Amazon Partnered With China's Propaganda Arm

Reuters  

CNBC: Amazon partnered with China propaganda arm 

Amazon was marketing a collection of President Xi Jinping’s speeches and writings on its Chinese website about two years ago, when Beijing delivered an edict, according to two people familiar with the incident. 

The American e-commerce giant must stop allowing any customer ratings and reviews in China. A negative review of Xi’s book prompted the demand, one of the people said.

“I think the issue was anything under five stars,” the highest rating in Amazon’s five-point system, said the other person. 

Ratings and reviews are a crucial part of Amazon’s e-commerce business, a major way of engaging shoppers. But Amazon complied, the two people said. 

Currently, on its Chinese site Amazon.cn, the government-published book has no customer reviews or any ratings. And the comments section is disabled.  

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: It is always about the money. 

Amazon Partnered With China's Propaganda Arm  

China Ordered Amazon to Delete Reviews of Xi Jinping's Book, Reuters Reports -- Bloomberg  

Amazon boosted its business in China by blocking reviews on books by leader Xi Jinping and following Communist Party 'edicts,' says Reuters investigation -- Business Insider  

Amazon Bowed To Beijing's Propaganda Arm To Keep Chinese Sales Secured, New Report Reveals -- Zero Hedge

Amazon's Court Battle Against The Pentagon May Force It To End Its JEDI Cloud Project

Pentagon officials are considering pulling the plug on the JEDI cloud-computing project, which has been mired in litigation from Amazon and faces continuing criticism from lawmakers https://t.co/Mt4SJXrcrA

— Ben Pershing (@benpershing) May 10, 2021

Zero Hedge: Court Battle With Amazon May Force Pentagon To Scrap 'JEDI' Cloud-Computing Program 

Has Jeff Bezos overpowered the Pentagon with legal firepower? Amazon's legal battle with the Pentagon over its decision to grant its $10 billion JEDI cloud-computing contract to rival Microsoft may finally succeed in scuppering the program altogether. 

WSJ reports that Pentagon officials are considering scuttling the program, possibly in favor of a different model that will involve parceling out pieces of the contract to various companies, something that would lower the legal risks associated with the project.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: Wow! Amazon's lobby in Washington has a lot of clout.

The Rise Of The 'Digital-Intelligence Complex'

Eric Felten, RealClearInvestigations: 60 Years After Eisenhower's Warning, Distinct Signs of a 'Digital-Intelligence Complex' 

In June 2019, Susan Gordon stood on a stage at the Washington Convention Center. 

Behind her loomed three giant letters, “AWS,” the abbreviation for Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing division of the giant Internet retailer. 

After three decades at the Central Intelligence Agency, Gordon had risen to one of the top jobs in the cloak-and-dagger world: principal deputy director of national intelligence. From that perch she publicly extolled the virtues of Amazon Web Services and the cloud services the tech giant provides the CIA. 

Read more .... 

WNU Editor: Read the whole thing. 

On a personal note. I am involved in a few web projects. We do not use Amazon's cloud services for the reasons outlined in the above post. Bottom line .... I do not feel comfortable that Amazon would respect our privacy.  Also, after what happened to Parler when Amazon decided to quickly end their hosting services, I do not trust them to be even remotely involved in that.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Accused Of Hacking Jeff Bezos' Phone In 2018

Jeff Bezos with Mohammed bin Salman during his visit to the US in March 2018. Photograph: Saudi Press Agency

The Guardian: Amazon boss Jeff Bezos's phone 'hacked by Saudi crown prince'

Exclusive: investigation suggests Washington Post owner was targeted five months before murder of Jamal Khashoggi

The Amazon billionaire Jeff Bezos had his mobile phone “hacked” in 2018 after receiving a WhatsApp message that had apparently been sent from the personal account of the crown prince of Saudi Arabia, sources have told the Guardian.

The encrypted message from the number used by Mohammed bin Salman is believed to have included a malicious file that infiltrated the phone of the world’s richest man, according to the results of a digital forensic analysis.

This analysis found it “highly probable” that the intrusion into the phone was triggered by an infected video file sent from the account of the Saudi heir to Bezos, the owner of the Washington Post.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: If true. The Crown Prince went through a lot of trouble (and exposure) for hacking a citizen's cell phone. 

More News On Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman Being Accused Of Hacking Jeff Bezos' Phone In 2018

Revealed: the Saudi heir and the alleged plot to undermine Jeff Bezos -- The Guardian
Bezos cell phone 'was hacked in 2018 after he received a WhatsApp video file from PERSONAL ACCOUNT of Saudi Crown Prince' - just months before sex pictures from his phone were leaked to National Enquirer -- Daily Mail
Jeff Bezos' phone was reportedly hacked by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in 2018 -- Business Insider
MBS personally involved in hacking of Jeff Bezos's phone: Report -- Middle East Eye

French President Macron: G7 Nations Close To Agreement On Tackling Amazon Fires

Reuters: G7 nations close to agreement on tackling Amazon fires: Macron

BIARRITZ, France (Reuters) - French President Emmanuel Macron said on Sunday the leaders of the world’s major industrialized nations were close to an agreement on how to help fight the Amazon forest fires and try to repair the devastation.

“There’s a real convergence to say: ‘let’s all agree to help those countries hit by these fires’,” he told reporters in Biarritz, which is hosting the annual summit of leaders from the Group of Seven nations.

He said the G7 countries comprising the United States, Japan, Germany, France, Italy, Britain and Canada, were finalizing a possible deal on “technical and financial help”.

Macron shunted the Amazon fires to the top of the summit agenda after declaring them a global emergency, and kicked off discussions about the disaster at a welcome dinner for fellow leaders on Saturday.

An EU official, who declined to be named, said the G7 leaders had agreed to do everything they could to help tackle the fires, giving Macron a mandate to contact all the countries in the Amazon region to see what was needed.

“It was the easiest part of the talks,” the official said.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: For the past week I have been reading non-stop news reports the current fires in the Amazon regions are unprecedented. Bu now we are learning from scinetists that these fires are actually nothing new ....

Scientists studying satellite images of the fires in the Amazon rain forest said most of the fires are burning on agricultural land where the forest had already been cleared through years of deforestation. https://t.co/Az7WWiCVtr

— The New York Times (@nytimes) August 24, 2019

#AmazonFire #AmazonRainForest According to NASA: "As of August 16, 2019, satellite observations indicated that total fire activity in the Amazon basin was slightly below average in comparison to the past 15 years." https://t.co/okf6BmC8qU

— Jesse Ferrell (@WeatherMatrix) August 21, 2019

Update: On a side note. The Chinese are saying that we may be entering a cooling trend .... China scientists warn of global cooling trick up nature’s sleeve (SCMP).

Pentagon Official Involved In $10 Billion Contract Offered Job From Amazon

The Intercept: Amazon Offered Job to Pentagon Official Involved With $10 Billion Contract It Sought

In a federal lawsuit, the tech giant Oracle has provided new details to support its accusation that Amazon secretly negotiated a job offer with a then-Department of Defense official who helped shape the procurement process for a massive federal contract for which Amazon was a key bidder.

Amazon Web Services and Microsoft are now the two finalists to win the highly contested $10 billion contract for what is known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure, or JEDI. The deal, one of the largest federal contracts in U.S. history, would pay one company to provide cloud computing services in support of Defense Department operations around the world.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Talk about a conflict of interest.

Did Saudi Arabia Hacked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Phone?

ABC News Online: Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos had phone hacked by Saudis 'intent on harming' him, security chief claims

The Saudi Government is "intent on harming" Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos and accessed his phone in order to gain private information, his security chief claims.

Gavin De Becker, a longtime security consultant, said he had concluded his investigation into the January publication of leaked text messages between Mr Bezos and Lauren Sanchez, a former television anchor whom the National Enquirer tabloid newspaper said he was dating.

The outlet threatened to publish the messages on the same day Mr Bezos and his wife announced that they were divorcing after 25 years of marriage.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: National Enquirer is saying no .... National Enquirer: Bezos' girlfriend's brother 'single source' for reports (Reuters).

More News On Claims That Saudi Arabia Hacked Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Phone

Bezos investigator accuses Saudis of hacking Amazon CEO's phone before tabloid expose -- National Post/Washington Post
Saudi Arabia 'hacked Amazon boss's phone', says investigator -- BBC
Jeff Bezos investigator: Saudi Arabia obtained private information -- CNN
Saudis hacked Jeff Bezos' phone and leaked racy texts, investigator claims -- FOX News
Plot twist: Jeff Bezos' affair leak may have been Saudi government attack -- Mashable
Did Saudi Arabia hack Jeff Bezos? Amazon CEO adviser says Saudis 'got private information' -- USA Today

Bezos: Amazon Will 'Continue To Support And Work' With The Defense Department

CBS: Jeff Bezos explains decision to work with Defense Department

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was a surprise speaker at the Wired25 conference in San Francisco on Monday and discussed everything from his space company Blue Origin to Silicon Valley's relationship with the Trump administration. When asked about Blue Origin's $2.3 billion contract with the U.S. Air Force, Bezos explained his decision to help develop rocket launch technology for the Pentagon.

"We are going to continue to support the [Defense Department], and I think we should. Sometimes one of the jobs of a senior leadership team is to make the right decision, even when it's unpopular. If big tech companies are going to turn their back on the U.S. Department of Defense, this country is going to be in trouble."

Read more ....

More News On Jeff Bezos's Remarks That Amazon Will 'Continue To Support And Work' With The Defense Department

Amazon Will ‘Continue to Support’ Defense Department, Jeff Bezos Says -- Bloomberg
Amazon's Bezos: US needs to be defended -- BBC
Tech companies need to work with US military, says Amazon boss Jeff Bezos -- The Telegraph
Bezos defends big tech co-operation with US military -- Financial Times
Amazon's Jeff Bezos Says Tech Companies Should Work With the Pentagon -- Wired