Tag: Google

The Great Silencing: Phase II Underway

Earlier, I wrote about the Great Silencing that has begun. Now, as noted then, there have always been efforts but this is something new. This is a coordinated and deliberate effort to target anything other than progressive thought (and even wrongthought) and destroy the people behind it as well as to either deplatform or delegitimize those outlets.

Now, Phase II has begun with an effort to demonetize those platforms. Just as Professor Jacobson and Legal Insurrection were the first major effort for Phase I, Phase II is off (to a rocky start thank goodness) with an effort by NBC no less.

The basic story is here, at Legal Insurrection, but it is most telling that NBC fired the first shot by working with a foreign organization to target two competitors on the conservative/libertarian side. As I noted earlier, none of the three entities involved have covered themselves in glory. In fact, I hope an investigation is undertaken, as I feel it is more than warranted under Section 230, RICO, and anti-trust acts. What NBC has done is against every concept of a free and open press, but make no mistake: the progressive left does not want a free an open press anymore than they want free speech. They want an end to both, and to any expression of thought outside the orthodoxy of the moment.

Right now, as much as I support Professor Jacobson, I have no faith that Cornell will back him. In fact, I expect them to cave to the mob, sooner rather than later though I would be delighted to be wrong. Meantime, that they have held this long is throwing a spanner into the works for the next targets, which I believe have already been chosen. The unexpected pushback against NBC and what it did have likewise tossed another spanner into the works.

No matter what the outcome of these two cases, however, expect to see a lot more of this happen as all stops will be pulled out to push the chosen narrative. This will happen more, and more viciously, the closer we get to the election.

Nor is the Great Silencing the only campaign planned. Keep your eyes open and be prepared, for the progressives are going all in on the election.

A Rather Sad Commentary

On twitter and elsewhere, there is a lot of well deserved commentary on NBC working with a foreign organization to get two conservative competitors demonetized by Google. None of those involved, including Google, have covered themselves with glory. In fact, Google has opened itself up to some potentially serious charges in regard Section 230 and anti-trust issues. For the rest, there is both anti-trust and possibly even some RICO considerations.

The sad thing is, right now everyone is talking about this in regards The Federalist. There is effectively zero mention of Zero Hedge. Whatever one may think of them, they too deserve mention and protection from this vile and despicable action by NBC. The silence says a lot, none of it good.

The Truth Is Out There?

UPDATE: You can believe Wayfair’s statement or you can believe what the rep said in the call. Big brother is here…

There are a number of reasons I’ve backed off social media to a considerable extent, even though it means limiting my ability to market my works. First up, social media has become toxic with the SJW cancel crowd running wild. The screaming, preening, virtue-signaling fascists want to silence everyone — and the more people are on just one or two major platforms (say, Fecesbook and Jitter), the easier it is to do.

Second, you give up a good bit to be in that walled garden, particularly privacy. As in social media sites and Google (Be Evil) are mining you for all you are worth, sometimes literally. Anything you say online, search for online, etc. is more data. Add in all the apps that are also owned by one of these companies (which is why I dropped Waze), and it extends the reach even further. You also give up truly free speech, as if you say anything that can upset an SJW (and most anything can when you are dealing with people looking for a reason to unleash their anger and virtue-signaling), you find yourself in “jail” and denied the ability to speak.

Third, going back to those apps I mentioned earlier, when you have smartphones, smart televisions, and such along with apps and services, you get this. Have you checked to see how many apps have access to your microphone? Your camera and camera files? People have been talking recently about all the times Alexa listens in on you when you don’t realize it; but, how may other systems and apps do that? Can you have true privacy with smart devices? No.

Can you go in and do simple things like denying access to microphone and cameras? Yes. In fact, you should. For years I’ve had my laptop camera taped over as it has been, and still is I believe, one of the easiest systems to hack in any computer. Someone watching without your knowledge can learn a lot just by studying your finger movements — it’s remarkably easy to figure out what is being typed, including account numbers… For that matter, I would love for the built-in microphone to have a manual off switch, as it’s a lot harder to prevent it from being used against you.

Yes, there is a cost for deciding not to be a part of the extreme toxicity and for denying what I can of my personal information to as many as I can. But, it’s not insurmountable. I also hope to see more leave the big three (and to get some serious anti-trust investigations going), and a return to blogging. It’s still there, still going, and may be what saves things in the long run.

Ponder a bit, and think about what you want, and your privacy. Then, take action. It really is up to each individual to make a difference.