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More Than 4,000 Moth Species Flit Across Texas. One Scientist Photographed 550 in His Yard. Texas Monthly
Boing Boing: “Do you desire a Noguchi coffee table or an Eames Lounger but don’t feel like spending thousands of dollars on the real thing? A website called Dupe helps find reproductions at a fraction of the cost. It even has a plug-in to make it easy to shop for knock-offs.”
Who Has Your Face – “Law enforcement and government agencies have access to over 641 million photos for facial recognition purposes—photos of more than half of Americans. Knowing which agencies can access these images is necessary to fight back against this invasion of privacy. Learn more below.
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State Licenses – Across the U.S., law enforcement and government agencies are tapping into DMV photo databases and using face recognition to scan licenses and IDs…”
‘An island of freedom’: Inside the secret beauty salons of Afghanistan Al JazeeraT
Court Watch: A 3D Etsy print shop sells ghost gun parts. “When we think about products typically sold on Etsy, it conjures up images of lovely espresso martini scented candles or maybe even drink coasters you can customize as mini vinyl records with your favorite album covers.
After all, Etsy describes itself as “the global marketplace for unique and creative goods,” where “millions of people [can] sell the things they love.” For one California resident, though, federal prosecutors say this included creating and selling 3D printed guns across the U.S. through the online marketplace for creators.
Turns out New York prosecutors think they may be too “unique” and creative” of a good. Alexander McGrail Reynolds was arrested in Oakland this week following a warrant approved by a federal magistrate in the Southern District of New York for allegedly selling firearms without a license and the interstate distribution of firearms.
According to the criminal complaint, Reynolds sold on Etsy and shipped at least thirty-five Glock-style handgun frames from California to the Bronx in New York, where an undercover ATF agent, acting as the purchaser, collected the frames over five months. Agents say that Reynolds falsely advertised on Etsy the Glock-style frames as supposed to be used for toy “Airsoft” guns. In reality, according to the ATF, the guns were designed to be assembled into fully functioning firearms.
The filing states that at least one other individual living in New York besides law enforcement purchased the frames on Etsy from Reynolds. NYPD officers reportedly recovered several Glock-style frames produced by Reynolds and assembled into firearms while executing a search warrant in an apparently unrelated case.
A screenshot of Etsy included in the complaint shows that Reynolds purportedly sold the frames for $35. There are also screenshots of reviews posted on Etsy by users who seemingly purchased from Reynolds that corroborated that the frames were used for firearms. The undercover agent who purchased the thirty-five Glock-style frames reportedly communicated with Reynolds using acronyms that implied he was looking to purchase parts for unregistered 3D printed firearms. So-called “ghost guns,” the type allegedly produced by Reynolds, are completely unregistered and void of any serial pin numbers.
Prosecutors and law enforcement have grown increasingly concerned with the proliferation of 3D printers being used to create ghost guns, with the Justice Department recently announcing new regulations that require 3D printed guns to include serial numbers. The announcementalso noted Justice’s and the ATF’s ramped up efforts to crack down on privately made illicit guns, with 45,240 firearms seized over five years and the number seized per year continuing to go up..”