Privacy, Technology, And Freedom Newsletter
Bill Haymin
January 29, 2010
By Katherine Albrecht, Ed.D.
www.KatherineAlbrecht.com
This week's newsletter is brought to you by STARTPAGE, the world's most private search engine, online at www.Startpage.com. Unlike Google, Yahoo, and Bing, Startpage does not store your IP address or make a record of your searches.
"Privacy is our business. Your searches aren't. Start protecting your privacy with Startpage."
www.Startpage.com
GOOD NEWS! (Good news Friday stories):
N.H. REPS PASS RFID PRIVACY BILL
The NH house has voted to require businesses to notify consumers if items have RFID tags, and to provide restrictions regarding how those tags are used. That's great news! Now let's hope it passes the state senate.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/7306/?intref=hottopic
PHILIPPINES STOPS TAGGING VEHICLES
The Land Transportation Office has suspended the mandatory electronic tagging of motor vehicles with RFID tracking tags after the Supreme Court issued a restraining order against them for privacy and procedural reasons. Refunds are being issued to motorists who paid for the tags.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100114-247233/LTO-stops-tagging-vehicles
AMISH FAMILIES EXEMPT FROM INSURANCE MANDATE
If federal health care reform passes, it will require most Americans to carry health insurance or risk a fine. The Amish and some other religious sects will be covered by a "religious conscience" exemption.
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20100109/NEWS02/301099964
PRIVACY ACTIVISTS AND LAWMAKERS MOBILIZE AGAINST AIRPORT "NAKEDIZING" MACHINES
The drive to put full-body scanners in all major airports is meeting with resistance from activists and lawmakers. "We don't need to look at naked 8-year-olds and grandmothers to secure airplanes," Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Friday. The pro-privacy stand does not follow traditional ideological lines; Republicans and Democrats have united on
the issue now and in the past.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-nw-privacy-scanners-0108-jan10,0,1792648.story
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT SETS LIMITS ON POLICE USE OF TASERS
A California appeals court ruled that a police officer used excessive force by Tasing an unarmed, emotionally troubled man. The officer's chosen method for ending the situation "violated Bryan's constitutional right to be free from excessive force," said the ruling. One lawyer called it the clearest and most complete statement yet from an appellate court about the limits of Taser use.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/81381.html
H1N1 SHOTS WIDELY AVAILABLE, BUT NOW PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEM
President Obama declared this week to be National Influenza Vaccination Week, but public health experts are finding that people are no longer interested in getting the H1N1 vaccine. One individual stated, "Now that the 'crisis' is over, I hear that the vaccine may be readily available. This entire situation was a farce."
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/h1n1-vaccines-now-public/story?id=9536289
RFID NEWS
LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME TO BOYCOTT AMERICAN APPAREL
In clear violation of RFID recommendations made by CASPIAN and dozens of other privacy groups, American Apparel will be expanding the use of item-level RFID hang tags on clothing. Currently nine stores in New York and one in Santa Monica, Calif, use the controversial tracking technology. The company says its next step is to deploy RFID gates at the doorways of six Florida stores, a move that will also allow them to read the ID number on people's passport cards and enhanced drivers
licenses, and identify other tagged items carried by shoppers.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/7313/1/1
2009 YEAR IN REVIEW FOR SUPPLY CHAIN TECHNOLOGY
A monthly review of how RFID was used in 2009. Among other things, Walgreen's announced a broad RFID system to track promotional displays in its stores.
http://www.scdigest.com/ASSETS/ON_TARGET/10-01-11-1.PHP?CID=3121
THE DECADE AHEAD FOR RFID
In the past 10 years, we've gone from a world in which very few
companies had heard of RFID to one in which the technology is now being used in every industry and every country on the planet. RFID Journal editor Mark Roberti shares his predictions for the coming decade.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/7308/1/2/
UK HEALTHCARE INNOVATIONS INCLUDE IN-HOME MONITORING, RFID TECHNOLOGIES
The UK's National Health Service is turning to technology to "do more with less," in an effort to bolster the struggling national medical system. One UK city council took a recent innovation mandate to heart, launching a service that affixes RFID buttons encoded with personal data to clothing belonging to elderly residents.
http://www.bjhcim.co.uk/features/2010/101001.htm
SEARCH ENGINE NEWS
VIDEO: GOOGLE MAY SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS IN CHINA
Google has said it will end years of censoring the search results it provides in China after gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists were hacked.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/01/12/business/1247466517265/google-may-close-operations-in-china.html
WHAT GOOGLE'S THREAT TO PULL OUT OF CHINA REALLY MEANS
An analysis of Google's decision.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/182275-what-google-s-threat-to-pull-out-of-china-really-means?source=yahoo
GOOGLE ADS HAVE SPYWARE CONNECTIONS, RESEARCHER CLAIMS
Ben Edelman, an assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, asserts that Google hasn't done enough to prevent fraud
related to how its text ads are distributed by advertising networks
http://news.techworld.com/security/3210044/google-ads-have-spyware-connections-researcher-claims/?olo=rss
TECHNOLOGY, POLITICS, AND BIG BROTHER
3D PHOTO TECHNOLOGY FOR DRIVER LICENSES UNVEILED
A new photo technology creates 3D images that show the sides of a motorist's face, in addition to the traditional face-on view. The only possible use we can think of for this is to facilitate facial recognition through video surveillance to identify people as they go about their business. Hardly the reason driver's licenses were created.
http://www.thirdfactor.com/2010/01/11/3d-photo-technology-for-secure-driver-licenses
CREATING UNIFORM SECURITY ACROSS THE POLICE FORCE
HID Corporation proposes "a nationally aligned smart card system" for British police that "focuses on authenticating the identity of officers and civilian staff...via a single user identity that can work across all police systems." This would most likely involve contactless RFID cards. Convergence, anyone?
http://datacenterjournal.com/content/view/3486/40
TIBBS' LAW MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO "FORTIFY" A PRIVATE HOME
A new Oklahoma law makes it a crime to "fortify an access point" to your home to delay entry by law enforcement officers if they think you're committing a drug offense inside. If you "defend, restrict or obstruct any door, window or other opening into a dwelling...beyond the security provided by a commercial alarm system, lock or deadbolt," you will face up to five additional years in prison, on top of whatever else they charge you with.
http://www.tulsabeacon.com/?p=3269
SHOPPER SURVEILLANCE AND CASHLESS SOCIETY
NCR'S UNVEILS NEW COUPON-TO-LOYALTY-CARD APPLICATION
When the shopper visits the store and presents their loyalty card, the NCR Advanced Marketing solution confirms that the appropriate items have been selected by the shopper.
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100111005547&newsLang=en
MOTOROLA EMPOWERS RETAILERS TO MOBILIZE CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Motorola's Mobile Loyalty Solution enables a "closed-loop" system that allows retailers to maintain a rich database
of shopper product interests, purchase habits and preferences.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/motorola-empowers-retailers-to-mobilize-customer-loyalty-programs-81128132.html
CASH TRANSACTIONS ON THEIR WAY OUT
Is Australia is moving towards a cashless society? Between 65 and 70 per cent of all transactions in Australia are still conducted in cash, but this breathless article would lead you to believe that cash had been all but abandoned. Watch for more propaganda to accompany the push for eliminating cash in favor of contactless credit and debit cards in coming months.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/cash-transactions-on-their-way-out/story-e6frg6nf-1225815744774
IN CASE YOU'D BEEN WONDERING...
HERE'S WHAT CASPIAN FOUNDER KATHERINE ALBRECHT HAS BEEN UP TO LATELY
KATHERINE FEATURED IN NEW BOOK BY AMERICA'S TOP MAKEUP ARTIST
Makeup artist Scott Barnes is one of the highest paid makeup artists in the world. He regularly works with A-list celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Celine Dione. His newly released book, "About Face," features breathtaking makeovers of both famous and regular women. It opens with a makeover of CASPIAN founder Katherine Albrecht. The finished result is dramatic!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/fashion/07skin3.html
JESSE VENTURA'S CONSPIRACY THEORY TELEVISION SHOW LOOKS AT RFID,
SURVEILLANCE
Katherine recently had an opportunity to share what she knows with Gov. Jesse Ventura, host of the hugely popular television series "Conspiracy Theory." In the privacy episode, Katherine and Jesse discussed RFID, chip implants, and "Big Brother."
http://www.strangerthanfiction.org/2009/12/25/%E2%80%98big-brother%E2%
80%99-episode-of-jesse-ventura%E2%80%
99s-conspiracy-theory-exposes-citizen-snitches/
YOUTUBE VIDEO: LADY GAGA MOVE OVER! HERE COMES LADY KATHERINE ALBRECHT &
M.C. GEORGE NOORY
A Coast to Coast AM listener made the hip-hop sound track to this video back in 2003, based on Katherine's interview with Coast host George Noory. A fan recently added images and video footage to create this
cool, creepy video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwA24osLEuA
KATHERINE'S DAILY RADIO SHOW: LISTEN TO A SAMPLE ONLINE
The show airs weekdays from 4-6 PM Eastern. (Fridays are devoted to good news only.) Listen to the demo here:
http://media.katherinealbrecht.com/demo/KA_0_Playlist.m3u
SIGNED COPIES OF SHADOW GOVERNMENT DVD NOW AVAILABLE!
Katherine was the Supervising Producer on the recently released,
groundbreaking documentary film, "Shadow Government."
Watch the trailer and order your signed copy here:
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com (Click on "Products" at the top right)
This week's newsletter is brought to you by STARTPAGE, the world's most private search engine, online at www.Startpage.com. Unlike Google, Yahoo, and Bing, Startpage does not store your IP address or make a record of your searches.
"Privacy is our business. Your searches aren't. Start protecting your privacy with Startpage."www.Startpage.com
ABOUT CASPIAN
CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their
privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.
http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.antichips.com/
http://www.nocards.org/
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who may find it of interest.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Caspian-newsletter-l mailing list, click the following link or copy and paste it into your browser:
http://mailman.nocards.org/mailman/listinfo/caspian-newsletter-l
If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also subscribe or unsubscribe via email by writing to:
admin@nocards.org
Disclaimer: Posting articles does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article. All articles that are posted are aimed at getting people to think & consider the various issues, ideas & factual research presented.
Reprinted by permission
Presented by Bill Haymin, 2010
www.KatherineAlbrecht.com
This week's newsletter is brought to you by STARTPAGE, the world's most private search engine, online at www.Startpage.com. Unlike Google, Yahoo, and Bing, Startpage does not store your IP address or make a record of your searches.
"Privacy is our business. Your searches aren't. Start protecting your privacy with Startpage."
www.Startpage.com
GOOD NEWS! (Good news Friday stories):
N.H. REPS PASS RFID PRIVACY BILL
The NH house has voted to require businesses to notify consumers if items have RFID tags, and to provide restrictions regarding how those tags are used. That's great news! Now let's hope it passes the state senate.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/view/7306/?intref=hottopic
PHILIPPINES STOPS TAGGING VEHICLES
The Land Transportation Office has suspended the mandatory electronic tagging of motor vehicles with RFID tracking tags after the Supreme Court issued a restraining order against them for privacy and procedural reasons. Refunds are being issued to motorists who paid for the tags.
http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20100114-247233/LTO-stops-tagging-vehicles
AMISH FAMILIES EXEMPT FROM INSURANCE MANDATE
If federal health care reform passes, it will require most Americans to carry health insurance or risk a fine. The Amish and some other religious sects will be covered by a "religious conscience" exemption.
http://www.watertowndailytimes.com/article/20100109/NEWS02/301099964
PRIVACY ACTIVISTS AND LAWMAKERS MOBILIZE AGAINST AIRPORT "NAKEDIZING" MACHINES
The drive to put full-body scanners in all major airports is meeting with resistance from activists and lawmakers. "We don't need to look at naked 8-year-olds and grandmothers to secure airplanes," Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, said Friday. The pro-privacy stand does not follow traditional ideological lines; Republicans and Democrats have united on
the issue now and in the past.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-tc-nw-privacy-scanners-0108-jan10,0,1792648.story
FEDERAL APPEALS COURT SETS LIMITS ON POLICE USE OF TASERS
A California appeals court ruled that a police officer used excessive force by Tasing an unarmed, emotionally troubled man. The officer's chosen method for ending the situation "violated Bryan's constitutional right to be free from excessive force," said the ruling. One lawyer called it the clearest and most complete statement yet from an appellate court about the limits of Taser use.
http://www.mcclatchydc.com/251/story/81381.html
H1N1 SHOTS WIDELY AVAILABLE, BUT NOW PEOPLE DON'T WANT THEM
President Obama declared this week to be National Influenza Vaccination Week, but public health experts are finding that people are no longer interested in getting the H1N1 vaccine. One individual stated, "Now that the 'crisis' is over, I hear that the vaccine may be readily available. This entire situation was a farce."
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/SwineFluNews/h1n1-vaccines-now-public/story?id=9536289
RFID NEWS
LOOKS LIKE IT'S TIME TO BOYCOTT AMERICAN APPAREL
In clear violation of RFID recommendations made by CASPIAN and dozens of other privacy groups, American Apparel will be expanding the use of item-level RFID hang tags on clothing. Currently nine stores in New York and one in Santa Monica, Calif, use the controversial tracking technology. The company says its next step is to deploy RFID gates at the doorways of six Florida stores, a move that will also allow them to read the ID number on people's passport cards and enhanced drivers
licenses, and identify other tagged items carried by shoppers.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/7313/1/1
2009 YEAR IN REVIEW FOR SUPPLY CHAIN TECHNOLOGY
A monthly review of how RFID was used in 2009. Among other things, Walgreen's announced a broad RFID system to track promotional displays in its stores.
http://www.scdigest.com/ASSETS/ON_TARGET/10-01-11-1.PHP?CID=3121
THE DECADE AHEAD FOR RFID
In the past 10 years, we've gone from a world in which very few
companies had heard of RFID to one in which the technology is now being used in every industry and every country on the planet. RFID Journal editor Mark Roberti shares his predictions for the coming decade.
http://www.rfidjournal.com/article/articleview/7308/1/2/
UK HEALTHCARE INNOVATIONS INCLUDE IN-HOME MONITORING, RFID TECHNOLOGIES
The UK's National Health Service is turning to technology to "do more with less," in an effort to bolster the struggling national medical system. One UK city council took a recent innovation mandate to heart, launching a service that affixes RFID buttons encoded with personal data to clothing belonging to elderly residents.
http://www.bjhcim.co.uk/features/2010/101001.htm
SEARCH ENGINE NEWS
VIDEO: GOOGLE MAY SHUT DOWN OPERATIONS IN CHINA
Google has said it will end years of censoring the search results it provides in China after gmail accounts of Chinese human rights activists were hacked.
http://video.nytimes.com/video/2010/01/12/business/1247466517265/google-may-close-operations-in-china.html
WHAT GOOGLE'S THREAT TO PULL OUT OF CHINA REALLY MEANS
An analysis of Google's decision.
http://seekingalpha.com/article/182275-what-google-s-threat-to-pull-out-of-china-really-means?source=yahoo
GOOGLE ADS HAVE SPYWARE CONNECTIONS, RESEARCHER CLAIMS
Ben Edelman, an assistant professor at the Harvard Business School, asserts that Google hasn't done enough to prevent fraud
related to how its text ads are distributed by advertising networks
http://news.techworld.com/security/3210044/google-ads-have-spyware-connections-researcher-claims/?olo=rss
TECHNOLOGY, POLITICS, AND BIG BROTHER
3D PHOTO TECHNOLOGY FOR DRIVER LICENSES UNVEILED
A new photo technology creates 3D images that show the sides of a motorist's face, in addition to the traditional face-on view. The only possible use we can think of for this is to facilitate facial recognition through video surveillance to identify people as they go about their business. Hardly the reason driver's licenses were created.
http://www.thirdfactor.com/2010/01/11/3d-photo-technology-for-secure-driver-licenses
CREATING UNIFORM SECURITY ACROSS THE POLICE FORCE
HID Corporation proposes "a nationally aligned smart card system" for British police that "focuses on authenticating the identity of officers and civilian staff...via a single user identity that can work across all police systems." This would most likely involve contactless RFID cards. Convergence, anyone?
http://datacenterjournal.com/content/view/3486/40
TIBBS' LAW MAKES IT ILLEGAL TO "FORTIFY" A PRIVATE HOME
A new Oklahoma law makes it a crime to "fortify an access point" to your home to delay entry by law enforcement officers if they think you're committing a drug offense inside. If you "defend, restrict or obstruct any door, window or other opening into a dwelling...beyond the security provided by a commercial alarm system, lock or deadbolt," you will face up to five additional years in prison, on top of whatever else they charge you with.
http://www.tulsabeacon.com/?p=3269
SHOPPER SURVEILLANCE AND CASHLESS SOCIETY
NCR'S UNVEILS NEW COUPON-TO-LOYALTY-CARD APPLICATION
When the shopper visits the store and presents their loyalty card, the NCR Advanced Marketing solution confirms that the appropriate items have been selected by the shopper.
http://www.businesswire.com/portal/site/home/permalink/?ndmViewId=news_view&newsId=20100111005547&newsLang=en
MOTOROLA EMPOWERS RETAILERS TO MOBILIZE CUSTOMER LOYALTY PROGRAMS
Motorola's Mobile Loyalty Solution enables a "closed-loop" system that allows retailers to maintain a rich database
of shopper product interests, purchase habits and preferences.
http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/motorola-empowers-retailers-to-mobilize-customer-loyalty-programs-81128132.html
CASH TRANSACTIONS ON THEIR WAY OUT
Is Australia is moving towards a cashless society? Between 65 and 70 per cent of all transactions in Australia are still conducted in cash, but this breathless article would lead you to believe that cash had been all but abandoned. Watch for more propaganda to accompany the push for eliminating cash in favor of contactless credit and debit cards in coming months.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/cash-transactions-on-their-way-out/story-e6frg6nf-1225815744774
IN CASE YOU'D BEEN WONDERING...
HERE'S WHAT CASPIAN FOUNDER KATHERINE ALBRECHT HAS BEEN UP TO LATELY
KATHERINE FEATURED IN NEW BOOK BY AMERICA'S TOP MAKEUP ARTIST
Makeup artist Scott Barnes is one of the highest paid makeup artists in the world. He regularly works with A-list celebrities like Jennifer Lopez, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Celine Dione. His newly released book, "About Face," features breathtaking makeovers of both famous and regular women. It opens with a makeover of CASPIAN founder Katherine Albrecht. The finished result is dramatic!
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/07/fashion/07skin3.html
JESSE VENTURA'S CONSPIRACY THEORY TELEVISION SHOW LOOKS AT RFID,
SURVEILLANCE
Katherine recently had an opportunity to share what she knows with Gov. Jesse Ventura, host of the hugely popular television series "Conspiracy Theory." In the privacy episode, Katherine and Jesse discussed RFID, chip implants, and "Big Brother."
http://www.strangerthanfiction.org/2009/12/25/%E2%80%98big-brother%E2%
80%99-episode-of-jesse-ventura%E2%80%
99s-conspiracy-theory-exposes-citizen-snitches/
YOUTUBE VIDEO: LADY GAGA MOVE OVER! HERE COMES LADY KATHERINE ALBRECHT &
M.C. GEORGE NOORY
A Coast to Coast AM listener made the hip-hop sound track to this video back in 2003, based on Katherine's interview with Coast host George Noory. A fan recently added images and video footage to create this
cool, creepy video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwA24osLEuA
KATHERINE'S DAILY RADIO SHOW: LISTEN TO A SAMPLE ONLINE
The show airs weekdays from 4-6 PM Eastern. (Fridays are devoted to good news only.) Listen to the demo here:
http://media.katherinealbrecht.com/demo/KA_0_Playlist.m3u
SIGNED COPIES OF SHADOW GOVERNMENT DVD NOW AVAILABLE!
Katherine was the Supervising Producer on the recently released,
groundbreaking documentary film, "Shadow Government."
Watch the trailer and order your signed copy here:
http://www.katherinealbrecht.com (Click on "Products" at the top right)
This week's newsletter is brought to you by STARTPAGE, the world's most private search engine, online at www.Startpage.com. Unlike Google, Yahoo, and Bing, Startpage does not store your IP address or make a record of your searches.
"Privacy is our business. Your searches aren't. Start protecting your privacy with Startpage."www.Startpage.com
ABOUT CASPIAN
CASPIAN (Consumers Against Supermarket Privacy Invasion and Numbering) is a grass-roots consumer group fighting retail surveillance schemes since 1999 and irresponsible RFID use since 2002. With thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and over 30 countries worldwide, CASPIAN seeks to educate consumers about marketing strategies that invade their
privacy and encourage privacy-conscious shopping habits across the retail spectrum.
http://www.spychips.com/
http://www.antichips.com/
http://www.nocards.org/
You're welcome to duplicate and distribute this message to others who may find it of interest.
To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Caspian-newsletter-l mailing list, click the following link or copy and paste it into your browser:
http://mailman.nocards.org/mailman/listinfo/caspian-newsletter-l
If you have difficulty with the web-based interface, you may also subscribe or unsubscribe via email by writing to:
admin@nocards.org
Disclaimer: Posting articles does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article. All articles that are posted are aimed at getting people to think & consider the various issues, ideas & factual research presented.
Reprinted by permission
Presented by Bill Haymin, 2010
Print
Email
