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Tag: social media
March 13, 2024
Jack Montgomery
Politics
TECH
World

China Fumes Over TikTok Ban Plan as ‘Libertarians’ Take Corporate Cash to Protect It.

China has strongly objected to U.S. legislation that aims to compel the Chinese parent firm of TikTok, ByteDance, to sell the popular video-sharing platform. House representatives have passed a bill that could enforce a nationwide ban on TikTok unless ByteDance severs ties with it.

“In recent years, though the United States has never found any evidence of TikTok posing a threat to U.S. national security, it has never stopped going after TikTok,” claimed Wang Wenbin, a spokesman for China’s foreign ministry. He accused the U.S. of “resorting to hegemonic moves when one could not succeed in fair competition.”

While some lawmakers, such as Senator Rand Paul, are peddling similar Chinese Communist Party (CCP) talking points, the bill has broad, bipartisan support because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) clearly exercises a strong degree of control over ByteDance.

The regime shut down another of the company’s apps when it did not operate to its liking, with founder Zhang Yiming forced to apologize for propagating content “incommensurate with socialist core values” and promise to “deepen cooperation with [regime] media” and boost distribution of regime content. He later sold his stake in ByteDance to an obscure start-up in suspicious circumstances.

The Cyberspace Administration of China also controls a seat and a veto on ByteDance’s three-man board of directors, represented by CCP executive Wu Shugang.

Raheem Kassam, Editor-in-Chief of The National Pulse, has directly debunked claims the TikTok bill could be used against U.S. social media platforms such as Elon Musk’s X.

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China has strongly objected to U.S. legislation that aims to compel the Chinese parent firm of TikTok, ByteDance, to sell the popular video-sharing platform. House representatives have passed a bill that could enforce a nationwide ban on TikTok unless ByteDance severs ties with it. show more
March 13, 2024
Jack Montgomery
News
TECH

Elon Musk Cancels Don Lemon X Deal After Interview.

Former CNN host and alleged sex pest Don Lemon revealed a planned collaboration with X (formerly Twitter) was canceled following an interview with platform owner Elon Musk.

Lemon interviewed Musk for the inaugural episode of his new online show, which had been slated to partner with X. Now, however, Lemon says the partnership will not go ahead, suggesting the entrepreneur did not enjoy his questions and had changed his mind about “working directly with new and diverse voices.”

Musk has put out his own statement, insisting “X is a platform that champions free speech” and that Lemon remains “welcome to publish its content on X, without censorship” — but “like any enterprise, we reserve the right to make decisions about our business partnerships, and after careful consideration, X decided not to enter into a commercial partnership with the show.”

Pressed on the reasons by a Mark Zuckerberg parody account, Musk said, “[Lemon’s] approach was basically just ‘CNN, but on social media’, which doesn’t work, as evidenced by the fact that CNN is dying.”

He added that he was not speaking to “the real Don Lemon” but to “Jeff Zucker talking through Don, [which] lacked authenticity.”

Lemon says his Musk interview will still air on YouTube, podcast sites, and X.

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Former CNN host and alleged sex pest Don Lemon revealed a planned collaboration with X (formerly Twitter) was canceled following an interview with platform owner Elon Musk. show more
March 1, 2024
News
TECH

Musk’s X Restores Ban on Misgendering.

X, formerly known as Twitter, has reinstated a previously ousted rule surrounding the “misgendering” or “deadnaming” of transgender people. The rule, removed in April 2023, appears to have been quietly reinstated in January 2024, drawing widespread criticism when it was discovered this week.

Ars Technica reported that X’s revised policy included a section titled “Use of Prior Names and Pronouns.” It states X’s commitment to “reduce the visibility of posts that purposefully use different pronouns to address someone other than what that person uses for themselves, or that use a previous name that someone no longer goes by as part of their transition.”

The news was seized upon by Libs of TikTok founder Chaya Raichik, who drew a response from Elon Musk himself, who attempted to explain: “This is just about repeated, targeted harassment of a particular person.”

Raichik responded in kind, “Using the correct sex based pronouns for someone is “harassment”? We’re being forced to lie? What about harassment in general? There are accounts who repeatedly target and harass specific individuals in an obsessive way. What constitutes “repeated” and “targeted” and why do only one group of people get this special treatment?”

On a day-to-day basis, X is run by globalist Linda Yaccarino, who has close ties to corporate America as well as the World Economic Forum. Donald Trump’s Truth Social platform mocked the reinstatement of the trans rule, posting a meme of Musk with the insinuation that he does not care about free speech as much as he claims.

 

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X, formerly known as Twitter, has reinstated a previously ousted rule surrounding the “misgendering” or “deadnaming” of transgender people. The rule, removed in April 2023, appears to have been quietly reinstated in January 2024, drawing widespread criticism when it was discovered this week. show more
February 18, 2024
William Upton
Election 2024
TECH

Big Tech Draws Up Private Compact to Reduce AI Election Inteference.

Some of the largest technology and social media companies in the world have agreed to a private compact in what they say is an effort to combat the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to disrupt the over 40 national elections being held around the world in 2024. Technology executives gathered in Munich, Germany, for a security conference and announced the voluntary framework on Friday. Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Elon Musk’s X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok were among the signatories.

The compact doesn’t commit signatories to any specific actions but does lay out strategies they intend to use to publicly identify AI-generated videos and images “that deceptively fake or alter the appearance, voice, or actions of political candidates, election officials, and other key stakeholders in a democratic election.” It states companies will share best practices, but the compact does not commit them to banning or removing deepfakes or other altered content.

Ahead of the summit, Meta’s president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, stated: “Everybody recognizes that no one tech company, no one government, no one civil society organization is able to deal with the advent of this technology and its possible nefarious use on their own.” Meta is the parent company of social media giants Facebook and Instagram.

GOVERNMENT COLLUSION.

Concerns over deepfakes and other AI-altered content have increased as the nascent technology has rapidly improved over the last year. However, the compact also raises concerns about possible ongoing collusion between governments and technology companies aimed to censor citizens’ speech. Over the past year, there have been numerous instances of the U.S. and foreign governments pressuring social media companies to remove unfavorable content.

Last summer, a federal judge ordered the Biden government to cease communications with social media platforms for “the purpose of urging, encouraging, pressuring, or inducing in any manner the removal, deletion, suppression, or reduction of content containing protected free speech.”

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Some of the largest technology and social media companies in the world have agreed to a private compact in what they say is an effort to combat the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to disrupt the over 40 national elections being held around the world in 2024. Technology executives gathered in Munich, Germany, for a security conference and announced the voluntary framework on Friday. Adobe, Amazon, Google, IBM, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter), and TikTok were among the signatories. show more
facebook
February 3, 2024
News
Politics
TECH

Meta Oversight Board Member Says 2020 Election Meddling Was Not Enough, Will Do More In 2024.

Pamela San Martín, a member of Meta’s oversight board, suggested in an interview that Facebook did not do enough to control user speech during previous election cycles — Meta is the parent company of Facebook. Despite actions taken against the New York Post‘s distribution of news on Hunter Biden’s laptop and former President Donald Trump’s removal from both Facebook and Instagram, San Martín claimed that more needed to be done to address potential misuse of the platform, including coordinated campaigns and bot activity aimed at undermining electoral trust and stability.

In the run-up to the 2020 elections, measures were taken by Facebook to restrict the distribution of certain news and remove ads making false claims about voter fraud. Responses from Facebook included taking down posts, flagging content for fact-checking, and promising a ban on political ads making false claims, especially concerning voter fraud. Despite these efforts, San Martín insists these attempts to control user speech were insufficient.

San Martín praised Meta’s recent efforts to further control content related to election issues, including working with electoral authorities, adding labels to politically related posts, redirecting users to reliable information sources, and implementing message forwarding limits on WhatsApp. However, she emphasized a need for Facebook to continue capturing the impact of its own algorithms and recommendation systems on the democratic process, indicating she wants to see more of such efforts, not less. San Martín told Wired, “Social media platforms need to learn from past mistakes to be able to address them better this year.”

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Pamela San Martín, a member of Meta's oversight board, suggested in an interview that Facebook did not do enough to control user speech during previous election cycles — Meta is the parent company of Facebook. Despite actions taken against the New York Post's distribution of news on Hunter Biden's laptop and former President Donald Trump's removal from both Facebook and Instagram, San Martín claimed that more needed to be done to address potential misuse of the platform, including coordinated campaigns and bot activity aimed at undermining electoral trust and stability. show more
January 30, 2024
William Upton
Culture
Election 2024

Biden Camp Mulls Sending Joe to Taylor Swift ‘Eras’ Concert for Positive Press.

President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign seeks to harness Taylor Swift‘s star power to boost his appeal to young voters. Polls continue to show former President Donald Trump either running neck-and-neck or just ahead of Biden in the 2024 general election. To give him a much-needed edge over Trump, the Biden camp seeks to associate the 81-year-old Biden directly or indirectly with Swift — and is even floating the idea of his appearing at one of her concerts.

California Governor Gavin Newsom has already begged Swift to back Biden. “Taylor Swift stands tall and unique,” the California Governor said in September last year. He added: “What she was able to accomplish just in getting young people activated to consider that they have a voice and that they should have a choice in the next election, I think, is profoundly powerful.”

Even without the endorsement, the Biden campaign has drawn up potential plans to align the Democrat incumbent with the pop star. One such idea is to send Biden to attend one of Swift’s “Era’s Tour” concerts just before the election.

Taylor Swift’s global popularity has garnered her a massive social media following. Last year, a single Instagram post from Swift moved 35,00r followers to register to vote. During the 2020 election, she endorsed Biden for President, and his re-election campaign believes if they can secure Swift’s endorsement again, it could net them millions of more votes.

A Democrat SuperPAC has launched a $1 million effort using paid influencers on social media apps — like Instagram and the Chinese-owned TikTok — to encourage young voters to back Biden. With Swift, the Biden campaign hopes to secure an endorsement that could drive millions of young voters to the polls for the octogenarian Democrat.

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President Joe Biden's re-election campaign seeks to harness Taylor Swift's star power to boost his appeal to young voters. Polls continue to show former President Donald Trump either running neck-and-neck or just ahead of Biden in the 2024 general election. To give him a much-needed edge over Trump, the Biden camp seeks to associate the 81-year-old Biden directly or indirectly with Swift — and is even floating the idea of his appearing at one of her concerts. show more

Editor’s Notes

Behind-the-scenes political intrigue exclusively for Pulse+ subscribers.

RAHEEM J. KASSAM Editor-in-Chief
Biden’s hope for a Swift endorsement is not without pitfalls for the global pop star
for exclusive members-only insights
Biden’s hope for a Swift endorsement is not without pitfalls for the global pop star show more
for exclusive members-only insights
January 26, 2024
Culture
News
Politics
TECH

Florida Moves to Ban Under-16s from Social Media.

Republican lawmakers in the Florida House of Representatives advanced legislation aimed at protecting minors from harmful content on social media. House Bill 1 requires a ban on social media platforms for users under 16. It also mandates age verification services by a third party.

State Rep. Fiona McFarland, a Republican cosponsor of the bill, compared social media to “a digital fentanyl.” The legislation would allow parents to sue social media companies that do not remove their child’s account.

Florida Republicans say the legislation is part of an effort to reduce bullying, depression, and suicide linked to social media use. The bill allows exemptions for websites primarily used for emails, texts, and streaming services. However, it has drawn criticism for its vague language and potential infringements on First Amendment rights.

Lawmakers have not specified which social media platforms might be impacted. If it becomes law, Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, and YouTube could be exposed to potential legal liabilities. Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, believes its social media platforms fall outside the scope of House Bill 1. Before passage, language was added to the legislation limiting its applicability to social media apps that feature “addictive, harmful, or deceptive design features.”

The Florida State Senate will take up the legislation next. If adopted, it will be sent to Republican Governor Ron DeSantis to sign into law.

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Republican lawmakers in the Florida House of Representatives advanced legislation aimed at protecting minors from harmful content on social media. House Bill 1 requires a ban on social media platforms for users under 16. It also mandates age verification services by a third party. show more
January 24, 2024
William Upton
Election 2024
TECH

Dem PAC Drops $1M on Chinese TikTok App ‘Influencers’ to Aid Biden.

Priorities USA, a Democrat-aligned SuperPAC supporting Joe Biden’s presidential re-election campaign, is dropping $1 million on social media influencers to increase the 81-year-old President’s standing among youth voters. The SuperPAC is pushing content creators and influencers to post on Instagram and the Chinese-owned TikTok app to shore up support among Zoomer and younger Millennial voters. Recent polling shows the Biden campaign has seen a collapse of support among the 18 to 34 age demographic.

Social media influencers whose usual content has focused on everything from skincare routines to cooking demonstrations to luxury travel have begun adding new, more political content. Priorities USA is paying these influencers to encourage thousands of followers to register to vote and support progressive candidates. The Democrat SuperPAC has pledged $1 million to the effort and claims they’ve recruited 150 social media influencers to push pro-Biden messaging.

Young voters in critical swing states have increasingly soured on Biden’s candidacy. Concerns over the octogenarian Democrat’s age, mental competence, and his government’s support for Israel’s war in Gaza have caused an erosion in support among the critical Democrat youth demographic. In 2022, other Democrat SuperPACs used paid social media influencers to push the youth vote with mixed results.

Additionally, the Biden campaign’s embrace of TikTok raises national security questions. Many state and local governments have banned using TikTok on work computers and smartphones. National security officials have warned the app has potential intelligence-gathering uses for the Chinese Communist Party. TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, spent over $7 million in 2023 to influence U.S. lawmakers to oppose efforts to ban the app entirely.

“We look forward to working with TikTok throughout the cycle,” Jack Doyle, a spokesman for Priorities USA said when asked about the SuperPAC’s influencer campaign.

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Priorities USA, a Democrat-aligned SuperPAC supporting Joe Biden's presidential re-election campaign, is dropping $1 million on social media influencers to increase the 81-year-old President's standing among youth voters. The SuperPAC is pushing content creators and influencers to post on Instagram and the Chinese-owned TikTok app to shore up support among Zoomer and younger Millennial voters. Recent polling shows the Biden campaign has seen a collapse of support among the 18 to 34 age demographic. show more
December 29, 2023
News
TECH

CCP-Linked TikTok Demands Users’ iPhone Passwords.

TikTok users have been asked to input their iPhone passwords to view content. The video app, known to have been involved in controversial surveillance of journalists in the past, has yet to clarify the reasons for these demands.

The issue was first noticed in late November. Since then, an increasing number of users have voiced their concerns. Notably, it began around the same time Apple released two critical security updates for the iPhone. The most recent iOS update, rolled out on December 11, fixed a bug that allowed unauthorized access to sensitive user data.

Some benign reasons for the password demands have been posited, such as a glitch, implementing a security measure to address vulnerabilities, or enabling the “restricted mode” content filter. Cybersecurity experts warn these would be poor justifications, however, given the enormous security risks and the potential exposure to phishing and other scams.

An overtly sinister motive is also possible, given TikTok’s links to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Beijing’s desire to access the personal data of citizens in rival states.

Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Director Christopher Wray warned in 2022 that “the Chinese government could use [TikTok] to control data collection on millions of users, or control the recommendation algorithm which could be used for influence operations if they so choose, or to control software on millions of devices.”

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TikTok users have been asked to input their iPhone passwords to view content. The video app, known to have been involved in controversial surveillance of journalists in the past, has yet to clarify the reasons for these demands. show more
December 1, 2023
Jack Montgomery
Politics
TECH

Whistleblower Says Obama White House Plotted Outgoing Censorship Plan to Avoid 2016 Redux.

The Cyber Threat Intelligence League (CTIL), including “former” military and intelligence contractors from the United States and the United Kingdom, helped government pioneer “anti-disinformation” tactics used to censor Americans, according to a whistleblower.

CTIL leader Sara-Jayne ‘SJ’ Terp, formerly of Britain’s Defence Research Agency, was allegedly “in the room” in Barack Obama’s White House in 2017, as the groundwork for a counter-disinformation project to stop a “repeat of 2016″ was laid.

The supposedly all-volunteer CTIL began working in earnest in 2020. It reported lockdown skeptics pushing messages such as “all jobs are essential” and “open America now” on social media. While notionally a private enterprise, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) officials were allegedly active in its Slack channel.

The whistleblower says the ultimate goal of CTIL ”was to become part of the federal government.”

“In our weekly meetings, they made it clear that they were building these organizations within the federal government, and if you built the first iteration, we could secure a job for you,” they claimed.

In April 2020, Chris Krebs, then-Director of the Cybersecurity and Information Security Agency (CISA) at the DHS, announced CISA was partnering with CTIL. He claimed this was “an information exchange.”

The whistleblower said CTIL was not concerned their censorship efforts may violate the First Amendment. “The ethos was that if we get away with it, it’s legal, and there were no First Amendment concerns because we have a ‘public-private partnership’,” they said.

The guiding belief was “[p]rivate people can do things public servants can’t do, and public servants can provide the leadership and coordination.”

Other “private” organizations are implicated in state censorship. The Center for Internet Security (CIS) operated under the supervision of CISA, helping to censor social media. It used tools funded by foreign-born Joe Biden donor Pierre Omidyar.

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The Cyber Threat Intelligence League (CTIL), including "former" military and intelligence contractors from the United States and the United Kingdom, helped government pioneer "anti-disinformation" tactics used to censor Americans, according to a whistleblower. show more