Web archive plans storing Trump-proof back-up in Canada

Donald Trump's old website, from 2000, is stored in the archive

The Internet Archive, which stores copies of billions of websites, says it will keep a back-up in Canada following Donald Trump's US election victory.

The US-based organization said the Trump administration was a "firm reminder" that it needed to adapt.
The organization archives 300 million websites every week, but said it was preparing for "a web that may face greater restrictions". But it has admitted that storing a copy in Canada would cost "millions".
The Internet Archive is a huge record of websites, books, audio and software that can be browsed free of charge online. It lets anybody look up material that was posted online, and see how a website has changed over the past 20 years.
The non-profit organization said it wanted to keep its "cultural materials safe, private and perpetually accessible". It said storing a copy of the data outside the US would mean "no-one will ever be able to change the past", although the Internet Archive does let website owners have their pages removed from the database.


A copy of the data stored in Canada would not be subject to new data or censorship legislation introduced in the US, if the Trump administration decided to introduce any.
Mr Trump has previously suggested areas of the internet should be "closed off" to tackle extremism. But it has been suggested such a move would violate the First Amendment of the US Constitution.
"Any attempt to filter out the online activities of extremist groups would inevitably infringe on the First Amendment rights of Americans," David Greene, of the civil liberties group Electronic Frontier Foundation, said in 2015.
"Even if you would accept the proposition that some of this speech is illegal, it's impossible to block just that out."
"Given the surveillance capabilities of the US government, this is a sensible and practical move to preserve the Internet Archive."
North America is gearing up to protect itself from an onslaught of  oppressive, suppressive Trump legislation.

KIDS

Canadian journalist barred entry to US for no legitimate reason

A Canadian reporter was barred from entering the US. Is this the beginning of the end of press freedom? Ed Ou is used to crossing borders frequently and without a hassle.

The award-winning Canadian photojournalist has spent the past decade travelling to the kinds of places where being in the media can be a hazard to your health: Iraq, Yemen, Somalia, Egypt and Turkey, to name a few.
So when he booked a flight last October to the US from Canada to cover the Standing Rock pipeline protests in North Dakota for the Canadian Broadcasting Company, he was relieved to be somewhere with well known, press freedom.
"In my mind I had nothing to hide, (America) is actually one of the few places in the world where you can just say you're a journalist," he said.
But when he told US border officials at the Vancouver airport he was travelling to North Dakota to cover Standing Rock, he says they pulled him aside and proceeded to interrogate him for six hours. When he refused to unlock his mobile on the grounds that it contained confidential information about sources, ( Journalists always keep their sources of information confidential. It's an accepted practice.) they forcibly took his SIM cards and made copies of his reporter's notebook and personal diary. Then they barred him from entering the US.
Legal experts and free speech advocates have spoken out against his treatment at the border, and say America's press freedom laws don't stand a chance against a government that has grown increasingly hostile towards the press.
The American Civil Liberties Union, which is representing Mr Ou, and the Canadian Journalists for Free Expression have both condemned the incident. But according to the law, what happened at the US-Canada border is entirely legal.
Border officials have a right to search all property, including electronic devices, within 100 miles (or 165km) of any "external US boundary" without a warrant or reasonable grounds for suspicion.
According to a 2009 directive, sensitive materials such as "medical records and work-related information carried by journalists" receive no special-treatment outside of pre-existing federal laws and policies, which are weak at best, according to media law experts.
"Journalists in the US generally don't have to reveal their sources because the government doesn't seek them," says Floyd Abrams, who represented New York Times reporter Judith Miller in her efforts to keep a source confidential. But that's no guarantee. The Obama administration has pursued legal action against leakers such as Edward Snowden and Chelsea Manning, and has subpoenaed many journalists to try and get them to testify against their sources.
In 2015, Attorney General Eric Holder promised not to prosecute journalists for doing their job. But the directive he laid out in a departmental memo is a guideline and not a law, and it remains to be seen what will come of it as a new administration takes hold.

Lucy Dalglish, a lawyer who served with the Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press, says the treatment of Mr Ou at the border is "outrageous" and says it reminds her of some of the complaints she heard from journalists immediately following 9/11.
"People should be able to come into this country and cover stories. The most troubling thing would be if they targeted him because he was a journalist," she says.
The Customs and Border Protection agency said it cannot comment on individual cases, but that people who feel they have been treated unfairly can complain to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees border security.

For his part, Mr Ou says the issue of privacy and government surveillance isn't limited to the US. The Canadian spy agency recently admitted to keeping a database with people's information, and Montreal police admitted to spying on journalists phones.
"This is what an authoritarian regime would do, and I should know, because I've spent the last ten years covering them," he says. 
What is happening to freedom of speech and freedom of the press in supposedly, a democratic North America?? Is this the harbinger of worse treatment we can expect in the future?? All of this fear, suspicion and stepping on constitutional rights traces it's beginnings, it's birth to 9/11. That tragedy and subsequent terrorist incidents have changed our whole way of life, our way of looking at each other and everything we stood for and were proud of.

Great economic news for the US

The US unemployment rate fell to a nine-year low in November, adding to expectations that US interest rates will rise later this month.

Figures from the Labor Department showed the US economy created 178,000 jobs in November, while the jobless rate fell to 4.6% from 4.9% in October.
The data adds to recent evidence of healthy growth in the economy, although wage growth was weaker than expected.
Most analysts think the Federal Reserve will raise rates at its next meeting.
"This was the last hurdle on the path to a December hike, and it has been cleared convincingly," said Luke Bartholomew, investment manager at Aberdeen Asset Management.

"It is now incredibly hard to imagine what would stop the Fed from going [for a rate rise]."
The Federal Reserve will hold its next two-day policy meeting on 13-14 December.
Last month, the chair of the Fed, Janet Yellen, indicated that the US central bank could raise interest rates "relatively soon", adding that the US economy was "making very good progress".
Recent figures indicated that the US economy grew at an annual pace of 3.2% in the third quarter of the year.
The US economy has been creating jobs at an average of 180,000 jobs a month this year, although that is down on the average of 229,000 recorded in 2015.
Despite November's robust jobs figures, earnings grew by less than expected. Average hourly earnings fell 0.1% from the month before, and that reduced the annual increase in wages to 2.5% from 2.8% in October.
The job creation figures for September and October were also revised, with the latest estimates indicating that 2,000 fewer jobs were added in the two months than previously thought.
Before these figures the markets were pretty clear about what they think the Federal Reserve will do when it meets later this month; it will raise interest rates. The jobs numbers have further reinforced that expectation.
It was a pretty robust figure for job creation, well ahead of economists' estimates of what is needed to keep up with a growing population.
 So you see folks, the economy is strong and growing. America is great.

Trump's top team ... so far

Donald Trump: A list of conflicts of interest



Donald Trump's extensive, international business holdings means he will have to make decisions as leader of the US that also impact his businesses. A look at some of his potential conflicts of interest.

The Trump Organization is an umbrella company for Donald Trump's hundreds of investments in real estate, branding and other deals.
As head of the executive branch and a business owner, he would have the ability to influence both US policy and government agencies to benefit his bottom line.
Presidents are not subject to the same conflict of interest rules as other government employees, and previous commander-in-chiefs have placed their investments into a blind trust to prevent any question of corruption.
Previously Mr Trump has only said three of his adult children will be running the Trump Organization, but they are also members of his transition team and have sat in on meetings and calls with foreign leaders.

Now the president-elect has tweeted that he will hold a press conference on 15 December to "discuss the fact that I will be leaving my great business in total" because the "Presidency is a far more important task!"
Mr Trump has not specified what this means in practice other than "legal documents are being crafted which take me completely out of business operations".
Ethics experts have urged Trump to liquidate his business holdings so that he can avoid any appearance of a conflict.

Below is a list of known conflicts of interest for Mr Trump, both foreign and domestic. Because his business is private, the extent of his holdings - and the potential for conflicts - are unknown. Many of these conflicts were reported before Mr Trump won the election, but have become more pressing as his transition team begins to make decisions about his presidency.

The Trump Organization owns the right to lease the space in this office building in Manhattan - and makes money from the rent paid to the building.  According to Bloomberg News, there are five ongoing federal investigations into current or former tenants of 40 Wall Street, mostly for securities fraud.

Those investigations are headed up by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), and Mr Trump will appoint a new SEC chair once he takes office.

Sioux tribes and allies have been protesting for months to prevent the Dakota Access pipeline from being built under water supplies near the Standing Rock reservation. Trump had a partial investment - somewhere between $500,000 and $1m - in the parent company of the firm building Dakota Access pipeline, Energy Transfers Partners.


Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks says Mr Trump has sold his stock in Energy Transfer Partners. But another one of Trump's stock holdings, Phillips 66, owns a 25% share in the project.  It's unclear if the president-elect has also sold his stock in Phillips 66, as his last financial disclosure was in May.
The US Army Corps of Engineers and the interior department have delayed a decision on the future of the pipeline until they can consult further with other local communities. Mr Trump's political appointee to head the interior department could ultimately be responsible for the decision.

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Deutsche Bank
One of Trump's major lenders on his real estate projects is Deutsche Bank.
The bank is currently in negotiations with the US justice department to settle a case involving misleading buyers when it sold mortgage bonds backed by risky loans.
If Deutsche Bank does not settle by inauguration day, Mr Trump's administration would be in charge of the negotiations.

Donald Trump (C) and his family prepare to cut the ribbon at the new Trump International Hotel in October 2016

The Trump Organization leases the Old Post Office Building from US government's General Services Administration (GSA) for the Trump International Hotel in Washington, DC.Trump as president is both "landlord and tenant" of this building, says Steven Schooner, who along with Daniel Gordon, have called on Trump to end the lease.
The 60-year lease will likely involve renegotiations - and the person responsible on setting the rent prices would ultimately report to the head of the GSA, a Trump appointee.In addition, the lease bars any federal employee, including elected officials, from benefitting from contracts with the government.
Meanwhile. the hotel has already been pitched to foreign diplomats as a place to stay while in Washington, raising concerns that foreign governments could see booking expensive rooms at the Trump International as a way to gain favour with the Trump administration.

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National Labor Relations Board
On 3 November, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled that Trump International Hotel Las Vegas - which Trump co-owns - broke the law by refusing to negotiate with a hotel workers' union.  The hotel appealed the case to a higher court. But eight other labour disputes involving the Las Vegas hotel are currently before the board. Trump will appoint two empty seats on the five-person board after he becomes president, and the NLRB is facing an unprecedented situation on how to rule on disputes that will affect the president's business.

During the campaign, Trump's airplane company, TAG Air, billed the Secret Service for flying on Trump's Boeing 757 while protecting the candidate. It is standard for Secret Service to pay their own way on private aircraft, and during the campaign, this was tracked by the Federal Election Commission through campaign finance reports.
While Mr Trump will fly on Air Force One and other US aircraft as president, if Trump or Pence family members are assigned protective detail and decide to fly on Trump planes, the Secret Service would need to reimburse TAG Air - and ultimately Mr Trump - for the flights. Such amounts are part of Secret Service's normal budget and are unlikely to be disclosed.

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Foreign holdings

According to Trump's financial disclosure, he has investments in or owns companies in at least 20 countries. Unlike his domestic business, Mr Trump could run afoul of a clause in the US constitution by continuing to profit from these deals.
The emoluments clause specifically prevents anyone who holds a US "office of trust or profit" from accepting gifts, payments or any benefit from a foreign nation.
Even routine business benefits like tax breaks would likely violate the emoluments clause once Mr Trump becomes president.
One former White House ethics lawyer has argued Mr Trump would be violation of the constitution "on day one", if he keeps his business.
In addition to emoluments, Mr Trump's foreign policy decisions could be called into question in any country in which the Trump Organization does business, especially when his policies would benefit the firm's holdings overseas.Here are some of Mr Trump's larger business deals that intersect with US foreign policy.

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Argentina
An Argentine broadcaster reported Mr Trump allegedly asked President Mauricio Macri for his support to build an office tower in Buenos Aires while on call during Mr Trump's transition period.
Mr Macri's office and the Trump campaign have denied the report.
However, several days later, the Buenos Aires firm building the tower announced construction of the project was going ahead after years of delays.

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Brazil
A waterfront property in Rio de Janeiro, branded with the Trump name through a licensing deal, is the subject of a federal inquiry after two small Brazilian pension funds invested heavily in the unfinished project, with allegations of bribery.

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China
The Bank of China is one of China's largest banks and also majority state-owned. It holds the title on a $950m loan for a New York Building in which Trump is a part owner. Mr Trump has previously labelled China a currency manipulator.
Another largely government-owned Chinese bank - the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China - has space in Trump Tower, paying rent to the Trump Organization.

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India
Trump has a licensing deal for buildings in Mumbai and Pune.
One of his deals is with the Lodha Group, whose founder, Mangal Lodha, is also a vice-president in the ruling government party, BJP. Shortly after Mr Trump won the presidency, some of his Indian business partners flew to the US to congratulate Mr Trump, who took time out of transition meetings to discuss "US-India relations".
Philippines
Philippines' newest trade envoy to the United States is the same man who is building Trump Tower Manila. Like many of Trump's branding projects, Mr Trump does not own the building himself, but licenses his name to the building in return for regular payments.
Trump family members have previously promoted the project, including a promotional video.  The trade envoy/business partner reportedly flew to US to hold a private meeting with Mr Trump after the election.

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Saudi Arabia
During the course of the campaign, Trump created eight business ventures tied to a potential real estate deal in Saudi Arabia. Mr Trump told Fox News earlier this year, he "would want to protect Saudi Arabia. But Saudi Arabia is going to have to help us economically".


In 2008, Trump entered a licensing partnership with Turkish conglomerate Dogan Holdings, who were planning to build two residential and business towers in Istanbul's business district.  Relations between Dogan Holdings and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan have turned sour since the towers opened in 2012.
The Dogan family, also own a paper critical of Mr Erdogan.
An earlier story from Newsweek argues the poisoned relationship between Mr Erdogan and the Dogans means Mr Trump would have a direct conflict between his business interests and his relationship with a US ally.  Turkey's importance in the fight against IS and the Syrian civil war makes the stakes much higher.


Mr Trump owns two golf courses in Scotland and has recently asked Nigel Farage to oppose wind farms, not because he believed they were bad for the UK or contradicted US energy goals, but because a wind project would potentially lower the value of one of his golf courses.
"He did not say he hated wind farms as a concept; he just did not like them spoiling the views," Andy Wigmore, the Leave.EU communications director at the meeting told the New York Times and the Express.
The golf courses could also be affected as part of Brexit negotiations or a second Scottish independence referendum. What a coil.

Nestle and Kellogg ‘profit’ from ‘appalling’ child labour abuse in palm oil plantation: Amnesty International

JAKARTA — Global consumer companies, including Unilever, Nestle, Kellogg and Procter & Gamble, have sourced palm oil from Indonesian plantations where labour abuses were uncovered, Amnesty International said on Wednesday.
Children as young as eight worked in “hazardous” conditions at palm plantations run by Singapore-based Wilmar International Ltd and its suppliers on the Indonesian islands of Kalimantan and Sumatra, Amnesty said in a report.
Amnesty, which said it interviewed 120 workers, alleges that many of them worked long hours for low pay and without adequate safety equipment.
The palm oil from these plantations could be traced to nine multinational companies, it said.

This picture taken on September 16, 2015 shows a girl pushing a cart while working at a palm oil plantation area in Pelalawan, Riau province in Indonesia's Sumatra island. Multinational companies are selling consumer products containing palm oil from Indonesian plantations where workers suffer rights abuses, Amnesty International warned on November 30, listing problems including child labour and exposure to toxic chemicals.

“Despite promising customers that there will be no exploitation in their palm oil supply chains, big brands continue to profit from appalling abuses,” said Meghna Abraham, senior investigator at Amnesty.

The NGO said it chose Wilmar as the focus of its investigation as the company is the world’s largest processor and merchandiser of palm and lauric oils, controlling more than 43 per cent of the global palm oil trade.
Other companies operating palm plantations in Indonesia include Golden Agri-Resources Ltd, Indofood Agri Resources Ltd and PT Astra Agro Lestari Tbk.
Even though Indonesia has strong labour laws under which most of the abuses can amount to criminal offences, these laws are poorly enforced by the government, Amnesty said.
Wilmar said it welcomed the NGO’s report, which helps to highlight labor issues within the broader palm oil industry, but added that finding a solution requires the collaboration of governments, companies and civil society organizations.
“We acknowledge that there are ongoing labor issues in the palm oil industry, and these issues could affect any palm company operating in Indonesia,” it said.

This picture taken on September 16, 2015 shows 13-year-old Indonesian girl Asnimawati working at a palm oil plantation area in Pelalawan, Riau province in Indonesia's Sumatra island. Multinational companies are selling consumer products containing palm oil from Indonesian plantations where workers suffer rights abuses, Amnesty International warned on November 30, listing problems including child labour and exposure to toxic chemicals

“The focus on Wilmar … is often used to draw attention to problems in the wider palm oil industry.”
Wilmar supplies around 10 per cent of the total palm oil used in Nestle’s products, the Swiss food giant said in an email. Nestle said it is working with Wilmar to improve the traceability of the commodity.
“Practices such as those identified in Amnesty International’s report have no place in our supply chain,” Nestle said. The company said it would investigate allegations related to its purchase of palm oil along with its suppliers.
Procter & Gamble also said in an email it is working with Wilmar to “ensure they can remedy any potential human rights infringements in their supply chain.”
Indonesia is the world’s biggest producer of palm oil, used in everything from snacks and soaps to cosmetics and biofuels. The sector employs millions, and plantation operators say it is difficult to have complete oversight of labor conditions.
No company would “consciously” hire underage labour as that is against the law, but some plantation workers get their children to help out, Sumarjono Saragih, an official at the Indonesian Palm Oil Association, told Reuters by telephone.
“If children want to help their parents, companies cannot forbid that,” Saragih said.
The government has been trying to reduce child labour by giving subsidies and other assistance to families, Maruli Hasoloan, a senior official at the manpower ministry, told Reuters in an email.
The ministry will also study working conditions at palm plantations and improve labor protection in Indonesia, he said.
Agus Justianto, an official at Indonesia’s environment ministry, said that a company found guilty of labor violations could get its permit revoked, but it is “not in the environment ministry’s domain.”
These huge corporations and conglomerates outsource to developing countries because the labor is so cheap. They don't ask questions or investigate social or ethical issues, labor laws, child labor, company policies or environmental impact. If any ethical questions pop up they have well paid damage control people and lawyers to cover their lily white asses. That's how I see it.