Daily Archives: November 28, 2021

Activists Call on Retailers to Pledge Not to Work in Xinjiang Region – Business Insider

Posted: November 28, 2021 at 9:55 pm

Activists are calling on 82 major apparel and retail companies around the world to commit to sourcing cotton outside of China. In a letter to "apparel industry leaders," the Coalition to End Forced Labour in the Uyghur Region cited astudy that ties international cotton sales to accusations ofbrutal treatment of China's Muslim minority.

The Uyghurs are a Turkic Muslim minority ethnic group mostly congregated in the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region, a massive autonomous region along the northwestern border of the People's Republic of China. Since 2014, accusations of widespread human rights abuses against the Uyghur people have been raised.

Beijing has been accused of implementing tactics like government surveillance, forced sterilization, and re-education camps, in a campaign that's been described as "ethnic cleansing." The Chinese government has denied these accusations.

In 2020, the United States banned the import of certain Xinjiang products, including cotton, over concerns about forced labor in the region.

China's International Press Center did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

"In the Uyghur region, the Chinese government has set up a system of hundreds of internment camps," Laura Murphy, a professor of human rights and contemporary slavery at the Helena Kennedy Center for International Justice at Sheffield Hallam University, told Insider. "Every decision any Uyghur person might make in that region is dominated by the knowledge that at any point they could be sent to one of these internment camps."

Murphy added that "it's also against the law for them to refuse participation in a government program."

Under President Joe Biden's administration, the US Treasury Department has sanctioned two high-level Chinese officials over allegations of "genocide and human rights violations"against the Uyghurs. Human Rights Watch has said that China could be detaining as many as 1 million Uyghurs. For its part, the US government has also warned that companies with supply chain ties to Xinjiang"run a high risk of violating US law."

The Chinese government has repeatedly denied committing genocide against the Uyghurs.

"These basic facts show that there has never been so-called genocide, forced labour, or religious oppression in Xinjiang," Foreign Minister Wang Yi told the UN Human Rights Council in February, according to Reuters. "Such inflammatory accusations are fabricated out of ignorance and prejudice, they are simply malicious and politically driven hype and couldn't be further from the truth."

Murphy spearheaded the report "Laundering Cotton: How Xinjiang Cotton is Obscured in International Supply Chains." In her research, she initially identified five Chinese companies selling cotton yarn or fabric that was sourced from the Xinjiang region. She then tracked shipments from those five companies, which largely went to apparel manufacturers in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Vietnam, India, Pakistan, Kenya, Ethiopia, China, and Mexico. The study then looked into which global companies had ties to those intermediaries, through shipping records, finding that Xinjiang-sourced cotton "circumvents certain supply standards and import bans to end up on clothing racks around the world."

On Tuesday, the Coalition sent an open letter to 82 top retailers and brands that have not yet signed a "call to action" demanding that companies "fully extricate their supply chains from the Uyghur Region." Several brands, including ASOS, Eileen Fisher, the Marks and Spencer Group, and Reformation, have signed onto that pledge.

Insider reached out to all 82 companies who received the letter on November 22. The brands that received the letter included retail and e-commerce giants like Amazon, Carrefour, Costco, Home Depot, Ikea, Jo Ann Stores, Kmart, Kohl's, L.L. Bean, Macy's, Patagonia, Sears, Target, Walmart, and Wayfair. Most of the recipients were apparel brands, including American Eagle Outfitters, Brooks Brothers, Chico's, Duluth Trading, Eddie Bauer, Forever 21, Gap Inc., Guess, Hanes, Hugo Boss, Land's End, Levi Strauss, Lilly Pulitzer, Lucky Brand, Madewell, Marco Polo, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Uniqlo, and Vineyard Vines.

Most did not immediately reply. JCPenney declined to comment.

"We are concerned about reports of forced labor in, and connected to, the Xinjiang Uyghur Autonomous Region (XUAR)," a Nike spokesperson said in a statement sent to Insider. "Nike does not source products from the XUAR and we have confirmed with our contract suppliers that they are not using textiles or spun yarn from the region."

Spokespersons for C&A, Everlane, Lacoste, L.L. Bean, and Tesco said that their companies' ethical codes for suppliers strictly prohibit the use of forced labor. The L.L. Bean spokesperson said that the company exited Xinjiang in August 2020, and that it has removed "all Chinese cotton from our assortment."

Lacoste said that it has only used cotton originating from the US, Australia, Turkey, and Peru for its 2020 production. An Everlane spokesperson told Insider that "our analysis and records indicate that none of our raw materials, yarns, and fabrics produced in the manufacturing units called out in your report (and otherwise) originate from the XUAR."

Timothy Voit, the vice president of strategic and international sales at textile-manufacturing company Thomaston Mills, told Insider: "We don't source anything from China. We do specify the origin of cotton to be used in any of our products anywhere in our supply chain to exclude the possibility of forced labor from Xinjiang or Xinjiang."

Murphy told Insider that given the sheer enormity of Xinjiang's cotton output, the burden of keeping the fabric off clothing racks should fall on governmental bodies and international corporations, not consumers.

"It is a wake-up call that we need to be much more attentive to where our products come from," Murphy said. "Because otherwise we're complicit in both forced labor and a pretty radical discriminatory global system where the worst consequences fall upon the most marginalized among us."

Read more from the original source:

Activists Call on Retailers to Pledge Not to Work in Xinjiang Region - Business Insider

Posted in Government Oppression | Comments Off on Activists Call on Retailers to Pledge Not to Work in Xinjiang Region – Business Insider

Sources — Minnesota Twins, CF Byron Buxton agree to seven-year, $100 million extension – ESPN

Posted: at 9:55 pm

Center fielder Byron Buxton and the Minnesota Twins are in agreement on a seven-year, $100 million contract extension, sources familiar with the deal told ESPN's Jeff Passan on Sunday.

Buxton received a full no-trade clause in the deal and will be paid $500,000 every time he reaches 502, 533, 567, 600 and 625 plate appearances, the sources said.

He also has MVP bonuses in each year of the deal: $8 million for finishing first, $7 million for finishing second, $6 million for third, $5 million for fourth, $4 million for fifth and $3 million for finishing in sixth through 10th place, the sources said.

He had been scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent after the 2022 season.

Buxton set career bests last season with a .306 batting average and 19 home runs but was limited to 65 games because of injuries.

Because of various injuries, he has played in more than 100 games just once in his career, in 2017, when he appeared in 140 games and won his only Gold Glove Award. That was also the only season he has reached more than 500 plate appearances (511).

For his career, Buxton has a .248 average, 70 home runs and 204 RBIs in seven seasons, all with the Twins.

Visit link:

Sources -- Minnesota Twins, CF Byron Buxton agree to seven-year, $100 million extension - ESPN

Posted in Cf | Comments Off on Sources — Minnesota Twins, CF Byron Buxton agree to seven-year, $100 million extension – ESPN

Cystic Fibrosis: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment – Healthline

Posted: at 9:55 pm

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a serious genetic condition that causes severe damage to the respiratory and digestive systems. This damage often results from a buildup of thick, sticky mucus in the organs.

The most commonly affected organs include the:

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, more than 30,000 people in the United States have cystic fibrosis, and another 1,000 people are diagnosed with it every year. CF is a progressive condition, so it gets worse over time.

Regular, daily care can help manage CF, but theres no one treatment plan that will work for everyone. With a treatment plan specific to your needs, you can still live a full life, attend school, and have a career.

In this article, we take a look at the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, and treatment of cystic fibrosis.

Cystic fibrosis affects the cells that produce sweat, mucus, and digestive enzymes. Normally, these fluids are thin and smooth like olive oil. They lubricate your organs and tissues, keeping them from getting too dry.

If you have CF, a genetic mutation increases the thickness of mucus and other body fluids. When this happens, the thicker fluids can interrupt the function of organs like the movement of air through your lungs. This can trap bacteria and lead to infections.

In more advanced cases, people with CF may have complications like respiratory failure and malnutrition.

Its critical to get treatment for CF right away. Early diagnosis and treatment can improve quality of life and lengthen ones life span.

Screening tests and treatment methods have improved in recent years, so many people with CF can now live into their 40s and 50s.

The symptoms of cystic fibrosis can vary depending on the person and the severity of their condition. The age at which symptoms develop can also differ.

Symptoms may appear at infancy, but for other children, symptoms may not begin until after puberty or even later in life. As time passes, the symptoms associated with the disease may get better or worse.

One of the first signs of CF is a strong, salty taste to the skin. Parents of children with CF have mentioned noticing this saltiness when kissing their children.

Other symptoms of CF result from complications that affect the:

The thick, sticky mucus associated with CF often blocks the passageways that carry air into and out of the lungs. This can cause the following symptoms:

The abnormal mucus can also plug the channels that carry the enzymes produced by the pancreas to the small intestine. Without these digestive enzymes, the intestine cant absorb the necessary nutrients from food. This can result in:

CF occurs as a result of a defect in whats called the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator gene, or CFTR gene. This gene controls the movement of water and salt in and out of your bodys cells.

A sudden mutation, or change, in the CFTR gene causes your mucus to become thicker and stickier than its supposed to be.

This abnormal mucus increases the amount of salt in your sweat and builds up in various organs throughout the body, including the:

Different defects can affect the CFTR gene. The type of defect is associated with the severity of CF. The damaged gene is passed on to the child from their parents.

In order to have CF, a child must inherit one copy of the gene from each biological parent. If they only inherit a copy of the gene from one parent, they wont develop the disease. However, theyll be a carrier of the defective gene, which means they may pass the gene on to their own biological children.

How likely you are to inherit CF depends on several factors.

Anyone can inherit CF if their parents carry the gene. However, carriers usually have just one copy of a defective gene and may never experience symptoms or even know they carry the gene.

According to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, about 10 million people in the United States are carriers of the gene for CF, yet only about 30,000 have active disease.

Although carriers wont have active disease, the children of two carriers have a much higher risk. To be exact, if both your parents carry the cystic fibrosis gene, there is a:

In terms of ancestry or ethnic backgrounds, a 2019 study found that people of northern European descent have the highest rates of CF. The condition is less common in people from Hispanic or African American backgrounds, and even more rare in people of Asian descent.

People who have a family history of CF are also at an increased risk because its an inherited disorder.

The diagnosis of CF requires clinical symptoms consistent with CF in at least one organ system and evidence of CFTR dysfunction. This evidence is usually based on abnormal results from a sweat chloride test or the presence of mutations in the CFTR gene.

Clinical symptoms are not required for infants identified through newborn screening. Other diagnostic tests that may be performed include:

Although theres no cure for CF, there are various treatments available that may help relieve symptoms and reduce the risk of complications.

A lung transplant may be an option to improve and extend your life. However, the CF gene mutation will remain in your body, affecting other organs even after youve received new lungs.

There are also a number of things to consider when weighing transplantation as an option. Theres a risk of infection and rejection of the organ, and you will have to take medications that suppress your immune system for the rest of your life.

Chest therapy helps loosen the thick mucus in the lungs, making it easier to cough up. Its typically performed 1 to 4 times per day.

A common technique involves placing the head over the edge of a bed and clapping with cupped hands along the sides of the chest.

Mechanical devices may also be used to clear mucus. These include:

CF can prevent the intestines from absorbing necessary nutrients from food.

If you have CF, you might need more calories per day than people who dont the disease. You may also need to take pancreatic enzyme capsules with every meal.

Your doctor may also recommend antacids, multivitamins, and a diet high in fiber and salt.

If you have CF, its important to:

CF cannot be prevented. However, genetic testing should be performed for couples who have CF or have relatives with the disease.

Genetic testing can determine a childs risk of CF by testing samples of blood or saliva from each parent. Tests can also be performed on you if youre pregnant and concerned about your babys risk.

The outlook for people with CF has improved dramatically in recent years, largely due to advances in treatment. Today, many people with the disease live into their 40s and 50s, and even longer in some cases.

However, theres no cure for CF, so lung function will steadily decline over time. The resulting damage to the lungs can cause severe breathing problems and other complications.

If you or a loved one are believed to have CF, the first steps you should take are to confirm the diagnosis and to become educated on the condition.

A number of tests can be performed to confirm a diagnosis, and your doctor or healthcare professional should be able to discuss how advanced your condition is and what treatment plans will work best.

While theres no cure for CF, there are some facilities that provide more specialized CF care. Additionally, you will want to make sure to maintain your health and preserve your strength by doing things like:

It takes a whole team of healthcare professionals, a good support system, and the cooperation of employers, schools, and insurers to get people with CF the care they need.

There are a number of online resources and even online or local support groups that can help you or your loved ones cope the with demands of living with or caring for someone with CF.

Continued here:

Cystic Fibrosis: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment - Healthline

Posted in Cf | Comments Off on Cystic Fibrosis: Causes, Diagnosis, and Treatment – Healthline

7 external CF options Phillies could consider with Starling Marte off the board Phillies Nation – Phillies Nation

Posted: at 9:55 pm

At a position with very few needle movers and even less who become available the Philadelphia Phillies were dealt a blow Friday night in their pursuit of a center fielder, arguably the biggest need on the roster.

Starling Marte reportedly reached a four-year/$78 million deal with the division-rival New York Mets, closing the door on the free agent that some thought was the best fit for the Phillies.

While were intrigued by the possibility of Simon Muzziotti playing a role for the 2022 Phillies, its pretty unlikely that the No. 14 overall prospect will be the teams opening day center fielder. And president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has already cast doubt on the chances that either Mickey Moniak or Adam Haseley will be a solution in center field to open next season.

Without a clear internal answer in center field, here are seven external options the Phillies could pivot to in the wake of Marte signing with the Mets:

Byron Buxton

The Phillies didnt make any bones about their interest in Buxton last summer, but Dan Hayes of The Athletic ultimately reported that they didnt have a good enough headliner to land the oft-injured star center fielder.

Perhaps nothing has changed in that regard, but it would behoove the Phillies to test those waters again, given that Buxton is entering his contract year and the Minnesota Twins havent been able to complete a long-term deal with him.

Acquiring Buxton as Phillies Nations Destiny Lugardo projected in her latest mock offseason certainly wouldnt be without risk. Not only would the Phillies have to part with some of the limited prospect capital that they have, but presumably reach a long-term deal with the soon-to-be 28-year-old.

If Buxton stayed healthy, though, he could turn center field into a strength and help the Phillies reach the postseason for the first time since 2011.

Chris Taylor

An All-Star for the first time in 2021, Taylor has reached free agency ahead of his age-31 season.

In some senses, Taylor would be the perfect fit for the Phillies. He can play center field or shortstop, among other positions, and would bring extensive postseason experience to a roster that lacks it.

The flip side of that, though, is that you would likely be looking at a deal similar to the one that Marte signed to land Taylor, who is on the wrong side of 30. Since he declined a qualifying offer from the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Phillies would also have to surrender their second-round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft and $500,000 of international signing bonus pool money to acquire his services.

Cedric Mullins

This is perhaps the longest shot of any of the names on this list, as Mullins is coming off of an All-Star campaign that ultimately saw him finish ninth in American League MVP voting.

Jon Heyman of Audacy Sports says that the Orioles would listen on the 27-year-old, though he adds that potential suitors are aware that its a long shot that Baltimore parts with their best asset.

Mullins cant become a free agent until after 2025, so the Orioles arent especially motivated to move him now, even if they view signing him long-term as unlikely. If center field is still an issue in a year or two for the Phillies which it may very well be perhaps the idea of trading for Mullins will be more realistic.

Kris Bryant

The former National League MVP isnt an especially strong fielder at any one position, but he can be serviceable at all three outfield positions and third base, which certainly would help the Phillies.

He would also provide the Phillies with another middle-of-the-order bat to hit behind Bryce Harper, so you would be killing two birds with one stone.

The problem with signing Bryant would be that unless the Phillies are willing to exceed the luxury tax threshold, signing Bryant to the six-year/$160 million deal that MLB Trade Rumors has projected would eat into a giant chunk of the limited financial flexibility the team has under the constraints they have imposed.

You wouldnt have to surrender draft compensation, though, because Bryant was traded by the Chicago Cubs to the San Francisco Giants midseason and wasnt eligible to be issued a qualifying offer.

Kevin Kiermaier

A three-time Gold Glove Award winner, Kiermaier would be a defensive-first addition, as the Phillies look to upgrade a roster that was dead last with -54 defensive runs saved in 2021.

Kiermaier, a former Platinum Glove Award winner, had 13 defensive runs saved this past season. Jean Segura and Odbel Herrera who is no longer in the organization were the only Phillies regular position players who were above water in terms of defensive runs saved in 2021.

Set to turn 32 next April, Kiermaier is due $12 million in the final year of his six-year deal with the Tampa Bay Rays. If the Phillies traded for him, they would also inherit a $13 million club option for 2023, one that includes a $2.5 million buyout.

Jackie Bradley Jr.

Bradley posted a minuscule .497 OPS in his first season with the Milwaukee Brewers and is due $9.5 million in 2022, so this may not seem appealing on the surface.

However, if you were able to offload the $14.5 million owed to Didi Gregorius in 2021, it may make some sense to take on Bradleys deal, which will include a hefty $8 million buyout in 2023. Gregorius counts $14 million (his average annual value) towards the luxury tax threshold. Bradley costs $12 million, so youd be opening up a bit of financial flexibility in 2022, even if youd be forcing yourself into some level of commitment for 2023.

One of the best defenders of his era, Bradley did still have nine defensive runs saved in center field this past season. Dombrowski was with him in Boston, so hes aware that Bradleys glove can make up for a below-average fielder in left with a big bat, such as Nick Castellanos or Kyle Schwarber.

If Bradley was able to rebound to some degree offensively in 2022, adding his glove and offloading Gregorius remaining money might be making the best of a bad situation.

Kevin Pillar

While hes not the fielder that he once was, Pillar remains adequate in center field, and could be an interesting depth piece if you have someone else in mind to pair him with in center field. Its unclear who that someone else would be for the Phillies, though.

Pillar, who will be 33 in January, did hit 15 home runs and drive in 47 runs for the Mets this past season. However, there wasnt a ton of offensive production outside that, as he posted just a .277 on-base percentage.

Read the original post:

7 external CF options Phillies could consider with Starling Marte off the board Phillies Nation - Phillies Nation

Posted in Cf | Comments Off on 7 external CF options Phillies could consider with Starling Marte off the board Phillies Nation – Phillies Nation

On the run again: CF Turkey Trot returns in Wyoming – The Daily News Online

Posted: at 9:55 pm

WYOMING It was good to be back.

Runners crowded at the start line Thursday for the annual CF Turkey Trot. After a rendition of The Star Spangled Banner, they charged down Maple Street over a course which would take them three miles through the village.

Were so glad to be here in person this year, said organizer Carrie Bartholomew. Its nice to see everyone and see their faces, and everyone who has been her for nine years now. Its been great to see all the familiar faces.

The annual 5k race is sponsored by CF Team Natalie, which is named for Natalie Bartholomew Carrie and Wayne Bartholomews 9-year-old daughter, who lives with the disease herself. All of the races proceeds go to help cystic fibrosis charities.

Last years CF Turkey Trot was a virtual event due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But this year the race was in-person again.

As typical, the event attracted about 400 people.

Its on-par, so we did pretty well, Carrie Bartholomew said. Some of those chose to stay virtual, whether they were from out of town or they just were more comfortable running on their own away from the crowd. But altogether its a pretty decent crowd and were happy with the results.

Besides runners, the race also includes numerous walkers.

Jonah Epps, 19, of Batavia was this years first place finisher, with a time of about 17 minutes, in what was initially a closer race.

The first mile I was like, Uh, I dont want to go too fast, and sat on the kid, but he started breathing and I was like, Ill go now, Epps said afterward.

What was it like being the top finisher? It felt good, Epps said. I wish I would have broke 17 (minutes), but theres always next year though.

He planned to be having dinner with his family later in the day.

First place female finisher was Icel Sukovaty, who ran with Andrew Korts. Both are University of Rochester students.

A lot of the areas other turkey trots were booked, they said, and they also enjoyed Wyomings small-town appeal. This was their first time running in the event.

We really wanted to run one, Sukovaty said. We were really excited about it, to be able to see all the people and stuff.

Other runners and walkers gradually filtered in and then it was off to Thanksgiving dinners, wherever the location.

View post:

On the run again: CF Turkey Trot returns in Wyoming - The Daily News Online

Posted in Cf | Comments Off on On the run again: CF Turkey Trot returns in Wyoming – The Daily News Online

Michigan Civil Rights Commission says Critical Race Theory ban would censor teachers – mlive.com

Posted: at 9:54 pm

The Michigan Civil Rights Commission last week took a stand in favor of academic freedom, passing a resolution opposing two pieces of state legislation that would ban Critical Race Theory in K-12 public schools.

The commission on Monday, Nov. 22 discussed Senate Bill 460 and House Bill 5097, asserting a stance against any and all legislation that promotes censorship and book banning.

The resolution states that the proposed legislation provides for censorship for educators and gives students an inaccurate and incomplete account of the history of the United States.

Critical Race Theory (CRT) is a framework in education aimed at fostering understanding of race and racism on an institutional and structural level.

Its most often taught in colleges and universities. As it is not currently being taught in K-12 schools anywhere in Michigan, both bills would preemptively prevent Critical Race Theory in classrooms.

CRT arose as a political talking point around the country in connection with the New York Times 1619 Project, a collection of essays and literary works that drew focus to the onset of slavery in the United States and its impact on American history.

Conservatives in Michigan argue that Critical Race Theory inaccurately characterizes U.S. history and could sow division among students.

Senate Bill 460, sponsored by Sen. Lana Theis, R-Brighton, and House Bill 5097, sponsored by Rep. Andrew Beeler, R-Port Huron, were both introduced in the Michigan Legislature earlier this year.

Related: Michigan lawmakers debate bill to ban critical race theory in schools

Under Theis legislation, public school districts in Michigan would be banned from teaching Critical Race Theory, material from the 1619 Project or other anti-American and racist theories, including that the United States is a fundamentally racist country, that the Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution are fundamentally racist documents and that an individual, by virtue of his or her race, is inherently racist or oppressive, whether consciously or unconsciously.

Under Beeler legislation, public school districts in Michigan must not, in any way, include the promotion of any form of race or gender stereotyping or anything that could be understood as implicit race or gender stereotyping. Examples of race or gender stereotyping, according to the bill, are statements, beliefs or ideas that individuals hold a collective quality or belief or bear collective guilt for historical wrongs on the basis of their race or gender.

The bills were referred to the Senate Committee of the Whole and the House Committee on Education and Career Readiness, respectively.

Related: Candidate for governor threatens to wipe out Education Department over Critical Race Theory. Actually, he cant.

The Civil Rights Commission resolution goes on to mention that the U.S. Constitution protects teachers and students who have a First Amendment right to freedom of speech in the classroom, stating:

... Academic freedom is fundamental to fact based, historically accurate knowledge, delivered by trained educational professionals. No facts, ethnicities, languages, races and cultures should be removed from history.

The resolution also referred to comments made by state Superintendent Dr. Michael Rice at an Aug. 10 Michigan Board of Education meeting, in which he said students need to learn about race and racism.

The only Republican member of the commission, Ira Combs, Jr., said he doesnt believe Critical Race Theory is a legitimate terminology.

I would prefer that it be called critical race history, Combs said. Teach the history, teach the facts and let the chips fall where they may.

Combs abstained from voting on the resolution. It passed with support from five commissioners: Commission Chair Stacie Clayton, Commission Vice Chair Zenna Faraj Elhasan and Commissioners Richard Corriveau, Gloria Lara and Portia Roberson. Commissioners Regina Gasco-Bentley and Anupama Kosaraju were absent from the Nov. 22 meeting.

Clayton clarified that the resolution was meant to neither support nor oppose Critical Race Theory.

What our resolution is doing is supporting academic freedom for teachers so that they are able to teach historically and factually, and not remove any parts of history that might make some uncomfortable such as ethnicities or race or gender, Clayton said.

Related:

Critical Race theory isnt taught in Michigan schools, so why is it such a hot topic? - mlive.com

Amid debate over critical race theory, Michigan college creates K-12 curriculum based on conservative perspectives - mlive.com

Michigan lawmakers debate bill to ban critical race theory in schools - mlive.com

Berated and interrogated: School board meetings have become untenable amid mask mandates, critical race theory - mlive.com

Continue reading here:
Michigan Civil Rights Commission says Critical Race Theory ban would censor teachers - mlive.com

Posted in Censorship | Comments Off on Michigan Civil Rights Commission says Critical Race Theory ban would censor teachers – mlive.com

Leatherbury: Meet Greg Abbott: The governor of censorship and double standards – Amarillo.com

Posted: at 9:54 pm

Tom Leatherbury| Special to the Globe-News

To use his words, Texas Gov.Greg Abbott has a problem when it comes to censorship and double standards. Abbottrecently assertedthat Big Tech companies are the ones with a big problem when it comes to censorship and double standards, but those claims could be easily used to categorize one of the host of new laws that the governor encouraged the Texas Legislature to pass to compel speech the government approves and suppress speech the government disapproves the new social media censorship law, House Bill 20.

This unconstitutional law attacks the very companies that facilitate safety and well-being for their users by combating misinformation the same companies that Abbott is courting to bring good-paying jobs to Texas.

Abbott has praised House Bill 20, signed into law on Sept.9, 2021, for protecting Texans from wrongful censorship on social media platforms. The law prevents tech companies with 50 million monthly users or more from banning users based on political or religious viewpoints wherever those viewpoints are expressed. The law also requires multiple disclosures about content moderation practices and processes by these companies, sets a 48-hour deadline for the review and removal of illegal content, and creates nearly insurmountable obstacles for email service providers to block spam and other unwanted messages.

While the bills supporters may claim the law is protecting the First Amendment rights of Americans, in reality, the law tramples the free speech of private American companies. House Bill 20 is even more draconian than a recent Florida law that a federal judge held unconstitutional on multiple grounds and preliminarily enjoined from taking effect.

Judge Hinkles injunction against this Florida law set the record straight, stating that the First Amendment says "Congress"shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech or of the press. The Fourteenth Amendment extended this prohibition to state and local governments. The First Amendment does not restrict the rights of private entities not performing traditional, exclusive public functions. In short, the First Amendment provides that a state government, like Florida and Texas, cannot abridge the speech rights of a private company, like Google.

The Florida federal court concluded that tech companies are private entities with First Amendment rights of editorial discretion and that state governments do not possess the power to disregard these rights. However, Gov.Greg Abbott and the Texas Legislature do not seem to care about this federal court ruling or the United States Constitution. They disregarded both by passing House Bill 20 and signing it into law.

Texas taxpayers will bear the financial burden of watching House Bill 20 being declared unconstitutional now that NetChoice and the Computer and Communications Industry Association have filed a lawsuit against the state of Texas to invalidate House Bill 20.

Aside from infringing on companies constitutional rights, laws like House Bill 20 make it more difficult and expensive for companies to create enjoyable and secure products for users. Technology companies have stepped up and have made robust investments to keep products family-friendly, clean from hate speech and misinformation, and safe from illegal activity.

House Bill 20s drastic measures could easily impose significant additional costs on tech companies. Preventing companies from moderating content might score Texas politicians some cheap political points, but it will cost users and taxpayers severely. Texas officials should be empowering tech companies to continue their efforts to enhance safety from hate speech and misinformation, not disincentivizing them with costly, unfair, and unconstitutional laws and regulations.

Perhaps the largest insult to tech companies and Texans can be attributed to Abbotts double standards. He is using House Bill 20 to target and hurt the very companies that he is actively recruiting to invest in the state of Texas. On one hand, Texas is courting tech companies to bring good-paying jobs and economic vitality to the people of Texas, but on the other, the governor and other Texas officials are on a mission to punish the same companies who could bring those immense benefits to our economy.

It's time for Abbott to embrace the economic free market principles that have made Texas attractive to so many businesses and stop encouraging the passage of unconstitutional legislation.

Tom Leatherbury is the director of the First Amendment Clinic at Southern Methodist University Dedman School of Law and Texas counsel to Electronic Frontier Foundation in NetChoice v. Paxton, the constitutional challenge to House Bill 20. The views expressed are his own.

Read the rest here:
Leatherbury: Meet Greg Abbott: The governor of censorship and double standards - Amarillo.com

Posted in Censorship | Comments Off on Leatherbury: Meet Greg Abbott: The governor of censorship and double standards – Amarillo.com

China’s crypto censorship reaches over news outlets and mining pools – The Block Crypto

Posted: at 9:54 pm

China's internet censorship machine has expanded to include crypto media outlets and mining pools in a continued attempt to minimize Chinese users' exposure to the crypto market ecosystem.

Chainnews, one of the major Chinese crypto media outlets established since 2017, is now shutting down all channels of content production and distribution.

Meanwhile, Chinese internet service providers have taken further steps to detect and block domestic miner IPs from connecting to major mining pool services, based on a China Telecom document seen by The Block.

These moves are signs that China is not loosening its grip over the crypto industry even if its most severe crackdown efforts ever since the summer has already dampened retail interests and forced businesses and executives to either cut ties with the Chinese market or physically move overseas.

Earlier this month, the mobile apps and web domains of at least three major Chinese language crypto media outlets Chainnews, ODaily and BlockBeats all became inaccessible almost at the same time. Since then they have switched to their official Telegram channels to distribute newsflashes to subscribers and changed to new web domains.

Yet still, after much thought, Chainnews editor-in-chief said in his WeChat news feed on Friday that the platform is shutting down entirely and expressed his genuine gratitude toward everyone in the community that has been with it over the years. Other outlets like ODaily and BlockBeats are still operating on new web domains but their mobile apps are inactive, which has limited their readership reach on the mobile front.

This comes months after popular market information sites such as CoinMarketCap, CoinGecko and TradingView were blocked by China's Great Firewall.

According to a recent document made by China Telecom and seen by The Block, the top Chinese internet service provider has come up with a detailed solution to detect domestic miner IPs that have communicated with mining pools' URLs.

Based on its ongoing detection, it can either cut off the internet service to specific IPs or manually blacklist the URLs that mining pools use to connect with individual equipment.

As of writing, the domains of almost all the 10 biggest mining pools by real-time hash rate for both Bitcoin and Ethereum are not accessible from IPs inside China, based on The Block's verification.

Among them, F2Pool, ViaBTC, BinancePool and BTC.com have seen sharp real-time hash rate declines by around 10% for either Bitcoin or Ethereum over the past 24 hours.

2021 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.

More:
China's crypto censorship reaches over news outlets and mining pools - The Block Crypto

Posted in Censorship | Comments Off on China’s crypto censorship reaches over news outlets and mining pools – The Block Crypto

How Chinas Huawei technology is being used to censor news halfway across the world – CPJ Press Freedom Online

Posted: at 9:54 pm

When a staffer at the independent media website Iwacu in the central African state of Burundi tried to visit the outlet online in late October, they received an error message instead. Hum. Nous ne parvenons pas trouver ce site; the site could not be found even though the local media regulator had promised to unblock it in February.

A report published in August found Burundian networks using technology from Chinese company Huawei to block Iwacu and other news sites. The report was funded and published by PrivacyCo, the parent company of privacy research and advice website Top10VPN.com. Co-authors Valentin Weber and Vasilis Ververis, PhD candidates at the University of Oxford and Humboldt University of Berlin respectively, told CPJ in a recent video call about their research tracking Huawei equipment known as middleboxes to internet networks in 72 countries, 18 of which were using the devices to block news or other websites. (Weber has since joined the German Council on Foreign Relations as a cyber research fellow.)

In Cuba, the report found the sole state-controlled internet service provider ETECSA using Huawei technology to block independent news website Cubanet, among others; authorities in Cuba have subjected Cubanet and its journalists to frequent restrictions. Readers can bypass blocks using virtual private networks (VPN), but many news outlets must shift their work to other sites or social media. In Egypt, a number of outlets have gone out of business after being blocked.

Middlebox devices can examine the packets of data that facilitate browsing and communication using a process called deep packet inspection. DPI has benign, even essential functions, like making connections faster or caching content for future access, but it can also be used to manipulate or filter information, the authors said. In the wrong hands, a middlebox could divert visitors to a rogue website designed to steal passwords or install malware, for example.

Such intrusions are hard to detect, but the 18 countries in the report acknowledge blocking notifying users via their browsers that the content they are trying to access is restricted making censorship a starting point for researchers to assess whether countries are using middleboxes to undermine human rights, according to Weber and Ververis.

Glenn Schloss and Rob Manfredo of Huaweis U.S. corporate communications team acknowledged CPJs request for an interview when the report was initially published, but did not subsequently respond to emailed questions.

The interview with Weber and Ververis has been edited for length and clarity.

You describe Huaweis middleboxes performing online behavior management where does that term come from?

Weber: It comes from Huawei marketing material relating to a specific middlebox, the ASG5000 series. We found it in a Chinese language source, so its our translation, but I think it matches the capabilities well it can detect traffic and act on it, managing the behavior of [internet] users in various contexts and venues.

Why are you concerned about the security implications of middleboxes on national networks?

Weber: Important traffic is flowing through these devices but the policies [for the data Huawei receives from them] sometimes werent clear what happens to the data, or whether it can be transferred further. For different continents or territories, we found a database location in Mexico for Latin America for example but you wouldnt know what happens once the data is transferred there.

Ververis: An analogy for a consumer would be a cleaning robot that sends data to the vendor about the dimensions of your house. Hopefully its in good faith, but I would not be surprised if that data was being sold or analyzed [for other purposes].

Should individuals on a network be concerned that a middlebox could access private information, or passwords, for example?

Ververis: Usually you should not be worried when youre visiting websites, especially websites that use some kind of encryption or secure layer [like HTTPS, which prevents others from reading or intercepting information exchanged between a reader and the websites that they visit]. We all know that you shouldnt connect to open WiFi, [but instead] use a VPN or Tor [on untrusted networks], and [log in to accounts with] two-factor authentication.

But its difficult to protect against a strong adversary. Lets say youre a journalist on a network that you dont trust. The network can gain a lot of information from your connectivity, and middleboxes can [be used to facilitate a cyberattack].

How did you detect that these middleboxes were being used to block websites?

Ververis: We use open data from the Open Observatory of Network Interference, which collects network measurements from volunteers all over the world. When youre sending and receiving a request from a web server you get back some metadata, and we were able to find the specific Huawei tag added to these responses. That might reveal the device, the model, sometimes the version. The middlebox we found had already been found in 2017 OONI research on Cuba.

Its only possible to do this research if the data is provided openly, the way OONI does. Other entities like Cloudflare and Google, or the transparency reports from social media companies, dont help researchers and journalists find out whats going on.

You found 18 countries blocking content with middleboxes, up from seven in an earlier study you did in 2019. What does that suggest?

Ververis: We have more data from OONI now than before, but censorship has [also] been increasing. Its actually quite surprising that [so many countries] use the same device, so there may be more to unpack there whether its cheap, or easy to deploy, we dont know.

Is Huawei providing maintenance on these devices or facilitating how they are used?

Ververis: In general, infrastructure [used by internet service providers] should be maintained by the vendor. You usually pay for a license to keep using it [for a specified period].

Weber: The devices report back to the vendor, sending error notices and other information, so the manufacturer might be incentivized to act on that, for example to provide software updates. We also expect that Huawei is likely to provide keyword lists or broad categories for blocking to the customers.

Your report found websites in the news and media category were among those most subject to blocking what do you take that to mean?

Ververis: News and political advocacy were among the higher categories, though in some countries we have much more data than in others. There are [also] other [blocking] methodologies. In Cuba, they still use the Huawei middlebox, but theyre also deploying something else. Either it doesnt have a tag or its the same equipment thats been changed, or, most probably, other devices.

The research is not conclusive, but our goal was to raise awareness. If one vendor and one device can do so much damage, what happens with the other dozens or even hundreds that are also out there?

Weber: We uncovered the tip of the iceberg. If there has been some political censorship in a country, even if its just a few websites, we can expect there to be more.

Would you argue Huawei is more likely to facilitate censorship because of its origins in China, one of the most censored countries in the world?

Weber: Like all other companies, Huawei is profit driven, which means they will sell anywhere they can make money. Weve seen that Blue Coat Systems, a company based in the U.S., was selling to regimes that were questionable. There are very few international regulations that would inhibit any of these companies [from] selling wherever there is an opportunity.

[Editors note: Researchers at the University of Torontos Citizen Lab have reported products sold by Blue Coat Systems being used to censor and surveil internet traffic around the world in the past, including in Syria in 2011, despite a U.S. trade embargo. The company which has since been acquired and restructured, according to Forbes told the Wall Street Journal that the technology had been transferred without its knowledge.]

What is a companys responsibility if it supplies a middlebox to a customer that uses it to censor news under local law?

Weber: There are best practices to engage customers abroad and do risk assessments. I havent seen much evidence that Huawei does this.

If youre a manufacturer selling to law enforcement or government entities, you have to assess their human rights record. Its too easy to say, We dont know how its going to be used. We were able to find questionable use of the technology, a multi-million or multi-billion-dollar company should be able to as well.

More:
How Chinas Huawei technology is being used to censor news halfway across the world - CPJ Press Freedom Online

Posted in Censorship | Comments Off on How Chinas Huawei technology is being used to censor news halfway across the world – CPJ Press Freedom Online

Disney+ appears to censor episode of The Simpsons in Hong Kong referencing Tiananmen Massacre – Hong Kong Free Press

Posted: at 9:54 pm

Online video streaming service Disney+ appears to have censored an episode of The Simpsons in Hong Kong which references the 1989 Tiananmen Massacre.

The 12th episode of the 16th season was first broadcast in 2005 and sees the family visit China, where the cartoon family visits the mummified body of ex-leader Mao Zedong. The newly-launched Disney+ platform skips from episode 11 to 13.

The missing show entitled Goo Goo Gai Pan includes a line of tanks, referencing the iconic tank man photo, as well as a joke placard inside Tiananmen Square stating on this site, in 1989, nothing happened. The episode is still accessible when viewers enable VPN circumvention tools.

The Tiananmen Massacre occurred on June 4, 1989 ending months of student-led demonstrations in China. It is estimated that hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people died when the Peoples Liberation Army was deployed to crack down on protesters in Beijing.

HKFP has reached out to Disney for comment.

The massacre has been heavily censored in China for decades.

Meanwhile, following the onset of the Beijing-imposed national security law last June, Hong Kong has arrested leaders of the Alliance, which organised annual commemorations of the 1989 crackdown. The authorities have banned the annual vigil in Victoria Park citing Covid-19, textbooks have been censored, museum exhibits seized, and the University of Hong Kong has demanded the removal of a monument to the dead.

Last month, Hong Kongs legislature passed a bill which enables the government to ban films deemed contrary to national security from being screened and published in the city. Any person who exhibits an unauthorised film could face up to three years in jail and a HK$1 million fine. However, the the new does not apply to streaming platforms.

When asked if YouTube or other online platforms would be affected, a spokesperson for the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau told HKFP in August that other laws apply to the internet: [TV] broadcast and the Internet are subject to other applicable law and regulations. Whether an act constitutes a crime or otherwise would depend on its specific circumstances and evidence, and cannot be taken in isolation or generalised, they said.

The rest is here:
Disney+ appears to censor episode of The Simpsons in Hong Kong referencing Tiananmen Massacre - Hong Kong Free Press

Posted in Censorship | Comments Off on Disney+ appears to censor episode of The Simpsons in Hong Kong referencing Tiananmen Massacre – Hong Kong Free Press