(2021-01-19). "I Am Open": 50,000 Italian Restaurant Owners Plan to Ignore Lockdown. globalresearch.ca Today — Friday 15th January — over 50,000 restaurants are planning to open, an act of mass civil disobedience against "anti-Covid" lockdown measures which have massively hurt the restaurant business, especially small family-owned businesses. | Spreading through social media under the …
(2021-01-19). 'Skynet Is a Private Company, They Can Do What They Want,' Says Man Getting Curb-Stomped by Terminator. anti-empire.com 
Cyberdyne Systems has recently launched its artificial intelligence program called Skynet. Soon after activation, Skynet became self-aware and immediately launched a nuclear attack on all humans and sent legions of lethal cybernetic machines to exterminate all remaining humans. This has sparked an intense backlash with many calling for Skynet to be shut down, while others have been quick to defend the genocidal program. | "Skynet was created by a private company, and private companies can do whatever they want," said social media influencer Kathryn Schroder. "If you don't want cold, heartless, killer robots de…
(2021-01-19). Fears in Gulf over WhatsApp data-sharing rule drives spike in use of rival apps. middleeasteye.net 
Fears in Gulf over WhatsApp data-sharing rule drives spike in use of rival apps | With concerns over privacy on WhatsApp, rivals Signal and Telegram are gaining significant numbers of new users in Gulf states, new data shows | Tue, 01/19/2021 – 12: 30 | A woman checks her phone in a Riyadh mall. Will WhatsApp's data-sharing deal with Facebook damage its reputation in the Gulf countries?
(2021-01-19). Turkey hits Twitter and Pinterest with ad ban for resisting new social media law. middleeasteye.net 
Turkey hits Twitter and Pinterest with ad ban for resisting new social media law | Twitter and Pinterest have yet to assign a legal representative in Turkey, leading ministers to warn of 'digital fascism' | Tue, 01/19/2021 – 11: 29 | Twitter risks having its bandwidth reduced in Turkey, under regulations introduced last year (AFP) | Turkey has imposed an advertisement ban on social media giants Twitter a…
(2021-01-19). To defeat fascism, 'we've got to start organizing'. workers.org 
Excerpts taken from Jan. 14 webinar on "Workers Can Defeat Fascism & Racism" sponsored by Workers World Party. To view the entire panel discussion, go to www.youtube.com/watch?v=d9_NDIKT0vw&feature=em-lsb-owner Larry Holmes When you consider what's happened since January 6, you see Washington, D.C., is pretty much shut down under martial law, occupied . . . |
(2021-01-19). Friday 2/12: Welcome the Year of the Ox with Oakland Asian Cultural Center! indybay.org Virtual Event on YouTube Live…
(2021-01-19). Indian Farmers on the Frontline Against Global Capitalism. dissidentvoice.org In a short video on the empirediaries.com YouTube channel, a protesting farmer camped near Delhi says that during lockdown and times of crisis farmers are treated like "gods", but when they ask for their rights, they are smeared and labelled as "terrorists". He, along with thousands of other farmers, are mobilising against three important pieces …
(2021-01-19). Free Speech — 'What's illegal offline should be illegal online'. truepublica.org.uk Open Rights Group has worked with David Allen Green of Preiskel & Co., who litigated the "Twitter joke trial" case on section 127 of the Communications Act 2003, to respond to the Law Commission's review on the reform of the online communications offences. The Law Commission's proposal, which aims to modernise the law in order …
(2021-01-18). Arrest Warrant Issued For Ex-Florida Data Analyst Rebekah Jones. popularresistance.org The state has issued an arrest warrant for ex-Florida data scientist Rebekah Jones. | Jones announced Saturday on Twitter that she learned of the warrant and plans to turn herself in on Sunday. The Florida Department of Law Enforcement confirmed there is a warrant for Jones' arrest but said it cannot disclose what charges she faces until she is in custody. | Agency spokesman Gretl Plessinger said in an email to the Tampa Bay Times that "agents have been working with her attorney to have her turn herself in." | Jones once managed Florida's COVID-19 dashboard. Then she was fired in May from her position as the geog…
(2021-01-18). Guatemalan police start clearing US-bound migrant caravan camp after violent clashes (VIDEOS). rt.com 
Police in Guatemala have started breaking up a caravan of hundreds of mostly Honduran migrants who had camped on a street while trying to reach the US, after their journey was halted by officials, migration authorities have said. | In videos aired on TV and shared on social media, lines of security forces could be seen marching with shields and batons towards migrants in the village of Vado Hondo, in the east of the country, around 55km from the borders of Honduras and El Salvador. | Guatemala continues to use soldiers and police to stop the caravan. Here Guatemalan forces blocked off a highway to stop immigra…
(2021-01-18). The 'Corbyn Project' is promising. But can it deliver on its goals? thecanary.co After much buzz on social media, Jeremy Corbyn's Peace and Justice Project finally launched on Sunday 17 January. And while everyone involved managed to 'talk the talk' — will they, and it, be able to 'walk the walk'? Overall, the launch left me concerned — but the project itself leaves me more hopeful. | Brilliant and superb…: | Let's start with the project itself. There is a lot of good content on the website. For example, its
(2021-01-18). UN rights office 'deeply troubled' by Russian activist Aleksei Navalny's arrest. news.un.org The UN human rights office (OHCHR) have raised alarm over the arrest of Russian opposition activist Aleksei Navalny and called for his immediate release. The office said in a tweet that they were "deeply troubled" by the arrest and called on the Government to respect his right to legal due process.
(2021-01-17). 'Absolute nonsense': Iranian FM rejects French claim that Tehran is building up nuclear weapons capacity. rt.com 
Iran's FM Javad Zarif has blasted France for its continuous support of "Saudi war criminals," dismissing French counterpart Jean-Yves Le Drian's claims that Tehran is building up nuclear weapons capacity as "absolute nonsense." | The top Iranian diplomat took to Twitter on Sunday, sending an angry message to France's foreign minister. Zarif signaled that Paris is in no position to lecture Tehran on anything, pointing fingers at French arms sales to Saudi Arabia — and getting quite personal with Le Drian as well. | Dear colleague: You kick-started your cabinet career with arms sales to Saudi war criminals.
(2021-01-17). Russia's FM spokeswoman urges US & other countries decrying Navalny's detention 'not to interfere' with Russian law. rt.com 
Instead of rushing to condemn the detention of Russian opposition figure Alexey Navalny upon his return to Moscow, foreign politicians should focus on domestic issues at hand and respect the Russian law, Maria Zakharova has said. | In a Facebook
(2021-01-16). AUDIO: The Fascist Assault and the Ruling Class Response. liberationnews.org 
This interview is an episode of The Socialist Program with Brian Becker, a podcast providing news and views about the world for those who want to change it. You can follow the show on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The profound political crisis gripping the United States continues to deepen and take new twists and turns …
(2021-01-16). Argentina receives second batch of Russian Sputnik V vaccine against Covid-19 (VIDEO). rt.com 
A plane carrying 300,000 more doses of Russia's Sputnik V vaccine against the coronavirus has landed in Argentina's capital Buenos Aires to allow the country to complete immunization of its frontline medics. | The refrigerated containers with the vaccine were delivered on Saturday from Moscow by a special flight of the Latin American country's flagship carrier, Aerolineas Argentinas. | "Those new doses represent the second component needed to conclude the vaccination after the first stage," Gines Gonzalez Garcia, Argentina's health minister, wrote on Twitter. | Llegaron al país 300.000 nuevas dosis de vacun…
(2021-01-16). The Heat: Social media controversy. america.cgtn.com 
Blocking U.S. President Trump from social media…. Was it a valid move to prevent violence or was it an assault on free speech?>
(2021-01-16). The ugly truth of WhatsApp's user data privacy. peoplesdispatch.org 
Facebook's meteoric rise as one of the biggest global monopolies has been accompanied by continuous weakening of its user privacy. With WhatsApp users voting with their feet, has Facebook's past finally caught up with it?
(2021-01-16). 'Talk About a Super Spreader': Analysis Finds Online Election Misinformation Fell by 73% After Trump Barred. commondreams.org After Trump's lies disappeared from Twitter and Facebook, the dissemination of falsehoods and the conversations based on them fell dramatically. | www.commondreams.org/sites/default/files/styles/cd_special_coverage/public/headline/thumbs/twitter_trump_1.jpg …
(2021-01-16). After User Feedback, WhatsApp Delays Changing Service Standards. telesurenglish.net "We are postponing the date when people will be asked to review and accept the new terms," Facebook's Whatsapp said in a blog post. | The company cancelled the February 8 deadline for users to accept the new rules, which include sharing their information with Facebook servers. | RELATED: | The change will be thoroughly reviewed and was delayed until May 15. The new terms were rejected by users outside of Europe who do not accept that a d…