Opinion

Can Hackers Actually Erase Student Loan And Medical Debt

Published

2 years ago

May 16, 2020

Many readers of our website regularly ask why hacker’s don’t just erase everyone’s student loan, medical and credit card debt as shown in the hit television series Mr. Robot. However, considering how this data is stored, this is not a very likely scenario. In fact, it may even be impossible.

According to Bloomberg’s Megan McArdle, the stunt highlighted in the show would ruin the economy if it was actually pulled off. Furthermore, it wouldn’t even be possible to achieve this goal to begin with, because the records for each individual are stored across many different servers, and are not centralized in one vulnerable location.

In the world of Mr. Robot, one company holds at least 70% of the entire global consumer credit industry, but this is not how things work in reality.

“Student loans are handled by other, different companies. Car loans. Mortgages. Each market brings new players, who all have their own records you need to wipe,” McArdle explains.

Photo Credit: Mr. Robot – USA Network

So to start, this information is spread across a variety of different companies, and each company has this information stored at a variety of different locations, both online and offline.

According to Business Insider, “It’s also totally unrealistic that a corporation that owns that much of the world’s debt would store their data in only one or two server locations. E Corp stores everything at Steel Mountain, an enormous underground bunker that fscociety targets midway though the season. It’s modeled after the real-life Iron Mountain, which similarly stores huge amounts of sensitive information. Not even the best planned heist would stand a chance of infiltrating either location, especially in the world of “Mr. Robot” where E Corp would have limitless resources to safeguard the facility.”

Hacker. Photo Credit: Fortune

There would be a number of unintended consequences from this type of hack as well. In addition to wiping out debt, a stunt like this could also wipe out all records of ownership in the world, if it was actually possible. This means that any claim that a person might have on a house or a car would be legally erased, leaving no proof of ownership.

McArdle also suggested that average citizens would foot the bill through the high taxes that would result from so much debt being erased.

“Student loans are guaranteed by the government (and now usually made directly by the government). Guess who guarantees the government? That’s right, you, Joe Taxpayer. Congratulations, your student loan just evaporated, and your tax bill just doubled,” McArdle explained.

The New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, by a significant margin the world’s largest stock exchange per market capitalization of its listed companies,[1][2] at US$23.1 trillion as of April 2018. / Photo Credit: Wikipedia

Of course, this argument is not much of a deterrent for the poor working class that doesn’t own any property to begin with and finds themselves in extremely low tax ratings.

It is fair to point out the predatory nature of these debts and to demand change. However, it is important to be informed and realistic about what hackers are actually capable of. Thanks to much of the propaganda that we have been inundated with, people seem to think that hackers are capable of anything, but the truth is that decentralized networks are often not capable of being hacked, especially if some of the information is being stored offline.

Opinion

Which Dictator Killed The Most People?

Published

9 months ago

December 28, 2021

JP Steinberg

A popular infographic on the site memolition compares many different ruthless dictators through history, and shows their death counts illustrated by drops of blood to represent one million people killed.

Mao Zedong is at the top of the list, having directly or indirectly led to the deaths of 78 million people, followed by Joseph Stalin with an estimated 23 million, and Adolf Hitler with 17 million.

However, there are many scholars who suggest that these numbers are not so cut and dry, and may not offer an entirely accurate representation of what took place. To start, Joseph Stalin and Mao Zedong were both ruling over much larger populations, for a much longer time than Adolf Hitler, and many of the deaths that were caused under their regime were caused indirectly through poverty and famine.

Of course, Russia and China during these eras had brutal police states, where citizens were routinely killed or thrown into prison for defying the state. The primary goal of those regimes was maintaining power, which is fairly common of authoritarian regimes. However, with Hitler and the Nazis, the genocide was targeted at specific ethnic and social groups, and eugenics was at the forefront of the regime’s philosophy. Many scholars have argued that even though the Nazi regime killed fewer people than its communist counterparts of the time, they represented a unique danger because they were seeking to use military force to reshape the genetics of the world.

Leopold II of Belgium, who has been mostly forgotten by mainstream history, was also listed in the graphic. Leopold is said to be responsible for an estimated 15 million deaths. The vast majority of the killings took place during Belgium’s colonization of the Congo in Africa, where the country controlled a large number of mining operations. To encourage higher production at the mines, Leopold’s regime is said to have cut off the hands of men, women, and children when quotas were not met.

Each of these people were ruthless murderers, regardless of the circumstances, and many of the people who are in leadership positions in government today are not much different.

(Click the picture for a larger version)

Disclaimer: There is a mistake in this infographic. Turkey as a country exists since 1923, before that region the infographic refers to was known as an Ottoman Empire. Also, İsmail Enver Pasha wasn’t a dictator, he was a general in Ottoman army and a leader of the 1908 Young Turk Revolution.

Opinion

More Celebrities Are Starting To Voice Their Support For Donald Trump

Published

2 years ago

October 25, 2020

Mark Horowitz

Last week, 50 Cent created a huge controversy when expressing his support for US President Donald Trump, but he is just one of many celebrities who are sticking their necks out to put the power of their platforms behind the sitting president. Many of them, like Ted Nugent or James Woods will come as no surprise to anyone, but some of these names are a bit shocking, such as punk rock legend Johnny Rotten.

Each of these celebrities offer different reasons for their political leanings, and some of them don’t give any reason at all. However, all of these people are millionaires, so they share some of the same class concerns, as 50 Cent noted last week when he expressed his frustration with Biden’s tax plan for the wealthy.

Below are a few of the celebrities who have voiced support for Donald Trump.

1. Kelsey Grammer

Kelsey Grammer, Getty

Allen Kelsey Grammer is an actor, comedian, singer, producer, director, writer and conservative political activist, best known for his two-decade-long portrayal of psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcoms Cheers and Frasier. He was very open about voting for Trump in 2016.

2. Roseanne Barr

Rosanne Barr, Getty

Roseanne Barr is an actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom Roseanne. She has been openly supportive of Donald Trump for years, and has stirred up controversy as a result.

3. Dean Cain

Dean Cain is the star of the show Lois & Clark and he endorsed President Trump during the 2016 election. More recently, he defended Kirstie Alley against attacks for her support of Trump.

In case you missed it@RealDeanCain on Kirstie Alley’s backlash for supporting Trump. #FoxandFriends https://t.co/pfNnY53cl0

— Joy (@missjoynicole) October 20, 2020

4. Kristy Swanson

Kristy Swanson, Getty

Kristen Noel Swanson is best recognized for having played Buffy Summers in the 1992 film Buffy the Vampire Slayer and appeared in the 1996 film The Phantom. She has been very vocal about her support for Donald Trump.

https://twitter.com/KristySwansonXO/status/1237064590871035915

5. Robert Davi

Robert Davi – Getty

Robert Davi is an actor whos is best known for his roles in The Goonies, Die Hard, and Licence to Kill. Davi is a vocal Trump supporter who has even contributed to Breitbart News.

Forgive some of my language pic.twitter.com/RznYqDoJlx

— Robert Davi (@RobertJohnDavi) July 24, 2020

6. Ted Nugent

The former rock artist Ted Nugent called President Trump the “greatest president of our lifetime” at a recent Trump rally in Michigan.

7. Johnny Rotten

Johnny Rotten is best known as the lead singer of the late-1970s British punk band the Sex Pistols, but has recently made headlines over his support for Trump. He was even photographed wearing a Trump shirt.

8. Isaiah Washington

Isaiah Washington is best known for his role as Dr. Preston Burke in the first three seasons of the series Grey’s Anatomy. Washington supports the #WalkAway campaign, a movement urging people to “walk away” from the Democratic party and recently told Fox News that he supports Trump.

9. Jon Voight

Jon Voight, Getty

Jon Voight is an academy award-winning actor who starred in numerous blockbuster films.

Evil pic.twitter.com/P99gvy6lZL

— Jon Voight (@jonvoight) October 16, 2020

10. Lee Greenwood

Lee Greenwood, Getty

The country music star Lee Greenwood allows the Trump campaign to use his song “God Bless the USA” at rallies.

https://twitter.com/TheLeeGreenwood/status/1059260278175604737

Opinion

List of 20 Songs The CIA Used To Torture Prisoners Of War

Published

2 years ago

August 1, 2020

JP Steinberg

According to numerous witnesses and declassified reports, video evidence, and testimony from prisoners, guards and soldiers, the CIA used music to torture detainees in a number of different ways.

In some cases, songs would be played in repetition for hours or days on end, as to drive the prisoner to insanity. Music was also used to prevent detainees from sleeping, which is another way of creating delirium and vulnerability in the detainees.

Some songs were chosen because they were annoying, while others were chosen because they may have been offensive to the prisoner’s culture or religion. Some of the songs are annoying and could understandably be considered torture, specifically the Barney & Friends theme song, and the Meow Mix commercial.

Some of the artists who have had their songs used for torture have been very opposed to US foreign policy, especially Rage Against The Machine. In some cases, bands have even sued the US government for using their music in Guantánamo torture. For example, the Canadian electro-industrial band Skinny Puppy famously sued the US government after learning that their music was being used to torture people at Guantanamo Bay.

Below are some of the songs that have been identified most often as being used by the US military in their torture programs.

1. Deicide: Your God

Deicide · Fuck Your God

2. Dope: Die MF Die, Take Your Best Shot

**Bruno Godinho · Dope- Die MotherF*cker Die**

11. Bee Gees: Stayin’ Alive

M-Mars · Bee Gees ♫ Stayin’ Alive

12. Tupac: All Eyez On Me

2Pac · All Eyez On Me (ft. Big Syke)

13. Christina Aguilera: Dirrty

Christina Aguilera · Dirrty (feat. Redman)

14. Neil Diamond: America

Neil Diamond · America (From “The Jazz Singer” Soundtrack)

15. Rage Against the Machine: unspecified songs

Muggie · Rage Against The Machine – All Songs

16. Don McLean: American Pie

Don McLean · American Pie

17. Saliva: Click Click Boom

SALIVA · Click Click Boom

18. Matchbox Twenty: Cold

Matchbox Twenty · Cold

19. (hed)pe: Swan Dive

(Hed) Planet Earth · Swan Dive

20. Prince: Raspberry Beret

Prince · Raspberry Beret

This torture technique is nothing new and has also been used during protests and stand-off situations. In some cases, they don’t even use music but instead will just play loud noises on repeat for hours. This is often part of a sleep deprivation strategy, which includes keeping lights on subjects for hours or even days at a time.

When the United States invaded Panama in December 1989, General Noriega took refuge in an embassy on December 24th, which was immediately surrounded by U.S. troops. For about a week, the military blasted rock music, including Van Halen’s song “Panama.” They also played episodes of The Howard Stern Show for extended periods of time.

Musicians are becoming increasingly frustrated with their music being used by politicians and government agencies. Last year, a large group of musicians signed a letter asking politicians to stop using their music for campaign rallies and other government purposes, unless they have direct consent from the artist. Torture is technically banned by the Geneva convention, but many governments get around this international law by simply not classifying their actions as torture. This is much the same way that police agencies use weapons on protesters that are capable of killing people, but still refer to them as “less than lethal” weapons.