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June 4, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) — Online shopping giant Amazon is set to launch a new internet sharing feature on its devices, allowing strangers to access anyone’s Amazon-based home network, regardless of prior permissions to connect to it.

The Amazon Sidewalk feature is called a “wireless mesh service” (WMS) and will be made available to U.S. customers on numerous devices on June 8. The WMS allows a Sidewalk-capable device to sap a small percentage of another’s internet bandwidth in order to stay connected to the internet.

According to Ars Technica, a dedicated technology news agency and blog, the full list of Sidewalk-capable devices is: “Ring Floodlight Cam (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Wired (2019), Ring Spotlight Cam Mount (2019), Echo (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot for Kids (3rd gen and newer), Echo Dot with Clock (3rd gen and newer), Echo Plus (all generations), Echo Show (all models and generations), Echo Spot, Echo Studio, Echo Input, and Echo Flex.”

All listed devices will automatically implement the update, unless users specifically navigate their private settings and switch-off the function on purpose. Given the wide ownership of Sidewalk-compatible devices across the U.S. — with the Echo smart speaker system alone accounting for 58.3 million units in U.S. homes — and default enrollment in Sidewalk, Amazon is essentially creating a nationwide, distributed internet network with geolocation tracking functionality through private Wi-Fi connections.

Amazon has recently teamed up with Tile — a company making remote trackers to help find lost items and even pets — and with Level, which manufactures “smart-lock” security doors that are controlled via fingerprints, key-cards, and even mobile phones. This could mean that most Sidewalk users will be granted access to the same network to which many individuals technologically anchor their most valuable assets.

To offset privacy and security fears, Amazon is enabling the Sidewalk service free-of-charge and informing customers of the benefits of the system. “Sidewalk can help simplify new device setup, extend the low-bandwidth working range of devices to help find pets or valuables with Tile trackers, and help devices stay online even if they are outside the range of their home wifi,” an explanatory webpage reads.

Continuing, the e-commerce giant justified its new system by explaining that “Amazon Sidewalk helps your devices get connected and stay connected. For example, if your Echo device loses its wifi connection, Sidewalk can simplify reconnecting to your router. For select Ring devices, you can continue to receive motion alerts from your Ring Security Cams and customer support can still troubleshoot problems even if your devices lose their wifi connection.”

“Sidewalk can also extend the working range for your Sidewalk-enabled devices, such as Ring smart lights, pet locators or smart locks, so they can stay connected and continue to work over longer distances.”

Amazon has suffered serious security breaches in the past, supporting concerns about privacy and other issues regarding Sidewalk.

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PETITION UPDATE (5/5/2021) - BREAKING: Facebook permanently removes LifeSiteNews’ page

Facebook has just permanently banned LifeSiteNews’ Facebook page. This apparently is not a temporary measure: It is gone for good.

"Much like when LifeSite was removed from YouTube, this comes with little surprise,” noted LifeSiteNews Marketing Director Rebekah Roberts.

"Facebook has been silencing any voice that goes against their beliefs and agenda," continued Roberts. "Our LifeSiteNews Facebook page has been removed simply because we have shared reports of doctors, nurses, expert researchers, and even the former Pfizer VP speaking out against the COVID shots. We’ve also been tagged for the numerous articles we have shared making the connection between the COVID shots, and really all vaccines, and aborted baby cell lines."

"This all comes down to another case of Big Tech silencing free speech on their platform," she added.

"At this time, I encourage those of you who are still on Facebook, Twitter, and other Big Tech platforms to continue sharing LifeSiteNews articles with your friends and family, please!” urged Roberts. “I also encourage you to follow us on these alternative platforms:"

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The absolute best way to connect with LifeSiteNews is to subscribe to our daily news emails, click here

Thank you for SIGNING and SHARING this petition, vital to our freedom of speech.

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PETITION UPDATE (2/23/21) - 

LifeSite has signed on to a Media Research Center (MRC) letter to all 50 state Attorneys General, calling for an investigation into Big Tech.

Google, Facebook, and Twitter have monopolized the industry, and are using their influence to collect user data, suppress content, and silence those who voice ideas and beliefs counter to their own.

As we urged prior, action must be taken to combat these efforts, and that is why we’ve joined the MRC in this fight.

Please take a couple of minutes to READ this LifeSiteNews article about MRC's initiative: https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/lifesite-joins-effort-asking-state-attorneys-general-to-investigate-big-tech-for-deceptive-trade-practices

Then, please SIGN and STOP using Twitter, Facebook, Google (YouTube) and Amazon to take back your privacy and freedom of speech!

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PETITION UPDATE (2/9/21) -

YouTube just completely removed the LifeSiteNews YouTube channel. This isn’t a ban, every single one of our videos is completely gone. Being completely removed from YouTube means we’ve lost access to 300,000+ followers.

This is the latest and appalling affront to free speech which is happening to many conservative and Christian organizations.

Please SIGN this petition and STOP using YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Google (owner of YouTube) and Amazon to take back your privacy and freedom of speech!

We are not going to take this lying down!

Thankfully, we have backups of all our videos:

You can watch our current videos on Rumble, here: https://rumble.com/user/LifeSiteNews
Or on our LifeSiteNews Catholic Rumble channel, here: https://rumble.com/user/LifeSiteNewsCatholic

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Please help us build Rumble and our other alternative platforms by donating through our secure link: https://give.lifesitenews.com/

After you SIGN this petition, please also see our 'Goodbye Google' resources to find out how to quit Big Tech and learn more about good alternatives!

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PETITION UPDATE (1/26/20) -

Twitter has again locked LifeSiteNews out of two of our accounts on the platform for displaying a message noting that President Joe Biden’s newly named Assistant Secretary of Health “Rachel” Levine is a man.

Both accounts displayed a simple message which read: “Biden names transgender ‘woman’ as Assistant Secretary of Health. ‘Rachel’ Levine is a father of two who divorced his wife in 2013 after 30 years of marriage.” The tweets also included a link to LifeSite’s article Biden names transgender ‘woman’ as Assistant Secretary of Health, and contained part of the opening sentence of that article, “Joe Biden has announced his intention to appoint a gender-confused man” as Assistant Secretary of Health.

For stating biological or Biblical truths, Twitter and Big Tech are trying to shut down conservative voices.

Therefore, it is now more important than ever to consider dumping Twitter, Google (who own YouTube) and Facebook. To be clear: LifeSite is still using Twitter and Big Tech to encourage others to migrate away from these illiberal platforms.

This is not the first time that LifeSiteNews has been censored by Twitter. In December 2019, Twitter indefinitely suspended our account for a tweet that linked to an article on transgender activist Jonathan “Jessica” Yaniv.

At the time, Twitter gave LifeSite the option to delete the tweet and reactivate our account right away. LifeSite remained steadfast that the tweet did not violate any of the company’s “rules and policies,” and sought several appeals with Twitter, while looking into legal action against the company.

And, while LifeSite's account was eventually restored, we must now consider what course of action we will pursue in this case, over and above appealing the ban.

Meanwhile, since taking office on Wednesday last week, Joe Biden has already signed an executive order which will force women’s athletic programs, restrooms, and locker rooms to be open to men. He has also turned back the Trump administration’s policy protecting women’s sports programs in schools.

Last week, LifeSite was banned for two weeks from our YouTube channel, after the site determined that one of our videos about vaccines violated YouTube’s “community guidelines.” We are also in the middle of appealing this ban.

Please considering SIGNING and SHARING this petition. Thank you!

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Twitter just deplatformed President Trump premanently! And, other conservatives, including General Flynn and Sidney Powell, were also summarily deplatformed.

Conservatives, Christians and freedom-loving Americans of all political persuasions must now take a decision to preserve their free speech AND their ability to peaceably assemble by dumping Twitter and Big Tech, and by finding other good alternatives to communicate with each other and share their opinions.

Please SIGN our petition-pledge to Dump Twitter and Big Tech, and take back your freedom of speech and privacy. [CLICK HERE for our "Goodbye Google" resources page to find good alternatives to Twitter, Facebook, Amazon, and Google!]

When you use Twitter or Facebook to communicate, and, or, Google and Amazon to search for something online, these companies can stifle your ability to share your thoughts and opinions and manipulate your search results, threatening your privacy, your freedom of speech, and even our democracy.

Evidence suggests that Twitter and Facebook's 'community guidelines' are selectively enforced against conservatives and Christians, while Google rigs their search algorithms to direct traffic away from conservative and Christian websites, effectively choking traffic to those sites.

Simply put, Twitter, Facebook, Google (who owns YouTube) and Amazon appear to be actively suppressing access to pro-freedom, pro-family and pro-life news and opinion.

Don't contribute to this assault on democracy: Stop using Twitter, Facebook, Google and Amazon as your default social media platforms and search engine! [CLICK HERE to find a good alternative to Google.]

To repeat: a few liberal and completely unaccountable computer programmers in Silicon Valley are dictating what we do and do not see in our Twitter and Facebook feeds, and in our Google searches.

We, here, at LifeSite, also recently had our Twitter account suspended by the company over "misgendering" a man who claims to be a woman.

LifeSite has also experienced a fall-off in Google search-related traffic since the company updated its search algorithms at the beginning of May.

And, since the November election, Twitter and Big Tech appear to have dramatically INCREASED their censorship of conservatives and Christians as the President Trump disputed the results of the election and when evidence of election fraud began to mount.

Now, it seems likely that they are trying to cut-off conservative leaders (like President Trump) from conservatives on the ground, and effectively exclude us from the national conversation.

But, this tactic will not work. Because Twitter, Facebook, Google and Amazon are not the only game in town! There are a good number of excellent alternatives which we list in our 'Goodbye Google' Resources page.

The great irony is that, while Twitter, Facebook, Google and Amazon executives talk a lot about maintaining freedom of speech and diversity, in fact, these hypocrites are ATTACKING free speech point-blank!

This kind of manipulation poses a lethal threat to our democracy, but as we see so clearly now, Twitter and Big Tech have shown no hesitation in excluding conservatives and Christians from the public square.

So, at this point, the only way to stop Twitter, Facebook, Google and Amazon is to quit using their platform.

Please SIGN and SHARE this petition to pledge to stop using Twitter and Big Tech. Then, please CLICK HERE to find alternative search engines and social media platforms. Thank you!

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

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Parler: parler.com/profile/lifesitenews (currently down due to Amazon removing their web hosting)

Ready to say "Goodbye Google"? Find alternatives for search engines, browsers, email, and morehttps://lifefacts.lifesitenews.com/goodbye-google/resources/

'BREAKING: Twitter permanently bans President Trump from platform'https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-twitter-permanently-bans-president-trump-from-platform

WATCH LifeSite's exclusive series - 'Big Tech vs Free Speech' - of interviews with experts on how Big Tech censorship is killing free speechhttps://www.lifesitenews.com/bigtech/

From YouTube to social media and beyond, online censorship is rampant. Read the latest articles covering this ongoing struggle: https://lifefacts.lifesitenews.com/goodbye-google/censorship/

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In 2018, Amazon customers’ names and email addresses were “inadvertently disclosed … due to a technical error.” At the time, Amazon told customers not to change any of their login details or passwords, but Richard Walters, chief technical officer of cybersecurity firm CensorNet, urged those affected to ignore Amazon’s cavalier advice.

Walters advised that, even though credit card details were not lost in the leak, “it would be wrong to assume that this makes the breach inconsequential. Cyber-criminals can do a lot of damage with a large database of names and emails.”

“A large majority of people still use predictable passwords, and thanks to previous high-profile breaches many people’s passwords are also readily available on the dark web. For cyber-criminals, it then just becomes an exercise in joining the dots.”

“If you’ve been affected, make sure you change your passwords quickly,” he cautioned.

For those who have a Sidewalk enabled device and don’t want to enroll in the internet-sharing service, Ars Technica provided a handy guide to opting out of the program:

  1. Open the Alexa app

  2. Open More and select Settings

  3. Select Account Settings

  4. Select Amazon Sidewalk

  5. Turn Amazon Sidewalk Off