BC SOCIETY
Saved by @CodyyyGardner

2020 has brought many challenges and with them - a large volume of #disinformation. Here’s our recap! (THREAD 1/20)

 In late JANUARY we collected the first examples of pro-Kremlin disinformation spinning conspiracy theories about the origins of COVID-19. (2/20) https://t.co/iAbo00JH56
In FEBRUARY disinfo outlets kept amplifying conspiracy theories about COVID-19, no matter how ridiculous. The @WHO warned that the pandemic was accompanied by “infodemic”: an unprecedented flood of false or inaccurate information about coronavirus. (3/20) https://t.co/uJXJlyCWez
In MARCH Josep Borrell, the head of the European External Action Service, warned: “disinformation can kill”. https://t.co/9bZknYDtfX
In APRIL global activist network @Avaaz found that harmful misinformation on coronavirus was shared over 1.7 million times on Facebook and viewed an estimated 117 million times. (5/20) https://t.co/WTVAGknLb5
The eventual slowing down of infection rates in Europe decreased the volume of COVID-19 related disinformation. In MAY it was no longer cool to fuel anti-vaxx moods on Russian TVs. Oscar-winning film director N.Mikhalkov had to learn it the hard way. (6/20)https://t.co/nKGAhk87RP
Nonetheless, Disinformation narrative about “secret labs”, an old darling of pro-Kremlin disinformation, found new prominence, as it was increasingly adopted by Chinese sources. (7/20) https://t.co/Yk49cJgjFB
In JUNE, as the racial justice protests spread in the US, pro-Kremlin pundits could hardly contain their glee. (8/20) https://t.co/6HzATiDvds
In JULY, following the spurious voting process to adopt amendments to the Russian constitution, the Kremlin intensified crack down on independent journalism. (9/20) https://t.co/FXhufoLq8e
Disinformation campaign aiming to obfuscate the Kremlin’s responsibility for downing flight #MH17 continued into 6th year. As more and more evidence of Russia’s direct involvement came to light, pro-Kremlin disinformation began grasping at straws. (10/20) https://t.co/tF2rWkGGlD
In AUGUST protests against the results of rigged presidential election began in Belarus. To aid the embattled dictator, Russian media “specialists” were soon dispatched to the country. (11/20)
https://t.co/U0cC6Byygs
A Botched assassination attempt at Alexei #Navalny put pro-Kremlin media in a crisis management mode. In a striking case of déjà vu, disinformation outlets sought to muddy the waters just like they did in 2018 after Salisbury attack. (12/20)
In SEPTEMBER our research showed, that pro-Kremlin disinformation on #Navalny poisoning has found a fertile ground in Germany. (13/20)
https://t.co/XNPwY7GUtU
Throughout the autumn the pro-Kremlin media were busy promoting Sputnik V vaccine to global audiences. Particular attention was paid to Latin America. (14/20) https://t.co/6THHJK5VZB
In OCTOBER, as renewed fighting in Nagorno Karabakh continued, pro-Kremlin outlets presented pictures from the video game as authentic war footage. (15/20) https://t.co/qnnuYdrOqG
In NOVEMBER as protracted tally of the votes followed the #USElections2020, the pro-Kremlin media amplified conspiracy theories alleging election fraud. (16/20) https://t.co/HkNOJ37Vz8
Presidential election in Moldova were also a target, in particular Moldova's president elect Maia #Sandu. (17/20) https://t.co/OEo4dgxLNE
As the challenging year came to the end, DECEMBER brought silver linings: @bellingcat investigations shed light on FSB officers implicated in the poisoning of #Navalny. (18/20) https://t.co/DatqpY2Sgg and https://t.co/YUt3GwLVkP
Belarusian opposition received the #SakharovPrize for Freedom of Thought, the highest tribute paid by the European Union to human rights work (19/20) https://t.co/tRnOzNWnxP
And the EU took further steps to strengthen its response to disinformation! (20/20) https://t.co/pZDL0EgbSq

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THREAD: We filed RTIs on behalf of @no2uid asking the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare questions about how your personal data will be protected while you're using CO-WIN, the COVID-19 vaccination registration platform.

We got answers... kind of. Here's the new info.

1/n


Just like with Aarogya Setu, many Indians are worried that about the potential CO-WIN has to leak your data or threaten your privacy in the name of dealing with a pandemic. So, we asked the MOHFW some questions about data protection under the Right to Information Act.
2/n


In the responses we received, MOHFW said that it cannot provide us with a privacy policy on CO-WIN (?!).

Thankfully it was clarified that Aadhaar is not mandatory for registration on Aarogya Setu or CO-WIN, and that physical vaccine certificates will be provided to everyone.
3/n

The data it says it will collect will be your name, gender, date of birth, photo ID, and number.

National, State, and District level admins will have access to use the app, but there is not much further clarity on this point.

But most importantly...
4/n

The responses (or rather lack of them) related to your data privacy and protection are completely vague. We received no clear answers on which Ministries/Depts will have access to your personal data, the permissions provided, etc. This is a failure in terms of transparency.
5/n
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Garfield but Anti-Fascist
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Tomorrow, January 6th, MAGA chuds, Proud Boys, and white supremacists are planned to descend on Washington D.C. to contest the election. Among them will be NSC-131, a New England based neo-Nazi organization. Let's welcome them by saying hi to one of their members, Eddie Stuart!


Edward Stuart, from Chester, New Hampshire, has been a member of Nationalist Social Club (NSC) since the very beginning and is a staple participant in their actions. He is known in NSC chats as "Carl Jung" and is well connected in the New England Nazi scene.
2/


NSC-131 is a neo-Nazi group that was started in Massachusetts in early 2020 by Chris Hood. You can learn more about NSC and it's members in these threads:


Eddie describes his ideology as "Esoteric Hitlerism" which is an occult form of Nazism that literally worships Adolf Hitler as a god, or, specifically, as an incarnation of the Hindu God Vishnu. Here is Ed holding the RigVeda with some of his occult Nazi pals. Interesting Ed!
4/


Much of this ideological insight was gained from Eddie's Twitter, where he originally used his "Carl Jung" persona and reposts explicit neo-fascist content and racist memes. In one edited picture, Eddie can be seen at an NSC event in late June 2020 holding a Nazi Sonnenrad flag
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A man just said “WHAT IS THAT?”when I walked by and then quickly yelled “IT WAS A COMPLIMENT” and then a small child said, and I quote, “Uncle Joe you can’t say that to ladies.” This boy will one day lead us all to greatness as a nation.

This is the second time in a month some dude has said something to me on the street and been shut down before I even said a word. Granted the LA version was more polite than when an NYC dude told me to smile and a lady cursed him out. People are hilarious.

I wouldn’t have been rude to either dude but wow, I didn’t even have to make the choice because we Americans are chatty.

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Dant\xe9 Stewart (Stew)
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As many of you know, I was apart of the white evangelical tradition. I have talked about things I learned about being Black in white spaces. Now I want to say some things about what I learned about once being a Black evangelical returning back to the Black church.

A thread.

Spending years in white evangelical churches and schools, specifically from 2012-2018, shapes Black people in more ways than we would like to admit. It shapes us to diminish Blackness, devalue our people’s story, and always test what we have against the white logic and litmus.

This is particular reality for us Black men in that space. White Christians exploit our vulnerabilities, give us the room to speak, while simultaneously subverting and devaluing Black women and their struggles and their grievances. Opportunities abound for us and we take them.

We are invited into the meetings, we are given the mic, we are asked to lead groups on race, the Black church, etc. We are asked though often we actually haven’t read or thought deeply about each. We become a weapon. Profiting and policing/punishing those who get out of line.

All the while, white Christians feel good about themselves and other Black people are left to clean up the mess we’ve made, the ways we’ve made fools of Black folk, and the harmful ways we’ve learned to think, and to preach, and to be around us. It is profoundly depressing.
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