Each day at just after midnight Eastern, a post like this one is created for contributors and readers of this site to upload news links and video links on the issues that concern this site. Most notably, Islam and its effects on Classical Civilization, and various forms of leftism from Soviet era communism, to postmodernism and all the flavours of galloping statism and totalitarianism such as Nazism and Fascism which are increasingly snuffing out the classical liberalism which created our near, miraculous civilization the West has been building since the time of Socrates.
This document was written around the time this site was created, for those who wish to understand what this site is about. And while our understanding of the world and events has grown since then, the basic ideas remain sound and true to the purpose.
So please post all links, thoughts and ideas that you feel will benefit the readers of this site to the comments under this post each day. And thank you all for your contributions.
This is the new Samizdat. We must use it while we can.
Canada to resume light armored vehicle exports to Saudi Arabia
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/04/10/canada-armored-vehicles-saudi-arabia-contract/
“The Canadian government said that it had renegotiated the terms of a $14 billion light armored vehicles contract with Saudi Arabia, paving the way for exports to recommence.
Vehicle sales had been on hold since 2018 due to tensions between Ottawa and Riyadh over the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and Saudi Arabia’s involvement in the war in Yemen.
The move marks a shift for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who had indicated in December 2018 that he was looking to end the controversial agreement.
Minister of Foreign Affairs Francois-Philippe Champagne, however, said in a Thursday, April 9 statement that Canada had “been able to secure significant improvements to the contract.”
Canceling the deal “could have resulted in billions of dollars in damages to the government of Canada, with potential damages amounting to the full value of the contract,” he said.
The move would have put thousands of Canadian jobs at risk, not only in “southwestern Ontario but also across the entire defense industry supply chain, which includes hundreds of small and medium enterprises,” he added.
The vehicles are made in Canada by a subsidiary of American contractor General Dynamics.
Among the “improvements” Champagne noted were financial protections for Canada if it chooses to delay or deny export permits in the event the vehicles are not used for their stated purposes.
“Under our law, Canadian goods cannot be exported where there is a substantial risk that they would be used to commit or to facilitate serious violations of international humanitarian law, international human rights law or serious acts of gender-based violence,” he said.
“We have now begun reviewing permit applications on a case-by-case basis,” Champagne said in the statement.
“As always, we will ensure that they comply with the aforementioned legal requirements under Canadian law” and the U.N. Arms Trade Treaty, he added.
Finland, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway and Germany ended their arms sales to Saudi Arabia in 2018 in response to the situation in Yemen and the murder of Khashoggi. Germany’s Bundestag extended its ban again late last year. In February, Belgium’s Wallonia region said it would halt sales to the Saudi defense ministry over the war in Yemen.
Spain initially said it would block a 2018 sale of laser-guided bombs to Saudi Arabia but reversed the decision amid concerns that the cancellation could jeopardize a €1.8 billion order of five Corvette warships.
The U.S., Canada, U.K. and France have continued to sell arms to Saudi Arabia despite calls from rights groups and efforts by members of their governments to halt the practice.”
New Data Shows U.S. Companies Are Definitely Leaving China
U.S. companies are leaving China thanks to the trade war. They’ll leave even more thanks to the pandemic.
Sorry, Davos Man. Your China-led globalization is going out of style like bell bottoms.
Global manufacturing consulting firm Kearney released its seventh annual Reshoring Index on Tuesday, showing what it called a “dramatic reversal” of a five-year trend as domestic U.S. manufacturing in 2019 commanded a significantly greater share versus 14 Asian exporters tracked in the study. Manufacturing imports from China were the hardest hit.
Last year saw companies actively rethinking their supply chain, either convincing their Chinese partners to relocate to southeast Asia to avoid tariffs, or by opting out of sourcing from China altogether.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/kenrapoza/2020/04/07/new-data-shows-us-companies-are-definitely-leaving-china/#9476ab640fee
US airstrike targets al-Shabaab near Kismayo, covering Somali troops
https://www.thedefensepost.com/2020/04/10/somalia-shabaab-airstrike-kismayo/
“A U.S. airstrike killed 10 al-Shabaab militants in southern Somalia on Thursday, April 9, in defense of Somali National Army troops on the ground, Africa Command said.
The strike came after suspected al-Shabaab militants “engaged” Somali National Army’s special Danab (Lighting) and Jubaland Security Force troops near Kobon, not far from the coastal city of Kismayo, AFRICOM said in a Friday release.
Al-Qaeda-linked al-Shabaab has used Kobon to stage attacks on Somali National Army troops in the past, the U.S. military has said. Last year AFRICOM said a strike killed eight fighters near the town.
The U.S. also conducted a targeted strike on Friday, killing one al-Shabaab militant in the town of Jilib, AFRICOM said. Neither strike killed any civilians, the command claimed.
Friday’s was the latest in a series of targeted strikes on the town, which is controlled by al-Shabaab.
The U.S. Special Operations and African Union troops have been supporting Somali Federal Government forces in an effort to push al-Shabaab militants out of rural areas around the capital at Mogadishu.
The militants have killed hundreds of civilians in the capital and control swaths of Somalia’s rural south and have launched a number of deadly attacks in neighboring countries.
The U.S. began launching airstrikes against al-Shabaab in 2007. The SNA’s Danab forces began receiving training by American Special Operations Forces in recent years. Turkey and European Union countries also provide training to the Somali National Army.
AFRICOM has been criticized for lack of transparency on the matter of civilian casualties. In its thirteen-year existence, the command has only once admitted to accidentally killing civilians despite hundreds of local allegations in Somalia alone.
The command has said al-Shabaab uses inaccurate claims of civilian casualties for propaganda.
A U.S. airstrike killed a teenage girl and wounded two family members amid a series of airstrikes on Jilib in February. AFRICOM has said it is reviewing the claim, and that it will begin releasing quarterly civilian casualty reports later this month.”
Iran to Unveil 122 Nuclear Achievements
https://www.tasnimnews.com/en/news/2020/04/09/2239872/iran-to-unveil-122-nuclear-achievements
“The Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) was going to mark the National Nuclear Technology Day on Wednesday by unveiling 122 new achievements of the country’s nuclear scientists, but decided to postpone the ceremony due to the outbreak of the coronavirus, a spokesman said.
Speaking to IRINN on Wednesday, AEOI spokesperson Behrouz Kamalvandi said President Hassan Rouhani has ordered to delay the unveiling of the new nuclear achievements amid the outbreak of the novel coronavirus.
He said the new achievements include a series of products with industrial and medical application, including a number of radiopharmaceuticals for curing cancer, nuclear propulsion systems for ships and submarines, as well as high- and medium-power lasers with industrial use.
The spokesman also noted that Iran has synthesized 42 new deuterated compounds that are used in the pharmaceutical industry and in research.
With a total of 150 deuterated materials, Iran is now among the world’s top four or five countries in this field and has also begun exports, he added.
Kamalvandi further said that Iran is faced with no restrictions in the area of nuclear research and development and can practically manufacture various types of centrifuge machines in any quantity.
“We are manufacturing 60 advanced centrifuges every day. With the current trend in (uranium) enrichment, achieving 250,000 SWUs will be definitely at hand, but we are planning to reach one million SWUs,” he went on to say.
In recent years, Iranian scientists have made remarkable progress in the field of peaceful nuclear technology despite the sanctions imposed by the West.
It was the 14th year Iran was celebrating a national day to mark its achievements in the nuclear industry, although the outbreak of coronavirus prevented the unveiling of new products.”
Muslim detainee’s family issues plea for help as ICE detention centres report coronavirus cases
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/coronavirus-us-muslim-detainee-outbreak-hits-ice-centres
US offers as much as $10m for information on Hezbollah’s man in Iraq
https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/us-offers-10-million-information-hezbollah-muhammad-kawtharani-iraq
“The US State Department is offering as much as $10m for information on senior Hezbollah operative Muhammad Kawtharani in its latest effort to target individuals carrying out activities on behalf of Iran.
Kawtharani, who was designated as a “global terrorist” by Washington in 2013, oversees Hezbollah’s activities in Iraq and is said to have assumed a greater role in the country after the death of top Iranian commander Qassem Soleimani.
“The US Department of State’s Rewards for Justice program is offering a reward of up to $10 million for information on the activities, networks, and associates of Muhammad Kawtharani, a senior Hezbollah military commander,” the department said in a statement on Friday.
“This announcement is part of the Department’s standing reward offer for information leading to the disruption of the financial mechanisms of the terrorist organization Lebanese Hezbollah.”
Last year, Washington announced a $10m reward for information that would disrupt Hezbollah’s finances…”
Yemen: Houthis accuse Saudi-led coalition of seizing 17 ships loaded with food and oil
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200410-yemen-houthis-accuse-saudi-led-coalition-of-seizing-17-ships-loaded-with-food-and-oil/
“On Thursday, the Houthi movement in Yemen accused the Saudi-led Arab coalition of seizing 17 ships carrying food and oil supplies, and blocking its passage into the country.
The pro-Houthi Al-Masirah TV quoted an official in Al-Hudaydah sea port stating that: “The marine forces of the Saudi-US led coalition have seized 14 ships loaded with petroleum derivative fuel and three other vessels carrying food supplies, despite the fact that all the ships have obtained UN-approved entry permits in Djibouti.”
The source pointed out that the oil ships carry more than 320,000 tonnes on board.
The Arab coalition did not comment on the matter, however, the Yemeni government has already held the Houthis responsible for the oil ships’ delayed arrival, due to the movement’s non-compliance with the fuel import regulations supervised by the Economic Committee of the legitimate government…”
Houthis submit proposal to UN envoy to end Yemen war
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200410-houthis-submit-proposal-to-un-envoy-to-end-yemen-war/
“Yemen’s Houthis said they have sent the United Nations special envoy Martin Griffiths a comprehensive vision that includes an end to the war and blockade imposed on Yemen.
The group demanded a full and comprehensive withdrawal of all Saudi-led coalition forces from all Yemen shortly after reaching a comprehensive ceasefire and pledged in return to withdraw all its fighters from Saudi territories.
The Houthis also demanded an end to the air, land and sea embargo imposed by the coalition forces including reopening Sana’a International Airport, which was closed by the coalition in 2016.
Members of the Arab coalition should support the Yemeni economy and compensate civilians whose homes were bombed by its forces or their allies, the Houthis continued, as well as business owners who incurred losses due to the coalition aggression.
The group has also called for the establishment of a joint operations cell to confront the coronavirus.
On Wednesday the Saudi Saudi-led coalition announced a unilateral ceasefire in support of UN efforts to end the five-year war that has killed over 100,000 people and spread hunger and disease in the country.”
Hashd fighters killed, 5 injured northern Iraq
https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20200410-3-hashd-fighters-killed-5-injured-northern-iraq/3
“Gunmen ambushed a group of Hashd al-Shaabi fighters in the district of Tuz Khurmatu in Iraq’s northern Saladin province, leaving three dead, according to a local police officer.
The Daesh attack, which targeted a Hashd al-Shaabi position near a military airport in the northwest of Tuz Khurmatu district, left five Hashd al-Shaabi fighters injured, Tuz Khurmatu police chief Hussein Ali told Anadolu Agency.
Security forces have launched an operation against the terrorists in the region following the attack, Ali said…”
Nigeria rejects U.S. senator’s query over $300 million Abacha loot repatriation
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-nigeria-corruption/nigeria-rejects-u-s-senators-query-over-300-million-abacha-loot-repatriation-idUSKCN21S1ZL
“Nigeria’s anti-graft agency has criticised a letter from a powerful U.S. senator questioning the return to Nigeria of more than $300 million in funds looted by former military ruler General Sani Abacha.
The dispute, relating to a tri-partite agreement signed in February between the United States, the British dependency of Jersey and Nigeria, casts doubt on the extent to which the United States will aid efforts to move cash back to the West African country.
Abacha ruled Africa’s largest oil producer from 1993 until his death in 1998. Corruption watchdog Transparency International estimates he stole as much as $5 billion of public money during that time, though he was never charged with corruption while he was alive.
Nigeria has been working with governments worldwide in recent years to help repatriate some of the funds stolen by Abacha and boost its finances.
President Muhammadu Buhari has also made tackling corruption a priority since taking office in 2015. Endemic graft among the political elite dating back decades has left most Nigerians mired in poverty, despite the country being Africa’s biggest economy.
U.S. Senator Chuck Grassley earlier this month wrote to the head of the U.S. Justice Department’s anti-money laundering unit asking for proof that funds returned to Nigeria would go toward infrastructure projects, as its government has stated.
Grassley accused Ibrahim Magu, head of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Attorney General Abubakar Malami of using their roles as an “enforcement arm against anyone voicing opposition to Buhari’s government.”
The EFCC, in a statement issued on Friday, said it “would not be dragged into any controversy over an allegation that has no fact or any iota of proof.”
“The Commission remains focused on its mandate against economic and financial crimes and will not be deterred by spurious allegations from individuals with hidden agenda,” EFCC spokesman Tony Orilade said in the statement.
Grassley said “it seems odd that the (U.S.) DOJ would help facilitate the payment of $320 million to the Nigerian government without first insisting on proper safeguards to prevent the further misuse of funds.”
“Given all these circumstances, it is critical for Congress to understand what steps the United States government is taking, before it helps transfer hundreds of millions of dollars to Nigeria, to ensure that the money is not fuelling more corruption and government abuses.”
A spokesman for Malami also rejected Grassley’s allegations, and said the government’s anti-corruption battle was “impartial, objective and non-discriminatory.””
U.N. condemns water shutoff to Libyan capital
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-libya-security-water/u-n-condemns-water-shutoff-to-libyan-capital-idUSKCN21S250
“The United Nations humanitarian coordinator for Libya on Friday condemned the cutting off of water supply to the capital Tripoli over the past week as “particularly reprehensible” and said it must stop immediately.
An armed group on Monday stormed a control station at Shwerif, stopping water from being pumped and threatening workers, the Great Man Made River Project, which supplies water to much of Libya, said in a statement.
The armed group is seeking to use the water cut-off as pressure to force the release of detained family members, U.N. humanitarian coordinator Yacoub El Hillo said in a statement.
The supply has been cut to more than 2 million people in Tripoli and nearby towns and cities.
Tripoli, seat of the internationally recognised Government of National Accord (GNA), has been under assault for a year by the eastern-based Libyan National Army of Khalifa Haftar.
An escalation in fighting since mid-March has involved intense bombardment, particularly in the south of the city near the front lines, with projectiles hitting a hospital.
The warfare has hindered efforts to prepare Libya’s already tattered health system for an outbreak of the coronavirus, with 24 cases confirmed in the country. State efforts to slow the spread of the disease have included a curfew.
Electricity supply has also been repeatedly cut in Tripoli and some other areas over the past week.
“At this moment when Libya is fighting the threats of the COVID-19 pandemic, access to water and electricity is more than ever life saving, and such individual acts to collectively punish millions of innocent people are abhorrent and must stop immediately,” Hillo said.”
WHO Official: We Need To “Remove & Isolate” Your Sick Family | Tedros Calls Taiwan Racist
Turkish navy thwarts Greek coast guards in Aegean Sea
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/turkish-navy-thwarts-greek-coast-guards-in-aegean-sea-153737
“The Greek coast guards harassing a Turkish-flagged merchant ship which was traveling in line with the international maritime law in the south of the Samos Island of the Aegean Sea, immediately left the area following arrival of the Turkish Armed Forces, said security sources on April 9.
The Turkish vessel “Ak?nturk-2″ was harassed by the Greek guard boats near Samos Island last week while it was traveling using its right to freedom of navigation in compliance with the international maritime law, the sources said.
Turkish air and naval forces, and coast guard units stepped into action upon hearing the distress call of the ship, and moved towards the scene while maritime surveillance command repeatedly warned the Greek coastal guard units.
The Greek elements left the scene following the arrival of navy forces and coast guard units, and the merchant ship continued its course later on.
Security sources said the Turkish Armed Forces are determined to protect Turkish rights and interests under the international law in the Mediterranean and Aegean seas.
This is not the first time the Aegean Sea witnesses Greek aggression as during Turkey’s military exercise Sea Wolf in 2019 it had maneuvered very close to a Turkish corvette endangering navigational safety in violation of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea.
Turkish authorities had said Ankara administration was in favor of settling regional issues through peace and negotiations, but it was ready to take necessary measures in cases of violations.”
5 arrested over links to terror attack in SE Turkey
https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/5-arrested-over-links-to-terror-attack-in-se-turkey-153734
“At least five people were arrested over alleged links to April 8’s terror attack in southeastern Turkey, security sources said.
Earlier on April 9, prosecutors in the southeastern province of Diyarbak?r issued warrants for six suspects over the attack in Kulp district which claimed the lives of five villagers.
YPG/PKK terrorists planted a roadside bomb that exploded when a vehicle carrying forest workers passed through.
In its more than 30-year terror campaign against Turkey, the PKK ? listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the U.S. and EU has been responsible for the deaths of 40,000 people, including women, children and infants. The YPG is the PKK’s Syrian offshoot.”
Greece quarantines Roma camp with 3,000 people
http://www.ansamed.info/ansamed/en/news/sections/generalnews/2020/04/10/coronavirus-greece-quarantines-roma-camp-with-3000-people_40b0b07c-05ab-42a5-b9ea-5e072613b896.html
“A Roma camp with 3,000 people in Greece was quarantined after about a dozen tested positive for the novel coronavirus, or COVID-19. The camp is in Nea Smyrni, near the town of Larissa, 200 kilometres north of Athens. ”We will conduct tests across the entire area now in lockdown,” the governor of the region Costas Agorastos said, adding that other Roma communities in the area would be monitored.
There are 1,955 known cases of COVID-19 in the country and 86 people who tested positive for it have died. The government has stepped up checks at ports and highways to prevent people from leaving for the country or islands for the Orthodox Easter, which falls on April 19.”
Domestic violence rises in Turkey during COVID-19 pandemic
https://www.dw.com/en/domestic-violence-rises-in-turkey-during-covid-19-pandemic/a-53082333
“Countries that have introduced lockdown measures have seen a marked rise in domestic violence. Women’s rights activists in Turkey say the government is not doing enough to protect victims…”
Taipei protests accusations of racist campaign against WHO head Tedros
A time for excision: European women visiting ‘home’ countries face the nightmare of FGM
https://www.france24.com/en/africa/20200410-reporters-a-time-for-excision-the-nightmare-of-fgm-for-european-women-in-countries-of-origin
“For families living in Europe and with origins in Africa, the Middle East and Asia, holidays are often synonymous with returning home. But these family reunions sometimes turn into a living nightmare for young girls. Each year, thousands of them suffer female genital mutilation (FGM), without their prior knowledge or consent, in their parents’ country.
Our reporters Miyuki Droz Aramaki and Sophie Guignon met with young victims and followed doctors and activists who are working to change mindsets about FGM and treat these women.
Despite feeling deep pain and suffering family pressure, some young Europeans agreed to share their stories with us anonymously. We met a 25-year-old British woman of Somali origin. She can never forget her very first stay in Somaliland, a semi-autonomous region of Somalia, at the eastern end of the Horn of Africa. She was ten years old and suffered genital mutilation by surprise: “I saw a few women sitting inside. One grabbed me, started pulling on my clothes. There was a moment of complete helplessness when I felt a quick but sharp pain.” In addition to the pain, she felt deprived of her private life and her humanity.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), every year 180,000 young European women run the risk of undergoing FGM during a stay in their country of origin.
To understand why the custom of genital mutilation persists, we went to Somaliland, where 97 percent of women undergo FGM. Female circumcision is supposed to preserve the honour and virginity of young women, by preventing them from enjoying any sexual pleasure. But it causes severe physical and psychological damage for the rest of their lives, as well as complications during childbirth. Some young women have died from loss of blood while undergoing FFM. In the poor neighbourhoods of the capital Hargeisa, we met a circumciser, a mother in her forties with a large family. For her, performing FGM on young girls, whether they’re locals or Europeans on holiday, represents a simple livelihood to feed her family and children.
Repairing mutilated women
But in Somaliland, activists are mobilising to fight against the practice which is based on false ancestral beliefs. Dr. Edna Adan is one of the pioneers of this battle. At 82, she continues to run the city’s main hospital, which she founded and where she trains doctors, nurses and midwives. These health professionals are trying to convince young mothers not to reproduce the violence that they themselves suffered. Adan believes that protecting young Europeans requires a change of mentality on the ground and legislation that punishes mutilations.
While filming our documentary, we also met doctors in France who treat young women who have been mutilated abroad. Many of these women try to meet the famous urological surgeon Pierre Foldès, who is based in the Paris suburb of Saint-Germain en-Laye. He is the first surgeon in the world to have developed a technique for reconstructing the clitoris, the female organ removed during FGM, and has fought for the surgery to be reimbursed by social security. His method enables traumatised women to be to “repaired”, but also to recover sexual pleasure and the hope of giving birth safely. Their healing is both physical and psychological, so that they can finally enjoy the life they have chosen.”
Taiwan demands apology, condemns ‘groundless’ accusations it attacked WHO chief
Taiwan internet star refuses to delete video that angered China
An SJW Broke Into My House! (Or Did They??)
What’s cool with Dystopian 12-year old girls today?
https://youtu.be/eySDeBdqxGY
VICE News – Shelter in Place with Shane Smith & Edward Snowden
( 23 min )
Shane chats with former NSA spy and whistleblower Edward Snowden on the rise of authoritarianism during the COVID-19 pandemic.
GOP congressman concerned about Apple, Google virus tracking technology
NATIONAL POST _Canada looking to prepare ‘surge’ force, use cellphone data to contain COVID-19
Apple and Google working on system that could allow users to see if they’ve crossed paths with a person infected with COVID-19
OTTAWA — Federal and provincial health officials are recruiting small armies of staff and examining technology options such as cell phone location data as they ramp up Canada’s capacity to do contact tracing.
Contact tracing involves searching out recent contacts of anyone who’s tested positive for COVID-19, and monitoring those contacts for symptoms and the potential need for testing and self-isolating. It’s key to stopping an uncontrolled outbreak in a community.
Canada is still in its “first wave” of infections, and officials have said the best course of action for now is to have everyone stay home. But once the first wave fully subsides — likely sometime in the summer — extensive testing and contact tracing should allow Canada to start re-opening its economy and lift some of the physical-distancing restrictions.
“As we get this first wave under control, the absolute key is having sensitive systems to detect any new cases and then to do rigorous contact tracing around those cases,” said Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, on Friday.
A huge challenge is simply having the staff resources to do all the phone calls and follow-up monitoring. Provinces have been doing callouts to medical students and retired health-care workers, but the federal government is also pulling together a national database for provinces to tap into.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said this includes assigning some federal civil servants to help provinces who need the extra staff.
“The first stage was to enlist qualified federal public servants, who are currently not in roles essential to ongoing federal work, to work in those jurisdictions feeling the most pressure,” said a statement to the National Post.
The second stage includes a volunteer recruitment campaign and “reaching out to faculties of health, public health, and science across the country to disseminate a call for interested individuals to register in the inventory,” the statement said. “A third stage will reach out to all health professional and health science associations for retirees or individuals currently not engaged in the COVID-19 response.”
Tam said they are working on a “surge” capacity of staff that can be deployed when a region sees a new outbreak. “We’ve been monitoring and forecasting so if there’s increasing cases, which then means increasing contacts, we’re there to support the surge if needed,” Tam said.
Technology will also play an increasingly important role in contact tracing, but Canadian health officials are still deliberating over the best course of action. Cell phone location data is central to this discussion, and has been put to use in other countries such as Singapore, but it also raises thorny questions about privacy.
“I think that is an area of great interest to every jurisdiction,” Tam said. “There are many, many innovators with lots of different ideas, so we are pulling together a group among the provinces and territories to gauge interest.”
She said that along with contact tracing, technology could be used to send reminder alerts about how to properly self-isolate.
“We need to look at each of those innovations in particular as it pertains to things like privacy,” she said.
An example of the type of sweeping technology power that could be put to use was announced on Friday by Apple and Google, the respective makers of iPhone and Android operating systems.
“Google and Apple are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus, with user privacy and security central to the design,” said a statement from the companies.
The technology would eventually allow users to opt-in to be notified if they’ve crossed paths with someone who’s tested positive for COVID-19. “Privacy, transparency, and consent are of utmost importance in this effort, and we look forward to building this functionality in consultation with interested stakeholders,” the companies said.
There has already been an ongoing debate in Canada as privacy and civil liberties advocates debate what measures may be necessary, and how to judge when a line has been crossed.
“We’re sometimes inclined to think of the word ‘surveillance’ as always bad, but of course it is not,” said a recent post by Brenda McPhail at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. But she said the use of digital data to fight COVID-19 must still be “proportionate and minimally intrusive for the humans whose health is at the core of the data collection efforts — even if the proportionality analysis may look a little different during a pandemic.”
Michael Geist, a digital privacy expert at the University of Ottawa, said in a recent post on his website that “all measures can and should be considered in response to the global pandemic,” but policy-makers must ensure there are safeguards including strict limits on data retention and clear limitations on use.
“Perhaps most importantly, these powers must be temporary in nature, requiring parliamentary approval for short term use and regular renewals as events warrant,” he wrote.
https://nationalpost.com/news/politics/canada-looking-to-prepare-surge-force-use-cellphone-data-to-contain-covid-19
Dr. Fauci on criticism of coronavirus modeling
( 15 min 39 )
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Tucker: What does the US get from supporting WHO?