Tag: snitching

Stanford professor blasts woke tattle-tale software which lets students anonymously report one another for discrimination, including boy spotted reading Mein Kampf: Creators live in $900k mansion and own VINEYARD

A group of Stanford professors are fighting back against a woke tattle-tale tool that lets students anonymously report each other for discrimination.

More than 75 professors argue in a petition to school administrators that the online tool threatens free speech on campus, with one telling the Wall Street Journal it reminded him of systems in place in the Soviet Union and China. 

The Maxient reporting system, employed at 1,300 institutions around the country, has already been challenged by free speech advocates in Florida, Texas, Michigan and Oklahoma.

It has apparently made Aaron Hark, 42, a millionaire, owning a $900,000 dollar home in Charlottesville, Virginia, with his family’s own vineyard. 

Hark set up the firm with wife Celeste, 41, with the pair now enjoying the fruits of their woke online hall monitor software in more ways than one. 

Back at Stanford, school administrators say the system is necessary to ensure a respectful campus, despite criticism that it is creepy and Orwellian. 

The school has been using the third-party system since 2021, when it became widely used at universities across the country for students to report their colleagues who were not wearing masks. 

But university professors said they did not know of the system, run by third-party contractor Maxient, until the school newspaper reported on an incident in which a student was reported for reading Mein Kampf.

‘I was stunned,’ Russell Berman, a professor of comparative literature who created the petition, told the Journal. ‘It reminds me of McCarthyism.’

According to the company’s website, Maxient is the ‘software of choice for managing behavior records at colleges and universities across North America.

‘Our centralized reporting and record-keeping helps institutions connect the dots and prevent students from falling through the cracks,’ it says, noting: ‘Maxient serves as an integral component of many schools overall early alert efforts, helping to identify students in distress and coordinate the efforts of various departments to provide follow-up.’ 

Maxient was founded in 2003 and is now being used at more than 1,300 institutions across the United States.

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Ukrainian Schoolchildren Told to Report on Their Parents for Watching Putin’s Speech

Ukrainian schoolchildren are being asked to report on their parents for watching Vladimir Putin’s recent round of speeches or Russian television and news programming in general. The dystopic reality of life in Ukraine is a far cry from the pro-war myths sold by Western corporate media and NATO politicians, as Volodymyr Zelensky and his allies aren’t just using Stasi tactics against children, but have banned the free press and even Orthodox Christianity, the religion adhered to by a majority of Ukraine’s population.

Having been created directly by Russia and existing in the Russian sphere of influence since its beginnings, a massive segment of Ukraine’s population is ethnically Russian, linguistically Russian, and, largely, politically Russian. This includes those in the Donbas region, where most of the active war is being fought. That area seceded from Ukraine after the Obama and Soros-backed overthrow of Ukraine’s democratically-elected, pro-Russia government in 2014.

In Crimea, residents staunchly opposed the 2014 overthrow, seceding from Ukraine to be willingly annexed by Russia.

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Saudis Use Orwellian App to Identify Dissidents, Imprisoning Some for Decades

Saudi Arabians are using a mobile app sold by both Apple and Google to snitch on their fellow citizens for dissenting against government authorities. As a result, activists and others are going to prison for more than 30 years in some cases, Business Insider reported on Friday.

On August 16, Saudi national Salma el-Shabab, a PhD student at Leeds University, was sentenced to 34 years in prison for tweets “in support of activists and members of the kingdom’s political opposition in exile,” the report said. Though the posts were made while she was in the UK, el-Shabab was nonetheless reported through the “Kollona Amn” app and immediately arrested upon returning home. 

“Every day we wake up to hear news, somebody has been arrested, or somebody has been taken,” Real, a Saudi women’s-rights activist using an alias, told Insider.

Kollona Amn – which roughly translates to “We Are All Security” in Arabic – was launched by the Saudi Interior Ministry in 2017, but the last few years have seen a “dramatic” surge in court cases referencing the app, according to legal-rights activists.

The app “encourages everyday citizens to play the role of police and become active participants in their own repression. Putting the state’s eyes everywhere also creates a pervasive sense of uncertainty – there is always a potential informant in the room or following your social media accounts,” said Noura Aljizawi, a researcher at Citizen Lab, which focuses on threats to free speech online.

The Orwellian nature of the app is such that users often report on people “defensively,” fearing they could face punishment themselves for merely overhearing speech deemed offensive to the regime. In some cases, the app has also been used for “blackmail” and to “settle scores,” Insider noted.

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NPR Sets Up Snitch Hotline So Employees Can Report Mask Infractions That Could Lead to ‘Termination’

Employees at NPR could lose their jobs if they forget or refuse to wear masks, and a snitch hotline has been set up to ensure the rules are followed.

Dylan Byers of Puck News obtained an internal memo which encourages workers to tattle on those who dare show their faces in the work place.

“NPR is maintaining a very strict mask policy, and has set up an HR tip line for employees to report on colleagues who are not adhering to guidelines—with the possible result of discipline and even termination,” Byers reported.

The memo he shared is titled “Safety Protocol Reminders and Tips Enforcement.” It asks people to confront their non-compliant colleagues about masking.

“We have asked on-site supervisors to remind staff of the masking requirements when needed,” the note says. “Masking is still required, unless recording alone in a studio, working alone in an office with the door closed, or actively eating or drinking. (And “actively” does not mean occasionally drinking from a water bottle.)”

NPR adds it will exempt certain people from mask-wearing in “extremely rare” cases, but noted prior approval from management will be required.

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A High-Ranking Proud Boy Is Now Snitching for the Feds

Federal prosecutors appear to have made their biggest breakthrough yet in their sprawling investigation into the violent riot at the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. A high-ranking Proud Boy has flipped, agreeing to testify in any and all cases where his testimony might be “deemed relevant by the government.” 

It’s the latest example of the government strengthening its case against the far-right street-fighting gang that’s become a national household name since its leaders and dozens of members have been charged in relation to the Capitol riot. 

Late last week, the Justice Department announced that Charles Donohoe, leader of the North Carolina Proud Boys chapter, had pleaded guilty to two charges—conspiring to disrupt the certification of the 2020 election results, and assaulting, resisting, or impeding law enforcement officers.

Donohoe was charged with conspiracy along with five prominent Proud Boys, including the group’s former national chairman Enrique Tarrio. 

But Donohoe’s agreement with the government could have cascading effects beyond his case.

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American Stasi: ‘Citizen Sleuths’ Are Ratting Out Jan. 6 Protestors Who Haven’t Been Arrested

The Left’s phony Jan. 6 “insurrection” witch hunt isn’t going to die down anytime soon. The Democrats still hope to use it to stigmatize and marginalize virtually all of their opposition as “insurrectionists” that all decent lovers of “our democracy” (that is, the Left’s hegemony) should shun. And although it is now almost a year and a half since the Terrible Event That Was Worse Than 9/11 and Pearl Harbor, there are more Jan. 6 prosecutions all the time, thanks to “citizen sleuths” who are ratting out protestors who were at the Capitol on the fateful day.

There are so many snitches that the system is being overwhelmed. NBC News reported Wednesday that “aided by citizen sleuths who keep identifying Jan. 6 rioters, the Justice Department is finding that it has more cases than lawyers to prosecute them.” Accordingly, “the Justice Department is asking Congress for additional funds to prosecute those cases — a list that keeps growing.” It’s growing because “multiple online sleuths in a network of ‘Sedition Hunters’ working’ to find Jan. 6 participants have told NBC News that they’ve successfully identified to the FBI hundreds of additional Jan. 6 rioters — including dozens who are pictured on the FBI’s Capitol Violence website.” And the feds, of course, are only too eager to act upon the information these rats feed them.

One snitch said nobly that he had plenty more work to do: “There are hundreds still to go,” he said, “speaking anonymously to avoid retaliation from supporters of the rioters.” Yeah, you know, he doesn’t want trouble from those dangerous traitors who were going to overthrow the government led by a few grandmothers and a guy with Viking horns. But however ridiculous it is, the narrative must be perpetuated, and so the “sleuth” remains anonymous.

NBC notes that “by pouring [sic; they mean poring] over terabytes of photos and video footage from Jan. 6, citizen investigators have been able to identify hundreds of participants in the Capitol attack. More than 2,500 people made their way inside the Capitol, officials have estimated, and there are more than 350 individuals still listed on the FBI’s Capitol Violence website who have not yet been arrested.” The anonymous rat said proudly: “We’re maybe 30 percent into arrests, with more to come. And still not all crimes discovered.” Another rat was tempted to lose hope that the evildoers would ever get what was coming to them, given the fact that the FBI was “backlogged so far” with cases the feds hadn’t moved on. He said nobly that his hope would falter, and then be renewed: “Sometimes I kind of lose faith, and then they keep plugging away.” How inspiring.

Another rat was ready to be patient: “The scope of the investigation is so large that even 15 months in, to expect the government to scale in such a way that all cases have already been brought forward, is just unrealistic. As long as justice continues to be served, even if it’s slower than I would like, I’m OK with it. As long as I see them arresting people, and finalizing the cases, and pushing the plea deals through where it makes sense, I’m Ok with that.” As long as I see them destroying lives in a hyper-politicized witch hunt over nothing, I’m OK with that.

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Snitches Get Riches From the FBI

Snitches have a new way to make money in Charlotte, North Carolina. By texting the FBI and tattling on people that have illegal cash, informants can make up to 25 percent of the money seized, according to an FBI news release. Jilted lovers, jealous friends, and nosy neighbors can now score big. The good news for anyone tempted by the offer is that federal law makes asset confiscation far too easy.

By using civil forfeiture, law enforcement agencies can take cash, cars, and other assets without convicting anyone of wrongdoing. The government doesn’t have to make an arrest, develop a theory about a specific crime, or even witness illegal behavior. Agents can bypass the criminal courtroom altogether.

According to the release, the tip line is designed to help agents intercept drug trafficking shipments through Charlotte. An example campaign graphic shows two agents gazing at a large pile of cash in the trunk of a car. A glowing neon headline reads: “Shine a light on drug trafficking.” The fine print focuses on the kickback, stating that if the tip “on where drug cash is being stored or transported” pans out, “you could receive up to 25% of the seized money.” The message is clear: snitching can be rewarding. But the ad fails to mention four important details.

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Liberals 3X More Likely Than Conservatives To Report People On Social Media

Liberals are three times more likely than conservatives to report people on social media to Big Tech companies for possible terms and regulations violations, a new poll suggests.

According to the Cato 2021 Speech and Social Media National Survey, of the 2,000 people polled, liberals, even moderate ones, were far more likely to encourage Big Tech-led censorship of their peers on apps such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

“This behavior is highly tied to political ideology,” the poll notes.

While 65 percent of strong liberals, 44 percent of moderate liberals, and 32 percent of moderates testified that they reported another user for “sharing offensive content or false information,” only 21 percent of moderate conservatives and 24 percent of strong conservatives said they did the same.

In addition to reporting people to Big Tech companies, 80 percent of strong liberals and 68 percent of moderate liberals said they have blocked or unfriended someone for their posts “about politics or science.” Only 48 percent of moderates, 44 percent of moderate conservatives, and 46 percent of strong conservatives reported doing the same.

The survey also found that “altogether, conservatives are more likely than liberals to have personal or near personal experience of being penalized by social media companies for the content they’ve posted to their accounts.”

The poll reinforces an alarming trend indicating a shrinking level of tolerance and a desire for censorship among the left. In a recent poll of 850 private and public college, university, and trade school students spread across the United States, Generation Lab and Axios found “Young Dems more likely to despise the other party.”

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Government Increasingly Is Asking Citizens to Turn Each Other In. Here’s Why That’s So Dangerous.

In the dystopian novel 1984, the government relied on the use of telescreens and informants to enforce its massive, repressive regime. And while that was fiction, events in our modern society are eerily similar to it.

There’s a troubling trend emerging: Americans are being encouraged and even incentivized to turn their fellow citizens in to the government for a myriad of reasons.

For one example, federal officials this week announced they plan to rely on informants in order to determine which companies are enforcing their new (unconstitutional) vaccine mandate. The Biden Administration has used the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) as a means of implementing the rule without Congressional approval. Essentially the order says that companies will be heavily fined by the agency should they not demand their employees be vaccinated. But even the administration recognizes there are limits to their ability to enforce such a rule.

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