Quantcast

Outline of TikTok Deal Gains Clarity

When it comes to presidential candidates, it’s worth remembering: The Kentucky Derby is won by horses, but it’s the owners who get the prize money.

In my opinion, Larry Ellison (Oracle) is the most strategic billionaire influencer, a long-term thinker, in the modern era.  Larry Ellison is about to take control of TikTok, while his son David Ellison gains CBS and will likely move Bari Weiss into content control. Next up, CNN.  Funnily enough, while Elon was the shiny thing, Larry smiled. Keep watching.

The framework of the U.S. TikTok deal is becoming clear. The New York Times has the best write up.

(NEW YORK TIMES) – The software giant Oracle will oversee the security of Americans’ data and monitor changes and updates to TikTok’s powerful recommendation technology under a new deal to avert a ban of the service, according to a senior White House official.

A copy of the algorithm, the recommendation engine that powers the app’s addictive feed of short videos, will be licensed from China to an American investor group that will oversee the app in the United States, the official said.

Oracle will also invest in the new American TikTok, as will the private equity firm Silver Lake, another senior official said.

It will be “secured” in the United States outside the control of TikTok’s Chinese owner, ByteDance, one of the officials said. The U.S.-run TikTok will work to retrain the copy on users’ data in the United States, and China will not have access to the data, the officials added.

The deal is an effort to meet the requirements of a law that would have banned TikTok in the United States unless ByteDance relinquished control of the app. It was intended to address national security concerns that the app’s ownership could give Beijing a channel to spread propaganda or to collect sensitive data about Americans.

[…] Under the terms of the deal, American companies will own around 80 percent of the American version of the app. ByteDance and other Chinese investors will own less than 20 percent.

(more…)

When the Drones are Coming, They Turn Off the Internet

Some thoughts on what I would call ‘modern warfare’ for citizen preppers.  Some of this experience may pertain to urban areas, some perhaps pertinent overall.

Dimitri’s wife is grabbing her purse to go to the grocery store, when he casually says “it’s 5:45.” She just as ordinarily replies, “I’ve got cash.”  Dimitri sees the slightly puzzled look on my face and flippantly notes, “they turn off the internet at six thirty now,” shrugs, and goes back to reading his paper.

Perhaps similar to London life during the blitz. Various municipal govts coordinated the shut down of lights and people wait. Others got about doing what they needed to do, sirens notwithstanding.

There is a familiar life amid modern drone warfare, and with the similar control of electricity comes the need to add internet.

When the drones are coming they turn off the internet.

As I contemplate the contrasts in social resilience, my most familiar reference point is life after a hurricane.  In Florida when we are dealing with the aftermath of a hurricane, no power, no water, no internet, etc., you adapt to life without modern technological conveniences.

If you’ve ever lived amid the aftermath of natural disasters, you understand the need for a plan and quick adaptation. Do it a few times and adaption becomes ordinary. Horrible in ways, yes; awkward, certainly. But you take things in stride; overcome, figure out the optimal solution and keep moving.  However, not everyone is prepared to consider a disruption an ‘inconvenience’ and many people who need consistency to retain stability end up in panic.  I think long term readers well understand the reference.

As Dimitri goes back to the paper my mind shifts to stuff I’ve heard in bits and pieces but never given context before.

I think about this U.S. ‘Space Force’ thing, and now realize there are people who have gamed out modern warfare more than we discuss as a western technological society.

(more…)

JD Vance Delivers Keynote Address at European AI Summit in Paris

If you have followed the arc of Tech, Peter Thiel recruiting JD Vance, the creation of Palantir, the funding of Vance’s senatorial run, and eventually the roadmap to connect Vance to Trump, this is a video speech you absolutely must not miss. JD Vance was sent to the AI Summit for a reason.

JD Vance talks at the AI summit in Paris, France, about his core mission, his core purpose inside current political influence. This is the very origin of his legacy, unfolding in real time. Vice-President JD Vance talks about Artificial Intelligence, the future and the Trump administration position.

Vice President JD Vance warned European leaders against heavily regulating U.S. tech companies and said excessive efforts by the European Union to regulate artificial intelligence could stymie its growth, during an AI summit in Paris Tuesday that marks his first foreign trip since taking office. WATCH:

.

Do you feel more or less confident about the future, having watched these remarks?

(more…)

Tucker Carlson Interviews Telegram CEO and Founder Pavel Durov

Pavel Durov is the founder, owner and CEO of Telegram, a communication platform used by 900 million people globally to text, chat and video message privately with encryption security.  Telegram is an excellent tool for safe communication and has been used by me and others I know for several years.

In this interview Tucker Carlson discusses privacy and freedom in the modern era with Telegram founder and CEO Pavel Durov, a former citizen of Russia who was encouraged (under threat) by the Russian government to leave his country.  Pavel now lives in Dubai and operates Telegram from the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

For me personally, this is one of the best interviews I have watched Tucker Carlson deliver.  Part of the reason is the content of the discussion is exactly critical right now in the era of this global information war.

There is so much I could discuss from this interview alone it is remarkable; however, I want to focus on two specific points as highlighted: (1) the government interface, and (2) the geopolitical inversion currently underway.  WATCH: 

First, I am in Russia. I arrived a few days ago, and this experience is a visit through bizarro world.  I will be sharing more, including an AMA on my experience in the next few articles.  Back to Pavel Durov, first…

The BASELINE – The Durov brothers are exceptionally gifted.  In reference to the principle of freedom and liberty that guides Pavel, he has my respect and I understand his value system with great clarity.  Pavel Durov recognized very early, much earlier than most, that information would be fulcrum challenge, and without private communication the value of information is always eroded.  Privacy is critical in order for accurate information to flow.  That is the value of Telegram.

I continue to receive strong negative opinion for my cynicism of Elon Musk.  However, pay close attention to what Pavel Durov says about his contacts with U.S. government officials and you will have a stronger baseline to understand part of why I do not trust Musk.

(more…)

Tucker Carlson and Mike Rowe Discuss AI

For his recent episode, Tucker Carlson revisits a former guest, Mike Rowe.  Mr. Rowe has good and humorous sense of curiosity about things, about stuff, about the real world around us, and he provides good context for examination of this pretending world that swirls our orbit at a speed greater than we can grasp.

Toward the end of this segment, Rowe is asked the oft familiar question, “Where does all this go,” and his answer opens the door to other avenues I happen to agree with. WATCH:

In response to the ‘where does all this end’ question, Rowe notes that at a certain point everything becomes personal, and in the larger context all outcomes have to manifest in reality.  I concur with Rowe on many levels, and a great example of that esoteric -v- reality position can be found all around us in the sphere of geopolitics and manipulation.

Think about the White House and State Dept message at the very beginning of Russia’s military operation in Eastern Ukraine.  Do you remember the White House briefing when questioned about “where this will end”?  {Background}

Deputy National Security Advisor and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council, Daleep Singh, was presented at the podium on the day of Russia’s first moves into Ukraine, to explain the strategic policy of the Biden administration toward Russia.

(more…)

Elon Musk’s SpaceX Building Global Satellite Surveillance Network for U.S. Intelligence Agency

According to a recent Reuters report, Elon Musk signed a $1.8 billion contract in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO) to launch a system of orbiting surveillance satellites.

According to the report, “if successful, the sources said the program would significantly advance the ability of the U.S. government and military to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere on the globe.”

Remind me again exactly when Elon Musk bought the Twitter platform.

WASHINGTON, March 16 (Reuters) – SpaceX is building a network of hundreds of spy satellites under a classified contract with a U.S. intelligence agency, five sources familiar with the program said, demonstrating deepening ties between billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk’s space company and national security agencies.

The network is being built by SpaceX’s Starshield business unit under a $1.8 billion contract signed in 2021 with the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), an intelligence agency that manages spy satellites, the sources said.

The plans show the extent of SpaceX’s involvement in U.S. intelligence and military projects and illustrate a deeper Pentagon investment into vast, low-Earth orbiting satellite systems aimed at supporting ground forces.

If successful, the sources said the program would significantly advance the ability of the U.S. government and military to quickly spot potential targets almost anywhere on the globe.

The contract signals growing trust by the intelligence establishment of a company whose owner has clashed with the Biden administration and sparked controversy over the use of Starlink satellite connectivity in the Ukraine war, the sources said.

(more…)

HR7521 – TikTok Ban Assurances and Those Who Remember Patriot Act Assurances

Serendipitously, or not – depending on who you talk to, I was previously scheduled to be in DC at the moment of inflection for the passage of HR7521, the proverbial “TikToK Ban Law.”   Allow me to encapsulate the issues and present the point of those who say there is nothing to worry about.

First, the context that should matter (it doesn’t because the USIC are in charge here) is that every element that preceded the passage of the Patriot Act is being duplicated in the passage of the TikTok ban.  Which is to say, everyone is deferring to this ridiculous need to support USA National Security.

We The People have been burned by this approach before, yet so many refuse to see the similarity.

Second, the essential shield for those who support the bill [READ HR7521] comes down to the term “Foreign Adversary”, which is defined in the bill as Russia, China, North Korea and Iran.  As they make the case, TikTok ban advocates cite the content or platform of the issue must originate from, and/or be controlled by, a foreign adversary…. so quit worrying.

However, the legislative language cites Foreign Adversary Controlled Application (FACA), which applies to content providers, apps, websites, social media and hosting platforms.  This is where things get sketchy, because “under the direction of” is language that is included in the legislation, and the determinations of “at the direction of” are made by the Attorney General.

If the content, platform, website, or social media app generates content that is considered a national security threat, and providing information therein that is deemed to be under the control of a “foreign adversary,” it is the content within, not necessarily the platform ownership itself, that transfers compliance inquiry to the U.S government (DOJ Attorney General) for definitions.

(more…)

HR7521 – The TikTok Ban Law (as written) is NOT About Banning TikTok, It’s About Information Control – pdf Included

I swear by all that I know to be righteous and accurate, the combined willpower of the UniParty in Washington DC is not targeting TikTok from the perspective of concern over data collection.  Instead, the DC system -which is to say the USIC- is using the auspices of TikTok to expand the reach of government censorship and control information.

This is a domestic information space battle, using the guise of TikTok as a baseline for justification.  How do we know? You only need to look at the mechanism of the law as it is written, the compliance section, and the definitions they are using to see they are not targeting data collection.  [pdf of HR7521 HERE]

If TikTok data collection was the issue, the law would be structured to ban foreign data collection.  That’s not what this is.  This is a law written to give the Executive Branch the power to define any platform as “foreign owned” by the service provider (even if domestic) and the substance of the content contained and/or distributed.  This has to be stopped.

[Source pdf, Page 8 – HR7521]

Read the law as written through the prism of “Information Control,” not the prism of data collection.  The law is designed to control information, not data collection.

As readers are well aware, the USIC is in alignment (I would say control) with almost all U.S-based social media platforms.  This is why/how DHS is operating in synergy with those same systems.  This is also the motive behind the mis-dis-mal-information definitions.  Ultimately, if you stand back and look at what is being done, you see the concern of the U.S. government is not data collection, its information control.

The TikTok ban, authorized by a duplicious Legislative branch, is expanding the ability of the Executive branch to control information.  Just as The Patriot Act was not about targeting terrorism, but really about domestic surveillance; so too is the TikTok ban not about foreign data collection, it’s about information control.

Again, read the law as written and you can clearly see this is a law created to authorize the agencies of the government to control information.  Silence is the same as consent in the face of oppression.  Do not be silent.

(more…)

They Call it Biden’s Secret Internet Surveillance Court – But Really, It Seems Like a Filtering System

A revelatory article in Politico [SEE HERE] discusses a secret tribunal that Joe Biden has created to act as an arbiter in the space between the USA internet and the EU user privacy rules.  However, if you apply the Occam’s Razor perspective, you might discover the tribunal or secret court is really just an arbiter of content, a “filtering system”.

Those who do not pretend have long ago realized the systems deployed to control information and communication will always be the priority.  You cannot intentionally abuse a victim and yet allow them to have uncontrolled contact with family, the abuser needs to keep the victim isolated.  The same is true for government in their need to control information that might expose their purpose.

Recently European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said controlling information was the #1 priority of the WEF group for 2024.  That makes sense, when you consider that organized pushback would be counter to their agenda.

The western alliance of nations is collaboratively focused on definitions to help with their disinformation, misinformation and malinformation agenda.

Into this mix comes the European Union with rules and regulations on user data, a valuable commodity when enmeshed with commerce and the internet.  The USA does not have those same rules and regulations on user privacy, all our metadata is under surveillance by corporations and government, so an arbitration system is needed where an EU member, group or nation can demand the stoppage of an American company from retaining EU user data.

Joe Biden has assembled a tribunal or quasi-judicial court system for the purpose of having a destination for EU complaints and violations.  One of the people appointed to the tribunal review team is Eric Holder.

(more…)

Controlled Information Beta Test Underway?

Someone asked: …”[Alex] Jones’ theory of the “massive cyber-attack” that requires a lockdown of the internet, followed by a limited access/controlled access internet where only approved (“safe”) sites can be accessed is both alarmingly believable and difficult to prepare for. It also nearly perfectly mirrors the COVD playbook in a virtual way – virtual lock downs, virtual “approved activities/sites”, controlled information and total censorship.” (link)

My requested response… Where the heck do you think Jones’ came up with that theory?  Go back to AUGUST 2023, it’s so transparently predictable I even created a drop-down category “Internet” for the citations and articles about it.  Jones is describing what I called, “The shadow banning of the internet“.

I believe the Beta Test was today:

The process isn’t complicated if you have followed the development of the government systems.  DHS is not going to shut down the North American Internet, just change the pathways using their public-private partnerships with social media and Big Tech.  Justification big picture: national security.  Details of control found in the motives of creating labels like, disinformation, malinformation, or misinformation.

[September 2023] – You might ask – why is the Dept of Homeland Security (DHS) in the business of conducting widescale surveillance, monitoring and tracking of American citizens?

Unfortunately, if you are asking that question, then you likely don’t know the First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments to the U.S. Constitution were usurped by the 2001 Patriot Act.

(more…)