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Every Thursday at 8pm, I go outside my house, blow a whistle, clap, hit a frying pan for the NHS and smile meaningfully at my neighbours. We all look at each other with what people like to call Blitz Spirit.

I think that translates as, we never normally talk to each other except to bitch about binmen and Thames Water but were in this together now.

All over the globe, a community spirit has transformed a normally cynical, individualistic world. We are all suffering the miserable and terrifying consequences of Covid-19 and, for most of us, this has suddenly imbued us with a sense of collective responsibility in real life. A bit of - you know- niceness.

But is this trickling online? Has a pandemic forced humanity to clean up its digital act? Just as we are living in a new normal, it looks like the internet is experiencing its own readjustment, reaching its own new normal. And it might be .dare we say it.nicer? The internet- maybe, just maybe- getting a bit of its own blitz spirit.

It couldnt come fast enough as - thanks to this pandemic - our URL lives have become our IRL lives.

Because, as much as we love the internet, here are some hard truths about it. Twinned with our day-to-day dependency, has long been the dark side; ugly trolling, hatred spreading fast and unchecked online, from bullying to cancel culture. Its facilitated everything from the rise of terrorism and the alt-Right, to the myriad editing filters that have proven the catalyst for negative body image.

But dont just take it from me. The founder of the internet, Sir Tim Berners Lee, earlier this year claimed that his creation had become an unsafe space for many.

In an open letter, published on his own Web Foundation site on the 12 March to mark the 31st birthday of the internet, he said: The world has made important progress on gender equality thanks to the unceasing drive of committed champions everywhere. But I am seriously concerned that online harms facing women and girls especially those of colour, from LGBTQ+ communities and other marginalised groups threaten that progress.

The data to back this up is depressing. Since 2010, the year that birthed instagram, depressive symptoms in girls have risen by 170%. A survey by Berners-Lees own Web Foundation, showed that more than half of young women have experienced violence online, including sexual harassment, threatening messages and having private images shared without consent. A government survey from 2019, showed that 1 in 4 adults in the UK have experienced some form of cyberbullying.

But The New York Timess tech columnist Kevin Roose, said the internet had during the crisis of the last few months, become better. He called it pro-social, meaning it was actually being used for many of the wonderful things it was originally intended for, as opposed to just a tool for online nastiness and trolling, which he claims has diminished. Connection- that great promise of social media- has never felt more vital than it does now. Think how many of us are relying on the internet now, to let us see our friends and family.

A sliver of light has slipped into our online world. Much like the reports weve seen of nature fighting back at this time, the ducks seen by the Opera in Paris - once a traffic-clogged thoroughfare- and the goats wandering through villages in Wales. So too has this pandemic perhaps dimmed the noise of ugly voices clogging up the internet, and allowed a little kindness to creep in.

The new normal of the internet may be one where the severity of Covid-19 and its threat to our very existence has made the dark side of the internet go quiet. It has encouraged the trolls to slither back under their rocks, bringing a more benevolent side to the surface.

Our social conversations are dominated largely by messages of hope and love at a terrifying time. Humour and compassion have largely overridden snark and meanness. Anyone tempted to troll or message negatively, may well be too daunted by the new online climate to even try. Trolling was never big, nor was it clever, but it seems even smaller and stupider now, when faced with the enormity of the global situation.

Instead, people are thirsty for positivity. Memes, which rely on accepted, shared truisms for their humour, have never had so much potency. The Mindy Kaling meme from The Office Its just some of us are taking this seriously sums up exactly how we feel when we see people still having parties. The Sex and the City Movie meme, of Carrie (as 2020) beating Big (us) with her wedding bouquet, is pretty much how we feel this year has treated us. This is a golden time for the comedic community spirit of the online world, in which memes are our choice weapon against misery and boredom.

Good news stories, like singing from balconies and the heroic Colonel Tom, are dominating our feeds. Campaigns and fundraisers are now ubiquitous. We are using the online world to help, not harm. The sense of a greater evil at work - Covid-19 - of a united empathy for each other at this time- seems to have quieted the trolls.

Tessy Ojo, CEO of The Diana Award says they have noticed a surge of positivity, particularly among millennials and Gen Z online.

Young people are facing monumental changes in their lives right now and in the long-term they are likely to be one of the biggest victims of this crisis. Despite this, The Diana Award has seen a surge of positivity online, she says, Our recent research proves this with nearly three quarters (70%) of these generations saying they are more engaged than ever with social and community action and its a high priority for them. Its heartening to see millennials and Gen Z meeting online to discuss their work, inspire others and share the positive and negative experiences theyve encountered on their mission to change the world.

What we are seeing creeping in, is a brief chink of light, a snapshot of how the internet should and could be...but there are still unpleasant vestiges or the internets former mean streak.

Charlotte, 22, is a student and feminist activist. A lot of her tweets are- naturally- battling misogyny and promoting gender equality. This has long made her a target for online trolls.

I spend a lot of my time online- on twitter especially, she says, While on the whole I have seen a downturn in trolling, in people being mean for no reason, I still receive the same level of backlash for anything I post that is feminist.

How does she account for that?

I think the internet has definitely become a bit more level. The people who only occasionally troll, are now only engaging positively online. But the people who were always really devoted trolls, the really angry ones, they still have all the time in the world- maybe even more so now- to spew hatred online.

Last week, a feminist tweet of Charlottes had her engaging in a twitter beef with thirty trolls.

That is pretty much the same level as I would normally get, she says, Once a hardcore misogynist, always a hardcore misogynist, pandemic or no pandemic.

Ive seen trans activists I follow online still receive their fair share of pointless, ignorant internet hatred. The youre ugly or youre not a real woman variety. I have seen celebrities I follow still receive backlash- even of the non Corona variety (more on this later)- and Ive been shocked to see the online argument over whether Karen is a racist slur against white women, actually picking up traction at this time, and not in a constructive academic way either...

Pandemic or not, discourse online is clearly still combative. But what I have seen, is that the nature of this online anger, has largely been Coronavirus related.

Many influencers and celebrities have found themselves with targets on their backs at this time. The worrying #Guillotine2020 hashtag- referencing the overthrow of the rich and powerful during the French Revolution- has gone viral online with tens of thousands of tags and counting. When Jennifer Lopez complained about not going to a restaurant and instead eating in her massive garden with a pool- one person replied on twitter we all hate you.

American influencer Arielle Charnas found herself in the middle of a social media hate storm after a truly awful sequence of events that she -naturally- published all over her social media to her 1.3m followers. After testing positive for Covid-19 (a test she procured- many say-dubiously) she then travelled to her second home, with her nanny and family, and posted images of her going for daily walks- all within her supposed quarantined period. The backlash was severe, with many trolling her online as a covidiot and truly selfish arsehole. Arielle was forced to tearfully apologise in an emotional video on instagram.

Where once we followed them precisely for their lavish, escapist lifestyles, those mansions, second homes, yachts and privilege are now proving major sticking points in a time of global crisis, when many are forced to self-isolate in one bed flats or refuge centres. Their self-isolation ivory towers are suddenly super unrelatable and making people extremely angry.

I ask influencer Katis Snooks, who boasts a following of 74k, if she has seen a reduction or increase in trolling at this time.

Though I am normally lucky to have a wonderful following online who are supportive and don't bully me, I feel I have actually experienced more trolling and negativity during Coronavirus, she says, I feel more pressure to say the right thing, the risk of offending people is higher and people have more free time to be judgemental towards me and my content.

She agrees that the divisions in society at this time- between those privileged to be isolated in big houses and those struggling to survive- has been the main fuel of this online anger. Influencers and their perceived privilege, have become targets for this fury.

Ive been feeling that whatever I do, people will still pick what Im doing apart and that I cant really do anything right without judgement; people have opposing views and arent afraid to voice them and tell me Im doing things wrong, she says, I get negative DM's if I order a food delivery, but I also get judgement for going to a supermarket - so I can't really win either way.

The potential of the internet as a forum for debate - healthy or otherwise - is therefore clearly still alive and kicking. The pandemic has not vanquished the trolls for good, rescued the princess and made the internet a utopia of pleasantries. But now, just as most of our news is consumed with the virus, so is online backlash and discord - reserved for those who cut holes in masks, protest lockdowns or hoard toilet paper.

The angry twitter rants and insta stories I see are mostly Corona-related. They focus on the lockdown protests, the people breaking social distancing rules, the people boasting about their smug isolation locations. People are still angry online, it's just this online fury seems to have taken a completely different direction. Its not as pointless, mean and indiscriminately hateful as it once was.

Essentially, the youre ugly online comments may be decreasing, but the youre not social distancing comments are not.

Perhaps this sense of niceness online will only be temporary. Perhaps the length of lockdown will start to erode compassion and replace it with anger and frustration and those part-time trolls will begin anew.

Perhaps the internets fresh new attitude will only last as long as the pandemic and lockdown itself. But, like so many other things- from finance to friendship, this pandemic has proven itself a mammoth priority shifter and let us hope the lessons we learnt being nice online, the moment we had blitz spirit on the internet..will long outlast Covid-19.

Link:
How Coronavirus Silenced The Trolls - GLAMOUR UK

An unapproved police trial of controversial facial recognition software conducted dozens of searches for suspects in New Zealand.

Photo: AP

This week, RNZ revealed police did not have any of the necessary clearance from their bosses, the government or the Privacy Commissioner to test American software Clearview AI. Police conducted a short trial between February and March, but decided not to use the technology.

Clearview, which is used by hundreds of law enforcement agencies in the United States and around the world, is effectively a searchable database of billions of images lifted from the internet that can easily identify people once their photos are uploaded.

During the New Zealand trial, a police team in the 'high tech crime unit' tested Clearview by uploading images of officers and suspects.

Police national manager of criminal investigations Tom Fitzgerald said its use was limited to about 150 searches of police volunteers, and roughly 30 searches of persons of interest. This only involved about five suspects, but each generated several searches.

Police national manager of criminal investigations Tom Fitzgerald. Photo: RNZ / Alexander Robertson

Fitzgerald said police only got one successful match for a person whose photo was already in the media.

"We've proven Clearview didn't work," he said, adding that it would not be used in the future.

Official emails released to RNZ show how police first used the technology: by submitting images of wanted people who police say looked "to be of Mori or Polynesian ethnicity", as well as "Irish roof contractors".

Fitzgerald said those people were targeted in part because they wanted to test if the software, like some other facial recognition systems, struggled to identify non-Europeans.

"The test included that and confirmed it didn't work," he said.

In its first contact with police in January, Clearview pitched its product as a solution to counter-terrorism.

Fitzgerald said as part of that pitch, the company claimed to have made a successful match when it ran the photo of the Christchurch mosque attacker through its system.

"While obviously our technology was not available at the time, this may help highlight how Clearview can be used for counter-terrorism to quickly and accurately identify suspects and build up investigations," Marko Jukic, a Clearview employee, told police in an email obtained by RNZ.

Jukic was reportedly fired after it emerged he held controversial views.

Fitzgerald confirmed to RNZ that police understand Jukic is a member of the alt-right in the United States. He said this did not come up during due diligence checks on Clearview.

He said the police team undertaking the trial were well-meaning but in hindsight they should have sought approval first.

"I think they've all realised that would be easier to do that earlier before any conversation, rather than seeing if it's fit for purpose first."

Fitzgerald said facial recognition software still had the potential to assist police operations, but they were not actively considering any other options following the conclusion of the Clearview trial.

Andrew Chen, a researcher specialising in facial recognition at the University of Auckland, said it was not surprising Clearview was so ineffective for police.

"It's still a US company, it's largely looking at US sources. If New Zealanders aren't in that dataset it's not going to recognise New Zealanders very well."

View original post here:
Police searched for suspects in unapproved trial of facial recognition tech, Clearview AI - RNZ

Originally scheduled to start in May, the conference has been postponed to September due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Despite warnings that expectations would not be met, as it was the case with the European constitution, I believe that it is a unique occasion for a more democratic, sovereign and federal Europe.

It will offer the possibility to put the future of the EU at the heart of the European debate and if managed well it could revitalise the European idea.

The conference is a wonderful project for recognising and respecting the different national dimensions. The selection of Guy Verhofstadt as president is an excellent choice. He is a committed European and has long experience in EU affairs.

The member states of the EU have different opinions depending on their historical, political, socio-economic and media context.

The Conference on the Future of Europe will help to find out why a large part of the Europeans does not endorse the Union. It will launch a discussion on what is a European identity and what our values are.

The Conference on the Future of Europe could be an excellent example of Going Local.

Empowering the citizens and engaging with them, supporting the development of a public European sphere, setting-up a two-way dialogue, listening to the people and being transparent.

The outcomes of this democratic process should not be neglected but respected and analysed.

Most of the main actual problems such as the migrant-crisis, euroscepticism, cooperation on security issues, and lately the coronavirus pandemic require a coordinated European answer.

While the European Parliament was the first EU institution to publish a document on the conference, in fact, the original idea came from France's president Emmanuel Macron.

For the moment, everybody wants to be involved, and the discussion is currently focused on format rather than content.

The conference will focus on involving civil society in large debates about the future of Europe and provide sustainable solutions on how the Union can respond to peoples' needs.

It should identify what the EU does well and what new measures it needs to do better, to increase its capacity to act and to make it more democratic. The whole process should be based on a bottom-up approach.

It should also provide more insights in fields concerning the transparency of the works of the Council of the EU; push forwards the system of pan-European lists for the next European elections and bring the system of 'Spitzenkandidate' back to life.

A call for treaty change should be also discussed by citizens, in particular concerning member states' competency on the health sector.

The Conference could be a useful step in the direction of structuring a public European sphere. Such a sphere is hardly needed for the further unification of the continent.

For the moment, Europe is not yet one nation and the EU is not yet a federal state. It is a kind of confederation.

Europe needs to challenge the myths that surround the block by presenting stories that answer citizens' concerns. The EU needs a real communication revolution if it wants to highlight its achievements and its added value.

However, branding, PR or communication cannot work properly if not backed by real reforms and political will. All communication strategies start with policy, with performance and with action.

Most of the problems of the EU, including euroscepticism and populism, can be tackled if the Union itself begins to change, perform better and is seen to be doing so by EU citizens.

Despite the slow unification process we experienced the last seven decades, divisions are widening even more lately because of Covid-19.

On the other hand, as long as humanity, as a whole undergoes the same traumatic experiences repeatedly, there will be, gradually, a larger sense of unity. However, this will be a slower process than the rise of nationalism.

I strongly believe that the European Union allow us to preserve our welfare-state model of society, our liberal democracies and the diversity of our national cultures.

By joining forces and working together we can find workable solutions to many issues. A politically-unified Europe is the best remedy against the rise of poverty, alt-right, intolerance and racism.

Even after losing Britain, the EU remains one of the main players on the planet despite its slow decision-making process.

If we want to play an important role and have a kind of influence on the international political agenda and the solution of global problems, we must keep our forces together.

Abandoning European unification would be equal to quitting the world stage for good.

See the original post here:
What future for the Future of Europe Conference? - EUobserver

According to a recent article in Wired, the initial link between 5G and coronavirus first appeared in a Belgium newspaper, in an interview with Kris Van Kerckhoven, a general practitioner from the Antwerp area. (An interview which has now been removed.)

But it wasnt until the website Info Wars published a video with the title 5G launches in Wuhan weeks before coronavirus outbreak, that the theory began to gain traction.

In the description of its video presentation as with all good conspiracy theories Info Wars tried to link a series of unconnected events:

In this Infowars Special Report, Greg Reese connects the dots between the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, a Netflix docuseries pitching vaccines as a solution to outbreaks, Wuhans recent launch of 5G and warnings from experts who say 5G could cause flu-like symptoms, the description read.

A quick look at Google Trends, using any manner of phrases including 5G and coronavirus, shows that it was following the publication of this video that interest surged. And it was amongst far-right groups those most engaged with Info Wars, and the views of its founder, Alex Jones that this new conspiracy began to seed itself.

In a recent survey by HOPE not hate, a political action group set up to counter the increasing popularity of the British far-right group the BNP, 8% of the British public agreed that the rollout of 5G was contributing to the spread of coronavirus, while 19% said they were still unsure. The report also looked at the primary groups which were spreading the coronavirus theory, and found that they also contained anti-Semetic and other racist content.

With 59,000 members and hundreds of posts per day, STOP 5G U.K was the largest and most active UK-based anti-5G group prior to its deletion, the site claims. In amongst the anti-5G discussion were hundreds of posts about unrelated conspiracies, including antisemitic posts about supposed Jewish control of the world and the pro-Trump QAnon hoax.

Those seeking to validate the theory have jumped on a video presentation by Dr. Thomas Cowan, M.D which has now been removed by YouTube for violating its community guidelines where he claimed that, because Africa was not as affected by the coronavirus outbreak, you could see how 5G could be the cause of the virus. However, this is very clearly not the case, with the latest World Health Organization figures showing 17,000 cases, amidst fears it could hit 10 million cases within the next six months.

Fast forward to April, and we have seen a spate of 5G tower attacks across the UK (at least 20, according to a Guardian report earlier this month), telecoms engineers have been both physically and verbally assaulted, and mainstream voices - such as sports personalities and TV presenters have shared the erroneous claims.

But the science is clear: 5G has absolutely nothing to do with the spread of the coronavirus, and poses no threat to human health.

In March 2020, following a period of extensive research, the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) deemed 5G to be safe. The research considered other types of effects, such as the potential development of cancer in the human body as a result of exposure to radio waves.

We know parts of the community are concerned about the safety of 5G, and we hope the updated guidelines will help put people at ease," said Dr Eric van Rongen, chairman of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP). We find that the scientific evidence for that is not enough to conclude that indeed there is such an effect, concluded van Rongen.

In other tests, the UK telecoms regulator, Ofcom, carried out the UKs first safety experiments on 5G base stations and found no identifiable risks since 5G technology was deployed, with radiation levels at tiny fractions of safe limits.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has labelled the spread of these theories an infodemic and a joint statement was recently released by the UKs four mobile network operators, EE, O2, Three, and Vodafone, rubbishing the claims of conspiracy theorists.

And BTs CEO, Marc Allera, went on to state that the theories connecting 5G with Covid-19, most of which are being made in local Facebook groups and on platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, as baseless, and he has urged the public to leave the companys phone masts alone.

Phone masts keep us all connected at this extraordinary time, Allera wrote in a recent tweet. And yet we're seeing reports of masts vandalised because of a conspiracy theory linking 5G tech to the spread of Covid-19. This claim is baseless. We must look after the infrastructure and people keeping us in touch.

At a time when keeping our mobile networks online has never been more important, these mast attacks continue to undermine the efforts of mobile network operators around the world, and 5Gradar will continue to support and champion next-generation wireless network technology, in all its forms.

Read the original here:
Alt-right groups started the coronavirus 5G conspiracy. Now it needs to stop - 5Gradar

A wave of planned anti-lockdown demonstrations that have broken out around the country to protest against the efforts of state governments to combat the coronavirus pandemic with business closures and stay-at-home orders have included far-right groups as well as more mainstream Republicans.

While protesters in Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky and other states claim to speak for ordinary citizens, many are also supported by street-fighting rightwing groups like the Proud Boys, conservative armed militia groups, religious fundamentalists, anti-vaccination groups and other elements of the radical right.

On Wednesday in Lansing, Michigan, a protest put together by two Republican-connected not-for-profits was explicitly devised to cause gridlock in the city, and for a time blocked the entrance to a local hospital.

It was organized by the Michigan Conservative Coalition, which Michigan state corporate filings show has also operated under the name of Michigan Trump Republicans. It was also heavily promoted by the Michigan Freedom Fund, a group linked to the Trump cabinet member Betsy DeVos.

But the protest also attracted far-right protest groups who have been present at pro-Trump and gun rights rallies in Michigan throughout the Trump presidency.

Placards identified the Michigan Proud Boys as participants in the vehicle convoy. Near the state house, local radio interviewed a man who identified himself as Phil Odinson.

In fact the man is Phil Robinson, the prime mover in a group called the Michigan Liberty Militia, whose Facebook page features pictures of firearms, warnings of civil war, celebrations of Norse paganism and memes ultimately sourced from white nationalist groups like Patriot Front.

The pattern of rightwing not-for-profits promoting public protests while still more radical groups use lockdown resistance as a platform for extreme rightwing causes looks set to continue in events advertised in other states over coming days.

In Idaho on Friday, protesters plan to gather at the capitol building in Boise to protest anti-virus restrictions put in place by the Republican governor, Brad Little.

The protest has been heavily promoted by the Idaho Freedom Foundation (IFF), which counts among its donors dark money funds linked to the Koch brothers such as Donors Capital Fund, and Castle Rock, a foundation seeded with part of the fortune of Adolph Coors, the rightwing beer magnate.

IFF have added their slogan for the event, Disobey Idaho, to stickers which they plan to distribute among the crowd.

The event is also being promoted on a website dedicated to attacking Little for his response to Covid-19. That website was set up by the Idaho businessman, pastor and one-time Republican state senate candidate, Diego Rodriguez.

Rodriguez launched the website at an Easter service held in defiance of the governors orders on Easter Sunday, which was also addressed by Ammon Bundy, the leader of the militia occupation of the Malheur national wildlife refuge in 2016 that become a rallying point for the anti-government right in the US.

Bundy has been holding similar gatherings for weeks in Emmett, Idaho, where he now lives. On Sunday, he repeated his opposition to the Idaho orders, writing on Facebook: We all have a duty to defend what is right and to make sure, that what God has given, man does not take away. Especially that great gift of agency, YES freedom!

Ada county, Idaho, where the capital, Boise, is located, has so far suffered 541 cases of Covid-19 and nine deaths, in a state which has a far worse outbreak than neighboring Oregon, which is 2.4 times more populous.

Nevertheless, the ad for the rally on Rodriguezs website advises, We feel that wearing face masks and gloves is counterproductive to the movement, and should be avoided.

In Washington state, meanwhile, which for now has brought one of the worst outbreaks in the country under a measure of control, a Republican state committeeman, Tyler Miller, has organized a protest at the state capitol on Saturday.

Miller, who is active in the Kitsap county Republican party, was involved in passing a resolution in January in support of representative Matt Shea, who was excluded from the state houses GOP caucus after a report commissioned by house found that he had participated in domestic terrorism.

Hundreds of Facebook users have indicated that they will be attending his Hazardous Liberty rally, and a parallel event in Richland, Washington.

Included in that number are members of the 3% of Washington, a group which has held a series of open-carry rallies in Seattle, featuring speeches from the far-right protest leader, Joey Gibson.

As for Shea, he is speaking on Saturday at an online Saving America conference which will discuss an alleged erosion of rights thats been ramped up in unprecedented ways during this Covid-19 crisis.

He is scheduled to appear alongside the likes of close ally Pastor Ken Peters, who has been holding monthly services outside Spokanes planned parenthood clinic; the actor, Maga personality and congressional candidate Mindy Robinson; and the New Zealand-based anti-communist speaker and author Trevor Loudon.

Other similar events have been advertised for Saturday by an anti-vaccination activist in Oregon, and for Friday by a Boston group with alt-right connections.

Read the original:
The rightwing groups behind wave of protests against Covid-19 restrictions - The Guardian