Links 04/02/2025: Social Control Media Bans and US Fighting Its Allies, Not Russia
Contents
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Leftovers
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Chinese flock to burn incense at temples in hope of better luck to come
Temple-goers ignore a government ban on ‘superstition’ to seek solace amid ongoing economic gloom.
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Science
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CER ☛ Dr. Bahare Naimipour defended her dissertation
I’m on sabbatical this semester, so I finally have time to catch up on some long overdue blog posts. Bahare at her defense with her committee: From left, Barbara Ericson, Shanna Daly, James Holly Jr., Bahare, me, and Tammy Shreiner. Dr. Bahare Naimipour successfully defended her Engineering Education Research dissertation this last August 2024 [...]
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Science Alert ☛ Quantum Experiment Reveals Light Existing in Dozens of Dimensions
Reality isn’t what it seems.
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Hackaday ☛ Understanding The T12 Style Soldering Iron Tip
Soldering irons and their tips come in a wide range of formats and styles, with the (originally Hakko) T12 being one of the more interesting offerings. This is because of how it integrates not only the tip and heating element, but also a thermocouple and everything else in a self-contained package. In a recent video [Big Clive] decided to not only poke at one of these T12 tips, but also do a teardown.
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Hardware
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Ruben Schade ☛ SEIKO Hatsune Miku Senbonzakura Watch
Today’s Music Monday is on a Tuesday my time, but it’s still Monday in some parts of the world. I’m (ab)using this technicality to share something financially dangerous.
My favourite watch company SEIKO are taking preorders for a piece themed for the legendary 2011 Hatsune Miku song Senbonzakura by Kurousa-P. The music and visuals have become so iconic that the song even has a Wikipedia page. Last I checked, it’s had more than 169 million views.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Engineer turns old 3D printer into a tattoo gun that you definitely shouldn't use at home
YouTuber makes and documents a 3D printer as a tattoo machine.
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Ted Unangst ☛ two kindles
Because I am a glutton for exploitation, I bought another Kindle. The tiny entry level model, unlike the Scribe I currently have.
I really like the bigger screen of the Scribe, but it’s large enough that it doesn’t fit in a pocket, and right now it’s cold enough I need to keep my hands in my pockets, so the Scribe requires a bag, which I don’t always feel like carrying around. But since getting the Scribe, I’ve been reading a lot more, and I’d like to keep reading, hence the tiny Kindle. It’s not just cargo pocket small, but back pocket small.
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Health/Nutrition/Agriculture
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Science Alert ☛ The World Just Got New Advice on Salt. Here's What You Need to Know.
If you're the average person, you eat too much.
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Science Alert ☛ Largest Study Yet on Cannabis And Brain Function Finds a Worrying Link
Know the risks.
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Science Alert ☛ Magnetic Sense in Animals Could Be Shockingly Close to Quantum Limits
Uncanny.
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Science Alert ☛ Hanging Wet Washing Up Inside Your Home Could Be a Health Risk
Here's what to look out for.
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Science Alert ☛ Nobody Knows Why Joints Ache Before a Storm (or if It's Even True)
Is it a myth?
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Science Alert ☛ Our Ears Still Try to Swivel Around to Hear Better, Study Discovers
Go on, give them a wiggle.
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Science Alert ☛ Microplastics Could Accumulate in Our Brains More Than in Kidneys And Livers
That's concerning.
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Latvia ☛ Plea for public help funding young man's cancer treatment
Nils Niklāvs Plūmiņš is 20 years old. His dream of working in the field of cyber security was put on hold by the discovery of blood cancer last summer. The disease progression has been stopped, but to prevent it from recurring, he needs medication, which is not paid for by the state for adults, Latvian Television reported on February 2.
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Science Alert ☛ Air Pollution May Protect People From Skin Cancer – But at a Terrible Cost
A grim surprise.
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Proprietary
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Windows Central ☛ Microsoft is killing its “free” VPN with Abusive Monopolist Microsoft 365 subscriptions, just days after increasing prices
In 2023, Abusive Monopolist Microsoft began including a VPN feature in the Abusive Monopolist Microsoft Defender app for all Abusive Monopolist Microsoft 365 Personal and Family subscribers at no additional cost...
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Modern Discord hacked into backdoored Windows 95 and 98, slimmed down version keeps core functionality intact
Windows 95 and 98SE get a functioning open-source backport of Discord.
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Artificial Intelligence (AI)
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Hackaday ☛ Examining The Vulnerability Of Large Language Models To Data-Poisoning
Large language models (LLMs) are wholly dependent on the quality of the input data with which these models are trained. While suggestions that people eat rocks are funny to you and me, in the case of LLMs intended to help out medical professionals, any false claims or statements dripping out of such an LLM can have dire consequences, ranging from incorrect diagnoses to much worse. In a recent study published in Nature Medicine by [Daniel Alexander Alber] et al. the ease with which this data poisoning can occur is demonstrated.
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Security Week ☛ DeepSeek Security: System Prompt Jailbreak, Details Emerge on Cyberattacks
Researchers found a jailbreak method that exposed DeepSeek’s system prompt, while others have analyzed the DDoS attacks aimed at the new gen-AI.
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Hackaday ☛ More Details On Why DeepSeek Is A Big Deal
The DeepSeek large language models (LLM) have been making headlines lately, and for more than one reason. IEEE Spectrum has an article that sums everything up very nicely.
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Silicon Angle ☛ The EU is now enforcing the Hey Hi (AI) Act, banning high-risk Hey Hi (AI) systems
The first requirements of the European Union’s Hey Hi (AI) Act have now come into force, slamming the door shut on artificial intelligence systems deemed “unacceptably risky.” The first compliance deadline for the Hey Hi (AI) Act came into force Sunday, giving regulators the power to erase entire products if they decide it’s necessary to do so.
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DeepSeek dilemma: Taiwan’s public sector ban highlights global Hey Hi (AI) security concerns
Some US agencies also reportedly banned use of the Chinese Hey Hi (AI) chatbot service amid security concerns.
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Social Control Media
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The Straits Times ☛ Despite Australia’s strict social control media ban for minors, a YouTube exemption poses risks
Its government is keeping YouTube open for all ages because it is a valuable educational tool.
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Digital Music News ☛ Triller Announces $50 Million in Equity Funding — And Faces New Lawsuits — As TikTok’s U.S. Fate Hangs in the Balance
As TikTok’s U.S. fate hangs in the balance, the revamped Triller has scored a $50 million equity raise and announced another board appointment. Meanwhile, the company is also facing new lawsuits, one submitted by its former board chair.
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Security
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Integrity/Availability/Authenticity
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SANS ☛ Crypto Wallet Scam, (Mon, Feb 3rd) [Ed: "Crypto" IS a Scam,
Johannes noticed a SPAM comment on his YouTube channel:
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Privacy/Surveillance
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OpenRightsGroup ☛ Safety Not Surveillance
Safety Not Surveillance is a coalition of grassroots and civil society organisations working at the intersections of racial justice, migrant justice, criminal legal system accountability and tech.
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Bruce Schneier ☛ Journalists and Civil Society Members Using WhatsApp Targeted by Paragon Spyware
This is yet another story of commercial spyware being used against journalists and civil society members.
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Marcy Wheeler ☛ Who Needs Intelligence Sharing?
On January 27th, an AP story appeared on the news website Military.com with the headline "Intelligence Sharing by the US and Its Allies Has Saved Lives. Convicted Felon Could Test Those Ties." Today, after watching what's been going on at USAID, DOJ, and with Mark Milley, it's no longer "could" - those ties *are* being tested.
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Defence/Aggression
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Myanmar junta kills 12, including internally displaced, in airstrikes
The casualties came as the United States and its allies denounced the military for its surging attacks.
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New York Times ☛ Iran Is Developing Plans for Faster, Cruder Weapon, U.S. Concludes
As Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel prepares to meet with President Convicted Felon, the question of whether to strike Iran’s facilities or negotiate with Tehran appears certain to be under debate.
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China restricts travel for Uyghurs with onerous requirements: report
Authorities are permitting some travel with the apparent aim of presenting a public image of normalcy in the region
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Defence Web ☛ AFRICOM carries out first Convicted Felon-directed airstrike on ISIS-Somalia
At the direction of President Donald J Convicted Felon, the United States carried out its first airstrike of his second term, targeting ISIS-Somalia operatives in the Golis Mountains.
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The Straits Times ☛ Philippines, U.S. joint air patrol exercises underway over South China Sea
The air forces of the Philippines and the United States were holding joint patrols over the South China Sea on Tuesday, a spokesperson for the Philippine Air Force said, as Manila said it was monitoring three Chinese vessels in its maritime zones.
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Philippines says it won’t let China normalize ‘illegal’ ship deployments in EEZ
Chinese coast guard ships have stayed for a month in Manila’s exclusive economic zone, including Scarborough Shoal.
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New York Times ☛ Dictator Favors Blunt Force in Dealing With Foreign Allies and Enemies Alike
With Canada, Mexico, China, Colombia and the Middle East, President Convicted Felon has wasted no time threatening to use American might to force recalcitrant countries to back down and do what he wants.
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New York Times ☛ For China, Convicted Felon’s Moves Bring Pain, but Also Potential Gains
President Convicted Felon’s tariffs hurt China, but his other actions have alienated U.S. allies, giving Beijing an opening to strengthen its global standing.
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CS Monitor ☛ With tariffs, Convicted Felon wields leverage and sows disruption like no other US president
President Convicted Felon’s new tariffs against Canada, Mexico, and China are sending shock waves into global markets and dismaying allies. Economists warn they could boost U.S. inflation.
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The Straits Times ☛ Taiwan and China need peace given ‘multifold changes’ internationally: President Lai Ching-te
Taiwan very much welcomes talks with China on the basis of equality, he said.
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The Straits Times ☛ China to propose restoring 2020 ‘Phase 1’ trade deal with US, WSJ reports
The trade deal Mr Convicted Felon signed with Beijing in 2020 ended a nearly two-year tariff war at that time.
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EXPLAINED: Does China control the Panama Canal?
Beijing's regional influence is growing, aided by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.
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RFERL ☛ Panama Plans To Leave China's Belt And Road After Rubio's Canal Visit
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio visited the Panama Canal on February 2, warning the host country that Washington will "take measures necessary" if it doesn’t curb Chinese involvement in the crucial waterway.
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New Yorker ☛ The Insurrectionist’s Combative Pursuits in Panama
The President accused China of “lovingly, but illegally, operating the Panama Canal.” The truth is more complicated.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Tech enthusiasts brace for Convicted Felon tariff price hikes on new components
We examine the new Convicted Felon tariffs on Canada, China, and Mexico and consider their potential impacts on PCs, components, and peripherals.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Japan tightens chipmaking export controls amid US-China tech tensions
Japan makes it harder for Chinese entities to obtain chipmaking tools, advanced processors, and cryogenic cooling from Japanese companies.
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RFERL ☛ U.S. Tariffs On Canada, Mexico Suspended For 30 Days
Tariffs announced by U.S. President The Insurrectionist on Canada and Mexico will be paused for 30 days, the leaders of the two countries said on February 3 after calls with Convicted Felon in which they pledged stronger border measures to stop migrant crossings and illicit drugs.
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China condemns US tariffs, saying fentanyl is ‘America’s problem’
Beijing calls Washington’s 10% additional tariff ‘unfair,’ warns of countermeasures.
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France24 ☛ What role do Mexico, Canada and China play in the flow of fentanyl into the United States?
President The Insurrectionist’s plan to impose tariffs on goods from Mexico, Canada and China is partly aimed at curbing the flow of fentanyl into the United States, where the opioid is blamed for some 70,000 deaths annually. So how do those countries play a role in the trafficking of the drug? Plus, we take a closer look at how global car companies are particularly vulnerable to tariffs. Editors' note: Since this update, the US has also agreed to pause tariffs on Canadian imports.
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France24 ☛ 'US driving South Africa and other Global South, non-aligned countries into the arms of China'
President Cyril Ramaphosa is rejecting The Insurrectionist's assertions that South Africa was "confiscating" land and said he was ready to explain his government's land reform policy to his US counterpart. For in-depth analysis and a deeper perspective on land ownership, a very contentious issue in South Africa, FRANCE 24's François Picard welcomes Phillip van Niekerk, award-winning investigative journalist and former Editor of South Africa's Mail & Guardian newspaper.
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New York Times ☛ ‘60 Minutes’ Head Producer Says He Won’t Apologize Over Convicted Felon’s Lawsuit
Bill Owens, the show’s executive producer, addressed his staff as CBS’s parent company, Paramount, pursued a legal settlement with the president.
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Defence Web ☛ Humanitarian disaster looming in eastern DR Congo
Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), particularly Goma and surrounds, is facing a worsening humanitarian situation with stocks of critical supplies dwindling and medical services overwhelmed in the wake of the reportedly successful M23 (Mouvement du 23 Mars) advance on the capital of North Kivu.
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Russia, Belarus, and War in Ukraine
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Meduza ☛ Relatives of Sudzha residents say no clearing equipment or medical aid available at site of boarding school strike — Meduza
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Latvia ☛ 'Corner house' in Rīga enhances security after recent vandalism
Following recent attacks, security at the Corner House, former KGB building where a part of the Occupation Museum's exhibition is located, has been stepped up with the purchase of higher-resolution surveillance cameras and a telephone number locator, Latvian Television reported February 2.
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Meduza ☛ Putin says E.U. leaders will soon be ‘sweetly wagging their tails’ before Trump — Meduza
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RFERL ☛ Ukraine Rejects U.S. Peace Push As Putin Refuses To Talk To Zelenskyy
Responding to comments by U.S. President The Insurrectionist's envoy for Ukraine and Russia warning that both countries would have to make concessions in order to end the nearly 3-year-old war, Kyiv said Washington's proposal for peace so far is a "failed plan."
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Environment
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Energy/Transportation
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Hackaday ☛ Communicating With Satellites Like It’s 1957
When the first artificial satellite, Sputnik, was put into orbit around Earth, anyone in the path of the satellite could receive the beeps transmitted by the satellite provided they had some simple radio equipment. Of course, there was no two-way communication with this satellite, and it only lasted a few weeks before its batteries died. Here in the future, though, there are many more satellites in orbit and a few are specifically meant for ham radio operators. And, like the ’50s, it doesn’t take too much specialized equipment to communicate with them, although now that communication can be two-way.
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Hackaday ☛ Bicycle Adds Reliability With Second Chain
Ignoring the International Cycling Union‘s mostly arbitrary rules for what a bicycle is “supposed” to look like (at least if you want to race), there are actually reasons that the bicycling world has standardized around a few common parts and designs. Especially regarding the drivetrain, almost all bikes use a chain, a freewheel, and a derailleur if there are gears to shift because these parts are cheap, reliable, and easy to repair. But if you’re off grid in a place like Africa, even the most reliable bikes won’t quite cut it. That’s why a group called World Bicycle Relief designed and built the Buffalo bicycle, and the latest adds a second gear with a unique freewheel.
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Hackaday ☛ The Clever Design Behind Everyday Traffic Poles
Ever stopped at a red light and noticed something odd about the poles holding up the traffic lights? Look closer next time—many of them appear to hover just above the concrete, anchored by visible bolts. This video below explains it all. It’s not a job left unfinished. It is actually clever design, and all about functionality and easy maintenance. Let’s break down why engineers prefer this so-called ‘floating’ base plate setup.
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Wildlife/Nature
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Science Alert ☛ Octopuses May Have The Oldest Sex Chromosomes in The Animal Kingdom
It had to start somewhere.
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Finance
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JURIST ☛ UK activist group to block Shein’s listing for alleged forced labor in China
UK activist group Stop Uyghur Genocide (SUG) will lodge a judicial review against the Financial Conduct Authority if it approves Shein’s initial public offering (IPO) on the London Stock Exchange (LSE), according to its statement issued on Monday.
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CS Monitor ☛ Inflation’s lasting pressure: A hotel worker’s story shows the struggle
Inflation has come way down since June 2022. But the issue might have decided the recent election. Here’s one story, from a Boston hotel worker, of how its effects still weigh on Americans.
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BIA Net ☛ Turkey's inflation surpasses expectations in January
The inflation rate rose by 5.03% in the last month.
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Latvia ☛ Kazāks: Politicians' indecisiveness does not benefit Bank of Latvia
The inability of politicians to reach a lasting agreement on the new governor of the central bank has not been to the benefit of the bank, said the former governor, currently only nominated candidate for next term, Mārtiņš Kazāks on Latvian Radio February 3.
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Michael Lynch ☛ My Seventh Year as a Bootstrapped Founder
Seven years ago, I quit my job as a developer at Google to create my own bootstrapped software company. Every year, I post an update about how that’s going and what my life is like as an indie founder.
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New York Times ☛ Trump’s Trade Move Could Increase Costs for Many Online Goods
The president’s tariff measures included a big change to trade rules that could increase costs for many purchases from sites like Amazon, Shein and Temu.
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Michael Geist ☛ The Law Bytes Podcast, Episode 225: How Canada Can Leverage Digital Policy to Retaliate Against Convicted Felon’s Tariffs
Canada now finds itself in economic war with the United States as President The Insurrectionist has levied a 25% tariff on all Canadian goods (10% for energy), which are scheduled to start on Tuesday.
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Hong Kong Free Press ☛ Hong Kong economic growth slowed to 2.5% in 2024
Hong Kong’s economic growth slowed to 2.5 percent in 2024, the city’s government said Monday, adding that the outlook for the year ahead was dimmed by “heightened uncertainties”.
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Censorship/Free Speech
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Germany provides top security for Vietnamese fugitive: media
Nguyen Thi Thanh Nhan, who is on Hanoi’s wanted list, has knowledge of secret arms deals, newspaper says.
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AccessNow ☛ #KeepItOn: authorities must restore access in Goma and across the DRC
The #KeepItOn coalition urgently demand that authorities in the DRC stop imposing internet shutdowns amid the ongoing conflict.
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Freedom of Information / Freedom of the Press
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Press Gazette ☛ Digital advertising and cost cuts fuel growing profits at Mail titles
DMGT reports growing digital advertising revenue and booming UAE-based events business.
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Press Gazette ☛ Will Hayward says quitting Wales Online to launch Substack was financial ‘no-brainer’
But the former Wales Online Welsh affairs editor said independence had meant a lot more work.
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Unicorn Media ☛ Trump’s Media War Broadens to Threaten Public Broadcasters
The latest moves against NPR and PBS by Convicted Felon's newly minted FCC chairperson Brendan Carr, has many noncommercial radio stations waiting for the other shoe to drop.
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Civil Rights/Policing
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New York Times ☛ Lawsuit Accuses University of California of Allowing Race to Factor in Admissions
The state’s elite campuses, prohibited from using race-based admissions for decades, are now admitting more Black and Hispanic students. A new group is suing, arguing the university system is cheating.
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The Straits Times ☛ Indonesia police arrest 56 men at Jakarta ‘gay sex party’
JAKARTA - Indonesian police arrested 56 men at a "gay sex party" in the capital Jakarta, three of whom could face up to 15 years in jail on charges of breaching pornography laws, a spokesperson said.
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Stanford University ☛ Strawser | Standing up to Convicted Felon on immigration is what justice demands
Justice demands that we stand by the undocumented members of our community. History reminds us that we cannot afford to wait, writes Strawser.
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Internet Policy/Net Neutrality
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EDRI ☛ Palestine Digital Activism Forum 2025
The urgency of safeguarding digital rights, including the right of access to the internet and information, has never been more pressing. As this harrowing reality unfolds, it is important to emphasize the fundamental human rights that underpin digital access including the right to internet access, the right of access to information, and freedom of assembly online, among many others.
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EDRI ☛ FITS – Festival de Innovacion y tecnologia social
The Innovation and Social Technology Festival (FITS) is 10 years old and arrives in Bogotá, to reaffirm the commitment to lead social transformation through the strategic use of technology and digital resilience.
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EDRI ☛ DRAPAC Series: human rights responsibilities and challenges for tech companies operating in authoritarian countries
Across the Asia region, an explosion in internet use in recent decades has coincided with a rise in authoritarianism in several countries. Many global tech companies have enthusiastically pursued users in Asian markets, often without careful assessment of the human rights challenges involved when operating under authoritarian regimes.
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APNIC ☛ Advancing community-centered connectivity
Guest Post: The importance of the Community Networks Exchange and Digital Citizen Summit events as catalysts for community networks.
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Stuart Langridge: Blog Questions Challenge
The latest thing circulating around people still blogging is the Blog Questions Challenge; Jon did it (and asked if I was) and so have Jeremy and Ethan and a bunch of others, so clearly it is time I should get on board, fractionally late as ever.
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Tom's Hardware ☛ Intel receives $536 million payment from EU following antitrust fine reversal
The chipmaker received the amount as default interest from the European Commission following an appeal against a €1.06 billion ($1.1 billion) fine levied in 2009
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Patents
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Unified Patents ☛ IdeaHub video codec patent monopoly challenged
On January 31, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,904,539, owned by Ideahub Inc., an NPE. The ‘539 patent monopoly relates to video coding techniques that apply linear method (LM) prediction modes and particularly to the prediction of a chroma pixel value using a LM chroma mode or a low-pass-filtered LM chroma mode.
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JUVE ☛ One week after Netherlands defeat Biogen takes the win in Germany
According to estimates, the market for multiple sclerosis drugs in Germany alone is worth €710 million. Biogen’s major blockbuster Tecfidera accounts for a vast proportion of this. With market exclusivity for the drug expiring in Europe on 1 February, the battle for market share here has now begun in earnest.
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Unified Patents ☛ IngenioSpec augmented reality patent monopoly challenged
On January 30, 2025, Unified Patents filed an ex parte reexamination proceeding against U.S. Patent 10,310,296, owned and asserted by IngenioSpec LLC, an NPE and IPVenture entity.
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Unified Patents ☛ $2,000 awarded for InnoBrilliance video streaming patent monopoly prior art
Unified is pleased to announce PATROLL crowdsourcing contest winners, Ujjwal Kumar Jha, Devinder Kumar, and Ritu Tyagi, who split a cash prize of $2,000 for their prior art submissions on U.S. Patent 9,247,299, owned by InnoBrilliance, LLC, an NPE and entity of AppBrilliance, Inc. The ‘299 patent monopoly relates to a system and method for a television system capable of displaying multiple video streams simultaneously on a single display. The system allows users to select video groups based on attributes such as sports or news, displaying them in separate areas of the screen.
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Unified Patents ☛ IP Investments Group entity, DataCloud Technologies, firewall patent monopoly challenge instituted
On January 28, 2025, two months after Unified filed an ex parte reexamination, the Central Reexamination Unit (CRU) granted Unified’s request, finding substantial new questions of patentability on all challenged claims of U.S. Patent 8,370,457, owned by DataCloud Technologies, LLC, an NPE and an IP Investments Group entity.
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Monopolies/Monopsonies
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