Economy
In reply to the discussion: Weekend Economists Get Syri-ous August 30-September 2, 2013 [View all]Demeter
(85,373 posts)The latest leaks on the NSA :http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/taxpayer_money_used_to_cover_prism_compliance_costs_20130823/
disclosed that it gave millions of dollars to several tech companies for their help with PRISM, the data mining program that allows the agency to collect private information on seemingly anyone it chooses. It may come as a shock to many that Googles among the companies that received a hefty monetary compensation for its compliance in these surveillance endeavors, especially after the company point-blank denied it, stating, Google does not have a backdoor for the government to access private user data.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, however, is not surprised. He writes in The Stringer: http://thestringer.com.au/google-and-the-nsa-whos-holding-the-shit-bag-now/#.UhsmKWTwJG5 (AN INTERESTING READ IN AND OF ITSELF)
Assange explains that in 2011, he received a visit from Eric Schmidt, the former chairman of Google, along with several others heavily involved in D.C. politics, including Schmidts then-girlfriend, Lisa Shields of the Council on Foreign Relations, and Jared Cohen, a former adviser to Hillary Clinton and Condoleezza Rice who is currently director of Google Ideas. Assange cites disquieting information regarding Cohen doing the U.S. governments dirty biddings in the Middle East and beyond, as revealed by WikiLeaks:
Google is getting WH [White House] and State Dept support and air cover. In reality they are doing things the CIA cannot do [Cohen] is going to get himself kidnapped or killed. Might be the best thing to happen to expose Googles covert role in foaming up-risings, to be blunt. The US Govt can then disavow knowledge and Google is left holding the shit-bag
In further internal communication, Burton subsequently clarifies his sources on Cohens activities as Marty Lev, Googles director of security and safety and..Eric Schmidt.
WikiLeaks cables also reveal that previously Cohen, when working for the State Department, was in Afghanistan trying to convince the four major Afghan mobile phone companies to move their antennas onto US military bases. In Lebanon he covertly worked to establish, on behalf of the State Department, an anti-Hezbollah Shia think tank. And in London? He was offering Bollywood film executives funds to insert anti-extremist content into Bollywood films and promising to connect them to related networks in Hollywood. That is the Director of Google Ideas. Cohen is effectively Googles director of regime change. He is the State Department channeling Silicon Valley.
Google was right in saying it doesnt have a backdoor for government; its front door is wide open.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article35976.htm