Google Maps collects a history of everywhere the user has been, and calculates the locations with several methods to make them extremely accurate.

Catching some criminals is a good thing. Ten years ago I would have said that catching a bank robber was good. Now that banks have stolen so many billions from people around the world, and the US government has let them get away with it, I hesitate to condemn someone for stealing from banks. Nonetheless, there are other crimes for which I would support catching the perpetrators.

But this method can be used for all sorts of reasons, including catching whistleblowers. It is dangerous to allow the existence of any system which tracks people's movements.

Ukraine has put sanctions on Russian journalists which it accuses of "stirring hatred", banning them from entering Ukraine or owning property there.

One of them is actually a Ukrainian citizen, and plans to challenge the sanctions legally.

I wish the US would stop making journalists apply for special visas to report on the US.

A Syrian Arab says he wants to fight PISSI, but not under coercion from Kurds.

Even with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau's new rules, payday loans continue to carry very heavy interest.

The real causes of the problem include (1) too low pay for workers in the US, and (2) insufficient government help (because the rich and businesses have escaped from paying tax), and (3) banks' sending credit cards to young adults, encouraging them to get deep in debt.

One of the reasons not to pay by credit card is that people tend to spend more money that way.

Flint had a way to cheat on tests of lead in the water: doing the tests in areas which don't have lead pipes.