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Obama points finger at tech companies for disinformation in major speech
The Hill ^ | 4/21/22 | Rebecca Klar

Posted on 04/21/2022 2:59:16 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...

Former President Barack Obama placed blame on tech companies for failing to address the disinformation problem he said the industry has amplified during a speech Thursday at Stanford University. 

The new information ecosystem, fueled by the rise of dominant social media platforms, is “turbocharging some of humanity’s worst impulses,” he said in the roughly hour-long speech.

“But not all problems we’re seeing now are an inevitable byproduct of this new technology. They’re also the result of very specific choices, made by the companies that have come to dominate the internet generally, and social media platforms in particular. Decisions that intentionally or not have made democracies more vulnerable,” he said. 

Certain features, such as the “veil of anonymity” online, have compounded the problem, he said. 

Obama highlighted the real-world impacts of the spread of disinformation, discussing the spread of false information about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines, 2020 election conspiracies that fueled the violent riot at the Capitol last year, and Russian disinformation campaigns leading up to the invasion in Ukraine. 

“People like [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, and Steve Bannon for that matter, understand it’s not necessary for people to believe this information in order to weaken democratic institutions. You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing, that citizens no longer know what to believe,” Obama said. 

...

(Excerpt) Read more at thehill.com ...


TOPICS: Front Page News; Government; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections; Russia
KEYWORDS: 2020election; 202204; bannon; bannononthebrain; bigtech; blacknazi; corruption; covid; elonmusk; facebook; fbo; freespeech; google; internet; mediabias; musk; obama; obamaspeech; russia; scandal; technofascism; trump; twitter
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1 posted on 04/21/2022 2:59:16 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
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To: All

Former Intelligence Officials, Citing Russia, Say Big Tech Monopoly Power is Vital to National Security

https://greenwald.substack.com/p/former-intelligence-officials-citing?s=w


2 posted on 04/21/2022 3:00:30 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
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To: Its All Over Except ...

What the heck is a “major speech”?

Is that like a Big bowel movement?


3 posted on 04/21/2022 3:01:03 PM PDT by BenLurkin ((The above is not a statement of fact. It is either opinion, or satire. Or both.))
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To: Its All Over Except ...

Barry showed us his stuff, how GOOD he can make a company work with his recent job at NETFLIX.


4 posted on 04/21/2022 3:01:26 PM PDT by rovenstinez
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To: Its All Over Except ...

“People like myself, Nanzi Pelousy and the rest of the
demoncrat party, understand it’s not necessary for people to believe this information in order to weaken democratic institutions. You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing, that citizens no longer know what to believe,” Obama said.


5 posted on 04/21/2022 3:02:52 PM PDT by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
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To: BenLurkin

It’s a big speech to begin softening up the First Amendment for a takedown.


6 posted on 04/21/2022 3:03:03 PM PDT by packagingguy
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To: Its All Over Except ...
You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing, that citizens no longer know what to believe,” Obama said.

Man, he's really describing the leftists. Total projection.

7 posted on 04/21/2022 3:03:10 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Its All Over Except ...
Democracy may be a bad idea, but the essence of democracy is open discussion.

What Obama is arguing for is some sort of theocracy where The Enlightened (Sowell's term) decide what's best for us.

8 posted on 04/21/2022 3:03:57 PM PDT by who_would_fardels_bear (This is not a tagline.)
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To: Its All Over Except ...

“...false information about the COVID-19 pandemic and vaccines,”

“...2020 election conspiracies”

“Russian disinformation”

Obama:

Believe what Fauci tells you.

Attacked Trump.

Russia! Russia! Russia!


9 posted on 04/21/2022 3:04:08 PM PDT by Its All Over Except ...
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To: BenLurkin

In the Obama La La Land everything is major except Michelle’s ass.


10 posted on 04/21/2022 3:04:29 PM PDT by hflynn ( )
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To: Its All Over Except ...
The new information ecosystem, fueled by the rise of dominant social media platforms, is “turbocharging some of humanity's worst impulses”

Says the 2nd most divisive President in American history. If you're wondering who the most divisive President was, I'll give you a clue..... Civil War.

11 posted on 04/21/2022 3:04:35 PM PDT by JesusIsLord
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To: Its All Over Except ...

He demands they re-up their contributions to his foundation.


12 posted on 04/21/2022 3:04:36 PM PDT by PGR88
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To: BenLurkin

Is that like a Big bowel movement?

**********

Naw.... This be hot air, not solids.


13 posted on 04/21/2022 3:07:25 PM PDT by deport
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To: Its All Over Except ...

Yeah, raw sewage comes to mind whenever I hear Øbozo running his mouth...


14 posted on 04/21/2022 3:08:33 PM PDT by rockrr ( Everything is different now...)
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15 posted on 04/21/2022 3:08:44 PM PDT by proust (All posts made under this handle are, for the intents and purposes of the author, considered satire.)
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To: Its All Over Except ...
Certain features, such as the “veil of anonymity” online, have compounded the problem, he said.

Wait a minute Obama, most middle class folks don't have rings of armed security, or cars and homes with armed guards, and computer specialist who make sure you are not hacked.

So anonymity is quite important to the little people.

16 posted on 04/21/2022 3:08:52 PM PDT by dragnet2 (Diversion and evasion are tools of deceit)
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To: Its All Over Except ...
The Marxist in chief speaks. Obama is half as smart as he thinks he is, and this is fortunate - because his agenda is a very destructive one. There is now little to no doubt that he has been acting as the de facto POTUS. This is obvious, if for no other reason than that the country is being running with incompetence.

Obama is probably twice as narcissistic as Hillary, and that's a very tall order. Underneath his thin veneer of ‘aw shucks, I just want us all to show some common sense’ folksiness is a seething hatred of the traditional American system, and an ongoing commitment to dismantle it. The only way he could have any impact in this regard is with deceit, and deceitful he is.

Our fight for this nation has just begun.

17 posted on 04/21/2022 3:12:37 PM PDT by neverevergiveup
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To: Its All Over Except ...
You just have to flood a country’s public square with enough raw sewage. You just have to raise enough questions, spread enough dirt, plant enough conspiracy theorizing, that citizens no longer know what to believe,” Obama said.

He oughta know.

18 posted on 04/21/2022 3:14:01 PM PDT by ealgeone
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To: Its All Over Except ...

They are losing control of Twitter. Time to point out how bad social media can be…


19 posted on 04/21/2022 3:18:18 PM PDT by pgyanke (Republicans get in trouble when not living up to their principles. Democrats... when they do.)
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To: Its All Over Except ...

My, my, more from this person whose well to do mother and grandparents probably wrote notes to his schools excusing him from homework or even showing up at class because he was that far smarter and better than all of the other kids.


20 posted on 04/21/2022 3:20:28 PM PDT by OttawaFreeper ("The Gardens was founded by men-sportsmen-who fought for their country" Conn Smythe, 1966 )
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