NSO Group’s Hulio steps down as CEO of spyware firm, 100 employees let go

Producer of controversial Pegasus phone hacking software undergoing large scale reorganization amid bid to regroup after years of negative publicity, blacklists and lawsuits

The chief executive of embattled Israeli spyware maker NSO is stepping down and 100 employees are being let go as part of a reorganization process, the company said Sunday.

In a statement, NSO said that CEO Shalev Hulio, one of the company’s founders, would be stepping down. Yaron Shohat, the company’s chief operating officer, will lead the firm on an interim basis and manage the reorganization process.

Hulio, who led the firm as it battled years of negative publicity that transformed the Herzliya-based outfit into an internationally recognized pariah, will remain with the company overseeing its mergers and acquisitions arm.

A statement from NSO said the reorganization will examine “all aspects of its business, including streamlining its operations to ensure NSO remains one of the world’s leading high-tech cyber intelligence companies, focusing on NATO-member countries.”

A company official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the reorganization efforts, said that 100 employees, or roughly 13 percent of NSO’s work force, would be dismissed.

Although the company keeps its client list private, governments and spy agencies around the world have sought its Pegasus software, which allows users to activate the microphone and camera on private devices without their knowledge.

NSO has been connected to a number of scandals resulting from alleged misuse of its surveillance software. Last year, the US government blacklisted the company, saying its tools had been used to “conduct transnational repression.”

Since then, NSO has been lobbying to have itself removed from the blacklist, investing “hundreds of thousands” of dollars into the publicity campaign according to a ProPublica report.

NSO reportedly tried to get the issue on the agenda for the meeting between Prime Minister Yair Lapid and US President Joe Biden in Jerusalem in July.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/nso-groups-hulio-steps-down-as-ceo-of-spyware-firm-100-employees-let-go/

Chicago Task Force Recommends Permanent Removal of Christopher Columbus Statues

Two years ago, there were widespread protests and violent clashes with police as activists sought to topple statues honoring Christopher Columbus in Chicago. To avoid more violence, Mayor Lori Lightfoot removed the statue in Grant Park in the dead of night, promising the Italian American community — an important voting bloc in the city — that the statue would return.

As a sop to the activists, Lightfoot ordered the formation of a task force — the Chicago Monuments Project — to determine which monuments should be torn down and which would be spared.

Mr. Columbus never had a chance. The task force released its findings and it included deep-sixing the three Columbus statues on city property.

It also called for the removal of the Italo Balbo Monument in Burnham Park. The statue was a gift from Mussolini recognizing the leader of the Italian “Blackshirts.” who commanded the 1933 transatlantic flight of seaplanes from the Italian Air Force. The statue was part of the Italian pavilion of the World’s Fair and was never taken down — although it probably should have been.

But it was the Columbus statues people were interested in knowing the fate of. The statue in Grant Park is an iconic symbol of Chicago, and Lightfoot, who has the option of not following the task force recommendations, may fulfill her promise and return the statue to its original place.

The Monuments Project also recommended the removal of 40 other artworks for various crimes against the woke.

Chicago Sun-Times:

DuSable Bridge reliefs that show “the Battle of Fort Dearborn within an allegorical narrative of the triumph of Western civilization. American Indians are used as merely a foil to help define the heroic acts and qualities of colonizing forces.”

Jean Baptiste Beaubien plaque, at the Chicago Cultural Center, which honors the “second” citizens of the city, neglecting Native Americans who were already there.

Jacques Marquette-Louis Jolliet memorial at Marshall and 24th Boulevard, which “reinforces stereotypes about American Indians.

Tablets dedicated to Cavelier de la Salle and Jolliet and Marquette at the DuSable Bridge state, “‘The first white men to pass through the Chicago River…,’ (and) explicitly voice the ideology of white supremacy.”

There is also a statue of General Philip “the only good Indian I ever saw was dead” Sheridan. Later, Theodore Roosevelt paraphrased Sheridan when talking about his experiences in North Dakota as a younger man. The task force recommended the Sheridan statue near Soldier Field be taken down.

The reaction by the Italian-American community to permanently removing the Columbus statues would be harsh enough to give Lightfoot pause. But the outcry on the left will be just as vocal and as damaging politically to Lightfoot as the Chicago Italian community’s reaction.

https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/rick-moran/2022/08/21/chicago-task-force-recommends-permanent-removal-of-christopher-columbus-statues-n1622726

No Whites Allowed: Private Housing At UC-Berkeley Bans White People From Common Areas

“Many POC members moved here to be able to avoid white violence and presence, so respect their decision of avoidance if you bring white guests.”

The Person of Color Theme House is a private housing co-op off campus for people at UC-Berkeley. It’s meant for “low-income, first generation, immigrant and marginalized students of color.”

But you cannot even bring white people into the common areas. You must alert the residents if you want to bring white people to the house: “Many POC members moved here to be able to avoid white violence and presence, so respect their decision of avoidance if you bring white guests.”

Private landlords run co-ops in the Berkeley Student Cooperative.

From The College Fix:

White guests are banned from the common spaces at the Person of Color House, an off-campus housing option for Berkeley students, according to a photo of the guest rules recently posted on Reddit.

Under a section labeled “Guests in Common Spaces,” it states: “Guests are allowed in common spaces but please be mindful if there are house members in the room beforehand. White guests are not allowed in common spaces (see intro).”

The POC House intro states in part that many members moved in “to be able to avoid white violence and presence.” When students do bring a guest, the rules direct them to announce it in the house guest chat and note “if they are white.”

But it’s not just white guests who are unwelcome.

“Avoid bringing parents/family members that express bigotry,” the rules continue. “Queer, Black, and Indigenous members should not have to avoid common spaces because of homophobic or racist parents/family members.”

https://legalinsurrection.com/2022/08/no-whites-allowed-private-housing-at-uc-berkeley-bans-white-people-from-common-areas/

Queensland government endorsed Star casino stake for Hong Kong company with Chinese Triad links

A key shareholder in Australia's most expensive casino development has a long history of association with organised crime figures and people blacklisted by gambling regulators around the world, an ABC investigation has confirmed.

Key points:

The ABC has unearthed the chequered corporate history of Chow Tai Fook

The major Star partner has had ties to several notorious gangsters in Hong Kong and Macau

Star is the subject of tomorrow’s inquiry probing allegations of criminal activity in its Queensland casinos

Chow Tai Fook, controlled by the powerful Cheng family in Hong Kong, was endorsed by the Queensland government in 2015 as a fit and proper partner in its new $3.8 billion casino development at Queen's Wharf.

Now, the man appointed as probity advisor on the project by the Queensland government has told ABC Investigations he knew nothing of the company's criminal associations.

Former Queensland auditor-general Len Scanlan said the revelations were a significant red flag.

"It is news to me," he said.

"You know what you know and you don't know what you don't know. I had no knowledge about those parties."

When asked if would have backed approval of the bid had he known about the company's criminal associates, he said: "Of course not, no."

Not only is Chow Tai Fook a 25 per cent shareholder in the casino, it also owns 50 per cent of the surrounding apartment towers.

It will also earn commissions from Star for every VIP gambler it brings to the casino when it opens next year.

ABC Investigations can reveal Chow Tai Fook and associated companies have been linked to Chinese organised crime for decades.

One of these companies is still in business with a long-time associate of a notorious Macau gangster, Wan Kuok Koi, also known as "Broken Tooth".

Cheng corporate vehicles remained a partner in a Vietnam casino with a company founded by Alvin Chau, the man widely regarded as "Broken Tooth" Koi's protege, even after Mr Chau's arrest on 286 criminal charges in Macau last November.

The company's chequered history includes a role in a failed Australian casino bid with discredited gambling tycoon Stanley Ho and interests in his companies, which have been blacklisted in New South Wales.

The revelations come on the eve of the Gotterson Inquiry in Queensland, which from Tuesday will probe allegations Star turned a blind eye to money laundering and criminal infiltration in the sunshine state.

The Palaszczuk government allowed Chow Tai Fook to become a major shareholder in the casino despite laws prohibiting business associations with anyone of ill-repute or "undesirable" financial sources.

"We have to have clean owners and clean operators if we're going to have clean casinos," Chris Sidoti, a former chairman of the NSW's independent casino regulator, said.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-08-22/star-brisbane-casino-chow-tai-fook-triad-links/101341862

January 6 Committee Hired Consultant Who May Have ‘Huge’ Conflict Of Interest

The committee probing the Jan. 6 Capitol riot hired a consultant who may have a major “conflict of interest,” watchdogs told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Jan. 6 Committee is investigating security failures by the House Sergeant-at-Arms (SAA) in connection with the Capitol riot — and its consultant Brian Young is married to House Deputy SAA Kim E. Campbell.

“Young needs to come clean about what he is doing for the J6 Committee,” Tom Jones, executive director of the American Accountability Foundation, told the DCNF. “There is no way a husband can give an independent and objective assessment of his wife’s performance.”

The Jan. 6 Committee hired an investigative consultant who could have a major “conflict of interest,” watchdogs told the Daily Caller News Foundation.

Brian Young is a senior financial investigator at the consultancy Polar Solutions Inc and a contractor for the Jan. 6 Committee, according to his LinkedIn profile and an internal congressional document obtained by the DCNF. But he is also married to House Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms (SAA) Kim E. Campbell, the second most senior official in the SAA, which like the U.S. Capitol Police is being probed by the committee for security failures in connection to the Capitol riot.

The relationship could pose “a huge conflict of interest” if Young’s work involves reviewing the performance of the SAA or Capitol Police, according to Tom Jones, executive director of the watchdog American Accountability Foundation.

“Young needs to come clean about what he is doing for the J6 Committee,” Jones told the DCNF. “There is no way a husband can give an independent and objective assessment of his wife’s performance.”

The House and Senate SAA offices coordinate with U.S. Capitol Police and are responsible for maintaining Capitol security, protecting members and overseeing emergency management. The Jan. 6 Committee is investigating “the sharing of intelligence” between federal, state and local agencies with the SAA offices and Capitol Police with regard to the Capitol riot, according to its website.

The committee is also probing the House SAA and other government offices’ “systems for monitoring” intelligence on or before Jan. 6 and plans to issue both an interim and final report on its findings, conclusions and recommendations “for corrective measures.” Former House SAA Paul Irving, who resigned one day after the Capitol riot, testified before the committee in February 2021 that “more has to be done” to ensure better security for the U.S. Capitol.

Polar Solutions was paid over $93,000 in December 2021 and January 2022, according to House disbursement records. Through his job at Polar Solutions, Young provides “professional services and expertise to the Legislative Branch for Law Enforcement, National Defense and National Security,” according to his LinkedIn.

“For this committee to utilize, in any capacity, a consultant who is literally married to a high ranking official within the SAA’s office is highly inappropriate,” Republican South Carolina Rep. Ralph Norman told the DCNF.

Young also at one point allegedly wrote an email to Campbell in connection to his official investigative duties with the Jan. 6 Committee, a congressional source who was briefed by a colleague on the matter told the DCNF. The DCNF did not review the contents of the alleged email.

https://dailycaller.com/2022/08/20/j6-committee-investigative-consultant-married-to-deputy-sergeant-at-arms/