This whole “China is the real violator of American civil rights” thing is going to make me actually punch the wall.
Sure, the government announced after the Capitol Storm that they are now buying people’s private data from the tech companies and using it for indictments. The New York Times reported it, but buried the lede, making it sound like it was just related to your location data (which is bad enough).
DIA is purchasing smartphone metadata of Americans to get around warrant requirements.
In other words, the gov't is using your tax dollars to buy your and store your data.
Good reporting by @charlie_savage https://t.co/V76vg9p9eJ pic.twitter.com/FGOgxjTthq
— Techno Fog (@Techno_Fog) January 22, 2021
It’s not just about location data. All of the data that you input into Facebook, Google, or any other big tech platform (besides, allegedly, Apple) is “commercially available” if these companies decide to make it “commercially available.”
The terms of service of these companies basically say “all your base are belong to us.”
It’s an absolutely unbelievable thing that is going on. They have literally built these tech companies as omniscient spying agencies.
But hey no – look over there at those small eye people on the other side of the planet!
IBT:
The Chinese government may have stolen personal data from 80% of American adults, according to a “60 Minutes” report.
Bill Evanina, former director of the U.S. National Counterintelligence and Security Center, on Sunday appeared on CBS’ 60 Minutes when he warned that Beijing is attempting to collect and exploit Americans’ health care information, including their DNA.
According to the intelligence official, BGI Group — the world’s largest biotech firm — approached Washington and five other states with offers to build and run state-of-the-art coronavirus testing labs. The Chinese firm also promised to “provide technical expertise, high throughput sequences” and “make additional donations” to the states.
The offer raised suspicions, prompting Evanina to issue warnings to the states against taking up BGI Group’s proposal.
“Foreign powers can collect, store and exploit biometric information from covid tests,” the advisory read. “Knowing that BGI is a Chinese company, do we understand where that data’s going?”
Evanina also claimed that China used “less-than-honorable” methods to steal data from foreign countries, including hacking health care companies and technology — such as smart homes, sensors and 5G networks—in the U.S. to collect Americans’ personal data.
“Current estimates are that 80% of American adults have had all of their personally identifiable information stolen by the Communist Party of China,” he said.
Okay.
Just erase everything from your mind, and imagine there are two random countries with powerful governments, and you live in one of those countries. Would you rather have your own country or the foreign country spying on you?
Obviously, just as a matter of simple fact, outside of any of the bullshit, it is better to be spied on by foreigners than by your own government.
I don’t even think China is doing this. But what difference does it make? What is a foreign government going to do with your data? You know what the US government is going to use that data for. They’re going to build a file on you, and potentially use it to manipulate or prosecute you for your thoughts.
What is even the implied threat of China having this information?
I don’t think there is one. I don’t see how it could matter, or what they could even in theory do with it.
This is purely: “Look at those strange people over there that are different from you! They are up to no good! Just look at their little tiny eyes!”
Racism is a biological function, and foreigners naturally are perceived as a threat, basically on the level of the lizard brain. So convincing you the Chinese are trying to do something devious to you, that they’re watching you with their tiny, black eyes and plotting something maniacal, is like punching rats in a bucket.
This is the same thing they did with the Moslems. They told you Saddam Hussein, a man who ran a country where people were riding camels through the capital city, was going to nuke America. That did not make any sense whatsoever, on any level at all, but people bought it because these were strange beard people with towels on their heads who maybe lived in caves and worshipped an evil black rock.
I remember asking people: “But if Iraq nuked America, wouldn’t that trigger an automatic bombing of every city in their country that would kill basically everyone that lives there?”
People would pause, and I could watch the wheels turning. Eventually, they would say: “Yes.”
And I would then follow up with: “So why would Saddam Hussein do that?”
And they would say: “I don’t know. Because he’s crazy.”
I was a teenager, and I didn’t know any of the stuff that I know now, really. It was just an obvious logic problem with the claims that were being made.
That is the same level of “Chinese spying.” It is low level nonsense appealing to the fear that people naturally – and rightfully, on some level – have of people who are different than them.