WhatsApp sues Israeli surveillance firm

Rachel Blevins is reporting that "WhatsApp has also become the first tech company to file a lawsuit against a for-profit digital surveillance company. The company in question is the Israeli surveillance firm, NSO Group. WhatsApp claims the firm exploited its platform and used the technology to facilitate government hacking sprees in more than 20 countries."

"They say NSO hacked the phones of more than 1,400 users, which included 100 Journalists, along with prominent female leaders, political dissidents, and human rights activists. NSO’s spyware has most notably been linked to the Saudi government, with reports suggesting that it was used to target journalist Jamal Khashoggi ahead of his gruesome murder."

"There have also been reports that the spyware was used by the Saudi government in its reported hack of the phone belonging to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos. So there is a chance that WhatsApp won’t be the only one going after the firm in the near future."

The Guardian: WhatsApp sues Israeli firm, accusing it of hacking activists' phones

BBC: WhatsApp sues Israeli firm over phone hacking claims

NY Times: WhatsApp Says Israeli Firm Used Its App in Spy Program

CBC: WhatsApp sues Israeli surveillance firm over alleged cyber espionage

Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury rematch February 22

CBS is reporting that "The heavyweight division has become one of the most compelling in boxing over recent years and one of the biggest fights in the modern era of big men is set to go down Feb. 22 from Las Vegas when Deontay Wilder and Tyson Fury rematch. The first fight between the two ended in a controversial draw that left both men undefeated and fans unsatisfied. Now, they clash again with Wilder's WBC heavyweight title and Fury's claim to the mythical lineal championship on the line."

Venezuela's American Oil Coup

Rachel Blevins is reporting that "While the US has allowed Chevron to continue business in Venezuela, the Trump Administration could find itself in an entirely new conflict, as reports claim it is considering sanctions against Russia’s top oil producer for also doing business in Venezuela." Ah so its OK if American oil companies take over Venezuela's oil or sell to countries under US sanctions it's just not OK if companies from other countries do it. Now I understand.

Regime Change for Profit: Chevron, Halliburton Cheer On US Venezuela Coup

Ottawa's new light rail is a mess. Could the same happen in Montreal? Yes it could. Je me souviens.

The Montreal Gazette asks "Ottawa's new light rail is a mess. Could the same happen in Montreal?" The answer is yes it could. Montreal has a magnificent Metro system. Why on earth would you want to screw that up with LRT? Running trains through intersections is not smart.

Ottawa's LRT has been plagued with problems. All I can say is we told you so. That is why Surrey chose Skytrain over LRT thanks to Doug McCallum. That is why Vancouver chose Skytrain over LRT for the UBC extension. Thanks for nothing Surrey First and Post Media Trash. They are the ones that kept trying to cram the LRT down our throat against out will just like they are trying to cram the RCMP's bundle of lawsuits down our throat. Surrey RCMP take note: F*ck off.

Mount Seymour - Surf's up

Saw a break in the clouds so I headed up Seymour today. The snow was nice but there was zero visibility at the first peak so I didn't go any further. The conditions on the local mountains are nice right now. Lots of snow, some fresh. Spring skiing will be awesome. It'll be busy this weekend.

Lights to Hollyburn Lodge

Cypress has a new thing going on in the cross country area called Lights to the Lodge. They have lined two of the snowshoe trails to Hollyburn lodge with Christmas lights so you can snowshoe in at night without a headlamp. I took my kids there last night. It's awesome.

It's a great introduction to snowshoeing since snowshoe rentals are included in the ticket. There's a cafe in the lodge where you can buy hot chocolate and homemade soup. It's a positive event.

Toronto police admit using secretive facial recognition technology Clearview AI

Facebook updates its controversial facial recognition settings

CBC is reporting that "Toronto police have admitted some of their officers have used Clearview AI — a powerful and controversial facial recognition tool that works by scraping billions of images from the internet — one month after denying using it. Spokesperson Meaghan Gray said in an email that some members of the force began using the technology in October 2019. She did not say what for or how many times it had been used." Just like they admitted to using Stingrays.

"Chief Mark Saunders directed those officers to stop using the technology when he became aware of its use on Feb. 5, she said. Gray did not say who originally approved the use of the app. Clearview AI can turn up search results, including a person's name and other information such as their phone number, address or occupation, based on nothing more than a photo. The program is not available for public use. Gray said officers were "informally testing this new and evolving technology." She did not say how the chief found out."

"Concerns began mounting about the software earlier this year after a New York Times investigation revealed the software had extracted more than three billion photos from public websites like Facebook and Instagram and used them to create a database used by more than 600 law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Canada and elsewhere."

"In January, Toronto police told CBC News they used facial recognition, but denied using Clearview AI. It's unclear if police purchased the technology — if so, it was never disclosed publicly — or were allowed to test it. At the time, Ontario Provincial Police also said they used facial recognition technology, but wouldn't specific which tools they used. The RCMP would not say what tools it uses. Vancouver's police department said it had never used the software and had no intention of doing so." But that's what Toronto said until they were caught. What's that stingray antenna doing on the back of the East Vancouver Courthouse?

Global is reporting that "This was weeks after the New York Times first reported that hundreds of law enforcement agencies were using Clearview AI’s app, which cross-references uploaded images of people against three billion photos it says it has in a database of images scraped from social media and millions of other websites." This is the facial recognition that Facebook uses.



New Jersey Bars Police From Using Clearview Facial Recognition App

Clearview AI’s Database Has Amassed 3 Billion Photos.

China uses SenseTime which is Orwellian.

Telus plans rollout of 5G network using Huawei technology

CBC is reporting that "Telecommunications company Telus Corp. says it is planning to roll out its 5G network in the near future using some technology from Chinese component maker Huawei."

"CFO Doug French told The Financial Post newspaper that the telecommunications provider is moving ahead with plans to build its next-generation 5G network by the end of the year, and will do so using some components supplied by Huawei, the Chinese company that has been criticized by numerous countries in recent years over allegations that its components make networks vulnerable to spying by Beijing or others."

If you use a Chinese network you're being spied on by China. If you use an American network you're being spied on by the CIA, NSA, Google, Facebook and every other two bit corporation out there. Take your pick. Six of one half a dozen of the other.

Meanwhile back on the ranch, CBC is also reporting that "The U.S. Department of Justice hit telecommunications giant Huawei with new charges of stealing trade secrets and breaking sanctions by doing business with North Korea." GMAFB. China did business with North Korea. Big Surprise. What about organ harvesting of political prisoners in China? You don't care about the things that matter. You only care about a trade competitor. You are pathetic.

Fatal Shooting in Langley

Global is reporting that the man wounded in the Langley shooting February 7th outside Chuck E Cheese has died of his injuries. "A person who contacted Global News claiming to be close to the victim says the man was inside the truck when he was shot - and that his two young children were in the backseat at the time." That is messed up.

Police incident in Surrey

There was a police incident in Surrey last night around 10 PM at 104th Avenue and 156th. 104th was completely closed off to traffic but since they got rid of Scan BC, the public has no idea what that police incident was about. The Surrey RCMP needs greater public accountability.