CDC bought data; tracked Americans’ movements
By Mark Miloscia
For many Americans, the CDC during the COVID-19 pandemic was, at best, a nuisance, and at worst, extraordinarily overbearing and unreasonable. But with the recent breaking news, citizens who may have even found the CDC “guidelines” to be helpful may be second-guessing themselves.
According to a recent report, the CDC bought cellphone data tracking millions of Americans during the pandemic to determine whether they were complying with government restrictions.
Documents obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request reveal that the agency spent $420,000 in 2021 to purchase the data on at least 20 million cellphone users.
Among other things, the agency could trace peoples’ movements, track patterns, and locate COVID-19 “hot spots.” Cybersecurity researcher Zach Edwards said, “The CDC seems to have purposefully created an open-ended list of use cases, which included monitoring curfews, neighbor to neighbor visits, visits to churches, schools and pharmacies, and also a variety of analysis with this data specifically focused on ‘violence.’”
Here in Washington, Gov. Inslee has his own plan to track and control all people in Washington State with a Road Usage Charge which will eventually track and control (and tax) all vehicles and passengers in WA state.
Electronic surveillance by the government is a reminiscent of an Orwellian dystopia. Much like “Big Brother,” the CDC has accessed a treasure trove of data that it has no legitimate need for. One document even revealed that the CDC had access to “extremely accurate insights related to age, gender, race, citizenship status, income, and more.”
The more information that the CDC has about each American, the more power they gain over our lives. One document reveals that they have no intention of relinquishing this power anytime soon. “CDC has interest in continued access to this mobility data as the country opens back up,” it reads.
This goes so far beyond the limits that our Founding Fathers placed upon the government. The Constitution intentionally places restrictions on the government to avoid situations such as this. Our Founders understood that limiting government power was necessary for preserving human dignity and freedom.
With all this increased control, the temptation to punish folks for inappropriate words (wrong pronouns), or behaviors deemed dangerous (not vaccinated) or considered “domestic violence” (won’t let child chemically castrate themselves) will skyrocket with folks like Gov. Inslee and President Biden and our radical elites. A “radical liberal” social credit system backed by real world control and punishments is not far off here in America.
The radical left’s attempt to wield unending power is not of God. God gives us the freedom to live in accordance with our deeply held beliefs, and it is through this freedom alone that we are able to obey His will for our lives. Our human dignity requires that we maintain the ability to freely live as He calls each of us to – not as the government demands us to.
This means regardless of what is happening in the world, we must have the freedom to attend church, gather in community, and follow our conscience as we raise our children and work in peace. No government entity can prevent us from doing so without infringing upon our God-given rights.
In its quest for unlimited information and power, the CDC has grossly violated human dignity by exercising unjust control over Americans and affording them little privacy. Now that we know what our government agencies are capable of, and willing to do, we must remain more vigilant than ever.
On a lighter note, we would like to wish all of the mothers in our community a blessed and Happy Mother’s Day! Congratulations to all mothers expecting children in the womb, particularly in light of the expected Dobbs decision!
Mark Miloscia is Executive Director of Family Policy Institute of Washington
About the Family Policy Institute of WashingtonThe Family Policy Institute of Washington (FPIW) is a 501(c)(3) education organization, Washington’s only state-wide Christian voice for Life, Marriage and Family, Parental Rights, Religious Liberties, and Christian Social Justice. The foundation and guiding principle of FPIW’s mission to State Government is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. FPIW works in partnership with churches and other allied groups, and is dedicated to discipling all Christians in knowing how to follow Jesus into the public square, in their spiritual service to influence good policy in Washington State. We are grateful to the many Washingtonians who have stepped up to bolster our efforts to protect freedoms and civil rights during this time of upheaval. We’ll continue to stand in that gap and appreciate your contributions to those efforts.Donations may be mailed to: FPIW, 16108 Ash Way, Suite 107, Lynnwood, WA, 98087
From fpiw.org