1) Grid security is of major concern in Germany where the concerns about the benefits of smeters have not been confirmed or answered. A long paper (24 pages) that some, who are concerned about security of the grid and of our personal data, might appreciate.
“Smart metering is the fine-grained and flexible reading and automatic reporting of consumption or production. Its main aim is to save energy and costs in interplay with market mechanisms like commodity brokerage, while it can also be used to optimize the overall load distribution and stability of the grid. Yet so far it is unclear if smart metering will actually lead to an overall cost and consumption reduction and if it will be accepted (unless under legislative coercion) by more than a minority of private consumers.)…
Apart from technical side conditions, the economic cost/benefit ratio plays a critical role for the feasibility and acceptance of the overall solution, where the development, production, and running costs for security components play is a major factor, in particular for providing certified devices and infrastructure such as PKI.
Even more challenging than smart metering is the grid automation smart grids aspect of. IT security becomes more critical in this setting because attacks on grid control mechanisms may jeopardize the core goals of grid control: safety and availability of the grid. Moreover, it adds a further technical complication, since security tends to be contradictive to availability. Any IT security solution to be used in smart grid applications must carefully consider and support these specific circumstances….)”
2) A new documentary “Lo and Behold” by Werner Herzog about the internet and EHS. Finally, word is starting to get out there. All of this from a member:
In “Production notes: Download” below main banner at:
http://www.magpictures.com/presskit.aspx?id=923882a6-7cf6-44db-8bf2-0f7d5f8de224
Here are two excerpts:
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The director readily acknowledges that his own Internet use is confined primarily to email, and that only because it simplifies communication between his production company in Germany and his home in the U.S. “Sometimes I use Google Maps for finding a place where I’m supposed to go,” he says. “But I’m not on any social networks or anything like that. It’s not that I’m nostalgic for the days when there were no smart phones and no constant availability. It’s a cultural decision. My social network is basically the table in my home, which has space for six. It’s my wife and me, plus a maximum of four guests. Our social network happens across our dinner table.”
Herzog’s naiveté about all things digital became essential to the film’s point of view. “I went where my curiosity led me,” he says. “Because my experience with the Internet is quite limited, I could perhaps see the contours more sharply than others might have been able to.”
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Herzog’s explorations take him to the dark side of the Internet, where he meets a grieving family tormented by cruel anonymous trolls, as well as people whose lives have been ruined by Internet addiction and some whose extraordinary sensitivity to the rapidly proliferating electrical fields created by wireless towers force them to live off the grid. He also delves into the downside of the connected world’s all-encompassing reach, the shadowy world of hackers and questions about the Internet’s still-evolving future.
Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zc1tZ8JsZvg
For viewing at home scroll down this page:
http://www.loandbeholdfilm.com/watch-at-home
For U.S. & Canadian theatre showings:
http://www.magpictures.com/dates.aspx?id=923882a6-7cf6-44db-8bf2-0f7d5f8de224
3) Canadian government is asking for input from the public re. cybersecurity, with an input form at:
https://www.canada.ca/en/services/defence/cybersecurity/consultation-cyber-security.html
There is no way to know if this is just an empty gesture to make us believe they are interested, but it allows the possibility for concerns to be raised about the smart grid, as per experts in the FBI, CIA, Black Hat, etc. who are saying that the digital/wireless features are making the infrastructure vulnerable. They are pressing for the return of analog components because they believe there is no sure way to make the grid safe from accident or attack so long as the basic elements are wireless, like $$meters. Below, I share the comments that I submitted today. I didn’t do so, but I will cc my MP. I hope you will take a few minutes to send your thoughts.
http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/cnslttns/cbr-scrt/index-en.aspx
4) Below in Letters are some reports gathered by a member who is sending them to School Board Trustees. We must circulate these and others widely to MLAs, MPs, school trustees, health authorities (especially Perry Kendall), even medical doctors. Those most vulnerable, especially pregnant women and children, should not be exposed to microwave radiation. Those who are responsible for protecting the public and ignore the many studies and reports should be aware that they could face liability, even personal liability. This potential liability is made clear in this summary of a meeting in Australia where experts and lawyers met to discuss school officials’ and employers’ responsibility. I am not a lawyer and don’t know how/if Canadian law differs, but those with fiduciary responsibility, such as School Boards, the BCUC and Perry Kendall, should be made well informed. We should all send information, express our concerns and demand that they remove the offending devices.
“When it comes to seeking justice for health effects suffered from exposure to EMF radiation it is certainly not an easy task. In the present state of affairs, it does seem that an ‘out of the blue’ claim against a school or employer seems to have little chance of success. The key seems to be that we need to inform those that expose us of our concern, our sensitivity if you have it, the health issues being experienced and ongoing requests, for those responsible, to rectify the situation. It seems that only when we make it clear to them that they have a duty of care and by them then refusing to do something about it, they may be in breach of that duty of care. We must therefore make them aware that EMF radiation exposure causes health risks and health problems, and make them aware that you, or your child, is being affected.”
Letters:
From: Sharon Noble
Sent: August 19, 2016
To: ps.cyberconsultation-consultationcyber.sp@canada.ca
Subject: Cybersecurity concerns
Dear Sir or Madam,
I appreciate the opportunity to share my concerns and those of many of my friends and colleagues.
It is vital for the Canadian government to take actions to protect the public from cyberattack or accident. As the critical elements of our infrastructure have become “smart”, that is wireless and connected to the Internet of Things, they have become more vulnerable.
Experts from around the world, notably experts in the US FBI, CIA, Homeland Security, have warned that an attack is inevitable, it is just a matter of time before one occurs. If that attack hits the electrical grid, as James Woolsey, former director of the CIA puts it, we will return to the Dark Ages for months if not years. This would mean devastation and loss of millions of lives.
Members of the US Senate Intelligence Committee recently introduced legislation that would require the vulnerable key digital/wireless components to be replaced by safe, reliable analog ones.
“U.S. Senators Angus King (I-Maine), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.), and Susan Collins (R-Maine), all members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, today introduced legislation aiming to protect critical U.S. energy infrastructure from potentially catastrophic cyber-attacks. The Securing Energy Infrastructure Act of 2016 would examine solutions to defend the U.S. energy grid by replacing key devices like computer-connected operating systems that are vulnerable to cyber-attacks with analog and human-operated systems – a “retro” approach that has shown promise as a safeguard against cyber-attacks.
“The United States is one of the most technologically-advanced countries in the world, which also means we’re one of the most technologically-vulnerable countries in the world. In fact, right now there are hackers across the globe working to exploit weaknesses in the digital systems that help run critical infrastructure like our electric grid. And a successful attack could have catastrophic consequences,” Senator King said. “That’s why we need to act now – and by looking to the past, we may be able to develop ways to thwart the sophisticated cyber-attacks of the future. Our legislation would reengineer the last-mile of the energy grid to isolate its most important systems, and in doing so, help defend it from a devastating blow that could cut off electricity to millions of people across the country.
Establish a two-year pilot program within the National Laboratories to study covered entities and identify new classes of security vulnerabilities, and research and test technology – like analog devices – that could be used to isolate the most critical systems of covered entities from cyber-attacks.”
Smart meters, which are being mandated by many provincial governments and utilities, are highly vulnerable and experts have found that they could be the entry point for viruses and hacking that could ultimately bring the grid down. As a start, the recommended action is to remove these immediately and have them replaced by analog electric meters which have been on homes for many decades without incident. Experience in many jurisdictions, such as Ontario, has shown that there is no benefit to these programs, certainly nothing that would justify putting our security and way of life at risk.
Sincerely,
Sharon Noble
Victoria, BC
__________________________________________________________________________
Increasing incidence of thyroid cancer in the Nordic countries with main focus on Swedish data
Radiofrequency radiation in the frequency range 30 kHz–300 GHz was evaluated to be Group 2B, i.e. ‘possibly’ carcinogenic to humans, by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) at WHO in May 2011. Among the evaluated devices were mobile and cordless phones, since they emit radiofrequency electromagnetic fields (RF-EMF). In addition to the brain, another organ, the thyroid gland, also receives high exposure. The incidence of thyroid cancer is increasing in many countries, especially the papillary type that is the most radiosensitive type.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4937579/
Cell Phone Radiation Boosts Cancer Rates in Animals;
$25 Million NTP Study Finds Brain Tumors
U.S. Government Expected To Advise Public of Health Risk
“At least four different epidemiological studies have found an association between the use of cell phones and acoustic neuromas.”
http://microwavenews.com/news-center/ntp-cancer-results
New report by Dr. Martin Pall on relationship between microwave radiation and neurological and psychiatric conditions.
These have been known for several decades, but the public is still being exposed.
“Two U.S. government reports from the 1970s to 1980s provide evidence for many neuropsychiatric effects of non-thermal microwave EMFs, based on occupational exposure studies. 18 more recent epidemiological studies, provide substantial evidence that microwave EMFs from cell/mobile phone base stations, excessive cell/mobile phone usage and from wireless smart meters can each produce similar patterns of neuropsychiatric effects, with several of these studies showing clear dose–response relationships. Lesser evidence from 6 additional studies suggests that short wave, radio station, occupational and digital TV antenna exposures may produce similar neuropsychiatric effects.”
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0891061815000599
The law: When is an employer or school liable for the health effects imposed on others from their wireless technology?
Sharon Noble
Director, Coalition to Stop Smart Meters
One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived
~ Nicolo Machiavelli