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Journalism’s Gates keepers | Columbia Journalism Review

Bill Gates

Bill Gates, chairman of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, attends the “Africa Leadership Meeting – Investing in Health Outcomes” held at a hotel in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019. The meeting, which took place ahead of the 32nd African Union Summit, was “to launch a new initiative designed to help deliver increased, sustained and more impactful financing for health across Africa”, according to the African Union. (AP Photo/Samuel Habtab)

“A Columbia Journalism Review expose reveals that, to control global journalism, Bill Gates, has steered over $250 million to the BBC, NPR,NBC, Al Jazeera, ProPublica, National Journal, The Guardian, The New York Times, Univision, Medium, the Financial Times, The Atlantic, the Texas Tribune, Gannett, Washington Monthly, Le Monde, Center for Investigative Reporting, Pulitzer Center, National Press Foundation, International Center for Journalists, and a host of other groups. 

To conceal his influence, Gates also funneled unknown sums via sub-grants for contracts to other press outlets.

His press bribes have paid off. During the pandemic, bought & braindead news outlets have treated Bill Gates as a public health expert—despite his lack of medical training or regulatory experience.

Screen Shot 2020-08-29 at 7.48.37 AMGates also funds an army of independent fact checkers including the Poynter Institute and Gannett —which use their fact-checking platforms to “silence detractors” and to “debunk” as ‘false conspiracy theories’ and ‘misinformation,’” charges that Gates has championed and invested in biometric chips, vaccine IDS, satellite surveillance, and COVID vaccines.

Gates media gifts says CJR author Tim Schwab, mean the “critical reporting about the Gates Foundation is rare.” The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation declined multiple interview requests from CJR and refused to disclose how much money it has funneled to journalists.

In 2007, the LA Times published one of the only critical investigations on the Gates Foundation, exposing Gates’s holdings in companies that hurt people his foundation claims to help, like industries linked to child labor. Lead reporter Charles Piller, says: “they were unwilling to answer questions and pretty much refused to respond in any sort of way”

The study showed how Gates’s global health funding has steered the world’s aid agenda toward Gates’ personal goals (vaccines and GMO crops) and away from issues such as emergency preparedness to respond to disease outbreaks, like the Ebola crisis.

“They’ve dodged our questions and sought to undermine our coverage,” says Park.”

Source: Columbia Journal Review

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Hunter Biden Took Hundreds of Trips to Foreign Countries with Secret Service | Judicial Watch

Judicial Watch received records from the U.S. Secret Service showing that, for the first five and a half years of the Obama administration, Hunter Biden traveled extensively while receiving a Secret Service protective detail. During the time period of the records provided, Hunter Biden, son of then-Vice President Joe Biden, took 411 separate domestic and international flights, including to 29 different foreign countries. He visited China five times.

The records produced with the incomplete response shows that, for the first five and a half years of the Obama administration, Hunter Biden traveled extensively while receiving a Secret Service protective detail. The records show that, between January 31, 2011 and July 8, 2014, Hunter Biden received Secret Service protection for 411 separate domestic and international trips, including to 29 different foreign countries. He received protection while visiting China five times.

Source: Judicial Watch

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The Election Integrity Threat: 96 Million Unverified Mail-In-Ballots | Judicial Watch

judicialwatch_fb_deepdive-electionintegritythreat_1200x627_v1-768x401Editor’s Note: There is a conspiracy to undermine 2020 Presidential election by the Democratic Party and their accomplices in the “deep state”. This demand for mail-in voting systems in every Democratically controlled state is riddled with corruption, mistakes and fraud as illustrated by Judicial Watch. Furthermore, the puppet-masters behind the Democratic Party, Joe Biden and their socialist/communist allies, including Communist China, intend to overthrow the U.S. Constitution by any means necessary to take control and permanently alter our form of government. Do not be fooled by mainstream media headlines all focused on unseating Trump through lies, deception and false accusations. Trump is doing what is necessary to maintain the integrity of our election process and not allow the Democrats to cheat their way into the White House. May this 2020 election be “free and fair” as it has been done for two hundred and thirty-one years.  May the freedom we have enjoyed as Americans not be taken away by foolish voters or by electoral corruption. Long live America!

“It’s going to be a mess,” FItton remarks. As the country approaches election season, officials across the national political landscape are calling for a move towards mail-in-voting systems – a true recipe for disaster in Fitton’s estimation. With an estimated 96 million ballots to be sent through the mail, “the opportunities for fraud are of enormous proportions.” In 2016, approximately 319,000 absentee mail-in ballots were thrown out. “This year we don’t have any guess how many will be thrown out, because there’s no precedent to what’s being planned here, which is to the break the system.”

From ballot harvesters, to voter-intimidation, the threats to “free and fair elections” are virtually impossible to account for in Fitton’s view. Considering that Judicial Watch discovered nearly 2 million extra names on Pennsylvania and North Carolina voter rolls alone, “voting by mail is a bad public policy” to put it charitably. The president’s concerns for election integrity are well placed, but he is “understating the threat to fair and free elections caused by swamping the mail with nearly 100 million ballots,” Fitton concludes.

With top Democratic Party officials, including John Podesta recently suggesting that a Biden loss would descend the nation into a civil war – and the potential “secession of states from the union” – these are clearly “dangerous times.” The Democratic Party’s war game, as Fitton describes “talked about it [the results of the election] being a street fight, and that we can’t rely on the rule of law.” Clearly, the Left is willing to “upend the rule of law if the election result is seemingly what they don’t want.”

In the meantime, Judicial Watch is working around the clock to direct voter-roll cleanups across the United States, “doing the heavy lifting to ensure your votes are counted and that the elections are as clean possible.” If you’re concerned about election integrity, support Judicial Watch today. The stakes for inaction are simply too high to ignore.

Source: Judicial Watch

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USPS Files Blockchain Patent to Secure Mail-In Voting | The Independent

usps-blockchain-votingThe United States Postal Service (USPS) has filed a patent application to use blockchain technology to streamline and secure mail-in voting.

The ‘Secure Voting System’ patent application, published by the United States Patent and Trademark Office last week, describes how the same technology that supports bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies could be used to “track and secure the vote by mail system”.

The filing comes amid claims that Donald Trump is attempting to undermine the 2020 presidential elections by incapacitating mail-in voting.

The US president claims that mail-in voting is at risk to widespread voter fraud and potential foreign interference – claims that have been widely debunked.

Record numbers of people are expected to vote by mail in November due to the coronavirus pandemic, which has so far claimed the lives of more than 170,000 Americans.

“Voters generally wish to be able to vote for elected officials or on other issues in a manner that is convenient and secure,” the patent application states.

“Further, those holding elections wish to be able to ensure that election results have not been tampered with and that the results actually correspond to the votes that were cast. In some embodiments, a blockchain allows the tracking of the various types of necessary data in a way that is secure and allows others to easily confirms that data has not been altered.”

Blockchains are essentially an online ledger that are impossible to erase or edit, as it is distributed and supported by a network of computers rather than just one.

The USPS filing envisions a number of ways that the technology could be implemented to improve the security of mail-in voting, including sending out QR codes linked to a digital voting system and storing voter IDs and votes on the blockchain.

It is not the first time blockchain technology has been touted for its ability to revolutionise the voting process. US startup Voatz has already used its blockchain-based voting system for minor elections in the US, including the 2018 general election in West Virginia.

Trump has frequently undermined mail-in voting by publicly questioning its integrity. A lawsuit filed this week accused the Republican candidate of attempting to stop postal votes for his own electoral benefit, as polls suggest more Democrats than Republicans plan to vote by mail.

The complaint describes Trump’s actions as “a loathsome tactic once associated only with tin-horn dictators and banana republics.”

It is not clear if or when the USPS plans to roll out or test the blockchain-based system. A representative did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

BlockChainPatent

Source: The Independent

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CHD Holds Press Conference with Legal Team and Plaintiff in Lawsuit Against Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Three of Facebook’s So-Called “Fact-Checkers” | Collective Evolution

external-content.duckduckgoChildren’s Health Defense (CHD) filed a lawsuit on Monday, August 17, 2020 in San Francisco Federal Court charging Facebook, Mark Zuckerberg, and three fact-checking outfits with censoring truthful public health posts and for fraudulently misrepresenting and defaming CHD. CHD is a non-profit watchdog group that roots out corruption in federal agencies, including Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the World Health Organization (WHO), and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and exposes wrongdoings in the Pharmaceutical and Telecom industries. CHD has been a frequent critic of WiFi and 5G Network safety and of certain vaccine policies that CHD claims put Big Pharma profits ahead of public health. CHD has fiercely criticized agency corruption at WHO, CDC and FCC.

According to CHD’s Complaint, Facebook has insidious conflicts with the Pharmaceutical industry and its captive health agencies and has economic stakes in telecom and 5G. Facebook currently censors CHD’s page, targeting its purge against factual information about vaccines, 5G and public health agencies.

Facebook acknowledges that it coordinates its censorship campaign with the WHO and the CDC. While earlier court decisions have upheld Facebook’s right to censor its pages, CHD argues that Facebook’s pervasive government collaborations make its censorship of CHD a First Amendment violation. The government’s role in Facebook’s censorship goes deeper than its close coordination with CDC and WHO. The Facebook censorship began at the suggestion of powerful Democratic Congressman and Intelligence Committee Chairman Representative Adam Schiff, who in March 2019 asked Facebook to suppress and purge internet content critical of government vaccine policies. Facebook and Schiff use the term “misinformation” as a euphemism for any statement, whether truthful or not, that contradicts official government pronouncements. The WHO issued a press release commending Facebook for coordinating its ongoing censorship campaign with public health officials. That same day, Facebook published a “warning label” on CHD’s page, which implies that CHD’s content is inaccurate, and directs CHD followers to turn to the CDC for “reliable, up to date information.” This is an important First Amendment case that tests the boundaries of government authority to openly censor unwanted critique of government

Attorneys Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., Roger Teich, and Mary Holland represent Children’s Health Defense in the litigation.

The lawsuit also challenges Facebook’s use of so-called “independent fact-checkers” – which, in truth, are neither independent nor fact-based – to create oppositional content on CHD’s page, literally superimposed over CHD’s original content, about open matters of scientific controversy. To further silence CHD’s dissent against important government policies and its critique of Pharmaceutical products, Facebook deactivated CHD’s donate button, and uses a variety of deceptive technology (i.e. shadow banning) to minimize the reach and visibility of CHD’s content.  In short, Facebook and the government colluded to silence CHD and its followers. Such tactics are fundamentally at odds with the First Amendment, which guarantees the American public the benefits to democracy from free flow of information in the marketplace of ideas. It forbids the government from censoring private speech—particularly speech that criticizes government policies or officials. As Justice Holmes famously said, “the best test of truth is the power of the thought to get itself accepted in the competition of the market.” The current COVID pandemic makes the need for open and fierce public debate on health issues more critical than ever.

Mark Zuckerberg publicly claims that social media platforms shouldn’t be “the arbiters of truth.” This case exposes Zuckerberg for working with the government to suppress and purge unwanted critiques of government officials and policies.

The court will decide whether Facebook’s new government-directed business model of false and misleading “warning labels,” deceptive “fact-checks,” and disabling a non-profit’s donate button, passes muster under the First and Fifth Amendments, the Lanham Act, and RICO. Those statutes protect CHD against online wire-fraud, false disparagement, and knowingly false statements.

CHD asks the Court to declare Facebook’s actions unconstitutional and fraudulent, and award injunctive relief and damages.

Source: Collective Evolution & Children’s Health Defense

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Seven Strains of Coronavirus | Dawning of the Corona Age by Johnny Freedom | Liberty International


Author’s Note: Five months of intensive research, collating 670 research and news sources, are compacted in this succinct, readable and entertaining 167-page compendium about the “pandemic”. It provides a comprehensive overview for those with an open mind, still willing to learn, to expand perspectives far beyond media tidbits. This is the Dawning of the Corona Age. 

May we remove our masks – and blindfolds – to take notice of what is actually rapidly happening around us to navigate how we can still “live free in an unfree world”.

This newly released book is dedicated to You. Thank you for educating yourself, “thinking twice before you think”, calmly sharing your insights, acting wisely and thereby reclaiming authority over your life! Enjoy the first chapter of thirty-two below. 

“A compelling exploration far beyond the immediate impacts of the “pandemic”, Dawning of the Corona Age imagines how our human world may be altered long into an uncertain future. “ Order your PDF copy for $10 today!

THE PANDEMIC:
Season 1, Episode 1 

2. Seven Strains of Coronavirus

Agenda21COVID-19, a strain of coronavirus, was derived from or related to SARS CoV-2. There are at least six, probably thousands of strains of coronavirus ranging from the common cold to influenza. Unknown strains of coronavirus are continually mutating all the time. Coronaviruses are extremely common in both humans and animals. See Appendix I: Coronavirus, Flu, Cold?

The mainstream media often erringly refers to COVID-19 as a “coronavirus” in their news stories, failing to distinguish one “coronavirus” strain from another. Either the mainstream media does this to blur the facts, to advocate for their advertisers, or to confuse the public with sloppy, incompetent reporting.

If the mainstream media and public health officials were actually concerned about public health, they would be very specific when referring to the dangerous COVID-19 strain (i.e., novel coronavirus). 

AReassuringLieThough a natural coronavirus may be as simple as the common cold or a strain of seasonal influenza, a manufactured coronavirus could be a variation or mutation of SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV or SARS-CoV2 (i.e., COVID-19).

SARS = “Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome” 

MERS = “Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome”

SARS-CoV retains its viability for 5 days at 22-25 degrees Celsius and relative humanity of 40-50% in air conditioned rooms on smooth surfaces such as tables, phones, etc. This is a good indicator of the behavior of SARS-CoV2 as well.

COVID-19 symptoms include fever, phlegm, dry cough, muscle ache and fatigue, heart problems and congested lungs. Less common symptoms have been said to be headache, coughing up blood, diarrhea, and sore muscles. Some of these symptoms may be similar to those indicating overexposure to 5G radiation.

AskPermission1The incubation period is at lease 1 – 14 days and could be up to 24 days. Complications include acute pneumonia, respiratory failure, septic shock and multiple organ failure. Recovery time is 2 weeks for a mild case and 2 – 6 weeks for severe cases. 

A coronavirus is listed on the instructions for common household disinfectants, such as Lysol. It is well-established that hand-washing with high quality, medical-grade disinfectants, with 60% of more alcohol content, minimizes the contagiousness of coronaviruses. With a base of high-grade alcohol you can also add natural disinfectants such as thyme oil, peppermint and/or lemongrass oil, eucalyptus oil or tea tree oil all which enhance the efficacy of the coronavirus disinfectant.

“A novel virus is a virus that has not previously been recorded. It can be a virus that is isolated from its natural reservoir or isolated as the result of spread to an animal or human host where the virus had not been identified before.
It can be an emergent virus, one that represents a new virus,
but it can also be an extant virus that has not been previously identified.”

Order a PDF copy ($10): Dawning of the Corona Age: Navigating the Pandemic, available now, Order your copy today!

Order a PRINT & BOUND copy ($25 + $9/shipping), available on September 1st, 2020: Order your print copy today (includes PDF copy as well)!

____________________________

Dawning of the Corona Age: Navigating the Pandemic

THE PANDEMIC: COVID-19, Season 1, Episode 1

  1. DumbedDownPreface and Introduction
  2. Seven Known Strains of Coronavirus
  3. COVID-19 Did Not Naturally Occur By Animal to Human Contact
  4. China’s COVID-19 Coverup
  5. Faulty Computer Simulations & Projections
  6. Skepticism of Mainstream Narratives & Projections
  7. Herd/Individual Immunity, Lockdowns & Quarantines
  8. The Immune System is Your Primary Defense
  9. How Contagious is COVID-19?
  10. “Exosomes” as a Natural Release of the Human Body
  11. Masks or No Masks?
  12. Invalid Testing & Inconclusive Diagnosis for COVID-19
  13. Inflated Death Rates & Asymptomatic Cases
  14. Hydroxychloroquine is an Effective Treatment
  15. Emerging & Effective Treatment Protocols
  16. Questioning the Need, Safety & Efficacy of a Vaccine for COVID-19
  17. Dangers of Vaccines Laced with Toxic Materials
  18. Germ Theory is the Wrong Approach, Look to the Biome

THE LOCKDOWN: Season 1, Episode 2

  1. CoronaWorldInternational, National & State Declarations of Emergency
  2. COVID-19 & The 5G Factor
  3. Total Surveillance State & The Right to Privacy
  4. Legal Authorities for U.S. Public Health Officials & State Governors
  5. Stimulus Bills Are Fast Tracks to Socialism & U.S. Bankruptcy
  6. Chinese Coverup & Propaganda
  7. Undeclared War Between China & United States
  8. Global Goals of the Pandemic
  9. The New World Order
  10. Big Pharma Funding Regulatory Agencies Providing Oversight & Developing Public Policy
  11. Internet Censorship & Medical Fascism
  12. The Global Health Protection Racket
  13. The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be

THE CORONA AGE: 2020 & BEYOND, Season 2

  1. Dawning of the Corona Age

APPENDIX

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Dawning of the Corona Age: Navigating the Pandemic by Johnny Freedom | Liberty International


Author’s Note: Five months of intensive research, collating 670 research and news sources, are compacted in this succinct, readable and entertaining 167-page compendium about the “pandemic”. It provides a comprehensive overview for those with an open mind, still willing to learn, to expand perspectives far beyond media tidbits. This is the Dawning of the Corona Age. 

May we remove our masks – and blindfolds – to take notice of what is actually rapidly happening around us to navigate how we can still “live free in an unfree world”.

This newly released book is dedicated to You. Thank you for educating yourself, “thinking twice before you think”, calmly sharing your insights, acting wisely and thereby reclaiming authority over your life! Enjoy the first chapter of thirty-two below. 

“A compelling exploration far beyond the immediate impacts of the “pandemic”, Dawning of the Corona Age imagines how our human world may be altered long into an uncertain future. “

$10 PDF ORDER LINK: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H7ZVUNGC58QE2

$25 PRINT ORDER LINK: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QCQQL3JUTVURE (includes PDF Version with 670 Live Links)

$25 AMAZON PRINT ORDER LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FSR3NJG

THE PANDEMIC:
Season 1, Episode 1 

1. Preface & Introduction

Like a television series straight out of science fiction films, such as, V for Vendetta, Pandemic and The Matrix, the mainstream media narrative relentlessly broadcast at “We the People” seemed at first as surreal and as strange as an episode of The Twilight Zone. 

Now, suddenly, and apparently without warning, we are living in a strange hybrid between George Orwell’s novel 1984, Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World and The Matrix. Science fiction has now become real.

George Orwell wisely observed that, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those that speak it.” In 1958, Aldous Huxley warned that, “Pharmacology and propaganda will make the masses love their slavery. As the world is forced into accepting greater and greater levels of government control in all areas of life, remember that nothing in politics happens by chance. There is a science to creating empires.” 

As  the lead character Orpheus revealed in The Matrix film, “The Matrix is everywhere. It is all around us, even now in this very room. You can see it when you look out your window, or when you turn on your television. You can feel it when you go to work, when you go to church, when you pay your taxes. It is the world that has been pulled over your eyes to blind you from the truth.”

These perspectives reflect a deeper sense of what may be happening in our world today. For those open-minded enough to consider the truth as more important than convention and its lies, that sobriety is more essential than distorted states of consciousness, that the Earth and all of its natural wonders are more beautiful than any virtual reality, this book may just break open the possibility of a transformation of our understanding of this “pandemic”. 

In truth, this may be the “crowning” of a “new age” of consciousness emerging from the rubble of an old world dying around us. A “Corona” age may very well be on the horizon if we act from a higher understanding of our own existence as true human beings instead of from our limited perspectives of material existence.

For those with the courage to question authority, to question even our present sense of reality, this book is for you.

“Do not believe in what you have heard; do not blindly believe in traditions just because they have been handed down for many generations; do not believe in anything just because it is rumored and spoken by many; do not believe merely because a written statement of some old sage is produced; do not believe in conjectures; do not believe in that as truth to which you have become attached from habit; do not believe merely
the authority of your teachers and elders,
or news sources or books.

Question all authorities and truisms.

Decide for yourself what is the veracity of your perceptions.
Ponder what is not true. Even more so, ponder what is true, deeply and continuously.”
~ Buddha

$10 PDF ORDER LINK: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=H7ZVUNGC58QE2

$25 PRINT ORDER LINK: https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr?cmd=_s-xclick&hosted_button_id=QCQQL3JUTVURE (includes PDF Version with 670 Live Links)

$25 AMAZON PRINT ORDER LINK: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08FSR3NJG

THE PANDEMIC: COVID-19, Season 1, Episode 1

  1. DumbedDownPreface and Introduction (PDF)
  2. Seven Known Strains of Coronavirus (PDF)
  3. COVID-19 Did Not Naturally Occur By Animal to Human Contact
  4. China’s COVID-19 Coverup
  5. Faulty Computer Simulations & Projections
  6. Skepticism of Mainstream Narratives & Projections
  7. Herd/Individual Immunity, Lockdowns & Quarantines
  8. The Immune System is Your Primary Defense
  9. How Contagious is COVID-19?
  10. “Exosomes” as a Natural Release of the Human Body
  11. Masks or No Masks?
  12. Invalid Testing & Inconclusive Diagnosis for COVID-19
  13. Inflated Death Rates & Asymptomatic Cases
  14. Hydroxychloroquine is an Effective Treatment
  15. Emerging & Effective Treatment Protocols
  16. Questioning the Need, Safety & Efficacy of a Vaccine for COVID-19
  17. Dangers of Vaccines Laced with Toxic Materials
  18. Germ Theory is the Wrong Approach, Look to the Biome

THE LOCKDOWN: Season 1, Episode 2

  1. CoronaWorldInternational, National & State Declarations of Emergency
  2. COVID-19 & The 5G Factor
  3. Total Surveillance State & The Right to Privacy
  4. Legal Authorities for U.S. Public Health Officials & State Governors
  5. Stimulus Bills Are Fast Tracks to Socialism & U.S. Bankruptcy
  6. Chinese Coverup & Propaganda
  7. Undeclared War Between China & United States
  8. Global Goals of the Pandemic
  9. The New World Order
  10. Big Pharma Funding Regulatory Agencies Providing Oversight & Developing Public Policy
  11. Internet Censorship & Medical Fascism
  12. The Global Health Protection Racket
  13. The Future Ain’t What it Used to Be

THE CORONA AGE: 2020 & BEYOND, Season 2

  1. BecomeEnlightenedDawning of the Corona Age

APPENDIX

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If you really think everything is fine in America, think again? | YouTube

Violence returns us to the most primitive of all systems, one in which “might makes right”. There’s no greater threat to civilization. Violence like what is occurring night-by-night in numerous cities across the USA ends “democracy” and begins the fast road to “fascism” run by the mob. Is this the country you’d like to live in? When violence comes to your door, who will protect you then?

Source: YouTube

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Public Health Legal Authorities to Collect, Use, Share, and Protect Information | ASTHO

FlaginSunlightOverview

Public health agencies need to collect, use, and share information to prevent disease and injury and protect the public against natural, accidental, and intentional health threats. Various federal and state laws may impact public health activities regarding such information.

Public health agencies may collect and maintain information that identifies an individual or is sensitive in nature, such as information about communications systems or detailed emergency response plans. In these situations, freedom of information (FOI) laws establish parameters for information that must be shared, upon request, and that which may be exempted from public disclosure. In applying the laws, public health agencies may need to juggle competing interests and balance individual privacy against the need to protect or inform the public.

Public health agencies face additional challenges when sharing information with law enforcement, especially when conducting a joint investigation where a public health threat may involve criminal activity. (See ASTHO Public Health Collection, Use, Sharing and Protection of Information Issue Brief  and Authorities and Limitations in Sharing Information Between Public Health Agencies and Law Enforcement Issue Brieffor detailed analyses of issues and law.) (Download a printable PDF.)

Constitutional Considerations

Generally, state and local public health agencies have broad and flexible authority to protect the public health. However, the exercise of governmental power has limits. The United States Constitution contains a Bill of Rights1 that sets out individual liberties and protects individuals from the arbitrary use of governmental power. These rights may impact public health collection and sharing of information.

Right to Privacy
The Constitution provides a limited right to privacy, including “informational privacy.”2 State laws that require reporting of or public health agency access to identifiable information are permissible when they are reasonably directed to the preservation of health and properly respect a patient’s confidentiality and privacy.3

Right Against Unreasonable Search and Seizure
With the owner’s permission,4 public health agencies may enter or search the premises of an individual or business, take biological specimens or environmental samples for testing, copy records, and remove evidence that might be relevant to a public health concern. However, absent consent or the applicability of another exception, public health agencies must comply with requirements in the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment.

The Fourth Amendment requires that a warrant be obtained, based upon probable cause, to search someone’s premises or seize their property. The Fourth Amendment applies to both criminal investigations and health and safety inspections and investigations.5 In addition to consent, other exceptions to the warrant and probable cause requirement might apply to public health inspections and investigations, including searches of pervasively regulated businesses,6searches of premises or items open to the public,7 and searches based on exigent circumstances if delay is likely to lead to injury, public harm, or the destruction of evidence.8

Right Against Self-Incrimination
The Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination prevents the government from forcing an individual to be a witness against himself or herself during trial or a custodial interrogation. If an individual is not informed of his or her right against self-incrimination, the individual’s statements and evidence obtained as a result of these statements may be suppressed in criminal proceedings. This right may arise when a public health incident involves criminal activity, especially when law enforcement and public health investigators are conducting joint interviews or public health agencies assist law enforcement to gather evidence.9

Practice Notes

  • Identify information to be obtained or shared.
  • Identify the purpose for which the information is needed.
  • Determine whether this is the minimum necessary for the purpose or whether de-identified information will serve the purpose.
  • Identify sources for the information, such as healthcare providers, schools, other businesses, and individuals.
  • Identify applicable federal or state laws.
  • Determine and meet conditions or requirements for obtaining or sharing information; in some situations, an individual’s consent may avoid legal issues when disclosing private information.
  • If privacy protections prevent disclosures necessary to protect the public, consult with counsel to identify relevant legal responsibilities, evaluate competing moral claims, and document determined course of action.

State Constitutions
State constitutions, along with court decisions that interpret state constitutions, must be reviewed to identify individual rights that exceed the U.S. Constitution. State constitutions may be sources of additional provisions that govern information sharing; for example, some constitutions define individual privacy rights or cover the public’s right to obtain governmental records.

State Statutes

Generally, state law governs state and local public health agencies’ authority and responsibilities regarding collection, use, disclosure, and protection of information. State laws vary in nature and scope. Authority may be based on general statutes, such as public health laws that grant public health agencies communicable disease control authority. Specific laws may also apply.

Case Reporting
These laws mandate that healthcare providers, laboratories, and others report specific communicable diseases and other illness of public health concern. Reporting requirements vary by state, and may also include poisonings, chemical or radiological exposures, suspected acts of terrorism, and other conditions.

Syndromic Surveillance
State laws may require or authorize reporting to electronic syndromic surveillance systems of information that is routinely gathered in emergency rooms or other places that may indicate an emerging disease or other public health threat before confirmed diagnoses are made.

Investigatory Authority
State laws may specifically grant public health agencies authority to conduct investigations and gather evidence, or such authority may arise from general statutory powers. State laws may also establish procedures for obtaining warrants to search the premises of an individual or business and seize evidence related to a public health threat.

Privacy Provisions
Public health or other laws may contain provisions to protect the confidentiality of information that identifies an individual and to limit its disclosure by public health agencies. Exceptions may be provided, for example, for disclosing information to other agencies, law enforcement, or the public when necessary to protect the public’s health.

Freedom of Information
All states have laws that require information held by governmental agencies to be provided upon request. FOI laws promote transparency and accountability of governments, facilitate consumers’ ability to make informed choices, and safeguard citizens against mismanagement and corruption. Public health agencies—like other governmental agencies—need to be sensitive to these important considerations in responding to FOI requests. At the same time, these laws may create challenges for public health agencies with regard to requests for private information about individuals or sensitive information, such as information that is preliminary, incomplete, or might present a national or state security risk. FOI laws include exemptions that may allow public health agencies to withhold private or sensitive information under certain circumstances. These exemptions vary among states in nature, scope, and prerequisites for denying disclosure.

Federal Statutes

Federal laws that impact collection, use, disclosure, and protection of information by public health agencies include, but are not limited to, the following.

HIPAA Privacy Rule
The Privacy Rule10 adopted under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA)11 established national privacy protections for individually identifiable health information. The Privacy Rule may apply to healthcare providers or others that provide information to public health agencies. Depending on a public health agency’s organization, the Privacy Rule may apply to a public health agency when it discloses individually identifiable information. The Privacy Rule is not intended to interfere with public health functions and contains provisions that allow public health agencies to collect identifiable health information and disclose it, including to law enforcement, when authorized by law or when necessary to protect the public from an imminent threat.

FERPA
Privacy protections established by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)12 limit information that schools may provide to public health agencies about students. However, exceptions allow schools to provide certain directory information, such as student name and contact information, and necessary information to appropriate officials in cases of health and safety emergencies.13

Surveillance Data Systems
Various federal laws, such as the Public Health Security and Bioterrorism Preparedness Act of 2002,14 establish surveillance data systems that allow collection of information provided by state and local governmental agencies and integration of federal, state, and local data systems.

Critical Infrastructure
Confidentiality requirements apply to federal disclosure of certain information to state or local governmental agencies related to critical infrastructure and supplies and resources to protect the public’s health. For example, federal law protects the confidentiality of information voluntarily provided by the private sector to the federal government regarding vaccine tracking and distribution15 and information about critical infrastructure.16 Although the federal government may share this information with state and local government and agencies, those agencies must protect its confidentiality.

Practice Resource

The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press provides the Open Government Guide at http://www.rcfp.org/open-government-guide, which is a complete compendium of information on every state’s open records and open meetings laws. Each state’s section is arranged according to a standard outline, making it easy to compare laws in various states.

Sources

  1. U.S. Const., Amds 1-10.
  2. Whalen v. Roe, 429 U.S. 589 (1977).
  3. Whalen v. Roe, 429 U.S. 589 (1977); Planned Parenthood of Missouri v. Danforth, 428 U.S. 52 (1976).
  4. Florida v. Jimeno, 500 U.S. 248 (1991).
  5. Camara v. Municipal Court, 387 U.S. 523 (1967) (search of residences); See v. City of Seattle, 387 US 541 (1967) (search of commercial property).
  6. New York v. Burger, 482 US 691 (1987).
  7. Gostin LO. Public Health Law – Power, Duty, Restraint. (2008), p 468, 699-700. See endnotes 57-58.
  8. Michigan v. Tyler, 436 U.S. 499 (1978).
  9. Richards, EP. “Collaboration between Public Health and Law Enforcement: The Constitutional Challenge. Emerging Infectious Diseases.” Available at http://wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/8/10/02-0465_article.htm. Accessed 11-15-2012. Goodman, R.A., Munson, JW, Dammer, K., Lazzarini, Z., and Barkely JP. “Forensic Epidemiology: Law at the Intersection of Public Health and Criminal Investigations.” Journal of the American Society of Law, Medicine & Ethics. Available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14968670. Accessed on 2-7-2013.
  10. 45 C.F.R. Parts 160 and 164.
  11. Pub. L. 104-191, 42 U.S.C. § 300gg et seq.
  12. Pub. L. 93-380, 20 U.S.C. § 1232g, implemented by 34 C.F.R. Part 99.
  13. 34 C.F.R. § 99.31.
  14. Pub. L. 107-188, 42 U.S.C. 300hh et seq.
  15. Public Health Service Act, 42 U.S.C. § 247d-1.
  16. Critical Infrastructure Information Act of 2002, Pub. L. 107-296, 6 U.S.C. 131 et seq., which is part of the Homeland Security Act of 2002.

Note: This document was compiled from April–November 2012 and reflects the laws and programs current then. It reflects only portions of the laws relevant to public health emergencies and is not intended to be exhaustive of all relevant legal authority. This resource is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional legal or other advice. The document was funded by CDC Award No. 1U38HM000454 to the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials; Subcontractor Subcontractor University of Michigan School of Public Health, Network for Public Health Law – Mid-States Region.

Source: ASTHO

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The white privilege (i.e., white slavery) they erased from history | YouTube & Dana Ashlie

Editor’s Note: Big Media has been giving lots of attention lately to Black Lives Matter, mandatory white guilt, kneeling in submission, reparations for slavery, etc. If we were being completely honest, we’d also consider that not only do White Lives Matter, but so do All Lives Matter. But honesty and taking responsibility is not exactly Big Media’s motivation for bringing these issues to the light of day at this time. Beneath the surface, there is a deeply held political agenda with the sole intention of dividing America by race so our new slave masters can rule all of us with impunity. In this illuminating video Dana Ashlie brings to light another side of the slavery issue which many of our white, left/liberal friends will not be so comfortable learning about. Watch and see for yourself.

Our history is written by the victors. What presentation of our history would best suite their chosen ‘end game’ for us? The straight up erasing and twisted of true history has happened on a variety of topics of course, but specifically the topic of slavery has been erased and retold in a way that points to another agenda that has been set up. Who gains and who is set to lose are the questions we need to ask.

Source: YouTube & Dana Ashlie