Government
Joe Biden has heated gun control exchange with Michigan worker
Former Vice President Joe Biden got into a heated exchange with a worker over gun rights during a tour of a Detroit auto plant on Tuesday.
The worker, among a group surrounding Biden in their hardhats at the Fiat Chrysler plant, accused Biden of "actively trying to end our Second Amendment right" and "take away our guns" in the exchange, which was caught on video.
"You're full of ----," Biden responded. "I support the Second Amendment." He then appeared to tell an aide who was trying to end the conversation to "shush."
Biden went on to explain that he believes there are limits to the Second Amendment. He compared it to the limits on the First Amendment right to free speech, such as the famous example of not being able to yell "fire!" in a crowded theater.
What an Old Sears Roebuck Catalogue Teaches Us About Gun Control | Intellectual Takeout
Here’s the File Clearview AI Has Been Keeping on Me, and Probably on You Too – VICE
We used the California Consumer Privacy Act to see what information the controversial facial recognition company has collected on me.
It's a little creepy how powerful computers have gotten and how powerful face recognition is but it's here to stay. Once the cat is out of the bag, it's kind of hard to put it back in. That said, we can control and limit how our democratically-elected institutions use such data, making sure law enforcement and politicians use it for only for lawful purposes. But I am sure, it won't be long before every large business has a database on everyone that walks into their store, what time they come and go, what they buy, and tie it back to our social media posts. Data and processing only gets cheaper.
How the CIA used Crypto AG encryption devices to spy on countries for decades – Washington Post
National Security ‘The intelligence coup of the century’ For decades, the CIA read the encrypted communications of allies and adversaries. By Greg Miller Feb. 11, 2020
For more than half a century, governments all over the world trusted a single company to keep the communications of their spies, soldiers and diplomats secret.
The company, Crypto AG, got its first break with a contract to build code-making machines for U.S. troops during World War II. Flush with cash, it became a dominant maker of encryption devices for decades, navigating waves of technology from mechanical gears to electronic circuits and, finally, silicon chips and software.
The Swiss firm made millions of dollars selling equipment to more than 120 countries well into the 21st century. Its clients included Iran, military juntas in Latin America, nuclear rivals India and Pakistan, and even the Vatican.
But what none of its customers ever knew was that Crypto AG was secretly owned by the CIA in a highly classified partnership with West German intelligence. These spy agencies rigged the company’s devices so they could easily break the codes that countries used to send encrypted messages.
I’ve been fascinated by Francisco Franco and how he stuck around as the dictator of Spain until his death in 1975
I’ve been fascinated by Francisco Franco and how he stuck around as the dictator of Spain until his death in 1975. Had Adolph Hitler and Benito Mussolini not decided to take an expansionist policy, invading surrounding countries, would have the global community tolerated them on grounds they were anti-communist through the 1960s and 1970s? That Rick Steves’ documentary I watched last night was very thought provoking.