Month: November 2022

Law enforcement has been using location information from mobile phones to investigate and apprehend suspects, and to dispatch emergency assistance for years (although their methods have sometimes been secretive and questionable). The recent Supreme Court decision overturning Roe v. Wade has now opened the door for health services – including but not limited to abortions – to be criminalized in some jurisdictions. This means that law enforcement may be able to obtain location data from a data broker to determine whether someone went to a health clinic or similar location. Beyond law enforcement, some jurisdictions may additionally permit civil liability, meaning third parties unaffiliated with law enforcement could attempt to access geolocation data to bring a lawsuit. In short: the collection and sharing of mobile phone location data with law enforcement and with third parties (e.g. selling location data) has taken on renewed importance for all Americans.

This troubling situation underscores the risks that Americans continue to face because of Congress’ failure to enact a comprehensive federal privacy law. Congress has inquired about the tracking practices of tech companies such as Apple and Google, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has signaled its interest in this area, and there are bills in Congress that address both limits on the amount of personal data companies may collect and use (such as the American Data Privacy and Protection Act (ADPPA)) and warrantless access to consumer data by law enforcement (the Fourth Amendment Is Not For Sale Act)—however as of today the United States is woefully still without a law to protect us from this commercial surveillance.

In October 2021, the FTC published a report that addressed the data sharing practices of internet service providers (ISPs), including both broadband and mobile providers (noting that several sold real-time location data derived from provision of their services to third-parties). Regarding mobile carriers specifically, in February 2020 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Notice of Apparent Liability to major mobile carriers in light of their involvement in the illegal and dangerous sale of consumer location information resulting in rogue law enforcement officers, bounty hunters, and others obtaining real-time and historical location information. This sale was in violation of the FCC’s rules regarding Consumer Proprietary Network Information (CPNI), which includes when, for how long, and to/from whom a phone subscriber made or received a phone call. There has been no public announcement indicating that these fines have ever been collected by the FCC or by the U.S. Department of Justice.

In July 2022, FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel sent Letters of Inquiry (LOIs) to fifteen of the largest mobile carriers about consumer geolocation data, requesting information about their data retention and data privacy policies and practices. Chair Rosenworcel stated in the letters: “the highly sensitive nature of this data—especially when location data is combined with other types of data—and the ways in which this data is stored and…

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By the author of What School Should Have Taught You and The Prepper’s Guide to Post-Disaster Communications.

There’s a lot of fanfare going on regarding Elon Musk at the moment. I figured this would be a good time to take a look at a bit of his track record and what he supports.

Musk freed Twitter.

There’s a lot of hubbub at the moment about how now that Elon Musk owns Twitter, that those silenced will now be able to speak on social media once more. He laid off a few thousand of the old censorship people and got rid of the ridiculousness here, meaning that Twitter may very well once more be a reputable form of social media.

It looks like he’s working to remove the thousands of bots that all say the same thing (conveniently pushing a Marxist agenda) as well.

For all of this, I say Elon gets a solid plus.

Musk thinks artificial intelligence is potentially dangerous.

“With artificial intelligence, we are summoning the demon,” Musk has said. He also says AI is “Potentially more dangerous than nukes.”

I would agree with him on both of these being potential threats. (Superintelligence does a very good job of outlining the way these threats could occur.) I don’t think that AI will reach the levels of danger that Musk is concerned about, but I definitely think it’s a potential threat.

For at least being plugged into reality here, I would say this is a plus.

Musk is creating brain chip implants.

When he first unveiled his chip brain implant, the Neuralink, Musk advertised it as being “like a Fitbit in your skull,” also saying that this would be a means by which paralyzed people would be able to regain mobility in their limbs.

Fitbit has been at the center of a number of public conversations regarding personal information and privacy, and the conversation most certainly could be considered applicable to Neuralink as well.

Would data be harvested? What would be done with brainwave data? Could you be hacked? A lot of people are asking these questions right now.

Musk also says this would be a way for chipped individuals to release serotonin on demand. Would this create a new generation of chipped drug addicts? If one could release dopamine on demand, would they soon do nothing else?

He’s also said that one of the main motivations for Neuralink is to allow humanity to be able to defend itself better against…

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With an increased number of police drones comes questions about privacy.

“A lot of technology has been deployed, but there hasn’t been a public process to say this is something that we actually want,” said Jake Wiener.  

Wiener is counsel with the Electronic Privacy Information Center – or, EPIC – based in Washington D.C. The group is lobbying for more oversight of police drones and more public notification of when they’re used. 

“One of the most powerful impacts of surveillance technologies – drones included – is that they make it possible for the police to do a lot more. Over policing.  Wrongful arrests. These things all increase when you have – when it’s easier to find, identify and arrest people,” Wiener said.

Read more here: https://www.fox6now.com/news/law-enforcement-drones-privacy-questions

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The duck has earned an important—yet underestimated—place in the American psyche. From Donald and Daffy right through to the exploits of Duck Dynasty’s Robertson family, the humble duck plays a central role. So I found it somewhat surprising that the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy lists a whole host of duck breeds as in serious trouble. 

While the popularity of keeping backyard chickens has soared, the keeping of ducks has continued to plummet. This is a great shame, as keeping ducks can be a fascinating, rewarding and sometimes profitable hobby. 

Children absolutely love these comical birds. Through them, they can learn how to relate to animals in general—a valuable contribution in a world increasingly far removed from nature.

But can you really keep these birds in a backyard? I believe you can, if you commit to fully researching and understanding their needs before you make a purchase.

Looking after any form of livestock is a responsibility that should never be undertaken lightly. You also have to be sure that you have enough space and time and can offer a suitable environment for the right type of waterfowl. I (from boyhood) successfully kept ducks of several breeds in a reasonably sized suburban backyard.

My first duck was an impulse buy (not recommended) from a pet shop. He grew into a ridiculously tame male Khaki Campbell. Of course I named him Donald!

Donald was free to wander the garden during the day and locked into a shed at night. One winter’s evening, I got held up at school and a family member who was at home forgot to shut him away. By the time I got home, Donald was gone, only a few feathers and a skid mark in the rose bed that showed his valiant efforts to reach the safety of the house.

A fox had taken him. It was a bitter lesson cruelly learned.

Making a Start

Before anything, please check your local zoning laws. Zoning and health restrictions present an increasing hazard to those wishing to keep any form of poultry in urban and suburban areas. Neighbors may also object to noise, which in certain breeds (such as Call Ducks—a clue is in the name!) can be considerable.

Here is where research is invaluable. Start by attending a local poultry show. There are quieter breeds available and (in complete contrast to chickens), with ducks, the male is the quieter sex. If you don’t need eggs, a couple of pet drakes can provide an excellent pest-reducing service.

Read more: Considering ducks? These birds bring a lot of value!

No Pond? No Problem

You don’t need a pond to keep ducks. You do, however, need to ensure that they can submerge their heads and necks and be able to throw water over themselves.

I have found that the very best receptacle to allow this natural behavior is a simple children’s plastic swimming pool. I received some seriously funny…

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Over the years, I have read many articles on communications in a grid-down situation. Those articles typically focus on using ham radios or CB radios to communicate with other like-minded folks in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. I have also read articles focused on the importance of gathering and accessing important information that you would need if the Schumer hiints the fan (TSHTF). These articles typically discuss the importance of having hard-copy books and printed planning information, contact information, and other important information that would be valuable to have.

I first suggested the importance of a cell phone in preparedness efforts in a previous SurvivalBlog article: Preparedness Planning: The Business Trip. During that trip, I brought my iPhone which is my Everyday Carry (EDC) phone. Since I wrote that article, I prepared a second phone that could function as a backup, serve as an offline repository of information, and could also be utilized for communications in the event that I could obtain access to wifi, if my EDC phone was not available. At first blush, this exercise may seem to be a low priority in preparedness planning. However, I believe that it could be a helpful preparedness tool while traveling.

Many people have proposed that important documents and information should be kept on a flash drive. However, accessing that information would require that you have a computer in which to insert the flash drive. A cell phone is extremely portable. Wouldn’t it be easier to access it directly from a phone on which you have stored that information on the SD Card? This could be helpful if you were bugging out in a hurry. If needed, you could remove the SD card and plug it into a computer.

Scenarios where it might be useful:

• Your primary cell phone is owned by your employer and you want to keep your preparedness life separate from your work life
• A natural disaster causes widespread regional electricity and cell service outage
• A grid down event while traveling
• As a backup in the event that your EDC phone is stolen, lost or broken
• As a backup in the event that authorities illegally confiscate your EDC phone

The phone

For this project, I used an old Alcatel One Touch Conquest phone with 8G Ram and a 32G expansion SD card installed. I obtained this phone several years ago in order to use a freebie phone service that was being promoted. I was not happy with the service quality and canceled my service. This phone had minimal memory, even back then. However, it had some features that I really liked and which were lacking on the more expensive phone and service that replaced this one:

• It is far lighter weight than my iPhone
• It is waterproof – Once, I accidentally dropped it in a trout stream for between 5 to 10 minutes before I realized what I had done. I picked it up and it has worked fine for several years since then.
• I…

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However, there remains apprehension around issues of privacy and accuracy, said Jake Wiener, Counsel at the Electronic Privacy Information Center. 

It is a “huge concern that they’re using LexisNexis,” which “is in the upper echelon of data brokers who suck in massive amounts of information, almost always without meaningful consent from the people whose information they’re collecting, and then sell it back to the government and private companies,” he said.

Read more here: https://fcw.com/digital-government/2022/11/logingov-getting-new-anti-fraud-tools-privacy-advocate-raises-concerns/380159/

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The following recipe for Roasted Squash Seeds is from SurvivalBlog Mrs. Alaska. She writes:

“Why throw out the seeds of winter squash like butternut, acorn, spaghetti, and pumpkin!  You can roast them for a tasty seasonal snack. Or you feed them to poultry or save them to sow, next year.

For personal eating, I consider pumpkin seeds too woody a texture to be palatable (but I love pepitas, which are hulled pumpkin seeds).

The smaller, thinner seeds of other squash have a better texture and good flavor.  Here is how to roast squash seeds.

1)      Scoop out the seeds.

2)      Dump them into a tepid/warm salt water solution.  1 tsp per two cups of water is fine.

Note: The salinity slightly flavors the seeds but more importantly, breaks down the phytic acid (that preserves seeds until germination) so that the nutrients in the roasted seeds will be more bio-available to humans.  The soak also helps separate some of the slimy pulp from the seeds.

3)      Several hours later or the next day, pour the seeds into a colander.   Rinse, to help remove more pulp and to remove salt if you do not want that as a flavoring agent.

4)      Let the seeds dry out overnight.  You can’t roast wet seeds.  (I leave them in the colander in a cold oven). Do not dry them on a paper towel.  They will stick to the fabric.

COOKING:

In The Oven:

1. Spread the dry seeds in a pan with sides (because some may pop and jump when hot).  Drizzle LIGHTLY with oil (olive, sesame, other) and sprinkle with flavoring agents of choice, such as salt, cayenne, Italian herbs, curry, cumin, etc.  Mix well.  Spread out in a single layer.
2. I have read recipes that suggest roasting at 350 or 375 degrees for 10-15 minutes. However, this is too hot and too long for seeds more delicate than pumpkin.  I prefer a slower oven – about 325 degrees.  Stir/check color and scent about every 10 minutes.  Since I dry them overnight, I cook them in the oven while I am making breakfast.

On Your Stovetop:

1. Same as above: single layer, drizzled with oil and flavorings, stirred occasionally, monitor timing and temperature.  I do not do this anymore because of the occasional seeds that pop out of the pan.  Not a big deal.  Just my preference.
2. The roasted seeds will crisp up more when cool.

—

Mrs. Alaska blogs at: Alaskauu1.blogspot.com

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Do you have a favorite recipe that would be of interest to SurvivalBlog readers? In this weekly recipe column, we place emphasis on recipes that use long term storage foods, recipes for wild game, dutch oven and slow cooker recipes, and any that use home garden produce. If you have any favorite recipes, then please send them via e-mail. Thanks!

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