Unfortunately, the only way anyone is going to stop an agency under a republican administrations grab for more data is by lawsuit. They're beyond the point of caring about the optics.
Draining the swamp by pumping swampy water into new places and transforming them into swamp that the American people will have to endure for decades to come with little chance of undoing short of hardcore socialism.
They support it as they're so well connected to the GOP establishment now, any reform will include a barely concealed 'but not facebook' clause, so they'll never have to change in any meaningful way and only their rivals suffer the consequences.
They would do the same thing if Cambridge Analytica hadn't happened because facebook is a huge rock they don't want anyone looking beneath. The more people see what's being hidden from view, the more they're repulsed and that's bad for the bottom line, and the analytica scandal gives them convenient cover for when they go after legitimate research.
As countless corrupt regimes have shown, when you delete the records of misconduct, it makes it harder for people who actually care about the law to conduct a proper investigation down the line.
They'll threaten it, but when push comes to shove, the only way they'll actually go through with it is if they believe Bill Barr will let the justice department take over and foot the bill. The Trump family really do not like dipping their hands in their pockets for these things and I doubt any reputable lawfirm wants to represent a client who'll rip them off to get in the middle of a republican catfight.
But how are the federal forces meant to do the job nobody asked them to do if they can't do it in absolute secrecy with the ability to have any and all footage of their actions just vanish into the ether? Their criminal actions are only criminal if there are witnesses. Won't someone please think of the unaccountable shock troops!?
Looks like we've found that guy from social media who tweets and dismisses the validity of an argument because it didn't generate a thousand likes in twenty minutes.
Wouldn't a liberal hivemind, if such a thing existed, spam the comments with fawning praise? Come on, you can't whine and dismiss all criticism of Trump's assault on free speech and the institutions of government as a left wing circle jerk if all parties aren't jerking.
The republican economic lie in action, throw taxpayer money at private businesses to create the illusion of growth while slashing and burning the social safety net to pretend to balance the books. Pay no attention to the poverty, pay no attention to the way the house of cards collapses every decade, just look at the shiny number now!
And conservatives will continue to decry bias, because they don't want criticism or left wing content to be allowed at all. They quite liked being able to censor opponents and crush opposition to their policies during the Bush admin and will only ever be happy with that on steroids.
You say that, but the Iraq war, the Katrina response and all the surveillance laws should have followed republicans for the rest of time, yet here we are, with people looking back far more kindly on Bush than he will ever deserve.
He's appointed three supreme court justices and filled the court system with hard right, often unqualified conservative judges that will be in place for decades to come. He's weakened the western world and destroyed the faith world leaders have in America's word as they're never more than four years away from potentially electing a dangerous lunatic who'll renege on all treaties. People will forgive the GOP for this, as they did with Nixon and Bush, and these past few years will continue to have repercussions for the rest of our lives... So no, I don't think anyone will be thankful for Trump.
The problem conservatives have is that the audience they feel entitled to have aren't on these places as 'Like X, but with open racism' isn't the selling point they think it is.
They'll never be happy until the internet is as conservative dominated as talk radio, with their 'champions' able to vomit lies and hatred without ever having to worry about there being consequences to their actions. The idea of fairness only exists to them as a means to persuade centrists to grant an audience to their long debunked talking points, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories and religious screeds designed to play on their emotions. 'You've listened to the experts, now you have to listen to our nonsense and give it equal consideration, it's only fair!'
Oh by 2024 you'll all be cured of the brainworms that caused the derangement that lead you to support Trump, just like you pretended to be cured of them after Bush. 'Trump? We never supported Trump! We on the right were all calm and rational, and were every bit as critical of his hateful policies as everyone else!'
Republican policy is a lot like golden age superman, where he was legendary for developing new powers as the plot demanded, from super jellybean counting to super knitting. In the republican case, they produce policy according to whatever the nonsense argument du jour is, even if it directly contradicts what they wanted last week, and while Superman is immune to bullets, they're immune to hypocrisy as let's face it, nobody expects better from them.
If I lied on a topic every time I opened my mouth in front of an audience, I would lose the right to be treated as a reliable source on that topic and deservedly so.
On the post: EFF Asks Government To Dump DHS's Plan To Massively Expand Its Biometric Collections
Unfortunately, the only way anyone is going to stop an agency under a republican administrations grab for more data is by lawsuit. They're beyond the point of caring about the optics.
On the post: The Trump Swamp Fights Itself Over Multi-Billion Dollar No-Bid Spectrum Grab
Draining the swamp by pumping swampy water into new places and transforming them into swamp that the American people will have to endure for decades to come with little chance of undoing short of hardcore socialism.
On the post: Zuckerberg And Facebook Throw The Open Internet Under The Bus; Support Section 230 Reform
They support it as they're so well connected to the GOP establishment now, any reform will include a barely concealed 'but not facebook' clause, so they'll never have to change in any meaningful way and only their rivals suffer the consequences.
On the post: Facebook's Threat To NYU Researchers Is A Mistake, But It's The Inevitable Follow On To Overreaction To Cambridge Analytica
They would do the same thing if Cambridge Analytica hadn't happened because facebook is a huge rock they don't want anyone looking beneath. The more people see what's being hidden from view, the more they're repulsed and that's bad for the bottom line, and the analytica scandal gives them convenient cover for when they go after legitimate research.
On the post: CBP Is Asking The National Archives For Permission To Destroy Misconduct Records
As countless corrupt regimes have shown, when you delete the records of misconduct, it makes it harder for people who actually care about the law to conduct a proper investigation down the line.
On the post: Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner Threaten Defamation Suit Over Lincoln Project's Non-Defamatory Billboards
They'll threaten it, but when push comes to shove, the only way they'll actually go through with it is if they believe Bill Barr will let the justice department take over and foot the bill. The Trump family really do not like dipping their hands in their pockets for these things and I doubt any reputable lawfirm wants to represent a client who'll rip them off to get in the middle of a republican catfight.
On the post: We're Already Hyping 6G When 5G Hasn't Even Finished Disappointing Us Yet
Does this mean we can start the 6G conspiracy theories then? 6G waves are silencing conservative voices!
On the post: Appeals Court Reinstates Injunction Blocking Federal Agents From Assaulting Portland Journalists
But how are the federal forces meant to do the job nobody asked them to do if they can't do it in absolute secrecy with the ability to have any and all footage of their actions just vanish into the ether? Their criminal actions are only criminal if there are witnesses. Won't someone please think of the unaccountable shock troops!?
On the post: FCC Too Afraid To Go On Record To Truly Support Trump's Dumb Attack On Social Media
Re:
Looks like we've found that guy from social media who tweets and dismisses the validity of an argument because it didn't generate a thousand likes in twenty minutes.
On the post: FCC Too Afraid To Go On Record To Truly Support Trump's Dumb Attack On Social Media
Re:
Wouldn't a liberal hivemind, if such a thing existed, spam the comments with fawning praise? Come on, you can't whine and dismiss all criticism of Trump's assault on free speech and the institutions of government as a left wing circle jerk if all parties aren't jerking.
On the post: Federal Officers Are Still Struggling To Find Evidence Of A Massive Antifa Conspiracy
Re: Struggling To Find Evidence
I'm sure the CIA are working on that.
On the post: Employees Say Foxconn & Donald Trump's Wisconsin Factory Scam Was An Absurdist Hellscape
The republican economic lie in action, throw taxpayer money at private businesses to create the illusion of growth while slashing and burning the social safety net to pretend to balance the books. Pay no attention to the poverty, pay no attention to the way the house of cards collapses every decade, just look at the shiny number now!
On the post: Facebook Is So 'Biased Against Conservatives' That Mark Zuckerberg Personally Agreed To Diminish The Reach Of 'Left-Leaning' Sites
And conservatives will continue to decry bias, because they don't want criticism or left wing content to be allowed at all. They quite liked being able to censor opponents and crush opposition to their policies during the Bush admin and will only ever be happy with that on steroids.
On the post: The GOP's Blisteringly Hypocritical Road From Whining About Net Neutrality To Supporting Trump's Idiotic Attack On Social Media
Re:
You say that, but the Iraq war, the Katrina response and all the surveillance laws should have followed republicans for the rest of time, yet here we are, with people looking back far more kindly on Bush than he will ever deserve.
On the post: The GOP's Blisteringly Hypocritical Road From Whining About Net Neutrality To Supporting Trump's Idiotic Attack On Social Media
Re: The Dems should thank Trump
He's appointed three supreme court justices and filled the court system with hard right, often unqualified conservative judges that will be in place for decades to come. He's weakened the western world and destroyed the faith world leaders have in America's word as they're never more than four years away from potentially electing a dangerous lunatic who'll renege on all treaties. People will forgive the GOP for this, as they did with Nixon and Bush, and these past few years will continue to have repercussions for the rest of our lives... So no, I don't think anyone will be thankful for Trump.
On the post: The GOP's Blisteringly Hypocritical Road From Whining About Net Neutrality To Supporting Trump's Idiotic Attack On Social Media
Re: Not only that,
The problem conservatives have is that the audience they feel entitled to have aren't on these places as 'Like X, but with open racism' isn't the selling point they think it is.
On the post: The GOP's Blisteringly Hypocritical Road From Whining About Net Neutrality To Supporting Trump's Idiotic Attack On Social Media
They'll never be happy until the internet is as conservative dominated as talk radio, with their 'champions' able to vomit lies and hatred without ever having to worry about there being consequences to their actions. The idea of fairness only exists to them as a means to persuade centrists to grant an audience to their long debunked talking points, pseudoscience, conspiracy theories and religious screeds designed to play on their emotions. 'You've listened to the experts, now you have to listen to our nonsense and give it equal consideration, it's only fair!'
On the post: Funniest/Most Insightful Comments Of The Week At Techdirt
Re: Most of the content of this message
Oh by 2024 you'll all be cured of the brainworms that caused the derangement that lead you to support Trump, just like you pretended to be cured of them after Bush. 'Trump? We never supported Trump! We on the right were all calm and rational, and were every bit as critical of his hateful policies as everyone else!'
On the post: Ted Cruz Once Insisted That Net Neutrality Was The Gov't Takeover Of The Internet; Now Demands That Twitter Host All Nonsense
Republican policy is a lot like golden age superman, where he was legendary for developing new powers as the plot demanded, from super jellybean counting to super knitting. In the republican case, they produce policy according to whatever the nonsense argument du jour is, even if it directly contradicts what they wanted last week, and while Superman is immune to bullets, they're immune to hypocrisy as let's face it, nobody expects better from them.
On the post: Facebook & Twitter Try To Limit The Spread Of Sketchy NY Post Story; Leading To Ridiculous Trumpist Meltdown
Re: Re: Re: What the hell happened to Techdirt
If I lied on a topic every time I opened my mouth in front of an audience, I would lose the right to be treated as a reliable source on that topic and deservedly so.
Next >>