7/1/2014
By Charles Payne

Just about every single day, one of the big tech companies releases news about yet another acquisition, initiative, or plan that when pieced together, seems like a plot to take over the world. In fact, it is a plot to take over the world. The question is: how does the desire for global domination not eventually take a sinister turn?

I wish I could say this is all tongue-in-cheek, but I cannot.

Perhaps I have seen too many movies where organized crime syndicates grow in sophistication, and eventually into rival sovereign governments. In the movies, the only thing the organization is missing is a nuclear warhead, or a way to deliver a nuclear warhead, or even they have such a weapon, but demand a ransom.

Ian Fleming created SPECTRE (Special Execution for Counter-Intelligence, Terrorism, Revenge, and Extortion) as a foe for the super-secret agent James Bond. There have been many fictitious mega-corporations eager to unleash their voracious intentions on mankind, and each has a farfetched reach, the manpower, and the know-how.

There is no way a private corporation could have the kind of tentacles around the world featured in the SPECTRE logo. Though, that was then and this is now. There is not just one company with an ever-growing ability to know all facets of our lives, but together they can disrupt or destroy our lives, if they so desired.

The race is on and there is no place people can hide.

Don't Be Evil

-Google Motto

I think thou protest too much. Why would a company have to state right out of the gate of their existence that they plan to do no evil? What is that all about? Did they know all along that the goal would be to gather more personal information on people, than even the federal government possesses? There are so many questions and very few answers. Instead, each day, we are greeted with more news of yet another tentacle and pathway into our lives.

The latest weapon in the Google arsenal is ‘Skybox.’ Google paid $500 million for a start-up, which uses low-cost satellites that can take high-resolution photos and videos from as far away as 500 miles. I have to say that the Google street van creeps me out. So, ‘Skybox’ will peek at me, while I peek out my window at those ominous vans, while filming the neighborhood. Officially, Google says it will use ‘Skybox,’ (not to be confused with Skynet) to beef-up its Maps and spread Internet access to remote areas.

Then there is Facebook, which seems to match Google step-by-step in acquisitions and questionable motives. A Facebook researcher recently apologized for conducting an experiment on approximately 700,000 unsuspecting users back in 2012. During the study, Facebook actively influenced the news feeds of the users by showing one group more positive post and a second group more negative post. The study essentially aimed to determine if emotions could spread among people without them necessarily meeting in person. The study showed that Facebook was successful in manipulating its user’s emotions as after the study, users posted comments that were rather cheerful or depressing depending on which posts Facebook revealed to them.

Let's not forget the website’s microphone feature. When activated on smart phones, it picks up stuff in the background and logs the information. It could be noise from a television or a radio, or a conversation, which is swiftly logged into a status update. Facebook says they are not recording or storing conversations, but many are suspicious. Why create such a feature in the first place? Then again, Facebook has done a lot of unusual things.

Google, Facebook, Amazon and other technology companies are continuously collecting data on its users. They claim that it is in order to provide better advertisements, promote articles, and display products that users would find relevant. Perhaps I am just a bit paranoid, but I think I would feel a lot better if the companies would all adopt a new motto.

For instance: "Don't Be Evil."

Charles Payne
Wall Street Strategies

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