activistpost--2020-02-24--China Faces Financial Armageddon With 85% Of Businesses Set To Run Out Of Cash In 3 Months

For the past two weeks , even as the market took delight in China ’ s doctored and fabricated numbers showing the coronavirus spread was “ slowing ” , we warned again and again that not only was this not the case ( which recent data out of South Korea , Japan and now Italy has confirmed ) , but that for all its assertions to the contrary , China ’ s workers simply refused to go back to work ( even with FoxConn offering its workers extra bonuses just to return to the factory ) and as a result @ @ @ @ @ @ @ halt as we described in : • China Has Ground To A Halt : “ On The Ground ” Indicators Confirm Worst-Case Scenario • China Is Disintegrating : Steel Demand , Property Sales , Traffic All Approaching Zero Unfortunately , it ’ s not getting any better as the latest high frequency updates out of China demonstrate : Let ’ s start with Chinese businesses : while China ’ s giant state-owned SOEs will likely have enough of a liquidity lifeblood to last them for 2-3 quarters , it is the country ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head on collision with an iceberg , because according to the Nikkei , over 85 % of small businesses – which employ 80 % of China ’ s population – expect to run out of cash within three months , and a third expect the cash to be all gone within a month .
Should this happen , not only will China ’ s economy collapse , but China ’ s $ 40 trillion financial system will disintegrate , as it is suddenly flooded with trillions in bad loans .
Take the case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his aluminum facade panel factory in China ’ s southern city of Dongguan after an extended Lunar New Year break .
To his shock , less than a third of its roughly 200 migrant workers showed up .
“ They couldn ’ t make their way back , ” the Hong Kong businessman said .
Most of his workers hail from central-western China , including 11 from Hubei Province , the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 people .
Many said they had been banned from leaving their @ @ @ @ @ @ @ epidemic .
Lau ’ s business had already been hurt by the 25 % tariff on aluminum products the U.S. imposed in its tit-for-tat trade war with China .
Now he worries the production constraints will give American customers another reason to cancel orders and switch to Southeast Asian suppliers .
The virus is making a bad situation “ worse , ” he said .
See : 177 Different Ways to Generate Extra Income Lau is not alone : this same double blow is hitting small and midsize enterprises across China , prompting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ government to step in and offer lifelines .
The stakes could not be higher : These smaller employers account for 99.8 % of registered companies in China and employ 79.4 % of workers , according to the latest official statistics .
They contribute more than 60 % of gross domestic product and , for the government , more than 50 % of tax revenue .
In short : they are the beating heart of China ’ s economy .
Companies like Lau ’ s that have resumed some production are the lucky ones @ @ @ @ @ @ @ completely stalled due to the virus .
Many owners have no other choice but pray that things return to normal before they careen off a financial cliff .
And here is the stark reality of China ’ s T-minus 3 months countdown : 85 % of 1,506 SMEs surveyed in early February said they expect to run out of cash within three months , according to a report by Tsinghua University and Peking University .
And forget about profits for the foreseeable future : one-third of the respondents said the outbreak is likely @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more than 50 % , according to the Nikkei .
“ Most SMEs in China rely on operating revenue and they have fewer sources for funding ” than large companies and state-owned enterprises , said Zhu Wuxiang , a professor at Tsinghua University ’ s School of Economics and Management and a lead author of the report .
The problem with sequential supply chains is that these also apply to the transfer of liquidity : employers need to pay landlords , workers , suppliers and creditors – regardless of whether they can regain @ @ @ @ @ @ @ abrupt and lasting delays will wreak havoc on China ’ s economic ecosystem .
“ The longer the epidemic lasts , the larger the cash gap drain will be , ” Zhu said , adding that companies affected by the trade war face a greater danger of bankruptcy because many are already heavily indebted .
“ Self-rescue will not be enough .
The government will need to lend help.
” So where are we nearly two months after the epidemic started ?
Well , as of last Monday , only about 25 % @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China ’ s tier-one cities , according to an estimate by Japanese brokerage Nomura , based on data from China ’ s Baidu .
By the same time last year , 93 % were back on the job .
And making matters worse , as we first noted several weeks ago , local governments around the country face a daunting question of whether to focus on staving off the virus or encourage factory reopenings , as the following tweet perfectly captures .
As long as the national logistics network “ is still in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ China economist , Lu Ting said , there might be little to gain from rushing restarts , whereas “ the cost of a rebound in infections might be quite high.
” He expects economic activity to pick up again in a couple of months , although the longer Beijing fails to confidently put an end to the pandemic , the longer it will take for activity to return to normal .
Meanwhile , the 3-month countdown clock is ticking… Don ’ t tell that to Zhou Dewen , the chairman of the Small @ @ @ @ @ @ @ city of Wenzhou , who knows this and agrees that this crisis is worse than SARS .
Far , far worse .
In fact , he said , it is “ the most severe ” of any crisis in the 40 years since China embarked on major economic reforms .
He sees not a double but a “ triple whammy , ” factoring in the economic slowdown the country was experiencing even before the trade conflict and the virus .
Wenzhou , on the coast of Zhejiang Province , was the first city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an attempt to stop the pathogen .
As of last week , Zhou said , only factories that produce medical supplies had been allowed to resume work .
“ What entrepreneurs need is confidence , ” Zhou said .
“ But first they need to survive.
” He is hoping the government will offer fiscal support and tax breaks to buy more time for small businesses .
Some local governments have already responded to such pleas by waiving electric bills and delaying taxes , social security payments and loans .
But for some @ @ @ @ @ @ @ consolation .
Worse , last Sunday the communist party ’ s mouthpiece , the Global Times , suggested that instead of waiting for fiscal bailouts , Beijing will have no choice but to cut spending and unleash austerity , a move that would have catastrophic consequences for China .
But even if Beijing does ease fiscally , it is unclear just what it can do short of printing money and handing it out to everyone .
“ A tax reduction doesn ’ t help if you don ’ t even have income , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ scrape together around 700,000 yuan ( $ 100,000 ) for rent and the salaries of about 40 employees .
Zhu reckons her company will lose about 3 million yuan in profit over the two months .
Besides the postponements , couples that were looking at wedding options before the outbreak have put their planning on hold .
There is little room , it seems , to think about love in the time of the coronavirus .
“ This is the most difficult time I have ever experienced ” after 11 years of running @ @ @ @ @ @ @ worst part might be the uncertainty : She has no idea when the authorities might lift the ban or whether she can make it that long .
“ All of this is unknown to us , ” Zhu said .
She is not alone : Wu Hai , owner of Mei KTV , a chain of 100 Karaoke bars across China , took to the nation ’ s premier outlet of discontent , social media platform WeChat , to voice his despair .
KTV ’ s bars have been closed by the government @ @ @ @ @ @ @ its cash flow .
The special loans from the authorities will be of little help and no bank will provide a loan without enough collateral and cash flow , he said on his official WeChat account earlier this month .
On WeChat , Wu gave himself two months before he has to shutter his business .
It ’ s not just Japan ’ s flagship financial publication and owner of the Financial Times , the Nikkei , that is dramatically changing the narrative away from “ all shall be well.
” In its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ Millions of Chinese Firms Face Collapse If Banks Don ’ t Act Fast ” and described the plight of Brigita , a director at one of China ’ s largest car dealers , who is also running out of options .
Her firm ’ s 100 outlets have been closed for about a month because of the coronavirus , cash reserves are dwindling and banks are reluctant to extend deadlines on billions of yuan in debt coming due over the next few months .
There are also other creditors to think about @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pay back the bonds , it will be very , very bad , ” said Brigita , whose company has 10,000 employees and sells mid- to high-end car brands such as BMWs .
She asked that only her first name be used and that her firm not be identified because she isn ’ t authorized to speak to the press .
With much of China ’ s economy still idled as authorities try to contain an epidemic that has infected more than 75,000 people , millions of companies across the country are in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ afloat .
The irony , of course , is that all this is happening even as China has in fact eased dramatically in recent weeks , from cutting rates , to engaging in a barrage of mini stimulus measures , to injecting massive amounts of liquidity , to cutting taxes , to supporting virus-stricken companies… … to flooding the economy with a record 5 trilion in loans and shadow debt in the last month .
Yet while China ’ s government has cut interest rates , ordered banks to boost lending and loosened @ @ @ @ @ @ @ many of the nation ’ s private businesses say they ’ ve been unable to access the funding they need to meet upcoming deadlines for debt and salary payments .
Without more financial support or a sudden rebound in China ’ s economy , some may have to shut for good .
“ If China fails to contain the virus in the first quarter , I expect a vast number of small businesses would go under , ” said Lv Changshun , an analyst at Beijing Zhonghe Yingtai Management Consultant company .
Said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it faces an economic shock the likes of which it has never seen before .
Yet it can ’ t reboot the economy unless it truly stops the viral pandemic , something it will never be able to do if it lies to the population that the pandemic is almost over in hopes of forcing people to get back to work .
Hence the most diabolic Catch 22 for China ’ s social and economic system , because whereas until now China could easily lie its way out of any problem , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the underlying ( viral pandemic ) problem worse as sick people return to work , only to infect even more co-workers , forcing even more businesses to be quarantined .
Some , like Bloomberg , blame the banks .
Alas , it is not that simple : as we explained two weeks ago in “ China ’ s Banks Face $ 6 Trillion Coronavirus Cataclysm If Epidemic Is Not Contained Soon “ , China ’ s banks are rapidly retrenching well-aware that they face an explosion in bad debt as the bulk of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , it makes little sense for them to throw good money after bad , and instead most are hunkering down in anticipation of the coming shock .
Indeed , as even Bloomberg concedes , banks are hardly any better off themselves : The bottom line is that for both companies and their bank lenders ( and sources of potential rescue financing ) , there is one commodity in very short supply : trust .
Trust that the counterparty will do the right thing ; trust that the government will treat everyone fairly instead @ @ @ @ @ @ @ connected politicians .
Trust , which in China in general has been lacking for years , as the formerly communist country succumbed to crony hypercapitalism with Chinese characteristics , one in which knowing who to bribe and who to lie to meant the difference between success and failure .
Trust was never cultivated .
And now that lack of trust is about to cost China dearly .
In any case , the lack of far more funding means that China ’ s smaller businesses whose revenue have suddenly collapsed , have just weeks @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Brigita , whose firm owes money to dozens of banks , said she has so far only reached an agreement with a handful to extend payment deadlines by two months .
For now , the company is still paying salaries .
But those will stop too .
And that ’ s when the real crisis begins as hundreds of millions of workers suddenly find themselves unemployed .
For some the crisis has already begun .
Wang Qiang , a 23-year-old migrant worker , has been unable to find work in Shenzhen after three @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the limited factory job openings , the Nikkei notes that he faces another major obstacle : his identification labels him a native of Hubei .
His home province , where the virus originated , accounts for the vast majority of the 74,000-plus mainland infections and most of the deaths .
“ The labor dispatch companies told me that the factories don ’ t want people from Hubei , ” he said .
The fact that he did not go home for the Lunar New Year holidays seems to make no difference .
Wang @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of an uncompleted building .
“ I ’ ll wait and see if the situation gets better when companies restart work on Feb. 24.
” In a few short hours Wang will be greatly disappointed .
He won ’ t be the last one , however , and if China ’ s doesn ’ t find some miraculous solution to the current coronavirus crisis , in two months China will face a financial , economic and social cataclysm the likes of which it has never seen in its modern history .
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By Tyler Durden
For the past two weeks, even as the market took delight in China’s doctored and fabricated numbers showing the coronavirus spread was “slowing”, we warned again and again that not only was this not the case (which recent data out of South Korea, Japan and now Italy has confirmed), but that for all its assertions to the contrary, China’s workers simply refused to go back to work (even with FoxConn offering its workers extra bonuses just to return to the factory) and as a result the domestic economy had ground to a halt as we described in:
Unfortunately, it’s not getting any better as the latest high frequency updates out of China demonstrate:
Also, unfortunately, it is getting worse; because as we explained several weeks ago, China is now fighting against time to reboot its economy, and the longer the paralysis continues, the more dire the outcome for both China’s banks and local companies. And since it is no longer just “scaremongering” by “conspiracy blogs”, but rather conventional wisdom that China may implode, here is a summary of how the narrative that “it will all be over by mid-March” is dramatically changing.
Let’s start with Chinese businesses: while China’s giant state-owned SOEs will likely have enough of a liquidity lifeblood to last them for 2-3 quarters, it is the country’s small businesses that are facing a head on collision with an iceberg, because according to the Nikkei, over 85% of small businesses – which employ 80% of China’s population – expect to run out of cash within three months, and a third expect the cash to be all gone within a month.
Should this happen, not only will China’s economy collapse, but China’s $40 trillion financial system will disintegrate, as it is suddenly flooded with trillions in bad loans.
Take the case of Danny Lau who last week reopened his aluminum facade panel factory in China’s southern city of Dongguan after an extended Lunar New Year break. To his shock, less than a third of its roughly 200 migrant workers showed up.
“They couldn’t make their way back,” the Hong Kong businessman said. Most of his workers hail from central-western China, including 11 from Hubei Province, the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed more than 2,000 people. Many said they had been banned from leaving their villages as authorities race to contain the epidemic.
Lau’s business had already been hurt by the 25% tariff on aluminum products the U.S. imposed in its tit-for-tat trade war with China. Now he worries the production constraints will give American customers another reason to cancel orders and switch to Southeast Asian suppliers. The virus is making a bad situation “worse,” he said.
Lau is not alone: this same double blow is hitting small and midsize enterprises across China, prompting a growing chorus of calls for the government to step in and offer lifelines. The stakes could not be higher: These smaller employers account for 99.8% of registered companies in China and employ 79.4% of workers, according to the latest official statistics. They contribute more than 60% of gross domestic product and, for the government, more than 50% of tax revenue. In short: they are the beating heart of China’s economy.
Companies like Lau’s that have resumed some production are the lucky ones. Many factories and other businesses remain completely stalled due to the virus. Many owners have no other choice but pray that things return to normal before they careen off a financial cliff.
And here is the stark reality of China’s T-minus 3 months countdown: 85% of 1,506 SMEs surveyed in early February said they expect to run out of cash within three months, according to a report by Tsinghua University and Peking University. And forget about profits for the foreseeable future: one-third of the respondents said the outbreak is likely to cut into their full-year revenue by more than 50%, according to the Nikkei.
“Most SMEs in China rely on operating revenue and they have fewer sources for funding” than large companies and state-owned enterprises, said Zhu Wuxiang, a professor at Tsinghua University’s School of Economics and Management and a lead author of the report.
The problem with sequential supply chains is that these also apply to the transfer of liquidity: employers need to pay landlords, workers, suppliers and creditors – regardless of whether they can regain full production capacity anytime soon. Any abrupt and lasting delays will wreak havoc on China’s economic ecosystem.
“The longer the epidemic lasts, the larger the cash gap drain will be,” Zhu said, adding that companies affected by the trade war face a greater danger of bankruptcy because many are already heavily indebted. “Self-rescue will not be enough. The government will need to lend help.”
So where are we nearly two months after the epidemic started? Well, as of last Monday, only about 25% of people had returned to work in China’s tier-one cities, according to an estimate by Japanese brokerage Nomura, based on data from China’s Baidu. By the same time last year, 93% were back on the job.
And making matters worse, as we first noted several weeks ago, local governments around the country face a daunting question of whether to focus on staving off the virus or encourage factory reopenings, as the following tweet perfectly captures.
Banner 1 says: “If you go out messing around now, expect grass on your grave to grow soon.“ Banner 2 says, “Sitting at home eats up all your have, hurry up go out & find a job.” The slogan changes as frequently as they change the criteria for #COVID19 diagnosis. #coronavirus pic.twitter.com/2VnB5jZ0zz — 曾錚 Jennifer Zeng (@jenniferatntd) February 23, 2020
As long as the national logistics network “is still in shambles,” Nomura’s chief China economist, Lu Ting said, there might be little to gain from rushing restarts, whereas “the cost of a rebound in infections might be quite high.” He expects economic activity to pick up again in a couple of months, although the longer Beijing fails to confidently put an end to the pandemic, the longer it will take for activity to return to normal. Meanwhile, the 3-month countdown clock is ticking…
Don’t tell that to Zhou Dewen, the chairman of the Small and Medium Business Development Association in the city of Wenzhou, who knows this and agrees that this crisis is worse than SARS. Far, far worse. In fact, he said, it is “the most severe” of any crisis in the 40 years since China embarked on major economic reforms. He sees not a double but a “triple whammy,” factoring in the economic slowdown the country was experiencing even before the trade conflict and the virus.
Wenzhou, on the coast of Zhejiang Province, was the first city outside Hubei put into full lockdown in an attempt to stop the pathogen. As of last week, Zhou said, only factories that produce medical supplies had been allowed to resume work.
“What entrepreneurs need is confidence,” Zhou said. “But first they need to survive.” He is hoping the government will offer fiscal support and tax breaks to buy more time for small businesses. Some local governments have already responded to such pleas by waiving electric bills and delaying taxes, social security payments and loans. But for some businesses, such relief measures are little consolation.
Worse, last Sunday the communist party’s mouthpiece, the Global Times, suggested that instead of waiting for fiscal bailouts, Beijing will have no choice but to cut spending and unleash austerity, a move that would have catastrophic consequences for China. But even if Beijing does ease fiscally, it is unclear just what it can do short of printing money and handing it out to everyone. “A tax reduction doesn’t help if you don’t even have income,” said Zhu, who must somehow scrape together around 700,000 yuan ($100,000) for rent and the salaries of about 40 employees.
Zhu reckons her company will lose about 3 million yuan in profit over the two months. Besides the postponements, couples that were looking at wedding options before the outbreak have put their planning on hold. There is little room, it seems, to think about love in the time of the coronavirus.
“This is the most difficult time I have ever experienced” after 11 years of running the company, Zhu said. The worst part might be the uncertainty: She has no idea when the authorities might lift the ban or whether she can make it that long. “All of this is unknown to us,” Zhu said.
She is not alone: Wu Hai, owner of Mei KTV, a chain of 100 Karaoke bars across China, took to the nation’s premier outlet of discontent, social media platform WeChat, to voice his despair. KTV’s bars have been closed by the government because of the virus, choking off its cash flow. The special loans from the authorities will be of little help and no bank will provide a loan without enough collateral and cash flow, he said on his official WeChat account earlier this month. On WeChat , Wu gave himself two months before he has to shutter his business.
* * *
It’s not just Japan’s flagship financial publication and owner of the Financial Times, the Nikkei, that is dramatically changing the narrative away from “all shall be well.” In its headline article today, Bloomberg writes that “Millions of Chinese Firms Face Collapse If Banks Don’t Act Fast” and described the plight of Brigita, a director at one of China’s largest car dealers, who is also running out of options. Her firm’s 100 outlets have been closed for about a month because of the coronavirus, cash reserves are dwindling and banks are reluctant to extend deadlines on billions of yuan in debt coming due over the next few months. There are also other creditors to think about.
“If we can’t pay back the bonds, it will be very, very bad,” said Brigita, whose company has 10,000 employees and sells mid- to high-end car brands such as BMWs. She asked that only her first name be used and that her firm not be identified because she isn’t authorized to speak to the press. With much of China’s economy still idled as authorities try to contain an epidemic that has infected more than 75,000 people, millions of companies across the country are in a race against the clock to stay afloat.
The irony, of course, is that all this is happening even as China has in fact eased dramatically in recent weeks, from cutting rates, to engaging in a barrage of mini stimulus measures, to injecting massive amounts of liquidity, to cutting taxes, to supporting virus-stricken companies…
… to flooding the economy with a record 5 trilion in loans and shadow debt in the last month.
Yet while China’s government has cut interest rates, ordered banks to boost lending and loosened criteria for companies to restart operations, many of the nation’s private businesses say they’ve been unable to access the funding they need to meet upcoming deadlines for debt and salary payments. Without more financial support or a sudden rebound in China’s economy, some may have to shut for good.
“If China fails to contain the virus in the first quarter, I expect a vast number of small businesses would go under,” said Lv Changshun, an analyst at Beijing Zhonghe Yingtai Management Consultant company.
Said otherwise, unless China reboots its economy, it faces an economic shock the likes of which it has never seen before. Yet it can’t reboot the economy unless it truly stops the viral pandemic, something it will never be able to do if it lies to the population that the pandemic is almost over in hopes of forcing people to get back to work. Hence the most diabolic Catch 22 for China’s social and economic system, because whereas until now China could easily lie its way out of any problem, in this case lying will only make the underlying (viral pandemic) problem worse as sick people return to work, only to infect even more co-workers, forcing even more businesses to be quarantined.
Some, like Bloomberg, blame the banks.
As a group, Chinese banks had offered about 254 billion yuan in loans related to the containment effort as of Feb. 9, according to the banking industry association, with foreign lenders such as Citigroup Inc. also lowering rates. To put that into perspective, China’s small businesses typically face interest payments on about 36.9 trillion yuan of loans every quarter. In an emailed response to questions from Bloomberg News, ICBC said it has allocated 5.4 billion yuan ($770 million) to help companies fight the virus. “We approve qualified small businesses’ loan applications as soon as they arrive,” the bank said
Alas, it is not that simple: as we explained two weeks ago in “China’s Banks Face $6 Trillion Coronavirus Cataclysm If Epidemic Is Not Contained Soon“, China’s banks are rapidly retrenching well-aware that they face an explosion in bad debt as the bulk of Chinese companies face collapse. As such, it makes little sense for them to throw good money after bad, and instead most are hunkering down in anticipation of the coming shock.
Indeed, as even Bloomberg concedes, banks are hardly any better off themselves:
Many are under-capitalized and on the ropes after two years of record debt defaults. Rating firm S&P Global has estimated that a prolonged emergency could cause the banking system’s bad loan ratio to more than triple to about 6.3%, amounting to an increase of 5.6 trillion yuan.
The bottom line is that for both companies and their bank lenders (and sources of potential rescue financing), there is one commodity in very short supply: trust. Trust that the counterparty will do the right thing; trust that the government will treat everyone fairly instead of just bailing out a handful of connected politicians. Trust, which in China in general has been lacking for years, as the formerly communist country succumbed to crony hypercapitalism with Chinese characteristics, one in which knowing who to bribe and who to lie to meant the difference between success and failure. Trust was never cultivated. And now that lack of trust is about to cost China dearly.
In any case, the lack of far more funding means that China’s smaller businesses whose revenue have suddenly collapsed, have just weeks if not days of liquidity left. Brigita, whose firm owes money to dozens of banks, said she has so far only reached an agreement with a handful to extend payment deadlines by two months. For now, the company is still paying salaries. But those will stop too.
And that’s when the real crisis begins as hundreds of millions of workers suddenly find themselves unemployed.
For some the crisis has already begun. Wang Qiang, a 23-year-old migrant worker, has been unable to find work in Shenzhen after three weeks of searching. On top of the limited factory job openings, the Nikkei notes that he faces another major obstacle: his identification labels him a native of Hubei.
His home province, where the virus originated, accounts for the vast majority of the 74,000-plus mainland infections and most of the deaths. “The labor dispatch companies told me that the factories don’t want people from Hubei,” he said. The fact that he did not go home for the Lunar New Year holidays seems to make no difference.
Wang spends his nights sleeping on the floor of an uncompleted building. “I’ll wait and see if the situation gets better when companies restart work on Feb. 24.”
In a few short hours Wang will be greatly disappointed. He won’t be the last one, however, and if China’s doesn’t find some miraculous solution to the current coronavirus crisis, in two months China will face a financial, economic and social cataclysm the likes of which it has never seen in its modern history.
Article source: Zerohedge
Top image: Bitcoin.com
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activistpost--2020-02-24--UNESCO: Climate Denial To Be Criminalized And Prosecuted

The Technocrat tango is shifting into high gear to force the world to dump Capitalism and Free Enterprise and adopt Sustainable Development in its place .
Global warming deniers would face penalties comparable to war crimes.When climate alarmist Al Gore said in 2015 that “ deniers deserve to be punished ” everybody chuckled .
Well , chuckle no more .
Under this proposal , President Trump could be prosecuted for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord ; leaders of “ Conservative think-tanks ” and other activist organizations that question climate science would be included ; widely-read journalists who influence the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be individually prosecuted – that would ostensibly include Technocracy News & Trends and its publisher , Patrick Wood .
This proposal is pointedly directed at the United States , but I can also see Australia and Brazil in the cross-hairs as well .
Technocrats know that their plan for global Technocracy will NOT WORK until the US is neutralized , which is why we are under a full spectrum attack by climate fanatics .
This is a deadly serious matter that should immediately rejected by national leaders .
Readers are strongly urged to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hard Road to World Order and Technocracy Rising : The Trojan Horse of Global Transformation .
Note that the article below appears on the official UNESCO website but the author is not writing as an employee of UNESCO .
A tiny Disclaimer link in the footer of the UNESCO page states , “ UNESCO does not warrant that the information , documents and materials contained in its website is complete and correct and shall not be liable whatsoever for any damages incurred as a result of its use.
” ⁃ TN Editor Climate @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global change .
Should international criminal law be used against those who promote this dangerous trend ?
Economic and political leaders can no longer pretend it is business as usual .
Whether they actively induce environmental harm or just ignore the existential threat against the survival of the human species , states and corporations must be held accountable for their actions or inaction regarding climate change .
A fire has started in the theatre , from which there are no exits .
Unchecked , the fire will kill and injure many in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ cheapest seats .
Many people can smell the smoke , but some others have not noticed it yet .
Some people are trying to warn everyone so that the fire can be contained before it spreads out of control .
Another group – sitting mainly in the most expensive seats – is trying to shout loudly that there is no fire , or that it is not serious , or that there is plenty of time left to put it out .
This group uses emotive language and insists that the other group @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people in the theatre are confused by these conflicting messages or convinced by the fire-deniers .
There are enough people in this combined set to significantly slow down the efforts of those listening to the accurate warnings , those who are trying to put out the fire .
In this scenario , those shouting “ No fire !
” ought to be silenced , because there is a fire that requires urgent and immediate action to prevent it from spreading and becoming uncontrollable .
But the fire is not being tackled properly because @ @ @ @ @ @ @ do not know whom to believe .
Can we compare those who deny the reality of climate change to the group that occupies the best seats in the theatre ?
The answer seems obvious : yes .
Criminal sanctions are the most potent tools we have to mark out conduct that lies beyond all limits of toleration .
Criminal conduct violates basic rights and destroys human security .
We reserve the hard treatment of punishment for conduct that damages the things we hold most fundamentally valuable .
Climate change is causing precisely such @ @ @ @ @ @ @ or so , we have burned fossil fuels for cheap energy , destroyed carbon sinks , grown the global population , and failed to halt the malign influence of corporate interests on political action that could have made mitigation manageable .
Now , we have a window of just ten years or less to avoid using up the carbon budget for 1.5 ℃ ( link is external ) , according to the 2018 Special Report ( link is external ) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) .
If we @ @ @ @ @ @ @ without aggressive mitigation , we could see warming in the range of 4–6.1 ℃ above pre-industrial averages by 2100 .
Even if all countries meet their current mitigation targets under the Paris Agreement 2015 ( link is external ) ( COP21 ) , we are likely to see warming of at least 2.6 ℃ by 2100 ( link is external ) .
A 4–6.1 ℃ rise in temperature by 2100 would be catastrophic .
Large areas of the earth would become uninhabitable as sea levels rise and temperatures soar .
Severe weather events @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the face of mass migration never before seen in human history , would place intense pressure on remaining habitable places .
In these fragile and febrile conditions , positive feedback from warming could put humanity at risk of extinction ( link is external ) , according to the journal , Futures , September 2018 .
This feedback occurs when tipping points are passed in the climate system , causing processes to be unleashed that exacerbate warming .
For example , the transformation of the Amazon forest from the world ’ s largest carbon @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the massive retreat of polar ice , which reduces the planet ’ s reflectivity , leading it to warm at a greater speed ( link is external ) .
These tipping points are described in the IPCC ’ s Fifth Assessment Report ( AR5 ) as a critical threshold at which global or regional climate changes from a stable state to another stable state .
Temperature rises of 4–6.1 ℃ are not likely , but they are not science fiction either .
Each year that passes without aggressive mitigation to reach net @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threat more real .
Even if the Paris Agreement aggressively ratchets up mitigation ambition to close the emissions gap by 2030 , it remains the case that we have already reached 1 ℃ of warming .
Given the time lag between emissions and the warming they induce ( link is external ) – due to the long lifetime of carbon molecules in the atmosphere – further increases are to be expected .
Should we use criminal law to tackle climate change ?
The current generation of people alive in the Anthropocene is capable @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways that could make humanity go extinct .
Postericide is a morally required response to humanity ’ s changed circumstances in the Anthropocene .
The scope of international criminal law makes it the right site to address the existential threats created by climate change .
International criminal law aims to protect the entire human community irrespective of national borders , now and into the future .
International criminal law expresses the values that bind the human community together across time .
It asserts the condemnation of “ unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ) ” – as stipulated in the Rome Statute ( link is external ) of the International Criminal Court ( ICC ( link is external ) ) of 17 July 1998 , which defines , inter alia , the international crimes over which the ICC has jurisdiction .
For there to be a crime , there must be a criminal .
The death and suffering caused by climate impacts is deeply shocking , but this is not enough to prompt prosecution under international criminal law .
Death and suffering are caused by volcanic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ agents in these cases .
The current climate crisis has been caused by human activity over the last two and a half centuries or so , leading to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere .
The crisis is in large part an unintended consequence of action across history that has led to the destruction of carbon sinks , increased carbon flows , and concentrated carbon stocks .
Most of this conduct is beyond the legitimate reach of international criminal law , not least because the relevant people are dead .
Most @ @ @ @ @ @ @ proposed that international criminal law should be expanded to include a new criminal offence that I call postericide ( link is external ) .
It is committed by intentional or reckless conduct fit to bring about the extinction of humanity .
Postericide is committed when humanity is put at risk of extinction by conduct performed either with the intention of making humanity go extinct , or with the knowledge that the conduct is fit to have this effect .
When a person knows that their conduct will impose an impermissible risk on another @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
It is in the domain of reckless conduct , making climate change worse , that we should look for postericidal conduct .
No one person ’ s emissions are fit to bring about human extinction as a result of climate impacts – the many private jets and oil wells they own can do so , however .
But individual people in their roles as political and corporate leaders can exert extensive control over how much worse climate change becomes as a result of their executive action .
A country ’ s president @ @ @ @ @ @ @ global agreement on mitigation ; a Chief Executive Officer can authorize the withholding of information about the progress and impacts of climate change because it threatens the corporation ’ s bottom line .
Individuals often have control over conduct they do not perform themselves – for example , by giving direct orders to subordinates , or by virtue of the special relationship in which they stand to others whose conduct causes harm .
This means that we can assign vicarious liability to individuals of power , authority and influence within groups that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ways fit to make humanity go extinct .
Just as international criminal law holds military leaders to account for genocide committed by their troops , it should hold political and economic leaders to account for postericide committed under their authority .
These leaders should go to trial at the ICC and be held to account at the bar of the human community ’ s fundamental shared values .
Who should be prosecuted for postericide ?
We could start by examining the established international network of well-funded organizations devoted to organized climate denial ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on this subject , read “ Text-mining the signals of climate change doubt ” , in the journal Global Environmental Change , Volume 36 , January 2016 ) .
The epicentre of this activity is in the United States .
A set of Conservative think-tanks has deliberately deceived the public and policymakers about the realities of climate change .
Their ideologically-driven climate denial has been heavily funded by the fossil fuel industry ; which include , for example , Koch Industries and ExxonMobil .
This climate denial has had a significant impact on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tackle climate change .
Should Rex Tillerson [ the former CEO of ExxonMobil , who also served as US Secretary of State from February 2017 to March 2018 ] Charles Koch and David Koch [ the owners of Koch Industries ] be tried for the crime of postericide at the ICC ?
Their vicarious criminal liability would be generated by their authorization of multiple acts of climate denial by others , without which early aggressive political action on climate change would have been more likely .
Climate denial has seriously impeded aggressive mitigation @ @ @ @ @ @ @ climate emergency .
It has magnified the risk that humanity locks in to catastrophic global climate change .
The people in positions of authority in states , or industrial groups whose lies have put us and our descendants in peril , should be held accountable .
The damage that climate deniers do is heinous , and they have no excuses .
The time has come to prosecute them for postericide .
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Technocracy News & Trend’s Editor’s Note:
The Technocrat tango is shifting into high gear to force the world to dump Capitalism and Free Enterprise and adopt Sustainable Development in its place. Global warming deniers would face penalties comparable to war crimes.When climate alarmist Al Gore said in 2015 that “deniers deserve to be punished” everybody chuckled. Well, chuckle no more. Under this proposal, President Trump could be prosecuted for withdrawing from the Paris Climate Accord; leaders of “Conservative think-tanks” and other activist organizations that question climate science would be included; widely-read journalists who influence the public to question phony climate science would be individually prosecuted – that would ostensibly include Technocracy News & Trends and its publisher, Patrick Wood.
This proposal is pointedly directed at the United States, but I can also see Australia and Brazil in the cross-hairs as well. Technocrats know that their plan for global Technocracy will NOT WORK until the US is neutralized, which is why we are under a full spectrum attack by climate fanatics.
This is a deadly serious matter that should immediately rejected by national leaders. Readers are strongly urged to read my books, Technocracy: The Hard Road to World Order and Technocracy Rising: The Trojan Horse of Global Transformation.
Note that the article below appears on the official UNESCO website but the author is not writing as an employee of UNESCO. A tiny Disclaimer link in the footer of the UNESCO page states, “UNESCO does not warrant that the information, documents and materials contained in its website is complete and correct and shall not be liable whatsoever for any damages incurred as a result of its use.” ⁃ TN Editor
Climate denial has increased the risk of catastrophic global change. Should international criminal law be used against those who promote this dangerous trend? Economic and political leaders can no longer pretend it is business as usual. Whether they actively induce environmental harm or just ignore the existential threat against the survival of the human species, states and corporations must be held accountable for their actions or inaction regarding climate change.
A fire has started in the theatre, from which there are no exits. Unchecked, the fire will kill and injure many in the theatre, starting with those in the cheapest seats. Many people can smell the smoke, but some others have not noticed it yet. Some people are trying to warn everyone so that the fire can be contained before it spreads out of control. Another group – sitting mainly in the most expensive seats – is trying to shout loudly that there is no fire, or that it is not serious, or that there is plenty of time left to put it out. This group uses emotive language and insists that the other group is not to be trusted.
Many people in the theatre are confused by these conflicting messages or convinced by the fire-deniers. There are enough people in this combined set to significantly slow down the efforts of those listening to the accurate warnings, those who are trying to put out the fire. In this scenario, those shouting “No fire!” ought to be silenced, because there is a fire that requires urgent and immediate action to prevent it from spreading and becoming uncontrollable. But the fire is not being tackled properly because many of the people in the theatre do not know whom to believe.
Can we compare those who deny the reality of climate change to the group that occupies the best seats in the theatre? The answer seems obvious: yes.
Accelerating the extinction of humanity
Criminal sanctions are the most potent tools we have to mark out conduct that lies beyond all limits of toleration. Criminal conduct violates basic rights and destroys human security. We reserve the hard treatment of punishment for conduct that damages the things we hold most fundamentally valuable. Climate change is causing precisely such damage.
Over the last 250 years or so, we have burned fossil fuels for cheap energy, destroyed carbon sinks, grown the global population, and failed to halt the malign influence of corporate interests on political action that could have made mitigation manageable. Now, we have a window of just ten years or less to avoid using up the carbon budget for 1.5 ℃(link is external), according to the 2018 Special Report(link is external) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). If we continue on our current trajectory of emissions without aggressive mitigation, we could see warming in the range of 4–6.1 ℃ above pre-industrial averages by 2100. Even if all countries meet their current mitigation targets under the Paris Agreement 2015(link is external) (COP21), we are likely to see warming of at least 2.6 ℃ by 2100(link is external).
A 4–6.1 ℃ rise in temperature by 2100 would be catastrophic. Large areas of the earth would become uninhabitable as sea levels rise and temperatures soar. Severe weather events, crop failure, and conflict in the face of mass migration never before seen in human history, would place intense pressure on remaining habitable places. In these fragile and febrile conditions, positive feedback from warming could put humanity at risk of extinction(link is external), according to the journal, Futures, September 2018. This feedback occurs when tipping points are passed in the climate system, causing processes to be unleashed that exacerbate warming. For example, the transformation of the Amazon forest from the world’s largest carbon sink to a carbon source; or, the massive retreat of polar ice, which reduces the planet’s reflectivity, leading it to warm at a greater speed(link is external). These tipping points are described in the IPCC’s Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) as a critical threshold at which global or regional climate changes from a stable state to another stable state.
Temperature rises of 4–6.1 ℃ are not likely, but they are not science fiction either. Each year that passes without aggressive mitigation to reach net zero emissions by 2050 makes this existential threat more real. Even if the Paris Agreement aggressively ratchets up mitigation ambition to close the emissions gap by 2030, it remains the case that we have already reached 1 ℃ of warming. Given the time lag between emissions and the warming they induce(link is external) – due to the long lifetime of carbon molecules in the atmosphere – further increases are to be expected.
Between irresponsible behaviour …
Should we use criminal law to tackle climate change? The current generation of people alive in the Anthropocene is capable of damaging and degrading the environment in ways that could make humanity go extinct. Postericide is a morally required response to humanity’s changed circumstances in the Anthropocene. The scope of international criminal law makes it the right site to address the existential threats created by climate change. International criminal law aims to protect the entire human community irrespective of national borders, now and into the future. International criminal law expresses the values that bind the human community together across time. It asserts the condemnation of “unimaginable atrocities that deeply shock the conscience of humanity(link is external)” – as stipulated in the Rome Statute(link is external) of the International Criminal Court (ICC(link is external)) of 17 July 1998, which defines, inter alia, the international crimes over which the ICC has jurisdiction.
For there to be a crime, there must be a criminal. The death and suffering caused by climate impacts is deeply shocking, but this is not enough to prompt prosecution under international criminal law. Death and suffering are caused by volcanic eruptions, yet there are no culpable agents in these cases.
The current climate crisis has been caused by human activity over the last two and a half centuries or so, leading to the accumulation of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. The crisis is in large part an unintended consequence of action across history that has led to the destruction of carbon sinks, increased carbon flows, and concentrated carbon stocks. Most of this conduct is beyond the legitimate reach of international criminal law, not least because the relevant people are dead. Most, but not all.
… and postericide
I have proposed that international criminal law should be expanded to include a new criminal offence that I call postericide (link is external). It is committed by intentional or reckless conduct fit to bring about the extinction of humanity. Postericide is committed when humanity is put at risk of extinction by conduct performed either with the intention of making humanity go extinct, or with the knowledge that the conduct is fit to have this effect. When a person knows that their conduct will impose an impermissible risk on another and acts anyway, they are reckless. It is in the domain of reckless conduct, making climate change worse, that we should look for postericidal conduct.
No one person’s emissions are fit to bring about human extinction as a result of climate impacts – the many private jets and oil wells they own can do so, however. But individual people in their roles as political and corporate leaders can exert extensive control over how much worse climate change becomes as a result of their executive action. A country’s president can withdraw an entire state from a global agreement on mitigation; a Chief Executive Officer can authorize the withholding of information about the progress and impacts of climate change because it threatens the corporation’s bottom line.
Individuals often have control over conduct they do not perform themselves – for example, by giving direct orders to subordinates, or by virtue of the special relationship in which they stand to others whose conduct causes harm. This means that we can assign vicarious liability to individuals of power, authority and influence within groups that, as collectives, worsen climate change in ways fit to make humanity go extinct. Just as international criminal law holds military leaders to account for genocide committed by their troops, it should hold political and economic leaders to account for postericide committed under their authority. These leaders should go to trial at the ICC and be held to account at the bar of the human community’s fundamental shared values.
Who should be prosecuted for postericide? We could start by examining the established international network of well-funded organizations devoted to organized climate denial (link is external) (For more on this subject, read “Text-mining the signals of climate change doubt”, in the journal Global Environmental Change, Volume 36, January 2016). The epicentre of this activity is in the United States. A set of Conservative think-tanks has deliberately deceived the public and policymakers about the realities of climate change. Their ideologically-driven climate denial has been heavily funded by the fossil fuel industry; which include, for example, Koch Industries and ExxonMobil. This climate denial has had a significant impact on public opinion and has impeded legislation to tackle climate change.
Vicarious criminal liability
Should Rex Tillerson [the former CEO of ExxonMobil, who also served as US Secretary of State from February 2017 to March 2018] Charles Koch and David Koch [the owners of Koch Industries] be tried for the crime of postericide at the ICC? Their vicarious criminal liability would be generated by their authorization of multiple acts of climate denial by others, without which early aggressive political action on climate change would have been more likely.
Climate denial has seriously impeded aggressive mitigation efforts that could have averted our present climate emergency. It has magnified the risk that humanity locks in to catastrophic global climate change. The people in positions of authority in states, or industrial groups whose lies have put us and our descendants in peril, should be held accountable. The damage that climate deniers do is heinous, and they have no excuses. The time has come to prosecute them for postericide.
Read full story here…
Top image: The Conversation
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activistpost--2020-02-24--Ron Paul on Ending The Fed — Interview With James Corbett

James Corbett sits down with Ron Paul to discuss the coming end of the Federal Reserve .
Dr. Paul reflects @ @ @ @ @ movement , explains the inevitability of the Fed ’ s demise , and talks about @ @ @ @ @ to take its place .
• Century of Enslavement : The History of The Federal @ @ @ @ @ for truth , peace , and freedom news .
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By Corbett Report Extras
James Corbett sits down with Ron Paul to discuss the coming end of the Federal Reserve.
Dr. Paul reflects on the End The Fed movement, explains the inevitability of the Fed’s demise, and talks about what system may come along to take its place.
SHOW NOTES:
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activistpost--2020-02-24--High-Income Taxpayers Now Confronted At Home By IRS Agents

The IRS announced Wednesday that it would increase at-home visitations to high-income taxpayers who haven ’ t filed tax returns on time .
Remember when the IRS under the Obama administration targeted conservative groups ?
Now it appears this anti-wealth attitude extends to anyone earning over $ 100,000 that hasn ’ t filed a return since 2018 or prior years .
During an at-home visit , IRS agents will inform the non-compliant taxpayer how to file returns and show them a pathway of regaining compliant status .
“ The IRS is committed to fairness in the tax system , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ income categories that they need to file their taxes , ” said Paul Mamo , Director of Collection Operations , Small Business/Self Employed Division .
“ These visits focusing on high-income taxpayers will be taking place across the country.
” Visitations have already started this month and will continue through March for severe cases of high-income taxpayers not filing .
In the last year , the agency started aggressively targeting low-income families who neglected to pay their taxes .
These struggling folks in the “ greatest economy ever ” are barely surviving on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ soaring housing and healthcare inflation , have no money left over to pay taxes .
If you ’ re rich or poor and haven ’ t paid your taxes in the last several years , watch out because Big Brother is now dispatching its agents to hunt you down .
And in case an agent confronts a non-compliant taxpayer – they will offer several options if the tax bill can not be paid in full , such as a payment plan .
But if a non-compliant taxpayer declines to pay , the IRS @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pursue them in court .
Land of the free ?
Not when it comes to debt… And here ’ s the most bizarre move the IRS made before they launched a massive campaign across the country to confront rich and poor non-compliant taxpayers .
The agency bought 5,000 guns , some automatic weapons , and 5 million rounds of ammunition .
“ Among the agencies being supplied with night-vision equipment , body armor , hollow-point bullets , shotguns , drones , assault rifles , and LP gas cannons are the Smithsonian , U.S. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ IRS , FDA , Small Business Administration , Social Security Administration , National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration , Education Department , Energy Department , Bureau of Engraving and Printing and an assortment of public universities , ” said john Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute .
The militarization of the IRS ?
Seriously , why do IRS agents need AR-15 rifles ?
To collect all the money that is owed , of course !
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By Tyler Durden
The IRS announced Wednesday that it would increase at-home visitations to high-income taxpayers who haven’t filed tax returns on time.
Remember when the IRS under the Obama administration targeted conservative groups? Now it appears this anti-wealth attitude extends to anyone earning over $100,000 that hasn’t filed a return since 2018 or prior years.
During an at-home visit, IRS agents will inform the non-compliant taxpayer how to file returns and show them a pathway of regaining compliant status.
Uncle Sam wants his goddamn money!
“The IRS is committed to fairness in the tax system, and we want to remind people across all income categories that they need to file their taxes,” said Paul Mamo, Director of Collection Operations, Small Business/Self Employed Division. “These visits focusing on high-income taxpayers will be taking place across the country.”
Visitations have already started this month and will continue through March for severe cases of high-income taxpayers not filing.
In the last year, the agency started aggressively targeting low-income families who neglected to pay their taxes. These struggling folks in the “greatest economy ever” are barely surviving on depressed wages, insurmountable debts, and soaring housing and healthcare inflation, have no money left over to pay taxes.
If you’re rich or poor and haven’t paid your taxes in the last several years, watch out because Big Brother is now dispatching its agents to hunt you down.
And in case an agent confronts a non-compliant taxpayer – they will offer several options if the tax bill cannot be paid in full, such as a payment plan. But if a non-compliant taxpayer declines to pay, the IRS will inform the individual that they will pursue them in court.
Land of the free? Not when it comes to debt…
And here’s the most bizarre move the IRS made before they launched a massive campaign across the country to confront rich and poor non-compliant taxpayers. The agency bought 5,000 guns, some automatic weapons, and 5 million rounds of ammunition.
“Among the agencies being supplied with night-vision equipment, body armor, hollow-point bullets, shotguns, drones, assault rifles, and LP gas cannons are the Smithsonian, U.S. Mint, Health and Human Services, IRS, FDA, Small Business Administration, Social Security Administration, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Education Department, Energy Department, Bureau of Engraving and Printing and an assortment of public universities,” said john Whitehead via The Rutherford Institute.
The militarization of the IRS?
Seriously, why do IRS agents need AR-15 rifles? To collect all the money that is owed, of course!
Article source: Zerohedge
Images: Associated Press
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activistpost--2020-02-24--We’re Asking One Question In Assange’s Case: Should Journalists Be Punished For Exposing War Crimes?

This is a speech I gave yesterday at a demonstration for Assange with the Socialist Equality Party Australia .
Tomorrow in the UK a judge will start the process of answering a very important question .
It ’ s a question that many of us knew was the heart of this debate back in 2010 , ten years ago , when this all started .
It ’ s a question that they have been obfuscating , bloviating , huffily denying , smearing , gaslighting , and distracting from–basically doing anything they can to hide it from view .
It ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t want the public to know that we are answering .
A question that goes to the heart of democracy , and to the heart of the role of the fourth estate , journalism .
And that question is this : Should journalists and publishers be punished for exposing US war crimes ?
And , ancillary to that question : should we allow them to be punished by the very people who committed those war crimes ?
Is that something that we want for our world , ongoing ?
Because our answer to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ society , our civilization , for generations to come .
There is no coming back from this for a very long time should the answer be , “ Yes !
Yes , it ’ s fine , war criminals should go ahead and punish journalists for publishing true facts about their war crimes.
” If we allow the answer to be yes , then the endless stupid wars that everyone wants done with , from Melbourne to Kabul , from Sydney to Syria , right across the world people are done with these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people like us who are very insulated from the effects of war want them over with , let alone the children of Pakistan who fear a sunny day because drones only fly in a blue sky , or the children of Syria whose country is being terrorized by “ moderate rebels ” armed and funded by the US war machine , or the starving children of Yemen who are being bombed constantly by munitions made in the good ol ’ U S of A .
No one wants war except those who make @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s the most evil thing that humans are capable of .
It is murder .
It is theft .
It is rape .
It targets and traumatizes and displaces our planet ’ s most vulnerable populations .
It destroys the environment .
It leaves behind cancer-causing waste .
It ’ s like as if the worst serial killer is going on the worst killing spree while dumping planet-killing chemicals behind him , but instead of running from the cops , he ’ s been given a trillion-dollar budget and immunity from prosecution .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ the world we have currently .
The question that is being posed in Assange ’ s case is , should we be allowed to question this ?
Should we be allowed to expose it ?
Should we be allowed to stop it ?
Julian Assange ’ s case is a nexus point of where to next .
I was thinking on the way over here what I would most like to say to Julian if I had the chance .
If I could tell him anything right now it would be , “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ve done all you can .
We ’ ve got you .
Let us take it from here.
” Assange acted as a kind of lightning rod for all this bullshit for all those years , and through what they did to him , we saw their true face .
We saw their true evil .
We know what they are now , and we know how they do it , we ’ ve seen enough to know how they operate .
And in the end it ’ s never about one man @ @ @ @ @ @ @ movement .
It ’ s our job now to stand up now and say as one “ We do not consent ” , and carry him out of there ourselves if we have to .
This is where we ’ re at .
We need to decide , do we evolve , or devolve ?
Do we pivot towards utopia , or dystopia ?
The persecution of Assange is so blatantly , obviously wrong that the only thing stopping people from seeing it is empire propaganda .
You don ’ t have to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ even have to be smart .
You just have to have to have eyes that are unfiltered by narrative manipulation .
Anyone with common sense and a beating heart in their chest can see this is wrong .
Should journalists be tortured and imprisoned for life when they expose war crimes ?
The answer is not complicated .
It ’ s obvious to anyone who hasn ’ t been propagandized out of their own clarity .
Assange ’ s plight only looks complicated when you add on layers of narrative and verbiage .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ man , hacker not a journalist !
Mueller sexist Trump poop on the walls , Nazi Putin !
” Without all the spin it ’ s very obvious he ’ s being torturously , unjustly persecuted .
It really is an “ emperor has no clothes ” thing .
The court propagandists fill our ears with fancy words about what a bad man Assange is , and why he must be dealt with , they ’ re trying to tell you that the emperor ’ s clothes are invisible to those aren ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yell “ Hey !
Why is the emperor ass-dick naked ?
Dude , I can see him !
I can see his willy !
” This is why there are no counter protests here today .
There are no regular , every day citizens taking to the streets with signs saying “ Jail all the journalists !
Endless war for all !
” Some people still have strong feelings about Assange , but they ’ re just feelings , and you ’ ll find that it ’ s usually about only one or @ @ @ @ @ @ @ they turn and try to find evidence for the particular smears that have snagged them , they find nothing .
That ’ s why Nils Melzer , the UN ’ s Special Rapporteur on torture , is such a courageous figure to me .
When people first approached him to look in to Assange ’ s case , he was reluctant because he too had been affected by the smears .
When he turned to the evidence though , he found no substance there .
Because of his honorability , though , he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , and being wrong , he swallowed his pride and he changed course .
And he very quickly became one of our most powerful allies in the fight to expose war crimes , expose propaganda , expose the modern-day mobbing and torture tactics used against Assange , and expose the precedent that Assange ’ s prosecution will set for journalists and publishers world wide .
And you know what ?
I think the power behind his testimony comes from the fact that he realized that he had been duped , and if he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , worldly , informed and educated person could be duped , then anyone can be .
No one is immune .
Human minds are hackable .
We ’ re all very busy with our lives .
We ’ re all kept busy by capitalism , and very few of us have the time to do what he did and sit down and take a look at the facts and assess them .
And even if they did that , even fewer of them have had the courage of their convictions to put up @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Being manipulated isn ’ t immoral , being a manipulator is .
People feel ashamed when they ’ ve been conned , but it ’ s not their fault ; it ’ s always the fault of the con man .
That ’ s why fraud is the crime , and being defrauded is being a victim of that crime .
In order for people to see this question that we ’ re asking ourselves–the question of whether journalists should be punished for exposing war crimes–clearly they have to admit that they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not their fault , but they will be embarrassed to admit it .
This shame underpins a lot of reluctance to join us here today , so I think it ’ s important to outline .
So when you ’ re talking to your friends and family , keep in mind that they ’ re hurting .
They ’ re afraid of feeling the shame of having been duped , because in our crazy , ass-backwards culture , being duped is considered shameful while duping people just makes you a productive @ @ @ @ @ @ @ them .
Reassure them that it ’ s not going to be the end of the world if they change their mind .
In fact , it may be the end of the world if they don ’ t .
That ’ s why I find Nils Melzer ’ s testimony to be so powerful : because it exposes the abusive nature of propaganda , and he modeled how to act when we find ourselves on the wrong side of the debate .
His very existence gives me hope because it means that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ all over the world .
Actually , I ’ ve seen it already myself .
There ’ s a huge movement in Germany gaining traction supporting Assange .
It was the prisoners of Belmarsh who organized three separate petitions and got Julian out of solitary ( how ’ s that for grassroots activism ? )
.
Just on Friday Alan Jones posted a poll on Facebook that posed the question “ should the Australian government do more to help Julian Assange and bring him home ?
” .
Thousands of people answered and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ !
Yes we should bring him home.
” Underneath the poll there were hundreds of comments in support of Assange .
So the tide is changing .
Is it enough ?
I reckon it might be .
But we have to keep pushing on it like our lives depend on it , because they do .
Thanks for reading !
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By Caitlin Johnstone
This is a speech I gave yesterday at a demonstration for Assange with the Socialist Equality Party Australia.
Tomorrow in the UK a judge will start the process of answering a very important question. It’s a question that many of us knew was the heart of this debate back in 2010, ten years ago, when this all started. It’s a question that they have been obfuscating, bloviating, huffily denying, smearing, gaslighting, and distracting from–basically doing anything they can to hide it from view.
It’s a question that they don’t want the public to know that we are answering. A question that goes to the heart of democracy, and to the heart of the role of the fourth estate, journalism. And that question is this:
Should journalists and publishers be punished for exposing US war crimes?
And, ancillary to that question: should we allow them to be punished by the very people who committed those war crimes?
Is that something that we want for our world, ongoing? Because our answer to this question is going to shape our society, our civilization, for generations to come.
There is no coming back from this for a very long time should the answer be, “Yes! Yes, it’s fine, war criminals should go ahead and punish journalists for publishing true facts about their war crimes.”
If we allow the answer to be yes, then the endless stupid wars that everyone wants done with, from Melbourne to Kabul, from Sydney to Syria, right across the world people are done with these stupid wars for profit.
Even the people like us who are very insulated from the effects of war want them over with, let alone the children of Pakistan who fear a sunny day because drones only fly in a blue sky, or the children of Syria whose country is being terrorized by “moderate rebels” armed and funded by the US war machine, or the starving children of Yemen who are being bombed constantly by munitions made in the good ol’ U S of A.
No one wants war except those who make big bucks from it. It’s the most evil thing that humans are capable of. It is murder. It is theft. It is rape. It targets and traumatizes and displaces our planet’s most vulnerable populations. It destroys the environment. It leaves behind cancer-causing waste.
It’s like as if the worst serial killer is going on the worst killing spree while dumping planet-killing chemicals behind him, but instead of running from the cops, he’s been given a trillion-dollar budget and immunity from prosecution.
This is already happening. This is the world we have currently. The question that is being posed in Assange’s case is, should we be allowed to question this? Should we be allowed to expose it? Should we be allowed to stop it?
Julian Assange’s case is a nexus point of where to next.
I was thinking on the way over here what I would most like to say to Julian if I had the chance. If I could tell him anything right now it would be, “Rest now, mate. You’ve done all you can. We’ve got you. Let us take it from here.” Assange acted as a kind of lightning rod for all this bullshit for all those years, and through what they did to him, we saw their true face. We saw their true evil. We know what they are now, and we know how they do it, we’ve seen enough to know how they operate. And in the end it’s never about one man, it’s always about the movement. It’s our job now to stand up now and say as one “We do not consent”, and carry him out of there ourselves if we have to.
This is where we’re at. We need to decide, do we evolve, or devolve? Do we pivot towards utopia, or dystopia?
The persecution of Assange is so blatantly, obviously wrong that the only thing stopping people from seeing it is empire propaganda. You don’t have to be well-read. You don’t even have to be smart. You just have to have to have eyes that are unfiltered by narrative manipulation.
Anyone with common sense and a beating heart in their chest can see this is wrong. Should journalists be tortured and imprisoned for life when they expose war crimes? The answer is not complicated. It’s obvious to anyone who hasn’t been propagandized out of their own clarity.
Assange’s plight only looks complicated when you add on layers of narrative and verbiage. “Ah but Sweden stinky, stink man, hacker not a journalist! Mueller sexist Trump poop on the walls, Nazi Putin!”
Without all the spin it’s very obvious he’s being torturously, unjustly persecuted. It really is an “emperor has no clothes” thing. The court propagandists fill our ears with fancy words about what a bad man Assange is, and why he must be dealt with, they’re trying to tell you that the emperor’s clothes are invisible to those aren’t educated.
But the unpropagandized just yell “Hey! Why is the emperor ass-dick naked? Dude, I can see him! I can see his willy! ”
This is why there are no counter protests here today. There are no regular, every day citizens taking to the streets with signs saying “Jail all the journalists! Endless war for all!” Some people still have strong feelings about Assange, but they’re just feelings, and you’ll find that it’s usually about only one or two of the smears, and if they turn and try to find evidence for the particular smears that have snagged them, they find nothing.
That’s why Nils Melzer, the UN’s Special Rapporteur on torture, is such a courageous figure to me. When people first approached him to look in to Assange’s case, he was reluctant because he too had been affected by the smears. When he turned to the evidence though, he found no substance there.
Because of his honorability, though, he felt through the embarrassment of being duped, and being wrong, he swallowed his pride and he changed course. And he very quickly became one of our most powerful allies in the fight to expose war crimes, expose propaganda, expose the modern-day mobbing and torture tactics used against Assange, and expose the precedent that Assange’s prosecution will set for journalists and publishers world wide.
And you know what? I think the power behind his testimony comes from the fact that he realized that he had been duped, and if he, a very intelligent, well read, worldly, informed and educated person could be duped, then anyone can be.
No one is immune. Human minds are hackable. We’re all very busy with our lives. We’re all kept busy by capitalism, and very few of us have the time to do what he did and sit down and take a look at the facts and assess them. And even if they did that, even fewer of them have had the courage of their convictions to put up with the social consequences of changing course.
Being manipulated isn’t immoral, being a manipulator is. People feel ashamed when they’ve been conned, but it’s not their fault; it’s always the fault of the con man. That’s why fraud is the crime, and being defrauded is being a victim of that crime.
In order for people to see this question that we’re asking ourselves–the question of whether journalists should be punished for exposing war crimes–clearly they have to admit that they have been victims of propaganda. It’s not their fault, but they will be embarrassed to admit it. This shame underpins a lot of reluctance to join us here today, so I think it’s important to outline.
So when you’re talking to your friends and family, keep in mind that they’re hurting. They’re afraid of feeling the shame of having been duped, because in our crazy, ass-backwards culture, being duped is considered shameful while duping people just makes you a productive member of society.
Be gentle with them. Reassure them that it’s not going to be the end of the world if they change their mind. In fact, it may be the end of the world if they don’t.
That’s why I find Nils Melzer’s testimony to be so powerful: because it exposes the abusive nature of propaganda, and he modeled how to act when we find ourselves on the wrong side of the debate. His very existence gives me hope because it means that there are others like him waking up all over the world.
Actually, I’ve seen it already myself. There’s a huge movement in Germany gaining traction supporting Assange. It was the prisoners of Belmarsh who organized three separate petitions and got Julian out of solitary (how’s that for grassroots activism?). Just on Friday Alan Jones posted a poll on Facebook that posed the question “should the Australian government do more to help Julian Assange and bring him home?”. Thousands of people answered and there was a 75 percent “Yes! Yes we should bring him home.” Underneath the poll there were hundreds of comments in support of Assange.
So the tide is changing. Is it enough? I reckon it might be. But we have to keep pushing on it like our lives depend on it, because they do.
Viva Assange!
Thank you.
Thanks for reading! The best way to get around the internet censors and make sure you see the stuff I publish is to subscribe to the mailing list for my website, which will get you an email notification for everything I publish. My work is entirely reader-supported, so if you enjoyed this piece please consider sharing it around, liking me on Facebook, following my antics on Twitter, checking out my podcast on either Youtube, soundcloud, Apple podcasts or Spotify, following me on Steemit, throwing some money into my hat on Patreon or Paypal, purchasing some of my sweet merchandise, buying my new book Rogue Nation: Psychonautical Adventures With Caitlin Johnstone, or my previous book Woke: A Field Guide for Utopia Preppers. For more info on who I am, where I stand, and what I’m trying to do with this platform, click here. Everyone, racist platforms excluded, has my permission to republish or use any part of this work (or anything else I’ve written) in any way they like free of charge.
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activistpost--2020-02-24--UCLA Backs Off On Facial Recognition Plan For Student Tracking

Technocracy News & Trends Editor ’ s Note : Students across the country are rebelling against the use of facial recognition to track them 24/7 and record class attendance .
UCLA got wind of this negative student sentiment and decided to scrap its own surveillance program .
Students nationwide raised concerns about universities using biometric surveillance , or facial recognition , on students .
Campus Reform reported last month that at least three California campuses had implemented the software .
At the time , the University of San Francisco , the University of Southern California , and Stanford University were @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Now , after concerns both nationwide and directly from its own campus , the University of California-Los Angeles has publicly stated that it will not move forward with plans to use such technology and has promised to ban the use of any such technology on campus .
“ UCLA will not pursue the use of this technology .
We have determined that the potential benefits are limited and vastly outweighed by the concerns of our campus community , ” said UCLA administrative vice-chancellor Michael Beck , according to CNET .
“ This type @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to our basic liberties , civil rights , and academic freedom .
Schools that are already using this technology are conducting unethical experiments on their students .
Students and staff have a right to know if their administrations are planning to implement biometric surveillance on campus , ” said Deputy Director of Fight for the Future Evan Greer .
Fight for the future is a nonprofit group that advocates for digital rights and is part of the nationwide Ban Facial Recognition campaign against the use of this technology by universities .
The radical @ @ @ @ @ @ @ conservative students on college campuses .
You can help expose them .
Find out more » UCLA ’ s decision comes as other colleges around the country have implemented technologies used to track students ’ physical location for the purpose of recording class attendance .
The University of Missouri , Syracuse University , Auburn , Central Florida , Indiana have all begun using a smartphone app called SpotterEDU , which the company says is currently being used at 40 schools across the country .
New York Campus Correspondent Justine Murray asked students at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ locations being tracked .
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth , peace , and freedom news .
Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $ 1 per month at Patreon .
Follow us on SoMee , Flote , Minds , Twitter , and Steemit .
Provide , Protect and Profit from what ’ s coming !
Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

Technocracy News & Trends Editor’s Note: Students across the country are rebelling against the use of facial recognition to track them 24/7 and record class attendance. UCLA got wind of this negative student sentiment and decided to scrap its own surveillance program.
By
Students nationwide raised concerns about universities using biometric surveillance, or facial recognition, on students.
Campus Reform reported last month that at least three California campuses had implemented the software. At the time, the University of San Francisco, the University of Southern California, and Stanford University were confirmed to have systems in place.
[RELATED: Students nationwide fight to ‘Ban Facial Recognition’ technology on campus]
Now, after concerns both nationwide and directly from its own campus, the University of California-Los Angeles has publicly stated that it will not move forward with plans to use such technology and has promised to ban the use of any such technology on campus.
“UCLA will not pursue the use of this technology. We have determined that the potential benefits are limited and vastly outweighed by the concerns of our campus community,” said UCLA administrative vice-chancellor Michael Beck, according to CNET.
“This type of invasive technology poses a profound threat to our basic liberties, civil rights, and academic freedom. Schools that are already using this technology are conducting unethical experiments on their students. Students and staff have a right to know if their administrations are planning to implement biometric surveillance on campus,” said Deputy Director of Fight for the Future Evan Greer.
Fight for the future is a nonprofit group that advocates for digital rights and is part of the nationwide Ban Facial Recognition campaign against the use of this technology by universities.
[RELATED: EXCLUSIVE VIDEO: Students call out college’s ‘creepy’ new tracking technology]
The radical left will stop at nothing to intimidate conservative students on college campuses. You can help expose them. Find out more »
UCLA’s decision comes as other colleges around the country have implemented technologies used to track students’ physical location for the purpose of recording class attendance. The University of Missouri, Syracuse University, Auburn, Central Florida, Indiana have all begun using a smartphone app called SpotterEDU, which the company says is currently being used at 40 schools across the country.
New York Campus Correspondent Justine Murray asked students at Syracuse University what they think about their locations being tracked.
Read full story here
Subscribe to Activist Post for truth, peace, and freedom news. Become an Activist Post Patron for as little as $1 per month at Patreon. Follow us on SoMee, Flote, Minds, Twitter, and Steemit.
Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.


activistpost--2020-02-28--Schools Are Pushing the Boundaries of Surveillance Technologies

A school district in New York recently adopted facial recognition technology to monitor students , and it is now one of a growing number of schools across the country conducting mass privacy violations of kids in the name of “ safety.
” The invasive use of surveillance technologies in schools has grown exponentially , often without oversight or recourse for concerned students or their parents .
Not only that , but schools are experimenting with the very same surveillance technologies that totalitarian governments use to surveil and abuse the rights of their citizens everywhere : online , offline , and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mean ?
We are surveilling our students as if they were dissidents under an authoritarian regime .
Schools must stop using these invasive technologies .
Americans are already overwhelmingly uneasy with governments ’ and corporations ’ constant infringements on our personal privacy .
Privacy invasions on students in educational environments should be no exception .
Schools are operating as testbeds for mass surveillance with no evidence , and no way to opt out In recent years , school districts across the country have ramped up efforts to surveil students .
In physical spaces @ @ @ @ @ @ @ with algorithms that often misinterpret coughs and higher-pitched voices with “ aggression.
” School districts ’ ongoing experiments with facial recognition technology mirror other law enforcement and government programs around the world .
Schools are also watching students online , and on their phones .
Social media monitoring company Social Sentinel offers software to monitor students ’ social media accounts , not unlike what U.S. Customs and Border Protection regularly does to entrants .
School and workplace surveillance vendors like Bark , Qustodio , and AirWatch encourage schools and families to install spyware @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can work similarly to surreptitiously-installed stalkerware or government-sponsored malware campaigns .
Qustodio , one of many companies marketing to both schools and parents , earnestly encourages parents to “ monitor your kid ’ s Internet use NSA-style.
” Many of these technologies compromise not only students ’ privacy , but also their security .
Web filtering services Securly , and ContentKeeper ( which partners with the notorious student surveillance service Gaggle ) compel students to install root certificates so administrators can comprehensively monitor students ’ Internet activity and effectively compromise the security protocols @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sessions worldwide .
Just last year , the government of Kazakhstan tried to deploy a similar program to surveil their citizens .
Administrators , and potentially third parties ( if this filtering is done via “ the cloud ” ) , can decrypt and gain complete access to students ’ web browsing sessions : what they ’ re reading , what they ’ re typing , and even sensitive information like passwords .
Schools refer to these technologies as “ student safety ” measures , but this label doesn ’ t change the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Surveillance is surveillance is surveillance .
Pervasive and invasive surveillance is not an effective “ safety ” measure What ’ s more , there is no evidence that surveilling students will lead to better safety outcomes in general .
In fact , the few studies that exist show that more cameras inside school buildings decrease students ’ perceptions of safety , equity , and support .
Additionally , more stringent surveillance ecosystems could have a chilling effect on students ’ development .
These effects , in turn , tend to impact minority groups @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , social media filters that are employed by some districts will send automated alerts to school administrators , and in some cases , local police .
The breadth of filtering typically employed by school districts can be staggering .
Some flag terms and sites relating to drugs and violence , as well as terms about mental and sexual health .
Students may feel less safe researching help online under these surveillance measures .
Schools with larger populations of students of color are also more likely to adopt stricter surveillance policies .
The spread @ @ @ @ @ @ @ entrench the disturbing school-to-prison pipeline where students of color are especially vulnerable to discriminatory over-policing .
And deploying pervasive , high-tech surveillance is still expensive—which means administrators are investing in oppressive panopticons instead of other more empirically supported measures , like investing in education or improving mental health support for students .
These funds would be better spent on fixing crumbling school infrastructure and investing in students than spying on them through unproven technological panopticons that will fall hardest on students that are already vulnerable to systemic injustice .
Surveillance technologies are often @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and offline ) and self-harm , but it ’ s not clear how they purport to do so .
Companies that market their surveillance technologies as useful for preventing school shootings are especially guilty of trying to sell digital snake oil .
It is not possible to predict , let alone prevent , these tragedies with surveillance and tracking tools like facial recognition .
One vendor of facial recognition technology for schools even admits that it can ’ t prevent school shootings .
Surveillance does not equal safety ; it undermines student trust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t effective at keeping them safe , and reinforces systemic injustice .
Schools need to slam the brakes and think about what kind of dystopia they ’ re creating for their students .

A school district in New York recently adopted facial recognition technology to monitor students, and it is now one of a growing number of schools across the country conducting mass privacy violations of kids in the name of “safety.” The invasive use of surveillance technologies in schools has grown exponentially, often without oversight or recourse for concerned students or their parents.
Not only that, but schools are experimenting with the very same surveillance technologies that totalitarian governments use to surveil and abuse the rights of their citizens everywhere: online, offline, and on their phones. What does that mean? We are surveilling our students as if they were dissidents under an authoritarian regime.
Schools must stop using these invasive technologies. Americans are already overwhelmingly uneasy with governments’ and corporations’ constant infringements on our personal privacy. Privacy invasions on students in educational environments should be no exception.
Schools are operating as testbeds for mass surveillance with no evidence, and no way to opt out
In recent years, school districts across the country have ramped up efforts to surveil students. In physical spaces, some schools are installing microphones equipped with algorithms that often misinterpret coughs and higher-pitched voices with “aggression.” School districts’ ongoing experiments with facial recognition technology mirror other law enforcement and government programs around the world.
Schools are also watching students online, and on their phones. Social media monitoring company Social Sentinel offers software to monitor students’ social media accounts, not unlike what U.S. Customs and Border Protection regularly does to entrants. School and workplace surveillance vendors like Bark, Qustodio, and AirWatch encourage schools and families to install spyware on their children’s phones—software that can work similarly to surreptitiously-installed stalkerware or government-sponsored malware campaigns. Qustodio, one of many companies marketing to both schools and parents, earnestly encourages parents to “monitor your kid’s Internet use NSA-style.”
Many of these technologies compromise not only students’ privacy, but also their security. Web filtering services Securly, and ContentKeeper (which partners with the notorious student surveillance service Gaggle) compel students to install root certificates so administrators can comprehensively monitor students’ Internet activity and effectively compromise the security protocols that encrypt over 80% of web sessions worldwide. Just last year, the government of Kazakhstan tried to deploy a similar program to surveil their citizens. Administrators, and potentially third parties (if this filtering is done via “the cloud”), can decrypt and gain complete access to students’ web browsing sessions: what they’re reading, what they’re typing, and even sensitive information like passwords.
Schools refer to these technologies as “student safety” measures, but this label doesn’t change the fact that these are surveillance technologies. Surveillance is surveillance is surveillance.
Pervasive and invasive surveillance is not an effective “safety” measure
What’s more, there is no evidence that surveilling students will lead to better safety outcomes in general. In fact, the few studies that exist show that more cameras inside school buildings decrease students’ perceptions of safety, equity, and support. Additionally, more stringent surveillance ecosystems could have a chilling effect on students’ development. These effects, in turn, tend to impact minority groups and women disproportionately more.
For instance, social media filters that are employed by some districts will send automated alerts to school administrators, and in some cases, local police. The breadth of filtering typically employed by school districts can be staggering. Some flag terms and sites relating to drugs and violence, as well as terms about mental and sexual health. Students may feel less safe researching help online under these surveillance measures.
Schools with larger populations of students of color are also more likely to adopt stricter surveillance policies. The spread of pervasive surveillance also threatens to further entrench the disturbing school-to-prison pipeline where students of color are especially vulnerable to discriminatory over-policing. And deploying pervasive, high-tech surveillance is still expensive—which means administrators are investing in oppressive panopticons instead of other more empirically supported measures, like investing in education or improving mental health support for students. These funds would be better spent on fixing crumbling school infrastructure and investing in students than spying on them through unproven technological panopticons that will fall hardest on students that are already vulnerable to systemic injustice.
Surveillance technologies are often marketed to prevent bullying (both online and offline) and self-harm, but it’s not clear how they purport to do so. Companies that market their surveillance technologies as useful for preventing school shootings are especially guilty of trying to sell digital snake oil. It is not possible to predict, let alone prevent, these tragedies with surveillance and tracking tools like facial recognition. One vendor of facial recognition technology for schools even admits that it can’t prevent school shootings.
Surveillance does not equal safety; it undermines student trust in their learning environments, isn’t effective at keeping them safe, and reinforces systemic injustice. Schools need to slam the brakes and think about what kind of dystopia they’re creating for their students.