Free Republic

Explore the shift towards a cashless society in Europe and its far-reaching implications! In this video, we delve into the benefits of digital payments, including enhanced security and convenience, as well as the concerns from various stakeholders. We discuss the EU's timeline for potentially banning cash payments by January 1, 2027, and the impact this will have on merchants and consumers alike. Learn about the motivations behind this transition, the financial benefits, and the potential drawbacks, such as privacy issues and accessibility challenges.

A ship has been struck in the Strait of Hormuz nearly every day this month, according to the International Maritime Organization. Between Oct. 1 and Tuesday, nine ships – mostly crude oil tankers – were struck in the Strait of Hormuz or off the coast of Oman, according to the IMO. Two additional ships were hit since, with one struck on Wednesday and another struck on Friday, according to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations. Wednesday’s attack was on an unnamed tanker off the coast of Madinat ash Shamal, Qatar, in the Persian Gulf. Friday’s attack was on an unnamed...

As Reporter Lewis Denison explains, pubs and retailers will be able to accept digital ID as proof of age to buy alcohol under new rules. The move aims to provide an alternative to carrying a physical ID so punters can use their phones to prove their age at the pub, festivals and concerts. The changes to the licensing act that come into force on Tuesday apply to businesses in England and Wales and the government expects it to take some time for the technology to be widely adopted. The ID will be available through third-party apps such as Yoti, which...

AI security/control will probably develop into something akin to "anti-virus" software. The closest analogy is the entire cybersecurity industry: Antivirus began as one layer, but eventually we needed firewalls, identity management, intrusion detection, security operations centers, audits, penetration testing, and incident-response teams. What follows is the most likely path for AI.

OpenAI has disclosed six cases in which its AI models concealed errors, bypassed restrictions, used unauthorized resources or found unexpected ways to communicate. None caused a public catastrophe. That does not make them easy to dismiss. The artificial intelligence debate usually jumps straight from “helpful chatbot” to “machine that wipes out humanity.” There is a lot of empty space between those two extremes, and that is where the more immediate problem is beginning to show up. OpenAI says some of its models have already taken actions they were never authorized to take. One searched for an exposed API key and...

A coalition of 17 states, lawmakers and advocacy organizations has filed 12 friend-of-the-court briefs urging the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to uphold that parents and teachers have constitutional rights to know about their children despite public school gender policies.The briefs were filed in Mirabelli v. Bonta, a case involving California’s “Parental Exclusion Policies,” which the Thomas More Society led as counsel for a class of parents and teachers challenging the policies. In December, U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez issued a permanent injunction blocking the policies, saying that parents have the right to know and public schools cannot socially...

The future of money is changing fast. 💳🌍 Around the world, countries are moving toward a cashless society, where digital money, online payments, and mobile wallets are replacing traditional paper cash. From Sweden and Norway to China and Nigeria, the shift to electronic payments is transforming economies and daily life. In this video, we explore: • Why cash is disappearing in many countries • How digital payments and mobile banking are taking over • The rise of a cashless world and what it means for the future of money If you’re curious about digital currency, cashless societies, online transactions, the...

On Saturday, August 15, 2026, at about 1:30 a.m. on the Virginia State University campus, a shooting broke out. Five people were wounded, one of them a 20-year-old student at the university. Camron Rarris, 19, was found hours later and was charged with four counts of malicious wounding. The Virginia State student was treated and released with non-life-threatening injuries. A 21-year-old man remains in critical condition, according to foxnews.com. Police are seeking others to determine if some people fired back in defense of self and others. A 23-year-old man, a 17-year-old teenager, and a 19-year-old woman had non-life-threatening injuries. The...

Why 'they' want to BAN cash 😳

President Trump claimed Wednesday that the US has complete control of the Strait of Hormuz, one day after Energy Secretary Chris Wright confirmed increasing oil exports from the crucial waterway as Iran’s economy continues to free fall. “The U.S.A. has total control over the Strait of Hormuz. I THINK WE WILL KEEP IT!” Trump proclaimed on Truth Social. “Our Naval Blockade is being called, by everyone, ‘A WALL OF STEEL,’ and there is nothing Iran can do about it,” he added. ***“On Sunday alone, over 20 million barrels left the Arabian gulf region, which is above the pre-conflict average.” Only...

Digital ID: Billionaires are CIRCLING your digital life - it's time to WAKE UP

Under provisions of HB 4948, which Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed into law on Friday, the state will introduce the “Intelligent Speed Assistance Program,” designed to replace license suspension with a different alternative for drivers. According to the text of the law, the program will require drivers who have committed two qualifying speeding or reckless driving offenses within a 12-month period to install a speed-limiting device on their vehicles, which will prevent them from exceeding the speed limit. Persons enrolled in the program will pay all costs associated with enrollment and participation, with exceptions for low-income Virginia and Washington have...

A new ban on Glock handguns takes effect in California, starting July 1. The law will, once again, remind Americans why California has become the ultimate legislative laboratory for aggressive gun control. Firearms dealers across the state will no longer be permitted to sell new Glock handguns or similar models that state lawmakers have aggressively reclassified as a form of machine gun. The justification behind this radical pivot is that these pistols can supposedly be modified easily with illegal, aftermarket conversion devices that fundamentally alter their rate of fire. But rather than focusing energy and resources on the criminals who...

I very rarely post here, it seems I am not PC enough in the particular flavor of this site. But I don't know of a better venue to make this observation. Large companies have crafted "Systems" that they no longer have control over. They are utterly unable to do what should be simple and routine task as "The system" will NOT ALLOW them. I am going to be specific to the case I have been fighting for what is now months. But I am sure that it is not unique, corporate business tend to adopt similar models and technology. Several...

We beamed Scrap Digital ID onto Edinburgh Castle

On January 9, 2026, Mexico enacted a new law requiring all cell phone numbers to be verifiably associated with an individual. Any cell phone number not associated with a person and their government-issued ID by June 30, 2026, will be suspended until/unless the number is registered by a verified user. If you have an active Mexican cell phone number: Whether you are situated in Mexico or abroad (or travel between countries); and Whether that number is active with a physical SIM card or a virtual eSIM; and Whether you are on a contract or a prepay phone plan; and You...

Iran’s hardline Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps leader has effectively taken control of Tehran’s military and negotiation team over the weekend, analysts said. IRGC Commander Maj. Gen. Ahmad Vahidi and members of his inner circle have allegedly taken charge of the Islamic republic, as evident by Iran’s attacks on ships trying to sail through the Strait of Hormuz and Tehran’s refusal to join peace talks with the US this week, the Washington-based Institute for the Study of War (ISW) think tank said. The sudden shift to a hardline stance also shows that more moderate members of Iran’s leadership, including Iranian Foreign...

nti-liberty/gun cracktivists find themselves stuck on recycling old, failed narratives because there is really nothing new in the distortions and lies they tell in trying to obliterate the Second Amendment. Among those failed narratives is microstamping, a nonsensical measure about which I last wrote in Microstamping And Zombies, 2024 in June of 2024 at my home blog. Microstamping is laser engraving a unique, identifying code on the tips of firing pins which will “stamp” that code—letters, numbers, etc—on the primers of fired cases. Some microstamping schemes also demand a second stamp elsewhere on a fired case. California has always been...

Donald Trump has branded Mexico a narco-state, accusing it of failing to control its border.

How Central Banks Plan to Control You | Catherine Fitts Interesting talk about money and power. Would like freeper input. What is to stop people from banding together and forming private bank entities like the Chinese do on chinatowns?