Difference between revisions of "NewsGuard"
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{{group | {{group | ||
|website=https://www.newsguardtech.com/ | |website=https://www.newsguardtech.com/ | ||
| − | |constitutes= | + | |constitutes=propaganda, mass surveillance |
|description=A tech company which is teaming up with [[Microsoft]] as regards "[[fake news]]" | |description=A tech company which is teaming up with [[Microsoft]] as regards "[[fake news]]" | ||
|leaders= | |leaders= | ||
| Line 12: | Line 12: | ||
|image_caption=NewsGuard warns that [[RT]] is unreliable | |image_caption=NewsGuard warns that [[RT]] is unreliable | ||
|image_width=400px | |image_width=400px | ||
| + | |members=Don Baer, John Battelle, Silvia Bencivelli, Yves Clarisse, Arne Duncan, Alina Fichter, Giampiero Gramaglia, Michael Hayden, Leo Hindery Jr, Elise Jordan, Jessica Lessin, Anders Fogh Rasmussen, Tom Ridge, Richard Sambrook, Richard Stengel, Brigitte Trafford, Ed Vaizey, Jimmy Wales | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''NewsGuard''' is a company which purports to tackle "disinformation" through its [[browser]] extension. | '''NewsGuard''' is a company which purports to tackle "disinformation" through its [[browser]] extension. | ||
==Activities== | ==Activities== | ||
| − | + | {{SMWQ | |
| + | |date=29 January 2019 | ||
| + | |source_name=RT | ||
| + | |subjects=Fake news, Tom Ridge, Suadi Arabia, Michael Hayden | ||
| + | |source_URL=https://www.rt.com/news/450035-saudi-arabia-newsguard-pr-investor/ | ||
| + | |text=A new app claiming to serve as a bulwark against "disinformation" by adding "trust rankings" to news websites has links to a [[PR]] firm that received nearly $15 million to push pro-Saudi spin in US media, [[Breitbart]] reports. | ||
| − | NewsGuard and its shady advisory board – consisting of truth-lovers such as [[Tom Ridge]], the first-ever homeland security chief, and former [[CIA director]] [[Michael Hayden]] – came under scrutiny after [[Microsoft]] announced that the app would be built into its mobile browsers. A closer examination of the company's publicly listed investors, however, has revealed new reasons to be suspicious of this self-declared crusader against [[propaganda]]. As Breitbart discovered, NewsGuard's third-largest investor, [[Publicis Groupe]], owns a PR firm that has repeatedly airbrushed Saudi Arabia. | + | NewsGuard and its shady advisory board – consisting of truth-lovers such as [[Tom Ridge]], the first-ever homeland security chief, and former [[CIA director]] [[Michael Hayden]] – came under scrutiny after [[Microsoft]] announced that the app would be built into its mobile browsers. A closer examination of the company's publicly listed investors, however, has revealed new reasons to be suspicious of this self-declared crusader against [[propaganda]]. As Breitbart discovered, NewsGuard's third-largest investor, [[Publicis Groupe]], owns a [[PR]] firm that has repeatedly airbrushed [[Saudi Arabia]]. |
| + | |authors=Anonymous | ||
| + | }} | ||
==Criticism== | ==Criticism== | ||
| − | Breitbert notes that "[[WikiLeaks]], which has never had to retract a story due to false or misleading information, is also given a “red” rating | + | Breitbert notes that "[[WikiLeaks]], which has never had to retract a story due to false or misleading information, is also given a “red” rating in contrast to the "green" which it gives to [[BuzzFeed]], which was recently humiliated for publishing alleged details about the ongoing Mueller investigation that were contradicted by the spe[c]ial prosecutor himself. BuzzFeed did not retract the story, and even [https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2019/01/18/buzzfeed-leads-with-fake-news-collusion-story-hours-after-refuted-by-mueller/ led with it on its frontpage … after Mueller contradicted it]."<ref>https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/01/23/microsoft-teams-with-establishment-newsguard-to-create-news-blacklist/</ref> |
==Uncritical usage by Wikipedia== | ==Uncritical usage by Wikipedia== | ||
[[Whitney Webb]] described in 2019 ''How a Small Group of Pro-Israel Activists Blacklisted [[MintPress]] on [[Wikipedia]]''. The article describes, among other things, how Wikipedia cited Mint Press News' unfavourable rating from Newsguard, "several months after MintPress authored a viral exposè of Newsguard’s connections to [[neoconservatives]] and former government officials, including former [[CIA director]] [[Michael Hayden]]."<ref>https://www.mintpressnews.com/pro-israel-activists-blacklist-mintpress-wikipedia/261022/</ref> | [[Whitney Webb]] described in 2019 ''How a Small Group of Pro-Israel Activists Blacklisted [[MintPress]] on [[Wikipedia]]''. The article describes, among other things, how Wikipedia cited Mint Press News' unfavourable rating from Newsguard, "several months after MintPress authored a viral exposè of Newsguard’s connections to [[neoconservatives]] and former government officials, including former [[CIA director]] [[Michael Hayden]]."<ref>https://www.mintpressnews.com/pro-israel-activists-blacklist-mintpress-wikipedia/261022/</ref> | ||
| + | ==Tracking users== | ||
| + | |||
| + | For each site someone with Newsguard installed visit, there will be a connection to "http://api.newsguardtech[.]com/check/[hostname of visited site]". The result will be cached locally for at most 30 minutes. The gathered information include the hostname of the site loaded in the current tab - i.e. more browsing history leakage.<ref>https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1085980630863753217.html</reF> | ||
| + | |||
| + | "NewsGuard" will get this information: | ||
| + | *The sites you visit | ||
| + | *When you visited these sites, +- 30 minutes, or with better accuracy if you open the extension's popup panel | ||
| + | *Your public IP address | ||
| + | *Your browser, OS, language (through HTTP headers) | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==Funding== | ||
| + | NewsGuard was awarded a $749,387 contract by the [[US Air Force]] (September 7, 2021 – December 8, 2022) fir a "Misinformation Fingerprints" program aimed at combating "[[misinformation]]". NewsGuard also has disclosed that they received $25,000 from the [[US State Department]] and the [[US Cyber Command]] in 2020.<ref>https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_FA864921P1569_9700_-NONE-_-NONE-</ref><ref>https://obektivno.bg/749387-pentagon-contract-debunks-the-lie-about-independent-fact-checkers/</ref> | ||
| + | |||
| + | ==People== | ||
| + | '''[[NewsGuard]]'s Advisory Board''' as of May 2020<ref>https://www.newsguardtech.com/our-advisory-board/</ref>. | ||
{{SMWDocs}} | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
| + | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
Revision as of 23:27, 20 February 2023
 NewsGuard(Propaganda, Mass surveillance)     | |
|---|---|
 NewsGuard warns that RT is unreliable | |
| Founder | • Steven Brill • Gordon Kravitz |
| Interests | Fake news |
| Sponsored by | Publicis Groupe, US/Air Force |
| Membership | • Don Baer •  John Battelle• Silvia Bencivelli • Yves Clarisse • Arne Duncan • Alina Fichter • Giampiero Gramaglia • Michael Hayden • Leo Hindery Jr • Elise Jordan • Jessica Lessin •  Anders Fogh Rasmussen•  Tom Ridge• Richard Sambrook •  Richard Stengel• Brigitte Trafford •  Ed Vaizey•  Jimmy Wales |
| A tech company which is teaming up with Microsoft as regards "fake news" | |
NewsGuard is a company which purports to tackle "disinformation" through its browser extension.
Contents
Activities
“A new app claiming to serve as a bulwark against "disinformation" by adding "trust rankings" to news websites has links to a PR firm that received nearly $15 million to push pro-Saudi spin in US media, Breitbart reports. NewsGuard and its shady advisory board – consisting of truth-lovers such as Tom Ridge, the first-ever homeland security chief, and former CIA director Michael Hayden – came under scrutiny after Microsoft announced that the app would be built into its mobile browsers. A closer examination of the company's publicly listed investors, however, has revealed new reasons to be suspicious of this self-declared crusader against propaganda. As Breitbart discovered, NewsGuard's third-largest investor, Publicis Groupe, owns a PR firm that has repeatedly airbrushed Saudi Arabia.”
Anonymous (29 January 2019) [1]
Criticism
Breitbert notes that "WikiLeaks, which has never had to retract a story due to false or misleading information, is also given a “red” rating in contrast to the "green" which it gives to BuzzFeed, which was recently humiliated for publishing alleged details about the ongoing Mueller investigation that were contradicted by the spe[c]ial prosecutor himself. BuzzFeed did not retract the story, and even led with it on its frontpage … after Mueller contradicted it."[2]
Uncritical usage by Wikipedia
Whitney Webb described in 2019 How a Small Group of Pro-Israel Activists Blacklisted MintPress on Wikipedia. The article describes, among other things, how Wikipedia cited Mint Press News' unfavourable rating from Newsguard, "several months after MintPress authored a viral exposè of Newsguard’s connections to neoconservatives and former government officials, including former CIA director Michael Hayden."[3]
Tracking users
For each site someone with Newsguard installed visit, there will be a connection to "http://api.newsguardtech[.]com/check/[hostname of visited site]". The result will be cached locally for at most 30 minutes. The gathered information include the hostname of the site loaded in the current tab - i.e. more browsing history leakage.[4]
"NewsGuard" will get this information:
- The sites you visit
- When you visited these sites, +- 30 minutes, or with better accuracy if you open the extension's popup panel
- Your public IP address
- Your browser, OS, language (through HTTP headers)
Funding
NewsGuard was awarded a $749,387 contract by the US Air Force (September 7, 2021 – December 8, 2022) fir a "Misinformation Fingerprints" program aimed at combating "misinformation". NewsGuard also has disclosed that they received $25,000 from the US State Department and the US Cyber Command in 2020.[5][6]
People
NewsGuard's Advisory Board as of May 2020[7].
Known members
8 of the 18 of the members already have pages here:
| Member | Description |
|---|---|
| John Battelle | A Young Global Leader who helped launch Wired in the 1990s. On the Advisory Board of the CIA-front NewsGuard |
| Arne Duncan | Educational bureaucrat; United States Secretary of Education under 7 years of Obama. |
| Michael Hayden | US Spook, NSA Director 1999-2005, CIA Director 2006-2009, News Guard advisory board |
| Anders Fogh Rasmussen | Bilderberger, ex Danish PM, ex-Secretary General of NATO. |
| Richard Sambrook | UK media executive, Edelman's Global Vice Chairman and Chief Content Officer 2010-2012 |
| Richard Stengel | Senio US Propagandist "Having once been almost a First Amendment absolutist, I have really moved my position on it, because I just think for practical reasons..." |
| Ed Vaizey | UK politician, Merton College Oxford, Henry Jackson Society, NewsGuard/Advisory Board, Notting Hill Set |
| Jimmy Wales | Founder of super-influential Wikipedia. Tony Blair aide's is (strategically?) married to him. |
Sponsors
| Event | Description |
|---|---|
| Publicis Groupe | French multinational advertising and public relations company |
| US/Air Force | The national air force of the United States. |
References
- ↑ https://www.rt.com/news/450035-saudi-arabia-newsguard-pr-investor/ RT
- ↑ https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2019/01/23/microsoft-teams-with-establishment-newsguard-to-create-news-blacklist/
- ↑ https://www.mintpressnews.com/pro-israel-activists-blacklist-mintpress-wikipedia/261022/
- ↑ https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1085980630863753217.html
- ↑ https://www.usaspending.gov/award/CONT_AWD_FA864921P1569_9700_-NONE-_-NONE-
- ↑ https://obektivno.bg/749387-pentagon-contract-debunks-the-lie-about-independent-fact-checkers/
- ↑ https://www.newsguardtech.com/our-advisory-board/
