Retailers Are Charging You More Based on Your Data. Here’s What You Can Do.
https://reclaimthenet.org/surveillance-pricing-algorithms-data-driven-personalized-pricing?utm_source=fediverse
@Shlomo @RaHoWaJoe meta is still sending me the same thing on one of my accounts "please tell us your date of birth" lol
@verita84 "If Epstein didn't do anything, what was Maxwell imprisoned for?"
"Good point, soyjak, she's free to go."
"Good point, soyjak, she's free to go."
uspol
In the 2000s, we discovered that the US government was torturing people. They'd pack someone up at an airport, send them to Syria, and do unspeakable things to them in the name of "national security".
It happened to a Canadian citizen who was just doing a quick layover in the US on an international flight.
Wow, that's all pretty bad, heads must've rolled, careers must've ended. Right?
Nope. Turns out the people in charge just went "Yeah we did it, and we'd do it again." and a bunch of Hollywood TV shows came out justifying it.
If you're powerful enough, then you only actually get punished for the things you let yourself be punished for, and most of the most horrible things you might have done you can just take refuge in audacity and there isn't much you can do.
Especially since the other powerful people around you probably did the same thing or want to. In the 2024 election, a bunch of the responsible parties for the torture such as Dick Cheney were trotted out and given the red carpet treatment to help try to get a candidate elected -- The Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, in fact.
Meanwhile, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange both get to live in international prison cells -- Snowden in Russia to this day, and Assange in an Ecuadorian embassy for years. Turns out the crime isn't the crime, reporting on the crime is the true crime.
People did vote for Trump in part because they believed he'd be different. On the other hand, they also voted for Obama twice because they believed he'd be different, and only now are we discovering just how wrong that assumption was -- and in the end, Obama just waits out the spin cycle and he'll come out sparkling clean. If Trump outlives his term, he'll end up with the same reputational bleach other presidents did. If he lives to be 90 or 100, by that time he might be celebrated by the establishment left too and by then the kayfabe will have moved on to another, more imminent target.
It happened to a Canadian citizen who was just doing a quick layover in the US on an international flight.
Wow, that's all pretty bad, heads must've rolled, careers must've ended. Right?
Nope. Turns out the people in charge just went "Yeah we did it, and we'd do it again." and a bunch of Hollywood TV shows came out justifying it.
If you're powerful enough, then you only actually get punished for the things you let yourself be punished for, and most of the most horrible things you might have done you can just take refuge in audacity and there isn't much you can do.
Especially since the other powerful people around you probably did the same thing or want to. In the 2024 election, a bunch of the responsible parties for the torture such as Dick Cheney were trotted out and given the red carpet treatment to help try to get a candidate elected -- The Democratic candidate, Kamala Harris, in fact.
Meanwhile, Edward Snowden and Julian Assange both get to live in international prison cells -- Snowden in Russia to this day, and Assange in an Ecuadorian embassy for years. Turns out the crime isn't the crime, reporting on the crime is the true crime.
People did vote for Trump in part because they believed he'd be different. On the other hand, they also voted for Obama twice because they believed he'd be different, and only now are we discovering just how wrong that assumption was -- and in the end, Obama just waits out the spin cycle and he'll come out sparkling clean. If Trump outlives his term, he'll end up with the same reputational bleach other presidents did. If he lives to be 90 or 100, by that time he might be celebrated by the establishment left too and by then the kayfabe will have moved on to another, more imminent target.
Lets run the simulation with no press gangs, lets say they just start turning off people's credit cards.
When's the last time they did that, the Canadian Trucker's Protest. What will people do when their bank accounts stop working? Haha you can guess.
We're Going To Washington.
People start flooding toward Washington, police close roads, but every road block is reported online and people go around them.
The police in DC setup checkpoints at every entrance to the city, people drive up to the checkpoint and stop, the road is plugged, one can move.
Begin the staring contest.
Days pass, nothing can get in or out of DC except by air, every road is blocked.
Sooner or later some goon starts shooting protesters, video hits and the internet is ON FIRE. Texas writes a strongly worded letter, threatening to send the Texas National Guard to DC on a peacekeeping mission, a dozen other states sign it.
Rumors of the president's mental state are circulating, retired generals write scathing opinion pieces on his management of the situation.
Bitcoin hits 500,000 USD and gold goes to 10,000. Foreign currencies still nominally maintain the same exchange rate, but there are reports that large forex transactions are not being allowed.
Someone knocks out a few power sub-stations, DC goes dark.
The president fleas to Camp David and summons all of the top military leaders to be with him. He has heard rumors that some may be plotting a coup against him and he refuses to let them be alone where they might discuss.
He's giving televised speeches multiple times per day, but these are inter-mingled with a wash of fake AI generated speeches, nobody can tell for sure what is real and what's not. The Whitehouse website is temporarily hacked and a fake speech is uploaded declaring that if the protest doesn't end, the president will use nukes against the American people. It is quickly deleted but the picture still burns in everybody's mind.
Days tick by with everyone stuck in The War Room, except top generals leaving to the bathroom, one at a time, strictly supervised, no phones allowed. The president is becoming paranoid.
Glances across the table ensue, between Yes Sir, and I Do Not Recommend That Sir, everyone is reading each other's eyes, and tone of voice. Everyone is asking the same question in their minds... Has he lost it? Are we going to stop him?
He keeps talking about the nuclear arsenal and "winning", it's creepy.
West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina "TEMPORARILY" close the border with Virginia and Maryland. Police are performing ID checks, federal workers are not being allowed in or out.
Iran launches a full scale land war against Israel, the president must either let the generals back to their job, or else let Israel be wiped off the map. He gets word from congress, who are still in Washington running on generator power, that if he doesn't support Israel, they are going to move for his impeachment.
He cracks.
He lets them go, one by one their planes take off. Back to the pentagon, in still-besieged Washington.
With just a few quick phone calls a plan takes form, the government will give in to the protesters and the president will be made the fall guy. Everybody will save their skin by putting all of the blame on him. He will be impeached by congress, then brought up on crimes against humanity, he will be in front of a judge that is guaranteed to convict, and he will be publicly executed.
That's just one scenario, but what every scenario has in common is how it ends. You can play with whatever variables you want, but whatever you do, you end up in Destination Fucked.
When's the last time they did that, the Canadian Trucker's Protest. What will people do when their bank accounts stop working? Haha you can guess.
We're Going To Washington.
People start flooding toward Washington, police close roads, but every road block is reported online and people go around them.
The police in DC setup checkpoints at every entrance to the city, people drive up to the checkpoint and stop, the road is plugged, one can move.
Begin the staring contest.
Days pass, nothing can get in or out of DC except by air, every road is blocked.
Sooner or later some goon starts shooting protesters, video hits and the internet is ON FIRE. Texas writes a strongly worded letter, threatening to send the Texas National Guard to DC on a peacekeeping mission, a dozen other states sign it.
Rumors of the president's mental state are circulating, retired generals write scathing opinion pieces on his management of the situation.
Bitcoin hits 500,000 USD and gold goes to 10,000. Foreign currencies still nominally maintain the same exchange rate, but there are reports that large forex transactions are not being allowed.
Someone knocks out a few power sub-stations, DC goes dark.
The president fleas to Camp David and summons all of the top military leaders to be with him. He has heard rumors that some may be plotting a coup against him and he refuses to let them be alone where they might discuss.
He's giving televised speeches multiple times per day, but these are inter-mingled with a wash of fake AI generated speeches, nobody can tell for sure what is real and what's not. The Whitehouse website is temporarily hacked and a fake speech is uploaded declaring that if the protest doesn't end, the president will use nukes against the American people. It is quickly deleted but the picture still burns in everybody's mind.
Days tick by with everyone stuck in The War Room, except top generals leaving to the bathroom, one at a time, strictly supervised, no phones allowed. The president is becoming paranoid.
Glances across the table ensue, between Yes Sir, and I Do Not Recommend That Sir, everyone is reading each other's eyes, and tone of voice. Everyone is asking the same question in their minds... Has he lost it? Are we going to stop him?
He keeps talking about the nuclear arsenal and "winning", it's creepy.
West Virginia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and North Carolina "TEMPORARILY" close the border with Virginia and Maryland. Police are performing ID checks, federal workers are not being allowed in or out.
Iran launches a full scale land war against Israel, the president must either let the generals back to their job, or else let Israel be wiped off the map. He gets word from congress, who are still in Washington running on generator power, that if he doesn't support Israel, they are going to move for his impeachment.
He cracks.
He lets them go, one by one their planes take off. Back to the pentagon, in still-besieged Washington.
With just a few quick phone calls a plan takes form, the government will give in to the protesters and the president will be made the fall guy. Everybody will save their skin by putting all of the blame on him. He will be impeached by congress, then brought up on crimes against humanity, he will be in front of a judge that is guaranteed to convict, and he will be publicly executed.
That's just one scenario, but what every scenario has in common is how it ends. You can play with whatever variables you want, but whatever you do, you end up in Destination Fucked.
@Terry This. Trump writing "nobody cares about Epstein" was the biggest mistake of his political career.
> Is it something in the water?
Literally, yes.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/estrogen-in-waterways/
> Scientists have not targeted the source of estrogen, but many suspect it stems from certain pollutants and drugs in waterways.
Literally, yes.
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/estrogen-in-waterways/
> Scientists have not targeted the source of estrogen, but many suspect it stems from certain pollutants and drugs in waterways.