activistpost--2020-05-20--“Thousands Are Starving”: Protesters Demanding Food Clash With Soldiers As Lockdown Intensifies in C

“Thousands Are Starving”: Protesters Demanding Food Clash With Soldiers As Lockdown Intensifies in Chile

The coronavirus hit Chile at a particularly delicate time .
Back in October , the Chilean military deployed tanks and troops onto the streets of Santiago – the Chilean capital – and President Sebastian Piñera declaring a state of emergency to quell a violent uprising triggered by – of all things – a hike in metro fares ( can you imagine that happening in NYC ? )
.
Now , some of the nation ’ s poorest are rising up against the government again in a violent protest movement over the lack of government assistance .
Specifically , food shortages @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to eat , and the mandatory closures have made it impossible for them to work or buy food .
Video of the crowds of demonstrators and clashes with soldiers were shared by reporters on social media .
In a televised address last night , President Piñera pledged to get food to those in need , according to the Santiago Times , the capital ’ s largest English language newspaper .
Chile has more than 46,000 cases of the virus , along with 478 deaths , but a recent spike in cases and deaths @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and around the capital .
The strict measures , which were heavily enforced , went into effect this weekend .
As the unrest swelled , dozens of Chilean lawmakers went into “ preventative isolation ” after being “ exposed ” to the virus .
Meanwhile , local officials cautioned that they were caught in a “ very complex situation ” because of “ hunger and lack of work ” .
In a statement , local officials said they had distributed about 2,000 aid packages but warned the central government that this fell far @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pledged his government would provide 2.5 million baskets of food and other essentials over the next week or so .
See : 177 Different Ways to Generate Extra Income “ We will prioritize the most vulnerable families , ” he said , describing the plan as “ historic ” .
Following the announcement , Santiago Mayor Felipe Guevara tweeted in Spanish and asked residents to follow the rules .
The unrest seen yesterday isn ’ t unique to Chile .
Across the region , Latin American governments are confronting how to stop the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ resources to provide for workers during the lockdown .
In Brazil , hundreds of people from Sao Paulo ’ s largest favela marched to the state governor ’ s palace demanding more support last week ; and in Colombia , citizens have been hanging red cloths outside their homes to signify hunger .
Finally , in El Salvador , people have been banging pots to protest against the lockdown .
Although Santiago is one of the most prosperous cities in Latin America , a stark rich-poor divide and a growing sense of economic @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2019 .
Many of the demands lodged by protesters last year , from increased pensions to higher pay , remain unresolved .
Imagine what will follow when these governments confront the cost of these lockdowns and are forced to cut services even further while raising taxes ?
Republished from ZeroHedge.com with permission .
Sourced from The Mind Unleashed .
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By Tyler Durden
The coronavirus hit Chile at a particularly delicate time. Back in October, the Chilean military deployed tanks and troops onto the streets of Santiago – the Chilean capital – and President Sebastian Piñera declaring a state of emergency to quell a violent uprising triggered by – of all things – a hike in metro fares (can you imagine that happening in NYC?).
Now, some of the nation’s poorest are rising up against the government again in a violent protest movement over the lack of government assistance. Specifically, food shortages have left thousands of Chileans with nothing to eat, and the mandatory closures have made it impossible for them to work or buy food.
Video of the crowds of demonstrators and clashes with soldiers were shared by reporters on social media.
In a televised address last night, President Piñera pledged to get food to those in need, according to the Santiago Times, the capital’s largest English language newspaper.
Chile has more than 46,000 cases of the virus, along with 478 deaths, but a recent spike in cases and deaths prompted Piñera go impose a lockdown in and around the capital. The strict measures, which were heavily enforced, went into effect this weekend.
As the unrest swelled, dozens of Chilean lawmakers went into “preventative isolation” after being “exposed” to the virus. Meanwhile, local officials cautioned that they were caught in a “very complex situation” because of “hunger and lack of work”. In a statement, local officials said they had distributed about 2,000 aid packages but warned the central government that this fell far short of meeting demand. Piñera later pledged his government would provide 2.5 million baskets of food and other essentials over the next week or so.
“We will prioritize the most vulnerable families,” he said, describing the plan as “historic”.
Following the announcement, Santiago Mayor Felipe Guevara tweeted in Spanish and asked residents to follow the rules.
“I understand the deep anguish of millions of Chileans, thousands are starving,” he wrote.
The unrest seen yesterday isn’t unique to Chile. Across the region, Latin American governments are confronting how to stop the virus and enforce lockdowns without the financial resources to provide for workers during the lockdown. In Brazil, hundreds of people from Sao Paulo’s largest favela marched to the state governor’s palace demanding more support last week; and in Colombia, citizens have been hanging red cloths outside their homes to signify hunger. Finally, in El Salvador, people have been banging pots to protest against the lockdown.
Although Santiago is one of the most prosperous cities in Latin America, a stark rich-poor divide and a growing sense of economic inequality have prompted mass protests in late 2019. Many of the demands lodged by protesters last year, from increased pensions to higher pay, remain unresolved.
Imagine what will follow when these governments confront the cost of these lockdowns and are forced to cut services even further while raising taxes?
Republished from ZeroHedge.com with permission. Sourced from The Mind Unleashed.
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, HIVE, Flote, Minds, and Twitter.
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activistpost--2020-05-20--What I Think of Elon Musk Being “Red Pilled”

In this video , independent researcher Jason Bermas explains why he is skeptical of Elon Musk being red pilled and @ @ @ @ @ been politically hijacked .
Some want to use the “ red pill ” to force @ @ @ @ @ matrix .
Don ’ t fall for it !
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By Jason Bermas
In this video, independent researcher Jason Bermas explains why he is skeptical of Elon Musk being red pilled and why the term itself has been politically hijacked. Some want to use the “red pill” to force you back into the left-right matrix. Don’t fall for it!
Subscribe to Jason Bermas on YouTube, follow him on Twitter, and support him on Rokfin or GoFundMe.
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activistpost--2020-05-20--Contact Tracing: When Game Night Turned Into A Nightmare

Henry Kron and his wife Helen had just enjoyed a family dinner time with their two pre-teen daughters , Leanne and Elise .
Henry headed to the coat closet to get the girls ’ favorite board game off the top shelf .
He had promised that this would be “ game night ” and they were all looking forward to it .
Actually , life was just starting to look good again after the extended lockdown during the global pandemic .
That one had cost Henry his last job and finding a new job was next to impossible with 40 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the same time .
In fact , the lack of income for several months left them unable to make their house payment for two months in row .
They came within an inch of being foreclosed .
Their retirement fund wasn ’ t large , but it took the whole thing just to get caught up .
With a lot of hard work and a bit of luck , Henry had finally landed a good job .
Even though he would be on probation for the first 90 days , he was determined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ keep the job .
Just as they decided who would get to roll the dice to start the game , the doorbell rang .
Henry went to the door thinking “ Who would call on us at this time of the evening ?
” He certainly was not expecting anyone .
As he opened the door , there stood a soldier in a crisp , clean fatigue uniform .
“ Yes , ” replied Henry , “ is something going on in the neighborhood ?
” “ No , sir , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ give you and your family a coronavirus test because we received a report that you have unknowingly been exposed to someone who actually had the virus.
” “ I ’ m not at liberty to say , sir , ” he replied , “ All of that kind of information is private and confidential.
” Henry immediately thought back to the restaurant he and his wife visited for dinner two days ago .
They were asking each guest to fill out a form with their name and address info , and they did @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to do with contact tracing rules just implemented in their state .
The soldier explained that testing was mandatory but there would be no cost to him .
It would only take a couple of minutes to take samples from everyone in the household .
Reluctantly , Henry consented .
What else could he do ?
After signing the HIPAA agreement and liability waiver , the soldier took a quick cheek swab of all four of them .
“ I will take these kits to the lab for processing tonight , ” he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get back to you in the morning with the results.
” “ Oh , and Mr. Kron , until you hear from me , please remain at home , just in case.
” After this intrusion , game night was overshadowed by the fear of “ what if ” .
Nobody really felt like laughing and Henry and Helen had a restless night after the girls went to bed .
Just after breakfast the next morning , the phone rang .
“ This is Henry Kron speaking , ” he answered as he @ @ @ @ @ @ @ dread in his stomach .
“ Mr .
Kron , I ’ m sorry to report that your wife Helen tested positive for COVID-19 even though she has no symptoms yet , ” the caller said , “ so , your family will have to make some adjustments over the next two weeks.
” “ Well , you will all have to ‘ self-quarantine at home ’ and avoid contact with anyone else , ” the caller explained .
“ We can help you with any needs you might have , like groceries @ @ @ @ @ @ @ daughters can ’ t go to school ?
” “ That ’ s correct , sir , they will have to stay home for the duration.
” “ Do you mean I can ’ t go to work ?
” “ That ’ s also correct , sir , but only for two weeks .
We will test all of you again at the end just to confirm that you are all in the clear.
” Henry was starting to feel a sense of panic .
Could they really do this to him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ If I don ’ t go to work tomorrow , I will be fired from my new job , and if I get fired again , I will lose my house .
In any case , I just read that your COVID-19 tests are returning a high percentage of false positives .
You can ’ t do this to me !
” “ I understand how you feel , sir , but our contact tracing guidelines are very clear and your cooperation is essential to help keep you and everyone else @ @ @ @ @ @ @ you can stick that in your ear , soldier boy , ” Henry exclaimed with rising temper , “ I am going to work and that is the end of matter.
” “ Sir , it ’ s not that easy .
We require daily contact with you until the two week period is completed , and if you violate the order , you will receive a citation that will cost $ 500 per day.
” “ Furthermore , ” he explained , “ if you were to test positive before the end @ @ @ @ @ @ @ charged for intentionally spreading the coronavirus , and that could mean one year in jail.
” “ Oh , and Mr. Kron ?
We will also need to know everyone you and your family have been in contact with during the last 7 days.
” Henry ’ s heart sank .
He knew this was the end of the line for him and his family .
He was trapped .
He had worked so hard for so many years to get where he was , but this would be the final blow that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ low income housing , but the application line was a mile long because unemployment was so high .
Maybe they would just sell everything and start over somewhere else .
“ More sleepless nights ahead , ” he told Helen .
Their daughters didn ’ t fully understand , but they knew their parents were very upset .
They all hugged , temporarily oblivious to COVID-19 .
At least they had each other .
For now… Stories You Have To Read To Believe Johns Hopkins launches online course to train army of contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ And Restaurants Allowed To Reopen If They Agree To Snitch On Customers Washington Restaurants Will Need to Track Diners ’ Info As Part of Reopening Requirements This course will train an army of contact tracers .
You can take it , too .
Countries Rolling Out Coronavirus Tracking Apps Show Why They Can ’ t Work So You Want to Be a Contact Tracer ?
This contact tracing app could become the model to save the world from the spread of coronavirus Tens of thousands of Americans apply for contact tracing jobs Contact @ @ @ @ @ @ @ The Coronavirus Spreads NY Will Hire Contact Tracing ‘ Army ’ Of 17,000 To Battle Coronavirus , Cuomo Says Texas ’ Contact Tracing Army Still not at Full Strength , but More Coming Tracking the virus may require 300,000 workers .
We ’ re nowhere close .
Patrick Wood is a leading and critical expert on Sustainable Development , Green Economy , Agenda 21 , 2030 Agenda and historic Technocracy .
He is the author of Technocracy Rising : The Trojan Horse of Global Transformation ( 2015 ) and co-author of Trilaterals Over @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1978-1980 ) with the late Antony C. Sutton .

By Patrick Wood
When an unskilled, $17/hour “contact tracer” shows up on your doorstep, how will you respond? Will he or she be able to wreck your life in a few short minutes? Follow the saga of Henry Kron and his family.Be sure to see all the headlines and the video at the end of the story! There’s more. Much more. That’s why it’s “to be continued…” ⁃ TN Editor (Fiction … maybe – AP Editor)
Henry Kron and his wife Helen had just enjoyed a family dinner time with their two pre-teen daughters, Leanne and Elise. Henry headed to the coat closet to get the girls’ favorite board game off the top shelf.
He had promised that this would be “game night” and they were all looking forward to it.
Actually, life was just starting to look good again after the extended lockdown during the global pandemic. That one had cost Henry his last job and finding a new job was next to impossible with 40 million other Americans out of work at the same time.
In fact, the lack of income for several months left them unable to make their house payment for two months in row. They came within an inch of being foreclosed. Their retirement fund wasn’t large, but it took the whole thing just to get caught up.
With a lot of hard work and a bit of luck, Henry had finally landed a good job. Even though he would be on probation for the first 90 days, he was determined to do whatever it would take to keep the job.
Just as they decided who would get to roll the dice to start the game, the doorbell rang.
Henry went to the door thinking “Who would call on us at this time of the evening?” He certainly was not expecting anyone.
As he opened the door, there stood a soldier in a crisp, clean fatigue uniform.
“Mr. Kron?” he asked.
“Yes,” replied Henry, “is something going on in the neighborhood?”
“No, sir,” he replied, “I am here to give you and your family a coronavirus test because we received a report that you have unknowingly been exposed to someone who actually had the virus.”
“What? Who was that?” Henry asked.
“I’m not at liberty to say, sir,” he replied, “All of that kind of information is private and confidential.”
Henry immediately thought back to the restaurant he and his wife visited for dinner two days ago. They were asking each guest to fill out a form with their name and address info, and they did. The waitress said it had something to do with contact tracing rules just implemented in their state.
The soldier explained that testing was mandatory but there would be no cost to him. It would only take a couple of minutes to take samples from everyone in the household.
Reluctantly, Henry consented. What else could he do?
After signing the HIPAA agreement and liability waiver, the soldier took a quick cheek swab of all four of them.
“I will take these kits to the lab for processing tonight,” he said, “and I will personally get back to you in the morning with the results.”
“Oh, and Mr. Kron, until you hear from me, please remain at home, just in case.”
After this intrusion, game night was overshadowed by the fear of “what if”. Nobody really felt like laughing and Henry and Helen had a restless night after the girls went to bed.
Just after breakfast the next morning, the phone rang.
“This is Henry Kron speaking,” he answered as he picked it up with a twinge of dread in his stomach.
“Mr. Kron, I’m sorry to report that your wife Helen tested positive for COVID-19 even though she has no symptoms yet,” the caller said, “so, your family will have to make some adjustments over the next two weeks.”
“What kind of adjustments?” Henry asked.
“Well, you will all have to ‘self-quarantine at home’ and avoid contact with anyone else,” the caller explained. “We can help you with any needs you might have, like groceries or pharmaceuticals.”
“You mean my daughters can’t go to school?”
“That’s correct, sir, they will have to stay home for the duration.”
“Do you mean I can’t go to work?”
“That’s also correct, sir, but only for two weeks. We will test all of you again at the end just to confirm that you are all in the clear.”
Henry was starting to feel a sense of panic. Could they really do this to him?
“Wait!” Henry exclaimed, “If I don’t go to work tomorrow, I will be fired from my new job, and if I get fired again, I will lose my house. In any case, I just read that your COVID-19 tests are returning a high percentage of false positives. You can’t do this to me!”
“I understand how you feel, sir, but our contact tracing guidelines are very clear and your cooperation is essential to help keep you and everyone else safe and well.”
“Well, you can stick that in your ear, soldier boy,” Henry exclaimed with rising temper, “I am going to work and that is the end of matter.”
“Sir, it’s not that easy. We require daily contact with you until the two week period is completed, and if you violate the order, you will receive a citation that will cost $500 per day.”
“Furthermore,” he explained, “if you were to test positive before the end of self-quarantine, you could be criminally charged for intentionally spreading the coronavirus, and that could mean one year in jail.”
“Oh, and Mr. Kron? We will also need to know everyone you and your family have been in contact with during the last 7 days.”
Henry’s heart sank. He knew this was the end of the line for him and his family. He was trapped. He had worked so hard for so many years to get where he was, but this would be the final blow that killed it all.
He could seek low income housing, but the application line was a mile long because unemployment was so high. Maybe they would just sell everything and start over somewhere else.
“More sleepless nights ahead,” he told Helen. Their daughters didn’t fully understand, but they knew their parents were very upset. They all hugged, temporarily oblivious to COVID-19. At least they had each other. For now…
(to be continued)
Stories You Have To Read To Believe
Washington National Guard joins COVID-19 contact tracing effort as UW develops app
Washington State Builds Coronavirus Contact Tracing ‘Fire Brigade’
Johns Hopkins launches online course to train army of contact tracers to slow spread of COVID-19
Bars And Restaurants Allowed To Reopen If They Agree To Snitch On Customers
Washington Restaurants Will Need to Track Diners’ Info As Part of Reopening Requirements
This course will train an army of contact tracers. You can take it, too.
Countries Rolling Out Coronavirus Tracking Apps Show Why They Can’t Work
So You Want to Be a Contact Tracer?
Kentucky begins hiring hundreds to trace contacts of coronavirus patients
This contact tracing app could become the model to save the world from the spread of coronavirus
Tens of thousands of Americans apply for contact tracing jobs
Contact Tracing Helps Scientists To Study The Ways The Coronavirus Spreads
NY Will Hire Contact Tracing ‘Army’ Of 17,000 To Battle Coronavirus, Cuomo Says
Texas’ Contact Tracing Army Still not at Full Strength, but More Coming
Tracking the virus may require 300,000 workers. We’re nowhere close.
Source: Technocracy News & Trends
Patrick Wood is a leading and critical expert on Sustainable Development, Green Economy, Agenda 21, 2030 Agenda and historic Technocracy. He is the author of Technocracy Rising: The Trojan Horse of Global Transformation (2015) and co-author of Trilaterals Over Washington, Volumes I and II (1978-1980) with the late Antony C. Sutton.


activistpost--2020-05-21--International Proposals for Warrantless Location Surveillance To Fight COVID-19

Time and again , governments have used crises to expand their power , and often their intrusion into citizens ’ lives .
The COVID-19 pandemic has seen this pattern play out on a huge scale .
From deploying drones or ankle monitors to enforce quarantine orders to proposals to use face recognition or thermal imaging cameras for monitoring public spaces , governments around the world have been adopting intrusive measures in their quest to contain the pandemic .
EFF has fought for years against the often secretive governmental use of cell phone location data .
Governments have repeatedly sought to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , dodged oversight of how they used and accessed it , misleadingly downplayed its sensitivity , and forced mobile operators to retain it .
In the past , these uses were most often justified with arguments of law enforcement or national security necessity .
Now , some of the same location surveillance powers are being demanded—or sometimes simply seized—without making a significant contribution to containing COVID-19 .
Despite the lack of evidence to show the effectiveness of location data to stop the spread of the virus , a number of countries ’ governments @ @ @ @ @ @ @ new surveillance powers or extend old ones to new COVID-related purposes .
For example , data retention laws compel telecom companies to continuously collect and store metadata of a whole population for a certain period of time .
In Europe , the Court of Justice of the European Union declared such mandates illegal under EU law .
Like other emergency measures , it may be an uphill battle to roll back new location surveillance once the epidemic subsides .
And because governments have not shown its effectiveness , there ’ s no justification @ @ @ @ @ @ @ fundamental freedoms in the first place .
Mobile carriers happen to know their subscribers ’ phone ’ s locations ( usually the same as the locations of the subscribers themselves ) from moment to moment because of the way cellular networks work .
That knowledge has turned into one of the most extensive data sources for governments—and not infrequently advertisers , stalkers , or spies—interested in tracking people ’ s movements .
But while phone location data is sufficient to show whether someone went to church or the movies , it simply is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people were close enough together to transmit the virus ( commonly characterized as a distance of two meters , or about six feet ) .
While location surveillance is problematic at any time , the coronavirus crisis has led to a rapid uptick in its use ; many measures to facilitate it have been passed by fast-tracked legislative procedures during national state of emergencies .
Some governments have even bypassed legislators entirely and relied on executive power to roll out expanded location surveillance—making it even less transparent and democratically legitimate than usual .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ crisis to erode limits on the ways people ’ s location histories can be used , demand this data be turned over to authorities in bulk , or require companies to stockpile records of where their customers have been .
Attempts at rapid expansions of government location surveillance authority have come to light in at least seven countries .
In Israel , in a significant win for privacy , Israel ’ s High Court of Justice has recently revoked the authorization of the police to access location data for contact tracing without a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the government had approved emergency regulations , 48 hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government ’ s intention to approve health tracking methods .
The regulations enabled both the police and Israel ’ s domestic security agency ( usually known as Shabak or Shin Bet , after its Hebrew acronym ) to track the whereabouts of persons that might be infected or are suspected to be infected with COVID-19 without a warrant .
The emergency regulation has now been suspended , and the Court has ordered that the government address the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Despite the win , the fight against warrantless access to location data is far from over : on May 5th , the parliament ’ s Intelligence Subcommittee voted 6-3 to extend the Shin Bet ’ s warrantless access to location data to track infected people , while the government is working towards advancing legislation to enable this form of surveillance more permanently .
Right after the approval of the emergency regulations on March 16th , the Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition to Israel ’ s High Court stressing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic : In South Africa , where a state of disaster has been in place since March 15th , the government amended a law to create a COVID-19 Tracing Database .
The database will include personal data of those who are infected or suspected to be infected of COVID-19 , including their COVID-19 test results , as well as the details of those who have come or are suspected to have come into contact with them .
The Act authorizes the Director-General of Health to order telecom companies to disclose the location of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , without prior notice , as well as the location of those who were in contact or suspected to have been in contact with them , and to included all of this data in the COVID-19 Tracing Database .
The law was met with severe backlash from civil society , and has since been amended twice .
In a win for privacy , the last amendment deleted the provisions that obliged telecommunications companies to disclose location data for inclusion in that database .
Poland , which has been in a state of emergency @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of encroaching on the rule of law , even triggering the EU ’ s legal process for addressing violations of European values .
The EU Commission has stated that the Polish judiciary is under “ the political control of the ruling majority .
In the absence of judicial independence , serious questions are raised about the effective application of EU law.
” Now with COVID-19 , the Polish government has also introduced several COVID acts , providing new surveillance powers for the executive .
Article 11 of the COVID-19 act obliges telecom operators @ @ @ @ @ @ @ data of people infected with COVID-19 or those under quarantine upon a simple request , as well as aggregate location data of an operator ’ s clients .
The new legislation states that these measures will remain in place until the pandemic has ended .
Slovakia is another eastern European country that has expanded telecom companies ’ obligations to retain metadata during the crisis .
Slovakia has been in a partial state of emergency since March 15th , during which several amendments to the country ’ s telecommunications act were fast tracked through @ @ @ @ @ @ @ caused outrage , authorized national health authorities to obtain location data from telecommunications operators in the context of a pandemic .
As in Poland , the amended law allows both for the retention of anonymized aggregate data , as well as for individual location data .
After being challenged before the Slovakian Constitutional Court , these measures have recently been suspended due to their vagueness and insufficient safeguards against misuse .
Croatia ’ s government attempted to introduce similar , fast-tracked amendments to the country ’ s electronic communications law .
The bill @ @ @ @ @ @ @ location data to “ protect national and public safety , ” and would have obliged telecommunications operators to share the data with the Ministry of Health .
As in other countries , the proposal was met with outrage among civil society , experts , and opposition , as more than forty civil society organizations signed onto a letter demanding the government to withdraw the bill .
The criticism was eventually successful , but the Croatian example underlines the wider pattern of states looking to expand at any opportunity new surveillance powers in the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Bulgaria , yet another Eastern European country in a state of emergency , has passed an emergency law , which included amendments to the country ’ s electronic communications act .
The law now obliges telecommunications companies to store and ( upon request ) provide metadata to competent authorities , including the police , to monitor citizens ’ compliance with quarantine measures .
The law does not require requests to be authorized by courts but merely provides for a after-the-fact judicial review process which the country also uses when retaining data to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , the measures will remain in force even after the state of emergency has come to an end .
Like Poland , Bulgaria has been showing authoritarian tendencies for several years , and this extension of the country ’ s data retention regime , ushered in during the COVID crisis , may help solidify autocracy .
The pattern of European countries reaching for location data surveillance also pokes holes in the popular image of the European Union as particularly protective of the right to privacy .
South Korea , a country with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ East Respiratory Syndrome ( MERS ) epidemic in 2015 , has dramatically restricted the right to privacy in the context of the pandemic .
The Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act allows health officials to obtain sensitive personal data on the infected and those suspected to be infected , as well as their contacts and those suspected to be in contact .
Such data includes names , resident registration numbers , addresses , telephone numbers , prescriptions , medical treatment records , immigration control records , credit card records , transit card records @ @ @ @ @ @ @ companies .
Police can seize this personal data without consent of the data subjects and without any judicial oversight .
The Act also allows health officials and administrators of municipalities to collect location data on the infected ( or suspected to be infected ) and their contacts ( or suspected contacts ) from telecommunications operators and location data providers ( from cell site and GPS ) .
Location surveillance comes with a host of risks to citizens ’ privacy , freedom of expression and data protection rights .
EFF has long been fighting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ blanket data retention mandates , and has called on governments to be more transparent on their surveillance programs .
Especially now , during a major health crisis , in which the government has not shown the efficacy of location data about individuals , governments should be as transparent as possible about what data they are collecting for what purposes .
Above all , the necessity and proportionality of any location data surveillance schemes must be demonstrated .
Katitza Rodriguez is EFF ’ s international rights director .
She concentrates on comparative policy of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on law enforcement , government surveillance , and cross border data flows .
Her work in EFF ’ s International Program also focuses on cybersecurity at the intersection of human rights .
Katitza also manages EFF ’ s growing Latin American programs .
She was an advisor to the UN Internet Governance Forum ( 2009-2010 ) .
In 2018 , CNET named Katitza one of 20 most influential latinos in technology in the United States .
In 2014 , she was also named one of “ The heroes in the fight to save @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 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 , HIVE , Flote , Minds , and Twitter .
Provide , Protect and Profit from what ’ s coming !
Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By Katitza Rodriguez and Seth Schoen
Time and again, governments have used crises to expand their power, and often their intrusion into citizens’ lives. The COVID-19 pandemic has seen this pattern play out on a huge scale. From deploying drones or ankle monitors to enforce quarantine orders to proposals to use face recognition or thermal imaging cameras for monitoring public spaces, governments around the world have been adopting intrusive measures in their quest to contain the pandemic.
EFF has fought for years against the often secretive governmental use of cell phone location data. Governments have repeatedly sought to obtain this data without a court order, dodged oversight of how they used and accessed it, misleadingly downplayed its sensitivity, and forced mobile operators to retain it. In the past, these uses were most often justified with arguments of law enforcement or national security necessity. Now, some of the same location surveillance powers are being demanded—or sometimes simply seized—without making a significant contribution to containing COVID-19. Despite the lack of evidence to show the effectiveness of location data to stop the spread of the virus, a number of countries’ governments have used the crisis to introduce completely new surveillance powers or extend old ones to new COVID-related purposes. For example, data retention laws compel telecom companies to continuously collect and store metadata of a whole population for a certain period of time. In Europe, the Court of Justice of the European Union declared such mandates illegal under EU law.
Like other emergency measures, it may be an uphill battle to roll back new location surveillance once the epidemic subsides. And because governments have not shown its effectiveness, there’s no justification for this intrusion on people’s fundamental freedoms in the first place.
Individualized Location Tracking
Mobile carriers happen to know their subscribers’ phone’s locations (usually the same as the locations of the subscribers themselves) from moment to moment because of the way cellular networks work. That knowledge has turned into one of the most extensive data sources for governments—and not infrequently advertisers, stalkers, or spies—interested in tracking people’s movements. But while phone location data is sufficient to show whether someone went to church or the movies, it simply is not accurate enough to show whether two people were close enough together to transmit the virus (commonly characterized as a distance of two meters, or about six feet).
While location surveillance is problematic at any time, the coronavirus crisis has led to a rapid uptick in its use; many measures to facilitate it have been passed by fast-tracked legislative procedures during national state of emergencies. Some governments have even bypassed legislators entirely and relied on executive power to roll out expanded location surveillance—making it even less transparent and democratically legitimate than usual. Governments may use the urgency of the crisis to erode limits on the ways people’s location histories can be used, demand this data be turned over to authorities in bulk, or require companies to stockpile records of where their customers have been.
COVID-inspired cell phone location surveillance around the globe
Attempts at rapid expansions of government location surveillance authority have come to light in at least seven countries.
In Israel, in a significant win for privacy, Israel’s High Court of Justice has recently revoked the authorization of the police to access location data for contact tracing without a court order. On March 16th, the government had approved emergency regulations, 48 hours after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his government’s intention to approve health tracking methods. The regulations enabled both the police and Israel’s domestic security agency (usually known as Shabak or Shin Bet, after its Hebrew acronym) to track the whereabouts of persons that might be infected or are suspected to be infected with COVID-19 without a warrant. The emergency regulation has now been suspended, and the Court has ordered that the government address the use of mobile phone tracking through legislation. Despite the win, the fight against warrantless access to location data is far from over: on May 5th, the parliament’s Intelligence Subcommittee voted 6-3 to extend the Shin Bet’s warrantless access to location data to track infected people, while the government is working towards advancing legislation to enable this form of surveillance more permanently. Right after the approval of the emergency regulations on March 16th, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel filed a petition to Israel’s High Court stressing the need to protect democracy during the pandemic:
Democracy is measured precisely in those situations when the public is afraid, exposed day and night to nightmare scenarios […]. Precisely in such moments, it is vital to act in a considered and level-headed manner, and not to take draconian and extreme decisions and to accustom the public to the use of undemocratic means […].
In South Africa, where a state of disaster has been in place since March 15th, the government amended a law to create a COVID-19 Tracing Database. The database will include personal data of those who are infected or suspected to be infected of COVID-19, including their COVID-19 test results, as well as the details of those who have come or are suspected to have come into contact with them. The Act authorizes the Director-General of Health to order telecom companies to disclose the location of infected or suspected to be infected person, without prior notice, as well as the location of those who were in contact or suspected to have been in contact with them, and to included all of this data in the COVID-19 Tracing Database. The law was met with severe backlash from civil society, and has since been amended twice. In a win for privacy, the last amendment deleted the provisions that obliged telecommunications companies to disclose location data for inclusion in that database.
Poland, which has been in a state of emergency since mid-March, has a track record of encroaching on the rule of law, even triggering the EU’s legal process for addressing violations of European values. The EU Commission has stated that the Polish judiciary is under “the political control of the ruling majority. In the absence of judicial independence, serious questions are raised about the effective application of EU law.” Now with COVID-19, the Polish government has also introduced several COVID acts, providing new surveillance powers for the executive. Article 11 of the COVID-19 act obliges telecom operators to collect and give access to location data of people infected with COVID-19 or those under quarantine upon a simple request, as well as aggregate location data of an operator’s clients. The new legislation states that these measures will remain in place until the pandemic has ended.
Slovakia is another eastern European country that has expanded telecom companies’ obligations to retain metadata during the crisis. Slovakia has been in a partial state of emergency since March 15th, during which several amendments to the country’s telecommunications act were fast tracked through parliament. The amendments, which immediately caused outrage, authorized national health authorities to obtain location data from telecommunications operators in the context of a pandemic. As in Poland, the amended law allows both for the retention of anonymized aggregate data, as well as for individual location data. After being challenged before the Slovakian Constitutional Court, these measures have recently been suspended due to their vagueness and insufficient safeguards against misuse.
Croatia’s government attempted to introduce similar, fast-tracked amendments to the country’s electronic communications law. The bill would have authorized the exceptional processing of location data to “protect national and public safety,” and would have obliged telecommunications operators to share the data with the Ministry of Health. As in other countries, the proposal was met with outrage among civil society, experts, and opposition, as more than forty civil society organizations signed onto a letter demanding the government to withdraw the bill. The criticism was eventually successful, but the Croatian example underlines the wider pattern of states looking to expand at any opportunity new surveillance powers in the crisis, in the Balkans and beyond.
Bulgaria, yet another Eastern European country in a state of emergency, has passed an emergency law, which included amendments to the country’s electronic communications act. The law now obliges telecommunications companies to store and (upon request) provide metadata to competent authorities, including the police, to monitor citizens’ compliance with quarantine measures. The law does not require requests to be authorized by courts but merely provides for a after-the-fact judicial review process which the country also uses when retaining data to prevent terrorist attacks. Not limited in time, the measures will remain in force even after the state of emergency has come to an end. Like Poland, Bulgaria has been showing authoritarian tendencies for several years, and this extension of the country’s data retention regime, ushered in during the COVID crisis, may help solidify autocracy. The pattern of European countries reaching for location data surveillance also pokes holes in the popular image of the European Union as particularly protective of the right to privacy.
South Korea, a country with experience fighting coronavirus outbreaks since the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) epidemic in 2015, has dramatically restricted the right to privacy in the context of the pandemic. The Infectious Disease Control and Prevention Act allows health officials to obtain sensitive personal data on the infected and those suspected to be infected, as well as their contacts and those suspected to be in contact. Such data includes names, resident registration numbers, addresses, telephone numbers, prescriptions, medical treatment records, immigration control records, credit card records, transit card records, and CCTV recordings from third parties companies. Police can seize this personal data without consent of the data subjects and without any judicial oversight. The Act also allows health officials and administrators of municipalities to collect location data on the infected (or suspected to be infected) and their contacts (or suspected contacts) from telecommunications operators and location data providers (from cell site and GPS).
Conclusion
Location surveillance comes with a host of risks to citizens’ privacy, freedom of expression and data protection rights. EFF has long been fighting against warrantless access to location data or blanket data retention mandates, and has called on governments to be more transparent on their surveillance programs. Especially now, during a major health crisis, in which the government has not shown the efficacy of location data about individuals, governments should be as transparent as possible about what data they are collecting for what purposes. Above all, the necessity and proportionality of any location data surveillance schemes must be demonstrated.
Source: EFF.org
Katitza Rodriguez is EFF’s international rights director. She concentrates on comparative policy of international privacy issues, with special emphasis on law enforcement, government surveillance, and cross border data flows. Her work in EFF’s International Program also focuses on cybersecurity at the intersection of human rights. Katitza also manages EFF’s growing Latin American programs. She was an advisor to the UN Internet Governance Forum (2009-2010). In 2018, CNET named Katitza one of 20 most influential latinos in technology in the United States. In 2014, she was also named one of “The heroes in the fight to save the Internet“.
Seth Schoen has worked at EFF over a decade, creating the Staff Technologist position and helping other technologists understand the civil liberties implications of their work, EFF staff better understand technology related to EFF’s legal work, and the public understand what products they use really do. He helped create the LNX-BBC live CD and has researched phenomena including laser printer forensic tracking codes, ISP packet spoofing, and key recovery from computer RAM after a computer has been turned off. He has testified before the U.S. Copyright Office, U.S. Sentencing Commission, and in several courts.
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, HIVE, Flote, Minds, and Twitter.
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activistpost--2020-05-21--US Banks On Hook For $150B In “Frozen Loans” As Millions Skip Credit Card And Car Payments

One month ago , after the banks reported Q1 earnings , we showed that the major US money center banks saw their loan loss provisions surge by roughly 4x from year ago levels in response to expected deterioration in their loan books , with JPMorgan jumping the most , or just over 5x , hinting the other banks are likely underprovisioned for the storm that is coming .
With banks set to be hit with tens of billions in charge offs – for which they are trying their best to reserve even if they have no idea just how bad @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looked at what the banks did in the aftermath of the financial crisis .
What we found is that most banks reserved total losses anywhere between 4 and 6 % of total loans .
This time around ?
So far it is less than 2 % , as shown in the chart below .
Putting it in context , so far the Big 4 banks have reserved an additional $ 24BN in Q1 for future loses .
But if the GFC is any indication of the defaults that are about to be unleashed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ discharges and delinquencies will increase 3x-4x compared to the current baseline , meaning that over the next several quarters , banks will have to take another $ 75- $ 100BN in reserves on loans that go bad , wiping out years of profits , which were used not for a rainy day fund but to pay for – drumroll – buybacks .
As we concluded , “ this to put it mildly , is a major problem for banks which until now were seen as generously overcapitalized , because if the US banking @ @ @ @ @ @ @ more ) in loan losses , then the Fed will have no choice but to once again step in and bail out the US financial sector.
” Of course , merely delinquent debt does not mean it is automatically in default , a state that usually follows several months of non-payment .
However , the longer consumers ignore , or are simply unable to make a scheduled payment , the higher the odds that a delinquent loan will eventually end up in default , resulting in a loan loss for the issuer bank @ @ @ @ @ @ @ loan losses will dictate if banks are over or under-reserved .
The question , then , is whether our worst-case $ 100 billion estimate was in the ballpark ?
Well , it now appears that this estimate may be optimistic , because as Bloomberg writes today , millions of Americans who have so far been getting breaks on roughly $ 150 billion loans are about to hear from their banks .
The reason : banks are starting to take a closer look at consumers who have arranged to delay payments , “ potentially @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as the industry tries to get a clearer picture of how many customers are truly unable to keep up during the coronavirus pandemic.
” It all started with the shock from the enforced shutdowns in March , when as coronavirus cases surged in the U.S. and businesses shut down , millions of people told their lenders they wouldn ’ t be able to pay their bills .
In response lenders allowed borrowers to miss payments for as long as several months on credit cards , auto loans and personal loans .
And while @ @ @ @ @ @ @ monthly credit card and auto loan statements , perhaps hoping that banks will simply forget about their obligations , the forbearance programs from March are nearing expiration dates , when many banks are set to decide whether to continue letting people put off roughly $ 150 billion of debt including credit cards balances , personal loans and car payments .
And in interviews with Bloomberg , executives said they ’ re concerned that at least some borrowers sought relief unnecessarily and that they should be coaxed into paying .
And in what is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , a number of firms aim to whittle out such participants , or charge interest to continue .
“ I would imagine we may have to go beyond 90 days ” of forbearance , Southern Bancorp Inc. Chief Executive Officer Darrin Williams said in an interview , referring to the expiration date for many programs .
“ I feel pretty strongly that many of the folks who took advantage of the consumer payment holiday we provided probably didn ’ t have to .
But if it ’ s offered , why not , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the rapid rollout of forbearance programs in March averted financial ruin for millions of households , giving Congress time to unleash trillions in fiscal stimulus including unemployment benefits and offer emergency aid to businesses , not to mention give the Fed time to prop up the market , to which roughly 70 % of total US household assets are linked .
The goal was to avoid a tidal wave of defaults by borrowers who began losing income when states locked down commerce to slow infections .
More than 30 million people have since @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Different Ways to Generate Extra Income In an attempt to avoid shocking the US economy into a depression , many banks offered to postpone bills with no proof of hardship , and many borrowers kept working .
Some signed up for the programs as a precaution , taking a break from payments to shore up their savings .
That , according to Bloomberg , made it impossible for banks to gauge the degree to which their loan portfolios are at risk of going bad .
Now , two months later , the dust @ @ @ @ @ @ @ banks are starting to assess just how much exposure they have to tens of millions of unemployed Americans who collectively owe over $ 100 billion in debt .
The numbers are staggering : according to a report from Janney Montgomery Scott analysts last week , some mid-sized banks placed more than 15 % of their loan books into forbearance by the end of March .
Needless to say , that number of orders of magnitude greater than what most banks have reserved for total loan losses .
In regions like the U.S. Southeast @ @ @ @ @ @ @ contrasted with low infection rates at the time .
Since then , many programs have remained open , continuing to take on borrowers who have fallen on hard times .
As a result , the erosion in bank loan books has only accelerated in the past month ; meanwhile of those who voluntarily accepted the forbearance option , there has been virtually no “ return to normal ” , as most are unable to , or simply resume to restart their debt payments .
Quantifying the forbearance shortfall , credit-reporting firm Transunion reported @ @ @ @ @ @ @ million credit cards in “ financial hardship ” programs , such as the above-mentioned deferral programs that let borrowers temporarily stop making payments .
That accounts for about 3 % of the credit-card accounts the company tracks , Transunion said Wednesday .
Separately , nearly three million auto loans were in these hardship programs , accounting for about 3.5 % of those tracked .
The numbers have surged from a year ago , when 0.03 % of credit cards and about 0.5 % of auto loans were in financial-hardship programs .
Keep in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in forbearance , they do not reflect those loans which are still current yet which may soon be impaired after the debtor stops making a payment in the coming months .
To make matters worse , Americans were tapping credit cards and auto loans at record levels even before the pandemic to deal with rising costs and stagnant incomes , although in a sharp reverse from this trend , March saw a record repayment on credit card debt as those who could , paid down as much of their statement as possible , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ It is all those who were unable to do so , or were forced to take on even more debt , that are a challenge to the banks .
In addition , about 840,000 personal loans were in deferment or another type of financial hardship in April , accounting for 3.6 % of those tracked .
TransUnion ’ s estimates include accounts where the borrowers are pausing their payments with permission , as well as accounts that have been frozen .
What happens next ?
Well , as the WSJ notes , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alike .
Consumers who can ’ t pay could be sent to collections .
Their credit scores could also drop significantly , making it harder for them to access affordable credit in the future .
Lenders could face a reckoning , too .
Allowing borrowers to pause their payments lets lenders avoid a big spike in delinquencies and charge-offs , at least for the short term .
Credit cards in deferment , for example , aren ’ t factored into the delinquency rates that many lenders report .
And yet , while in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ destruction lenders hope that being flexible with borrowers will buy time for the economy to recover and for consumers to get back on track with payments , borrowers may simply have no choice but to default .
Furthermore , lenders can only shoulder the unpaid loans for so long , and many are bracing for a mountain of defaults that they ’ ll eventually write off as a loss .
The question is how much ?
Going back to the report from Keefe , Bruyette & Woods , on average , banks had @ @ @ @ @ @ @ portfolios on ice as of mid- to late-April .
Based on Federal Reserve data , that would equate to roughly $ 150 billion in loans , although that amount is surely far greater now as millions more have lost their jobs in recent weeks .
Also keep in mind that those figures don ’ t include U.S. mortgage forbearance programs that let borrowers with government-backed loans postpone payments for as long as 12 months while dealing with the pandemic ; that ’ s hundreds of billions more than are currently in forebearance and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ extension period ends .
These millions of consumer-loan deferrals have left banks , shareholders and even regulators in the dark on how many people are truly in distress and what the ultimate cost to lenders may be .
While executives expect to get a clearer view of the situation in the second half of the year , for now regulators are letting banks put off that reckoning .
In March , a bevy of watchdogs made it easier for lenders to modify terms , such as by lowering interest rates or letting borrowers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ t necessarily require banks to label those situations as “ troubled debt restructurings , ” which require more capital .
The bottom line is that the confusion will likely persist for another quarter , at which point shareholders and regulators will start demanding answers .
“ My belief is losses aren ’ t coming until third quarter for banks , ” Ira Robbins , CEO of Valley National Bancorp , said in an interview .
Because banks granted deferrals to pretty much everyone who asked for it , “ we have no idea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ what ’ s going to happen from a credit perspective.
” In advance of what is shaping up as a D-day for the bank , they are now starting to examine millions of account holders to determine who is taking advantage of the programs and who genuinely needs forbearance .
The efforts include trying to figure out which customers still have jobs by checking databases operated by major credit reporting firms , according to Bloomberg .
Moving ahead , some banks are considering letting customers continue skipping payments but reinstating interest on loans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ less enticing for those who don ’ t absolutely need it .
Others might require customers to show additional proof they ’ ve been impacted by the virus .
It ’ s not that they “ want to genuinely help ” – it ’ s that they know that once they accelerate a default , they will have to show it on their books as deferred payments don ’ t impact delinquent amounts .
Meanwhile , the banks also know that in all the chaos , millions of Americans are taking advantage of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ did too hard , they will have to disclose the full severity of just how big the hit to their balance sheet will be .
Which , for once , gives US consumers all the leverage in the neverending battle between man and bank .
Forbearance deadlines vary by bank and customer .
Citigroup Inc. was one of the first banks to offer forbearance , initially granting a 30-day reprieve that it since extended twice until May 31 .
Which means that in less than two weeks , millions of Americans will have @ @ @ @ @ @ @ That ’ s the $ 64 trillion question , one which nobody really wants answered .
According to Bloomberg , the nation ’ s largest banks JPMorgan , Bank of America and Wells Fargo – have generally said they will at least check in with borrowers in coming weeks as they assess how to continue programs and whether to encourage people to use other options .
Those can include modifying loans or restarting some payments for credit cards or car loans .
The good news is that so far , the programs seem @ @ @ @ @ @ @ pandemic .
Fewer households were late on their cards , car loans , personal loans and mortgages in April than in March , according to TransUnion data released Wednesday , but here too it ’ s not clear if the banks are in fact motivated to disclose the full severity of the delinquency rate to data collectors .
That upended expectations that consumers would fall behind on their debts as a result of widespread joblessness and the forced shutdown of the U.S. economy .
Of course , a big reason for why the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that government stimulus checks continue to plug the income gap for millions of households .
But those , too , will soon run out .
Matt Komos , TransUnion ’ s vice president of research and consulting , said households may be postponing payments to keep an extra cash cushion just in case the economy worsens .
Indeed , many consumers who deferred loans sent payments anyway , sometimes far more than the monthly minimums to reduce their overall debt loads , TransUnion data show .
“ A lot of the banks are @ @ @ @ @ @ @ terms of how to treat customers , ” said Alan McIntyre , senior managing director for Accenture Plc ’ s banking practice .
“ The measures they focus on to manage credit quality , and those dials aren ’ t moving .
And those dials aren ’ t going to move until the fall.
” That ’ s when the real shock from the second great depression will finally be revealed .
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Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By Tyler Durden
One month ago, after the banks reported Q1 earnings, we showed that the major US money center banks saw their loan loss provisions surge by roughly 4x from year ago levels in response to expected deterioration in their loan books, with JPMorgan jumping the most, or just over 5x, hinting the other banks are likely underprovisioned for the storm that is coming.
With banks set to be hit with tens of billions in charge offs – for which they are trying their best to reserve even if they have no idea just how bad the hit will be – we next looked at what the banks did in the aftermath of the financial crisis. What we found is that most banks reserved total losses anywhere between 4 and 6% of total loans. This time around? So far it is less than 2%, as shown in the chart below.
Putting it in context, so far the Big 4 banks have reserved an additional $24BN in Q1 for future loses. But if the GFC is any indication of the defaults that are about to be unleashed, the real amount of losses, discharges and delinquencies will increase 3x-4x compared to the current baseline, meaning that over the next several quarters, banks will have to take another $75-$100BN in reserves on loans that go bad, wiping out years of profits, which were used not for a rainy day fund but to pay for – drumroll – buybacks.
As we concluded, “this to put it mildly, is a major problem for banks which until now were seen as generously overcapitalized, because if the US banking sector is facing $100BN (or more) in loan losses, then the Fed will have no choice but to once again step in and bail out the US financial sector.”
Of course, merely delinquent debt does not mean it is automatically in default, a state that usually follows several months of non-payment. However, the longer consumers ignore, or are simply unable to make a scheduled payment, the higher the odds that a delinquent loan will eventually end up in default, resulting in a loan loss for the issuer bank. Ultimately, the total amount of loan losses will dictate if banks are over or under-reserved.
The question, then, is whether our worst-case $100 billion estimate was in the ballpark?
Well, it now appears that this estimate may be optimistic, because as Bloomberg writes today, millions of Americans who have so far been getting breaks on roughly $150 billion loans are about to hear from their banks. The reason: banks are starting to take a closer look at consumers who have arranged to delay payments, “potentially pushing some out of the programs, as the industry tries to get a clearer picture of how many customers are truly unable to keep up during the coronavirus pandemic.”
It all started with the shock from the enforced shutdowns in March, when as coronavirus cases surged in the U.S. and businesses shut down, millions of people told their lenders they wouldn’t be able to pay their bills. In response lenders allowed borrowers to miss payments for as long as several months on credit cards, auto loans and personal loans.
And while millions of Americans have been ignoring their monthly credit card and auto loan statements, perhaps hoping that banks will simply forget about their obligations, the forbearance programs from March are nearing expiration dates, when many banks are set to decide whether to continue letting people put off roughly $150 billion of debt including credit cards balances, personal loans and car payments. And in interviews with Bloomberg, executives said they’re concerned that at least some borrowers sought relief unnecessarily and that they should be coaxed into paying. And in what is set to be the next major firestorm, a number of firms aim to whittle out such participants, or charge interest to continue.
“I would imagine we may have to go beyond 90 days” of forbearance, Southern Bancorp Inc. Chief Executive Officer Darrin Williams said in an interview, referring to the expiration date for many programs. “I feel pretty strongly that many of the folks who took advantage of the consumer payment holiday we provided probably didn’t have to. But if it’s offered, why not, right?”
To be sure, the rapid rollout of forbearance programs in March averted financial ruin for millions of households, giving Congress time to unleash trillions in fiscal stimulus including unemployment benefits and offer emergency aid to businesses, not to mention give the Fed time to prop up the market, to which roughly 70% of total US household assets are linked. The goal was to avoid a tidal wave of defaults by borrowers who began losing income when states locked down commerce to slow infections. More than 30 million people have since filed jobless claims.
In an attempt to avoid shocking the US economy into a depression, many banks offered to postpone bills with no proof of hardship, and many borrowers kept working. Some signed up for the programs as a precaution, taking a break from payments to shore up their savings. That, according to Bloomberg, made it impossible for banks to gauge the degree to which their loan portfolios are at risk of going bad.
Now, two months later, the dust from the initial shock has settled and banks are starting to assess just how much exposure they have to tens of millions of unemployed Americans who collectively owe over $100 billion in debt.
The numbers are staggering: according to a report from Janney Montgomery Scott analysts last week, some mid-sized banks placed more than 15% of their loan books into forbearance by the end of March.
Needless to say, that number of orders of magnitude greater than what most banks have reserved for total loan losses. In regions like the U.S. Southeast, relatively high rates of borrower relief contrasted with low infection rates at the time. Since then, many programs have remained open, continuing to take on borrowers who have fallen on hard times. As a result, the erosion in bank loan books has only accelerated in the past month; meanwhile of those who voluntarily accepted the forbearance option, there has been virtually no “return to normal”, as most are unable to, or simply resume to restart their debt payments.
Quantifying the forbearance shortfall, credit-reporting firm Transunion reported that lenders in April had nearly 15 million credit cards in “financial hardship” programs, such as the above-mentioned deferral programs that let borrowers temporarily stop making payments. That accounts for about 3% of the credit-card accounts the company tracks, Transunion said Wednesday. Separately, nearly three million auto loans were in these hardship programs, accounting for about 3.5% of those tracked. The numbers have surged from a year ago, when 0.03% of credit cards and about 0.5% of auto loans were in financial-hardship programs.
Keep in mind, these numbers only represent accounts in forbearance, they do not reflect those loans which are still current yet which may soon be impaired after the debtor stops making a payment in the coming months. To make matters worse, Americans were tapping credit cards and auto loans at record levels even before the pandemic to deal with rising costs and stagnant incomes, although in a sharp reverse from this trend, March saw a record repayment on credit card debt as those who could, paid down as much of their statement as possible, to clean up their balance sheet.
It is all those who were unable to do so, or were forced to take on even more debt, that are a challenge to the banks.
In addition, about 840,000 personal loans were in deferment or another type of financial hardship in April, accounting for 3.6% of those tracked. TransUnion’s estimates include accounts where the borrowers are pausing their payments with permission, as well as accounts that have been frozen.
* * *
What happens next? Well, as the WSJ notes, the stakes are high for borrowers and lenders alike. Consumers who can’t pay could be sent to collections. Their credit scores could also drop significantly, making it harder for them to access affordable credit in the future.
Lenders could face a reckoning, too. Allowing borrowers to pause their payments lets lenders avoid a big spike in delinquencies and charge-offs, at least for the short term. Credit cards in deferment, for example, aren’t factored into the delinquency rates that many lenders report. And yet, while in this carefully choreographed dance of mutual assured destruction lenders hope that being flexible with borrowers will buy time for the economy to recover and for consumers to get back on track with payments, borrowers may simply have no choice but to default. Furthermore, lenders can only shoulder the unpaid loans for so long, and many are bracing for a mountain of defaults that they’ll eventually write off as a loss.
The question is how much?
Going back to the report from Keefe, Bruyette & Woods, on average, banks had about 5% of their consumer loan portfolios on ice as of mid- to late-April. Based on Federal Reserve data, that would equate to roughly $150 billion in loans, although that amount is surely far greater now as millions more have lost their jobs in recent weeks.
Also keep in mind that those figures don’t include U.S. mortgage forbearance programs that let borrowers with government-backed loans postpone payments for as long as 12 months while dealing with the pandemic; that’s hundreds of billions more than are currently in forebearance and may go straight to default once the extension period ends.
* * *
These millions of consumer-loan deferrals have left banks, shareholders and even regulators in the dark on how many people are truly in distress and what the ultimate cost to lenders may be. While executives expect to get a clearer view of the situation in the second half of the year, for now regulators are letting banks put off that reckoning. In March, a bevy of watchdogs made it easier for lenders to modify terms, such as by lowering interest rates or letting borrowers skip payments. The moves wouldn’t necessarily require banks to label those situations as “troubled debt restructurings,” which require more capital.
The bottom line is that the confusion will likely persist for another quarter, at which point shareholders and regulators will start demanding answers.
“My belief is losses aren’t coming until third quarter for banks,” Ira Robbins, CEO of Valley National Bancorp, said in an interview. Because banks granted deferrals to pretty much everyone who asked for it, “we have no idea, outside of hypothesis, as to what’s going to happen from a credit perspective.”
In advance of what is shaping up as a D-day for the bank, they are now starting to examine millions of account holders to determine who is taking advantage of the programs and who genuinely needs forbearance. The efforts include trying to figure out which customers still have jobs by checking databases operated by major credit reporting firms, according to Bloomberg.
Moving ahead, some banks are considering letting customers continue skipping payments but reinstating interest on loans, a move that could make forbearance less enticing for those who don’t absolutely need it. Others might require customers to show additional proof they’ve been impacted by the virus.
“The banks want to genuinely help,” said Scott Barton, managing partner at 2nd Order Solutions, which advises lenders on collections and forbearance processes. But they “would like to start to differentiate and not give away money to people that don’t really need it right now.”
It’s not that they “want to genuinely help” – it’s that they know that once they accelerate a default, they will have to show it on their books as deferred payments don’t impact delinquent amounts. Meanwhile, the banks also know that in all the chaos, millions of Americans are taking advantage of the forbearance program, but if they did too hard, they will have to disclose the full severity of just how big the hit to their balance sheet will be.
Which, for once, gives US consumers all the leverage in the neverending battle between man and bank.
Forbearance deadlines vary by bank and customer. Citigroup Inc. was one of the first banks to offer forbearance, initially granting a 30-day reprieve that it since extended twice until May 31. Which means that in less than two weeks, millions of Americans will have to start paying down their debt.
Will they?
That’s the $64 trillion question, one which nobody really wants answered. According to Bloomberg, the nation’s largest banks JPMorgan, Bank of America and Wells Fargo – have generally said they will at least check in with borrowers in coming weeks as they assess how to continue programs and whether to encourage people to use other options. Those can include modifying loans or restarting some payments for credit cards or car loans.
The good news is that so far, the programs seem to be easing financial strains during the pandemic. Fewer households were late on their cards, car loans, personal loans and mortgages in April than in March, according to TransUnion data released Wednesday, but here too it’s not clear if the banks are in fact motivated to disclose the full severity of the delinquency rate to data collectors. That upended expectations that consumers would fall behind on their debts as a result of widespread joblessness and the forced shutdown of the U.S. economy. Of course, a big reason for why the default surge has not hit yet is that government stimulus checks continue to plug the income gap for millions of households. But those, too, will soon run out.
Matt Komos, TransUnion’s vice president of research and consulting, said households may be postponing payments to keep an extra cash cushion just in case the economy worsens. Indeed, many consumers who deferred loans sent payments anyway, sometimes far more than the monthly minimums to reduce their overall debt loads, TransUnion data show.
“A lot of the banks are in the dark a little bit in terms of how to treat customers,” said Alan McIntyre, senior managing director for Accenture Plc’s banking practice. “The measures they focus on to manage credit quality, and those dials aren’t moving. And those dials aren’t going to move until the fall.”
That’s when the real shock from the second great depression will finally be revealed.
Source: ZeroHedge
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activistpost--2020-05-21--Council Unanimously Approves 5G Cease and Desist Resolution (Easton, CT)

Since 2018 , there have been reports of people and animals becoming sick after 5G was installed and turned on ( see 1 .
2 , 3 , 4 ) .
People worldwide – including elected officials – are opposed to this technology because of risks to biological health , cybersecurity ( see 1 , 2 , 3 ) , environmental health ( see 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 ) , privacy ( see 1 , 2 ) , safety , and more .
Many cities and countries have already taken action banning it , filing lawsuits , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ( see 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 .
7 ) .
This now includes Easton , CT. A 5G cease and desist resolution was unanimously approved by Easton Connecticut on May 7 2020 .
This action follows extensive investigations into the issue .
The 5G Resolution can be accessed here .
In January 2020 , an expert forum — “ What You Should Know About 5G ” — was organized by the only state representative to vote against accelerating 5G wireless facilities in Connecticut , David Michel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former president of Microsoft Canada ; Patti Wood , founder of the nonprofit Grassroots Environmental Education ; and Devra Davis , an epidemiologist and founder of the Environmental Health Trust .
A video of the Stamford Connecticut meeting can be found HERE .
• “ The town of Easton has decided to stop its 5G wireless technology rollout .
Until research and testing show its safe for humans and the environment , a 5G cease and desist resolution was unanimously approved by the town on May 7 .
The American Academy of Pediatrics @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have advised the federal communication commission to test the long-term safety of 5G technology .
Easton is the first town in Connecticut to ban 5G.
” May 7 , 2020 Agenda of Selectman , Minutes of Meeting with Resolution May 4 , 2020 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass… • The Board of Selectmen will consider a resolution to ban 5G networks from Easton temporarily until more information can be gathered about the potential side effects of the transmissions .
January , 2020 Concerns about 5G technology draw a crowd of skeptics in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 2020 Concerns about 5G technology draw a crowd of skeptics in Stamford , Stamford Advocate The Federal Communication Commission ( FCC ) is supposed to protect Americans by regulating the telecom history .
They are instead speeding up 5G installation during the pandemic ( see 1 , 2 , 3 .
4 , 5 , 6 ) .
This includes approving the launch of tens of thousands of satellites to blast 5G and WiFi at us from space ( see 1 , 2 , 3 ) .
Lawsuits have been filed against them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of radiation ( see 1 , 2 ) and 5G ( see 1 , 2 , 3 ) .
Two organizations have provided updated resources for Americans fighting deployment in their communities ( see 1 , 2 ) .
Activist Post reports regularly about 5G and other unsafe technology .
For more information , visit our archives and the following websites : 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 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Minds , and Twitter .
Provide , Protect and Profit from what ’ s coming !
Get a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By B.N. Frank
Since 2018, there have been reports of people and animals becoming sick after 5G was installed and turned on (see 1. 2, 3, 4). People worldwide – including elected officials – are opposed to this technology because of risks to biological health, cybersecurity (see 1, 2, 3), environmental health (see 1, 2, 3, 4), privacy (see 1, 2), safety, and more. Many cities and countries have already taken action banning it, filing lawsuits, issuing moratoriums, passing ordinances and resolutions (see 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7). This now includes Easton, CT.
From Environmental Health Trust:
Easton Connecticut Passes Resolution Calling for a Halt to 5G
Breaking News May 20, 2020
Easton Connecticut has voted to ban 5G.
A 5G cease and desist resolution was unanimously approved by Easton Connecticut on May 7 2020.
This action follows extensive investigations into the issue. The 5G Resolution can be accessed here.
In January 2020, an expert forum — “What You Should Know About 5G” — was organized by the only state representative to vote against accelerating 5G wireless facilities in Connecticut, David Michel, D-Stamford featuring Frank Clegg, the former president of Microsoft Canada; Patti Wood, founder of the nonprofit Grassroots Environmental Education; and Devra Davis, an epidemiologist and founder of the Environmental Health Trust. A video of the Stamford Connecticut meeting can be found HERE.
See News story Easton bans 5G technology rollout citing lack of research, testing
“The town of Easton has decided to stop its 5G wireless technology rollout. Until research and testing show its safe for humans and the environment, a 5G cease and desist resolution was unanimously approved by the town on May 7. The American Academy of Pediatrics and hundreds of medical and scientific experts have advised the federal communication commission to test the long-term safety of 5G technology. Easton is the first town in Connecticut to ban 5G.”
Resources
5G Resolution of Easton Connecticut May 2020
May 7, 2020 Agenda of Selectman , Minutes of Meeting with Resolution
May 4, 2020 A Message from First Selectman Bindelglass…
The Board of Selectmen will consider a resolution to ban 5G networks from Easton temporarily until more information can be gathered about the potential side effects of the transmissions.
Background News Stories
January, 2020 Concerns about 5G technology draw a crowd of skeptics in Stamford, Connecticut Post
January 7, 2020 Concerns about 5G technology draw a crowd of skeptics in Stamford, Stamford Advocate
The Federal Communication Commission (FCC) is supposed to protect Americans by regulating the telecom history. They are instead speeding up 5G installation during the pandemic (see 1, 2, 3. 4, 5, 6). This includes approving the launch of tens of thousands of satellites to blast 5G and WiFi at us from space (see 1, 2, 3). Lawsuits have been filed against them for NOT protecting Americans from unsafe levels of radiation (see 1, 2) and 5G (see 1, 2, 3). Two organizations have provided updated resources for Americans fighting deployment in their communities (see 1, 2).
Activist Post reports regularly about 5G and other unsafe technology. For more information, visit our archives and the following websites:
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, HIVE, Flote, Minds, and Twitter.
Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.


activistpost--2020-05-20--The FCC Is More Powerful Than the DoD?!  Free E-Book Explains Why

The Federal Communications Commission ( FCC ) is supposed to protect the public by regulating the telecom industry .
Their history of being an ineffective and corrupt agency that favors the industry is decades long .
Unfortunately , they have become more dangerous and powerful during the Trump administration ( see 1 .
2 .
3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 .
10 .
11 ) .
Lawsuits have been filed against them for NOT protecting Americans from unsafe levels of radiation ( see 1 , 2 ) and forced 5G installation ( @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
They have ignored opposition and warnings by a multitude of experts that includes NASA , NOAA , the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense .
Regardless , they are speeding up installation during the pandemic ( see 1 , 2 .
3 , 4 , 5 ) which includes approving the launch of tens of thousands of satellites to blast 5G and WiFi at us from space ( see 1 , 2 , 3 ) .
The FCC is part of “ The Swamp ” that Trump promised to drain but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the Harvard Center of Ethics and Norm Alster for providing this free eBook that details the agency ’ s rise to seemingly unlimited power .
Activist Post reports regularly about unsafe technology .
For more information , visit our archives and the following websites : 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 , HIVE , Flote , Minds , and Twitter .
Provide , Protect and Profit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a free issue of Counter Markets today .

By B.N. Frank
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is supposed to protect the public by regulating the telecom industry. Their history of being an ineffective and corrupt agency that favors the industry is decades long. Unfortunately, they have become more dangerous and powerful during the Trump administration (see 1. 2. 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9. 10. 11).
Lawsuits have been filed against them for NOT protecting Americans from unsafe levels of radiation (see 1, 2) and forced 5G installation (see 1. 2, 3). They have ignored opposition and warnings by a multitude of experts that includes NASA, NOAA, the U.S. Navy and the Department of Defense. Regardless, they are speeding up installation during the pandemic (see 1, 2. 3, 4, 5) which includes approving the launch of tens of thousands of satellites to blast 5G and WiFi at us from space (see 1, 2, 3).
The FCC is part of “The Swamp” that Trump promised to drain but still hasn’t. Thanks to the Harvard Center of Ethics and Norm Alster for providing this free eBook that details the agency’s rise to seemingly unlimited power.
Activist Post reports regularly about unsafe technology. For more information, visit our archives and the following websites:
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, HIVE, Flote, Minds, and Twitter.
Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.


activistpost--2020-05-21--TSA Tries Again to Impose an ID Requirement to Fly

Air travel in the US has been reduced by more than 90 % , measured by the numbers of people passing through checkpoints at airports operated by the Transportation Security Administration ( TSA ) and its contractors .
And the Department of Homeland Security ( DHS ) has postponed its threat to start unlawfully refusing passage to travelers without ID credentials compliant with the REAL-ID Act of 2005 for another year , from October 1 , 2020 , to October 1 , 2021 .
So , relatively little attention is being paid right now to air travel or TSA requirements @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the TSA to try to sneak a new ID requirement for air travel ( to take effect in 2021 ) into place without arousing public protest .
Today , in collaboration with nine other organizations concerned with freedom of travel , identification , privacy , human rights , and civil liberties , we filed comments with the TSA in opposition to what is ostensibly a “ Notice of intent to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget ” for a new form , TSA Form 415 .
Our comments were joined @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Travel USA , Fiat Fiendum , Inc. , National Center For Transgender Equality ( NCTE ) , Restore The Fourth , Inc. , Patient Privacy Rights , Defending Rights And Dissent , The Constitutional Alliance , Privacy Times , and Just Futures Law .
According to our comments , the TSA is attempting to “ use the innocuous-seeming device of a request for approval of an information collection to introduce a fundamental and profoundly controversial change in substantive TSA requirements and the rights of travelers ” : When the substance of the proposal @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the proposed change in prerequisites for the exercise of the right to travel by air is not a mere continuation of , or change in , an information collection .
This change in requirements is being requested from the wrong agency , through the wrong procedure , and without an adequate basis… .
According to the notice : “ All adult passengers 18 and over must show valid identification at the airport checkpoint in order to travel.
” As discussed further below , this statement is directly contradicted by the arguments made @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , the testimony given under oath by TSA staff , the evidence submitted by the TSA to Federal courts , the findings of fact made by Federal courts based on that evidence , the TSA records regarding people who fly without showing ID released in response to our Freedom Of Information Act ( FOIA ) requests , and the experience of the commenters and other travelers .
In fact , the TSA does not require , and the law does not authorize the TSA to require , that would-be travelers show any identity @ @ @ @ @ @ @ people who do not show any identity documents travel by air every day – typically after being required to complete and sign the current version of TSA Form 415 and answer questions about what information is contained in the file about them obtained by the TSA from data broker Accurint… .
The notice attempts to use the PRA procedures for approval of a form to introduce a sweeping , highly controversial , substantive change in the scope of authority over air travelers claimed and exercised by the TSA… .
Profit outside the rigged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ economic collapse .
Learn to live free and spread peace !
- Trends & Strategies for Maximum Freedom The proposal implicates the ability of individuals to exercise their right to travel by air by common carrier , a right recognized by Federal statute , the U.S. Constitution , and international human rights treaties .
The proposed revised form is represented as somehow related to implementation of the REAL-ID Act of 2005 .
But travelers have not been , and are not now , required to show any ID to fly , and nothing @ @ @ @ @ @ @ would change that… .
The notice describes TSA Form 415 and its use as “ a new Information Collection Request ( ICR ) abstracted below that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget ( OMB ) for approval in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act ( PRA ) .
” … But neither the form nor the additional information collection associated with its use are “ new ” .
As chronicled further below , both TSA Form 415 and its unnumbered predecessor form ( s ) , and the associated @ @ @ @ @ @ @ have been in use since at least 2008 .
In summary , the notice claims that the requirement for air travelers to show ID is already in effect , but that the information collection for which approval is sought is “ new ” .
In fact , it ’ s just the reverse : The information collection including Form 415 and verbal questioning is already in effect , but the proposed ID requirement for air travelers would be new .
We ’ ve seen this before .
In 2016 , the TSA published @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Form 415 ( and a new ID requirement to fly ) for OMB for approval .
We objected , as did many others .
The TSA never followed through with its planned submission to OMB ( which would trigger a second window of opportunity for the public to submit comments , this time to OMB rather than the TSA ) .
Instead , the TSA decided to “ re-start ” the process , perhaps in hope of putting the objections raised in 2015-216 behind it if the original commenters didn ’ t re-submit @ @ @ @ @ @ @ closely to see if the TSA moves forward with this proposal , or tries to put a de facto ID requirement for air travel into effect through some other backdoor means .
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 , HIVE , Flote , Minds , and Twitter .
Provide , Protect and Profit from what ’ s coming !
Get a free issue of Counter Markets @ @

By Edward Hasbrouck
Air travel in the US has been reduced by more than 90%, measured by the numbers of people passing through checkpoints at airports operated by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and its contractors.
And the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has postponed its threat to start unlawfully refusing passage to travelers without ID credentials compliant with the REAL-ID Act of 2005 for another year, from October 1, 2020, to October 1, 2021.
So, relatively little attention is being paid right now to air travel or TSA requirements — making it the ideal time for the TSA to try to sneak a new ID requirement for air travel (to take effect in 2021) into place without arousing public protest.
Today, in collaboration with nine other organizations concerned with freedom of travel, identification, privacy, human rights, and civil liberties, we filed comments with the TSA in opposition to what is ostensibly a “Notice of intent to request approval from the Office of Management and Budget” for a new form, TSA Form 415.
Our comments were joined by the Identity Project, Freedom To Travel USA, Fiat Fiendum, Inc., National Center For Transgender Equality (NCTE), Restore The Fourth, Inc., Patient Privacy Rights, Defending Rights And Dissent, The Constitutional Alliance, Privacy Times, and Just Futures Law.
According to our comments, the TSA is attempting to “use the innocuous-seeming device of a request for approval of an information collection to introduce a fundamental and profoundly controversial change in substantive TSA requirements and the rights of travelers”:
When the substance of the proposal is stated accurately, it is clear that the proposed change in prerequisites for the exercise of the right to travel by air is not a mere continuation of, or change in, an information collection. This change in requirements is being requested from the wrong agency, through the wrong procedure, and without an adequate basis…. According to the notice: “All adult passengers 18 and over must show valid identification at the airport
checkpoint in order to travel.” This statement is materially false…. As discussed further below, this statement is directly contradicted by the arguments made by counsel for the TSA in litigation, the testimony given under oath by TSA staff, the evidence submitted by the TSA to Federal courts, the findings of fact made by Federal courts based on that evidence, the TSA records regarding people who fly without showing ID released in response to our Freedom Of Information Act (FOIA) requests, and the experience of the commenters and other travelers. In fact, the TSA does not require, and the law does not authorize the TSA to require, that would-be travelers show any identity documents. According to longstanding practice, people who do not show any identity documents travel by air every day – typically after being required to complete and sign the current version of TSA Form 415 and answer questions about what information is contained in the file about them obtained by the TSA from data broker Accurint…. The notice attempts to use the PRA procedures for approval of a form to introduce a sweeping, highly controversial, substantive change in the scope of authority over air travelers claimed and exercised by the TSA…. The proposal implicates the ability of individuals to exercise their right to travel by air by common carrier, a right recognized by Federal statute, the U.S. Constitution, and international human rights treaties. The proposed revised form is represented as somehow related to implementation of the REAL-ID Act of 2005. But travelers have not been, and are not now, required to show any ID to fly, and nothing in the REAL-ID Act has changed or would change that…. The notice describes TSA Form 415 and its use as “a new Information Collection Request (ICR) abstracted below that we will submit to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for approval in compliance with the Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA).”… But neither the form nor the additional information collection associated with its use are “new”. As chronicled further below, both TSA Form 415 and its unnumbered predecessor form(s), and the associated verbal collection of information from travelers, have been in use since at least 2008. In summary, the notice claims that the requirement for air travelers to show ID is already in effect, but that the information collection for which approval is sought is “new”. In fact, it’s just the reverse: The information collection including Form 415 and verbal questioning is already in effect, but the proposed ID requirement for air travelers would be new.
We’ve seen this before.
In 2016, the TSA published a similar notice of intent to submit Form 415 (and a new ID requirement to fly) for OMB for approval. We objected, as did many others. The TSA never followed through with its planned submission to OMB (which would trigger a second window of opportunity for the public to submit comments, this time to OMB rather than the TSA). Instead, the TSA decided to “re-start” the process, perhaps in hope of putting the objections raised in 2015-216 behind it if the original commenters didn’t re-submit them.
We’ll be watching closely to see if the TSA moves forward with this proposal, or tries to put a de facto ID requirement for air travel into effect through some other backdoor means.
Source: Papers Please
Image: Pixabay
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, HIVE, Flote, Minds, and Twitter.
Provide, Protect and Profit from what’s coming! Get a free issue of Counter Markets today.