy Group:

What do Americans expect from corporate leaders as they respond to COVID-19? Who do they trust most? How and whether companies respond will have a lasting impact on their reputationand their bottom line. Download the full report here.

HAPPY THURSDAY and welcome to Morning Cybersecurity! Russian Doll was great but your MC host isnt sure what to make of this. Send your thoughts, feedback and especially tips to [emailprotected]. Be sure to follow @POLITICOPro and @MorningCybersec. Full team info below.

POLITICO Pro is here to help you navigate these unprecedented times. Check out our new Covid-19 Coverage Roundup, which provides a daily summary of top Covid-19 news coverage from across all 16 federal policy verticals as well as premium content, such as DataPoint graphics. Please sign up at our settings page to receive this unique roundup sent directly to your inbox every weekday afternoon.

Sign up for POLITICO Nightly: Coronavirus Special Edition, your daily update on how the illness is affecting politics, markets, public health and more.

EVER-EXPANDING Months into the Covid-19 crisis, were still learning more each day about the scope and innovation in coronavirus-themed attacks via the government agencies and tech companies fighting off the hackers.

IBM on pace and vulnerabilities: IBM says it has seen a 6,000 percent increase in Covid-19 spam from mid-March to mid-April. It also released a study today that suggests small-business owners and consumers could be the most vulnerable to scams where cyber criminals masquerade as the government. More than a third of those polled by IBM and Morning Consult said they expect emails from the IRS, despite years of the IRS and others warning that the agency wouldnt email anyone about their tax filings; over half said they would click on links or attachments in emails about stimulus checks. And just 14 percent of small-business owners said they felt very knowledgeable about relief loans. Palo Alto Networks also provided some figures on coronavirus-related scams Wednesday.

DOJ on takedowns, Google on nation-state hacking: DOJ said Wednesday that law enforcement, cybersecurity companies and website operators have taken down hundreds of domains that were using the coronavirus crisis for fraud. Not coincidentally, some of the ones identified by the FBI mimicked the IRS relief payment portal. And, according to Google, federal employees have been targets themselves of coronavirus-themed phishing campaigns orchestrated by hackers backed by other nations; in total, more than a dozen such hacking groups have launched attacks that use Covid-19.

FireEye on Vietnam: Hackers linked to the Vietnamese government have been spear-phishing Chinese government agencies in an apparent effort to understand Beijings handling of the coronavirus pandemic, FireEye researchers said Wednesday. The malicious emails went to China's Ministry of Emergency Management and the municipal government in Wuhan, where the virus first emerged, according to FireEye, which attributed the activity to the Vietnam-linked group APT32. While targeting of East Asia is consistent with the activity weve previously reported on APT32, the researchers wrote, this incident, and other publicly reported intrusions, are part of a global increase in cyber espionage related to the crisis, carried out by states desperately seeking solutions and nonpublic information.

The spear-phishing campaign, which seems to have begun in early January, uses virus-related lures to entice victims into opening the infected attachments, which then deploy the Metaljack malware payload. FireEye spotted the same malware and command-and-control server in a phishing campaign in December likely targeting Southeast Asian countries.

The first malicious email that FireEye caught was dated Jan. 6, one week before Thailand reported the first infection outside China. Vietnam was [very] quick to respond to early reports of the disease, Reuters reporter Jack Stubbs pointed out. Maybe now we have an idea why. Vietnam has reported fewer than 300 coronavirus cases and no deaths.

FIRST IN MC: CYBER SANCTIONS AND INDICTMENTS The Trump administration in its first term has been far more aggressive in issuing cyber-related sanctions and indictments against China, Iran, North Korea and Russia than the Obama administration in its second term, according to an analysis and infographic out today from the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. President Donald Trump has issued 106 indictments and 110 sanctions, compared to 28 and five, respectively, from President Barack Obama from 2013 to 2016, the think tank found.

Across both administrations, the number of sanctions and indictments are applied inconsistently across nations. While North Korea is behind larger and more destructive attacks than Iran, North Korea has endured six total indictments and sanctions to Irans 30, the analysis and infographic concluded. Authors Trevor Logan and Pavak Patel explained that might be because North Korean hackers are more closely affiliated with their governments, whereas Iranian hackers arent exclusively loyal and therefore easier to name.

China more often faces indictments than sanctions. Logan and Patel wrote that may indicate that the United States is reluctant to issue sanctions against malicious Chinese actors due to the fear of escalation or economic retaliation against American companies. In contrast, the relative weakness of the Iranian, North Korean, and Russian economies means that Washington can act more freely without fear of blowback.

MALWARE IN A HALF SHELL The NSA and its Australian counterpart on Wednesday issued guidelines for detecting and defending against so-called shell malware, a tactic hackers are increasingly using in their operations. Web shells provide attackers with persistent access to a compromised network using communication channels disguised to blend in with legitimate traffic, the notice from NSA and the Australian Signals Directorate explained. The intelligence organizations suggested a defense-in-depth approach using multiple detection capabilities as the best way to both uncover and prevent the malware from wreaking havoc on systems, as well as tips on how to recover from such an attack. A critical focus once a web shell is discovered should be on how far the attacker penetrated within the network.

A message from Global Strategy Group:

New research from Global Strategy Group reveals the opportunities and risks facing corporate leaders as they respond to COVID-19.

A majority of Americans expect the private sector to play a major role, and people trust corporate leadership more than the White House.

But CEOs need to buck the existing perception that they are too focused on their bottom line and not enough on their employees.

Americans trust corporations in this moment and corporations can and must deliver. Companies will be defined later by what they do now, and the reputational costs could be high.

Download the full report today.

WHOS ZOOMING WHO Zoom announced stronger encryption and an array of additional security measures for version 5.0 of the video conferencing platform it rolled out on Wednesday. From our network to our feature set to our user experience, everything is being put through rigorous scrutiny, said Oded Gal, chief product officer of the company.

CZECHS TO WORLD: STOP ATTACKING HOSPITALS From our friends at POLITICO Europes Cyber Insights: The Czech Republic wants all countries around the world to pledge not to launch cyberattacks on hospitals and medical facilities. Thats according to its written feedback on a draft report on international norms for cybersecurity from the U.N.s Open-ended Working Group.

The rising number of cyberattacks on medical facilities worldwide reinforce the need for coordinated global action to protect [the] public health care sector from malicious ICT activities, the Czech proposal reads. Specifically, it wants the OEWG to endorse the idea to add medical services and medical facilities to a list of things that states are barred from attacking, as laid out in the U.N.s landmark 2015 deal on cyber norms.

Czech hospitals have been the targets of cyberattacks in the past month, and last week its government warned of more attacks, prompting the U.S. to threaten hackers with consequences.

Russias feedback for the draft said the application of international humanitarian law should be applied only in the context of a military conflict while currently the ICTs [information and communications technologies] do not fit the definition of a weapon. Moscow also slammed the mention of political attribution of cyberattacks, adding the report artificially exaggerated the importance of having NGOs and civil rights groups engage with the U.N. OEWG.

Member states feedback on the OEWGs draft report can be found here. Heres security researcher Lukasz Olejniks Twitter thread analyzing the papers.

TWEET OF THE DAY Only sharing this because of the good dog.

Alston & Bird announced a Women in Cyber network co-directed by partners Kim Peretti, co-leader of Alston & Birds cybersecurity preparedness and response team, and Amy Mushahwar, member of the firms privacy and data security and cybersecurity preparedness and response teams. Associates Emily Poole and Alysa Austin will support them.

The networks advisory board includes Jeannie McCarver, senior vice president for cybersecurity at U.S. Bank; Tracey Scraba, chief privacy officer at CVS Health; and Jennifer Martin, global cybersecurity counsel at Verizon Media.

Motherboard: Researchers revealed some iPhone zero day exploits.

ZDNet: Security researcher identifies new APT group mentioned in 2017 Shadow Brokers leak.

NBC News: The leaked data on employees of the World Health Organization and others was likely from previous breaches.

Kaspersky released a survey on corporate security and employee privacy.

The Voting Village's Jake Braun and Synack's Mark Kuhr talked election security.

Good news about the number of ransomware attacks on governments, health care providers and educational organizations in the first quarter, via Emsisoft.

Thats all for today.

Stay in touch with the whole team: Eric Geller ([emailprotected], @ericgeller); Bob King ([emailprotected], @bkingdc); Martin Matishak ([emailprotected], @martinmatishak); and Tim Starks ([emailprotected], @timstarks).

The reach of cyberattacks related to Covid-19 - Politico

Odisha to invoke NSA for attacks against doctors and healthcare personnel – Economic Times

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Bhubanesar: Odisha will invoke the National Security Act (NSA) for attacks against and dishonour of any doctor and healthcare personnel.

Prompted by attacks on health care professionals in Madhya Pradesh and elsewhere and the refusal to allow the burial of two doctors in Tamil Nadu, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik promised to honour doctors and healthcare professionals who caught the virus and died doing their duty as martyrs.

In a recorded video released to the media, Patnaik also announced that families of any government doctor, healthcare and other personal who succumbed to Covid-19 would receive his or her salary until the date of retirement.

In the absence of any cure or vaccine those fighting the Covid19 war for us, doctors and healthcare professionals are taking a huge risk by putting themselves in the front. We have a rich tradition of honoring our brave hearts who fight for the country and acknowledge their supreme sacrifice. In the same spirit we propose to recognize and honor the valiant work being done by our Covid warriors, said Patnaik.

They will awarded belatedly on national days. A detailed scheme of awards is to follow. The Government of India had already announced Rs 50 lakh insurance cover for all doctors.

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Odisha to invoke NSA for attacks against doctors and healthcare personnel - Economic Times

NSA Web Shell Advisory and Mitigation Tools Published on GitHub – Computer Business Review

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

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Administrators should not assume that a modification is authentic simply because it appears to have occurred during a maintenance period.

As web shell attacks continue to be a persistent threat the U.S. National Security Agency (NSA) and the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD) have released a detailed advisory and a host of detection tools on GitHub.

Web shells are tools that hackers deploy into compromised public-facing or internal server that give them significant access and allow them to remotely execute arbitrary commands. They are a powerful tool in a hackers arsenal, one that can deploy an array of payloads or even move between device within networks.

The NSA warned that: Attackers often create web shells by adding or modifying a file in an existing web application. Web shells provide attackers with persistent access to a compromised network using communication channels disguised to blend in with legitimate traffic. Web shell malware is a long-standing, pervasive threat that continues to evade many security tools

A common misconception they are trying to dispel is that hackers only target internet-facing systems with web shell attacks, but the truth is that attackers are regularly using web shells to compromise internal content management systems or network device management interfaces.

In fact these types of internal systems can be even more susceptible to attack as they may be the last system to be patched.

In order to help IT teams mitigate these types of attacks the NSA and ASD have released a seventeen page advisory with mitigating actions that can help detect and prevent web shell attacks.

Web shell attacks are tricky to detect at first as they designed to appear as normal web files, and hackers obfuscate them further by employing encryption and encoding techniques.

One of the best ways to detect web shell malware is to have a verified version of all web applications in use. These can then be then used to authenticate production applications and can be crucial in routing out any discrepancies.

However the advisory warns that while using this mitigation approach administrators should be wary of trusting times stamps as, some attackers use a technique known as timestomping to alter created and modified times in order to add legitimacy to web shell files.

They added: Administrators should not assume that a modification is authentic simply because it appears to have occurred during a maintenance period.

The joint advisory warns that web shells could be simply part of a larger attack and that organisations need to quickly figure out how the attackers gained access to the network.

Packet capture (PCAP) and network flow data can help to determine if the web shell was being used to pivot within the network, and to where. If such a pivot is cleaned up without discovering the full extent of the intrusion and evicting the attacker, that access may be regained through other channels either immediately or at a later time, they warn.

To further help security teams the NSA has released a dedicated GitHub repository that contains an array of tools that can be used to block and detect web shell attacks.

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NSA Web Shell Advisory and Mitigation Tools Published on GitHub - Computer Business Review

Six test corona positive in MP after visiting hair-cutting salon that served COVID-19 patient earlier – The New Indian Express

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Express News Service

BHOPAL: Panic has struck the Bargaon village in Madhya Pradeshs Khargone district after six villagers, who went to a hair-cutting salon recently for hair-cuts and shaving, have tested positive for coronavirus. Swab samples of as many as 10-12 persons, who recently visited the salon in the village, were sent for COVID-19 testing recently. Out of them, six men have tested positive for the deadly virus.

According to officiating chief medical and health officer (CMHO) of Khargone district, Dr Divyesh Verma, primary probe has revealed that a youth from Bargaon, who works at a hotel in Indore, had recently come to his native village in Khargone. Possibly on April 5, he went for hair-cut and shave to the salon in Bargaon village and was later tested positive.

Subsequently, the samples of around 10-12 more men who went to the same hair-cutting salon the same day were sent for testing. Out of them, six persons from the same Bargaon village have tested positive. The entire village has been sealed and survey is underway. The kin of the six positive cases have been home-quarantined and their samples are being sent for testing, the CMHO informed.

It seems the same towel and instruments used during the haircut and shaving of the youth (who worked in Indore hotel and later tested positive for COVID-19) were used by the barber for the other customers, which infected six of them, he claimed.

The six positive cases are aged between 28 and 73 years.Till date, Khargone district has reported 60 positive cases, 19 of which have been reported in the last two days.

2017 batch trainee IPS officer tests positive for COVID-19 in Jabalpur

Meanwhile, a 2017 batch trainee IPS officer posted as circle SP (CSP) in Jabalpur, tested positive for the virus. The young officer was among those cops who had gone to the adjoining Narsinghpur district on April 20 to bring back to Jabalpur a coronavirus positive National Security Act (NSA) detainee Javed Khan, who had escaped from Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College Hospital in the city on April 19 afternoon.

The other cops, including a sub-inspector and an additional SP (ASP) who accompanied the young IPS officer, have been found negative for the virus.

Efforts are now underway to ascertain the other cops and people who had come in contact with the IPS officer since April 20. Another senior IPS officer, who is presently in Jabalpur had self-quarantined self and family members, as he had met the young CSP (who has tested positive) recently. The samples of the senior IPS officer and family members have been sent for testing.

Javed Khan, a resident of Chandan Nagar COVID-19 containment zone in Indore, was among the four men against whom NSA was invoked on April 8 for attacking an on-duty cop. Three of the four NSA detainees, including Khan have so far tested positive for coronavirus.

Till date, Jabalpur district has reported 56 positive cases and one death. Seven patients from the district have also been discharged from the hospital after they recovered. The 56 cases include 13 new patients, all residents of Chandni Chowk area.

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Six test corona positive in MP after visiting hair-cutting salon that served COVID-19 patient earlier - The New Indian Express

Washington fights to stay in Syria game from isolated base – The Arab Weekly

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

The US deployment east of the Euphrates in north-eastern Syria receives the most attention, but there is another front where US forces are deployed that is currently heating up the inhospitable border region where Jordan, Syria and Iraq meet.

The US military base at Syrias al-Tanf is less than 30km from the long-shuttered Iraqi al-Walid border crossing along the M2 highway.

The few hundred US forces based there are in many respects orphans of Washingtons contracting Syria strategy a legacy deployment far less valuable than in the past but not costly enough in blood or treasure to warrant a White House decision to withdraw.

Washingtons presence in the region dates to 2016, when it established a base to train forces of the short-lived New Syrian Army (NSA). Maghawir al-Thawra (MaT) was born out of the NSAs collapse that year.

The 300-strong proxy forces of MaT have shown little interest of late in fighting the regime or ISIS. Instead they rule over ever diminishing numbers of refugees in the desert camp at Rukban nearby.

At its peak, the camp hosted 60,000. Today, as part of the ongoing effort by Damascus to reduce the footprint of opposition forces, thousands have left for parts of Syria under government control. Today barely 12,000 remain.

The couple of hundred US troops at al-Tanf have no interest in Rukban, except to highlight Damascuss humanitarian shortcomings. The camp is within the self-declared US exclusion zone claimed by US forces. So, as a matter of international law, the camps well-being is an American responsibility, a task Washington has, at best, only half-heartedly embraced.

In this desolate part of Syria there is no oil to covet, nor is the MaT anywhere close to the asset represented by the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The real estate around al-Tanf is what keeps US forces in place a single highway linking Iraq and points east (Iran) to Syria and points west (Lebanon/Hezbollah).

These days, after the battle to unseat Assad has failed, the sole objective of the zone established by Washington is to obstruct passage along the M2 highway and to keep the al-Walid crossing closed. US control of this road complicates Irans effort to cement a bulletproof transport link between Iran and its allies in Syria and Lebanon and obstructs the revival of regional trade vital to the economic rehabilitation of the entire Mashreq.

Jordan has just announced that, due to concerns about the coronavirus, it will no longer allow the transit of aid to Rukban through its border.

In recent months, however, the big picture around al-Tanf is being transformed.

Although the US is loathe to acknowledge it, al-Tanfs value to Washington is eroding as the US redeploys out of small isolated bases in Iraqs nearby Anbar province and elsewhere, with the commensurate strengthening of the presence of the Iraqi Army and the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF). Such is the case at Bukamal, for example a long shuttered border crossing to the north now open to transit from Iraq to Syria and beyond.

In the US zone itself, the Russian Defence Ministry and an Iranian news outlet recently highlighted what was described as the surrender of some MaT forces and equipment to the Syrian Army.

Earlier this week, SANA reported that a recent attack in Damascus was tied to the Military Operations Centre (MOC) the Amman-based command centre run by Washington to coordinate anti-regime efforts around its base at al-Tanf.

Whether such incidents occurred is not the most important point. For those opposing

Washingtons presence, there is obvious advantage in highlighting problems even if they are manufactured for the US in the faraway desert outpost.

What cannot be denied, however, is the fact of a new phase in Iraqi and Syrian efforts together with their allies and proxies to increase pressure on the border region at American expense.

Washington is far from rolling over in the face of this campaign. It continues to tout its presence in central Syria. On April 10, for example, it distributed pictures of its top of the line F-35A Lightning II fighter jet, strik[ing] at extremist organisations in Syria despite COVID-19, reflecting the worldwide unity to see an enduring defeat delivered against Daesh.

Along the Iraq-Syria frontier however, the trend leads in another direction. Earlier this month a combined operation of the Iraqi army and the Popular Mobilisation Forces (PMF) Victory Heroes 2 deployed 8 brigades along the frontier region.

This operation was facilitated by the removal of US forces from the Iraqi base at al-Qaim controlling the approach to the border crossing at Bukamal. Qaim-Bukamal is now the only crossing on the Iraqi-Syrian border that is officially operated by the Iraqi and Syrian governments.

Such developments suggest that the day is not far off when Iraq, with the collaboration of the PMF elements, will control its entire western border.

Syrias challenge in this regard is, if anything, more complicated. The al-Walid border crossing is closed because of the US presence at al-Tanf. Assad is also challenged to contain the scattered but deadly ISIS presence in the Badia region south-west of Deir ez-Zor, where an ISIS attack recently killed 27 regime forces.

Both Baghdad and Damascus share the strategic objective of reasserting their sovereign control over their respective borders. Attaining this objective requires a de facto partnership to undertake complementary campaigns on both sides of the border. The incremental success of this effort will increase the isolation of the small and increasingly strategically insignificant US position at al-Tanf, offering US President Donald Trump yet another reason to close the books on Americas costly adventure in As-Sham.

Excerpt from:

Washington fights to stay in Syria game from isolated base - The Arab Weekly

The Reverend John J. Morris, Served 27 Years At OLL – My veronanj

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

The Reverend John J. Morris, 89, of Virginia Beach, Va. passed away on April 19, 2020 of natural causes. He was born in Roseland, N.J. on March 5, 1931 to John and Dorothy Morris.

Father Morris was a graduate of Montclair State University Class of 1952 and Seton Hall University 1956 for seminary studies and ordained as a priest on May 29, 1960. Father Morris served his country in the United States Navy as a Reserve Component chaplain for nearly 14 years. He served Our Lady of the Lake Church in Verona for more than 27 years, first as parochial vicar before being appointed administrator. His last posting was as the chaplain at NSA Northwest Annex Chapel in Chesapeake, Va.

Father Morris was a resident of Marian Manor in Virginia Beach where he continued serving as chaplain for the last three years.

He was uniquely qualified to be great a son, brother and uncle but no one more qualified to represent godliness and promote the Lords Word.

Father Morris is survived by a niece, Darcie Loraine Mager; three nephews, Ronald William Dressel, David Joseph Dressel and Dennis Patrick Dressel; along with nine grandnieces and grandnephews. He was predeceased by his sister, Dorothea Therese Dressel.

Private interment services were held at Gate of Heaven Cemetery in East Hanover. A memorial Mass will be offered at a later date. Condolences may be left at http://www.proutfuneralhome.com.

Memorial donations may be made to the Marian Manor Resident Council Employee Fund, ATTN: Desiree Mitchell, 5345 Marian Lane, Virginia Beach, VA 2346

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The Reverend John J. Morris, Served 27 Years At OLL - My veronanj

Prominent Criminal Conviction Partially Overturned on Free Speech Grounds – JD Supra

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Updated: May 25, 2018:

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Prominent Criminal Conviction Partially Overturned on Free Speech Grounds - JD Supra

At Home With EFF: COVID-19, Free Speech, and Privacy – EFF

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced both individuals and companies to adopt new practices and new technologies quicklysometimes creating serious risks to our civil liberties. Join EFF for a livestreamed video discussionabout what we've learned as online platform moderation becomes more automated, with platforms like Facebook flagging and censoring morecontentthan ever before.Following that discussion will be a conversation aboutprivacy, apps, and digital rights, and how to protect yourselfasyou adopt new technologies like Zoom, and as companies like Google and Apple create new apps and products intended tofight the pandemic.

We're excited to be joined byJeff Deutchof Syrian Archive and Mahsa Alimardani of Article 19 for a discussion ofcontent moderation, moderated by EFF's Director for International Freedom of Expression, Jillian C. York. EFF Legal Director, Corynne McSherry, will also join. Then, Legislative ActivistHayley Tsukayamawill moderate a panel on the pandemic, apps, and privacy, with EFF Staff Technologist Bennett Cyphers, Project Manager Lindsay Oliver, and Grassroots Advocacy Organizer Rory Mir.

Have questions now? Sendthem to jason@eff.org.

This event will be livestreamed viaTwitch, where you can chat and ask questions. It will also be streaming onFacebook LiveandYouTube Live. (ForTwitch'sPrivacy Policy, see here.)

A recordingwill be made available.

EventTime:Wednesday, April 22, 12:00PM Pacific / 3:00 PM Eastern (check your local time here)

Social media has never been more crucial than it is right now: its keeping us informed and connected during an unprecedented moment in time. At the same time, the content moderation challenges faced by social media platforms have not disappearedand in some cases have been exacerbated by the pandemic. In the past weeks, YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook have all made public statements about their moderation strategies at this time. While they differ in details, they all have one key element in common: the increased reliance on automated tools. Learn how this pandemic has changed our ability toshare information with one another nowandpossibly,forever.

EFF's Corynne McSherry and Jillian C. York will be joined by Mahsa Alimardani, a freedom of expression researcher at Article 19 who is also working on her PhD at the Oxford Internet Institute; and Jeff Deutch, the lead researcher at Syrian Archive and a PhD candidate at the Humboldt-University in Berlin.

Pianist MC Angebot will join us for a few songs during our break.

Zoom might've received the most attention in the last few weeks, but plenty of new apps and tools that are being implemented during the pandemicoften without much oversightare cause for concern. What could the "proximity tracing" that companies like Apple and Googlehave been talking about mean for our civil liberties? When it comes to working from home, what privacyshould remote workers expect? And, due to many reports EFF has received about the use of privacy-invasiveproctoring tools for students shifting to remote learning and testing, we'll be discussing the various ways that these sorts of apps often burrow themselves into user's machines.

EFF Legislative ActivistHayley Tsukayama will be joined by EFF Staff Technologist Bennett Cyphers, Project Manager Lindsay Oliver, and Grassroots Advocacy Organizer Rory Mir.

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At Home With EFF: COVID-19, Free Speech, and Privacy - EFF

Do the Snowflakes Have a Case against Free Speech? – National Review

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Last year, New York University professor Ulrich Baer published a book in which he argued that they do.

Today, writing for the Martin Center, Robert Shibley eviscerates that book.

Shibley writes:

The result is a book that does nothing to change the minds of those not already disposed to agree with the author, and almost seems intended to alienate them. Baer repeatedly cites Donald Trumps election, in lurid terms, as a justification for universities to forbid speech that creates inequality. Every example paints his ideological opponents in a bad light, and those who agree with him in a positive one.

In sum, Baer contends that there are some arguments that certain campus groups should never have to hear because theyre supposedly threatening. And who gets to decide what arguments must be forbidden? Campus officials who are invariably allied with the students who want to silence people they disagree with, of course.

Shibley concludes his review:

One comes away from What Snowflakes Get Right with a sense of puzzlement. Why write a book arguing that people shouldnt have to argue about some things, and do it in a way so poorly designed to change minds? Baer is an accomplished and intelligent professor, but he simply is not equal to the task of justifying the restriction of differences of opinion, on college campuses of all places, of some of the most hotly debated issues in our society. I suspect theres no one out there who is.

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Do the Snowflakes Have a Case against Free Speech? - National Review

The Week Unwrapped: Food, free speech and gold – The Week (UK)

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Olly Mann and The Week delve behind the headlines and debate what really matters from the past seven days.

In this weeks episode, we discuss:

BBC Twos The Restaurant that Burns Calories was met with backlash after being accused of triggering people with eating disorders. But do the public health concerns over obesity justify it being aired? Are Brits particularly guilty of overeating? And are eating disorders being taken seriously enough?

The UK had slipped two places to number 35 on the annual press freedom index, below countries including Costa Rica, Ghana and South Africa. What's the reason for the fall? Does the UK value a free press? And how will the coronavirus crisis affect journalists and media groups around the world?

One of America's biggest investment banks has just said that it expects the gold price to soar to $3,000 an ounce in the next 18 months,which would be more than 50% above gold's previous all-time high. Isthat reasonable? What would have to happen to drive the price that high? And what's the point of gold anyway?

You can subscribe to The Week Unwrapped on theGlobal Player,Apple podcasts,SoundCloudor wherever you get you get your podcasts.

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The Week Unwrapped: Food, free speech and gold - The Week (UK)

Rising Up With Sonali Ten Political Forces That Shaped an Election Ten Political Forces That Shaped – Free Speech TV

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Sonali Kolhatkar speaks with Bradford R. Kane.

Even as a large majority of the American public supports the coronavirus-related lockdowns of their states, small but vocal groups of protesters, egged on by some city and state level leaders, and most of all provoked by President Trump are calling on governors to liberate them from quarantine. They say their liberty is more important than anything including life itself.

Now, a long-time government insider has written a book about what he called Pitchfork Populism and attempted to analyze how American democracy has dramatically changed since the fall of 2016.

Bradford R. Kane, has served in the US Congress as Legislative Counsel to Congresswoman Cardiss Collins; as Counsel to the House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Commerce, Consumer Protection; and as a member of President Clintons Task Force on Health Care Reform. He also worked for the state of California as Deputy Controller, Legislation, and then as a Deputy Secretary of Information Technology. His latest book is called Pitchfork Populism: Ten Political Forces That Shaped an Election and Continue to Change America.

Rising Up with Sonali is a radio and television show that brings progressive news coverage rooted in gender and racial justice to a wide audience.

Rising Up With Sonali was built on the foundation of Sonali Kolhatkar's earlier show, Uprising, which became the longest-running drive-time radio show on KPFK in Los Angeles hosted by a woman.

RUS airs on Free Speech TV every weekday.

Missed an episode? Check out Rising Up on FSTV VOD anytime or visit the show page for the latest clips.

#FreeSpeechTV is one of the last standing national, independent news networks committed to advancing progressive social change.

#FSTV is available on Dish, DirectTV, AppleTV, Roku, Sling and online at freespeech.org.

Bradford R. Kane Election Free Speech TV GOP Political Politics Republican Party Rising Up with Sonali Sonali Kolhatkar United States

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Rising Up With Sonali Ten Political Forces That Shaped an Election Ten Political Forces That Shaped - Free Speech TV

Trudeau is exploiting the coronavirus crisis to silence free speech – The Post Millennial

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

According to recent statements made to CBC reporters by Dominic LeBlanc, the federal government is drafting new legislation to punish those responsible for spreading online disinformation about COVID-19 online. Though the specific terms of this legislation are not yet clear, Justin Trudeaus Liberals have deliberately made their intent publicly known and it is more important now than ever to speak up to pre-emptively end this catastrophic assault on free speech in Canada.

The first thing that occurred to me when I heard about this plan is the obvious fact that this government feels it is a better use of their time and energy to police online rabble rousers than to come up with practical solutions for the pressing problems facing Canadians during this national crisis. We are facing one of the most economically and socially destabilizing events since World War II, but instead of focusing on pertinent threats it has dedicated crucial staffing resources and meeting time to this issue.

Justin Trudeaus handpicked Privy Council, Mr. LeBlanc, must explain to the countless Canadian businesses, families, and individuals facing truly existential and time-sensitive challenges why this has been a top priority for his office and this government. With record high unemployment, struggling capital markets, and urgent healthcare supply and infrastructure demands, non-violent online discourse should be the last priority of this government; regardless of how fictitious the content is.

This planned legislation is a display of shameless audacity on behalf of the Liberals and NDP supporters like Charlie Angus. Attacking Canadians free speech rights during a national crisis is an unacceptable abuse of public trust, and it adds insult to injury to an already struggling and concerned citizenry. Canadians everywhere are deeply concerned about their personal finances, keeping their families safe from this virus, and the obvious challenges posed by self-isolation. It is utterly deplorable that they now have to worry about a tyrannical federal government encroaching on their free speech rights.

This comes not long after the Liberals attempted to grant themselves unprecedented spending powers without parliamentary oversight until the end of 2021, another attempt at a shameless power grab in the midst of a crisis. The very institution that should fight to uphold our cherished civil liberties now seems to be in the business of slowly undermining them, and that makes me concerned about the future of our country.

Now is not the time for cheap shot partisan attacks and political theatre, but a time for unity across all parties. This is about defending the freedoms that our brave men and women in uniform have given their lives for on countless occasions. This is about protecting one of the most important freedoms that exist in our democracy. Violating the sanctity of free speech unleashes a host of new possibilities for bad actors in government and threatens our ability to write articles like this one criticizing their actions.

Justin Trudeau has said in the past that he admires Chinas basic dictatorship, a place where the internet is heavily policed and the outside world is firewalled from the eyes of Chinese people; but Canadians reject this dark vision of the future and will not stand for this brazen assault on our rights. Justin Trudeau must stop taking plays out of the Chinese Communist Party playbook and refocus any and all available resources to rebuild our economy and protect our citizens from this virus. During this unprecedented crisis we are all on team Canada, but there is nothing Canadian about censoring free speech. Especially not while we face the greatest crisis of a generation.

Warren Steinley is a conservative MP for Regina-Lewvan

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Trudeau is exploiting the coronavirus crisis to silence free speech - The Post Millennial

Free speech, hate speech, and COVID-19: Why are we silent? – ft.lk

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

While dissent is nipped in the bud instantly, hate speech flows with impunity. Just a year after the Easter bombings, the highly organised anti-Muslim discourse-generating machine is once again propagating a familiar tale in which Muslim communities are constructed as the enemy Pic by Shehan Gunasekara

By Ramya Kumar

In responding to epidemics, states are compelled to resort to restrictive measures to contain the spread of infection, including quarantine and isolation procedures, travel bans, lockdowns, and curfews. With such restrictions on movement, draconian measures are often swiftly implemented as a subdued citizenry remains compliant, in support of national efforts to combat an unknown enemy. In Sri Lanka, we are seeing strict censorship alongside the fast and furious implementation of policies and measures that would otherwise have faced widespread protest and dissension.

Restrictions on free speech are detrimental to public health efforts. Dr. Li Wenliang, the whistleblower who succumbed to coronavirus in February, is now deemed a martyr in China for having alerted colleagues about the novel coronavirus through social media. Instead of responding appropriately to contain the spread of the virus, Chinese authorities interrogated the doctor on the grounds of spreading fake news and silenced him, in effect, delaying its response to the epidemic. Similarly, a number of healthcare workers in the United States have been fired after speaking out about their risky work conditions.

In Sri Lanka, there seems to be substantial self-censorship within the Ministry of Healths COVID-19 control program. Apart from the numbers reported by the Epidemiology Unit, we do not know on what basis decisions are being made to quarantine communities, or to extend (and lift) curfews. We do not know who is involved in making these decisions. There are concerns that the military is overriding the Ministry of Healths authority in such matters. This lack of information is enabling the spread of wild rumours, including allegations of falsified COVID-19 statistics. In this context, it may be useful to consider the World Health Organizations recommendation for a national COVID-19 risk communication strategy:

Proactively communicate and promote a two-way dialogue with communities, the public and other stakeholders in order to understand risk perceptions, behaviours and existing barriers, specific needs, knowledge gaps and provide the identified communities/groups with accurate information tailored to their circumstances. People have the right to be informed about and understand the health risks that they and their loved ones face. They also have the right to actively participate in the response process. Dialogue must be established with affected populations from the beginning. Make sure that this happens through diverse channels, at all levels and throughout the response.

Has there been two-way dialogue? Have communities been involved in this process? Unfortunately, no. Furthermore, there has been very little critical analysis of the COVID-19 response in Sri Lanka. We only hear of the glowing and well-deserved tributes to frontline healthcare workers and others involved in control efforts. There has been little engagement with communities affected by the crisis. In fact, we do not even have the space to question our pandemic control strategynow a matter of national pride.

Last week in Jaffna, we heard that 12 new cases of COVID-19 had been detected at quarantine centres. As Dr. Murali Vallipuranathan, Consultant Community Physician, reasonably opined, these cases may have been new cases that emerged after an extended incubation period or the result of cross-infection at quarantine centres.

When Dr. Vallipuranathan posted his comments on social media, the authorities could either have responded with facts to counter his theory, or, alternatively, taken speedy action to investigate and remedy the situation. Instead, Dr. Vallipuranathan was vilified for questioning the COVID-19 control program. In a letter dated 17 April, the Government Medical Officers Association (GMOA), which is supposed to be a trade union fighting for the rights of doctors, complained to the Director General of Health Services that Dr. Vallipuranathan who has a controversial and racist previous history expressed views detrimental to the Health Department and Sri Lanka Army.

To make matters worse, earlier in April, the IGP instructed the Police to take strict action against those who criticise Government officials engaged in COVID-19 control. A number of arrests were subsequently reported in the media over the spread of so-called fake news. While the details of these seemingly arbitrary arrests are not known, we should be very concerned when even a mere questioning of the countrys COVID-19 control strategy is viewed to be unpatriotic. While dissent is nipped in the bud instantly, hate speech flows with impunity. Just a year after the Easter bombings, the highly organised anti-Muslim discourse-generating machine is once again propagating a familiar tale in which Muslim communities are constructed as the enemy. We are being told that Muslims are conspiring to transmit infection; they deserve en masse quarantine in (unsafe?) centres; and that it is acceptable to enforce cremation in lieu of burial. Even the medical profession is complicit here as evidenced in an earlier version of the GMOAs proposals for a COVID-19 exit strategy, which shockingly included the size of the Muslim population in a DS division as a variable for risk stratification.

Earlier in April, the Ministry of Health helpfully issued guidelines for media reporting, stipulating that personal details of patients with COVID-19, including their ethnicity, should not be reported. They called for reporting that builds solidarity in this time of crisis. In this context, the adoption of compulsory cremation as Government policycontrary to WHO guidelinesseems to demonstrate a double standard, particularly when we see mass burials taking place in other countries ravaged by the pandemic.

Moreover, the Ministry of Health has failed to issue statements to counter insinuations made by the media, as well as some political leaders, that have served to stigmatise Muslim communities as disease-laden, insular groups who are unwilling to follow public health measures. It is hardly surprising then that sections of these communities may be wary of interacting with the public healthcare system.

Even as dissent is repressed, and hate speech is nurtured, the Government is acting fast, facing little or no resistance. We saw the appointment of numerous military officials to key positions in the pandemic control program that should rightfully be occupied by civil administrative officials. Such militarisation has resulted in an autocratic style of governance with very little information sharing. For instance, we have not been informed on what basis the decision was made to partially lift the curfew on 20 April. Neither do we know who was involved in the decision-making process. It is hardly surprising then that many have arrived at the conclusion that Parliamentary Elections are being prioritised over public health.

This style of governance is also seeping into our institutions. As university teachers, we have received orders from the University Grants Commission (UGC) to commence online teaching as soon as possible. With no discussion of the merits of online teaching or the urgency for its implementation, we are adopting new pedagogical methods via Zoom and/or Moodle. Meanwhile, studentsincluding those from farming families experiencing dire financial difficulties in the Vanni and other areas (where network coverage may be weak)are expected to engage in learning activities through their smart phoneseveryone has a smartphone. The lack of foresight in decision-making is mindboggling, as is our silence.

With the curfew being partially lifted, this is a call to critically engage with the measures that are being swiftly implemented at this time of crisis. Lets demand that the citizenry be involved in processes of decision-making at all levels. Lets insist that public sector officials with the relevant expertise and experience are placed at the helm of this national pandemic control effort. And, finally, lets condemn the ongoing anti-Muslim attacks and resist ethno-chauvinist mobilisations in the run up to the elections.

(The writer is attached to the Department of Community and Family Medicine, University of Jaffna, and is a member of the Public Health Writers Collective)

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Free speech, hate speech, and COVID-19: Why are we silent? - ft.lk

There is no place for hate speech in Iowa – Iowa City Press-Citizen

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Shams Ghoneim Published 8:35 a.m. CT April 23, 2020

Shams Ghoneim(Photo: Special to the Press-Citizen)

The reported Islamophobic, homophobic, uglyand appalling online comments by Muscatine County jail administrator Dean Naylor must be condemned and promptly addressed by both Johnson and Muscatine counties' leaderships, including city councils and mayors.

The Johnson County sheriff has had a 10- to 12-year contract with Muscatine County, allowing him to send overflow inmates to relieve overcrowding in our jails. These inmates are as yet to be charged and/or are awaiting trial.

Maybe it is time that this agreement is evaluated or ended in view of this latest serious incident.Free speech is protected under the Constitution, but federal lawand the U.S. and Iowa constitutions protect against discrimination based on religion, sexual orientation, age, race, national originand disability.

According to news reports, inmates in Muscatine jails have been complaining of discriminatory treatment. The ACLU of Iowaclarified the position regarding free speech as long as that speechdoes not lead to discriminatory action by a government employee/entity. Nevertheless, when an employee hateful speech results in creating a hostile work environment causing disruption or discrimination at the workplace, that protection becomes null. Such speech can also be used as evidence against the individuals if and when it is related to civil rights claim or other legal action taken. This would be the case when personal beliefs spill into the management of the jail and negatively affects both staff and inmates.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors and leadership are commended for their prompt response to this reprehensible behavior by a government employee of a partner Iowa county. This incident should be a warning to anyone that may be engaged in civil rights violations that can readily lead to a class action suit be brought against any government official involving discrimination of protected communities as identified by law.

Even though currently there are no policies in either county to respond to such allegations,I urge both Johnson and Muscatine county officials to formally establish future guidelines to address such hateful and potentially illegal speech.

We cannot allow government employees paid by our own tax dollars to freely engage in hateful speech leading to discriminatory behavior against protected minorities.

Shams Ghoneimwas born and raised in Cairo, Egypt, immigratedformallyto the U.S. from Canada in 1967 and has lived in Iowa City for 52 years. She graduated from the University of Iowas graduate college, was on the universitys professional scientific staff for 32 years and has served on the Press-Citizens Editorial Board since retiring in 2008.

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There is no place for hate speech in Iowa - Iowa City Press-Citizen

Silicon Valley needs a new approach to studying ethics now more than ever – TechCrunch

Posted on April 26, 2020 by Danzig

Lisa Wehden is an investor at Bloomberg Beta, a VC fund focused on the future of work; previously she launched Entrepreneur First in Berlin.

Next month, Apple and Google will unveil features to enable contact tracing on iOS and Android to identify people who have had contact with someone who tests positive for the novel coronavirus.

Security experts have been quick to point out the possible dangers, including privacy risks like revealing identities of COVID-19-positive users, helping advertisers track them or falling prey to false positives from trolls.

These are fresh concerns in familiar debates about techs ethics. How should technologists think about the trade-off between the immediate need for public health surveillance and individual privacy? And misformation and free speech? Facebook and other platforms are playing a much more active role than ever in assessing the quality of information: promoting official information sources prominently and removing some posts from users defying social distancing.

As the pandemic spreads and, along with it, the race to develop new technologies accelerates, its more critical than ever that technology finds a way to fully examine these questions. Technologists today are ill-equipped for this challenge: striking healthy balances between competing concerns like privacy and safety while explaining their approach to the public.

Over the past few years, academics have worked to give students ways to address the ethical dilemmas technology raises. Last year, Stanford announced a new (and now popular) undergraduate course on Ethics, Public Policy, and Technological Change, taught by faculty from philosophy, as well as political and computer science. Harvard, MIT, UT Austin and others teach similar courses.

If the only students are future technologists, though, solutions will lag. If we want a more ethically knowledgeable tech industry today, we need ethical study for tech practitioners, not just university students.

To broaden this teaching to tech practitioners, our venture fund, Bloomberg Beta, agreed to host the same Stanford faculty for an experiment. Based on their undergraduate course, could we design an educational experience for senior people who work across the tech sector? We adapted the content (incorporating real-world dilemmas), structure and location of the class, creating a six-week evening course in San Francisco. A week after announcing the course, we received twice as many applications as we could accommodate.

We selected a diverse group of students in every way we could manage, who all hold responsibility in tech. They told us that when they faced an ethical dilemma at work, they lacked a community to which to turn some confided in friends or family, others revealed they looked up answers on the internet. Many felt afraid to speak freely within their companies. Despite several company-led ethics initiatives, including worthwhile ones to appoint chief ethics officers and Microsoft and IBMs principles for ethical AI, the students in our class told us they had no space for open and honest conversations about techs behavior.

Like undergraduates, our students wanted to learn from both academics and industry leaders. Each week featured experts like Marietje Schaake, former Member of the European Parliament from the Netherlands, who debated real issues, from data privacy to political advertising. The professors facilitated discussions, encouraging our students to discuss multiple, often opposing views, with our expert guests.

Over half of the class came from a STEM background and had missed much explicit education in ethical frameworks. Our class discussed principles from other fields, like medical ethics, including the physicians guiding maxim (first, do no harm) in the context of designing new algorithms. Texts from the world of science fiction, like The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas by Ursula K. Le Guin, also offered ways to grapple with issues, leading students to evaluate how to collect and use data responsibly.

The answers to the values-based questions we explored (such as the trade-offs between misinformation and free speech) didnt converge on clear right or wrong answers. Instead, participants told us that the discussions were crucial for developing skills to more effectively check their own biases and make informed decisions. One student said:

After walking through a series of questions, thought experiments or discussion topics with the professors, and thinking deeply about each of the subtending issues, I often ended up with the opposite positions to what I initially believed.

When shelter-in-place meant the class could no longer meet, participants reached out within a week to request virtual sessions craving a forum to discuss real-time events with their peers in a structured environment. After our first virtual session examining how government, tech and individuals have responded to COVID-19, one participant remarked: There feels like so much more good conversation to come on the questions, what can we do, what should we do, what must we do?

Tech professionals seem to want ways to engage with ethical learning the task now is to provide more opportunities. We plan on hosting another course this year and are looking at ways to provide an online version, publishing the materials.

COVID-19 wont be the last crisis where we rely on technology for solutions, and need them immediately. If we want more informed discussions about techs behavior, and we want the people who make choices to enter these crises prepared to think ethically, we need to start training people who work in tech to think ethically.

To allow students to explore opposing, uncomfortable viewpoints and share their personal experiences, class discussions were confidential. Ive received explicit permission to share any insights from students here.

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Silicon Valley needs a new approach to studying ethics now more than ever - TechCrunch

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