IRS now cracking down on Bitcoin with tools that eliminate transaction anonymity

Questions continue to arise about the true anonymity of the popular online cryptocurrency Bitcoin. While many assume (or have been told by others) that Bitcoin is completely untraceable, new reports indicate that this may not actually be the case, as the blockchain ledgers are public and technically available to anyone who knows how to break into them.

Last month, Alt-Market.com founder Brandon Smith issued a warning about Bitcoin’s purported anonymity, explaining that it’s hardly the anonymous solution to the fiat Ponzi scheme that many people believe it to be. He says that based on what’s already been revealed by whistleblowers like Edward Snowden and those involved with Wikileaks, nothing in the digital world is truly anonymous, period – including cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin that have transaction records publicly available.

“The feds have been proving there is no anonymity, even in bitcoin, for some time, as multiple arrests using bitcoin tracking have indeed occurred when the FBI decided it was in their interest,” Smith wrote. “Meaning, when the feds want to track bitcoin transactions, they can, and it does not matter how well the people involved covered their actions.”

Theoretically speaking, practically any group with the proper tools at its disposal, from the FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation) to the NSA (National Security Agency) to the IRS, (Internal Revenue Service) could develop systems with which to extract data from the Bitcoin blockchain ledger and identify every Bitcoin transaction that’s ever been made. The IRS has apparently already developed a special analysis tool that allows it to track down individuals who are profiting from Bitcoin but not declaring these profits on their tax returns.

“According to a contract recently obtained by the Daily Beast, the IRS can now track bitcoin and other cryptocurrency addresses,” explains a recent report by Bitcoin.com. “They can do this to route out potential tax evaders. They purchased software from the blockchain analysis group Chainalysis.”

IRS working overtime to extort as much profit from Bitcoin users as possible

Since the IRS exists for one purpose, and one purpose only – to enrich itself as much as possible on the backs of hard-working American taxpayers – the growing popularity of Bitcoin is a threat to its revenue stream. Every Bitcoin user who isn’t paying taxes on his or her Bitcoin profits is a potential target of this mafia-style corporation that functions as the enforcement arm of the privately-owned Federal Reserve bank.

Not only that, but Bitcoin users also face the constant threat of price fluctuations, as the value of the cryptocurrency has been exceptionally volatile as of late. Many will recall the Bitcoin “flash crash” in which the price of Bitcoin plummeted from about $3,000 per coin to roughly $2,500 per coin in a matter of just four hours. As of this writing, the price of Bitcoin is hovering around $4,600 per coin.

The government’s hate for Bitcoin is creating additional threats in the form of “cryptocurrency terrorism” as well. This is the idea that Bitcoin users are evading the use of Federal Reserve Notes and other forms of fiat currency for the purpose of committing illegal activity online. If Bitcoin isn’t truly anonymous, then this suggests that such users will possibly be identified and put on government “watch lists” in violation of their constitutional rights.

“The guidelines for who is or is not a terrorist are now so vague that any American could potentially be added to a list for something as menial as knowing someone who has committed an activity deemed to be of terrorist nature,” explains SHTFplan.com. “And as has been highlighted previously, those activities could range from making a hand gesture that looks like a gun or manufacturing your own gold and silver coins.”

Sources for this article include:

SHTFplan.com

Bitcoin.com

NaturalNews.com

Microchipping goes mainstream: Wisconsin company announces plan to chip employees

The next time your boss asks you to do something you’d rather not, just remember that it could always be worse: you could be working for Three Square Market.

The Wisconsin firm, which designs software that is used in office complex break room markets, has found itself in the spotlight after announcing its intention to be the first American firm to offer its workers microchip implants.

Chief Executive Officer Todd Westby said that he believes this is “the next big thing” and he wants his company to be a part of it.

People can currently buy items at the market with their smartphones, and now he wants to take the phone out of the equation entirely by implanting microchips into people’s hands. Checkout will start out the normal way, with a person’s items being scanned. When it’s time to pay, rather than handing over their credit card, they’ll simply wave their hand. The RFID chips communicate using electromagnetic fields and can be read from distances of up to 6 inches.

The company says that the chip implant is not required, but incredibly, 50 employees have already volunteered themselves as human guinea pigs for this project. The company will foot the bill for the chips, which cost $300 a piece. The microchips are placed inside a shell that is slightly bigger than a grain of rice. They will be implanted between the person’s thumb and forefinger using an instrument that is similar to a syringe during a “chip party” at the company on August 1.

While Westby was quick to point out that people’s data is encrypted and secure and the chip does not have GPS tracking, it’s hard to believe that they have convinced 50 people to get on board already. And what are they putting their health and privacy at risk for? A slightly more convenient way to do things that are already not much of a hassle – namely, swiping badges to open doors, logging in at their computers, and paying for items at the market.

What are the long-term effects?

It’s hard to say for sure how this could affect a person’s health as there are no long-term studies. However, these microchips are very similar to those used to keep track of pets, which is pretty alarming given their track record. Some owners have reported that their dogs and cats experienced weakness in all of their limbs because the chips were not placed precisely.

There is even an entire website, Chipmenot.org, that is devoted to pet owners whose pets died because of their chips, with serious problems like blood loss, spinal cord injury, lymphoma and cancer being blamed on the chips. Picture after picture shows the cute faces of countless furry friends accompanied by a brief description of how their lives were adversely impacted – or ended – by these chips, with many of them developing tumors around their implanted microchips. These employees must really love their company if they are willing to subject themselves to this invasive procedure.

While it’s true that smartphones can be used to keep track of you and your personal data can be hacked frighteningly easily, you can always turn your phone off or leave it behind. A microchip, on the other hand, is always there, unless you have it removed surgically.

If there is one upside to this bizarre situation, it’s that the employees are supposedly being given a choice. Some people believe that one day we won’t get to decide for ourselves and that governments will start forcing people to use implants, compromising their privacy and freedom. For example, people could be prevented from accessing government services and benefits one day if they don’t agree to get implanted. The possibilities are endless – not to mention frightening.

Sources include:

KSTP.com

USAToday.com

NYTimes.com

Amazon may allow software developers to read your private Alexa transcripts

Could you imagine living in a country that made technological advancements that weren’t at the expense of your individual right to privacy? What would it be like if the Fourth Amendment was actually respected, and each new idea for an invention started off with the simple question, “Is this going to infringe on the privacy rights of our customers?” If this type of a society sounds too good to be true, that’s because sadly, it is. From cellphones to television sets, to the cars that we drive, the American people are routinely being spied upon and listened to, and unless we stop purchasing these specific items altogether, there’s really not much we can do about it.

According to The Information, and as reported by Breitbart News, owners of the Amazon Alexa devices may soon be having some or even all of their conversations transcribed and reviewed by third-party developers, a move that is already sending up a red flag in the minds of many of Amazon’s customers.

For those who are unaware, the Amazon Echo is a device that essentially acts as a home computer that is instantly activated the second someone in the room says, “Alexa.” For instance, if you were cooking dessert and needed the recipe for homemade brownies, you could simply say “Alexa, read me a brownie recipe,” and the device would answer you within seconds. But while this sounds like something straight out of a science fiction movie, the underlying problems that come with a device that constantly listens for that activation word can be rather significant.

As Breitbart reports, “At the moment, developers making apps that will use Alexa are only permitted to see non-identifying information, such as location data, how often users talk to their devices, and how many times a specific ‘skill’ is used. If full transcripts were visible to developers, the greater amount of data could be put to use in order to improve and fine-tune their applications.”

Although ex-product head for the Alexa team, Ahmed Bouzid, claims that developers are currently only allowed to see “70 percent of what they need to know,” The Informationexplains that some have access to every single piece of information that is gathered by the Alexa device. This acquisition of this data is not only a clear violation of Fourth Amendment privacy rights, but it also opens the door to an entire world full of hackers who are eager and capable of breaking in and stealing your personal information.

During a speech earlier this summer at the Cheltenham Science Festival, cyber security expert Dr. Jason Nurse elaborated on the very real privacy concerns regarding these Amazon devices. “If hackers find a way to compromise these devices in our homes, they could have it recording all of the time and you wouldn’t necessarily know,” he explained. Nurse went on to say that hackers could hear you discussing holiday plans and find out when you will be away from home, or even collect credit card information.

If Amazon really does decide to give third-party developers access to all of the information collected by devices like the Amazon Echo and the Amazon Look, then it’s not a stretch that at least with respect to privacy, the company is going in the wrong direction. Corporations that are constantly putting out new forms of technology should never stop doing so, but that being said, it is also important that they maintain a level of respect for the Fourth Amendment. If our country continues to develop new technology but the liberties of the American people are squandered in the process, what is the point?

Sources include:

Breitbart.com

TheInformation.com

NaturalNews.com

Medical system goes full “mark of the beast” with Unique Patient Identifier tracking

For some of us, visiting the doctor is an uncomfortable and invasive process. Being examined by and telling a complete stranger how we feel can be very difficult for many. At the very least, we would expect that information to remain private, safely tucked away in the doctor’s records, for his or her eyes only. But a new bill signed by President Trump is poised to strip this right to privacy from every American citizen.

Back in 1996, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) called for Health and Human Services to issue every single citizen with a “unique patient identifier” (UPI). This UPI would be a unique number linking each person to their complete medical history, and would be accessible by about 800,000 parties, including hospitals, doctors, researchers and public health departments. The legislation caused an immediate public backlash, prompting Congressman Ron Paul (R-TX) to amend a 1998 spending bill to prevent the use of any federal funds for the development of UPIs. The congressman’s maneuver threw a spanner in the works, and the development of UPIs essentially ground to a halt.

Until now, that is.

The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society reports that a simple UPI is no longer considered a sufficient solution, and “the focus has shifted to patient data matching and the need for a coordinated national strategy across the public and private healthcare sectors.” They further report that the nation’s healthcare community has been given a “clear mandate … to adopt electronic health records and health exchange capability.”

This move by President Trump is likely to prove very unpopular. A 2002 article by Gallup noted that increasing use of the Internet was leading to an “e-health” environment in the United States, which was causing privacy concerns for both consumers and medical professionals. It referenced an earlier 2000 poll which found that 78 percent of respondents wanted to maintain the status quo with regard to their health information, namely that no person or party should have access to their private information without their express permission.

It is highly unlikely that the passage of time has altered the fact that very few people would be comfortable having their “demographic data, genetic information, family histories, treatments, personal comments, hospitalizations, and lifestyle information” available to all and sundry.

This is highly sensitive information which could be used against the patient in multiple ways.

Let’s imagine, for example, that you are applying for health insurance for your family. You complete and submit your paperwork, only to have the insurer deny you cover because several members of your family carry the BRCA1 gene and are genetically predisposed to breast and other cancers.

Having all that private information freely available would also make you vulnerable to identity theft. This type of crime already affects over 15 million U.S. citizens each year, resulting in $50 billion in financial losses.

Since your information would be freely available to researchers, it would also be almost impossible for you to avoid becoming an involuntary participant in a research project you might be morally opposed to.

And, of course, a database like this would allow the government to determine your compliance with the CDC’s inflated childhood vaccine schedule, using strong-arm maneuvers like those used in California to force you to vaccinate your children. This would include vaccines which have damaged countless children across the world, including the MMR and HPV vaccines. [RELATED: Discover 10 outrageous but true facts about vaccines that the CDC and vaccine industry don’t want you to know.]

The fact is, our medical history is personal, private and sensitive, and we have the right to expect that these records be kept private.

Sources:

HealthImpactNews.com

HIMSS.org

Gallup.com

IdentityTheft.info

Amazon Echo devices can be exploited by hackers to steal your bank account information

While it may be convenient to walk into your home and turn the lights on by simply saying “Alexa” or “Ok Google,” a security expert has warned that devices like the Amazon Echo could pose a serious security risk. “If hackers find a way to compromise these devices in our homes, they could have it recording all of the time and you wouldn’t necessarily know,” explained cyber security expert Dr. Jason Nurse. “They could hear you discussing your holiday plans, so they know when you are away and could burgle you. They may hear you buying something on the phone, giving away your credit card details.”

Nurse’s comments came during a recent speech at the Cheltenham Science Festival. The cyber security expert explained that he is so concerned about the potential privacy risks that come with the use of devices like the Amazon Echo that he refuses to keep electronic assistants of any kind in his home.

But despite the fact that your banking information is put in jeopardy every time you turn on your Amazon Echo, the gadget is more popular than ever. With the ability to answer virtually any question you have, pick up commands even in a noisy room, track online shopping and even lower the thermostat, it’s easy to see why devices like the Amazon Echo are being used by millions of people across the country. But still, some are concerned that such gadgets are inviting electronic spies right into their living rooms.

“If there’s something private you want to say, the first thing you should do is mute the device… or turn it off,” Dr. Nurse advises. “You should think twice about what you say in front of these devices.” Dr. Nurse went on to explain that “someone else in your home may say the wake word without your knowledge and start it recording while you are discussing something private or sensitive.”

In the case of the Amazon Echo, the “wake word” is “Alexa,” and in the case of Google Home, the “wake word” is “Ok Google.”

Although an Amazon spokesperson claimed that they take customer privacy very seriously, this isn’t the first time that the electronic commerce company has been surrounded by controversy. Back in April, Natural News reported on the potential privacy risks concerning the Echo Look, a $199 device recently released by Amazon that has the ability to watch you get dressed in your own bedroom. Even though the original purpose of the Echo Look was to give you recommendations on what to wear, many people are concerned that it could secretly record you during some of your most intimate moments.

With technology advancing at an astonishing rate and new devices coming out every year that once were only imaginable in science fiction films, our everyday lives are becoming more and more simplistic. We used to have no choice but to drive our own cars from point A to point B; now we have the option of purchasing a car that is able to drive itself. We used to have to walk into a dark house and feel around blindly for the light switch; now all we have to do is say “Alexa, turn on the lights.” Without question, life is much more convenient than it was even just five years ago.

But just because it is more convenient doesn’t mean it’s safer. As a matter of fact, one could argue that with the invention of devices like the Amazon Echo, people are more at risk of experiencing some type of privacy violation, whether it’s a video recording taken of you while you get dressed or a hacker stealing your banking information. That is why it is up to companies like Amazon and Google to continue looking for ways to protect the privacy rights of their customers, while simultaneously putting new products on the market.

Sources:

Dailymail.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

Facebook plan uncovered to SPY on users through their own smartphone cameras to analyze their facial expressions

The internet is buzzing with chatter about a new Facebook “feature” that allegedly peers into smartphone users’ eyes to detect their emotional states. The social media giant has reportedly filed a patent for the new technology which, should it be officially launched, would allow for more customized advertising tailored to people’s feelings.

It’s a downright creepy concept – that Facebook has the capacity to hijack smartphone cameras and literally watch users scroll through their news feeds – but one that people need to be aware of if they’re at all concerned about their personal privacy. Facebook’s facial analysis technology has been in secret development for years, and now that the cat is out of the bag many users are reconsidering their use of the platform altogether.

Imagery of what Facebook submitted to obtain a patent for the technology depicts users peering into their smartphones as the devices detect and analyze certain features like mouth shape and eye movement. From this, Facebook is able to gather data on how its users respond to videos, photos, news, and advertising.

Software company CBI Insights discovered the renderings back in 2015 and linked them to Mark Zuckerberg’s efforts to develop “emotion technology” for Facebook. The plan all along seems to have been to pick up on “emotion characteristics” via smartphone cameras and use this data to further hone Facebook’s monetization.

“Patent documents contain illustrations showing a person holding a smartphone with a camera taking a picture from which ’emotion characteristics’ like smiling or frowning are detected,” writes Margi Murphy for The Sun (U.K.).

“If the person appears to like what they’re seeing, Facebook could place more of the same type of content in front of them.”

Facebook to sense user emotions through touch habits on smartphone keypads

The secret development of this technology is only just now making headlines, which is why many people still don’t know it exists. But according to experts, they’re about it find out, and it could put off a great many of them from ever using the service again.

“On the one hand, they want to identify which content is most engaging and respond to audience’s reactions,” the company wrote in a blog post. “[O]n the other, emotion-detection is technically difficult, not to mention a PR and ethical minefield.”

And it’s just a patent, after all. Facebook may choose to never bring it to fruition, should it decide that doing so would damage the company’s user base. At the same time, based on the amount of effort being put into its development, it’s a safe bet that Facebook fully intends to make it a reality – the only question is when.

Another project that Facebook’s been working on involves tracking the way users touch their smartphone keypads to detect their emotional states. A patent granted on May 25 reveals that Facebook has the ability to sense how its users are feeling while writing text messages. Using this data, Facebook plans to automatically start inserting emojis and other indicators to provide proper context during a chat conversation.

“The system picks up data from the keyboard, mouse, touchpad, touchscreen to detect typing speed and how hard the keys are pressed,” explains Murphy. “Facebook will accordingly change the text font and size, before shaping to make it more emotive and relevant to your mood.”

If you recall, this is not the first time Facebook has been caught using some questionable technology. A few years back, Facebook was accused of breaking the law by tracking its users’ behaviors while browsing the internet. The Belgium-based Privacy Protection Commission (PPC) says Facebook routinely “tramples” on the law with its privacy invasion practices, which only continue to get worse with each passing year.

Sources:

TheSun.co.uk

NaturalNews.com

Google wants to collect your poop, spit, and tears in voluntary health study aimed at knowing all your medical secrets

When you stop and take time to think about it, it’s incredible how much personal information is collected from us on a day-to-day basis. In the middle of most American cities, you would be hard-pressed to walk even one hundred feet without seeing a traffic camera watching your every move. Certain types of televisions and smartphones now have the ability to collect images we view, audio, and even personal text messages. (Related: Read about the different ways you can stop your phone from spying on you.) But now, Google seems to have taken things to the next level by seeking out intimate knowledge on medical conditions and your physical health. That’s right – it’s not enough to know about your interests and search habits; Google wants information on your body.

The Baseline Project is a multi-year study that will ask volunteers to submit an egregious amount of physical test results and medical information. The project, which is expected to cost more than $100 million, will look for information regarding the warning signs of heart disease and cancer by having volunteers wear a heart-tracking watch on their wrists. The watch will track the volunteer’s pulse and movements in real time. In addition, the project participants will undergo x-rays and heart scans, have their genomes deciphered and blood tested.

Even though Google will only monitor each volunteer for four years, the entire experiment may very well take a decade to complete, considering the fact that the project will examine a total of 10,000 participants.

Sanjiv Sam Gambhir, a physician researcher at Stanford University explained, “No one has done this kind of deep dive on so many individuals. This depth has never been attempted.” Gambhir added, “It’s to enable generations to come to mine it, to ask questions, without presupposing what the questions are.”

The Baseline Project was officially announced in 2014, but the study was so complicated that it took an additional two and a half years to organize.

“We need to continue to look for signals that may be actionable,” said Verily’s chief medical officer Jessica Mega. Verily is a branch of Google that focuses on health and the study of life sciences. “And we need to build out infrastructure to be able to do that,” Mega continued. “Those tools will be important for the health-care ecosystem. We are creating the infrastructure to deal with large health data sets.”

In addition to the monitoring of the participants’ heart rates and medical conditions, the study also requires volunteers to provide stool samples, saliva, and tears. As if this wasn’t enough, participants must sleep with an electrical loop underneath their mattress to record their sleep patterns. The data collected from this electrical loop would then be transmitted to a separate device inside of the participant’s home, which would then be sent to Google’s servers.

While Google seems to have the details of the study all planned out and ready to go, Eric Heckler, a professor at Arizona State University, has his doubts. “The question is why should people continue to give you data,” he says. “People wear a wrist tracker for a few months, but even the burden of charging one will make them stop. There is a lot of hounding involved.”

Professor Heckler raises a very important point. Considering how long each of the volunteers will be monitored, and considering how much work they will have to do on their own time in order to continue sending information to Google’s servers, the chances that the information will remain accurate are extremely slim.

Thus far, Google has not provided any information regarding how specifically the collected information will be used, nor have they explained how they plan on ensuring that the medical information remains safe.

Sources include:

TechnologyReview.com

Amazon wants to watch you get dressed: New “Echo Look” camera to spy on you in your own bedroom and bathroom

Not content to merely track your interests in books, movies and products, Amazon.com, predominantly owned by globalist Jeff Bezos — the same owner of the fake news Washington Post — now wants to watch you get dressed in your own bedroom.

The company has introduced a $199 camera called “Echo Look” that uploads images of you (from your own bedroom) to Amazon servers where, we’re told, Amazon will make “wardrobe recommendations” you might want to buy.

To get these recommendations from Amazon, you are supposed to install an internet-connected Amazon camera is the same place where you’re totally naked, or having sex with your partner, or carrying out hygienic behaviors involving tampons or talc. Has nobody thought to ask whether this intrusive Amazon camera will be secretly recording photos and videos of you in your own bedroom or bathroom?

Via The Daily Sheeple:

It’s basically a camera that you stick in your bathroom or your bedroom or wherever you dress, and it takes full length images of what you’re wearing. It’s being called a “style assistant.” It has a service that “combines machine learning algorithms with advice from fashion specialists,” presumably to give you feedback on what you’re wearing. I’m guessing that at some point, it’ll make suggestions for clothes you should buy on Amazon.

Amazon wants to record everything you say or do in your own home

This Echo Look camera is, of course, just the latest insane intrusion into personal privacy by a monopolistic corporation with ties to the CIA and NSA. Does any informed person really think Amazon isn’t recording all this audio and video, then sharing it with government spooks? Thanks to Edward Snowden, we already know Google and Facebook are little more than NSA spying fronts that surveil their own users, then turn over all their findings to the intelligence agencies without a warrant.

Now, Amazon apparently believes ignorant consumers desire to exist in an Orwellian, totalitarian society where dangerous corporations run cameras that watch them poop, pee, sing horribly, have kinky gay sex, cross dress, snort lines of coke, masturbate or whatever else twisted people do in the privacy of their homes. Don’t get me wrong on all this, by the way: As far as I’m concerned, you are free to do whatever you want in your own bathroom… but if you are stupid enough to install an Amazon.com camera that watches you do all these things, you are just begging to have all your surreptitious photos and videos blasted all across the ‘net following an Amazon.com server hack. (Related: Read PrivacyWatch.news for more stories on how your privacy is violated.)

Learn more about how Amazon.com spies on you in my mini-documentary (and don’t be stupid enough to BUY a spy camera that spies on you for the government):