Nov 122024
 

I don’t know about you – – I see information in this (from Reclaim the Net) that is  The Globalist Agenda, AS IS BEING IMPLEMENTED IN CANADA RIGHT NOW – – the Online Harms Act,  a misnomer that George Orwell would love.  Ref:

2024-11-12 Help us stop the Online Harms Act. (Do not let it get thru Parliament!) From JCCF (Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms). John Carpay

(I need to get the links in this post below working,  if I can,  asap, /  S)

– – – – – – – – – – – – – –

 

  1.   MUSK LAYS IT OUT

“We’re Screwed Without It” Elon Musk Defends His Free Speech Twitter Takeover on Joe Rogan’s Podcast

In a new episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Elon Musk shared insights into his motivations for acquiring Twitter (now X) and the implications for free speech, calling the platform’s previous approach “insane” and highlighting its shift under his leadership. Musk said he felt a duty to buy Twitter, suggesting that without his intervention, “we’re screwed.”

Rogan praised Musk, expressing gratitude for what he saw as a stand against censorship. He credited Musk’s decision as a “fork in the road” for free expression, allowing more transparency into practices of “suppressing information.”

Musk echoed this, noting he had been “attuned” to suspicious shifts in the platform’s operation long before the acquisition. “I was the most interacted-with user on Twitter… If they change the system, I can tell immediately,” he said, adding that the platform’s decision to deplatform then-president Donald Trump was “insane.”

Watch the clip here.

Musk also detailed the extent of the FBI’s involvement in Twitter’s past operations, revealing startling practices that he believes violate constitutional principles. He described a “magic portal” that the FBI had into Twitter’s system, allowing federal agents to communicate directly with the platform’s moderators and request content be removed or suppressed. Even more concerning, Musk added, was that all communication through this portal was automatically deleted after two weeks, in violation of federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations. “It’s flat-out illegal,” Musk asserted, stressing that such erasure of communication prevented public oversight and accountability. He argued that the FBI’s covert access exemplifies the overreach and manipulation of information that he sought to end by taking ownership of the platform.

Musk delved into the government’s role in content control, mentioning the “Twitter Files” exposé, which shed light on government requests to remove certain posts or reduce their visibility on Twitter. “There was massive government interference in Twitter,” Musk noted. He explained that Twitter, at the time, had welcomed this influence, even receiving payments for content moderation services. Musk criticized this as “unconstitutional,” calling it a significant threat to open discourse.

Watch the clip here.

Discussing advertiser boycotts, Musk explained that X continues to face financial struggles, largely due to organized boycotts from activist organizations. “We had and still have a massive advertiser boycott,” he said, lamenting how “a bunch of left-wing NGOs” pushed for companies to halt their ad spending on the platform.

Watch the clip here.

“One of the most important forms of journalism is exposing government corruption,” Rogan stated, underscoring his stance that no entity—government or corporation—should have unchecked control over the flow of information.

– – – – – – –

Reclaim The Net needs your help

You subscribe to Reclaim The Net because you value free speech and privacy. Each issue we publish is a commitment to defend these critical rights, providing insights and actionable information to protect and promote liberty in the digital age.

Despite our wide readership, less than 0.2% of our readers contribute financially. With your support, we can do more than just continue; we can amplify voices that are often suppressed and spread the word about the urgent issues of censorship and surveillance.

Consider making a modest donation — just $5, or whatever amount you can afford. Your contribution will empower us to reach more people, educate them about these pressing issues, and engage them in our collective cause.

Thank you for considering a contribution. Each donation not only supports our operations but also strengthens our efforts to challenge injustices and advocate for those who cannot speak out.

Thank you.
Make a one-time donation

– – – – – – –

2.   GOOGLE SAYS IT’S WORKING ON A FIX  

INSERT, Sandra:  Good on Americans!  They went after Google, immediately;  no waiting around for “Enforcement” of what’s right!)  (Interesting example of – –  It MIGHT be no more than “Mistakes easily made,  HUMAN BEINGS + TECHNOLOGY”  Is there a name for that?)

– – – – – – –

Google’s Interactive Polling Station Map Ignites Claims of Pro-Harris Bias as Voters Head to the Polls

As Americans head to the polls today, a flurry of accusations has erupted on social media platform X, with several users alleging that Google’s search results display potential bias in the presentation of voting information. This controversy arises at a critical time as the presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, are neck and neck in the polls.

Several prominent figures and ordinary users have posted screenshots showing that searches for “where to vote for Harris” yield a special interactive map pinpointing voting locations, while equivalent searches for “where to vote for Trump” simply redirect users to generic search results, including news headlines from mainstream media outlets.

Reclaim The Net was able to reproduce the same results as the complainants.

Google says it’s working on a fix.

Most voters seeking information on polling locations are likely to search for general terms such as “where to vote” rather than specifying a candidate in their query. But while Google provides a useful service by directing voters to their polling stations, the consistency of this feature across different searches is crucial to maintaining fairness and neutrality. If Google offers a specialized map feature to help voters find polling locations when searching for one candidate, it stands to reason that the same functionality should be available regardless of which candidate’s name is included in the search.

David Sacks, a noted investor, tweeted a screenshot showing the Google feature that assists users in finding their voting station when searching for Harris, accompanied by a sarcastic comment suggesting that the feature is not available for Trump supporters. Elon Musk chimed in with his own observation, raising the question to his vast number of followers, “Are others seeing this too?”

Adding to the controversy, a tweet from the account DogeDesigner noted that Google has the largest corporate donations to the Democratic Party, implying that this could be influencing the alleged disparity in search result treatment.
Emma-Jo Morris from New York added to the outcry by posting a similar comparison, noting the disparity in how Google handles searches for the two presidential candidates. Her post has received significant attention, amassing nearly half a million views, indicating the widespread notice and concern about the issue.

The concern among voters is palpable, as they demand transparency and neutrality from tech giants, especially on an election day filled with high stakes.

In a response from Google News, Google said it’s working on a fix: “The ‘where to vote’ panel is triggering for some specific searches because Harris is also the name of a county in TX. Happens for ‘Vance’ too because it’s also the name of a county. Fix is coming. Note very few people actually search for voting places this way.”

– – – – – – –

3.   SPEECH POLICE

UN’s Latest on “Misinformation” and “Hate” – Will Tech Bow to Pressure?

Here comes UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming once again – with more demands regarding “misinformation” and “hate speech.”

And, censorship – the kind that would be algorithmically recommended, leading to demonetization of content and creators.

Yet a UN press release makes a grand statement – that its Communications Department is continuing to work “where public interest media are struggling to operate or are prevented from covering the truth.”

Backed up by a number of UN members (Lithuania, Estonia, Vietnam, and El Salvador among them, for their own specific reasons) – Fleming addressed the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), to seemingly casually throw in “disinformation,” “AI,” and such, together with some of the most difficult issues related to wars and geopolitical hotspots (which is what the UN is supposed to be dealing with in the first place).

But Fleming took the opportunity to work not only her department’s engagement on “climate communications,” the humanitarian issues in the Middle East, Ukraine, etc. into her statements, and instead also highlight the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, which recommend how member-countries may meet their commitments from the Global Digital Compact.

The principles, Fleming noted, “have important recommendations for tech companies.” She complained that there has been “very little self regulation” there, and identified two groups – those who want a “healthier information ecosystem” and those that want it to be “toxic.”

Fleming is not only optimistic that the first category is more numerous, but also about “lots of pressure” that’s currently on AI developers. In her words, it’s to “put the guardrails up before it is too late.”

Too late for what, though – that’s something the UN press release doesn’t go into.

Instead, this reporting about the committee’s meeting looks like it’s designed to at once promote the supposed successes of the UN Communications Departments in these various areas (detailing the number of various website hits, video views, etc.,) – and ask for more money from member states, to sustain the effort.

Namely, it mentions that these achievements were made “despite the resource crunch.”

Opponents of Fleming’s approach, and that of the UN in general, might be saying – may the crunch continue.

– – – – – – –

4.   PRIVATE MESSAGE BAN

Inside “EU Going Dark” The EU’s Push to End Private Messaging

For those in, or knowledgeable of the EU system who at the same time make digital rights, online privacy and security their priority, the work is never done – the European Union’s bureaucracy keeps throwing new challenges their way.

A recent scheme – dubbed “EU Going Dark” – is detailed by lawyer, and former German member of the European Parliament Patrick Breyer, who says the EU Commission (EC) has been working on this surveillance, encryption-undermining plan behind closed doors.

If the accusations against the scheme are true, as far as the EC is concerned, that’s for good reason – even if one is unacceptable in a democracy. Namely, opponents like Breyer call the measures “tyrannical” in nature, with scope described as “frightening.”

The plan is said to be developed by the High-Level Group (HLG) on access to data for effective law enforcement.

The reported effort to make sure that the ongoing work on the package of measures remains far from the public eye has been successful – at least up to this point. Breyer notes that those behind the scheme had managed to keep it secret from most citizens, journalists, and politicians – but some documents are available.

The key takeaway from the plan – which is in the phase of impact assessment and implementation preparations – is the reintroduction of what Breyer calls indiscriminate mass collection of data pertaining to people’s communications, “without suspicion.”

The former MEP sees the plan to introduce this package of surveillance measures as non-transparent, while “rarely questioned.” And yet other than mass-scale data harvesting and retention, it also entails erosion of online encryption, which is necessary for a secure internet – from chats to bank transactions.

The plans outlined here mention encrypted messengers – however, once weakened, technically, and a matter of policy – or both – encryption is weakened for all.

Should it prove accurate, the extent of the upcoming operation being described as being massive is no exaggeration. Hardware manufacturers would be under obligation to make sure phones, “smart home” devices, cars, etc., are always “monitorable.”

One element of this comprehensive surveillance is forcing providers of encrypted messenger apps to allow for interception of content, prevent encryption of both subscriber information and metadata, and hand over to the authorities users’ GPS location for tracking.

Service providers and their representatives who refuse to comply would be punished, all the way to imprisonment.

– – – – – – –

Reclaim The Net is funded by the community. Keep us going and get extra benefits by becoming a supporter today. Thank you.

Become a Supporter

Thanks for reading,

Reclaim The Net

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

plemented

 

SUPPORTERS

 

 

Don’t Let a Cookie Steal Your Online Identity: Simple Steps to Stay Secure

 

Imagine an invisible thief, lurking within the labyrinth of the digital world, poised to steal not just your passwords but your very identity. This is the stark reality of cookie hijacking, where your most personal data is just one careless click away from vanishing into the cyber abyss.

Today we explore the issue and the ways to neutralize these risks…

Become a supporter
here.

Get the post here.

 

Become a Supporter

 

MUSK LAYS IT OUT

 

 

“We’re Screwed Without It” Elon Musk Defends His Free Speech Twitter Takeover on Joe Rogan’s Podcast

 

In a new episode of The Joe Rogan Experience, Elon Musk shared insights into his motivations for acquiring Twitter (now X) and the implications for free speech, calling the platform’s previous approach “insane” and highlighting its shift under his leadership. Musk said he felt a duty to buy Twitter, suggesting that without his intervention, “we’re screwed.”

Rogan praised Musk, expressing gratitude for what he saw as a stand against censorship. He credited Musk’s decision as a “fork in the road” for free expression, allowing more transparency into practices of “suppressing information.”

Musk echoed this, noting he had been “attuned” to suspicious shifts in the platform’s operation long before the acquisition. “I was the most interacted-with user on Twitter… If they change the system, I can tell immediately,” he said, adding that the platform’s decision to deplatform then-president Donald Trump was “insane.”

Watch the clip here.

Musk also detailed the extent of the FBI’s involvement in Twitter’s past operations, revealing startling practices that he believes violate constitutional principles. He described a “magic portal” that the FBI had into Twitter’s system, allowing federal agents to communicate directly with the platform’s moderators and request content be removed or suppressed. Even more concerning, Musk added, was that all communication through this portal was automatically deleted after two weeks, in violation of federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) regulations. “It’s flat-out illegal,” Musk asserted, stressing that such erasure of communication prevented public oversight and accountability. He argued that the FBI’s covert access exemplifies the overreach and manipulation of information that he sought to end by taking ownership of the platform.

Musk delved into the government’s role in content control, mentioning the “Twitter Files” exposé, which shed light on government requests to remove certain posts or reduce their visibility on Twitter. “There was massive government interference in Twitter,” Musk noted. He explained that Twitter, at the time, had welcomed this influence, even receiving payments for content moderation services. Musk criticized this as “unconstitutional,” calling it a significant threat to open discourse.

Watch the clip here.

Discussing advertiser boycotts, Musk explained that X continues to face financial struggles, largely due to organized boycotts from activist organizations. “We had and still have a massive advertiser boycott,” he said, lamenting how “a bunch of left-wing NGOs” pushed for companies to halt their ad spending on the platform.

Watch the clip here.

“One of the most important forms of journalism is exposing government corruption,” Rogan stated, underscoring his stance that no entity—government or corporation—should have unchecked control over the flow of information.

 

 

Reclaim The Net needs your help

 

You subscribe to Reclaim The Net because you value free speech and privacy. Each issue we publish is a commitment to defend these critical rights, providing insights and actionable information to protect and promote liberty in the digital age.


Despite our wide readership, less than 0.2% of our readers contribute financially. With your support, we can do more than just continue; we can amplify voices that are often suppressed and spread the word about the urgent issues of censorship and surveillance.


Consider making a modest donation — just $5, or whatever amount you can afford. Your contribution will empower us to reach more people, educate them about these pressing issues, and engage them in our collective cause.


Thank you for considering a contribution. Each donation not only supports our operations but also strengthens our efforts to challenge injustices and advocate for those who cannot speak out.

 

Thank you.

 

Make a one-time donation

 

 

GOOGLE SAYS IT’S WORKING ON A FIX

 

 

Google’s Interactive Polling Station Map Ignites Claims of Pro-Harris Bias as Voters Head to the Polls

 

As Americans head to the polls today, a flurry of accusations has erupted on social media platform X, with several users alleging that Google’s search results display potential bias in the presentation of voting information. This controversy arises at a critical time as the presidential candidates, Donald Trump and Kamala Harris, are neck and neck in the polls.

Several prominent figures and ordinary users have posted screenshots showing that searches for “where to vote for Harris” yield a special interactive map pinpointing voting locations, while equivalent searches for “where to vote for Trump” simply redirect users to generic search results, including news headlines from mainstream media outlets.

Reclaim The Net was able to reproduce the same results as the complainants.

Google says it’s working on a fix.

Most voters seeking information on polling locations are likely to search for general terms such as “where to vote” rather than specifying a candidate in their query. But while Google provides a useful service by directing voters to their polling stations, the consistency of this feature across different searches is crucial to maintaining fairness and neutrality. If Google offers a specialized map feature to help voters find polling locations when searching for one candidate, it stands to reason that the same functionality should be available regardless of which candidate’s name is included in the search.

David Sacks, a noted investor, tweeted a screenshot showing the Google feature that assists users in finding their voting station when searching for Harris, accompanied by a sarcastic comment suggesting that the feature is not available for Trump supporters. Elon Musk chimed in with his own observation, raising the question to his vast number of followers, “Are others seeing this too?”

Adding to the controversy, a tweet from the account DogeDesigner noted that Google has the largest corporate donations to the Democratic Party, implying that this could be influencing the alleged disparity in search result treatment.
Emma-Jo Morris from New York added to the outcry by posting a similar comparison, noting the disparity in how Google handles searches for the two presidential candidates. Her post has received significant attention, amassing nearly half a million views, indicating the widespread notice and concern about the issue.

The concern among voters is palpable, as they demand transparency and neutrality from tech giants, especially on an election day filled with high stakes.

In a response from Google News, Google said it’s working on a fix: “The ‘where to vote’ panel is triggering for some specific searches because Harris is also the name of a county in TX. Happens for ‘Vance’ too because it’s also the name of a county. Fix is coming. Note very few people actually search for voting places this way.”

 

SPEECH POLICE

 

 

UN’s Latest on “Misinformation” and “Hate” – Will Tech Bow to Pressure?

 

Here comes UN’s Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications Melissa Fleming once again – with more demands regarding “misinformation” and “hate speech.”

And, censorship – the kind that would be algorithmically recommended, leading to demonetization of content and creators.

Yet a UN press release makes a grand statement – that its Communications Department is continuing to work “where public interest media are struggling to operate or are prevented from covering the truth.”

Backed up by a number of UN members (Lithuania, Estonia, Vietnam, and El Salvador among them, for their own specific reasons) –  Fleming addressed the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization), to seemingly casually throw in “disinformation,” “AI,” and such, together with some of the most difficult issues related to wars and geopolitical hotspots (which is what the UN is supposed to be dealing with in the first place).

But Fleming took the opportunity to work not only her department’s engagement on “climate communications,” the humanitarian issues in the Middle East, Ukraine, etc. into her statements, and instead also highlight the UN Global Principles for Information Integrity, which recommend how member-countries may meet their commitments from the Global Digital Compact.

The principles, Fleming noted, “have important recommendations for tech companies.” She complained that there has been “very little self regulation” there, and identified two groups – those who want a “healthier information ecosystem” and those that want it to be “toxic.”

Fleming is not only optimistic that the first category is more numerous, but also about “lots of pressure” that’s currently on AI developers. In her words, it’s to “put the guardrails up before it is too late.”

Too late for what, though – that’s something the UN press release doesn’t go into.

Instead, this reporting about the committee’s meeting looks like it’s designed to at once promote the supposed successes of the UN Communications Departments in these various areas (detailing the number of various website hits, video views, etc.,) – and ask for more money from member states, to sustain the effort.

Namely, it mentions that these achievements were made “despite the resource crunch.”

Opponents of Fleming’s approach, and that of the UN in general, might be saying – may the crunch continue.

 

PRIVATE MESSAGE BAN

 

 

Inside “EU Going Dark” The EU’s Push to End Private Messaging

 

For those in, or knowledgeable of the EU system who at the same time make digital rights, online privacy and security their priority, the work is never done – the European Union’s bureaucracy keeps throwing new challenges their way.

A recent scheme – dubbed “EU Going Dark” – is detailed by lawyer, and former German member of the European Parliament Patrick Breyer, who says the EU Commission (EC) has been working on this surveillance, encryption-undermining plan behind closed doors.

If the accusations against the scheme are true, as far as the EC is concerned, that’s for good reason – even if one is unacceptable in a democracy. Namely, opponents like Breyer call the measures “tyrannical” in nature, with scope described as “frightening.”

The plan is said to be developed by the High-Level Group (HLG) on access to data for effective law enforcement.

The reported effort to make sure that the ongoing work on the package of measures remains far from the public eye has been successful – at least up to this point. Breyer notes that those behind the scheme had managed to keep it secret from most citizens, journalists, and politicians – but some documents are available.

The key takeaway from the plan – which is in the phase of impact assessment and implementation preparations – is the reintroduction of what Breyer calls indiscriminate mass collection of data pertaining to people’s communications, “without suspicion.”

The former MEP sees the plan to introduce this package of surveillance measures as non-transparent, while “rarely questioned.” And yet other than mass-scale data harvesting and retention, it also entails erosion of online encryption, which is necessary for a secure internet – from chats to bank transactions.

The plans outlined here mention encrypted messengers – however, once weakened, technically, and a matter of policy – or both – encryption is weakened for all.

Should it prove accurate, the extent of the upcoming operation being described as being massive is no exaggeration. Hardware manufacturers would be under obligation to make sure phones, “smart home” devices, cars, etc., are always “monitorable.”

One element of this comprehensive surveillance is forcing providers of encrypted messenger apps to allow for interception of content, prevent encryption of both subscriber information and metadata, and hand over to the authorities users’ GPS location for tracking.

Service providers and their representatives who refuse to comply would be punished, all the way to imprisonment.

 

Reclaim The Net is funded by the community. Keep us going and get extra benefits by becoming a supporter today. Thank you.

 

Become a Supporter

 

Thanks for reading,

Reclaim The Net

 Leave a Reply

You may use these HTML tags and attributes: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <s> <strike> <strong>

(required)

(required)