September 9 Safe Tech International News and Notes
5G NYC, Airpods, Politics, Spotlight on MA, Questioning Alaska Satellite Internet, Hawaii 5G Lawsuit, Events
I scan many more articles than I post, but this week-end was one of those times when I knew that I live a guided life. For many years I wasn’t accessing many other writers critical of tech, and was writing as much as I possibly could. Now there are many more voices. Crossing the intersection of politics and tech requires an opened mind, but there is commonality unfolding in informed consumers. The good news is that there are many more battle fronts emerging. I aim to share knowledge without offending.
POLITICS Megan Bells’ article in response/critique to trauma expert Gabor Mate’s article about Trump and Authoritarianism highlights mental illness in both political parties. Disillusioned voters have unenrolled from a party affiliation or shifted parties. The imposition of draconian ‘clean’ energy and unsafe telecommunications technologies accelerated under the Democrats, including the Telecom Act of 1996 and Obama era tech-enabling legislation.
THE FATE OF RF LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS, Massachusetts, According to my uninvited bing co-pilot, ”The cost to run the Massachusetts Legislature can vary each year based on the budget allocations and specific expenditures. For the fiscal year 2024, the Massachusetts Legislature’s budget was approximately $55 million1. This budget covers various expenses, including salaries for legislators and staff, operational costs, and other legislative activities.” In 2023, only 21 bills (of 10,500 filed) were passed. None of the RF/EMF related bills passed, and the Attorney General blocked two towns from addressing 5G concerns. In addition, the judge in the Pittsfield Tower case did not respect the authority of the Board of Health to address health harm, and deferred to Federal law. There are a few articles today spotlighting what is unfolding in Massachusetts that serve as examples of failure of representative government. (The good news is that there are many more consumers now questioning big tech, with many more battle fronts emerging. ) As Cece Doucette of MA4safetech noted, “Not that our legislative efforts have been for naught, folks are notifying me that Eversource will offer an opt-out from their smart grid updates 2025-8 -- fee based, but at least there is an opt-out where currently there is none and maybe folks won't have to abandon their homes if the fee isn't too exorbitant.” Investor-owned utilities in MA will be deploying smart meters soon, based on health claims by a career tobacco scientist.
HEALTH Articles about the compromised study nullifying brain tumors and cellphones risks are making the rounds, (see CHD article for rebuttal coverage)
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The EMF in our bodies Common Sources of EMF | Part 3: DC Electric Fields Here’s what you’ll learn in this article: 1. How does direct current operate in our body? 2. How are positive ions, and why are they bad? 3. The difference between ionizing vs non-ionizing radiation 4. Why do we get negative ions? 5. Why we were designed to ground barefoot 6. How can static electricity in our home make us feel ill? 7. What are common sources of static electricity? 8. How can we reduce static electricity in our home? 9. How our body can repair using its own DC electricity 10. JOIN the Waitlist: Wireless Health & Safety Course 11. How you can support decentralized medicine POWER COUPLE SUBSTACK
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We interrupt our interview with Gary Lee Duncan for an urgent dispatch from the front lines. Wireless Trespass -- What It Feels Like.
News and Notes
AI Ted Gioia: Eleven Predictions: Here's What AI Does Next Are you ready? Is anybody ready? AI agents will go out in the world and do things. That’s their new mission. [] there will be millions of these unruly bots on our digital highways. We got a glimpse of this future last week, when the company Altera announced that it had unleashed one thousand autonomous AI agents on to a Minecraft server. Almost immediately things got very strange. [] So let me offer eleven predictions for our interesting times. Or maybe I should call them warnings. You be the judge.1. Stop worrying about AI taking over. It’s the people who own the AI who pose the biggest threat. I still hear foolish predictions about some big computer taking over the world—like that scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey. Forwarded this email? 3. We will soon be living in an AI war zone—because competing AI agents will constantly battle each other for control (often over us). We will look back fondly at the simple days when the bots just talked to us. Soon they will be big and strong, and start making demands—or just do whatever they want without asking.With so many conflicting AI programs ramping up, the bots will inevitably go to war with each other. As soon as they are given agency and responsibility, battles will ensue.Like gunslingers in a Western town, they will shoot it out—metaphorically, and possibly in real terms. Here’s my advice: Try not to be collateral damage. More: Eleven Predictions: Here's What AI Does Next - by Ted Gioia (honest-broker.com)
AI PARIS MARX: Roundup: Will generative AI have many long-term benefits? [] Let’s start with education. Some researchers at the University of Pennsylvania decided to see whether ChatGPT really improved students’ math skills. In a study of Turkish high school students, they found students used the chatbot as a crutch, and rather than improving outcomes, they concluded that ChatGPT could actually harm students’ learning. [] How about medicine? One of the most common examples we hear for AI implementation (and not just the generative variety) in healthcare is for cancer and x-ray screenings, but a recent study of automation bias calls that into question. Two radiologists typically assess a mammogram to determine whether a patient has breast cancer, but in the study the second set of eyes was replaced by an AI assistant — and researchers ensured the AI would provide an incorrect answer some of the times. They found that radiologists ended up putting a lot of faith in the system’s answers, such that their accuracy got much worse as a result. The accuracy of inexperienced and moderately experienced radiologists dropped from around 80% to about 22% when the AI provided an incorrect result, and even very experienced radiologists found their accuracy drop from 80% to 45%. Not a great outcome! https://disconnect.blog/roundup-will-generative-ai-have-many-long-term-benefits
AI: AI is increasing 5G traffic. Signs point toward 6G as the answer
CELLPHONES: Biased? WHO-Backed Study Finds No Link Between Cellphones and Cancer A scientific review commissioned by the WHO in Environmental International claims there is no link between cellphone use and brain cancer, but an expert on wireless technology and public health accused the reviewers of being biased. CHD
CHILDREN SCHOOLS: 'Screen Schooled': Kids Should Learn to Use Brains, Not iPads You don't always have to 'meet kids where they are.' Instead, help them get someplace better. Katherine Martinko | The Analog Family SUBSTACK
CONSUMER PRODUCTS RIGHT TO REPAIR; Surprise Paywalls: The Bigger Story Behind the SNOO Bassinet Controversy SNOO maker Happiest Baby is just the latest OEM to erect a surprise paywall between its product and customers. Also: a group fighting for the right to repair your body. When your smart bassinet turns dumb What you don’t know is that those features aren’t necessarily included with the purchase price. That’s right, as reported by The New York Times and others, SNOO bassinet owners in July received notice that the previously free features they relied on to monitor their newborn’s sleep schedule would now cost $20 a month. The newly designated “premium” features include access to the mobile app needed to control the bassinet’s rocking level, track the baby’s sleep and manage what’s known as SNOO’s “weaning mode” feature, The Times reported. AND OTHER RIGHT TO REPIR NEWS: Letter urges FTC to require smart devices to say how long they’ll be supported, Auto repair: the canary in the coal mine for smart, connected stuff, Group fights for right to repair (your body) An article (paywalled) at 404 Media highlights the Four Thieves Vinegar Collective and its effort to teach individuals how to manufacture medications at a fraction of the price they are sold for and give individuals a "right to repair for your body." Jason Koebler interviews Mixæl Swan Laufer and his group, which is known for handing out DIY pills and medicines at hacking conferences. The Collective offers courses of drugs like the abortion medication misoprostol that can be manufactured for 89 cents (normal cost: $160) and which has become increasingly difficult to obtain in some states following the Supreme Court decision in Dobbs. Big Tech will (hopefully) face scrutiny with new state repair laws, China Ambassador emphasizes cooperation at Circular Economy Forum, Maine AG moves closer to implementing auto repair law, Charge Forward Network wants independent EV repair, Charge Forward Network wants independent EV repair, Massachusetts gives out $140k in grants to support circular economy projects, Wanted: a shift from passive consumers to active repair-ers!, Software limits make HMD’s ‘repairable’ phones not-so-repairable RIGHT TO REPAIR
ENERGY ELECTRICITY BEYOND NUCLEAR UK: Too expensive" The new UK Labour government refused to lift a two-child benefit cap imposed by a previous Conservative government that has plunged Britain's children into poverty. It has also stripped 10 million senior citizens of a winter fuel allowance. In both instances the government claims there is a lack of funds, but it was perfectly able to find $7.2 billion to throw at the pointless, dangerous and destructive planned two reactor project at Sizewell C where destruction (of pristine habitat) but no construction, is underway. READ MORE
ENVIRONMENT KATIE SINGER: The Great Salt Lake is Disappearing. So, Utah Banned the Rights of Nature. A guest essay by Will Falk
Stories by Katie Singer that feature Will Falk’s work:
What choices do we have when a corporation wants to do business?
When Land I Love Holds Lithium: Max Wilbert on Thacker Pass, Nevada
FCC: FCC Opens Eighteenth Inquiry on State of Broadband in the U.S. The Federal Communications Commission has initiated the next annual assessment concerning the “availability of advanced telecommunications capability to all Americans.” The FCC begins its latest inquiry under section 706 mindful that access to broadband is not a luxury, but a necessity. By this Notice of Inquiry, the FCC has initiated its latest statutorily mandated annual review, soliciting comment and data to inform its section 706 analysis. In the next section 706 report, the FCC proposes to maintain the standards and goals adopted by the 2024 Report and seek comment here on potential additional metrics as well as potential data sources by which to measure them. The FCC encourages the public at large, individual consumers, providers of broadband services, consumer advocates, analysts, policy institutes, governmental and non-governmental organizations, and all other interested parties to help determine the most effective ways to complete the Commission's statutorily mandated task. The information the FCC gathers in this proceeding will assist the agency in ensuring that its broadband policies are well informed and supported by sound data analysis. BENTON
5G; 5G Tower Configuration Not Compatible With Historic NYC Neighborhoods: Municipal Art Society HERE
5G NEW YORK: Foundations for 32-ft.-Tall 5G Tower at 100 Horatio and 100 Jane Street Removed In August we reported that the Federal Communications Commission upheld a ruling by the NYS Historic Preservation Office supporting our and others’ contention that proposed 32-ft.-tall metallic 5G towers proposed at 100 Jane and 100 Horatio Streets would have a negative impact on surrounding historic resources and should not be allowed to proceed. VILLAGE PRESERVATION
5G AI: 5G Networks Face Challenge from AI Explosion: Mobile Experts Mobile Experts Inc. is sounding the alarm about the impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on 5G networks. The context is that mobile networks currently traffic much more data on the downlink. However, Siri, Google Assistant and other AI-based platforms and services will drive what the report says is an “unprecedented” level of uplink traffic to mobile networks. It suggests that the release of Gen-AI enhancements that are said to soon arrive “could be a turning point.” Mobile Experts say that to date AI platforms such as ChatGPT mostly have trafficked text and images. Processing could be done in the device. That will become impossible as AI becomes video-centric and mobile networks need to bring the data up to the cloud for processing. TELECOMPETITOR
HEALTH EINAR NORWAY: A future-oriented job: removing tumors after earbud use "Here in Dallas, there are a couple of surgeons who do nothing else—5 days a week full-time—but remove tumors in the salivary gland for AirPods and Bluetooth devices." In my previous blog posts about Apple Airpods and other earbuds/airbuds, you will find more details HERE
HEALTH TRAUMA STRESS AMYGDALA POLITICS: Authoritarianism and the Amygdala A quick response to Gabor Maté's latest article in The Guardian Obviously, I’m not denying the existence of right-wing authoritarianism. I’m stating the incredibly obvious fact that extremism and authoritarianism¹ can pop up on both the “left” and the “right” and equating holding “right-wing” views to being an authoritarian is just incorrect. [] However, setting politics aside, my bigger issue with Maté’s essay is that his science is bad. As his subtitle suggests, he seems to be arguing that a larger amygdala—which he correctly claims is correlated with more “right-wing” views—is also associated with greater mental illness, authoritarian tendencies, and childhood trauma (i.e. complex PTSD). But there’s a lot of evidence that contradicts this claim. [] Research has also found that liberals—and in particular those with extreme left-wing views—have higher rates of diagnosed mental illness than conservatives. This is particularly true of young, liberal women. [] Unfortunately for Maté, this suggests that the finding that right-wingers² have larger amygdalae than left-wingers may actually indicate that right-wingers are LESS likely to have experienced childhood trauma, LESS likely to have a mental illness, LESS likely to develop PTSD, and LESS likely to be psychopathic or have borderline personality disorder. This also suggests that, on average, people who lean more “right wing” have higher levels of empathy than left-wingers. This interpretation would align more with the finding that leftists are more likely to be diagnosed with a mental illness than right-wingers. It also seems to confirm Josh Slocum’s hypothesis that left-wing “Woke” ideology is associated with higher rates of Cluster B personality disorders and mental illness. At the very least, the clinical literature does not seem to support Dr. Maté’s suggestion that a smaller amygdala and right-wing views are “the psychological roots of authoritarianism.” I do, however, agree with Maté that childhood trauma and neglect is a risk factor for the development of fascist and totalitarian tendencies, and that “[s]elf-reflection, something the fascist mentality cannot abide, can soften the heart.” I will, however, contest the implication that it is only people on the political right who struggle with self-reflection—and with fascism. [] Again, I am not denying the existence of right-wing authoritarianism or extremism! BOTH left and right-wing extremism exist! (See the second footnote). I’m also not denying a connection between psychopathy, low empathy, and Cluster B disorders and right-wing authoritarianism, merely pointing out that there is also a relationship between psychopathy and narcissism and left-wing authoritarianism. Anyway, keeping this one brief, so I’d love to hear people’s thoughts in the comments below. SUBSTACK, MEGAN BELL, THE CASSANDRA COMPLEX
HEALTH: Parents are stressed and kids are depressed. Here's what the surgeon general prescribes. As surgeon general, physician Murthy has issued previous advisories on loneliness, teen mental health and the overuse of social media. The latest advisory is an extension of those themes and once again highlights a devastating problem that is easily overlooked. Dr. Murthy recently released a Surgeon General’s Advisory on parents' mental health, based on new research from the American Psychological Association. Researchers found that of the 63 million parents with children under the age of 18, a whopping 48% are reporting overwhelming stress on a daily basis. The advisory highlights the demands of parenting, including sleep deprivation, busy schedules, managing child behaviors, financial strains and worries about children’s health and safety. MSN
INDUSTRY: Verizon to Buy Frontier Frontier grew to its current size by buying cast-off copper networks from Verizon. However, Verizon is buying Frontier for its fiber portfolio. Frontier had 6.5 million fiber passings at the end of 2023 and has announced plans to add 3.5 million more passings by 2026. This sale raises some interesting questions. Verizon is clearly interested in having a bigger fiber portfolio. I have to wonder if Verizon will be in favor of Frontier’s remaining fiber expansion plans since much of it is in rural and less densely populated portions of the Frontier portfolio. Frontier also seems to have a fairly aggressive plan to pursue BEAD grants, particularly in rural areas of its existing footprint. It’s going to be interesting to see if Verizon influences those plans which would come to fruition before the close of a sale. I’ve always been fascinated seeing ISPs merge and deal with different prices. Prices usually stay the same for a while after a merger, but eventually are brought into synch. Following are the list fiber prices for the two companies. This could mean future catch-up rate increases for Frontier customers. POTS AND PANS BLOG
POLITICS: MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATIVE BILLS OT/GENERAL Note, all MA RF-related bills were ‘sent out to study.” Jeanne's article below highlights issues with career MA legislators who do not take action and become involved in issues that matter to constituents. Jeanne has urged us all to write up our stories and submit to the CommonWealth Voices as an awareness building exercise on how we are being failed in the legislative process. Submit Opinion, Send Tip Why can't the Legislature do its job The Massachusetts Legislature is one of the least effective, least efficient, and least transparent legislatures in the nation. In 2023, only 21 bills (of 10,500 filed) were passed. In late July 2024, with the end-of-session deadline looming, we witnessed a mad dash to reach the finish line on a host of bills that have languished for the past year and a half. Many critically important bills did not get there. The budget is routinely late, often the last in the nation, holding up planning and procurement of essential goods and services throughout the Commonwealth. Rank-and-file legislators are virtually powerless and uninformed, dependent on lobbyists and leadership to tell them what to do and how to do it. They fundraise; they cut ribbons; they hobnob with their peers and betters. They do not legislate much. Why can’t the Legislature do its job? - CommonWealth Beacon
POLITICS; MASSACHUSETTS 5G: Comment on Atty Gen’l Campbell’s dismissal of town’s 5G concerns. Is Corporate Interest Above the People’s Choice? In November of 2023, the Massachusetts Attorney General: Andrea Joy Campbell, dismissed the warrant articles drafted by the citizens of Great Barrington and Sheffield, Massachusetts. The town residents are concerned about their exposure to untested and unsafe radiation. Their request is that the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) first shows the safety of small cell millimeter wave (5G) prior to telecom applicants installing it. Just like lamps must be UL listed prior to being sold, they want the security of knowing there are no dangers, risks, or harms associated with 5G radiation before its implementation. The townspeople voted to add to their bylaws a precautionary condition for all wireless applicants: that the FCC prove small cell millimeter wave radiation is safe for people and the environment. The FCC already has on record substantial evidence of harm submitted in the 2021 DC Circuit court case 20-1025, EHT v. the FCC: In this court case the judges ruled against the FCC’s decision to retain its 1996 safety limits for human exposure to wireless radiation. The judges stated the FCC’s decision was “arbitrary and capricious” and held that the FCC failed to respond to “record evidence that exposure to RF radiation at levels below the Commission’s current limits may cause negative health effects unrelated to cancer.” The judges further stated the FCC demonstrated “a complete failure to respond to comments concerning environmental harm caused by RF radiation” as the FCC ignored numerous organizations, scientists, and medical doctors, who called on them to update their limits. The court found the FCC failed to address these issues and mandated they review the 11,000 pages of substantial evidence of harm and update their safety levels. To date, the FCC has not complied. 5G | S.A.F.E. Helps You (safehelpsyou.org)
POLITICS PRIVACY; Becoming Illegible By Alex Marthews of Restore the Fourth On July 19, 2024, James C. Scott, who long taught at Yale, passed away. He wrote throughout his life of the fragility and importance of human communities. In his seminal work Seeing Like A State (1998), he described the terrifying zeal of “High Modernist” intellectuals and planners, whose “efficient” technical solutions vandalized those communities and everything that gave meaning to people’s lives in the name of “improving” them, “civilizing” them, and making them “legible.” Smartphones and their apps lure people into making themselves legible to power. In the 1990s, most people’s landline phone conversations were never tapped. Technologically, they could not be retrospectively mined for suspicious content. Conversations between friends or family members or over the back fence were the same. Now, smartphones are everywhere, and the costs of data collection, processing and storage have cratered. As a direct result, our legibility to those in power, and particularly to the police and intelligence community, has increased. So, the question before us is not so much how to stop it—it’s too large and multifarious and profitable for anyone to stop it altogether—but how to manage it in ways that preserve a space for all of us to express ourselves and thrive, without our every thought and movement being continuously visible to the state. Edward Snowden, the NSA whistleblower, described the NSA’s contractors of ten years ago as being able to “literally watch your ideas form as you type;” now, they’re not only watching, but using your thoughts as raw meat for AI-driven “insights.” Becoming Illegible - by Technoskeptic Staff (substack.com)
SATTELITES INTERNET ALASKA: Dyani Chapman is the state director of Alaska Environment, a statewide nonprofit environmental organization. OPINION: The garbage part of satellite internet Reliable and consistent internet access is so important to rural Alaska. It’s key to opportunity and probably key to a sustainable future for many communities. Knowledge is power, connection is one of the best parts of life, and the internet is access to knowledge and connection. But Kunze doesn’t mention the environmental and safety risks of satellite internet, which is on the rise not just in Alaska, but globally.
The number of satellites in low Earth orbit increased by 127 times in five years, and in 2023, 70% of all satellite launches were for Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX. The new space race is ramping up quickly: companies have proposed adding another half a million satellites to the mega-constellations that power the internet, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted Starlink more than 30,000 satellite licenses already.
The problem? The FCC does not currently require environmental impact studies prior to satellite licensure, and while we don’t know the precise extent of the environmental harm of launching and burning up so many satellites, we know it can’t be good.
Starlink satellites are designed to last only five years. At peak deployment of these disposable satellites, 29 tons of metal will re-enter our atmosphere per day. Earlier this year, a 5,000-pound satellite landed in the Pacific Ocean between Alaska and Hawaii and in May, space debris landed in a farmer’s field in Saskatchewan province, Canada. Satellite companies and the FCC must take this risk seriously, especially given the possibility of space debris hitting a more populated area. The rocket launches to send the proposed satellites into orbit would release toxic pollution each year equivalent to seven million diesel dump trucks. The metals from satellites and soot from increased rocket launches puts our health, climate and ozone at risk — especially in Alaska. Additionally, our metals are precious and finite — treating them as garbage that will rain down on us is irresponsible and unsustainable. []. At peak deployment, one in 15 stars we see would be a satellite, moving throughout the night sky.
Where does this leave us? We should balance the use of space with the potential environmental harms. The FCC should conduct an environmental impact review of all proposed mega-constellations and satellite companies should have to justify their plans with regard to the public interest. Reliable internet access is incredibly important for rural Alaska, but disposable satellite mega-constellations aren’t the only option. [] OPINION: The garbage part of satellite internet - Anchorage Daily News (adn.com)
SECURITY: Researchers snoop data from air-gapped PC's RAM sticks by monitoring EM radiation from 23 feet away Guri and their team have found a way to exploit the weakness of every electronic computer — its electromagnetic transmissions — to exfiltrate data without a wired or wireless connection. This type of attack, called RAMBO or Radiation of Air-gapped Memory Bus for Offense, is executed by installing malware on the target PC. It will then run an On-Off Keying (OOK) attack, which will surreptitiously switch signals rapidly within the RAM. Since electronic devices (like the RAM sticks) always emit radio frequency signals, no matter how minute, the attacker could then intercept the back-and-forth switching of radio signals coming from the RAM through a Software-Defined Radio and record it as binary information. [] This isn’t the first time that Guri has developed novel and unusual ways to exfiltrate data. Their team has developed cyberattacks that targeted PSUs, monitor brightness, PC fan vibrations, and even the SATA cable. However, the sophistication required for this attack means that the average computer user would likely be unaffected. After all, the resources involved with RAMBO would likely not make it worth it for stealing credit card or social security numbers. But if you’re a government entity using an air-gapped PC to control your country’s nuclear missiles, then you better watch out. TOM’S HARDWARE ON MSN
SPACE: Scientists Plan ‘Doomsday’ Vault on Moon Climate change is threatening Earth’s biodiversity. Could frozen regions of the moon be the best place to “back up” life-forms? WIRED
TOWERS AND ANTENNAS Haʻena couple files lawsuit against proposed 5G cell tower In a continuing effort to stop the construction of a 95-foot tall 5G cell tower in their neighborhood, two longtime Haʻena residents have filed a lawsuit against the California-based property owner who is leasing the vacant lot to AT&T. Haʻena couple files lawsuit against proposed 5G cell tower : Kauai Now (kauainownews.com)
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On Wednesday September 25th at 11:00am Pacific/2:00pm Eastern, please join us for Health Hazards of Wireless Technologies: What do we know now? In this webinar, Dr. Joel Moskowitz will provide a brief overview of selected recent studies on health hazards of wireless technologies. He will briefly discuss a meta-analysis of case-control studies of cell phone use and tumor risk, as well as the state of the evidence on children’s brain cancers, thyroid cancers, and other health hazards. This webinar is designed to provide a brief introduction to a subset of the recent scientific evidence, with a focus on cancer and on children’s health. Click here to register.
Sat 9th November: 12.30-5.30pm UK
Michael Hall Lecture Theatre, Kidbrooke Park, Priory Rd, Forest Row, East Sussex RH18 5JA: Wireless Radiation the Elephant in the Classroom
Evidence-based medical, scientific and engineering information regarding health
effects of wireless radiation and mitigation, with a focus on children’s health