Guo Wengui has been trailed by scandals involving corruption and espionage. What is he really after?
How a Tycoon Linked to Chinese Intelligence Became a Darling of Trump Republicans
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Tag: DHS
The FBI Paid Twitter $3.4 Million for Processing Requests
The FBI Paid Twitter $3.4 Million for Processing Requests
There’s been ample insinuation that these agencies were politically motivated. But all of this was happening at a time when President Donald Trump was in power and his people were running DHS and the FBI. Rather than agencies intent on swaying the 2020 election for Biden, their actions seem like run-of-the-mill paranoia and attempts at control.
This brings us back to the money the FBI gave Twitter for “time spent processing requests.” In the last installment of the Twitter Files, Matt Taibbi reported on some of those requests, many of which were related to potential election misinformation. Twitter looked into the flagged tweets and accounts, sometimes complying with the FBI and sometimes not.
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Twitter’s “Guidelines for law enforcement” does state under a section titled “Cost reimbursement” that “Twitter may seek reimbursement for costs associated with information produced pursuant to legal process and as permitted by law (e.g., under 18 U.S.C. §2706).” But the fact that this garnered millions from the FBI was not, as far as I can tell, known until now.
Related:
No, The FBI Is NOT ‘Paying Twitter To Censor’
But this is a misreading/misunderstanding of how things work. This had nothing to do with any “influence campaign.” The law already says that if the FBI is legally requesting information for an investigation under a number of different legal authorities, the companies receiving those requests can be reimbursed for fulfilling them.
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I do think it remains a scandal the way that 2703(d) orders work, and the inability of users to push back on them. But that is the law. And it has literally nothing whatsoever to do with “censorship” requests. It is entirely about investigations by the FBI into Twitter users based on evidence of a crime. If you want, you can read the DOJ’s own guidelines regarding what they can request under 2703(d).
Under the Electronic Communications Privacy Act of 1986, law enforcement must obtain a court order under 18 U.S.C. §2703(d) (2703(d) order) to compel a provider to disclose more detailed records about a customer’s or subscriber’s use of services, such as the following
TSA Quietly Deploying Facial Recognition Scanners At Major US Airports
The TSA has been working towards this goal for nearly a half-decade. Its parent agency, the DHS, has already deployed facial recognition tech, most of it aimed at foreigners. The CBP uses it all the time. In 2020, the CBP’s facial recognition scanners at US borders captured 50 million facial images and less than 300 “impostors,” including (according to its press release) someone using their sister’s ID because they themselves had not received a COVID vaccination. Millions spent. Millions scanned. Barely anything useful accomplished. Par for the DHS course.
TSA Quietly Deploying Facial Recognition Scanners At Major US Airports
Related:
TSA is adding face recognition at big airports. Here’s how to opt out.
[2011] The Tyranny of Defense Inc.
In 1961, Dwight Eisenhower famously identified the military-industrial complex, warning that the growing fusion between corporations and the armed forces posed a threat to democracy. Judged 50 years later, Ike’s frightening prophecy actually understates the scope of our modern system—and the dangers of the perpetual march to war it has put us on.
The Tyranny of Defense Inc.
State Department tells staff abroad to promote anti-populist ‘disinformation’ game in schools
The same State Department office that partnered with a Department of Homeland Security-backed private consortium that reported purported election misinformation to tech platforms for removal in the 2020 and 2022 cycles is also using internet games to affect elections abroad.
State Department tells staff abroad to promote anti-populist ‘disinformation’ game in schools (archived)
The game was originally meant for foreign countries to combat populist sentiment. FFO explains how it actually ‘boomerangs’ to the US. ⬇️
Related:
US Gov’t Funding ‘Disinformation’ Video Game ‘Cat Park,’ Leaked State Dept Memo Reveals
Global Engagement Center Fighting Russian Propaganda with American Propaganda
Disinformation, Absolutely + Sharp wind from the Bundestag
By Patrick Lawrence / Original to ScheerPost
1. Everything you will read in this commentary is disinformation.
2. To say that this commentary contains disinformation is disinformation.
3. To say statements calling this commentary disinformation are disinformation is disinformation.
Disinformation, Absolutely
Related:
People who try to report on the war in Ukraine from the Russian side or who try to provide humanitarian aid to those in need in the new Russian territories are excluded from public discourse. Freedom of speech and freedom of the press are becoming hollow concepts. In the future, anyone who says something that looks like a “playing down of Russian war crimes” can be punished for “incitement of the people” according to a legislative amendment passed by the Bundestag in summary proceedings on Thursday. By Ulrich Heyden.
TRUTH COPS: Leaked Documents Outline DHS’s Plans to Police Disinformation
THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY is quietly broadening its efforts to curb speech it considers dangerous, an investigation by The Intercept has found. Years of internal DHS memos, emails, and documents — obtained via leaks, Freedom of Information Act requests, and an ongoing lawsuit, as well as public reports — illustrate an expansive effort by the agency to influence tech platforms.
TRUTH COPS: Leaked Documents Outline DHS’s Plans to Police Disinformation
Related:
Disrupt The Cognitive Infrastructure
H/T: Unorthodox Truth
Don’t Expect The US Government To Actually Stop Elon From Buying Twitter
Honestly, the only thing one can say about the whole Elon Musk buying Twitter situation is that you should expect the unexpected to happen. Nothing about this deal has been normal, even though some moves (like Musk coming up with laughably ridiculous pretextual excuses to try to get out of the deal) were telegraphed way in advance. The Delaware Court of Chancery has said that the deal needs to be completed by Friday October 28th or there will be hell to pay (if you’re Elon Musk), and in all likelihood that’s exactly what’s going to happen. I know a lot of people insist he doesn’t intend to close the deal, or that he doesn’t have the money, or that something else will happen to stop it, and I find all of those claims to be unlikely at best. The most likely scenario is that in a week, Twitter will be owned by Elon Musk.
Don’t Expect The US Government To Actually Stop Elon From Buying Twitter
Previously:
Biden Admin Weighs Blocking Twitter Deal On “National Security” Grounds… Just As Musk Wanted
DeSantis didn’t want migrants in Florida. Now they’re helping rebuild the state
Migrant workers face unsafe labor conditions and wage theft—not to mention the threat of violence and deportation. We spoke to the director of the Resilience Force, which advocates to protect these workers.
DeSantis didn’t want migrants in Florida. Now they’re helping rebuild the state
Video via Anarchistara
Hackers took down U.S. airport web sites, Department of Homeland Security confirms
Unknown hackers attacked and temporarily shut down the public-facing websites of at least several major US airports on Monday, a Department of Homeland Security official confirmed to.
Hackers took down U.S. airport web sites, Department of Homeland Security confirms
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Ms. Cat’s Chronicles 
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