For years, Amazon has marketed Alexa as a helpful, ever-improving assistant, one that respects user privacy (not really) while delivering convenience. However, a quiet announcement buried in an email to users suggests otherwise. On March 28, 2025, Amazon will disable local voice processing on select Echo devices, ensuring that every single Alexa request must be sent to the cloud for processing. Continue reading “Alexa’s Privacy Backtrack: Amazon Pushes All Voice Data to the Cloud”
Not long after sparking outrage inside and outside the country by barring right-wing frontrunner Calin Georgescu from running in May’s presidential election, Romania has barred another populist from the contest, attributing the decision to the candidate’s supposedly unacceptable policy stances and “making declarations “contrary to democratic values.”
Romania’s electoral commission on Saturday announced that Diana Sosoaca would be banned from competing for the country’s presidency. That news is troubling enough on its face, but the Central Election Bureau’s rationale makes the development all the more chilling: Sosoaca is unfit for office because she has publicly voiced opposition to Romania’s memberships in the European Union and NATO.
It wasn’t just Chicago Police running Homan Square, the notorious off-the-books holding facility where detainees alleged heinous civil rights violations. The US Department of Justice has also used the building, which continues to operate a decade after being exposed as the site of alleged torture and unlawful detentions.
Here, Dr. Jessica Rose, Dr. Roger Hodkinson and I discussed how to stand up for truth in the face of powerful resistance. The discussion is a powerful reminder of the essential duty to speak the truth. As emphasized by Dr. Rose, there is nothing wrong with revealing the truth, even if it goes against the prevailing narratives. This dedication to reality forms the bedrock of a free and healthy society. Continue reading “Standing Up for Truth in Challenging Times”
Israeli settlers attacked the Palestinian village of Khirbet Al-Marjam in the occupied West Bank last night, burning three houses and a number of cars in the latest in a series of raids that have surged during Israel’s genocidal war on Gaza, Reuters reports. Continue reading “Israeli settlers attack, burn West Bank village”
These tactics of trying to divide Christians between “good little Christians” and “bad Christians” are reminiscent of the psychological tactics deployed on American slaves.
The former head of the Israeli Military Intelligence Directorate has voiced his support for the “power struggle” in Syria, adding that the “chaos” benefits Israel. “The chaos in Syria is beneficial. Let them fight each other. But Israel should remain silent on this matter and not make any public statements. It should act calmly,” Tamir Hayman said in an interview with the Israeli Army Radio.
Hayman, who now serves as the director of the Institute for National Security Studies, welcomed the conflict between the different factions in Syria, but added that Israel must stay quiet. “We wish victory to all forces, but we must do one thing, do this silently, and not talk about it.”
The UN special rapporteur on the right to food on Wednesday warned that Israel is carrying out an unprecedentedly rapid campaign of starvation in Gaza, calling it “the fastest in modern history.”