A news dump last Friday revealed this:
Stories likely to cause controversy or damage to a political faction are often publicized on Friday afternoons, whereby they will get less attention.
The juicy bits from the article:
***
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. military launched a secret campaign to counter what it perceived as China’s growing influence in the Philippines, a nation hit especially hard by the deadly virus.
The clandestine operation has not been previously reported. It aimed to sow doubt about the safety and efficacy of vaccines and other life-saving aid that was being supplied by China, a Reuters investigation found. Through phony internet accounts meant to impersonate Filipinos, the military’s propaganda efforts morphed into an anti-vax campaign. Social media posts decried the quality of face masks, test kits and the first vaccine that would become available in the Philippines – China’s Sinovac inoculation.
...
The U.S. military is prohibited from targeting Americans with propaganda, and Reuters found no evidence the Pentagon’s influence operation did so.
Clandestine psychological operations are among the government’s most highly sensitive programs. Knowledge of their existence is limited to a small group of people within U.S. intelligence and military agencies. Such programs are treated with special caution because their exposure could damage foreign alliances or escalate conflict with rivals.
***
I am aware that other countries do similar things. That is wrong as well, at least in general. There was relentless bellyaching and pearl-clutching for 4 years in the US about supposed Russian meddling in 2016 election. There was even an attempt by former CIA officials to discredit the Hunter Biden laptop story as Russian disinformation. It turned out that the laptop story was true.
It's especially galling that not long after the US military covertly tried to discourage foreigners from getting vaccinated, the US government mandated vaccinations for its own citizens. That vaccine turned out to be far less effective than promised.
The US should not be waging PSYOP campaigns against countries we are at peace with. Wartime is a different story.
Aside from being unethical, such actions are wasteful, ineffective, and damaging to the US in the long-term.
Frederick Douglass said: he is a lover of his country who rebukes and does not excuse its sins.
I should also note that while the US government and military are forbidden from conducting PSYOPs on US citizens, there is nothing stopping them from hiring a private company to do the same. Indeed, such contractors are often used to prevent disclosures by FOIA (Freedom of Information Act).
There is no doubt in my mind that many questionable and illegal activities are being undertaken by such groups now with US citizens as the targets. Corporations like Dynology and ClearForce come to mind.
Here is a recent screenshot from ClearForce's website:
If they are confident in the ability of AI and Machine Learning to prevent suicide, that heavily implies they use the same tools for other (malevolent) kinds of psychological manipulation.
The only real solution is to reduce the US government to the minimal role outlined in the Constitution. There is little chance of that happening given the current political climate. In the meantime, a good defense is to always ask yourself "who wants me to believe this and why?" when reading the news or government announcements.
It's also good to remember that there is a record of nearly everything anyone does on the internet somewhere. The following video of the Parkland shooter's trial is a good example of that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=13ZmLvzwD7U
My guess it was the shooter's ISP who had the data, which included his emails and search history. ISPs are perfectly happy to sell such info to anyone who will pay for it, as well as turn it over to the government. When I was being briefed for work at NSA, I was shown a screenshot of a company that for $3 would provide a complete record of anyone's web browsing, social media, etc. There was some exaggeration there, but the essence is true.
If you want privacy above all, the only real way to get it is to minimize your use of the internet and any electronics that can connect to it. Basically, pay for everything in cash, use a landline phone, and do not use email or social media. Limited internet usage on public library computers is safe though.
It's too late for me to get my privacy back, but that's OK. I haven't missed it much. For those who do care, I offer my expert advice above.
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