“Truthy” Database Comes Under Congressional Scrutiny For Tracking Conservative Tweets

House Committee Demands Answers On Truthy Project

 

 

 

 

 

 

” The House Science, Space, and Technology Committee sent a letter to the head of the National Science Foundation (NSF) on Monday, demanding answers about the origins of the nearly $1 million taxpayer-funded project to track “misinformation” on Twitter.

  The Truthy project, being conducted by researchers at Indiana University, is under investigation for targeting political commentary on Twitter. The project monitors “suspicious memes,” “false and misleading ideas,” and “hate speech,” with a goal of one day being able to automatically detect false rumors on the social media platform.

  The web service has been used to track tweets using hashtags such as #tcot (Top Conservatives on Twitter), and was successful in getting accounts associated with conservatives suspended, according to a 2012 book co-authored by the project’s lead researcher, Filippo Menczer, a professor of Informatics and Computer Science at Indiana University.

  Menczer has also said that Truthy monitored tweets using #p2 (Progressive 2.0), but did not discuss any examples of getting liberal accounts suspended in his book.

“ The Committee and taxpayers deserve to know how NSF decided to award a large grant for a project that proposed to develop standards for online political speech and to apply those standards through development of a website that targeted conservative political comments,” wrote Chairman Lamar Smith (R., Texas) in a letter to NSF Director France Cordova. 

“ While some have argued that Truthy could be used to better understand things like disaster communication or to assist law enforcement, instead it appears Truthy focused on examples of ‘false and misleading ideas, hate speech, and subversive propaganda’ communicated by conservative groups,” he said.”

 

    Latecomers can find out more on the “Truthy Project” here and read more about the Congressional investigation here .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Mayor De Blasio Has Produced 250 Taxpayer-Funded Videos Touting Himself

De Blasio Is A Superb Mayor, Says Taxpayer-Funded YouTube Videos

 

 

 

 

 

” The mayor’s taxpayer-funded p.r. machine has spit out 250 YouTube videos since he took office — including some slickly produced messages that look a lot like campaign ads.

  Complete with voice-overs, soaring music and interviews with New Yorkers waxing poetic about Hizzoner, the videos are created by former de Blasio campaign workers now employed by City Hall.

“ I feel like Bill de Blasio and [wife] Chirlane [McCray] have brought the love back to New York City,” an unnamed woman gushes in one video while waiting to tour Gracie Mansion three days after his inauguration.

  Another video celebrates his first 100 days in office with staged testimonials from New Yorkers, including one by a carwash employee applauding the mayor’s signing a paid-sick-leave law.”

 

NY Post

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Poll : Should Congress Eliminate Its Tax-Payer Funded Perks… And Live Like The Rest Of Us?

 

Cast Your Ballot Now

 

 

The median wealth of a House member is $765,010… For a senator it’s $2.38 million. Yet, incredibly, they still enjoy all of this:

 

• $174,000 salary
• Free company car
• Free gas
• Free parking (even at airports)
• Free flights almost anywhere in the world
• Per diem travel allowance… up to $3,000 a trip
• A month’s paid vacation
• 3-day work-weeks
• Free membership to a top-flight gym
• Pension plan and 401K plan
• Full retirement benefits (including up to 44% of their six figure salaries) at age 62
• Free top of the line health insurance with 10 plans to choose from
• Fully covered – even with pre-existing condition

” Being a member of Congress is the most lucrative “Public Service” job in the world. Are our representatives officially out of touch with the real America? Should Congress live like the rest of us?

Vote now to make your voice heard and receive a stunning report that shows the full scope of congressional abuse of power. You won’t believe how well members of Congress live – all at our expense.”

 

” This poll is being conducted by Money Morning, the nation’s fastest growing source for independent financial news, research and advice. We’re on a mission to keep our readers’ money safe and growing. When you submit your vote, you’ll receive a full report on congressional abuse, up-to-the minute poll results, as well as daily strategies for building wealth and taking control of your finances. Make your voice heard by voting above and passing this important vote to a friend. “

 

 

 

 

 

 

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“MarcoPhones” – Invitation To Massive Fraud

 

‘MARCOPHONE’ PROGRAM COVERS AREA INCLUDING 200K SQ MILES, 7+ MILLION PEOPLE, OPEN-ENDED FUNDING

 

 

 

” The US border with Mexico is 2,000 miles long. The area 100 miles from this border is 200,000 sq. miles and takes in such metropolitan areas as San Diego, Tucson, El Paso and other major towns. The total population of this area is over 7 million people. All of these meet the first criteria for the new grant program. 

It is the second criteria that makes limiting funding important. To be eligible, one must have a “lack of cellular service.” It is noteworthy that the provision doesn’t detail “lack of cellular coverage,” just “service.” It doesn’t include  any of the other definitions the federal government uses to define areas underserved by telecommunications areas. 

The US Code is littered with language defining “rural” area, “ranchers”, “farmers” as well as areas without telecom services. The original proposal didn’t include any of these, likely to give DHS certain flexibility, but the modest appropriation implied the intent of the provision.

Open-ended funding, however, allows DHS to take a very expansive view of eligibility for the program. Does a “lack of cellular service” simply mean one can’t currently afford a cell-phone plan? Wouldn’t that person potentially be eligible for a grant to purchase a satellite phone? Since there is no limitation on funding, there is little check on such an expansive interpretation. “

 

 

 

     FYI TracFone is the major ObamaPhone provider and one would assume would also provide “MarcoPhones” . Here is some background on TracFone and it’s CEO . Oh and don’t forget that TracFone is a subsidiary of  América Móvil which is owned by Mexican Billionaire Carlos Slim .

 

 

TracFone Wireless, Inc.

Type	Subsidiary
Industry	Telecommunications
Predecessor(s)	Topp Telecom, Inc.
Founded	Miami, Florida, United States(1996)
Headquarters	Miami, Florida, United States
Number of locations	80,000 retail locations
Area served	United States (incl. Hawaii, Alaska, and Puerto Rico)
Key people	Frederick J. Pollak (President and CEO)
Services	Prepaidmobile virtual network operator
Revenue	US$9.48 billion (Jan-Dec 2008)[1]
Net income	US$269 million (Jan-Dec 2008)[1]
Employees	400+ (2008)
Parent	América Móvil (98.2%) Others (1.8%)
Website	www.tracfonewireless.com
References:[2]

 

 

Frederick J Pollak just happens to be a major Obama bundler :

 

 

” The Washington Free Beacon reports that TracFone Wireless CEO F.J. Pollak “has donated at least $156,500 to Democratic candidates and committees this cycle, including at least $50,000 to the Obama campaign,” while his wife Abigail has bundled over $632,000 in Obama donations during this campaign cycle.  They hosted a $40,000-per-plate fundraiser for Obama in Miami Beach this year, and they’ve made seven White House Visits.  Abigail received an appointment to the presidential “Commission to Study the Potential Creation of a National Museum of the American Latino.”

And TracFone is affiliated with company called America Movil, which is owned by Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, the richest man in the world.  So a huge amount of money is being extracted from paying cell phone customers through a surcharge on their monthly phone bills, and paid to a company run by a top Obama donor and affiliated with the richest man on the planet, so welfare dependents can have “free” cell phones.  Some of those dependents love their free phones so much that they run out and get ten or twenty of them.”

 

 

 

Bundler: Frederick J. Pollak

 

Search Again | Back to Results

Employer:	Tracfone Wireless Inc
State:	FL
Bundler Status for 2008:	Hillraiser (Hillary Clinton), raised at least $100000
Name Disclosed By Candidate:	Y
Federal Lobbyist:	N
Mega-Donor Status for 2008:	$33,100.00 to committees supporting Barack Obama

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Trifecta : Obama & Biden Live Like Roman Emperors on Public Dime

What Sequester?!? Obama & Biden Live Like Roman Emperors on Public Dime

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Suckling At The Government Calf

 

PoliticalCorrectnessGoneWild.com

 

HHS Awards Another Multi-Million-Dollar Obamacare PR Contract

More Taxpayer Funded Campaign Contributions For “The Lightworker” 

 

  “As Congress probes expensive public-relations contracts to market the unpopular Obamacare law to the American public, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services recently announced that it has inked a deal worth more than $3 million to promote Obamacare’s “exchanges.”

CMS, a division of the Department of Health and Human Services, will pay PR firm Weber Shandwick at least $3.1 million for the new contract, according to a report in PR Week. Weber will promote state-based health care “exchanges” established by Obamacare.

The contract is the second major HHS contract landed by Weber. It inked a $3.4 million deal in 2010 to help Medicare patients spot and prevent fraud.”

More Taxpayer Funded , ie: Free, For Obama That Is , Campaigning

” Taxpayer-funded youth outreach: 435 visits by Obama admin to campuses since 2011 “

  “President Obama and his administration officials have made 435 taxpayer-funded visits to college campuses or other events targeting students since March 2011 , including 166 trips to
battleground states, a new study shows. “The travel is not tied to trying to pass a specific piece of legislation,” Paul Conway, president of the influential youth group, Generation Opportunity, told The Washington Examiner. “It’s all travel specifically targeted to a
demographic. And when you think about how important a role young voters play in [Obama’s] coalition, then it’s not just by happenstance.” “

Contraception IS NOT Healthcare

Reviving the War on Women? 

” Sandra Fluke, the free- contraception activist whose claim to fame was getting insulted by Rush Limbaugh, is hitting the campaign trail with President
Obama in Colorado today. But she
started the day off with an anti-Romney column in the Huffington Post (via Daily Caller ):

  The morning of noted contraception activist Sandra
Fluke’s campaign appearance
with President Barack Obama
in Denver, the newly minted
lawyer explained she is “standing with Obama” in an effort to protect women’s health care. “

The Entitlement Nation

The Weekly Standard

 

“A new chart set to be released later today by the Republican side of the Senate Budget Committee details a startling statistic: “Over 100 Million People in U.S. Now Receiving Some Form Of Federal Welfare.” “