Tag: Silicon Valley

UK: New Bill Threatens Future of Free Expression and Civil Liberty

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Big Brother Watch has warned that the recently proposed Online Harms Bill is yet another piece of legislation designed to deceive us into thinking the government is protecting us all when something more sinister is likely. Free expression and civil liberty are at stake. The result is a piece of proposed legislation which is as BBW says is “blunt in its force and will have severe unintended consequences”. Think back to the Regulatory Investigations Powers Act 2000, designed to catch terrorists and high level wanted criminals – eventually used by the BBC to catch licence fee dodgers and local authorities to catch underage sunbed use. There are many laws that the government have brought in since the late 1990s now being used against civil liberty and basic human rights.

UK – New Bill Threatens Future of Free Expression and Civil Liberty

Will the New U.S. Trade Rep Be Hobbled by Lobbyists?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Will the New U.S. Trade Rep Be Hobbled by Lobbyists?

Tai could represent a new era in Democratic trade policy, replacing both “free trade” scams on one flank, and the incoherent economic nationalism of Donald Trump on the other, with careful, substantive policy that serves America’s economic interest.

But the way these things work, Tai is at risk of having corporate types imposed just below her, in the key deputy USTR slots. There is a revolving door between USTR and powerful corporations, notably Big Tech companies, which have much to gain or lose from trade deals. As I’ve written, the next round of trade deals will resolve significant questions about e-commerce, privacy, the use of algorithms, and much more.

Related:

Joe Biden’s US trade chief pick ‘unmatched’ on China issues, would not be soft on Beijing

[Clete] Willems said she would “share Lighthizer’s hawkishness on China and has a tonne of direct background on China’s industrial policy from her days at USTR”, adding that “having someone who can directly converse with China in their own language is going to command respect”.

Naomi Klein: Gatekeeper Extraordinaire

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Veteran journalist lines up alongside the mainstream, attacking “conspiracy theorists” and “covid denialism”.

By Cat Maguire & Colleen Maguire

With a title like The Great Reset Conspiracy Smoothie, it appears Naomi Klein is trying too hard to recapture her prowess at defining a meme. Her buzz-concept, “Shock Doctrine,” is spot-on and rightfully successful. But her “Screen New Deal” about Silicon Valley technocrats fizzled.

Naomi Klein: Gatekeeper Extraordinaire

Related:

Naomi Klein’s Great Reset Hit Piece Slurpee

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Facebook for Discriminating Against U.S. Workers

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Justice Department Files Lawsuit Against Facebook for Discriminating Against U.S. Workers

Lawsuit Alleges Facebook Favors H-1B Visa Workers and Other Temporary Visa Holders over U.S. Workers

Related:

Fairness for High Skilled Immigrants Act exposes Silicon Valley’s hollow diversity slogans

This bill is great for Silicon Valley, but bad for high-skilled American workers. As OpenSecrets reported, “a significant portion of the lobbying done in favor of” the bill “was bankrolled by tech companies.” With this act, foreign-born workers would make up an even greater share of the tech workforce, for haf the pay, and Americans with STEM degrees would get the short end of the stick.

How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

How Biden’s Foreign-Policy Team Got Rich

Tasked by Obama to end the Iraq War, Biden supported Nouri El-Maliki, the leader he knew, and rescued the Iraqi prime minister’s career even though it ended up fracturing the country. When Maliki narrowly lost in 2010, Biden didn’t give Iraqi political parties time to broker a new coalition. With Biden’s endorsement, Maliki gained a second term; he grew more authoritarian, which is now widely believed to have led to the rise of ISIS. Biden ignored experts who were skeptical of Maliki and preferred to glad-hand. “He came to deal with Iraqi politicians like local political kingpins in Delaware or Pennsylvania,” said Robert Ford, who was deputy ambassador in Baghdad from 2008 to 2010.

Trump Fires Christopher Krebs, Official Who Disputed Election Fraud Claims

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Trump Fires Christopher Krebs, Official Who Disputed Election Fraud Claims

Before he was fired Tuesday, Mr. Krebs managed to engage with the public once more, firing off a pointed retweet aimed at the president: “Please don’t retweet wild and baseless claims about voting machines, even if they’re made by the president,” said the original tweet from David Becker, an election expert. “These fantasies have been debunked many times.”

More:

Trump Fires US Cybersecurity Director Chris Krebs After Krebs Debunks Trump’s Claims Of Election Systems Fraud

[2019] Former Intercept Writer Steps Forward – Is ‘The Intercept’ An Intelligence Operation?

Tina Marie (Ms. Cat)

Former Intercept Writer Steps Forward – Is ‘The Intercept’ An Intelligence Operation?

Washington Babylon has been running a number of stories this week by Tim Shorrock and I which raise the possibility — mine did directly — that Pierre Omidyar’s The Intercept (TI) is an intelligence operation, working in collaboration with the U.S. and/or a foreign government. I understand why some readers might be skeptical of that charge, so let me lay out here some additional information and why I think everyone should be open minded about the topic.