The Common Ills

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Academics protest Google’s role in drone murder

From the WSWS:

Three prominent technology scholars published an open letter Monday, which has now received over 900 signatures, condemning Google’s collaboration with the Pentagon’s illegal “targeted killing” program.

The academics published their letter in support of over 3,100 Google employees who issued their own open letter last month protesting the company’s participation in a Pentagon program called Project Maven, designed to leverage the power of artificial intelligence to analyze footage collected by US military drones.

Read the Full Report

The US drone murder program is based on “extrajudicial killing that is not accountable either to US or international law,” Lucy Suchman, one of the co-authors of the statement, told the World Socialist Web Site Thursday.

Dr. Lilly Irani, another co-author, who supported the World Socialist Web Site’s open letter opposing Google’s censorship of the Internet, said that the issue of Google’s integration into the military-intelligence apparatus was closely linked to the company’s role in “muting political opposition through its ‘search quality’ policies.”

Update on Julian Assange

On Friday, Ecuador announced that it has removed all additional security measures at its embassy in London implemented to protect Assange. The move follows indications that Ecuador is in discussions with the UK to force Assange out of the embassy.

See also:

Iraq

‏Verified account @cnnbrk

A coalition led by anti-American cleric Muqtada al-Sadr has won Iraq's May 12 parliamentary election, official results say https://cnn.it/2wRwdU4 

81 replies99 retweets156 likes

Of course, Shi'ite cleric and movement leader Moqtada al-Sadr could also be described as pro-Iraq -- especially since his objection is to US forces (still) on Iraqi soil.

In 'only the heart has stopped beating' news, Lucas Tomlinson's determined to find a bright side.

‏Verified account @LucasFoxNews

In sign of how much ISIS war has changed in a year, in April 2017 U.S. and allies dropped 3,274 bombs in Iraq/Syria. Last month: 254

5 replies85 retweets152 likes

One wonders how Lucas Tomlinson would respond to just one bomb -- just one -- being dropped on his neighborhood? I seriously doubt he'd be selling that as an improvement.

We've destroyed Iraq and now, when we destroy it just a tiny little bit less, we're the abusive spouse saying, "Baby, I just hit you in the face this time, I didn't break your arm" -- saying that and wanting credit for it.

Moving over to Iraq's neighbor Iran, let's note this high horse rider:

IRAN HRM‏ @IranHrm May 18

This man digs the trash maybe to find something to eat. Millions are living below the poverty line while #Iran's rulers are sending billions to Lebanon, Yemen, Iraq & Syria

0:16

783 views

1 reply50 retweets46 likes

Sorry, IRAN HRM, that's true of nearly any country -- especially the United States. Is it right? Hell no. But it's nothing you can finger point at Iran for. The world community is guilty of it. It's called awareness -- look into it some time.

Back to Iraq.

Heshmat Alavi‏ @HeshmatAlavi 18 hours ago

Muqtada Sadr political office chief: "We seek to establish a government without Iran's presence & far from any alliance with Hadi Al Ameri & Nouri Al Maliki." http://www.entekhab.ir/fa/news/408623/%D8%B3%D8%AE%D9%86%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%B6%D8%AF%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%B1%D8%A6%DB%8C%D8%B3-%D8%AF%D9%81%D8%AA%D8%B1-%D8%B3%DB%8C%D8%A7%D8%B3%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%AA%D8%AF%DB%8C-%D8%B5%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D9%86%DA%AF%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86%DB%8C-%D8%AE%D9%88%D8%AF-%D8%B1%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D8%B2-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%BE%D9%86%D9%87%D8%A7%D9%86-%D9%86%D9%85%DB%8C-%DA%A9%D9%86%DB%8C%D9%85-%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AF%D9%86%D8%A8%D8%A7%D9%84-%D8%A7%DB%8C%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D8%A6%D8%AA%D9%84%D8%A7%D9%81-%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C-%D9%85%D9%82%D8%A7%D8%A8%D9%84%D9%87-%D8%A8%D8%A7-%D8%AD%D8%B6%D9%88%D8%B1-%D8%AA%D9%87%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%AF%D8%B1-%D8%A8%D8%AD%D8%AB-%D8%AA%D8%B4%DA%A9%DB%8C%D9%84-%D8%AF%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AA-%D9%87%D8%B3%D8%AA%DB%8C%D9%85 … This is a severe blow to #Iran's intentions in #Iraq.

3 replies37 retweets51 likes

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If true, that would mean all the non-stop whining the 'reporters' who think they work for the US government was for naught.

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