Category: ESTA News

Texas sued Google for illegally collecting biometric data without user consent.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton said in a statement that he had filed a lawsuit against Google for “unauthorized collection of biometric data, including voices and faces, of millions of Texas residents.”

Texas uses Google Photos to search for photos of a specific person, Google’s Nest to alert you with facial recognition when a visitor arrives at your home, and Google’s voice-based “assistant” Google Assistant. Assistant) and others all claimed to have collected biometric data without permission.

For example, the Google Photos app analyzes the facial features of people uploaded to the website and groups them.

“These products infringe upon the rights of both users and non-users by having their faces and voices scanned or processed without the understanding or consent of both users and non-users,” said Secretary of State Texton. not,” he said.

Texas introduced a biometric privacy law in 2009, requiring the state to file lawsuits against businesses on behalf of consumers.

If found to be in violation of the law, they could face fines of up to $25,000 each.

Google did not immediately comment on this, the Wall Street Journal reported.

On the US-Mexico border, the Biden administration has resumed construction of the ‘border wall’ that was being built by the US Donald Trump administration, the British weekly The Economist reported on the 4th.

The Economist published an article on the Internet on the same day titled “The Biden Administration is Quietly Closing Part of Donald Trump’s Wall,” adding, “The southern border [with Mexico] poses a political problem for Democrats.” It’s becoming because it’s actually a problem.”

According to The Economist, in the summer and fall 2020 presidential campaigns, Biden promised not to “build an extra foot of the wall (which Trump began to build)” when he became president, but some sections after taking office last year. wall construction work continues.

This is because the number of people trying to enter the United States through the US-Mexico border is at a record high, and Biden’s lack of highlighting his decision to reopen the wall is because he feared losing supporters’ votes for making it public.

In tight-knit areas sensitive to the influx of illegal and smugglers across the southern border, Democrat politicians have been actively promoting Biden’s measures to resume construction of the wall to voters.

Arizona Democrat Rep. Mark Kelly, who is running for re-election, is telling voters that he has credit for “encouraging the Biden administration to fill gaps on the border.”

Congressman Kelly has co-initiated a bill in the Senate that is pushing Democrats and Republicans on a bipartisan basis to increase the number of border patrol officers and raise their salaries.

In response to the fact that Kelly is promoting the reopening of the wall, but Biden is not highlighting it, the economist said, “Kelly’s defensive stance is working.” He said he was ahead of the Masters by about 6%.

In the case of Kelly, he is ahead of his competitors by a significant gap, but the economist points out that many of the Democratic candidates have a ‘weak attitude on border issues’ and are a factor in the reduction of votes.

A recent poll by NBC News found that registered voters were 36 percent more likely to perceive Republicans to take a stronger stance on border security than Democrats, a disparity across all issues, including the economy. is the biggest issue

The Economist pointed out that illegal immigration and border issues are drawing attention in the midterm elections in November this year because “the number of people coming in (via the Mexican border) is so high that the White House has not come up with a convincing federal response.”

The magazine analyzed, “(This year) the midterm election in November is not the first election where illegal immigration or border issues will be dealt with heavily. However, in 2022, this issue will not be limited to just a channel to convey partisan sentiment.” did.

Texas Democrat Henry Keyjar, who has served in the U.S. House of Representatives since 2005 and is running for a second term in this election, said the Biden administration’s response to the border issue was lukewarm, saying, “We’ll just wait, saying things will get better.” did.

In particular, the economist points out that illegal immigration is an important election issue in several states that border Mexico, such as Texas, Arizona, and New Mexico. The exception is California, where Democrats dominate.

The situation at the U.S.-Mexico border will worsen, the Economist said. “The relatively strong U.S. economy is bound to attract people living with poverty, violence and inflation, and the recent hurricane exacerbates the food crisis in the Caribbean. This will further encourage migration.”

From October last year to the end of August this year, border checkpoint staff encountered about 2.2 million entry attempts through the southern border, about 25 percent more than a year ago and more than double the number in fiscal 2019.

Since Biden took office in January 2021, an estimated 1.5 million people have been released from custody and entered the United States, including asylum seekers, those unable to be repatriated to their home countries, and minors who cannot be kept in custody for long. The American Immigration Council, a non-profit think tank, explains.

It has been reported that the former US President, Donald Trump is suing CNN for defamation in a long-running conflict.

According to Reuters and other foreign media on the 3rd, President Trump’s lawyers filed a complaint against CNN in the Fort Rutherdale Court in Florida on the same day.

They pointed out that CNN has discredited Trump by comparing him to Hitler, as well as calling him a ‘racist’, a ‘Russian servant’ and an ‘instigator of a riot.’

CNN’s remarks were intended to adversely affect former President Trump’s 2024 presidential run, the lawyers argued.

Former President Donald Trump also filed a claim with CNN for damages of $475 million.

Even before his inauguration, Trump has been at odds with traditional media, including CNN.

Above all, the criticism of the media has reached its peak over the words and actions of former President Trump, who incited far-right supporters through intrusion into Congress after disobeying the 2020 presidential election.

In this regard, Bloomberg reported that the metaphor of Hitler has been made extensively in the process of Trump’s incitement to disapproval of the election and in fact instigating a mob, and that Trump’s criticism of immigrants has been criticized for being racist.

Former President Trump has not hesitated to sue his political rivals.

He also sued former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a 2016 presidential contender, but a court recently dismissed the case.

Los Angeles County announced on the 21st additional measures to ease quarantine as the COVID-19 pandemic stabilizes.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health announced today that residents will be able to autonomously decide whether or not to wear an indoor mask in Los Angeles County starting on Friday, the 23rd. Previously, the LA County Department of Health had “strongly recommended” wearing a mask indoors, although not mandatory.

The LA County Department of Health’s action follows a similar guideline issued by the California state government, and across California, starting on the 23rd, residents will be able to autonomously decide whether to wear indoor masks.

However, the Los Angeles County Department of Health said that it is still mandatory to wear a mask indoors in medical facilities such as hospitals and long-term care facilities such as nursing homes.

As the Los Angeles County Health Authority has taken measures to liberalize indoor mask wearing as the COVID-19 pandemic has stabilized, the mandatory mask requirement has been lifted at major public transportation and related facilities, including airports.

The Los Angeles County Department of Health announced it will lift the mandatory wearing of masks at airports and terminals, including inside public transportation such as buses, trains, and subways, starting on the 23rd. In the meantime, the mandatory mask on public transportation has already been lifted in California, but LA County is the only one in Los Angeles that has maintained the mandatory measure and lifted it this time.

LA County has also begun enforcement on the 23rd by allowing residents to autonomously decide whether or not to wear a mask indoors. The LA County Department of Health’s move follows a similar directive issued by the state of California.

However, the Los Angeles County Department of Health said that it is still mandatory to wear a mask indoors in medical facilities such as hospitals and long-term care facilities such as nursing homes.

Amazon.com has faced an antitrust lawsuit from the California state government for forcing sellers to set the lowest price, Bloomberg reported on the 14th.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta issued an antitrust lawsuit on Tuesday, saying Amazon.com had prevented sellers from offering lower prices than the online retailer on other sites and imposed severe penalties for not doing so.

Bonta said the deal cut Amazon.com from competing with other online retailers, while charging inflated fees for sellers and forcing consumers to pay higher prices.

If sellers cut prices from competitors such as Walmart, Target or eBay, there is a risk that they will be invisible on Amazon.com or even fail to sell on the site, Bonta said.

The lawsuit comes three years after it was reported that Amazon.com’s pricing policy was forcing rival sites like Walmart to raise prices, Bloomberg added.

This isn’t the first time Amazon.com has been sued for such a pricing policy. Last year, the Washington DC Department of Justice faced a similar lawsuit.

Amazon.com won in the first trial, but the Washington, DC Department of Justice filed an appeal, claiming that the court misapplied the antitrust law.

The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported on the 10th that rice production this year is expected to decline by more than 30% compared to the previous year as drought continues in California and other western regions.

According to USDA data, it was estimated that 285,000 acres (1,153 square kilometers) of cropland in California were planted for rice this year.

This is a 30% decrease from last year and the lowest figure since the 1950s.

Daniel Summer, a professor of agronomy at the University of California, said: “This year’s rice production in California is the steepest decline of any other crop.”

California’s rice production accounts for one-fifth of all U.S. rice production.

However, due to a decrease in rice production, exports are expected to fall by 16% and imports are expected to reach an all-time high.

A decrease in the income of farmers became inevitable. California farmers grossed $1 billion in rice production last year.

A series of businesses, including tractors, selling seeds and shipping or exporting crops, have been hit, as well as farmers, the WSJ reported.

This year’s decline in rice production is due to the continued drought and reduced water supply for cultivation.

Although California has suffered a series of droughts for the past 20 years, it has still provided water for rice production until last year.

Because rice is the main crop, even if the amount of rain is small, it has priority over other crops in distributing the water stored by the state government.

But last winter’s record drought also reduced the water supply for rice. The drought continues this year.

Rice fields in Colusa County, north of Sacramento, have only received about 18% of the water they could get this year.

The WSJ said the farmers are not too dependent on other crops because they want to produce rice again at any time.

But experts say climate change is predicting that the drought will continue, or even get worse.

The governor of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion bans in the United States, has recommended that sexual assault victims take the morning-after pill to avoid becoming pregnant. This seems to be one of the attempts to stop the controversy from spreading by informing people how to prevent unwanted pregnancies as the Democratic Party’s supporters gather as the issue of abortion emerges as one of the issues ahead of the midterm elections in November.

In an interview with local media KXAS-TV and the Dallas Morning News on the 4th, Republican Governor Greg Abbott of Texas reminded victims of sexual assault that they can get “mortem contraceptive” medical services to avoid pregnancy.

“We want to support victims,” ​​Abbott said in an interview, the Dallas Morning News reported.

“If you get medical care right away, you can first get a Plan B pill to prevent pregnancy,” he said.

Since last month, Texas has enacted an anti-abortion law that bans abortion even in cases of rape or incest and imposes civil and criminal penalties for providing an abortion.

In addition, the law bans abortion after 6 weeks of pregnancy, which in effect completely bans abortion.

Plan B, also known as the morning after pill, is an emergency contraceptive pill that was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1999. A synthetic hormone called levonorgestrel prevents fertilization.

The emergency contraceptive pill is supposed to be used within 72 hours of having sex, but it is said to be most effective if taken within 24 hours.

If you say that you are a citizen even though you are not a citizen and it becomes a problem, the way to obtain permanent residence is permanently blocked. We have summarized the issues surrounding the too deadly false citizenship claims.

What is a false citizenship claim? It is a problem if you claim to be a citizen even if you are not a citizen. This argument does not necessarily have to be made against the public authorities. Even if you make this claim to a private employer, it holds true. For example, if you falsely indicate that you are a citizen on the I-9 form you fill out to check whether you are eligible for work at the beginning of your working life, you are calling it a false citizenship.

Why is this issue particularly problematic? If you falsely claim to be a citizen before September 30, 1996, you will be treated the same as any other form of fraud or false claim. There was also a way to get an exemption. However, after that day, if you falsely claim to be a citizen, you will be subject to harsher sanctions. Fortunately, before 2019, if there was no willful intent, it was not considered a false citizen. However, the situation changed when a related ruling was issued at the BIA in 2019. A Chinese citizen, a permanent resident, who was not confident in the English test, bought a citizenship certificate from an immigration office worker. With this certificate of citizenship, Jang made a US passport and traveled abroad. In the end, Mr. Jang, who was handed over to a deportation trial, claimed that he believed he was a real citizen. However, the BIA emphasized that the intent to deceive is not a violation of the rules and emphasized that if Congress had intended to do so, the phrase would have been inserted into the statute at the time of legislation, but it did not.

Following the BIA’s decision, USCIS also revised its guidelines the following year. As a result, if the following three requirements are met, it is a case of false citizenship claim. First, claim to be a citizen. Second, you must not actually be a citizen. Third, they may have claimed to be a citizen for a specific purpose or to enjoy benefits under related laws such as immigration law.

However, the California Southern District Court in San Diego in 2021 stated that the BIA’s case was “unacceptable to the extent that it is different from the BIA’s past position, contradicts the interpretation of the State Department, and goes against the purpose of the federal legislative session.” The federal district court held that the claim of a false citizen can only be established when you are a citizen even though you subjectively know that you are not a citizen.

– How does the State Department view this issue?  The Ministry of State is of the position that to be a false citizen case, you must know that you are not a citizen. The State Department cites other BIA cases in the Consular Guidelines (FAM), citing a contradictory position with the Jang case and USCIS. However, if you claim that you are a citizen because you don’t really know that you are not, the person making the claim has the burden of proving it clearly. The State Department believes that it does not matter if a minor under the age of 18 is falsely claiming to be a citizen if he or she will make a mistake without knowing the consequences of this claim. This is also a different position from USCIS.

Are individual decisions of federal district courts, such as the Southern District of California, binding? Individual judgments of the Southern District of California are not binding on USCIS or BIA decisions. Therefore, the interpretation of USCIS or the BIA cannot be reversed based on this decision. If this judgment is in the form of a federal court of appeals precedent, the decision of the USCIS or the BIA is also binding on the jurisdiction of that court of appeal.

Are there any exceptions when claiming a false citizenship? If you claim to be a citizen and then voluntarily cancel it before it’s too late, it doesn’t matter. The revocation must be made before the USCIS examiner can establish the truth of the facts and before the process is over. In addition, there is one more exception. First, you must live in the United States as a permanent resident before you turn 16. Second, both parents must be citizens. Third, when you claimed to be a citizen when you had reason to believe so.

If false citizenship is a problem, what is the solution? Even if you have a history of making false claims of citizenship, you can cancel your deportation or apply for asylum. However, an application for cancellation of deportation can only be applied after the deportation trial has passed. Moreover, it is very difficult for a person without permanent residence to apply for deportation cancellation to meet the conditions. First, you must have lived in the United States for at least 10 years. Second, there must be no moral flaws in the last 10 years. Third, they must not have committed any crime that could result in deportation or entry ban. Fourth, if you are deported, you must prove that your spouse, parent, or child who is a citizen or permanent resident will experience exceptional and very special difficulties.

Massachusetts, located in the New England region of the northeast of the United States, was ranked as the best place to live among the 50 states.

WalletHub, a Washington, DC-based financial information company, ranked Massachusetts at the top of its list of ‘2022 Most Liveable States’ on the 16th.

Massachusetts ranked first in education and health conditions, fourth in safety, and sixth in quality of life, scoring a total of 62.65 points, ranking first overall.

After Massachusetts, New Jersey was in second place, followed by New York in third, Idaho in fourth, Virginia in fifth, New Hampshire in sixth, Florida in seventh, Wyoming in eighth, Minnesota in ninth and Wisconsin in tenth.

New Jersey ranked first in safety, fifth in education and health conditions, and New York ranked first in quality of life and second in safety, respectively.

WalletHub said, “The ranking was made by scoring a total of 52 items divided into five categories: housing cost, employment opportunity, educational and health conditions, quality of life, and safety.” said to have

The bottom was Mississippi, with a total score of 39.77. Mississippi was rated 50th for education and health, 49th for economy, and 49th for quality of life.

Alaska is ranked 49th, Louisiana is 48th, Arkansas is 47th, and New Mexico is 46th. Alaska ranks 50th for quality of life and 45th for safety, while Louisiana ranks 49th for health and education and 45th for economy.

Meanwhile, California has the highest cost of living and Iowa has the lowest.

West Virginia had the highest home ownership rate and New York had the lowest.

Mississippi has the highest poverty rate, New Hampshire has the lowest, Louisiana has the highest crime rate, and Maine has the lowest.

In general, states in the northeast and north-central regions made it to the top of the overall rankings, while states in the south remained mostly at the bottom, with the exception of Florida.

A US consumer has filed a lawsuit against the company, claiming that there is no mango in Starbucks’ mango drink.

According to Bloomberg News on the 8th, the woman named Joan Comenis filed a lawsuit with the federal court in Manhattan, New York on the 5th.

She claimed that some Starbucks drinks that had ‘mango’ in their product name didn’t contain mango.

She also added that there was no acai in the drink that had ‘acai’ in its name, a type of palm tree fruit.

Comenis claims that water, grape juice concentrate and sugar are the main ingredients in these drinks ‘unwittingly’ by the consumer.

She did not disclose the basis for making this claim about the ingredients of the beverage.

A Starbucks spokesperson declined to comment, saying she has not yet been contacted by the complaint.

One day, she ordered a drink of acai, and she was shocked to find out that she didn’t have acai, Comminis claims, depriving her of the health benefits of the fruit.

The company also argued that Starbucks violated a New York State law prohibiting consumer deception and false advertising in that the product name was viewed as an “implicit promise” to an ingredient.

She also said that Starbucks took advantage of this by cheating on the ingredients of its products.

The price of a mango drink in Manhattan is $5.25 (about 6,830 won) for a medium-sized (Grande).

“The consumer pays a high price when he sees the product name,” the company said in a statement.

According to Bloomberg, the amount claimed by Comminis is said to be more than $5 million.