Under the direction of NATO's propaganda arm, Facebook ramps up the blocking of news unflattering of itself, the US government, and NATO

[Delicieuxz]

Facebook has a long history of serving propaganda by deleting posted content at the direction of state institutions: Facebook Says It Is Deleting Accounts at the Direction of the U.S. and Israeli Governments

 

In 2018, Facebook's ties to state propaganda became clearer when the oversight and direction of Facebook's posted content and moderation policies was officially handed over to Atlantic Council, which is the hyper-aggressive and openly pro-war (even calling for terrorist attacks to be committed against US geopolitical challengers) propaganda and disinformation arm of NATO, and the driving force behind 2017's phony Twitter Russian-bots witch-hunt, and others in social media from recent years.

 

By the way, Atlantic Council, Bellingcat, and "Integrity Initiative" are all partners, and some of the same people from each organization also work in the others. And Facebook also directly funds UK-based psyops group "Integrity Initiative":

 

 

 

Last month, Facebook banned some popular pages that receive funding from Russia on the grounds that they receive funding from Russia, even though those pages hadn't violated any Facebook rules.

 

After appeals, Facebook restored those pages, but with the caveat that they state on their profiles they receive funding from Russia - which is a draconian measure, considering that no other pages are required to do the same about where there funding comes from.

 

This month, there have been reports that Facebook is blocking links to Zero Hedge, which is a site that posts news pretty neutrally and so often contains unflattering information about Western geopolitics that wouldn't get covered in mainstream news:

 

Facebook Bans Zero Hedge

Quote

Over the weekend, we were surprised to learn that some readers were prevented by Facebook when attempting to share Zero Hedge articles. Subsequently it emerged that virtually every attempt to share or merely mention an article, including in private messages, would be actively blocked by the world's largest social network, with the explanation that "the link you tried to visit goes against our community standards."

 

We were especially surprised by this action as neither prior to this seemingly arbitrary act of censorship, nor since, were we contacted by Facebook with an explanation of what "community standard" had been violated or what particular filter or article had triggered the blanket rejection of all Zero Hedge content.

 

To be sure, as a for-profit enterprise with its own unique set of corporate "ethics", Facebook has every right to impose whatever filters it desires on the media shared on its platform. It is entirely possible that one or more posts was flagged by Facebook's "triggered" readers who merely alerted a censorship algo which blocked all content.

 

Alternatively, it is just as possible that Facebook simply decided to no longer allow its users to share our content in retaliation for our extensive coverage of what some have dubbed the platform's "many problems", including chronic privacy violations, mass abandonment by younger users, its gross and ongoing misrepresentation of fake users, ironically - in retrospect - its systematic censorship  and back door government cooperation (those are just links from the past few weeks).

 

As of making this post, it seems that it is possible to post links to Zero Hedge again. However, When I posted the article "Facebook Bans Zero Hedge" on my Facebook page a bit ago, my account was immediately auto-locked from being able to make new wall posts and from editing any of the wall posts that already exist on my Facebook page. I am currently able to comment on wall posts and to edit my comments on wall posts, but I'm blocked from creating and editing wall posts.

 

The lock-down on my Facebook account occurred immediately after making the post, and my previous activity on Facebook was 13 hours before posting the Zero Hedge article to my Facebook wall.

 

 

 

 

The continuing path of Facebook underscores the platform's true identity as a state tool that is used to conduct psyops, propaganda, and disinformation, and also mine personal data for the US government: As I recently detailed, Facebook, and other tech giants including Microsoft and Amazon, are harvesting as much data from people as they possibly can, with all of that data is going into NSA and CIA servers where it is compiled into virtual profiles of each person, to give US government agencies a god-view over all of society:

 

 

 

https://www.wired.com/2004/02/pentagon-kills-lifelog-project/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DARPA_LifeLog

 

 

LifeLog was not killed. The program went dark to the public and to assist that the LifeLog name was dropped, but the operation has continued and expanded in partnership with tech companies including Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, Twitter, and many others, which now serve as the US government and NATO's tentacles.

 

Whenever you use these companies' products and services, all the data they harvest about your activities is funneled into US government servers where it is automatically compiled into a virtual profile of yourself, and so when you use these companies' products and services you're growing the virtual profile that the US government has about you. And I expect this is a major reason why Amazon is protesting against legislation that will prohibit Amazon Go stores from not accepting payments in cash. And don't forget about the '10 year challenge' that was viral recently - likely someone, or some government's campaign to train facial recognition AI.

 

 

Some people think of these things as conspiracy theories, but this is reality - and it has been reality for a very long time. And revelation after revelation has accumulated the details to the point that it can be said that it's all being done in plain sight. Western mainstream media is a tightly state-coordinated propaganda regime, and:

 

[Liltrekkie]

I think I'm gonna need more tin foil hats for this..

[Silentprototipe]

Tin foil hats! Come get your tin foil hats! Only $3.99! 

[Delicieuxz]

^ Which part - the part where Facebook is literally partnered with Atlantic Council, the part where Atlantic Council literally conducts propaganda campaigns, the part where Facebook has literally banned specific pages over funding from Russia, the part where the US government literally had a publicly-known plan to collect data about every aspect of every person's digital life and store it in virtual profiles of each person, or one of the other factual parts?

[rcmaehl]

I'll have to read this in my spare time. Granted what the government can do is scary but I'll have to see if OP is implying companies are freely giving data or powers to the government without any financial gain. If they are then they're likely mistaken. 

[PlayStation 2]

what a shock

a multinational global group that has multiple countries participating in it blocking "propaganda"

[Delicieuxz]

6 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

I'll have to read this in my spare time. Granted what the government can do is scary but I'll have to see if OP is implying companies are freely giving data or other information to the government without any financial gain then they're likely mistaken. 

I never said it is done without financial gain. It certainly is for financial gain - in many cases, such as Amazon getting to control over $50 billion in US government spending:

 

The “Amazon Amendment” Would Effectively Hand Government Purchasing Power Over to Amazon

 

But maybe not in all cases:

 

Microsoft openly offered cloud data to support NSA PRISM programme

 

And, as this article says, there can also be other types of benefits:

 

U.S. Agencies Said to Swap Data With Thousands of Firms

[RuffRuffmcgruff]

Just another arm on the octopus of evil that is the United States Government LOL

[Bananasplit_00]

i really want all of social media to be abandoned/disbanded. this shit needs to die

[Tzomb1e]

3 minutes ago, RuffRuffmcgruff said:

Just another arm on the octopus of evil that is the United States Government LOL

Hail Hydra...

[rcmaehl]

34 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

Last month, Facebook banned some popular pages that receive funding from Russia on the grounds that they receive funding from Russia, even though those pages hadn't violated any Facebook rules.

This is within their rights as a private company.

 

Quote

After appeals, Facebook restored those pages, but with the caveat that they state on their profiles they receive funding from Russia - which is a draconian measure, considering that no other pages are required to do the same about where there funding comes from.

Can you show me an example of a page with this disclosure on it?

 

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However, When I posted the article "Facebook Bans Zero Hedge" on my Facebook page a bit ago, my account was immediately auto-locked from being able to make new wall posts and from editing any of the wall posts that already exist on my Facebook page.

I mean the website is blocked. If you're posting blocked content, including pornography, your account will be temporarily restricted.

 

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The continuing path of Facebook underscores the platform's true identity as a state tool that is used to conduct psyops, propaganda, and disinformation, and also mine personal data for the US government

Government runs operations on several websites, even without the consent of the website. I doubt a lot of websites even know the government is abusing them.

 

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This is gasping at straws. Especially considering how poorly designed and marketed the original facebook was.

 

Quote

Whenever you use these companies' products and services, all the data they harvest about your activities is funneled into US government servers where it is automatically compiled into a virtual profile of yourself, and so when you use these companies' products and services you're growing the virtual profile that the US government has about you. 

Once again, the government doesn't need control over a website to easily collect your public data. They are likely monitoring you right now on this very website. Doesn't mean LTT is in on a conspiracy. 
 

Edited March 12, 2019 by rcmaehl
Minor Edits

[Commodus]

You might want to understand why Zero Hedge actually triggers these kinds of account limitations: despite your claims, it's heavily biased and is prone to peddling conspiracy theories.

 

That's all I'm going to say in this thread, since it seems like another one of your conspiracy-masquerading-as-tech-news posts.

[Delicieuxz]

24 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

This is within their rights as a private company.

I didn't say it isn't within their legal right. I said that it is happening. It being within their right doesn't mean that there isn't a concern or consequences to it being done, particularly by an organization with a monopoly over social media.

 

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Can you show me an example of a page with this disclosure on it?

https://www.facebook.com/inthenow/

 

Quote

I mean the website is blocked. If you're posting blocked content, including pornography, your account will be temporarily restricted.

If it was blocked I shouldn't have been able to post it. But, I was able to post it, but doing so locked my ability to post or edit wall posts.

 

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Government runs operations on several websites, even without the consent of the website. I doubt a lot of websites even know the government is abusing them.

That's true. The OP, which includes some examples of companies knowingly participating in government operations to collect personal data, doesn't argue against that.

 

Quote

This is gasping at straws. Especially considering how poorly designed and marketed the original facebook was.

The image is information to be considered, not a statement of fact. What is fact is that the practices of the program formerly called LifeLog didn't stop in 2004, and are being done presently.

 

Quote

Once again, the government doesn't need control over a website to easily collect your public data. They are likely monitoring you right now on this very website. Doesn't mean LTT is in on a conspiracy. 

I don't argue against that.

[Delicieuxz]

25 minutes ago, Commodus said:

You might want to understand why Zero Hedge actually triggers these kinds of account limitations: despite your claims, it's heavily biased and is prone to peddling conspiracy theories.

 

That's all I'm going to say in this thread, since it seems like another one of your conspiracy-masquerading-as-tech-news posts.

FYI, bias and fact checker websites tend to, themselves, be propaganda projects aiming to influence public perception. Media Bias / Fact Check certainly falls into that category.

 

People with an ability to evaluate things for themselves don't rely on 'bias-checking' sites to program their thinking for them.

[rcmaehl]

9 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

https://www.facebook.com/inthenow/

Should be on every news page to be honest. I'm sure most of them would show a subsidiary of Sinclair.
 

Quote

 

If it was blocked I shouldn't have been able to post it. But, I was able to post it, but doing so locked my ability to post or edit wall posts.

 

I can post porn on facebook despite it being blocked. Once again, it will lock my account temporarily.
 

Quote

That's true. The OP, which includes some examples of companies knowingly participating in government operations to collect personal data, doesn't argue against that.

Most which are from the Russian media sources, yes.
 

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The image is information to be considered, not a statement of fact.

You are very bad at separating what you consider to be facts from information to be considered. Consider improving this.

[BuckGup]

If you go to Facebook for your news there is something wrong lol. Facebook, instagram, trumblr, and reddit are horrible sources for news. 

[Delicieuxz]

26 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

Should be on every news page to be honest. I'm sure most of them would show a subsidiary of Sinclair.

I think that would be a good thing. But, it isn't required of any other news source. So, it's a double standard and that is deserving of being reported.

 

By the way, the article in the OP mentions which sites were banned. You could have verified the claim yourself with ease.

 

Quote

I can post porn on facebook despite it being blocked. Once again, it will lock my account.

Something established as being not suitable public content is not analogous to normally posting a news article from a popular news site which has no history of being opposed by Facebook.

 

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Most which are from the Russian media sources.

That is completely false. Literally, none of the disclosures referenced in the OP about companies knowingly partnering with the US government to share data come from Russian news sources - even the announcement of Facebook partnering with Atlantic Council that RT reported on comes from... Facebook, who published the announcement on their website.

 

Wired, Bloomberg, The Guardian, Twitter, WikiLeaks, The Intercept, IT Pro Portal, ZDNet, The Register... which of these outlets who have reported on data harvesting activities between US companies and the US government are you referring to with your "Russian media sources" remark?

 

You've just been caught fabricating a claim - one that no one who had bothered to read the post you have tried to critique would have made. What was your motivation for skipping all objective and reasoned thought and jumping straight to a baseless assertion that attempted to naysay what you didn't read? Knee-jerk reactionary propaganda-apologist much?

 

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You are very bad at separating what you consider to be facts from information to be considered. Consider improving this.

Looking at your responses where you have continuously imagined reading things that weren't said (with me having corrected those assumptions in my responses), I can soundly say that you are projecting right now - which means that you not only are showing yourself to be very poor at evaluating information that is before you, but you're also being a hypocrite. And you even outright made up a fantastical claim that the information about companies partnering with the US government to share data all came from Russia - a type of claim that I think is commonly called a lie.

 

Also, despite your attempts to create an angle of attack by repeatedly misconstruing what I'd said, every one of your twists has been corrected by me, and you ultimately have presented a big load of nothing to say in criticism of the OP. Obviously, you are not being motivated by an interest in being objective.

 

So, I hope that you will consider improving yourself in regards to these things.

[rcmaehl]

11 minutes ago, Delicieuxz said:

You've just been caught fabricating a claim. What was your motivation?

It's not fabrication of a claim, It was in reference of your OP. Feel free to diversify your sources but you've limited yourself to the same couple sources within it. 

 

Quote

Looking at your responses where you have continuously imagined reading things that weren't said

Much easier to get people to be much more forthcoming by posting the wrong information and slight twists. You can easily read the motivations and opinions of said person by how they respond.

 

Quote

And you even outright made up a fantastical claim that the information about companies partnering with the US government to share data all came from Russia - a type of claim that I think is commonly called a lie.

See my original response in this reply.

 

Quote

Also, despite your attempts to create an angle of attack by repeatedly misconstruing what I'd said, every one of your twists has been corrected by me, and you ultimately have presented a big load of nothing to say in criticism of the OP.

Once again, I've voiced a slight preview of my opinions in my replies. Criticism is not my full intent.
 

Quote

Obviously, you are not being motivated by an interest in being objective.

That is correct.

[Delicieuxz]

15 minutes ago, rcmaehl said:

It's not fabrication of a claim, It was in reference of your OP. Feel free to diversify your sources but you've limited yourself to the same couple sources within it.

The OP sources in the order that they appear are:

 

The Intercept

RT

Twitter (as the company) / WikiLeaks

Me (a link to another post of mine on LTT)

RT

Zero Hedge

Me (another post on LTT)

Wired

Wikipedia page for DARPA's LifeLog project

Tech Target

Bloomberg

The Morning Call

Forbes

The Intercept

All your base are belong to us.

 

There are a total of 15 sources and 11 unique non-Allyourbasearebelongtous sources linked-to in the OP.

 

The most number of times that any source appears is twice. Each of The Intercept, RT, and myself are linked-to twice.

 

One of the RT articles details Facebook blocking Russia-funded pages and isn't about companies sharing data with the US government.

 

If you go to one of my other posts that are linked-to in the OP, you will find many, many more unique sources.

 

 

So, your claim is not true.

 

Quote

Much easier to get people to be much more forthcoming is to post the wrong information and slight twists. You can easily read the motivations and opinions of said person by how they respond.

 

See my original response in this reply.

 

Once again, I've voiced a slight preview of my opinions in my replies. Criticism is not my full intent.
 

That is correct.

Acting disingenuously to provoke a reaction in social media is commonly referred to as "trolling".

[colonel_mortis]

This topic appears to have a very political basis. Sure, it relates to tech, but the resulting discussion is devolving fast towards a political argument, and that is very much not allowed on here.

 

While there are a lot of claims made in this post, the part that relates to the title and constitutes news is this:

Spoiler

 

1 hour ago, Delicieuxz said:

Last month, Facebook banned some popular pages that receive funding from Russia on the grounds that they receive funding from Russia, even though those pages hadn't violated any Facebook rules.

 

After appeals, Facebook restored those pages, but with the caveat that they state on their profiles they receive funding from Russia - which is a draconian measure, considering that no other pages are required to do the same about where there funding comes from.

 

This month, there have been reports that Facebook is blocking links to Zero Hedge, which is a site that posts news pretty neutrally and so often contains unflattering information about Western geopolitics that wouldn't get covered in mainstream news:

 

Facebook Bans Zero Hedge

Quote

Over the weekend, we were surprised to learn that some readers were prevented by Facebook when attempting to share Zero Hedge articles. Subsequently it emerged that virtually every attempt to share or merely mention an article, including in private messages, would be actively blocked by the world's largest social network, with the explanation that "the link you tried to visit goes against our community standards."

 

We were especially surprised by this action as neither prior to this seemingly arbitrary act of censorship, nor since, were we contacted by Facebook with an explanation of what "community standard" had been violated or what particular filter or article had triggered the blanket rejection of all Zero Hedge content.

 

To be sure, as a for-profit enterprise with its own unique set of corporate "ethics", Facebook has every right to impose whatever filters it desires on the media shared on its platform. It is entirely possible that one or more posts was flagged by Facebook's "triggered" readers who merely alerted a censorship algo which blocked all content.

 

Alternatively, it is just as possible that Facebook simply decided to no longer allow its users to share our content in retaliation for our extensive coverage of what some have dubbed the platform's "many problems", including chronic privacy violations, mass abandonment by younger users, its gross and ongoing misrepresentation of fake users, ironically - in retrospect - its systematic censorship  and back door government cooperation (those are just links from the past few weeks).

 

As of making this post, it seems that it is possible to post links to Zero Hedge again. However, When I posted the article "Facebook Bans Zero Hedge" on my Facebook page a bit ago, my account was immediately auto-locked from being able to make new wall posts and from editing any of the wall posts that already exist on my Facebook page. I am currently able to comment on wall posts and to edit my comments on wall posts, but I'm blocked from creating and editing wall posts.

 

The lock-down on my Facebook account occurred immediately after making the post, and my previous activity on Facebook was 13 hours before posting the Zero Hedge article to my Facebook wall.

 

 

For topics as polititically charged as this one, if the topic were to ever be allowed it would need to approach it from an impartial viewpoint. The only source for the site having been banned in your post is the banned site itself, and it is not reasonable to assume that they will have written about their own ban from an impartial viewpoint on the critical issue of why it was blocked; without impartial sources for that, there aren't any objective conclusions that can be drawn.

 

Facebook is blocking more sites, but this topic contains views that stray too close to politics and too far from objectivity to be a suitable topic for discussion here.

 

Topic Locked.