COVID-Tracker App Installs Itself Without User Consent, Including on Parental-Locked Devices.

Massachusetts state officials recently announced the launch of the “voluntary” MassNotify app, which monitors the spread of COVID-19 in the state. The only problem is the app appears to be installing itself on residents’ and their kids’ smartphones, unbeknownst to users, and without their consent. The news creates a disturbing new dimension to privacy laws and even private property concerns as hundreds of users have reported their Android phones have had the app surreptitiously installed, without their prior knowledge. “Thank you MA/Google for silently installing #MassNotify on my phone without consent. But I have a request: Can you also silently

Mass. Lawmakers Consider Bill Allowing Abortions Up to Birth

Massachusetts law currently bans abortions after the point of fetal viability, usually considered to be the 24th week of pregnancy. A recently introduced bill would allow doctors to perform abortions up until the baby is born. The Roe Act (S.1209), a previously introduced bill that stalled in the state legislature, is being brought up again by pro-abortion Democrats. The bill would allow abortions past the point of viability if a doctor determines “the abortion is necessary to protect the patient’s life or physical or mental health.” This bill uses the same broad mental health language that was used by the

How States Can Fix Math Education Post-Common Core

As the evidence becomes clearer that experts and parents were right about Common Core being an academic disaster and not merely derailed by implementation problems, states must grapple with the hard work of revamping their education standards. Thanks to the excellent executive order of Governor Ron DeSantis, Florida is deeply involved in doing just that. Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and perhaps other states will be soon starting the same process. Today we will discuss mathematics standards. These standards must be done right from the beginning because math is such a sequential discipline that, if they are poorly done, math education can

Lawmakers Move to Bolster Abortion in Massachusetts

While whispers of a possible Roe v. Wade reversal continue, the Massachusetts lawmakers have decided to ensure that abortions remain legal in the state, regardless of what happens in Washington. A bill was signed by Governor Charlie Baker on Friday that repeals a state ban on abortion that traces its roots back to 1845. Governor Baker is a pro-abortion Republican. “Here in Massachusetts, we will not compromise on a woman’s right to her own decisions,” he stated. The bill that was signed does not just repeal the ban on abortion; it also repeals some older laws that are still on

Education Expert: Mass. Schools Replacing History with “Progressive Propaganda”

In a white paper released today by the Pioneer Institute in Boston, entitled “No Longer a City on a Hill: Massachusetts Degrades its K-12 History Standards”, education policy experts outline a strong case against the 2018 rewrite of the Massachusetts History and Social Science Curriculum Framework. The paper examines the politicized, progressive bent of the proposed changes and argues that the curriculum rewrite “eviscerates” the standards for history education previously used by the state, which were widely acknowledged as among the best in the nation. “It’s truly a travesty to see the loss of curriculum standards that helped catapult Massachusetts

Poll: Voters Reject Democrats’ “Gender Identity” Agenda in This Swing State

Score another point for sanity. A survey taken of voters in Arizona earlier this month shows that many Americans still have not bought into the idea that biology is completely irrelevant when it comes to bathrooms, locker rooms, showers, and other such public facilities. According to the poll, just over half of respondents — 50.6 percent — said that individuals “should be required to use the restroom that matches their gender at birth.” Only 39.3 percent said that bathroom usage should be determined based off of how people “define their own gender.” These results come amidst increasing opposition nationwide to

Mass. Churches Take State Government to Court over Controversial Transgender Law

Last month, I wrote on a growing controversy in Massachusetts over new rules published by a state commission which seemed to suggest that churches would be punished if they did not conform to a recently passed transgender rights law: As [the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination]’s guidance notes, all Massachusetts places of public accommodation will be prohibited, as of October 1, from “restrict[ing] a person from services because of that person’s gender identity”: This means that a movie theater that has restrooms designated as “Men’s Restroom” and “Women’s Restroom” must allow its patrons to use the restroom which is consistent with

Will Churches in Massachusetts Be Forced to Comply with Transgenderism?

Two months ago, a major controversy erupted in Iowa over religious liberty and “gender identity” when the state’s Civil Rights Commission put forward guidelines threatening churches which did not conform to the new transgender ideology. According to the Commission, all “non-religious activities” occurring at a church are subject to a new interpretation of Iowa’s Civil Rights Act, which includes a mandate that bathrooms and other public facilities be open to individuals based on their “gender identification” as well as a ban on conduct which would make “persons of any particular…gender identity” feel “unwelcome.” While the Commission later slightly revised the

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