Dude, your question forced me to read the entire article, and its a slog. Not done yet.
There are so many nuggets in there that I have to recommend everybody read the entire article. It'll give you basic understanding and perspective on Google, Facebook, Apple, etc. and basically the entire scope of the 'information age'.
Here are some of the nuggets I've come across (haven't found the Amazon/Palantir connection yet).
Google bought Fitbit and got access to health records under a secret program codenamed "Nightingale". A secret microphone was found inside Nest thermostats, owned by Google.
*snip*
While Microsoft was supportive of the NSA, giving pre-encryption access, Google engineers were furious to learn that the NSA had hacked into Google’s internet infrastructure.
*snip*
After helping the Obama campaign create a “complex model of the electorate” during the 2012 election, Google’s Eric Schmidt went on to fund no less than three startups aimed at using consumer and voter data to influence elections, all of which were run by former Obama staffers.
This included Groundwork, which was described as “Salesforce.com for politics”. Groundwork’s only “political” client was the Clinton campaign, and the company included former employees from Google. Clinton attended an event hosted by Google just days after Groundwork was incorporated.
*snip*
Remember when Maxine Waters said something about Obama creating the largest data base in history?
*snip*
Notice in this graph that CNN is "ideologically nonaligned". Hahaha.
Okay, this post is way too long. I'll keep reading for the Amazon/Palantir alliance.
But really, everyone should take the time to read every word of this article. It may be the most important article ever written in the history of the earth.
Thank you for posting it, Chickensoup and Ransomnote.
