CfA's July 22, 2022 Newsletter
Thank you for your continued support of Campaign for Accountability. We're dedicated to continue working to hold the powerful accountable.
This week:
- Cryptocurrency Miners’ Sweetheart Deal with Texas Threatens an Already Fragile Grid - CfA's Tech Transparency Project released a comprehensive new report detailing how bitcoin miners are adding new strains to the already fragile Texas energy grid and earning huge payouts from programs that allow big energy consumers to resell power at a mark-up.
- TTP reviewed SEC filings, public utility commission records, industry publications, social media posts, and data from the state’s energy authorities to show how Texas cryptocurrency miners are using long-term energy contracts and other market-distorting deals to position themselves as powerful players in the Texas grid.
- NBC News covered TTP's report, documenting the growing opposition to crypto miners in the state.
- Google has a Stalking Problem - On Thursday, TTP published an investigation into a loophole in Google’s technology that revealed how unwanted surveillance can expose an Android user’s location—creating risks for abortion seekers, victims of domestic abuse or stalking, and others who want to protect their privacy.
- Responding to The Guardian’s coverage of TTP’s report, Google called it an “unlikely scenario,” and engaged in clear victim-blaming by saying that users should only be sharing their device passwords with “people they trust.”
- Additionally, Google claimed that it had already implemented promised changes to remove location data related to the pursuit of abortion care from users’ Location Histories. TTP researchers were able to dispute this assertion by identifying a visit to a Washington D.C. Planned Parenthood clinic that remained in researchers’ Location History—meaning Google’s implementation of this change has been faulty, at best.
- A group of 15 advocacy organizations cited TTP's investigation in a letter to Google demanding clarity on its apparent lack of action.
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To keep these projects going, we rely on grassroots supporters like you. Every donation — no matter how small — allows us to keep the work going.
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Follow Our Work:
We thank you for your continued support. Without people like you, our work would not be possible.
Here is how you can stay involved and help us accomplish our mission:
- Follow CfA on Twitter.
- Follow the Tech Transparency Project on Twitter.
- Tell your friends and colleagues about CfA.
- Send us a tip.
- Make a tax-deductible donation.
Be on the lookout for more updates about our work in the upcoming weeks. Thanks again for signing up to be a part of CfA!
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Michelle Kuppersmith
Executive Director, Campaign for Accountability
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