Category: Big Tech

The Grayzone news articles and reports on Big Tech corporations; social media censorship; Google, Facebook, and Twitter.

Wikipedia Jimmy Wales Katherine Maher US government

Big Tech, Information Wars, Non-Profit Industrial Complex June 11, 2020June 12, 2020

Meet Wikipedia’s Ayn Rand-loving founder and Wikimedia Foundation’s regime-change operative CEO

Wikipedia has become a bulletin board for corporate and imperial interests under the watch of its Randian founder, Jimmy Wales, and the veteran US regime-change operative who heads the Wikimedia Foundation, Katherine Maher.

By Ben Norton and Max Blumenthal

Continue reading “Meet Wikipedia’s Ayn Rand-loving founder and Wikimedia Foundation’s regime-change operative CEO” →

Ben Norton

Ben Norton is a journalist, writer, and filmmaker. He is the assistant editor of The Grayzone, and the producer of the Moderate Rebels podcast, which he co-hosts with editor Max Blumenthal. His website is BenNorton.com and he tweets at @BenjaminNorton.

bennorton.com

Wikipedia deprecated The Grayzone censorship

Big Tech, Information Wars June 10, 2020June 13, 2020

Wikipedia formally censors The Grayzone as regime-change advocates monopolize editing

On Wikipedia, a small group of regime-change advocates and right-wing Venezuelan opposition supporters have blacklisted independent media outlets like The Grayzone on explicitly political grounds, violating the encyclopedia’s guidelines.

By Ben Norton

Continue reading “Wikipedia formally censors The Grayzone as regime-change advocates monopolize editing” →

Ben Norton

bennorton.com

Big Tech, FBI, New McCarthyism June 5, 2020June 7, 2020

FBI launches open attack on ‘foreign’ alternative media outlets challenging US foreign policy

Under FBI orders, Facebook and Google removed American Herald Tribune, an alternative site that publishes US and European writers critical of US foreign policy. The bureau’s justification for the removal was dubious, and it sets a troubling precedent for other critical outlets.

By Gareth Porter

Continue reading “FBI launches open attack on ‘foreign’ alternative media outlets challenging US foreign policy” →

Gareth Porter

Gareth Porter is an independent investigative journalist who has covered national security policy since 2005 and was the recipient of Gellhorn Prize for Journalism in 2012. His most recent book is The CIA Insider’s Guide to the Iran Crisis co-authored with John Kiriakou, just published in February.

Big Tech, US Politics February 6, 2020February 6, 2020

Acronym group that sabotaged Iowa caucus birthed by billionaire who funded Alabama disinformation campaign

Silicon Valley billionaire Reid Hoffman funded the creation of ACRONYM, the group that sabotaged the Iowa caucus results, after bankrolling voter manipulation campaigns including the notorious online “false flag operation” in Alabama’s 2017 senate race.

By Max Blumenthal

Continue reading “Acronym group that sabotaged Iowa caucus birthed by billionaire who funded Alabama disinformation campaign” →

Max Blumenthal

Max Blumenthal is an award-winning journalist and the author of several books, including best-selling Republican Gomorrah, Goliath, The Fifty One Day War, and The Management of Savagery. He has produced print articles for an array of publications, many video reports, and several documentaries, including Killing Gaza. Blumenthal founded The Grayzone in 2015 to shine a journalistic light on America’s state of perpetual war and its dangerous domestic repercussions.

thegrayzone.com

billionaire Seth Klarman Buttigieg Iowa caucus Shadow app Israel

Big Tech, Israel-Palestine, US Politics February 4, 2020February 4, 2020

Billionaire pro-Israel Buttigieg backer Seth Klarman funds group behind Iowa’s disastrous voting app

Behind the app that delayed Iowa’s voting results is a dark money operation funded by anti-Bernie Sanders billionaires. Its top donor Seth Klarman is a Buttigieg backer who has dumped money into pro-settler Israel lobby groups.

By Max Blumenthal

Continue reading “Billionaire pro-Israel Buttigieg backer Seth Klarman funds group behind Iowa’s disastrous voting app” →

Max Blumenthal

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social media US government censorship suspensions

Big Tech, Iran, Syria, Venezuela January 12, 2020January 12, 2020

Under US pressure, social media companies censor critical content and suspend Venezuelan, Iranian, and Syrian accounts

As the US escalates its hybrid wars, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are suspending accounts and censoring content that conflicts with Washington’s pro-war narrative. The Grayzone spoke to several people silenced in these social media purges.

By Ben Norton

Continue reading “Under US pressure, social media companies censor critical content and suspend Venezuelan, Iranian, and Syrian accounts” →

Ben Norton

bennorton.com

Big Tech, Iran January 9, 2020January 12, 2020

PayPal blocks donations to The Grayzone that mention Iran (and free speech)

Small donations to The Grayzone were delayed and reversed by PayPal because they mentioned the word “Iran” in messages praising our coverage of the US conflict. At the same time, Facebook censored a factual Grayzone video reporting on Hezbollah, Iran and Trump.

By Ben Norton

Continue reading “PayPal blocks donations to The Grayzone that mention Iran (and free speech)” →

Ben Norton

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Big Tech, Information Wars, Media August 24, 2019August 24, 2019

Twitter relying on US/European gov-funded regime-change groups to crack down on foreign states

Twitter is relying on organizations funded by the US government and European allies, such as right-wing lobby group Freedom House, to crack down on foreign state media and suspend accounts that challenge Washington’s narratives.

By Ben Norton

Continue reading “Twitter relying on US/European gov-funded regime-change groups to crack down on foreign states” →

Ben Norton

bennorton.com

Big Tech, Information Wars, Ukraine June 4, 2019April 2, 2020

Facebook’s new public policy manager for Ukraine is nationalist hawk who volunteered with fascist party during US-backed coup

Facebook’s new public policy manager for Ukraine Kateryna Kruk is a former government official, diehard nationalist, and anti-Russian jingoist who volunteered with the extreme-right party Svoboda during the 2014 US-backed coup.

By Ben Norton

Continue reading “Facebook’s new public policy manager for Ukraine is nationalist hawk who volunteered with fascist party during US-backed coup” →

Ben Norton

bennorton.com

Big Tech, Iran April 18, 2019May 25, 2020

Instagram acts as arm of US govt, bans top Iranian officials after IRGC ‘terrorist’ designation

Top Iranian government officials were suspended from Facebook-owned Instagram just hours after Trump dubbed the IRGC a “terrorist” organization.

By Ben Norton

Continue reading “Instagram acts as arm of US govt, bans top Iranian officials after IRGC ‘terrorist’ designation” →

Ben Norton

bennorton.com

Wikipedia has become a bulletin board for corporate and imperial interests under the watch of its Randian founder, Jimmy Wales, and the veteran US regime-change operative who heads the Wikimedia Foundation, Katherine Maher.

By Ben Norton and Max Blumenthal

On Wikipedia, a small group of regime-change advocates and right-wing Venezuelan opposition supporters have blacklisted independent media outlets like The Grayzone on explicitly political grounds, violating the encyclopedia’s guidelines.

By Ben Norton

Under FBI orders, Facebook and Google removed American Herald Tribune, an alternative site that publishes US and European writers critical of US foreign policy. The bureau’s justification for the removal was dubious, and it sets a troubling precedent for other critical outlets.

By Gareth Porter

Silicon Valley billionaire Reid Hoffman funded the creation of ACRONYM, the group that sabotaged the Iowa caucus results, after bankrolling voter manipulation campaigns including the notorious online “false flag operation” in Alabama’s 2017 senate race.

By Max Blumenthal

Behind the app that delayed Iowa’s voting results is a dark money operation funded by anti-Bernie Sanders billionaires. Its top donor Seth Klarman is a Buttigieg backer who has dumped money into pro-settler Israel lobby groups.

By Max Blumenthal

As the US escalates its hybrid wars, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram are suspending accounts and censoring content that conflicts with Washington’s pro-war narrative. The Grayzone spoke to several people silenced in these social media purges.

By Ben Norton

Small donations to The Grayzone were delayed and reversed by PayPal because they mentioned the word “Iran” in messages praising our coverage of the US conflict. At the same time, Facebook censored a factual Grayzone video reporting on Hezbollah, Iran and Trump.

By Ben Norton

Twitter is relying on organizations funded by the US government and European allies, such as right-wing lobby group Freedom House, to crack down on foreign state media and suspend accounts that challenge Washington’s narratives.

By Ben Norton

Facebook’s new public policy manager for Ukraine Kateryna Kruk is a former government official, diehard nationalist, and anti-Russian jingoist who volunteered with the extreme-right party Svoboda during the 2014 US-backed coup.

By Ben Norton

Top Iranian government officials were suspended from Facebook-owned Instagram just hours after Trump dubbed the IRGC a “terrorist” organization.

By Ben Norton

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