china digital surveillance, china social credit system, europe, human rights, italy, privacy, , , surveillance

First Social Credit System in Europe: Rewards for Exemplary Citizens?

Amidst a lot of controversy and hassles, a city in Italy is going to implement a social credit system that will be implemented through an app. This is going to be deployed in the city of Bologna. The move was announced by Councillor Massimo Bugani and Mayor of Bologna Matteo Lepore. The usage of social ...

Armin Auctor

A building flying the Italian and EU flags.

China’s Digital Surveillance State Exposed in Data Leak

China has often been accused of resorting to secret digital surveillance activities by the governments of other countries. Top Chinese origin mobile phone makers have been accused of using covert digital surveillance tech in their products to collect users’ data. While the Chinese government and such brands have denied the allegations of secret digital surveillance, ...

Jack Roberts

An image of a woman's eye seen under a digital data stream.

Once Again Tech Giant Apple Is Appeasing China

Over the years, many technology giants and multinational corporations (MNCs) have modified their ads and marketing policies to appease the Communist regime in China. Apple, which is known for making iPhones iPads, and MacBooks, is one of the most high-profile MNCs in this regard. A new report reveals how the Cupertino, California-based technology giant Apple ...

Max Lu

An Asian man talks on his cellphone just outside the Apple store in New York City.

Vic Mays’s Heartfelt Debut Single Release ‘They Left No Name’

They Left No Name is a stunning debut single release for emerging British pop artist and songwriter Vic May. The composition is clear and open, with sounds of windswept dream pop to the skylike lyric “Angels never die,” followed by all the energy and heart of the chorus “They left no name and when their ...

Jessica Kneipp

Vic May singing on the beach.

Defectors Describe Why North Korea is Hell on Earth

If you commit a political crime in communist North Korea, such as watching a foreign film, you won’t be the only one who gets severely punished. Your family, including your siblings, your parents, and even your children, will also pay a heavy price — one of the many reasons North Korea is hell on earth. This is the ...

Rory Karsten

North Korea.

Little Global Respect for Ruling Chinese Communist Party, Pew Report Finds

Many aspects of traditional Chinese culture are treasured and admired around the world. Art. Cuisine. Philosophy. Architecture. Kung Fu. These are a few examples. Yet there’s no such worldwide esteem for the ruling Chinese Communist Party (CCP), no matter how the Party, and its massive propaganda machine, would like it to be otherwise. Recently, the ...

Rory Karsten

An undated photo of a Chinese police officer in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square.

Proposed SpaceX Base Threatens Lands and Livelihoods in Papua

The SpaceX project could affect a small island in Papua. Elon Musk’s proposed SpaceX base in Biak, Papua, could have a negative impact on local livelihoods and the environment, argues Southeast Asia expert Dr. Sophie Chao. In December 2020, the Indonesian government offered the Papuan island of Biak, home to some 100,000 inhabitants, to the centibillionare ...

Troy Oakes

Islanders and their boats in Papua New Guinea.

Will the 2021 Police Bill Drastically Dilute the Human Rights Act as We Know It?

The newly proposed UK Police Bill — The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill (the Police Bill) — intends to make substantial changes to police powers, particularly around shutting down and controlling protests, which are considered the mainstay of democracy and freedom of speech in the UK and democratic states worldwide.  Freedom of expression, as ...

Helen London

Britain's Parliament building.

Top U.S. and China Diplomats to Meet in Anchorage, Alaska

U.S. President Joe Biden’s top national security advisers will meet with Chinese diplomats on March 18 in a high-stakes showdown that could determine whether Washington and Beijing are headed for a new Cold War or a diplomatic thaw.  The Biden administration has signaled it will take a hard line when the two sides sit down ...

David Clapp

A chess set.

Biden Raises Taiwan and Human Rights Concerns With Xi During Phone Call

U.S. President Joe Biden and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping held their first telephone call as leaders. The call took place on the evening of Feb. 10 in the U.S. and just hours after Biden announced the creation of a U.S. Department of Defense China Task Force to help craft the United States’ strategic approach ...

David Clapp

President Joe Biden.