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January 13, 2021
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Perhaps the best source I can point to on what Big Broth—I mean, Big Tech, is doing to conservatives is, ironically, the non-conservative Glenn Greenwald, who has had to “go independent” because of his straightforwardness and is now on Substack,com.

Tuesday, he posted a commentary called “How Silicon Valley, In a Show of Monopolistic Force, Destroyed Parler,” which details the principles of privacy and free speech behind the social media platform and its growth after being set up in August 2018. That growth spiked dramatically after other social media censored the NEW YORK POST’s story about Hunter Biden and started deleting posts even by the President of the United States, labeling them “misinformation.” When Twitter finally terminated Trump’s access, that was enough for millions, and they started leaving in droves for Parler.

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As Greenwald notes, the people behind Parler had done exactly what the social media giants had always said to do: If you don’t like the rules we impose, go start your own platform and make your own rules. But when Parler succeeded, they fought dirty to force it out of business. Just when it became the most downloaded app in the country, tech giants Apple, Amazon and Google worked seamlessly as one to abruptly remove it from the internet.

If Parler’s attorney’s are reading, Greenwald offers the perfect opening statement for when their HUGE LAWSUIT reaches court: “If one were looking for evidence to demonstrate that these tech behemoths are, in fact, monopolies that engage in anti-competitive behavior in violation of anti-trust laws, and will obliterate any attempt to compete with them in the marketplace, it would be difficult to imagine anything more compelling than how they just used their unconstrained power to utterly destroy a rising competitor.”

Greenwald tells how this unfolded, starting with a letter from Apple that said they’d received “numerous complaints” and “accusations that the Parler app was used to plan, coordinate, and facilitate the illegal activities in Washington, DC, on January 6, 2021, that led...to loss of life, numerous injuries, and the destruction of property.” It warned that they must submit the requested "moderation improvement plan” within 24 hours or their app would be removed from the Apple app store.

Not surprisingly, the letter was immediately leaked to BUZZFEED, which, not surprisingly, published it in full. Parler tried to communicate with Apple without success. The next day, Apple told Parler that it wouldn’t distribute apps that represent “dangerous and harmful content” and removed them. An app that's not downloaded from the Apple store cannot be used with an iPhone. As Greenwald explains, even if the Parler app has already been downloaded, it won’t be updated, which will soon render the platform “both unmanageable and unsafe.”

Google struck Blow #2, “suspending” Parler from its Play Store, thus severely limiting users’ ability to download it onto Android phones.

The next day, Amazon delivered Blow #3, informing Parler that its web hosting service was terminating them. Parler was then, effectively, offline. Amazon said: “Because Parler cannot comply with our terms of service and poses a very real risk to public safety, we plan to suspend Parler’s account effective Sunday, January 10th...”

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In a matter of just a few days, Parler went from being the most popular and fastest-growing app in the country to being banished from the internet.

Leftists, who used to be pro-free speech, are cheering the demise of Parler. Ding, dong, the First Amendment is dead!

But Parler wasn’t designed to be an echo chamber of MAGA-hatted Trump supporters. As Greenwald describes it, “The platform was created based in libertarian values of privacy, anti-surveillance, anti-data collection, and free speech.” It was for people who wanted privacy and didn’t like the idea of being “data-mined.” It was also for those who increasingly objected to the rules about what could or could not be said --- and no, that doesn't apply to calls for violence, which are against Parler’s terms of service anyway and are already illegal on any platform.

Explicit calls for violence are rampant on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (owned by Google). The Capitol breach was planned largely on Facebook and Twitter, including by members of QAnon. No participants have been found to be active on Parler.

Yet it’s the threat of more Capitol Hill-style violence that is purportedly causing Big Tech’s crackdown on Parler. Obviously, that’s just pretense for censoring conservative opinion.

Greenwald’s article is very detailed and examines Big Tech’s close relationship with politicians and the intelligence bureaucracy. It’s a must-read.

On Tuesday, Greenwald, appearing with Tucker Carlson, said Big Tech companies are “acting like nation-states,” with Facebook even setting up “committees” to decide what speech is true, false, dangerous, not dangerous. Sounds as though Winston Smith of 1984 would be right home there.

Greenwald pointed out that even world leaders who are not fans of President Trump, such as Germany’s Angela Merkel, are now speaking out about how dangerous Silicon Valley has become by “anointing itself the world media that controls and is more powerful than their democracies, because they know that’s coming for their democracies as well.”

He elaborated on what he’d said in his commentary, noting that out of the first 13 arrested for Capitol Hill violence, “a total of zero” were active on Parler. Most of the advocacy and planning had been done on Facebook, YouTube (Google) and Twitter. Yet AOC and others with power in the Democrat Party were demanding that Google and Apple “kick Parler off.” If their concern really is to stop violence, why weren’t they calling for Facebook and YouTube to be de-platformed?

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Here’s one clue: Biden reportedly got ten times more money from Big Tech than Trump did. The real menace is that they’re working hand in hand now to control all expression. This is blatantly illegal and unconstitutional, but unless you want to talk about how “woke” you are and how much you still hate Trump, the plan is to leave you with cute fuzzy puppies and pictures of food. Any political or societal point of view that doesn’t get the leftist gold star will have to go.

Tucker also hosted Glenn Beck, who said he'd built his own media company in anticipation of this coming. With the current political upheaval and the technological upheaval, he said, these two powers “need each other.”

As a caution, Beck compared what’s happening to what FDR did to Japanese-Americans during World War II, confiscating their wealth, shutting their businesses and, eventually, even isolating them in camps. “You can’t have freedom of speech,” Beck explained, “if you can’t express yourself in a meaningful place.”

“This is like the Germans with the Jews behind the wall,” he said. “...This is the digital ghetto.”

Beck is taking heat, of course, for making that comparison. But as he explained, he wasn’t literally comparing the current situation to Nazi Germany, just using it as an example to show the direction things can move without constitutional protection. He issued a warning: “If you don’t stand up for free speech, you will be the one that loses it as well.”

 

UPDATE 

Here's an excellent blogpost, featuring the commentary of legal expert Jonathan Turley, that agrees completely.

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Suckers and losers

Comments 26-50 of 130

  • Christine Hankins

    01/13/2021 07:24 PM

    How do you say “Big Brother” in Chinese?

  • Ed Thompson

    01/13/2021 07:14 PM

    “Resistance is futile”— “Borglosie” is coming for us all!! The “hive” is growing! The “collective” must be served! Warning !!! “Assimilation has begun”!!!! But wait— there’s more——— what happens when you accept weak and two faced people who have their own agenda like grabbing power or just keeping power at any cost? Everyone knows what happens when rust starts attacking the strongest steel— from inside!!! We’re see Republicans show their true colors in the name of votes from the people who they think will keep them in their comfy chairs in Washington DC. We will not forget their names or what they have decided to do and what side they decided to take. Resistance is NOT futile but necessary to Make America Great Again and we will vote, oh yes, two years from now, we will vote and see what happens! No violence, no riots, no mayhem, just votes, from every corner in America. It’s up to us to continue to Drain the Swamp! We have had enough! Teach your children well! God Bless America.

  • Ed Thompson

    01/13/2021 07:12 PM

    “Resistance is futile”— “Borglosie” is coming for us all!! The “hive” is growing! The “collective” must be served! Warning !!! “Assimilation has begun”!!!! But wait— there’s more——— what happens when you accept weak and two faced people who have their own agenda like grabbing power or just keeping power at any cost? Everyone knows what happens when rust starts attacking the strongest steel— from inside!!! We’re see Republicans show their true colors in the name of votes from the people who they think will keep them in their comfy chairs in Washington DC. We will not forget their names or what they have decided to do and what side they decided to take. Resistance is NOT futile but necessary to Make America Great Again and we will vote, oh yes, two years from now, we will vote and see what happens! No violence, no riots, no mayhem, just votes, from every corner in America. It’s up to us to continue to Drain the Swamp! We have had enough! Teach your children well! God Bless America.

  • Burton Brodt

    01/13/2021 07:12 PM

    This is obvious, but we need a site that is completely independent of the Left. Where does Newsmax stand in this fight?

  • Linda Kemp

    01/13/2021 07:09 PM

    I truly (and hopefully) believe that this action by Google, Apple and Amazon regarding Parler is going to come back to haunt them! Once Parler is back up and running, albeit it will take some time, I believe that so many people are going to sign up for, register and log in to Parler that all of the traffic will crash their servers. What irony if Parler builds their own server service! I know that Parler is privately owned, however, I sure would like to make a donation to Parler to financial help to have them build their own server service!

  • Norma Holmes

    01/13/2021 07:06 PM

    How do we stand up for free speech after unplugging social media and all the left wing media including the Wall Street Journal, whose website even acknowledges it is a PAC lobbying for its own interests?

  • Susan Crabtree

    01/13/2021 07:03 PM

    So far I have not heard one person tell me how I, as an average American, should go about standing up and protecting my rights. I thought I was doing that by voting. Alas, we've lost our country.

  • Cathy Wentz

    01/13/2021 06:40 PM

    Mike, I was one of those people who deactivated my Twitter account after the debacle over the New York Post story about the Bidens. I never expected to have that platform destroyed (although I guess I should have). These are very frightening times, but I must continue to trust the Lord no matter what happens.

  • Valery Yeramianchuk

    01/13/2021 06:14 PM

    And it would be even stronger if Parler's lawyers had collected signatures and filed a COLLECTIVE claim from at least a million citizens, and then let them try not to take the claim to court!

  • KenKensington

    01/13/2021 06:08 PM

    One "Take" On Jan 6, 2021 Capitol Riots
    COMMENT: By being outlandish ansd somewhat RACIST, one of the more noticable CRIMINAL MISCHIEF PERPETRATORS managed
    to combine clowns, Braveheart, American Indians, tatooed criminals and old-fashioned SHIRTLESSNESS into his personalized "RIOT PERSONA".
    Hardly any carnival is complete without FACEPAINTING of the children.

    As background, American Indians were "evoked" or brought up by the bison horn wearing, face-painted and tatooed white male adult who acted out
    so childishly that day for the cameras. At one point, this fellow had removed his makeup for his "big scene". He would like to be famous by name
    or even a nickname for his CRIMINALITY IN REAL LIFE. No,,,it was NOT ALL that dangerous for HIM because he thought of himself as
    PROTECTED IN A FREE COUNTRY by being THE LEADING MAN MISCHIEF MAKER who is "ON CAMERA" and therefore "INVINCIBLE" to
    violence. Unarmed - the POLICE "stand down" or risk "excessive force charges, rule-breaking charges, and public judgement" not to
    mention "plain old BIG TROUBLE". After YEARS of the "ALL COPS ARE BAD" (ACAB) publicity of a social-media-influenced-society
    gone out of control and power/money hungry because of "Article 230 legal protection" - the POLICE feel restrained and somewhat
    powerless against this sort of CRIMINALITY. And that's exactly what it is.

    These "ACTORS" as some police describe them, served as a diversion and distraction for the THEFT of US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's laptop
    computer containing all of her most provacative NOTES and ILLUSTRATIONS that she would rather not be publicized. But this was "the iceing on the cake" for
    unamerican activity such as the HIJACKING of a PEACEFUL TRUMP DEMONSTRATION by Antifa(ther) bought-and-paid-for -- Agent Provacateurs (APs).

    COMMENT: By watching news clips of the Hong Kong actually "MOSTLY" 99% peaceful protests - activists like ANTIFA(ther) have
    learned to JUST ADD CRIMINALITY to make RIOTING VIOLENTLY WESTERNIZED (RVW).

    COMMENT: Special kudos and a hat-tip to Michael Yon, author of three illustrated books written in Japanese for the purpose of enlightening the Japanaese
    to "Fifth Column" threats to their society.

  • Deb Elliott

    01/13/2021 05:56 PM

    How can we express our displeasure to these idiot big tech flunkies

  • Herb

    01/13/2021 05:55 PM

    Well said.

  • Nancy Noyes

    01/13/2021 05:40 PM

    I can't get the link to Glen Greenwald's article to open up. Anyone else having this problem?

  • Robert Wayne Johnson

    01/13/2021 05:35 PM

    Cannot The Big Tech Companies, Banks, and Corporations, which receive revenue from advertisers and sales across State and Countries, be charged with violation of the Commerce of the Constitution. They are establishing rules/regulations regulating interstate Commerce?

  • Catherine Coleman

    01/13/2021 05:32 PM

    I read your comments about our President. Do not ever contact me again.

  • John Landis

    01/13/2021 05:24 PM

    Looks like the ministry of truth is turning conservatives off. We might be relegated to using
    The U.S. Postal service. That being said, there's a big push to privatize the same, and I hear there's
    A pending sale. Renamed, " Face-Twitcher". First order of business; it will no longer be a federal offence to open personal correspondence.

  • Mike Horst

    01/13/2021 05:24 PM

    Well Mike, So much for freedom and justice for all. What a joke! Now just identify yourself as a illiberal and Democrat your good to go. You can go to bed with Chinese Communist spies, use your office as an elected official for financial gain, lie until you drop and no consequences for your actions. Yah, because now you have gone over to the dark side. No consequences for those in power except if your name is Donald Trump. We will pay for this as a country. Its just a matter of time. I'm sure the citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah never saw coming. God will deal with the United States too and the rope is getting extremely thin!

  • Emmy Kitis

    01/13/2021 05:16 PM

    The link to Greenwald's letter does not work.

  • Shirley Shepard

    01/13/2021 05:13 PM

    Facebook is great at deleting messages at random. I have had several deleted that have told how to become a Christian, or that Jesus Christ is the ONLY WAY to Heaven, etc.
    I think they should be fined and shut down instead of Parler.

  • C Watts

    01/13/2021 04:58 PM

    It's all well and good that anybody and everybody keeps telling us, the people, that we better do something, but just what are we to do? The political corruption has reached epic proportions. One side is creating "law" as they go. That same side is ignoring law as well when it's convenient or in their interest. The average American conservative has no voice and now, no vote. Congress needs to be reformed. Big Tech monopolies need to be broken up. Congress will not reform themselves. Big Tech owns the corrupt politicians. Adversarial foreign entities own or Vittoria politicians and it seems that we can do nothing but watch our country be destroyed and our freedoms taken away one piece at a time. WHAT CAN WE DO TO STOP THIS MADNESS?

  • Wendy Hute

    01/13/2021 04:56 PM

    Thank you for your newsletters. I try to read them everyday. It's the only one I read as it's concise and always honest with facts.

    My reason for comment is more of a question. I'm a big Trump supporter (so please don't publish my name) . I've been horrified by what the left is doing to him. I wonder if you or your readers are feeling sad and rather lonely with all the hatred being thrown our way? I have friends that see it but don't seem as upset as I am. I still watch FOXnews as I feel they and Lou Dobbs, along with Sean Spicer are my main informers. Of course, I'm always glad to see you when you're on there too.

    Thanks for your time. Please know that you're appreciated and were my first choice for president. ??

  • Sue Collins

    01/13/2021 04:46 PM

    Please keep reporting the truth!

  • Teresa Kennedy

    01/13/2021 04:45 PM

    Mr. Huckabee,
    What can we do to help STOP this abundant corruption? Waiting for the judicial system which is LOADED with evildoers has proven NOT to be effective in a full stop of this immoral behavior. How can we help our President who is being persecuted in horrific ways? It is obvious that if good people stand by and do NOTHING, this same persecution shall become normalized for ALL good and Godly people. Are you familiar with Joshua's horn and the Walls of Jericho??
    In His Hands, we remain,
    Teresa Kennedy

  • Eleanor Early

    01/13/2021 04:34 PM

    I just can’t even describe how sad I am that any chance we had to rectify what happened to the fraudulent election was ruined by a few jerks when they stormed the Capital! All Trump wanted was support from his loyal group that day & he knew from the past it would be peaceful & orderly. To think the Pelosi group wouldn’t gobble that up when the idiots performed their vicious stunt, that was like handing her all the blue ribbons at the County fair!! This Nation is going to suffer!

  • Norma Yarbrough

    01/13/2021 04:33 PM

    They took down Greenwald's article that is linked in your report.