Daily Archives: May 24, 2020

Kurt Vile and Cate Le Bon come together on 8/21 at the Theatre at Ace Hotel – mxdwn.com

Posted: May 24, 2020 at 3:13 pm

Ilana Tel-Oren May 21st, 2020 - 1:31 PM

Kurt Vile and Cate Le Bon originally planned on touring this spring, but their spring tour has been pushed into late summer due to Covid-19. The tour, initially set to begin on April 8 in Chicago, now kicks off on August 21 in Los Angeles at the stunning and historic Theatre at Ace Hotel in Downtown. The flyer boasts that Vile and Le Bon will perform both together and solo withWarpaint drummer Stella Mozgawa and Stephen Black, aka Sweet Baboo, who also performs in Cate Le Bons band.

Vile is known for his collaborative work with artists such as Courtney Barnett and Steve Gunn, his seven solo albums and for being the co-founder and former lead guitarist for the indie rock band The War on Drugs. Hes been known to blend genres like folk, country, psychedelia and indie rock, creating a retro feel to his sound. His latest album Bottle It Inwas released in 2018 and features contributions from Kim Gordon, Cass McCombs, Stella Mozgawa of Warpaint, and Mary Lattimore.

Welsh musician Cate Le Bon will join Vile on tour, coming off a stunning 2019 album release with Reward.Together, Vile and Le Bon should make for a performance and tour not to be missed!

Location: The Theatre at Ace Hotel

Address:929 S Broadway, Los Angeles, CA 90015

Tickets available starting at $25

Photo Credit: Stephen Hoffmeister

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Access to PH Justice System Suffers Amid the Lockdown – Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism

Posted: at 3:13 pm

TWO months of lockdown have put the Philippine justice system under more stress and farther away from the reach of ordinary citizens.

Lawyers from the multisectoral network Courts Appointments Watch PH pointed to illegal or warrantless arrests, maltreatment of quarantine violators, transgression of labor laws, and a crackdown on free expression during a webinar titled Access to Justice Under a Pandemic Crisis on Wednesday, May 19.

Lack of legal information and access to the complex and formalistic judicial system has long been a problem for the poor and those in far-flung areas, said lawyer Sheila Formento of Alternative Law Groups (ALG).

In 2017, the Philippines had 2,200 courts, equivalent to just one court for every 50,000 people, according to figures submitted to the Association of Southeast Asian Nations.

That same year, one prosecutor handled an average 166 cases and disposed of 145 cases, according to the National Prosecution Service. At the Public Attorneys Office, which serves indigent litigants, each lawyer handled 465 cases in 2018.Courts constrained

Posting bail for detainees became particularly difficult, even for those with money, because of limited court operations during the lockdown.

Even those who scraped up money for bail ay nahirapan pa rin makapagpiyansa dahil sa dami ng requirements at nahihirapan din magbayad, said lawyer Jose Manuel 'Chel'Diokno of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).

(Even those who scraped up money for bail had a hard time because of so many requirements. It was also difficult to make payments.)

In some areas, bail could only be paid through state-owned Land Bank of the Philippines. Some branches were open just three times a week and for only half a day. Interbranch payments, ATM, and online banking services were not accepted.

In just a month after the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) was enforced, the Philippine National Police (PNP) arrested 31,363 individuals, 2,467 of which were still in detention. Police filed 24,248 cases of quarantine violations.

These cases were on top of the arrests and killings under the war on drugs, which continued despite the lockdown.

Dahil sa limitadong operasyon ng mga korte, 'yung mga pending na kaso ay lalong made-delay at dahil madadagdagan pa ng mgaviolation ng ECQ, mas lalo pa itong dadami, Formento said.

(Because of limited operations of the courts, pending cases will be further delayed, and the case loads will swell as violations of the ECQ pile up.)

Food or bail money?

Lawyers from the multisectoral network said unchecked abuses and human rights violations by law enforcers, as well as delays in the resolution of cases, have contributed to growing distrust in the judicial system among the poor and disadvantaged.

In many communities, the choice was either to post bail or go hungry, and the poor would rather spend their money on food and other necessities than file a case against abusers, ALG said.

Online initiatives to help to those in need, including remote legal advice and electronic filing of cases and bail petitions, were hampered by poor internet connection in far-flung communities and even in urban poor areas, it said.

The group has developed information materials on individual rights at checkpoints and during arrests, as well as on court procedures and other relevant issuances.

Isang malaking hamon ang ibinigay ng pandemic na ito sa ating justice system. Bagamat may kakulangan sa pasilidad at sa kahandaan ng organisasyon, dapat siguraduhing ang hustisya ay gumugulong para sa lahat. Kailangan ng pagmamatyag nating lahat na siguruhin ito, Formento said.

(The pandemic is a big challenge to our justice system. Even if theres a lack of facilities and organizational preparedness, the wheels of justice need to turn for everyone. We have to keep watch to make sure of that.)

Unwarranted arrests

Diokno said the pandemic further underscored lingering issues such as abuse of power, human rights violations, lack of access to the justice system, overcrowded jails and detention centers, lack of accountability, weaponization of the law, and impunity.

He cited instances when rules on warrantless arrests were not observed during the quarantine.

By law, warrantless arrests are allowed only in three situations: 1) when the crime is committed in the presence of police or in flagrante delicto, 2) when in hot pursuit based on personal knowledge of who committed the crime and 3) when arresting escaped prisoners.

Unfortunately, the power to arrest without warrant has been, in my opinion, misused, said Diokno.

Warrantless arrests have been used against people over jokes, memes, satires, and even legitimate opinions and speech on social media.

In Cebu, Bambi Beltran was arrested for posting a satirical Facebook status, and the Zambales teacher Ronnel Mas, who posted a reward to kill President Duterte on Twitter, was brought to Manila under questionable circumstances.

This pandemic has exposed the flaws in our justice system, said Diokno.

Diokno also said it was not unusual to hear of a poor person being arrested for a simple quarantine violation and then detained for more than 20 days.

FLAG also received reports that some detainees were beaten up in crowded jails, where social distancing was next to impossible, he said. (Seerelated story: Philippine Jails are a Covid-19 Time Bomb)

Labor rights take the backseat

Job security and labor rights have also suffered as workers bore the brunt of business losses due to the lockdown, said Marco Gojol of National Union of Workers in Hotel, Restaurant and Allied Industries-Sentro (Nuwhrain-Sentro).

Gojol said many companies were poised to let go of employees with losses mounting due to extended closures. Many companies were unable to get government subsidies, he said.

Ang isa sa pinakamalaking issues na kinakaharap ng workers ngayon ay income loss. Maraming kumpanya ang napilitang itigil ang operasyon at apektado ang maramingno-work, no-pay (na mga manggagawa), Gojol said.

(One of the big issues faced by workers is income loss. Many companies have been forced to stop operations and workers in no-work, no-pay arrangements have been affected.)

Many employers avoided stoppage by shifting to alternative modes of work, such as work-from-home and skeletal operations, but regular employees were prioritized over contractual employees, Gojol said.

In areas under the less restrictive general community quarantine, employees had a hard time going to work because of lack of public transportation. Safety remained a question mark in the absence of mass testing for the coronavirus disease, he said.

Moreover, union-busting did not stop during the pandemic, and some workers were dismissed for demanding safe workplaces and protocols, Gojol said.

Gojol said food and beverage workers from the Sentro labor centerfiled a notice of strike due to lack of safety protocols in their workplace on May 18. The notice was received but not docketed by the National Conciliation and Mediation Board, whose operations were put on standstill by the pandemic.

Gojol called on justice system stakeholders to help the labor sector find ways to protect the fundamental rights of workers amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

He cited the Department of Labor and Employments Advisory 17, which encouraged workers and employees to negotiate temporary adjustments to wages and other benefits.

Habang may pandemya, inevitable ang labor-management disputes. Paano ia-address ng mga parties ang issues ngayong new normal at paano magwo-work iyong mgadispute resolution mechanisms in this situation? Gojol said.

(Labor-management disputes are inevitable during the pandemic. How will the parties address these issues during the new normal and how will dispute resolution mechanisms work in this situation?)

Media, free expression under threat

Karol Ilagan of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism said truth-telling and holding government to account have become even more important during the pandemic.

The crisis is transforming the business of journalism from gathering information, reporting, research to production, publishing and broadcast. It comes at a time when our role in disseminating reliable and verifiable information and holding power to account has never been more critical, she said.

The governments pandemic response, however, has been accompanied by threats to press freedom, freedom of expression, and journalists safety. Some of these measures were meant, ostensibly, to stem the spread of disinformation, Ilagan said.

Ilagan cited the provision penalizing fake news in the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, which has been weaponized to punish or stifle dissenting voices, especially those on social media.

According to a report published by the Freedom for Media, Freedom for All netowrk, at least 60 individuals have been charged by government officials on the basis of this provision of the pandemic response law. (See related story:Journalists Struggle to Cover the Pandemic as Space for Media Freedom Shrinks)

In a jab against press freedom, ABS-CBN, the countrys biggest media network, was shut down on May 5 as lawmakers allowed its broadcast license to expire under pressure from the Duterte government.

The shutdown has deprived Filipinos of access to information during the pandemic, and has jeopardized the livelihood of 11,000 network employees.

The Philippine Press Institute said over half of its members had ceased printing due to economic losses, and layoffs were expected in the next few months across media companies. ABS-CBN has said it would be forced to lay off workers by August without a new franchise.

Reporters and newsrooms are under intense pressure during this pandemic, which is arguably the most complex story that we can cover right now. At stake is the publics right to know at a time when the stakes are even higher, Ilagan said.

While information about the pandemic has been made available online by various government agencies, access to other information about the inner workings of government has generally been delayed, she said.

The Presidential Communications Operations Office for a time has ordered the suspension of responding to Freedom of Information (FOI) requests during the quarantine period. Not all agencies cater to FOI requests, resulting in longer waiting times and delays for journalists looking for stories during the pandemic.

Bright spots still in sight

Ilagan said collaboration was key to tackling the difficulties and challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic as media and other stakeholders seek transparency and accountability in the legal system and the government.

If we are to talk about solutions, there should be a concerted effort, particularly with the spread of disinformation. Alam nating aggressive ang nagpapakalat nito. We have to be more vigilant in providing verified and reliable info. And we have to work extra hard kasi nahihirapan tayo to do our job given the practical limitations, Ilagan said.

Ria Nadora of the Association of Law Students of the Philippines urged the public to join in the national discourse for improved access to the justice system by using online spaces and social media.

Not being silent about the matter helps in its own little way, Nadora said.

Lyceum of the Philippines law dean Ma. Soledad Deriquito-Mawis, past president and chairpersonof the Philippine Association of Law Schools, was optimistic of the solutions discussed during the webinar.

This pandemic was not able to put a curse on our spirit in defending our freedoms and fighting for our rights. This pandemic did not put to sleep the Filipino spirit, Mawis said.

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What is Tor? A beginner’s guide to using the private browser – CNET

Posted: at 3:11 pm

Tor is an "onion-routing" network that protects your privacy online.

If you're new to internet privacy and security, you've still probably already read references to something called Tor -- a widely hailed piece of internet-connected software with its own internet browser. Tor is embraced by privacy aficionados for its reliable encryption and its history of covering users' internet tracks.

At first glance, the terminology around Tor can seem intimidating and alien. Don't worry, though. It's simpler than it seems.

Here's everything you need to know about Tor.

Read more: The best VPN service for 2020

Back in the mid-'90s, when the US Navy was looking into ways to securely communicate sensitive intelligence information, a mathematician and two computer scientists emerged from the Naval Research Lab with something called "onion routing." It was a new kind of technology that would protect your internet traffic with layers of privacy. By 2003, The Onion Routing project, acronymed Tor, was in the hands of the public, where its vast network of users -- the engine enabling Tor -- has since continued to grow.

Today, thousands of volunteers all over the world are connecting their computers to the internet to create the Tor network by becoming "nodes" or "relays" for your internet traffic.

At a basic level, Tor is a type of internet-connected network with its own internet browser. Once you connect to the internet with the Tor browser, your internet traffic is stripped of its first layer of identifying information as it enters the Tor network, and is then sent bouncing through those relay nodes, which serve to encrypt and privatize your data, layer by layer -- like an onion. Finally, your traffic hits an exit node and leaves the Tor network for the open web.

Once you're in the Tor network, it's nearly impossible for others to track your traffic's manic pinballing path across the globe. And once you leave the Tor network via an exit node, the website you view (assuming it has HTTPS in front of its address) isn't sure which part of the world you're hailing from, offering you more privacy and protection.

Read more: The best antivirus protection of 2020 for Windows 10

Normal web browsing is easy with Tor. Head to the official site and download the Tor browser. Follow the installation instructions as you would with any other program. When you open Tor for the first time, the program will ask you to either configure your connection (if you're in a country where Tor has been banned, like China or Saudi Arabia) or simply connect. Once you click connect, Tor may take a few minutes to find a set of relays to connect you through.

But once you're in, you can use Tor just as you would any other browser. You'll also be prompted to review your Tor browser security settings. If you're aiming for maximum privacy, I'd advise leaving the settings on their default selections.

If you start experiencing slower-than-normal speeds, you can nudge Tor into action by checking for a quicker connection path to the website you're trying to view. In the top right corner of the Tor browser, click the three-line menu icon and select New Tor Circuit for this Site.

The privacy-focused Brave browser also has an option to route traffic through Tor when inside a private window.

Now playing: Watch this: Brave browser gets more private with Tor

1:32

Because Tor is a volunteer-run network, speed can often be an issue. As your traffic moves from node to node, you're likely to notice more speed loss than you would, for instance, with most commercial virtual private networks. This becomes particularly noticeable if you try to watch streaming Netflix content over Tor or make voice-over-IP phone calls or video calls with an app like Zoom. Tor technology isn't necessarily built to provide seamless audio-video experiences.

Speaking of videos, there are also limits to the amount of privacy Tor can offer you if you enable certain browser media plugins like Flash. Likewise, your browser's JavaScript plug-in -- which enables you to view a lot of websites' embedded media -- can still leak your IP address information. Torrenting files with Tor also exposes you to privacy risks. Because of these risks, Tor's privacy settings have these kinds of plug-ins disabled by default.

If you're just looking to do general, daily internet perusal using a browser that will better hide your traffic from spying eyes, Tor probably isn't the best choice due to its slow speeds and incompatibility with most embedded media. But if you're concerned enough about privacy around a particular topic of internet research (and you don't have a VPN), Tor is probably the best choice for you.

In some cases, yes. Most of the time, however, it takes some know-how to be able to configure your VPN's connection to work in harmony with Tor. If you don't get it right, you can risk making both Tor and your VPN ineffective when it comes to protecting your privacy. We recommend getting familiar with both types of software before marrying the two.

On the plus side, however, a successful combination of the two can be useful. While Tor protects your internet traffic, your VPN can be set to encrypt the internet traffic of any other applications running on your device in the background.

To investigate VPNs further, check out our beginner-friendly guide to all the VPN terms you need to know and our directory of the best VPNs of 2020.

Now playing: Watch this: Top 5 reasons to use a VPN

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How to activate DNS-over-HTTPS in the latest version of Google Chrome – Komando

Posted: at 3:11 pm

Google Chrome is many things, but private aint one of them. Compared to browsers like Firefox, which offer features like disabling cookies by default, Chrome is more of a run-of-the-mill platform to consume content online.

Thats not to say Chrome is a bad browser by any means. Despite being compatible with almost every part of the web and deeply integrated with your Google account, options like Tor Browser and Firefox provide a much more private experience that keeps prying eyes out of your business. Tap or click here to see which browser is best and why.

But the days of privacy-envy for Chrome users may be coming to an end thanks to a new feature rolled out by Google. Once its activated, it disguises the websites you access via encryption and not even your ISP can tell where you go. Heres how to get it on your browser.

DNS lookups are some of the most basic processes that happen online. Every website has a unique number code, or IP address, which allows it to be accessed online. The DNS system puts a name to this number, and allows you to access websites using the familiar .coms and .orgs you know and love.

Unfortunately, there is a drawback to DNS lookups: Theyre unencrypted. Even if youre accessing an encrypted website, the process of matching the URL you type with the websites IP address is potentially visible to hackers, law enforcement and even your internet service provider.

But now, Chrome users will be able to harness the power of encryption when logging on to their favorite sites. In a new blog post from Google, the company outlined its new Secure DNS feature for Chrome which encrypts the DNS lookup step automatically.

According to Google, this will keep your web history truly private, and can even prevent hackers from redirecting your connections to phishing sites. Tap or click here to see how they can do this using DNS hijacking.

Its a much-needed feature for the worlds most popular web browser, and users can start taking advantage of it as Google rolls it out over the next few months.

Fortunately, you dont have to wait for the official release of the feature to hit your browser before using it its already there in the latest version of Chrome. All you need to do is take a few developer-level steps to activate it.

Heres how you can get an early preview of the Secure DNS feature on Google Chrome:

Once Chrome relaunches, youll have access to this brilliant privacy feature. You wont notice it working since it happens in the background, but the security it offers cannot be overstated. This may be one of the biggest privacy wins for Chrome since the program released in the first place! Tap or click here to explore another feature that lets you flag scam websites.

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The Patriot Act and your privacy – Security Boulevard

Posted: at 3:11 pm

On May 14, the Senate reauthorized the USA Freedom Act, which extends the expansive domestic surveillance powers contained in the Patriot Act.

The original Freedom Act had expired in March. Now that it has been reauthorized, it grants the FBI (and other law enforcement agencies) broad warrantless access to sensitive personal information, including Internet browsing and search history, for national security investigations.

This law restarts a massive domestic surveillance program that the US government can use to spy on its citizens with little oversight. This is a clear violation of the right to privacy.

Many articles have been written recently about this news, but few have analyzed the actual powers the legislation grants to surveillance agencies and what regular citizens can do to prevent their activities from being monitored. Here we break down what is happening, what you can do to protect your privacy, and how Proton products are designed to resist this type of intrusion.

The reauthorized version of the Freedom Act is a continuation of the vast surveillance program that began under the Patriot Act. The original Patriot Act permitted the untargeted, bulk collection of a wide range of documents, records, and other kinds of personal data. The Patriot Act (specifically section 215) allowed the collection of tangible things (including books, records, papers, documents, and other items) for an investigation to obtain foreign intelligence information. This was the section that permitted the untargeted bulk data collection of phone call metadata that Snowden revealed in his 2013 whistleblower leaks.

The Freedom Act, which was signed in 2015 in response to the Snowden revelations, was designed to curtail some of the most flagrant abuses of the Patriot Act. It prohibits dragnet bulk data collection and introduces public advocates to FISA court proceedings who can argue against the proposed surveillance of individuals. (The FISA court, or Foreign Intelligence Service courts, oversees surveillance requests. Its proceedings are usually confidential.) However, section 215 is still in force, which means that if the investigation pertains to national security, authorities can access vast amounts of your personal data, including your Internet browsing and search history.

The only check on the governments surveillance powers is the supervision of the FISA court. This is a significantly lower threshold than a warrant. On May 13, the Senate rejected an amendment that would have required authorities to get a warrant before they access your Internet browsing and search history. The final bill the Senate passed does contain an amendment (proposed by Senators Patrick Leahy and Mike Lee) that expands the role that outside legal experts can play in offering advice to the FISA court.

Still, section 215 and the FISA courts represent grave threats to citizens privacy. They are also ineffective. One of the governments own oversight boards found that information gathered under section 215 has only led to one actionable lead in four years, and another study found that FISA courts have widespread problems.

The system is clearly broken.

As a Swiss company, we are not subject to US law. Any requests from US law enforcement must be reviewed and approved by the proper Swiss authorities before we can comply.

If the Swiss authorities do approve such a request, we must share the data they have requested. Because ProtonMail uses end-to-end encryption and zero-access encryption, we cannot access your messages, and because ProtonVPN has a strict no-logs policy, we have very little information to share. Proton also minimizes the amount of data we require to set up an account, and we allow users to make privacy-friendly payments via Bitcoin or cash.

Detailed information is available in our privacy policy for ProtonMail and ProtonVPN.

US authorities could try to coerce the data centers that run our US VPN servers to give them access. However, because we do not keep logs of user activity, there is virtually no information on these servers that authorities could use. Still, we have implemented full-disk encryption on all our VPN servers, which secures all the software and configurations on them. This prevents the authorities from being able to steal servers certificates and redirect user traffic to servers they control.

Those that have additional privacy concerns can also connect to servers in the US via Secure Core, which routes your Internet traffic through a hardened server before sending it on to one of our VPN servers in the US. By routing your traffic through two VPN servers, you make it harder for authorities to match your online activity to your IP address.

There are practical steps you can take to prevent your data from being swept up in the US (or any other) governments unwarranted surveillance, but first, you must understand who the government can collect what data from. Under section 215, law enforcement authorities can go to your Internet service provider (ISP) and compel them to share your browsing history.

What your ISP can see depends on what precautions you take. If you visit an HTTP website (one that does not use transport layer security), your ISP will be able to see pretty much everything you do on that site. However, now that most Internet traffic is HTTPS-encrypted, your ISPs view of your browsing is limited. If you visit a site that uses HTTPS, your ISP will only be able to see the DNS name and the IP address of the site you are on.

Example: You are reading this blog post at https://protonvpn.com/blog/patriot-act-renewal. Because our website is HTTPS-encrypted, your ISP only sees that you are visiting https://protonvpn.com.

However, if you do not protect your DNS requests (e.g., by using DNS over HTTPS), your ISP will be able to figure which pages you visit.

To protect your browsing history, use a trustworthy VPN service like ProtonVPN. When you connect to ProtonVPN, the only thing your ISP sees is that you are connected to one of our VPN servers. They cannot see what websites you visit while you are connected. We also encrypt your DNS requests so that no one can use them to figure out which sites you visited.

Authorities can also try to access personal data from services that track your online activity. These companies closely follow your browsing history by adding various trackers and beacons to the websites you visit. They use this information to show you targeted ads. While Google is the most prominent actor, it is not the only one. There are also many shady marketing companies that maintain massive databases and sell your data to third parties. Two good defenses against advertising cookies and trackers are the Privacy Badger (developed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation) and uBlock Origin tracker-blocking browser extensions. Together, these will block the majority of advertisers trying to track your browsing. (You can also turn on your browsers Do Not Track option.) You should also use your browsers Incognito Mode/Private Window feature. Your browser will forget the websites you visited and delete the cookies you accumulated once you close it if you use one of these private sessions.

To prevent authorities from accessing your search history, you should use a search engine that does not collect personal information, like duckduckgo.com.

Another way you can protect your privacy online is to connect to the Tor network using the Tor browser.

To recap, if you want to protect your data, you should:

Renewing the Freedom Act without putting in place due process protections is a violation of the fundamental right to privacy. It enables the US government to spy on its citizens with little due process or oversight.

We understand the need for and support responsible law enforcement. Citizens everywhere deserve to live in safety and security on and offline, which requires diligent law enforcement. But writing laws that violate basic human rights is not a solution. On the contrary, such laws tend to erode the rule of law and typically foster bad practices, such as corruption.

This continues a troubling trend of Western democratic countries passing laws that flagrantly violate their citizens privacy. The UKs Investigatory Powers Act, Australias Assistance and Access Bill, and the EUs proposal for gathering electronic evidence are all backward steps that undermine the right to privacy, which is fundamental to maintaining any democracy.

Because the Senate added an amendment to the law, it must go back to the House of Representatives for approval. If you are a US citizen, you should call or write to your state representative to tell them that you support the Leahy/Lee amendment to H.R.6172 The USA FREEDOM Reauthorization Act of 2020. While it is too late to prevent the reauthorization of the Freedom Act, we can still shed light into the FISA court process and let outside legal experts offer their assessments and advice.

In a way, the Patriot Act is responsible for the creation of Proton. After hearing the Snowden revelations, our founders were inspired to create a private email service that protects everyones communications. Now that the Patriot Act is being renewed, we are here to help our users protect their freedom and privacy.

Follow us on social media to stay up to date on the latest ProtonVPN releases:

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To get a free ProtonMail encrypted email account, visit: protonmail.com

The post The Patriot Act and your privacy appeared first on ProtonVPN Blog.

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*** This is a Security Bloggers Network syndicated blog from ProtonVPN Blog authored by Richie Koch. Read the original post at: https://protonvpn.com/blog/patriot-act-surveillance/

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WW3 nuclear missile warning: North Korean event would ‘FORCE the terrified US’ to invade – Express.co.uk

Posted: at 3:10 pm

Rumours of the death of Kim Jong-Un in late April sparked many questions as to how the US would react if this information was verified. North Korea has since insisted their leader is alive and well despite continuous speculation regarding the dictator's absence from the public eye. Asia politics expert and author Gordon Chang warned the US may have its hand forced into invading North Korea if civil unrest followed in the country after the death of its leader.

Mr Chang argued if nuclear weapons became divided among warring factions in North Korea following the death of Kim, the US may be forced to intervene.

He added this could cause a major conflict as China is allied with and supports the North Korean regime.

Mr Chang told Express.co.uk: "What would force our hand? If we felt the control of North Korea's nuclear weapons was in doubt.

"That is the one thing that would get us to try to secure those nukes."

DON'T MISS:WW3 warning: China secretly using North Korea as weapon against the US

Mr Chang explained that the US does not have a specific leader it would be warier of, in the event of Kim Jong-un's death.

He insisted the conflict within the country would prove to be more alarming for the US and force them to take action.

He said: "I think it is more a question of no leaders in North Korea.

"If you had rival groups each having possession of nuclear weapons, that would frighten the c**p out of the US.

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World War 3: US orders Iran to stay away from warships or risk ‘being interpreted a threat – Express.co.uk

Posted: at 3:10 pm

In what is clearly a direct message to Iran, the maritime alert warns "lawful defensive measures" will be taken against any craft that encroaches the 100m exclusion zone around US ships. The notice, issued by the Bahrain-based US Naval Forces Central Command, follows Mr Trumps threat last month to fire on any Iranian ships that harass Navy vessels.

Armed vessels approaching within 100 metres of a US Naval vessels may e interpreted as a threat

US Naval alert

It comes amid soaring tensions in the Gulf where Iranian gunboats have been approaching US warships at sea.

A US official said the new notice to mariners did not herald a change in the US militarys rules of engagement but was meant to serve as a reminder of its existing policy in the troubled region.

The Pentagon has previously stated Mr Trumps threat was designed to underscore the US Navys "right to self-defence".

The US President hit out after an incident last month in which 11 Iranian vessels came close to US Navy and Coast Guard ships in the Gulf in what the US military called "dangerous and provocative" behaviour.

The notice says: "US Naval forces are conducting routine operations in the region with a commitment to freedom of navigation and the free flow of maritime commerce.

"Due to recent events and in order to enhance safety, minimise ambiguity and reduce opportunities for miscalculation, all vessels are advised to maintain a safe distance of at least 100 metres from US Naval vessels in international waters/straits.

READ MORE:Iranian president Rouhani brands Trump administration most evil

"Armed vessels approaching within 100 metres of a US Naval vessels may e interpreted as a threat and subject to lawful defensive measures.

"Mariners are reminded to operate in accordance with international law and with due regard for the safe navigation of other vessels.

"All vessels operating in the vicinity of US Naval vessels are advised to clearly commmunicate their intentions, respond to queries concerning course and speed, exercise principals of prudent seamanship as required under international law and remain at the maximum available distance from US Naval forces."

Iran has responded to the warning by insisting its navy will continue its "regular missions" in the Gulf.

An Iranian military official said: "The naval units of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman will continue their regular missions in accordance with professional principles as in the past."

Friction between Tehran and Washington has increased since 2018, when Mr Trump quit Iran's 2015 nuclear deal with six powers and reimposed sanctions on the country that have crippled its economy.

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Iran's Supreme Leader this week warned all Americans will be expelled from Iraq and Syria as he stepped up his calls for US troops to be withdrawn from the Middle East.

Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said US actions in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria had led to them being hated, according to a transcript of a speech to students published on his website.

He said: "The Americans won't stay in Iraq and Syria and will be expelled."

A full-blown military conflict almost erupted when a US drone strike killed top Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3, prompting Tehran to retaliate with a missile barrage against a US base in Iraq days later.

Last month, US President Donald Trump said he had instructed the US Navy to fire on any Iranian ships that harass it at sea but said later he was not changing the military's rules of engagement.

The head of Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards, Major General Hossein Salami, said the Islamic Republic would destroy US warships if its security was threatened in the Gulf.

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China sparks WW3 panic as Beijing vows retaliation against US: ‘Road that leads to death’ – Express.co.uk

Posted: at 3:10 pm

China has pledged to retaliate against the US following an unprecedented move from the US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. This week, Mr Pompeo became the first Secretary of State in US history to congratulate a Taiwanese president on an election victory. Chinas foreign ministry on Wednesday said the remarks had done serious damage to US-Chinese relations.

The ministry said Mr Pompeos statement seriously violated the one-China principle, since China claims Taiwan.

A spokesman added: "China urges the US side to immediately correct its mistake.

"The Chinese side will take necessary countermeasures to respond to the above-mentioned erroneous actions by the US side.

"And the US side should bear the consequences arising therefrom."

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He warned that the Taiwan "road leads to death" and that "any damage to China's core interests will be vigorously countered".

President Tsai Ing-Wen was inaugurated this week, and has since called for stable relations with China.

However, she added she would not let China downgrade Taiwan and undermine the cross-strait status quo".

Dr Tsai Ing-Wen's landslide victory in January was seen as a rebuke of Beijings ongoing campaign to isolate the island.

During a press conference on Wednesday, Mr Pompeo said: Her re-election by a huge margin shows that she has earned the respect, admiration, and trust of the people on Taiwan.

Her courage and vision in leading Taiwans vibrant democracy is an inspiration to the region and the world.

"I am confident that, with President Tsai at the helm, our partnership with Taiwan will continue to flourish.

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Mr Pompeo's claims comes amid tensions between Washington and Beijing over trade and allegations of Beijings mishandling of the coronavirus pandemic.

These tensions escalated further today after Chinas Foreign Ministry lodged a complaint with the United States to complain about a planned sale of advanced torpedoes to Taiwan.

During his press conference, Mr Pompeo also attacked China for threatening economic retaliation against Australia.

He said the Trump administration fully backs the Australian government's push for an independent investigation into the origins of the coronavirus.

He said: "The Chinese Communist Party chose to threaten Australia with economic retribution for the simple act of asking for an independent inquiry into the origins of the virus."

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What’s happening to Pluto’s atmosphere – Astronomy Magazine

Posted: at 3:09 pm

New HorizonsAstronomers think they know why, thanks to the images sent back by the New Horizons spacecraft that flew past Pluto in 2015. These images revealed an unexpectedly complex surface with widely varying colors. A mysterious reddish cap at the north pole turned out to be colored by organic molecules. And a large, white, ice-covered basin called Sputnik Planitia stretched across a large part of one hemisphere.

Planetary geologists think Sputnik Planitia plays an important role in regulating Plutos atmosphere. Thats because, when it faces the sun, it releases gas into the atmosphere. Simulations suggest that this is why Plutos atmosphere has continued to grow, even as it has begun to move away from the sun.

The simulations are complicated by Sputnik Planitias color, which determines the amount of light it absorbs, and this in turn is influenced by ice formation in ways that are hard to predict.

Nevertheless, these same simulations suggest that, since 2015, Sputnik Planitia should have begun to cool, causing the atmosphere to condense into ice. Arimatsu and colleagues say thats probably whats behind their new observation.

There is a problem, however. The models suggest that Plutos atmosphere ought to have shrunk by less than 1 percent since 2016, not the 20 percent observed by the Japanese team. So there may be some other factor at work that is accelerating Plutos atmospheric collapse.

The result must also be treated with caution. The effect of Plutos atmosphere on distant starlight is small and hard to observe with the 60-centimeter reflecting telescope that the team used. They say the various sources of error in their measurement make it only marginally significant.

That means the chances to make better observations in the future will be few and far between. The team concludes with a plea for astronomers to observe Pluto with bigger, more sensitive telescopes, preferably those with diameters measured in meters.

Until then, Plutos vanishing atmosphere will remain something of a mystery.

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The Sky This Week from May 22 to 29 – Astronomy Magazine

Posted: at 3:09 pm

Tuesday, May 26Comet SWAN (C/2020 F8) reaches perihelion today, rounding the Sun at a distance of 37 million miles (59.5 million kilometers) from our star. Glowing around magnitude 6, the comet is an excellent binocular or small scope target in Perseus. But Northern Hemisphere observers beware: Its already low on the northwestern horizon an hour after sunset, roughly 10 high and sinking. The comet is less than 5 above the horizon two hours after sunset, but with good seeing and a clear view all the way to the horizon, youre likely to spot it a little over 8 due west of Capella.

Even as Comet SWAN sets, a different swan is rising: M17 (NGC 6618), also known as the Swan Nebula or the Omega Nebula in Sagittarius. Rising around 10 P.M. local time and gaining altitude with each passing hour, the Swan Nebula can be seen with binoculars or even a small scope. The star-forming regions name comes from its resemblance to a swan gliding across a lake; can you spot the birds arching neck and long, feathery body?

Wednesday, May 27Asteroid 3 Juno is stationary at 10 A.M. EDT. After today, Juno will halt its northwestern motion and make a tight turn, heading back to the southeast relative to the background stars.

Currently in the constellation Virgo, you can find Juno about 6 northwest of Auva (Delta [] Virginis). Juno is currently magnitude 10.7, so youll need large binoculars or a small scope to seek it out. Tonight, its just 1 northwest of the galaxy NGC 4580, a dim spiral youll likely need a 10-inch scope (or larger) to glimpse.

Juno is about 145 miles (234 km) in diameter. It contains roughly 1 percent of the total mass in the asteroid belt but is only about 3 percent the total mass of Ceres, the largest body in the main belt.

Thursday, May 28A nearly 40-percent-lit Moon sits just in front of Leo the Lion tonight. Nearby is Leos bright heart, Regulus, a magnitude 1.4 star whose name means little king in Latin. One of the brightest stars in the sky, Regulus is located almost exactly on the ecliptic, the plane of our solar system on which all the major planets orbit.

If you draw a line between the Moon and Regulus, then follow it 24.5 to the east, youll reach magnitude 2.1 Denebola, often drawn as the tip of the lions tail. Located a mere 36 light-years away, this blue-white star is more than 1.5 times as wide as the Sun and emits nearly 14 times as much light. It is also surrounded by a complex disk of cool dust, which emits light at longer, infrared wavelengths; this is the same dust from which planets are born, although there are no planets yet confirmed around this star.

Friday, May 29Saturns largest moon, Titan, sits roughly 1' due north of the ringed planet this morning. At magnitude 8.6, the moon should be the second-brightest object in your field of view (after the planet itself).

Saturns more distant, two-faced moon, Iapetus, is on its way toward its greatest western elongation on the 31st. Along the way, its growing steadily brighter, and should now be shining at nearly magnitude 10.5 almost 9' directly west of the planet. Hyperion sits roughly one-third of the way between Saturn and Iapetus, but may be invisible at magnitude 14.

First Quarter Moon occurs tonight at 11:30 P.M. EDT.

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The Sky This Week from May 22 to 29 - Astronomy Magazine

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