Ken Garen, CPA, Co-Founder and President, UBCC

Sky News Boss Lambasts YouTube For Suspension, "Opaque" Guidelines   BY TYLER DURDEN MONDAY, SEP 06, 2021 - 07:25 PM Authored by Daniel Yang via The Epoch Times,   Claims that Sky News Australia is spreading COVID-19 misinformation are “frankly ridiculous,”  according to CEO Paul Whittaker, who issued a stinging criticism of video-sharing giant  YouTube , at a parliamentary inquiry on Monday. Fronting the Standing Committee on Environment and Communications, Whittaker questioned why the Google-owned tech giant could be an arbiter of content. “There is no expectation that our viewers agree with every opinion expressed by every host, guest, or panellist,” he said. “But it now appears commonplace to discredit any debate on contentious issues as ‘misinformation’.” “YouTube’s actions make clear that it is not a neutral platform, but a publisher selectively broadcasting content and censoring certain views, while allowing videos that are patently false, misogyni...

World's Dirtiest Cities List Raises Issue: Why Don't Politicians Call Out China?   BY TYLER DURDEN MONDAY, SEP 06, 2021 - 08:35 PM Authored by David Holt via RealClearEnergy.org,   Ponder this:  A new tally of  global cities’ emissions  finds that the top 25 are responsible for 52% of the planet’s urban greenhouse gas emissions. Twenty-three of those are in China. New York City is the first American city to appear, at No. 26. Out of the top 75, just four other American cities are listed – San Diego, Houston, Chicago and Los Angeles – all of them ranked 41 or higher. In other words, the U.S. – including each of our major cities – is outperforming the world when it comes to emissions.  All this data begs a question of our elected leaders who say we have to do more for our environment, banking on the fact that many Americans hear “environment” and think only locally, as in their state or nation. The fact is that the environment – including carbon e...

Apple Delays Controversial Child Abuse iPhone Spying Program After Backlash   BY TYLER DURDEN FRIDAY, SEP 03, 2021 - 09:31 AM   After  major backlash at the possibility of big brother-esque monitoring of everything you do  - ironically juxtaposed against an entire advertising strategy of 'privacy' - Apple has, for now, abandoned its plans to install Child Sex Abuse Material (CSAM) tools. Tech experts had warned the Apple's targeting of handsets and iPads, as opposed to images already stored in the iCloud,  created the blueprint for a 'back door' surveillance system that would bypass end-to-end encryption undermine user privacy . In a statement, the giant tech company said it is  taking “additional time over the coming months to collect input and make improvements before releasing these critically important child safety features.” "Last month we announced plans for features intended to help protect children from predators who use communication to...

Australia Could Force Citizens To Report Their Location On-Demand Via Government Tracking App   BY TYLER DURDEN THURSDAY, SEP 02, 2021 - 10:20 PM Authored by Paul Joseph Watson via Summit News,   The government of South Australia is running a trial for a system that could eventually force citizens to take a photo of themselves via a government app to report their location on demand within 15 minutes of authorities requesting it, or face a police investigation. Yes, really. The revelation was highlighted in an Atlantic  piece  by Conor Friedersdorf which questions whether Australia can still call itself a liberal democracy in light of the crippling restrictions it has placed on its own population. With no end in sight for the lifting of the country’s brutal lockdown, Aussies could face even more invasive state intrusion into their private lives under the justification of stopping the spread of the virus. The South Australian government is preparing to roll...

Federal Use Of Facial Recognition Technology Expanding: GAO Report   BY TYLER DURDEN THURSDAY, SEP 02, 2021 - 09:20 PM Authored by Ken Silva via The Epoch Times  (emphasis ours),   A recent Government Accountability Office (GAO) survey shows that  at least 10 federal agencies have plans to expand their use of facial recognition technology over the next two years —a prospect that alarms privacy advocates who worry about a lack of oversight. The GAO released the results of a survey of 24 federal agencies, finding that 18 of them use facial recognition technology.  Fourteen of those agencies use the tech for routine activity , such as unlocking agency-issued smartphones, while six reported using facial recognition software for criminal investigations and five others use the technology for surveillance, the  Aug. 24 report  found. “For example, [U.S. Department of Health and Human Services] reported that it used an FRT system (AnyVision) to monitor...

The All-Seeing "i": Apple Just Declared War On Your Privacy   BY TYLER DURDEN THURSDAY, AUG 26, 2021 - 04:40 PM Authored by Edward Snowden via Continuing Ed ,   By now you've probably heard that Apple  plans to push a new and uniquely intrusive surveillance system  out to many of the more than  one billion  iPhones it has sold, which all run the behemoth's proprietary, take-it-or-leave-it software. This new offensive is tentatively slated to begin with the launch of iOS 15 ⁠ —almost certainly in mid-September ⁠ —with the devices of its US user-base designated as the initial targets. We’re told that other countries will be spared, but not for long. You might have noticed that I haven’t mentioned which problem it is that Apple is purporting to solve. Why? Because it doesn’t matter. Having read thousands upon thousands of remarks on this growing scandal, it has become clear to me that many understand it doesn't matter, but few if any have bee...

'High Steaks' - Scientists In Japan 3D Print Wagyu Beef   BY TYLER DURDEN WEDNESDAY, SEP 01, 2021 - 09:25 PM The 'carbon neutrality' of 3D printing food, especially meat, is a fast-moving trend in the culinary world that may be coming to a restaurant near you. The entire process of printing food is pitched as a "sustainable" alternative to commercial farming - which involves significant amounts of land, water, feed, and fossil fuels to operate anything from generators to farm equipment to transport trucks. Then, of course, the slaughterhouse, packaging, and then transport the finished product to supermarkets and restaurant suppliers.  Within the next five years, the cost to print 3D meat may have come down to the point at which supermarkets may start carrying lab-grown offerings. Readers may recall we've already mentioned  3D printed ribeyes , chicken breasts, and chicken nuggets, among others.  Now,  Japanese scientists from Osaka University hav...