Free Republic

The EU is working at full speed to complete its online surveillance-and-informant network. By the end of the year, all EU member states are required to present so-called “Trusted Flaggers” -- institutions tasked with identifying “problematic” content -- to Brussels for accreditation. Politicians from Germany’s Christian Democratic Union appear especially eager. Hendrik Wüst, CDU politician and Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia, is a child of the current zeitgeist. As the leader of Germany’s most populous state, he views it as his mission not merely to preach the dominant ideology of the CO2-neutral society, but to enforce it rigorously. Together with...

The U.S. Border Patrol is monitoring millions of American drivers nationwide in a secretive program to identify and detain people whose travel patterns it deems suspicious, The Associated Press has found. The Border Patrol's predictive intelligence program has resulted in people being stopped, searched and in some cases arrested. A network of cameras scans and records vehicle license plate information, and an algorithm flags vehicles deemed suspicious based on where they came from, where they were going and which route they took. Federal agents in turn may then flag local law enforcement. Suddenly, drivers find themselves pulled over - often...

Ireland’s media regulator began an investigation into social media platform X on Wednesday over concerns it is not giving users a chance to appeal content moderation decisions and that its internal complaint-handling systems are not easy to access. The probe, the first opened by the regulator in its role supervising the compliance of platforms established in Ireland with the European Union’s Digital Services Act, will assess Elon Musk-owned X’s compliance with parts of the law. […] The investigation arose from concerns held by the Irish regulator’s supervision team, as well as information provided by a non-governmental organization, HateAid, and a...

Washington was rocked in early October with the revelation that the Biden administration, by way of Jack Smith’s investigation into the 2020 election, had ordered the FBI to seize data from the cell phones of eight Republican senators and congressmen. Over the past month, revelations about Smith’s operation, codenamed “Arctic Frost,” worsened. More individuals, including Republican Texas Senator Ted Cruz and even President Donald Trump himself, were targeted. As were conservative organizations like Charlie Kirk’s Turning Point USA and the America First Policy Institute – the latter of which didn’t even exist in 2020. Plus, it turned out District Judge...

Joey Barton has been found guilty of posting grossly offensive messages on social media. Barton was found guilty by a jury at Liverpool Crown Court of six counts of sending a grossly offensive electronic communication with intent to cause distress or anxiety. During his trial at Liverpool Crown Court, the ex-Manchester City and Newcastle midfielder, 43, said he believed he was the victim of a "political prosecution" and denied his aim was "to get clicks and promote himself". But the jury decided Barton, who also played for England in 2007, had "crossed the line between free speech and a crime"...

They're from the government, and they're here to help: 'Friendly' San Diego city officials are set to send teams of inspectors to dig through people's trash cans looking for recycling violations. Nicely, of course. They plan to issue 'oops' citations to scofflaws who throw the wrong stuff in the wrong trash bins. In San Diego, we put trash in one of three bins -- generic trash (black can), recycle trash (blue can), and organic trash such as food scraps and lawn clippings (green bin.) (snip) Oh, it's not because they want to go through our trash, they say. Ostensibly, it's...

BREAKING - The young Scottish girl, who was forced to brandish a knife and an axe to defend herself and her sister against a Romanian migrant and was arrested, has been vindicated after a Romanian grooming gang was jailed for sexually abusing women across Dundee.

A London woman was slapped with a hefty fine for pouring a splash of her coffee down a storm drain before hopping on a bus, according to reports. Burcu Yesilyurt made the split-second choice to empty “just a tiny little bit” of coffee from a reusable cup of joe down the drain instead of risking spilling it on her bus to work in southwest London on Oct. 10, the BBC reported. As soon as the drop of java dribbled out, Yesilyurt was immediately swarmed by three officers at the bus stop and slapped with a £150 (roughly $200) fine under...

Football is more than just a game; for many, it's a matter of national pride and local identity. Supporting your home team is often seen as a fundamental rule. But what happens when a prominent nationalist figure asks his followers to cheer for a foreign club against an English side? That's the question currently engulfing nationalist Tommy Robinson, who has sparked outrage by pledging his allegiance to Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv over Aston Villa. A Patriot's Puzzling Jersey Swap The controversy began with a defiant post on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Robinson shared pictures of himself smiling...

The Philadelphia Police Department is solving so many homicides and arresting suspects at nearly the same rate as the force was about four decades ago, according to a new report from The Philadelphia Inquirer. Homicide clearance rates have hovered between 86 and 91 percent this year, which is the highest it has since the department reached 95 percent in 1984. Technological advancements, including license plate readers and high-definition surveillance cameras have assisted the department greatly. The tools, along with social media and cell phone location analysis, not only provide more evidence for cases, but also make the crimes get solved...

Whether by design or by quiet submission to a rapidly-evolving digital landscape, the world’s largest social media companies have allowed their platforms to become factories of division, dehumanization and, increasingly, real-world violence. What began as tools for connection have become engines of rage. It’s no accident. It’s business. At the heart of this transformation lies the engagement algorithm: a seemingly neutral mechanism that curates what billions of people see, like, share and believe. Algorithms are not neutral. They are engineered with a single purpose — to keep us on the platform, clicking, commenting and scrolling. In the race to capture...

Soon, the EU may have access to every photo, message and video on your phone or computer. After Germany dropped its long-standing opposition to EU chat control, leading encrypted messenger Signal issued a dire warning about privacy in Europe, with the post going viral. However, now European parties such as the Alternative for Germany (AfD) have joined in the criticism, with the party warning just before the EU Council vote that so-called “chat control” could end privacy entirely in Europe. The protest from the AfD comes after Signal threatened to pull out entirely from Europe if the EU implements its...

BREAKING: Former Special Counsel Jack Smith tracked private communications, calls of GOP senators during J6 probe, per Fox News

@TRobinsonNewEra I face prison again in less than 2 weeks. On the 13th of October I will once again stand trial . This time the state have used terrorism legislation to attack me . Westminster magistrates 13th & 14th see you there

Conversation RadioGenoa @RadioGenoa British man sentenced to two years in prison for Facebook comment.

This is different from what Director Christopher Wray stated, over and over again! That’s right, as it now turns out, FBI Agents were at, and in, the January 6th Protest, probably acting as Agitators and Insurrectionists, but certainly not as “Law Enforcement Officials.” I want to know who each and every one of these so-called “Agents” are, and what they were up to on that now “Historic” Day. Many Great American Patriots were made to pay a very big price only for the love of their Country. I owe this investigation of “Dirty Cops and Crooked Politicians” to them! Christopher...

Michael Shellenberger @shellenberger · We need digital IDs to halt migration, increase efficiency, & safeguard data, they say. But border control does not require digital IDs and centralizing data is a hacker's dream. The real reason they want digital ID is for billions in fees and the control of our behavior. Michael Shellenberger @shellenberger Everybody needs a digital ID, say heads of state and high-tech leaders. They give many reasons: it will stop illegal migration; it will increase efficiency; it will protect privacy; and it will prevent online fraud and data ransoming. But we don’t need digital IDs for any...

Pooja Tilvawala knows it’s a gamble to use more than $46,000 of her own savings to help young people get to the United Nations climate summit in Brazil. But she thinks it’s a necessary one. As national delegations, activists and other attendees struggle to find affordable places to stay by November, with some deciding not to go at all, Tilvawala, who lives in London, has spent hours working from afar to find lodging in Belem, negotiate prices and contracts and put down deposits. She did all that to create a housing portal specifically for young people who want to be...

The case against Douglass Mackey was always a sham. A weaponized DOJ tried to turn a meme into a federal crime. The same DOJ has also gone after January 6 prisoners and President Trump with political prosecutions. Different cases, but the goal was the same. It had zero to do with justice. It was all about political punishment, intimidation, and total control. Yes, Mackey’s conviction was tossed out by an appeals court months ago… and overwhelmingly, by the way. But the story didn’t end there. In the days that followed, prosecutors had the chance to fight back, to appeal, and...

Sir Keir Starmer is expected to announce plans for a compulsory UK-wide digital ID scheme in a speech on Friday. The prime minister believes it would help crack down on illegal working and modernise the state, according to senior figures in government. The practicalities of the scheme will be subject to a consultation, which will also look at how to make it work for those without a smartphone or passport. The previous Labour government's attempt to introduce ID cards was ultimately blocked by the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition. But earlier this month, Sir Keir said in an interview he thought the...