What is Surveillance Capitalism and Psy War? > Dr Robert Malone, Shoshana Zuboff

 

Surveillance Capitalism and PsyWar

Explanation of the central business model of Google, Facebook, and most social media

ROBERT W MALONE MD, MS

JUL 28, 2024

Surveillance capitalism is a novel economic system that has emerged in the digital era. It is characterized by the unilateral claim of private human experience as free raw material for translation into behavioral data. In this version of capitalism, predicting and influencing behavior (political and economic) rather than producing goods and services is the primary product. This economic logic prioritizes extracting, processing, and trading personal data to predict and influence human behavior by exploiting those predictions for various economic (marketing) and political objectives. 

In many cases, surveillance capitalism merges with PsyWar tools and technologies to power the modern surveillance state, giving rise to a new form of Fascism (public-private partnerships) known as techno-totalitarianism.  Leading corporations employing the surveillance capitalism business model include Google, Amazon and Facebook.  Surveillance capitalism has now fused with the science and theory of psychology, marketing, and algorithmic manipulation of online information to give rise to propaganda and censorship capabilities that go far beyond those imagined by the twentieth-century predictions of Aldous Huxley and George Orwell.

Key Features of Surveillance Capitalism

1. One-way mirror operations: Surveillance capitalists engineer operations to operate in secrecy, hiding their methods and intentions from users, who are unaware of the extent of data collection and analysis.

2. Instrumentation power: Surveillance capitalists wield power by designing systems that cultivate “radical indifference,” rendering users oblivious to their observations and manipulations.

3. Behavioral futures markets: The extracted data is traded in new markets, enabling companies to bet on users’ future behavior, generating immense wealth for surveillance capitalists.

4. Collaboration with the state: Surveillance capitalism often involves partnerships with governments, leveraging favorable laws, policing, and information sharing to further entrench its power.

Mich more on this article and on Shoshana Zuboff at:

Historical Development

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Five Eyes Countries Fight Back Against Cyber Crimes, But Ignore CSAM

..

Canadian spy agency targeted foreign hackers to ‘impose a cost’

for cybercrime

Unfortunately, Child Sex Abuse Images are not one of them

By Alex Boutilier  Global News

Posted December 7, 2021 9:47 am

Canada’s electronic spy agency acknowledged Monday it has conducted cyber operations against foreign hackers to “impose a cost” for the growing levels of cybercrime.

It is the first time the Communications Security Establishment (CSE) has publicly acknowledged the use of “foreign cyber operations” — a category of operations that can include both “active” (offensive) or defensive cyber tools.

The agency said its new mandate “gives CSE the legal authority to conduct cyber operations to disrupt foreign-based threats to Canada, including cybercriminals.”

“Although we cannot comment on our use of foreign cyber operations (active and defensive cyber operations) or provide operational statistics, we can confirm we have the tools we need to impose a cost on the people behind these kinds of incidents,” wrote CSE spokesperson Evan Koronewski in a statement to Global News.

“We can also confirm we are using these tools for such purposes, and working together with Canadian law enforcement where appropriate against cybercrime.”

CSE’s acknowledgment of cyber operations against non-state actors is being called a “watershed” moment for the agency, which operated largely in the shadows until thrust into headlines by Edward Snowden’s disclosures in 2013.

The agency was given explicit authority to conduct “active” operations by the Liberal government in 2019 — albeit under considerable restrictions. The example the agency likes to use is taking action to disrupt a terrorist group’s communications networks to prevent them from planning an attack. Another example would be shutting down networks of a criminal or state-backed group that is actively hacking the Canadian government.

Because hacking a criminal group, intelligence agency or terrorist organization based in a foreign country could violate that country’s laws, CSE’s active measures require the sign-off of both the minister of defence and the foreign affairs minister. The actions must not target Canadians or anyone in Canada.

“(This) marks a time where, rather than relying on a criminal justice agency to address criminal behaviours, the Canadian government is instead using its most secretive and best-resourced intelligence agency to impede the activities of criminals,” Christopher Parsons, a cybersecurity researcher with Citizen Lab, told Global News.

“While it is positive that the CSE is admitting it has used these powers — and, in doing so, has joined the ranks of its other Five Eyes intelligence partners — there is still much to learn. … (Does this) signify the Government of Canada will be increasingly reliant on cyber operations to disrupt criminals, without trial or conviction, instead of trying to bring them to justice?”

The cyber intelligence agency, along with the RCMP, warned Monday that ransomware attacks against critical Canadian sectors — such as health care, energy and manufacturing — are on the rise.

The Liberal government released an open letter to Canadians urging organizations to beef up their cybersecurity, noting that the cost of ransomware attacks —where hackers lock down networks and data, and demand a ransom to unlock them — are increasing dramatically over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Together with law enforcement, and other federal and international partners, we are working hard to make threat information more publicly available and provide you with specific advice and guidance to help you stay safe from the impacts of ransomware,” the letter, signed by four Liberal cabinet ministers, read.

“Canada is also working closely with our allies to pursue cyber threat actors and disrupt their capabilities.”

There are signs — including CSE’s public acknowledgment Monday — that those “disruption” efforts are increasing.

On Monday, the New York Times reported that Gen. Paul Nakasone, the head of U.S. Cyber Command, acknowledged the military had turned its sophisticated cyber arsenal against criminal hackers.

“The first thing we have to do is to understand the adversary and their insights better than we’ve ever understood them before,” Nakasone told the Times, indicating ransomware groups were among those targeted.

“Before, during and since, with a number of elements of our government, we have taken actions and we have imposed costs. … That’s an important piece that we should always be mindful of.”

That language of “imposing costs” — which CSE also deployed — is significant, said Carleton University professor and security researcher Stephanie Carvin. Carvin said it implies the actions CSE is taking is not just to stop hacks against Canadian organizations, but as a deterrent.

“It’s a big day in Canadian cybersecurity history,” Carvin, a former intelligence analyst, said in an interview.

“Cybercrime is the primary cyber threat to Canada. … I wonder if the confirmation itself is just kind of the CSE acknowledging the scope of the problem is so severe that they have to become involved as well.”

Unfortunately, the primary cyber threat in Canada and most other countries is child sexual abuse images. But governments don't understand this, nor do they understand the destruction being done especially to a generation of girls by this horrific crime. 

Canada has done literally nothing to address this issue in the 6 years of Trudeau's hapless government.

Singapore Passes Controversial Anti-Fake News Law

It might be the first attempt to clean up a few of the lies on the internet

By Clyde Hughes

Singapore's parliament passed a sweeping anti-fake news law Wednesday that gives government officials wide-ranging powers against alleged bogus news sites and misinformation. Photo by Harish Tyagi/EPA-EFE

(UPI) -- Singapore's parliament has passed a wide-ranging anti-fake news law that some fear could lead to censorship and abuse of power.

The Protection From Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act, passed Wednesday, gives government leaders sweeping powers to remove content, block websites and demand changes to content. Violators can be imprisoned for up to 10 years and be fined as much as $735,080.

The bill needs to be signed by President Halimah Yacob to become law.

Critics said the bill would empower government officials to determine what facts are, which would lead to free-speech violations against their opponents. They argued that private companies and fact-checking websites should determine false stories and educate the public on responsible journalism.

Supporters said that the law targets factually incorrect statements but does not apply to opinion, criticism, satire or parody.

"Free speech should not be affected by this bill," Singapore law minister K. Shanmugam told parliament. "We are talking here about falsehoods. We are talking about bots, trolls, fake accounts and so on. The working of a democratic society depends on the members of that society being informed and not misinformed."

Phil Robertson, deputy director of Human Rights Watch's Asia division, called Singapore's new law a threat to press freedom there.

"This is really moving toward a Big Brother style of control and censorship project," Robertson told the BBC. "It's a direct threat to freedom of expression and is something the entire world should be alarmed about."

Singapore civil rights activist Kirsten Han said that the law could give those opposing the government pause, knowing the law could be used against them.

"What would be the effect on our online space to engage in discourse when the platforms we use are required to serve government notices -- or, to speak even more frankly, government propaganda -- to its users?" Han said.

This will be an interesting experiment to watch.

Papua New Guinea’s Facebook Ban: Govt Declares War on Porn & Fake News

Great idea: get control of it early

Facebook is set to be banned in Papua New Guinea while the government hunts out fake profiles and porn, and assesses the social media network’s effect on the population, the country’s communications minister has said.

Papua New Guinea’s (PNG) Communications and Information Technology Department, together with the National Research Institute, will research how the platform is being used by locals, and Facebook will be banned in PNG for one month.

“The time will allow information to be collected to identify users that hide behind fake accounts, users that upload pornographic images, users that post false and misleading information on Facebook to be filtered and removed,” Communications Minister Sam Basil told local media outlet the Post-Courier.

Basil also floated the idea that PNG could create its own indigenous version of Facebook to rival the social network, as the country seeks to clamp down on the spread of so-called fake news and the dissemination of pornagraphic images.

Out of a population of just over 8 million, only an estimated 12 percent of those have access to the internet.

Further to conducting an audit of Facebook, the month-long outage also gives the government time to enforce the CyberCrime Act, passed in 2016, which criminalises online activities including hacking, cyber-bullying, identity theft, unlawful advertising, and the production and publication of pornography.

The world’s largest social network has come under increasing scrutiny from government in recent months over how user data is managed – and by whom – in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

The Making of a Mass Murderer in Canada

Quebec City mosque shooter obsessed with mass murderers since adolescence

'I regret not shooting more people,' Alexandre Bisonnette says in report presented during sentencing arguments

Julia Page · CBC News ·

Alexandre Bissonnette was charged with six counts of first-degree murder and six counts of attempted murder in connection with the Jan. 29, 2017 shooting. (Canadian Press, Handout/Sûreté du Québec )

Alexandre Bissonnette's obsession with mass murderers started when he was an adolescent, and he had wanted to carry out a mass killing ever since, a Quebec City court heard on Monday.

A report written by social worker Guylaine Cayouette set off cries of horror inside the courtroom when it was presented as evidence on Monday by the Crown at sentencing arguments for the 28-year-old.

Bissonnette pleaded guilty in March to six counts of first degree murder, as well as six counts of attempted murder for the Jan. 29, 2017 shooting.

Quebec Superior Court Justice François Huot must decide whether Bissonnette will be eligible for parole after 25 years, or not at all. Huot has the possibility of adding up the parole eligibility sentences, which could mean 150 years behind bars.

Cayouette, Bissonnette's liaison officer, filed the report after a meeting with him on Sept. 20, 2017. That day, she wrote, Bissonnette carried himself differently from the man she had met, almost weekly, since his arrest.

Bissonnette told her he was tired of playing a game, and that he remembered everything about the attack.

In contrast to his muddled responses to police immediately after the shooting, Bissonnette described in detail what happened when he approached the mosque in the Quebec City suburb of Sainte-Foy.

He said when he entered the prayer room, an old man grabbed his arm, presumably Azzeddine Soufiane, who tried to disarm Bissonnette that night.

"I shot him. I regret not shooting more people," he told Cayouette.

Alexandre Bissonnette wears a Make America Great Again hat of the kind used in President Donald Trump's 2016 election campaign. (Court handout)

Inside the courtroom, families of the victims cried out as the report was read aloud. They also heard that Bissonnette said he could have killed anyone, not just Muslims.

When court adjourned for break, Bissonnette stood up looking directly at the audience, with what looked like a huge smile.

Hours scouring the Internet

Earlier in the day, the court heard how Bissonnette spent hours in front of his computer screen looking up mass shootings, Islam and U.S. immigration policies in the days leading up to the shooting.

During the month of January 2017, he typed in the words "shooting" and "shooter" 150 times in his search engine, a police report presented as evidence shows.

The six victims of the Quebec Mosque shooting, clockwise from left: Mamadou Tanou Barry, Azzeddine Soufiane, Abdelkrim Hassane, Ibrahima Barry, Aboubaker Thabti and Khaled Belkacemi. (CBC)

He also looked for information about the Quebec Islamic Cultural Centre and the Muslim students association at Laval University 82 times during that month and 12 times in the hours before shooting.

Bissonnette seemed particularly interested in Dylann Roof, a white supremacist who killed nine churchgoers inside a church in South Carolina, searching for references to the mass murderer 201 times during that month.

He also looked up references to Marc Lépine, the man convicted of killing 14 women in 1989 at the Polytechnique engineering school, and looked into feminist groups at Laval University. 

A photo of Bissonnette found on his computer shows him wearing a red baseball cap with the slogan used by Donald Trump during his presidential campaign, Make America Great Again. 

Bissonnette read several articles detailing Trump's executive order which would have temporarily banned people from seven Muslim-majority countries from entering the U.S.

He also consulted Donald Trump's twitter feed on a daily basis, Jacques said.

The evidence presented on Monday supported information found in Bissonnette's interrogation video, which was presented last Friday.

Just two hours before entering the Sainte-Foy mosque and firing his gun 48 times, Bissonnette read a tweet from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, which welcomed "those fleeing persecution" into Canada, according to evidence presented Monday.

Victim impact statements were set to begin Monday afternoon.

Madness, obsession, or demonic influence

As I mentioned before, I would bet money that Bissonette began smoking pot as an adolescent. Pot, in adolescence frequently results in schizophrenia, paranoia, and other psychotic diseases. 

Another way of looking at it is as demonic activity. Bissonette's fixation with mass murders could easily be associated with a demon, a powerful demon. He said, in an article posted here a couple days ago, (same link as just above) that he was convinced a massacre would happen soon. He thought it would be Muslim driven, but it turned out he was the terrorist. A demon can put that kind of fear into a person's head and fix their attention on it.

Did Bissonette surrender himself to the demon when he decided to tell Cayouette the truth and his entire demeanor changed? Was the demon speaking when he stated that he wished he had killed more? Was that the demon smiling at the families of the victims when Bissonette turned around in the courtroom? 

I expect most of you don't believe in demons, but I can tell you, this sounds like just the way they act.

ISIS Shares Information of Belgian Military to 300 Contacts in Europe - Reports

It's called terrorism because it is terrifying. Knowing that lunatics seduced by ISIS propaganda have information on you and your family must be horrifying for those soldiers. 

© Francois Lenoir / Reuters

The Islamic State’s infamous French speaker, Rachid Kassim, was found distributing details, including pictures, of several Belgian soldiers to hundreds of his contacts in what authorities believed to be an incitement to terrorism.

According to the Belgian La Dernière Heure and Het Laatste Nieuws newspapers, Kassim sent the information to his network of around 300 people through the encrypted messaging service Telegram.

The message, entitled “orders to brothers of Belgium,” also included soldiers’ details taken from their social networks.

The authorities requested that the media refrain for 24 hours from publishing the sensitive information. A Belgian Ministry of Defense spokesperson confirmed that a “very serious” inquiry was now taking place and “being closely monitored by army intelligence services.”

“We must put these threats in the overall context,” said Belgium’s Chief of Defense General Marc Compernol. “This is something we are following with our intelligence and security services.”

“In the current environment we must be vigilant regarding the published content.”

The soldiers whose information was shared have been alerted and extra precautionary measures have been put in place.

Kassim, a 29-year-old French citizen from Lyon, has reportedly become the most dangerous propaganda agent for the Islamic State in the French-speaking world. Authorities suspect he orchestrated the recent terrorist attacks on French soil online, from an unknown location somewhere on the Iraq-Syria border.

Why is it that internet capabilities haven't been shut down in northern Iraq and Syria? Surely it can't be that hard.

French intelligence services were credited with intercepting Kassim’s messages on Telegram since the murder of a Catholic priest in the sleepy French town of Saint-Etienne-du-Rouvray in July. His contacts are often vulnerable minors, many of whom have since been arrested in France.

Small Kurdish Girl Pictured Firing a Huge Machine Gun

What is the world coming to when even the 'good guys' teach their little children to kill? If there are any 'good guys'?

BBC Trending
Does a video of a Kurdish girl firing a machine gun mean that those fighting Islamic State are now mimicking their propaganda techniques?

The girl looks about six or seven years old. She chats away with an off-camera adult, possibly her father, who asks her how many Islamic State fighters she has killed. "Four hundred!" she says, speaking in a Kurdish dialect local to Sulaymaniyah in northern Iraq.

'Four hundred", she's hardly old enough to count to 400.

Then the little girl leans over a machine gun bigger than she is, and using both hands, she fires away into the distance. As the shots echo across the desert, the man behind the camera eggs her on: "Kill! Kill!"

The striking footage appears to have first surfaced in mid-January on a Facebook page devoted to pro-Kurdish videos, and shortly thereafter it cropped up on a YouTube channel called "Kurdish YPG". The YPG, or People's Protection Units, are the armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party in Syria.

The Kurdish YPG channel includes several other films glorifying the famous female Kurdish fighting battalions, alongside films about cooking potatoes and other random subjects. The channel also includes reports ripped straight from news organisations - here's a link to the original version of one of the news reports featured on the channel, a BBC video about Kurdish female warriors.

It's unclear how popular the video of the girl was until the social news site Vocativ reported on it a week ago - but since then other news outlets have picked up the story and various versions have clocked up hundreds of thousands of views in total.

The Islamic State militants who control huge areas in Syria and Iraq have increasingly been using children in propaganda videos. So does the video of the girl herald a new propaganda tactic on the part of Kurdish militias who are fighting IS?

It's unlikely, according to media analyst Hiwa Osman. "I think this is an isolated incident," he told BBC Trending via phone from the Iraqi city of Irbil. "I haven't seen other videos such as this - the most militarised pictures I've seen are of children dressing in the clothes of the Peshmerga [Iraqi Kurdistan fighters] for celebrations."

Osman added that Kurdish leaders in northern Iraq have gone out of their way to avoid mimicking the techniques of Islamic State. "After a failed [IS] attack in Kirkuk, one of the militants fell into the hands of the public, and the people who captured him were angry, and they beheaded him. The military leaders and the political leaders in the area came out strongly against the beheading. They don't want to be seen to be using the tactics of ISIS."

It's also clear that the girl isn't actually shooting at IS troops, says British-Kurdish blogger Ruwayda Mustafah. There are no other fighters or any other people pictured in the video, and the girl and the man behind the camera don't appear to be in any danger.

"I've seen the footage on several Facebook pages in Kurdish. Most people are outraged at the prospect of a young girl 'shooting'" Mustafah says. "But it's obvious from the video that this is just sensationalist and not factual ... the girl in the video hasn't really killed 400 ISIS terrorists."

Messages to the Facebook account that initially posted the video went unanswered, but Trending did manage to speak to the man behind the YouTube channel. The man, who (somewhat oddly) lives in Gaza, says he has no Kurdish family connection - he says he simply admires the Kurdish fighters and also runs websites and blogs devoted to the Russian Army and other fighting forces.