Category Archives: Freedom

The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) will host a global summit to promote freedom of religion or belief (FoRB) next summer (Tuesday 5 July to Wednesday 6 July) in London.

The Summit will drive collective action in promoting respect between different religious and non-religious communities around the world so that everyone, everywhere can practise their own religion or belief freely. It will play a key role in shaping the network of liberty the UK, as a fierce champion of freedom, is building around the world.

Promoting FoRB for all is one of the UKs long-standing human rights priorities and is a key pillar of the Integrated Review of security, defence, development and foreign policy. In February 2020, the UK became a co-founding member of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance. Since then, the groups membership has grown from 27 to 33 countries, and we continue to strongly encourage other countries to join.

Throughout 2021, the UK has made great strides with our international partners in collective efforts to stamp out intolerance and persecution relating to religious and non-religious beliefs. In May, under our G7 presidency, the UK secured for the very first time the inclusion of FoRB issues in the communique the G7 Foreign and Development Ministers Meeting.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said:

I want all people, everywhere, to be free from discrimination and persecution regardless of their opinions and beliefs. We have used our G7 Presidency this year to defend and advance these fundamental freedoms and will build on that next year when we host friends and partners from across the world.

FCDO Minister Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon said:

I warmly welcome that the UK will be hosting an international conference on freedom of religion or belief next summer in our vibrant capital, London.

The UK continues to take any form of human rights abuses and violations extremely seriously, which is why we are laying the foundations for further global action to protect and promote freedom of religion or belief for all.

International collaboration is the only way to bring about real change.

Fiona Bruce MP, UK Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) said:

As the UKs Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief, I whole-heartedly welcome todays announcement regarding the UK-hosted international conference next summer, here in London to promote freedom of religion or belief for all.

The conference will be a pivotal opportunity to engage with our international partners to ensure that the rights of all individuals, regardless of their religion or belief, are fully protected and respected, no matter where they are in the world, without fear of prejudice or persecution.

Link:

UK to host international conference to promote freedom of religion or belief next summer in London - GOV.UK

What sacrifice means

DeSantis signs mandate limits | Nov. 19

It was sad to see Gov Ron DeSantis gloating as he signed into law more destructive roadblocks to prevent us from ending this horrible pandemic. I have lost respect for those like him who refuse to help their country in a time of crisis. During World War II, all real patriots did what was necessary to win the war. When the government asked for sacrifices and changes to their normal lifestyle, American citizens answered with a resounding yes! Many sacrificed their lives. They deserved to be called The Greatest Generation. We are a far cry from that. More than 767,000 Americans have died from COVID-19, and yet when our government asks us to sacrifice by simply wearing a mask and getting vaccinated, we have a segment of our population who refuse. These deniers and the governor are part of the Me-Me-Me generation complaining about their rights " and freedoms. What have they done to help the United States?

John Bonano, Gulfport

Kyle Rittenhouse cleared of all charges in Wisconsin shootings | Nov. 19

The verdict in the Kyle Rittenhouse trial reminds me of what I love most about my country. Going back to the Founders, we have refused to tolerate bullies and oppressors, and I believe that we have eventually pushed back against tyranny, slavery, racism, bigotry, fascism, socialism, communism and every other form of totalitarianism that has ever threatened our freedoms. This trial showed much more than that self defense and the right to bear arms are basic inalienable rights. It demonstrated that America is not going to stand for the current assault on our freedoms. The rioting and looting, the threats of violence, the assault on our police, the intimidation of our justice system to bend to the desires of the mob, and the attempts to indoctrinate our children will not be tolerated in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Charles Sitero, Ormond Beach

No, the Nazis are not coming | Column, Nov. 18

Every time I read the column written by Leonard Pitts, I am reminded that his understanding, intelligence and sensitivity for the lives of others is why I subscribe to the Tampa Bay Times. His recent writing on the topic of the far right usurping the tragedies endured by Jews during the Holocaust, and using a yellow star to suggest their own victimhood as equivalent, couldnt have been articulated more clearly. The only thing I would like is to have his thoughts daily.

Sharyn Steiner, Largo

Excerpt from:

Anti-vax 'freedom' lovers, here's how the Greatest Generation earned its name | Letters - Tampa Bay Times

Esme Creed-Miles admits she's looking forward to getting her "freedom" back after three years of playing the titular trained assassin Hanna on Amazon Prime Video.

The cast and crew are closing the book on Hanna's story as the third and final season launches in its entirety on November 24. Ahead of its launch, Newsweek spoke to stars Creed-Miles, Mireille Enos, Ray Liotta and creator David Farr as they revealed their "method" acting techniques, and the non-celebratory ending for the show.

"It's been such a f****** privilege to do this and to be given the opportunity to star in a show at this age, I'm really grateful for that," Creed-Miles told Newsweek. "But also there's other things I want to do with my life, and I want freedom and I want to do other projects.

"Eight months of the year was pretty much dedicated to Hanna and it didn't give me much opportunity for other things. So I'm really excited to see what else the future brings," she said.

The cast always knew Hanna was likely to end after Season 3 according to Enos, who says she was briefed by Farr on the journey before Season 1. "I didn't know the internal details but I knew where we were heading and it's a lovely experience actually getting to close something with consciousness," Enos said.

Hanna launched in March 2019 as a spiritual successor to the 2011 movie of the same name, which was also created by Farr. Creed-Miles' character Hanna was initially played by Saoirse Ronan, while Enos' character Marissa Wiegler was previously played by Cate Blanchett.

While it's the end of a three year journey for Creed-Miles and Enos, it's been over a decade in the making for Farr. He told Newsweek: "I always imagined it in three acts loosely speaking. Childhood in Season 1, the girl has to realize that she's not what she's been taught she is. Season 2 is adolescence, meeting her contemporaries and negotiating all of that complexity. And then so Season 3, was always going to be Hanna reaching maturity."

Raising the stakes yet again for Hanna and the other trained operatives, Ray Liotta has been cast as Gordon Evans, this season's villain.

On the casting of Liotta, Farr says he got exactly what he wanted from him, and then some. "One of the things that I wanted was intensity, quiet simmering intensity, which I think he does really well and he's got this extraordinary power to him." Farr continued, "But what surprised me was there's a vulnerability to him now that I don't think he was quite as interested in when he was younger. There's a sense that you can get in amongst it a bit more with him and see that there is affection and love and all sorts of strange, weird emotions going on."

Liotta played his role both on and off set with his co-stars, and intentionally acted aloof around them. He told Newsweek: "I came in keeping my distance just more because that's who the character [Gordon] was. So I'm not 'method' method, but the more they didn't really know me, the better.

"I kept to myself and wouldn't hang out between scenes. When I met them it was 'hey, how you doing?' I like doing that and not really revealing myself to them at all," Liotta added.

He was by no means a reluctant participant in the series though, as Liotta confirmed he did enjoy the first two seasons of Hanna before signing up for Season 3. His character specifically interested him, "I'm [as Gordon] telling everybody what to do and I have this theory of how I think the world should be running, which is incredibly arrogant."

Liotta continued, "So I read it, I liked the acting in the first two seasons so you know, sometimes you just got to try something and it seems like people like this one. Thank God."

After three years shooting the series, the final days on set were emotional for the established cast of Hanna but not in the way one would expect.

It turned out to be especially distressing for Creed-Miles, but for unexpected personal reasons. Discussing her final days on set, she told Newsweek: "I'd just broken up with my boyfriend and I was a mess. And poor Mireille, I like, had a panic attack and started shouting at people. It was gnarly."

Enos admits they didn't get the big finale ending on set that they were hoping for but emotions were still running high. "We were messy. We were all kind of like emotional and weird. Actually like it was wasn't celebratory. It was strange. It was. We all felt. Yeah, a little strange."

While behind the scenes the ending may have seemed underwhelming, on screen Hanna's story will satisfy fans, Creed-Miles and Enos confirm.

Enos says, "I'm just gonna say it ends really beautifully. It feels like a real conclusion."

Creed-Miles added, "I'd say the same. I'd say it was nice to end with a sense of agency for Hanna."

"That's a beautiful word for it," Enos concludes.

All six episodes of Hanna Season 3 will launch on Amazon Prime Video on Wednesday, November 24.

Read the original post:

'Hanna' Star Esme Creed-Miles Can't Wait To Have Her 'Freedom' Back After the Final Season - Newsweek

Bernie Rabik

Americas most pressing pandemic problem comprises the following trio of troubling facts:

1. Only 60% of all eligible Americans have been fully vaccinated despite abundant supply of free vaccines;

2. Three in 10 Americans say they have no immediate plans to get vaccinated;

3. The delta variant is driving a fourth surge of deadly infections, especially in states with low vaccination rates.

Fox news serves up anti-vaccine messages almost every day. Republican governors have tried to ban vaccine mandates not just by local governments and school districts, but by private businesses. Multiple Republican attorneys general have filed suit to stop federal vaccine mandates.

How ought we solve this problem? One approach is to get tough on the unvaccinated.

Examples include: vaccine passports (i.e., authentication for entry to establishment), banning unvaccinated students from attending colleges and universities; vaccine mandates for private-and public employees; and, perhaps, even a federal mandate for vaccination.

These tactics are necessary for protecting our communities and restoring our ways of life. This plague has gone on for more than 18 months and will continue without these steps. However, not everyone agrees.

Still, the case against vaccine mandates, however disingenuous, needs to be answered on the merits. Yet, I at least have rarely seen the case against a right to refuse vaccination fully explained, even though you could come up with a better example than Covid-19 vaccination if you wanted to design a hypothetical situation in which arguments for freedom of choice dont apply.

And I think its worth spelling out exactly why.

The political opponents oppose mandates and passports because they believe they restrict individual liberty. According to them, even if getting tough would assuredly rid us of the virus forever, the costs to freedom would be too great to bear.

Even on this modern view of freedom, some limits are necessary. Our society restricts the actions of would-be murderers, thieves and harassers. And these restrictions protect individual freedoms, including the freedoms of those whose actions they restrict.

Story continues

Personal choice is good, as long as your personal choices dont hurt other people. I may deplore the quality of your housekeeping, but its your own business. On the other hand, freedom doesnt include the right to dump garbage in the street.

Going unvaccinated during a pandemic does hurt other people, which is why schools, in particular, have required vaccination against many diseases for generations.

The unvaccinated are much more likely to contract the coronavirus, and thus potentially infect others, than those whove had their shots. Theres also some evidence that even when vaccinated individuals become infected, theyre less likely to infect others than the unvaccinated.

Vaccination, then, should be considered a public duty, not a personal choice. Here, freedom is communal rather than individualistic.

And rather than being unbound, individuals in the free community are bound by and to each other.

More to the point, communal freedom achieves much more than the unbound individual ever could. It creates new possibilities and expands our horizons.

Life is enhanced when our community is free because we can participate in communal freedom, and the goods it creates.

Bernard J. Rabik, a Hopewell Township attorney, is an opinion columnist for The Times.

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Rabik: Individual freedom is no defense in the fight against vaccinations

Read more from the original source:

Rabik: Individual freedom is no defense in the fight against vaccinations - Yahoo News

TOPEKA Retired registered nurse Debbie Detmer insisted the Kansas Legislature fight the federal governments effort to trample religious, medical and personal freedoms by compelling workers to be vaccinated during the lingering COVID-19 pandemic.

The Shawnee grandmother said lawmakers convening Monday for the special legislative session devoted to COVID-19 must reinforce ideals of bodily autonomy by punching back at overreach by President Joe Biden.

Stop all COVID testing, masking and vaccination mandates period, Detmer said. These federal acts are unconstitutional.

Registered nurse Kelly Sommers said effective protection of public health necessitated people be immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. Medical exemptions to a vaccine mandate should be allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic, she said, but not philosophical or religious exceptions.

It is the role and oath of a nurse to dedicate and devote ourselves to the welfare of whom we serve, said Sommers, of the Kansas State Nurses Association. We are there to protect every single person in our community.

Two registered nurses. Two distinctly different views of the pandemic. Their conflicting assessments illustrate the challenge awaiting members of the House and Senate. Theyre expected to juggle health, economic, political, financial and constitutional issues keenly felt by the states polarized electorate amid the pandemic.

On the to-do list will be legislation making it easier for a person to claim a religious exemption to vaccination mandates. Lawmakers also are expected to consider granting unemployment benefits to anyone fired for refusing to be vaccinated or to undergo regular testing.

Its not clear GOP leaders in the House and Senate have the votes to pass both bills or if they control two-thirds majorities in event of a governors veto.

Expect attempts to introduce supplemental legislation during the special session, because history has recorded the difficulty of restraining all 125 representatives and 40 senators thrown together in the Capitol cauldron. The 2022 governors race, likely pitting Democratic Gov. Laura Kelly against Republican Attorney General Derek Schmidt, could add more fuel to the fire.

Republican leaders in the Legislature said they responded to calls for a special session by appointing the Special Committee on Government Overreach and the Impact of COVID-19 Mandates.

The committee began by conducting two days of public testimony with about 100 people denouncing Biden and other public officials who embraced pandemic limitations adopted since March 2020.

At times, it took on the appearance of political theater as witnesses compared the murder of millions of Jewish people in World War II to decisions by Kansas officials to require wearing of a paper mask during the pandemic. Another witness compared workplace vaccination requirements to an order to eat a roll of toilet paper to preserve a job.

The GOP-led committee hosted another day of testimony to solicit input on the proposed legislation tied to a religious exemption and unemployment benefits. It produced a flurry of blowback from the Kansas Chamber and other business organizations that declared the legislation went too far. At the same time, the anti-vaccination organization Kansans for Health Freedom argued the legislation didnt go far enough.

Debbie Mize, co-founder of Kansans for Health Freedom, said the special committee prepared for the special session by drafting a squishy bill in response to people forced from their jobs over refusal to accept injections of COVID-19 vaccine.

Do you really believe this will offer protection for Kansan workers? Kansans want language that will protect their right to keep medical circumstances private and the right to refuse any medical procedure, Mize said.

Michael Poppa, executive director of the Mainstream Coalition, said the proposed reforms would open a floodgate of spurious claims based on religious grounds. The changes also wade into the waters of separation of church and state, he said.

The result will be circumvention of a private employers right to protect employees from COVID-19, he said.

Dan Murray, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, said the legislation was flawed because it would create opportunity for aggrieved employees to file lawsuits against business owners who deny religious exemptions from the federal vaccine mandate.

We do have concerns this bill could put employers in the unenviable position of choosing compliance with the Biden mandate or opening themselves up to civil litigation from employees, he said. We fear the proposed new civil action could chum the waters even more for Kansas trial attorneys.

Kansas Chamber lobbyist Eric Stafford said piling on a state mandate in response to a federal mandate was problematic. He said a state law providing unemployment benefits to someone who refused to get vaccinated created a slippery slope in the workplace.

He said such a policy would foster an environment in which workers could turn in a frivolous claim for an exemption only to be entitled to unemployment insurance and a lawsuit against their employer.

Laura Klingensmith, vice president of a health care business consulting company and part of lawsuits filed in Johnson County against mask mandates, said the base bill offered by the special House and Senate committee for consideration in the special session was worthless.

It doesnt put a stop to discrimination and segregation of people based on vaccination status, she said.

Will you fight for our health freedoms? Klingensmith said. Or, will you choose the agenda of lobbyists, special interests and the Kansas Chamber over us?

Senate President Ty Masterson, a Republican from Andover, said criticism wouldnt deter the Legislature from working to strengthen the right of Kansans to be granted religious and medical exemptions to unconstitutional directives issued by Biden.

We really need to get back to focusing on the fundamental right of the individual, Masterson said. Were not going to let the Biden administration force businesses to play God or doctor and determine whether a religious or medical exemption is valid or not. Were going to trust individual Kansans.

Kelly, the Democratic governor seeking re-election, denounced Bidens vaccination requirement for federal workers and contractors as well as large businesses. Once presented a petition signed by more than 110 Republicans and one Democrat seeking a special session, Kelly relied on power granted governors in the Kansas Constitution to convene the Legislature in special session as of 10 a.m. Monday.

Im eager to identify solutions that balance the collective good and individual rights, said Senate Minority Leader Dinah Sykes, D-Lenexa. I am skeptical that the Legislature will be able to come to a compromise that does that, particularly in light of the positions taken by Republicans during the special committee on government overreach.

Rep. Jason Probst, a Democrat from Hutchinson, said the special session was a waste of taxpayer money. He said the special session was a $65,000-per-day demonstration of how extremist lawmakers inflame debate about COVID-19 vaccines for political gain.

These politicians, who are openly and with hostility working to keep people angry, scared and divided, are doing more to destroy our country than any terrorist group could ever hope to achieve, he said. When its over the people who absurdly think theyre enduring the same abuse as Holocaust victims still wont be appeased.

Read this article:

Kansas' proposed vaccination freedom reform attracts heavy dose of skepticism - Kansas Reflector

Were here for you and we are listening. Write to us at [emailprotected] and let us what you would like to see addressed in this new podcast.

It is becoming alarmingly clear that religious freedom in America is under sustained attack in the very places that should be upholding it our schools and colleges. Just this week, we learned that the FBI has set up a process to track parents who speak out against ideologically-driven teachers and school board members and that process was a response to instruction by none other than the Biden administrations attorney general, Merrick Garland. Thats the sort of thing we imagine happening in China, not the United States.

For years, Marxist-inspired progressive ideologies have been finding favor in universities and high schools. In some places today, even 8-year-olds are browbeaten with gender ideology and critical race theory. Some school officials and government leaders think nothing of keeping parents in the dark about what their children are experiencing at school. And, shockingly, some of these institutions are Catholic.

As a mother of 10 children, I am navigating these waters myself. And, as a civil rights and religious freedom advocate, Im committed to safeguarding the religious freedom of parents and students.

My organization, the Conscience Project, was founded to protect the rights of conscience and religious freedom in all aspects of life, both here and abroad. We believe that, in a changing society, an individuals right to conscience is often the last line of defense.

We want to tell you more about what we're doing. This past summer the Conscience Project and the National Catholic Register teamed up to produce the Religious Freedom Matters podcast. Our pilot series delved into the challenges were confronting as faithful Americans. There is no doubting that we are facing an overwhelming cultural force that is pulling our society away from its moral and religious roots. We looked at what the Catholic Church has to say about the importance of religious freedom in society. We also discussed the legal protections for people of faith in America, some recent victories for religious freedom in our courts, and the clashes between government and religious liberty that have yet to be resolved. We also spoke about our countrys duty advance religious freedom globally. Our message was clear: religious freedom will survive only if we know how to defend it.

But, as this latest news about the FBIs tracking project shows, assaults against religious liberty in America are continuing, particularly when it comes to the rights of parents as primary educators. Thats why we decided to bring you another Religious Freedom Matters podcast series.

This time we will focus on religious freedom in education. Well be hearing about the anxieties of parents trying to pass on the faith to their children, only to find educators undermining them. Weve also invited Catholic scholars, political analysts and Church leaders for dynamic discussions on how safeguarding religious freedom in education promotes a healthier society and strengthens the Church. And well also be bringing you good news the growing success of parents, teachers, students and religious leaders spreading the Gospel in a vibrant and orthodox way.

Every episode will begin with the latest news and, believe me, this is an area in which things are changing fast, for better and for worse. The religion-friendly Supreme Court and unfriendly progressives in government are pulling in opposite directions. Its horribly disorientating.

My co-host is one of the most distinguished reporters in this field Joan Desmond, Senior Editor at the Register. She will track down courageous parents who are asserting themselves as their childrens primary educators; shell also be keeping an eye on the latest maneuvers by hardline progressives and tone-deaf politicians.

After weve heard from Joan, well move on to sharp discussions with some of the brightest minds in Catholic academia and political analysis, as well as with Church leaders working to preserve and protect the faith. Well explain, in a fresh and authoritative manner, why religious freedom has never mattered more.

We want the podcast to be a conversation you can join. Let us know what questions you have. What concerns you? Have you been prevented from knowing what your children are learning while they are at school during the day? Have you been able to work with teachers and school officials to address and remedy problems? What steps have you taken to ensure that your children dont lose their faith in school?

I want you parents, grandparents, students, teachers, clergy and religious to be part of this conversation. Write to us at [emailprotected] telling us what you would like to see addressed. Or, better yet, record and send us an audio file sharing your experience or asking a question. Were here for you and we are listening.

More here:

Thoughts, Questions About Schools and Religious Freedom? The Register Wants to Hear From You - National Catholic Register

Born into a devout Muslim family in Saudi Arabia, Manal al-Sharif spent her childhood under the impression that women were second-class citizens. In her small world, every piece of information she met was curated carefully, censored in such a way as to crush any spirit of rebellion.

Courtesy of the internet, which arrived in her country in 1999, she was able to dispossess herself of these inherited misconceptions and came to understand the oppression under which she was living.

Under an authoritarian regime, youre controlled by fear; you have a lot of questions, but nobody will answer them, she told TechRadar Pro. That pretty well describes my childhood in Saudi Arabia.

But when the internet came, my questions were answered. This is the power of technology to break through the black box that people live in when they dont have access to information.

Captivated by the internet and technology more broadly, al-Sharif went on to pursue a degree in computer science, becoming the first Saudi woman to specialize in information security, for which she has a considerable talent.

However, while the web is responsible for liberating al-Sharif from her intellectual prison, her relationship with the platforms it has spawned is complex. She is torn between a respect for the internets ability to spread knowledge and connect the farthest corners of the globe, and a very personal understanding of the hatred it can sow.

Although the arrival of the internet paved the way for al-Sharifs enlightenment, as she describes it, it was social media that gave her the first opportunity to stand up to authority.

al-Sharif says she came to understand the power of social media during the Arab Spring, a period in the early 2010s during which a series of pro-democracy uprisings took place across the region, including in Saudi Arabia.

During this time, dissidents used social media not only to discuss and debate the socio-political issues at hand, but also to organize and coordinate, to maximize the impact of the demonstrations.

It was interesting to see how social media gave us a voice, said al-Sharif. In a country where your opinions are unwelcome, online anonymity gave me space to question my belief system.

I could connect with activists all around the world to exchange ideas and have discussions that could never have taken place otherwise. Twitter was our virtual civil society, the parliament we never had.

Most importantly, the world was paying attention, she says. Issues that were very local, were made international by social media, which swung the power balance in favor of the collective.

Buoyed by this experience and hungry for ways to bring about change in her own country, al-Sharif identified an opportunity.

In Saudi Arabia at the time, women were not allowed to drive a motor vehicle. Instead, they had to rely on male companions for transport, which placed significant limits on the freedoms of a divorcee like al-Sharif. In a bid to break the taboo (for there was no real law against the act), al-Sharif took to the streets in her car, capturing the moment using her iPhone.

On YouTube, the video amassed 700,000 views in a matter of days, and many more since. And the Facebook and Twitter accounts al-Sharif later created became the basis for a community of hundreds of thousands under the banner: Women2Drive.

Later, Saudi authorities arrested al-Sharif at her house in the early hours of the morning. The official charge: driving while female. Before the arrest was made, al-Sharif was able to warn a friend that police had gathered outside; he live-tweeted the arrest, creating a storm on social media.

During the nine days al-Sharif was kept in custody, womens right to drive in Saudi Arabia became a global story. Reportedly, Hillary Clinton heard about the arrest and put in a call to the Saudi foreign ministry to apply pressure.

According to al-Sharif, social media was instrumental not just in raising awareness of the issue, but also in securing her eventual release. Saudi Arabia despises bad publicity, she explained, and social media was the perfect tool for creating it.

It wasnt just about the right to drive, though, it was about the right to exist, she told us. Driving was just the most public act of disobedience; it was top of mind every time you went out on the street, so it was a useful symbol.

In June 2018, the Saudi Arabian monarchy lifted the driving ban at last; a small triumph for al-Sharif and the Women2Drive movement, although the battle for womens rights in the country continues.

Social media hasnt always been a power for good in the life of al-Sharif, however. After her activism began to attract attention, and conservative media started covering the story, she faced a torrent of abuse online from people who thought she had disgraced herself and her country.

As a result of her newfound notoriety, al-Sharif was also softly pushed out of her job at oil company Saudi Aramco, which had been supportive of her desire to work in cybersecurity (which was highly unusual at the time), but unwilling to shoulder negative publicity itself.

It was a high price to pay, but you lose battles to win wars, she told us. If I could turn back time, I wouldnt have changed a thing.

Although al-Sharif developed coping mechanisms to deal with the criticism and vitriol online, she could not abide the way in which dictatorial powers were beginning to weaponize social media platforms.

In fact, al-Sharif deleted all her social profiles in 2018, even though this meant severing the line of communication with her many thousands of followers. She did so live on stage during a speech at an EU summit in Stockholm, in the aftermath of the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi by the Saudi state.

When people like al-Sharif took to social media to discuss the killing and launch criticism at the Saudi regime, they were washed out by trolls and bots (known in Saudi Arabia as flies), she says. These automated accounts were designed explicitly to push the monarchys agenda, intimidate dissidents and quiet any rumors of its role in Khashoggis murder.

In the weeks after news of the assassination emerged, these were some of the the trending hashtags on Twitter in the country (translated from the original Arabic):

Neither is Saudi Arabia the only nation accused of abusing bot farms to sow discord, spread misinformation and squash its opponents. For example, Russia was found to have used bots to manipulate voters ahead of the 2016 US election, which resulted in the presidency of Donald Trump. And China is known to have used fake Twitter accounts to spread pro-government messages during recent protests in Hong Kong, and in the early days of the Covid-19 pandemic.

I went from someone who completely believed in social media, to someone who was horrified by it, said al-Sharif. During this period, I felt very hopeless. Suddenly we had lost a platform that had given us a voice.

The same tools we had used to liberate ourselves were now being used for oppression. This was a profound discovery.

Life after social media is quieter for al-Sharif, especially now she is living in Australia in self-imposed exile. She says she is disconnected from Saudi Arabia since quitting, but is otherwise glad of the opportunity to reflect.

In spite of her opinions about the companies running the worlds largest social media and internet platforms, al-Sharif remains optimistic about the prospects society can find a way to harness their benefits and keep their destructive potential in check.

Having left her job as CISO at the University of New South Wales, she has turned her attention to a new project: the Ethical Technologists Society, an organization she founded to raise awareness of breaches of digital rights. She has also started a podcast, called Tech4Evil, in which she tackles the abuse of centralized power, surveillance capitalism, data privacy and other related issues.

Asked how she would begin to address the problems with todays algorithm- and ad-based internet models, al-Sharif explained the issues can only be solved through conversation. She says technologists are guilty of speaking the language of technologists, but it's important now to broadcast the message to a wider audience.

Ultimately, people must boycott companies that betray their trust. These companies have become what they are because of the power of the network, she told us. We dont want to lose the power of technology, but we also dont want people to give away their digital rights for the sake of convenience. There is a middle ground.

Although money is tight and her plan not yet fully fleshed out, al-Sharif and the Ethical Technologists Society will endeavor to build an ethical technology index to help people make informed decisions about the companies they interact with. She imagines such a system could also be used to hold technology companies accountable for the consequences of their actions.

The organization will also push for greater transparency in the sector. al-Sharif reserved some praise for Twitter, which recently launched a service that shines a light on any information requests it receives from governments, and Reddit does something similar. But she says these companies must go further, providing full access to their algorithms for independent audit, especially Facebook.

There are also micro-rebellions that everyone can practice, she says, to minimize the stranglehold of Big Tech. For example, boycotting Google Search to deprive the company of advertising revenue, or always using a VPN and private browser to shield internet activity from prying eyes. In isolation, these acts are inconsequential, but en masse could begin to create noise.

The path out of the labyrinthine created by abuses of the internet is as yet unclear. For every solution to the complex problems in question, there is an equally persuasive and legitimate counterargument. But al-Sharif has faith in the ability of technology to deliver us from this situation, just as it did when she was young.

Read this article:

The Saudi womens rights activist who found freedom and horror on the internet - TechRadar

MADISON The No. 15 Wisconsin Badgers (8-3 overall, 6-2 Big Ten) outlasted the Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-8 overall, 1-7 Big Ten) 35-28 on Saturday afternoon, behind a defensive stand in the closing moments of the game.

Following the go-ahead score by Wisconsin, the ensuing kickoff went out of bounds, setting up Adrian Martinez and Nebraska with good field position at their own 35-yard-line. The Huskers looked to tie the game with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.

Martinez and Nebraska worked their way downfield in a hurry, as they had throughout the game and eventually the Huskers got down to the Wisconsin 11-yard-line. The Cornhuskers were then hit with a holding penalty on first down and Martinez threw four-consecutive incomplete passes after that to secure the victory for the Badgers.

Despite his performance in the waning moments, Martinez recorded the best passing performance of the season by an opposing quarterback against UW. He finished the game 23-of-35, for 351 yards and one touchdown, but also threw two crucial interceptions.

It was a huge challenge, I mean we knew it was going to be a huge challenge coming in, I guess with Nebraskas offensive staff not being there anymore, we didnt know what Scott Frost had up his sleeves and obviously he is an offensive genius, said Collin Wilder, who intercepted Martinez twice in the game. We knew it was going to be a challenge today, we knew that we were going to have to adjust throughout the game, Im proud of the guys in the way we adjusted, it wasnt pretty, but we found a way to win the game and at the end of the day thats what matters.

Wisconsins defense, while giving up a season-high 452 yards, has now pushed its overall turnover margin to plus one for the first time this season after picking Martinez off twice. Through Wisconsins 1-3 start, the Badgers had a minus eight turnover margin. However, they have turned it around over its seven-game win streak by forcing 19 turnovers during that span.

Just as with the first six games of their winning streak, the driving force for Wisconsins offense once again was running back Braelon Allen. With Wisconsins offense needing to come up big throughout the game, most of the pressure rest of the 17-year-old freshmans shoulders.

Allen had an eventful night in the win, rushing 22 times for 228 yards and scoring three touchdowns. This was Allens first career 200-yard game and his seventh-consecutive game with 100-plus rushing yards, breaking Anthony Daviss freshman record of six games (2001), that he tied last weekend.

With Allens 200-yard effort, it should come as no surprise that he covered a lot of real estate on his touchdown runs. Allen scored on a 71-yard rush in the first quarter and then later scored from 53 yards out to score the deciding touchdown in the game.

Allens performance also allowed Wisconsin to continue its dominance over Nebraska in the rushing game as Wisconsin has averaged just over 300 yards on the ground in the 10 games against Nebraska since the Cornhuskers joined the Big Ten.

However, Allens long runs were not the only long scoring plays of the game for the Badgers as Stephan Bracey, who suited up for the first time this season after going through a long rehab from a quad injury suffered last season at Northwestern, returned the opening kickoff 91 yards for a touchdown. It was the first time that the Badgers had returned an opening kickoff for a score since David Gilreath did so in 2010 against Ohio State.

Bracey fielded the ball off of a bounce, bounced off one defender and was gone.

It was just keep my speed, increase my speed, dont get caught, Bracey said. I know Im fast enough, but you know, it was very exciting once I crossed the finish line, or should I say the touchdown, it was just a very exciting moment for me, seeing my hard work pay off in the best way.

Graham Mertz also continued his stretch of solid play under center for the Badgers, finishing 12-of-18, with 145 yards and one touchdown pass. Mertz found wideout Kendric Pryor in the endzone for his only touchdown pass of the game in the third quarter, following Collin Wilders first interception.

Nebraskas record does not reflect the team that they have, and I will say that over and over, that team is so close to being undefeated. Im proud of the way we responded tonight, it wasnt a pretty win, but we found a way, Wilder said.

Wisconsin now begins preparation for the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-4 overall, 5-3 Big Ten) and the battle for Paul Bunyans Axe, as the Badgers travel to Minnesota next weekend to try and secure another Big Ten West title.

Read more from the original source:

FULL RECAP: Wisconsin Badgers keep Freedom Trophy, as they outlast Nebraska - Bucky's 5th Quarter

In the wake of the murder of rapper Young Dolph in Memphis on Wednesday, criminal justice reform organization Until Freedom has launched a national initiative called Boycott Black Murder.

In an Instagram post announcing the campaign, the community group describes the initiative as an aggressive national campaign, to significantly reduce gun violence in Black communities. The post goes on to cite national statistics on gun violence, as well as numbers specific to New York, where the campaign kicked off Saturday with a march.

The post indicates that a spike in violent crimes has led the NYPD to arrest more than 3,400 people on gun charges this year. It goes on to say that the death of three teenagers in New York just last week makes the one week count equivalent to the total number of teens shot to death in New York in all of 2019.

During Saturdays march, Until Freedom co-founder Mysonne Linen urged the participants to take direct action in their neighborhoods.

Its time for us to take back our community. and establish what gangsta is, the rapper-turned-activist said. The gangtas are the ones that make you feel protected in your community. When you a gangsta, the old ladies feel comfortable when youre outside. They feel safe when youre outside. The suckas is the ones that shooting these kids. If youre a OG, and youre standing watching these kids kill each other, you not a OG, you a sucka.

As part of the new initiative, Until Freedom also released a seven-point pledge where by followers and supporters can commit to actionable ways in which to engage in the Boycott.

Ending Gun Violence is going to take a collective effort of Credible Messengers, Community, leaders, Youth, Former/Present Gang Members and everyone else willing to actively commit!!, Linen wrote in the posts caption.

Continue reading here:

Activists Launch Boycott Black Murder Campaign In The Wake Of Young Dolphs Death - Black Enterprise

Posted: Nov 20, 2021 / 12:15 PM EST / Updated: Nov 20, 2021 / 12:15 PM EST

WHEELING, W.Va. (WTRF) A group of state andlocal leaders andcitizens gathered inWheeling on Friday tourge federal officialsto adopt the Freedomto Vote Act.

Attendees spoke from the WheelingCity-County building,speaking out aboutthe need for theelection workers to beprotected from thethreats of violencethat were heard duringthe last election cycle, the importance of same-day registration andmore.

This piece oflegislation really sets getting secret moneyout of elections, bymaking it moreaccessible. And we inWest Virginia shouldespecially beconcerned because welive in a rural area.

Removing darkmoney fromcampaigns is a keytenet to this bill. Wewant to make surethe campaigns thatare run are run fairlyand that folks areactually choosing theirpoliticians and thattheir politicians arentjust choosing them.

Democracy is atstake here. We need tokeep the 1965 VotersRights Act strongagain and not allowthese votersuppression laws tocause people to notbe able to vote.

They also advocateearly voting to last atleast 15 days.They say they wantall Americans to beable to vote,regardless of race,income, religion orpolitics.

Visit link:

Area leaders gather in Wheeling to support the Freedom to Vote Act - WTRF