Do Amazon and Google Shape Information to Advance Their Legislative Agenda?
March 31, 2022
The meeting in which it was decided to fund the Connected Commerce Council must have been fun: High fives, snorts of laughter, and derogatory comments perhaps? CNBC, a most interesting source of real 21st century news, published “How Google and Amazon Bankrolled a Grassroots’ Activist Group of Small Business Owners to Lobby Against Big Tech Oversight.” This is not a high school essay about “How to Make a Taco.” Nope. If true, the write up explains how two companies funded an information management campaign. I would describe this a weaponized propaganda, but I live in rural Kentucky and I am luck if I can remember where I left my bicycle. (Answer: in the garage.)
The write up explains:
The Connected Commerce Council, which pitches itself as a grassroots movement representing small business owners, is actually a well-financed advocacy group funded by tech heavy hitters Google and Amazon.
Interesting.
Here’s the newsy bit:
Lobbying watchdog group the Campaign for Accountability called 3C an “Astroturf” lobbying organization, thanks to the tech giants’ financial support. That’s a bit of Washington slang for a group that claims to represent grassroots entities, but in reality serves as an advocate for big industry. It’s a tactic used in Washington to push for specific legislative or regulatory goals using the sympathetic face of mom and pop organizations. The Campaign for Accountability described 3C in a 2019 report as an “Astroturf-style front group for the nation’s largest technology companies.”
Let’s think about the meeting or meetings which made it possible for two big outfits conclude that weaponizing content was a peachy keen idea. Some questions:
- When will the regulators emulate their European brothers, sisters, and thems and make meaningful steps to deal with cute weaponizing plays like this one?
- Why do executives sign off on such content manipulation — excuse me, I mean public interest messaging? Confidence in their ability to let loose flocks of legal eagles, a “hey, why not” attitude, or a belief in their own infallibility. (CNBC is not exactly Bellingcat, right?)
- Is it a disconnect between ethical behavior and high school science club insouciance?
These are good questions, and I don’t have answers.
The write up includes this remarkable quotation from a Connected Commerce big wheel:
In a statement to CNBC, Connected Commerce Council Executive Director Rob Retzlaff said all of the group’s members “affirmatively sign up – at events, online, or through a personal connection – and thousands have opened emails, responded to surveys, attended meetings and events, and communicated with legislators.” Retzlaff said, “I sincerely hope you do not (a) mischaracterize our efforts or the views of small businesses by suggesting we are an astroturf organization that puts words in people’s mouths, or (b) use outdated membership information to distract readers from legitimate concerns of small businesses and their engagement with policymakers.”
I like the “sincerely hope.”
Read the original. I think the article is a thought starter.
Oh, one more question:
Why didn’t Google just filter search results to add sauce to the Max Miller recreation of Genghis Khan’s fave little meat cakes? Low profile and the perfect explanation: The algorithm makes its own decisions.
Sure, just like the people in the meeting that concluded disinformation and propaganda to preserve the nifty cash machines that make astroturfing useful.
Stephen E Arnold, March 31, 2022
Simple, Fair Digital Markets: Saddle Up, Don Quixote
March 25, 2022
Who knew that I would continue to reference the very long, very weird book I had to read in the seventh grade? Yet here I am: Don Quixote, slayer of windmills, a trusted sidekick, and a study horse.
“Europe Agrees New Law to Curb Big Tech Dominance” explains that the proud animal and adept rider is ambling from the barn after decades of training. Tally ho! The write up says:
Under the Digital Markets Act (DMA), giants such as Google and Apple will be forced to open up their services and platforms to other businesses. Major technology firms have long faced criticism that they use their market dominance to squeeze out competition.
Now that certain US technology outfits are dominant, what’s the fix? I suppose one could dismount and paint the windmills a different color. Where would one locate a color? How about Googling? Alternatively one might consult a Facebook group. And there is the ever objective Amazon, complete with fake reviews and odd ball videos showing a functioning product? Amazing.
Outfitted like the elegant Don, the trusted source of information reports:
The EU wants to give users more choice over how people send messages. The new rules would require that technology make their messaging services interoperable with smaller competitors.
As the rider, cohorts, and snorting animals charge at their targets, will the companies be fungible. Might they prove to be chimera?
At least one of the evil entities is Googzilla? Despite its age, the creature still has teeth, lots of teeth, and lawyers, lots of lawyers.
Stephen E Arnold, March 25, 2022
California: Knee Jerk Reflex Decades After the Knee Cap Whack
March 23, 2022
Talk about reflexes. I read “California Bill Would Let Parents Sue Social Media Companies for Addicting Kids.” [You will have to pay to read the original and wordy write up.] The main idea is that an attentive parent with an ambulance chaser or oodles of cash can sue outfits like the estimable Meta Zuck thing, the China-linked TikTok, or the “we do good” YouTube and other social media entities. (No, I don’t want to get into definitions. I will leave that to the legal eagles.) The write up states:
Assembly Bill 2408, or the Social Media Platform Duty to Children Act, was introduced by Republican Jordan Cunningham of Paso Robles and Democrat Buffy Wicks of Oakland with support from the University of San Diego School of Law Children’s Advocacy Institute. It’s the latest in a string of legislative and political efforts to crack down on social media platforms’ exploitation of their youngest users.
I like the idea that commercial enterprises should not addict child users. I want to point out that the phrasing is ambiguous. I assume the real news outfit means content consumers under a certain age, not the less positive meaning of the phrase.
I think the legislation is a baby step in a helpful direction. But it has taken decades for the toddler to figure out how to find the digital choo choo train. The reflex reaction seems to lag as well. Whack. And years later a foot moves forward.
Stephen E Arnold, March 23, 2022
The Companies That Would Be Countries: Intimidated?
March 15, 2022
I don’t know if this PC Magazine (the super better online version from the print one that once was stuffed with ads) hit a home run with this story or not. Titled “Report: Russia Intimidated Google, Apple into Removing Smart Voting App” makes it clear that having more money that a real-life nation state does not mean that countries are useless.
The write up states:
Russia’s intelligence service, the FSB, reportedly intimidated Google and Apple into removing the Smart Voting app from their platforms because of its affiliation with Alexei Navalny.
The origin of the write up is the “trust us” real news outfit Thomson Reuters. Okay, let’s trust ‘em.
If accurate, companies that want to be countries can generate big bucks, but some countries can intimidate unlike a basic Congressional hearing.
Stephen E Arnold, March 15, 2022
Some Cellebrite Customers Revealed
March 11, 2022
This headline from Apple Insider should not be surprising, but it is bound to shock some individuals: “Most US Cabinet Departments Have Bought Cellebrite iPhone Hacking Tool.” The Intercept reported that fourteen out of the fifteen US Cabinet Departments purchased Cellebrite, technology designed to unlock Apple iOS.
Cellebrite is a common tool law enforcement, government agencies, military personnel and bad actors use to unlock iPhones. It is globally used. All of the major US Cabinet Departments, sans one, are not the only government entities that use Cellebrite:
“The Intercept claims that Federal purchasing records and Cellebrite securities documents seen by the publication, also show that several other federal agencies. Government buyers of Cellebrite include:
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
- Department of Agriculture
- Department of Education
- Department of Veterans Affairs
- Housing and Urban Development
- Social Security Administration
- US Agency for International Development
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
In those securities filings, the Cellebrite company reported having over 2,800 government customers in North America.”
Cellebrite has other major clients, including six out of the ten largest oil refiners and six out of then largest pharmaceutical companies. Cellebrite is a tool used by those with money and power. The bigger question is if the so-called “good guys” are using it for good or if they use Cellebrite in the same manner as the bad actors.
Whitney Grace, March 11, 2022
Palantir May Be the New DCGS
March 9, 2022
It is perhaps more important than ever for our military to reliably, efficiently, and securely relay data to the other side of the world. To that end, the army is putting its faith in a firm we have covered often over the last several years. DefenseNews reports, “Palantir Scores $34M Order for Army Data Platform.” Reporter Colin Demarest writes:
“The Army Intelligence Data Platform deal includes software, training, cybersecurity activities and help with testing and initial standup of the capability, the Program Executive Office for Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors said in an announcement Feb. 22. The award signals the next step for what was once known as the Distributed Common Ground System Capability Drop 2.”
So DCGS is dead, long live AIDP. According to a statement from the Army’s Project Manager Intelligence Systems and Analytics, the platform acts as that branch’s foundation for internal intelligence and its connection to data from the intelligence community. The write-up continues:
“The Army Acquisition Support Center describes the Distributed Common Ground System as a means to buttress a commander’s understanding of threats and his or her environment. It consists of both hardware, like laptops, and software, like data filters and analytics. The Department of Defense in February 2020 named Palantir and BAE Systems as competitors on a $823 million contract to upgrade the Army’s facet of the Distributed Common Ground System. In March 2018, the Defense Department said Palantir and Raytheon would share a $876 million contract for the Distributed Common Ground System-Army Capability Drop 1.”
Perhaps this announcement will boost the intrepid firm’s stock prices. But will this technology work if the cloud goes south or a laptop fails and a replacement cannot access the data? Of course. High tech always performs as long as there are government agencies with hefty budgets.
Cynthia Murrell, March 9, 2022
Facebook: A Source of Reliable Information.
March 7, 2022
I believe everything I read online. Here’s a good example, which I pulled from the money hungry click addict BBC:
Facebook’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said that “soon millions of ordinary Russians will find themselves cut off from reliable information“.
I know I thing of Facebook as providing great content for eight and nine year olds. I know Facebook is capable of dogooderness. I know that Facebook is trying really hard to be as wonderful as possible.
But I don’t think of Facebook as a source of “reliable information.”
This extraordinary characterization of Facebook as a source of “reliable information” appears in the BBC article “Facebook Hits Out at Russia Blocking Its Platforms.” Imagine, a country engaged in a special action which terminates with extreme prejudice young and old having the unmitigated gall to block Zuckbook, er, Facebook.
The write up reports:
The statement says the block on Facebook platforms has been introduced “to prevent violations of the key principles of the free flow of information”.
This is a battle of euphemisms and New Speak. Quite a pair of global powers, Facebook and Russia.
I love that “reliable information” angle. I suppose that is what Dozhd TV channel and Ekho Moskvy radio executives said too.
Stephen E Arnold, March 7, 2022
NSO Group: Now US Lawmakers Want Pegasus Information
March 7, 2022
Imagine a hearing in which elected government officials ask questions about NSO Group’s Pegasus. Once that technical information is internalized, the members will want to know if a US government agency and a company wearing a T shirt with the word “Privacy, Security, and China” printed on it use the specialized software.
“US Lawmakers Demand Answers from Apple and the FBI about the Agency’s Alleged Use of Pegasus Spyware” states:
…a pair of lawmakers in the US House are asking for some answers about the situation. The letters were signed by Rep. Jim Jordan, who is a ranking member of the House Judiciary Committee, and Rep. Mike Johnson, a ranking member of the subcommittee on civil rights. The letters were seeking information on “the FBI’s acquisition, testing, and use of NSO’s spyware.”, which indicated that the FBI has acquired NSO-developed spyware tools like Pegasus and Phantom.
Will this inquiry end up in a public hearing with breathless real news people infected with Potomac Fever reporting on what once was secret?
I don’t know. But it would be a cause to celebrate if the NSO Group matter would drift into the background. Alas. Now that elected officials “demand” answers, I think I will be subjected to another flow of Pegasus/Phantom talk.
Apple is not dragging its feet in the orchard. The company has sued NSO Group for stuff only lawyers understand in addition to billing.
Will senior officials from Tim Apple’s company and the FBI participate in what will be memorialized on cable TV, YouTube, and possibly the China affiliated TikTok?
I don’t know. What I do know is that knock on effects of the NSO Group’s cowboy approach to the digital Wild West is bigger news that Buffalo Bill’s traveling circus.
Stephen E Arnold, March 7, 2022
Is It Party Time for STM Professional Publishers?
March 4, 2022
I spotted a TorrentFreak write up called “FBI Gains Access to Sci-Hub Founder’s Google Account Data.” The article explains that investigators are gathering information about Alexandra Elbakyan, the founder of what the article references as the “Pirate Bay of Science.”
The idea behind the service is to make paywall protected content available without the paywalls. The article explains what agencies have been involved and some of the legal procedures followed. These are routine but may be surprising to those who think about new recreational vehicles and the new pizza place.
What makes the investigation interesting is that references are made to Ms. Elbakyan’s alleged links to other governmental entities.
Several observations:
- Alleged links to a foreign power engaged in hostile actions move the story from scientific, technical and medical content made available without the pro9fessional publishers permission to a higher level of security concern.
- Professional publishers have not been happy campers since Sci-Hub became available. (Is this because the service has chewed into some revenues for these commercial enterprises? My guess is, “Yep.”)
- Allegedly, Ms. Elbakyan lives in Russia and, if the Wikipedia is spot on, she is studying philosophy at the Russian Academy of Sciences. (Will extradition be possible? My view is that the process will be interesting.)
When I read the story, I thought about one professional publishing big wig who said off the record, “That crazy Kazakh has to be shut down?”
Is it party time in the world of STM professional publishing? Not yet, but some may want to buy foil party hats and cheap kazoos.
Stephen E Arnold, March 4, 2022
A Meta Burger Surprise? Nope, Seems Like a Standard Operating Procedure
March 3, 2022
I love the thinking of high school science club managers. I think I have spotted an example clearly spelled out in “Facebook Misled Investors on Scope of Misinformation Problems, Whistleblower Says.” The key point seems to be that Meta (maybe meat) says one thing and does another — often with world class ineptitude.
The write up states:
Haugen’s new complaints say that while Facebook/Meta executives trumpeted their efforts to tamp down misinformation about climate change and COVID in earnings calls and elsewhere, internally, the company knew it was falling short.
The saying one thing and doing another approach is okay until a certain someone steps forward and says, “Not so fast.” That someone is Frances Haugen, the former Facebooker turned whistle blower. The secret is that Meta (maybe meat) could not chop liver.
I loved this approach to grilling the Meta outfit:
Using whistleblower complaints to address the misinformation problem is “creative,” Nathaniel Persily, a professor at Stanford Law School and director of the Stanford Cyber Policy Center, told The Washington Post. “You cannot pass a law in the US banning disinformation,” he said. “So what can you do? You can hold the platforms accountable to promises they make. Those promises could be made to users, to the government, to shareholders.” The strategy could work, given many investors’ appetites for focusing on environmental, social, and governance investment strategies (so-called ESG investors). For years, the SEC has told publicly traded companies that they need to make clear and accurate disclosures, Jane Norberg, a partner at Arnold & Porter who recently ran the SEC’s whistleblower program, told the Post. “If the company says one thing to investors but internal documents show that what they were saying is untrue, that could be something the SEC would look at,” she said.
Would the head Meta person pull a sophomoric stunt like obfuscate, fiddle with words, and prevaricate?
Yep, just like 14 years olds explaining the chemistry experiment was not intended to blow up the lab table.
Stephen E Arnold,March 3, 2022
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