By Simon Black, Sovereign Man

Are you ready for this week’s absurdity? Here’s our Friday roll-up of the most ridiculous stories from around the world that are threats to your liberty, your finances, and your prosperity.
UK urges parents to report their kids to police for using normal technology

Police in the UK are distributing a flyer to teachers in public schools, to be passed on to parents.

The poster warns parents to check their children’s computers for certain technology, as it could be a sign that their child is a hacker.

The flyer names anonymous browser TOR, voice chat service Discord, computer operating system Kali Linux, and Virtual Machines used to run different operating systems on the same computer.

These are all, by the way, perfectly legal. And they are useful for plenty of activities besides hacking.

The poster says Discord is “often used to share hacking tips.” But you’re more likely to find a teen using Discord to chat while playing Fortnite.

Kali Linux is useful for penetration testing used to boost cyber security and protect against hacking threats. It should be encouraged among teens if parents want them to train for the modern economy, and protect themselves against hackers.

And worst of all, the flyer encourages parents to CALL THE POLICE on their own children, for using these perfectly legal computer programs.

Click here for the full story.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/uk-police-distance-themselves-from-poster-warning-parents-to-report-kids-for-using-kali-linux/

IRS warns Fortnite users to pay tax on their virtual currency

Until last week, the IRS website advised players of the video game Fortnite that their pretend money could face a real tax.

The IRS used the in-game virtual currency V-bucks as an example of a potentially taxable convertible currency.

V-bucks are purchased with real dollars but used only in the game to buy upgrades. They aren’t actually convertible back to dollars.

Now the IRS has clarified that if the money stays in the game, it is not taxable.

But if a video game currency were to leave the game, it triggers a potentially taxable event.

Just like Bitcoin or other cryptocurrencies, the IRS treats all virtual currencies–including video game money– like property.

That means if you make money on the sale of the currency– or if you spend the currency after it has increased in value– that is a capital gain.

Click here for the full story.
https://www.zdnet.com/article/uk-police-distance-themselves-from-poster-warning-parents-to-report-kids-for-using-kali-linux/