The Department of Homeland Security plans to expand its social media profile collection program from US visa applicants to also include data from immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees. From a report: The DHS published a notice on the federal registry describing its future data collection practice this week. The agency plans to ask immigrants, asylum seekers, and refugees to provide usernames…
Tag: border
Military now controls Myanmar’s scientifically important amber mines
Hundreds of scientifically priceless fossils are extracted in horrendous conditions in Myanmar’s amber mines and smuggled over the border for sale in China Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2214875-military-now-controls-myanmars-scientifically-important-amber-mines/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
US Border Officials Are Increasingly Denying Entry To Travelers Over Others’ Social Media
Travelers are increasingly being denied entry to the United States as border officials hold them accountable for messages, images and video on their devices sent by other people. From a report: It’s a bizarre set of circumstances that has seen countless number of foreign nationals rejected from the U.S. after friends, family or even strangers send messages, images or videos over…
Ophiuchus is part of the zodiac, too
Poor Ophiuchus. Nobody ever claims him as a “birth sign,” although the sun moves in front of his stars from about November 30 to December 18. Keep the big guy company. Find Ophiuchus in your sky tonight! Source: https://earthsky.org/tonight/ophiuchus-highest-on-august-evenings…
Snow algae thrives in some of Earth’s most extreme conditions
A new study found snow algae in tall ice structures high in the Chilean Andes. Researchers don’t entirely understand how the algae are able to bloom. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/snow-algae-thrives-extreme-conditions…
Customs Computer Systems Down Nationwide, Causing Massive Delays At Airports
A computer issue is preventing U.S. immigration officials from processing arriving passengers at several airports across the country. “It wasn’t immediately clear what caused the problem at U.S. Customs and Border Protection, but the agency said it was investigating,” reports CNBC. Agents will be processing people manually until the systems are resolved. One Twitter user posted a video of a long…
Microplastics found in Lake Tahoe
Research at one of the world’s clearest, cleanest lakes suggests the problem of microplastics is widespread in freshwater systems and not just in oceans. Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/microplastics-found-in-lake-tahoe…
Google Workers Demand Company Not Work With Border Agencies
Some Google employees have called on the company to publicly promise not to work with U.S. immigration authorities, which they said are abusing human rights. From a report: U.S. Customs and Border Protection recently said it was looking for proposals from companies to supply it with cloud-computing services. Google is a leading cloud provider. Activists and politicians have accused the agency…
NYT Publishes Anti-Google Rant, Doesn’t Mention Author Is Facebook Board Member
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Gizmodo: The New York Times published an anti-Google screed by billionaire Peter Thiel last night but failed to mention a fun fact that readers might find relevant: Thiel sits on the board of Facebook, one of Google’s largest competitors. Thiel first blasted Google as “treasonous” last month, saying that the FBI and CIA should…
Startup Aims To Tackle Grid Storage Problem With New Porous Silicon Battery
New submitter symgym writes: Recently out of stealth mode is a new battery technology that’s printed on silicon wafers (36 million “micro-batteries” machined into 12-inch silicon wafers). It can scale from small devices to large-scale grid storage and promises four times the energy density of lithium-ion batteries for half the price. There should also be no issues with fires caused by…