Say GOOD-BYE to CASH, Over 8,000 bank branches are expected to close worldwide in 2025. Approximately 3,200 of those closures will take place in the United States. Q1 experienced 148 net branch closures in the US, with all major banks slated to close branches throughout the year. Bankrate conducted a survey that found 77% of Americans prefer online digital banking, yet other surveys believe the figure is closer to 89%. Digital banking has been rising in popularity in recent years, up from 203 million domestic users in 2022 to the 216.8 million projected users in 2025. https://www.armstrongeconomics.com/markets-by-sector/technology/bank-branches-are-the-latest-creative-destruction-casualty/

As Canada’s government hints at reviving its shelved Online Harms Bill, concerns are mounting that this could signal a renewed assault on free speech. The legislation, once known as Bill C-63, had been left behind when Parliament was prorogued earlier this year. https://reclaimthenet.org/canada-online-harms-bill-free-speech-concerns

Civil liberties group sounds alarm as feds renew online censorship push https://truenorthwire.com/2025/07/civil-liberties-group-sounds-alarm-as-feds-renew-online-censorship-push/

Justice Minister says feds are looking to reintroduce online censorship bill https://truenorthwire.com/2025/07/justice-minister-says-feds-are-looking-to-reintroduce-online-censorship-bill/

A German woman is at the center of the latest controversy over the country’s tightening grip on online speech, as prosecutors seek to fine her €1,800 ($2,110) for reacting with emojis to a social media post. https://reclaimthenet.org/germany-emoji-fine-woman-vigilantism-online-speech-crackdown

Trump may be the last line of defence for Canadian free speech: Ezra Levant 'It is my prediction that Mark Carney, when he reintroduces the Online Harms Act… that… our free speech will not be saved by Parliament, but rather by Donald Trump,' said Ezra Levant on yesterday's Rebel Roundup livestream. https://www.rebelnews.com/trump_may_be_the_last_line_of_defence_for_canadian_free_speech_ezra_levant

"Let this sink in: In 2021 the law made it a criminal offence to insult a political figure, punishable by a maximum sentence of three years in prison.​" If this is truly the 'end times', it will get worse -- much worse. Are you ready? Germany’s ‘Speechcrime’ Raids Are a Chilling Sign of Things To Come ​At around 6 a.m. this morning, hundreds of people across Germany awoke to police officers at their door. Their only ‘crime’ is to have openly made critical or offensive comments on the internet, many about specific politicians. This is not a scene from the Third Reich or the German Democratic Republic, but from the Federal Republic in the 21st Century. Officers from the Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA) intend to make approximately 170 house visits today, to investigate ‘hateful’ or insulting comments made online. Suspects have had their tablets, laptops, and phones confiscated, and their homes searched. This operation has been taking place annually for several years now, to enforce paragraph 188 of the German criminal code. This was amended in 2021 to make it a criminal offence to insult a political figure, punishable by a maximum sentence of three years in prison.​ https://europeanconservative.com/articles/commentary/germanys-speechcrime-raids-are-a-chilling-sign-of-things-to-come/

A Liberal Party senator is pushing for a legislative comeback of a contentious online speech bill that once stalled in Parliament, opening the door to renewed debates over censorship and state control of digital platforms in Canada. Senator Kristopher Wells, who joined the Senate in 2024 following an appointment by former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has voiced support for reviving Bill C-63. The proposed law, formally titled the Online Harms Act, failed to advance before the most recent federal election brought the last session of Parliament to an end. https://reclaimthenet.org/the-censorship-bill-that-wouldnt-die-returns-to-haunt-canadians

Your info, their weapon! I’ve got bad news: Today’s online scammers know everything about you. They’re scraping your info and everyone else’s from the web and buying the rest from data brokers and people-search sites. https://www.komando.com/news/security/elder-fraud-is-exploding-your-data-is-making-it-worse

Majority of suspects arrested in massive Ontario child exploitation sting released https://truenorthwire.com/2025/06/ontario-police-arrest-36-suspects-in-massive-online-child-exploitation-sting/