Power & Control

Paypal claims the right to loot accounts and to censor – more so in Europe than in the US

2 November 2022 | In early October, the leading Internet payment provider Paypal announced that from 3 November it would take $2,500 from the accounts of customers who it thinks spread misinformation. After negative customer reactions, Paypal abandoned this plan. However, social media commentary has it that the new policy was secretly rolled out, nevertheless. An investigation into the issue reveals a raft of confusing and inconsistent clauses in the terms and conditions of Paypal and significant differences in how customers in the US and in Europe are treated.

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The Pope justifies the means: The first two years of the Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican

23 October 2022 | The Council for Inclusive Capitalism with the Vatican turns two. After his famous verdict “This economy kills,” Pope Francis seems to now be offering big capitalists a spiritual platform for polishing their public image. Unless, the commitments that corporate CEOs post on this platform are seriously intended to make the world a better place? Let’s take a look.

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Why the World Economic Forum loves Greta: Binding CO2-limits for happy citizens who own nothing

5 October 2022 | “Your CO2 limit for the month has been reached, unfortunately we can no longer sell you meat and tropical fruits. How about locally grown potatoes and vegetables?” You could be getting messages of this kind in the near future from the payment app on your personal monitoring device (aka smartphone) when you enter a supermarket towards the end of the month – at least if the corporate lobby World Economic Forum has its way.

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EU Commission wants emergency rights to tell companies what to produce and for whom

26 September 2022 | With its draft law for a “Single Market emergency instrument”, the EU Commission plans to obtain control over companies in any member state in the event of an unspecified crisis. The Commission wants the power to dictate to “crisis-relevant” companies what they have to produce and to whom they have to deliver it. Democracy and the market economy in Europe are at stake.

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Edward Snowden warns against digital financial fascism

14 July 2022 | It’s been nine years since Edward Snowden’s revelations about the NSA’s global data siphoning shocked the world. But instead of suffering a setback, the U.S. has since expanded its data theft. That’s why it’s important to look at how Snowden evaded surveillance, and what he recommends we do to preserve our freedom. A guest post by Hakon von Holst.

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China leads the way to fine-tuned crowd control by health-code manipulation

17. June 2022 | China’s government is showing what can be done with digital health passes in conjunction with tests and vaccinations as conditions for access to buildings and means of transport. Those who show intention to take part in public protests, have the color of their health app set to red. Some liberal democracies, including Germany, have already gone some way down a similiar path. And the digital health passport is set to become a permanent fixture in the EU.

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Here we go: The first government merges digital payment data and grocery store receipts

7 June 2022 | Warnings that government social engineers could soon determine what kinds of food we be allowed to buy have seemed far-fetched, until now. Currently, the first European government is working on getting the necessary data. It is collecting all payment data and cash register receipts and merging them with data on households.

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