The United States government is accelerating efforts to monitor social media to preempt major anti-government protests in the US, according to scientific research, official government documents, and patent filings reviewed by Motherboard. The social media posts of American citizens who don’t like President Donald Trump are the focus of the latest US military-funded research. The research, funded by the US Army and co-authored by a researcher based at the West Point Military Academy, is part of a wider effort by the Trump administration to consolidate the US military’s role and influence on domestic intelligence.

You know, what we really found in this report is understanding that the tech industry, Silicon Valley, is really changing the way we see Immigration and Customs Enforcement on the ground. We’ve been seeing for a while added capabilities to be able to surveil people, be able to input new sources of data, including private sources, like medical bills, different records from different companies. Even your phone bill, for example, is getting into these records. And that’s how immigration is able to conduct their raids and go door to door, terrorizing communities and really impacting families every day that are devastated by their separations. And so, what was really revealed in this report is that there’s tech industries, private companies, that are helping create these programs for ICE, but also other tech companies, like Amazon, for example, are expanding their budget by basically being able to offer cloud services to the government.

Just because advocates promote a right to repair doesn’t mean such a right will be recognized and widely available, practically speaking, And just being right, from a legal perspective, doesn’t mean the 900 pound Apple guerrilla is going to surrender, and allow those who wish to avail themselves of third-party repair services- – or fix the devices themselves– to proceed unchallenged. Apple remains committed to thwarting such initiatives. ... ... Absent widespread adoption of a right to repair, consumers are likely to discard their malfunctioning electronic devices even though these devices might – with the benefit of a small , low-cost repair – continue to provide further years of useful service. ... ... Without the necessary repair, a consumer is likely to throw the device away, and replace it with another. And that behaviour will only exacerbate the planet’s waste problem.

(1) Develop, coordinate, and oversee implementation of DoD policy for DSCA plans and activities, including: (a) Requests for assistance during domestic crises, emergencies, or civil disturbances. (b) Domestic consequence management. (c) Coordination on the development and validation of DSCA requirements and the provision of DoD capabilities. (d) Coordination on the development and approval of all DoD pre-scripted mission assignments. (e) DoD support to national and international sporting events, including support authorized by Section 2564 of Title 10, U.S.C. (f) Matters related to public health and medical DSCA. (2) Coordinate DoD assistance to federal, State, and local officials when responding to threats involving nuclear, radiological, biological, chemical weapons, or high-yield explosives or related materials or technologies, including assistance in identifying, neutralizing, dismantling, and disposing of nuclear, radiological, biological, chemical weapons, and high-yield explosives and related materials and technologies, pursuant to Section 2313 of Title 50, U.S.C. (3) Coordinate on DSCA plans, doctrine, and exercises, and the commitment of forces, or the employment of other DoD resources for DSCA. (4) Develop, coordinate, recommend, and supervise the implementation of policy for defense support of civilian law enforcement agencies, including law enforcement support activities. (a) Develop procedures and issue appropriate direction, as necessary, for defense support of law enforcement agencies. (b) Serve as the principal civilian advisor to the Secretary of Defense and the USD(P) for planning and executing Civil Disturbance Response Operations with the Department of Justice. agencies. (c) Coordinate on policies to further DoD cooperation with civilian law enforcement (d) Provide guidance for the use of Reserve Component personnel in support of civilian law enforcement agencies. (e) Develop policy regulating plans, procedures, and requirements of the DoD Components with authority over defense resources that may be employed to provide law enforcement support. (f) Inform the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs, under the authority, direction, and control of the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness (USD(P&R)), of all requests for assistance by civilian law enforcement agencies that may be met using Reserve Component personnel and resources. (5) Serve as the DoD manager for national special security events (NSSEs) and coordinate DoD support for all events designated as NSSEs and for other special security events. Evaluate requests for assistance for NSSE support, and prepare recommendations for approval. (6) Advise and assist the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Manpower and Reserve Affairs under the authority, direction, and control of the USD(P&R), in the development of DoD policy for military emergency preparedness liaison officers employment. (7) Coordinate on matters or policy related to the readiness posture of forces to conduct DSCA activities, including critical infrastructure protection and chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high-yield explosives response forces. (8) Coordinate and align homeland defense policies, plans, and programs with nuclear, chemical, and biological defense programs under the oversight of the Under Secretary of Defense for Acquisition and Sustainment (USD(A&S)). (9) Lead and coordinate all public health and medical DSCA policies and programs. (10) Serve as the lead DoD official for public health and medical DSCA. Receive and evaluate public health and medical requests for assistance and prepare recommendations for approval. (11) Represent the Secretary of Defense and the USD(P), in collaboration with the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Health Affairs, under the authority, direction, and control of the USD(P&R), on White House and interagency councils and committees related to public health and medical disaster event preparedness and response, including the Senior Leader Council on Patient Movement and interagency forums related to the National Response Framework Emergency Support Function #8: “Public Health and Medical Services.” Represent the USD(P) on the National Disaster Medical System Senior Policy Group. (12) Represent the Secretary of Defense and the USD(P), when appropriate, to governmental, non-governmental, and private sector governance organizations and advocacy groups focused on the DSCA mission. (13) Provide guidance on the use of DoD personnel or capabilities in support of DSCA policies.

Amazon, the country’s second-largest employer, has so far remained immune to any attempts by U.S. workers to form a union. With rumblings of employee organization at Whole Foods—which Amazon bought for $13.7 billion last year—a 45-minute union-busting training video produced by the company was sent to Team Leaders of the grocery chain last week, according to sources with knowledge of the store’s activities. Recordings of those videos, obtained by Gizmodo, provide valuable insight into the company’s thinking and tactics. ... ... Each of the video’s six sections, which the narrator states are “specifically designed to give you the tools that you need for success when it comes to labor organizing,” takes place in an animated simulacrum of a Fulfillment Center. The video’s narrators are clad in the reflective vests typical of the real-world setting. “We are not anti-union, but we are not neutral either,” the video states, drawing a distinction that would likely be largely academic to potential organizers.