Reddit Accepted $150 Million From Chinese Firm ‘Tencent’

https://repub.li/reddit-accepted-150-million-from-chinese-firm-tencent/

Today Reddit banned nearly 2,000 communities, mostly along partisan lines. The largest was “The_Donald” a pro-Trump community, known as a subreddit on the site. The purge comes at the same time as numerous high-profile suspensions and bans occurred across the net.

Twitch and Reddit have both made large suspensions today. Michael Flynn’s attorney, Sidney Powell, was suspended from Twitter. India also banned 59 different apps nationwide.

Last year, a Chinese tech giant known as Tencent, gave a $150 million dollar investment to Reddit. The Chinese firm is known for the famous chatting app known as WeChat and the hit-game League-of-Legends. Reddit users immediately began worrying about censorship changes.

Reddit has publicly admitted to accepting the money. China has expressed intense censorship controls on various other social media platforms. This investment may represent a direct effort to gain influence over large US based social media companies.

The Pentagon has issued strong warnings about various Chinese apps. In January the Pentagon blocked the app from all military devices, insisted members delete the app, and cited “potential risk associated with using the TikTok app.” “It is considered a cyber threat,” says Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa, an Army spokeswoman,

“We do not allow it on government phones.” … “It is considered a cyber threat,”

Lt. Col. Robin Ochoa – Army

The main concern with TiktTok has been how the app is able to backdoor and gain root access to the users phone. This grants Chinese access to users’ photos, text message history, browsers history, camera data and microphone recordings. It’s plausible that phones with the app installed could be used as a botnet.

China Warns of Swine Flu 2.0 Virus Known as G4 EA H1N1

https://repub.li/china-warn-of-swine-flu-2-0-virus-known-as-g4-ea-h1n1/

Academics call the new virus G4 EA H1N1. It was first discovered in China among pigs and people who work in pig slaughterhouses or elsewhere in the swine industry. This new strain is not covered by any modern flu vaccines. So far, the threat has not been large but researchers say the virus can grow and multiply in human airways.

A study published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences details the new G4 strain. The study describes the new virus as a blend of 3 prior strain: one from European and Asian birds, the 2009 Swine Flu, and a North American H1N1 strain found in birds, humans, and pigs.

This particular strain is one for concern. It’s core genetics come from an avian influenza that humans have poor immunity against. Disease and health organizations around the world must work together to monitor and react to this threat.

The China Agriculture University analyzed around 30,000 nasal swabs taken from pigs at slaughterhouses. The samples came from across 10 provinces in China. Collected between 2011 and 2018, the swabs contained large amounts of the G4 virus.

In 2009 the swine flu outbreak began in Mexico, but ended up being less deadly than initially feared. Once it entered the human population, many elderly were found to have immunity. The swine flu, now formally known as A/H1N1pdm09 is covered by the flu vaccine.

The first paper to begin the large study says the swine flu genes within G4 “may promote the virus adaptation” putting humans at risk. The paper is called Sun Honglei and it continued “It’s necessary to strengthen the surveillance.”

Well, we saw this coming!

City of St. Louis Positioning to Charge Home Defenders

https://repub.li/city-of-st-louis-positioning-to-charge-home-defenders/

The circuit attorney Kimberly M. Gardner issued a statement today about the recent video of a couple defending their home. Protesters surrounded the home of Mark and Patricia McCloskey and the two were recorded brandishing firearms outside to hold back the unruly mob.

Today the McCloskeys have found themselves in the middle of an internet superstorm. BLM supporters on twitter have posted the names, address, and other private information; taunting other agitators to take action. Mark McCloskey is an attorney and his political donations to Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden have been posted.

Citizens are quick to remind the circuit attorney of state law. Missouri has what’s known as “Castle Doctrine” which allows residents to use deadly force against intruders. The idea is that a home is a person’s castle and they have every right to defend their property as well as themselves.