1. Monthly archive
  2. August 2018

August 2018

UN human rights chief: President Trump's attacks on press 'close to incitement of violence'

President Donald Trump’s anti-press rhetoric is “very close to incitement to violence” that would lead to journalists censoring themselves or being attacked, the outgoing United Nations human rights commissioner has said. Zeid Ra’ad al-Hussein, a Jordanian prince and diplomat, is stepping down in August as UN high commissioner for human rights after deciding not to stand for a second four-year term, in the face of a waning commitment among world powers to fighting abuses.

Google tracks your movements, like it or not

Google wants to know where you go so badly that it records your movements even when you explicitly tell it not to. Many Google services on Android devices and iPhones store your location data even if you’ve used a privacy setting that says it will prevent Google from doing so. For the most part, Google is upfront about asking permission to use your location information. An app like Google Maps will remind you to allow access to location if you use it for navigating.

How tech fuels authoritarians

We always assumed technology and the naked transparency of social media would feed people’s taste for freedom and thirst for democracy. Right now, that assumption looks flawed -- technology might actually solidify the standing of despots and provide them with a new way to exert their power. Ian Bremmer — political scientist, president and founder of Eurasia Group, and author of "Us vs. Them: The Failure of Globalism" — recently unpacked this issue in a letter to clients.

TracFone's Lifeline Petition

TracFone Wireless, a reseller active in the Federal Communications Commission's Lifeline program, filed an emergency petition with the FCC on August 10 raising concerns about the government’s new national verifier tool, meant to help ensure subscribers are who they say they are and avoid the waste, fraud and abuse that has plagued the program in the past. The Obama-era reform finally began rolling out on a preliminary basis in some states this summer.

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