Wednesday, August 5, 2020

COVID19 & HR 6800--Disinformation Research Funding-- NSF AWARD PROPOSAL

     "...the government will now be tasked in deciding who gets research money to uncover just how disinformation gets out into the public domain ..."     

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     (LAB107) -- Apparently kids can get sick from the virus just like everybody else even though the president insisted they are immune. In response to that recent statement, Facebook removed that insistence, calling it "Covid misinformation." But a spokeswoman for the president's re-election campaign didn't agree, as reported by Donnie O'Sullivan on CNN Business;
     "Courtney Parella, a spokesperson for the Trump campaign, said in response to Facebook's takedown that the President was 'stating a fact that children are less susceptible to the coronavirus.' She accused Silicon Valley of being biased against the President and said 'social media companies are not the arbiters of truth.' " (1)


     Exactly where the truth lies and where the White House is at odds with social media over it, may well be settled in the near future if HR 6800 is passed with the proposed grants for the National Science Foundation (NSF). The current HR 6800 "emergency supplemental appropriations" related to coronavirus relief, passed by the House of Representatives in May and now up for approval in the senate, awards money to the National Science Foundation; 
      "For an additional amount for 'Research and Related Activities', $125,000,000, to remain available until September 30, 2022, to prevent, prepare for, and respond to coronavirus, including to fund research grants, of which $1,000,000 shall be for a study on the spread of COVID–19 related disinformation:" (2)


The section describes research grant funding with a focus on six main points: disinformation and public response, sources of that false info, the role of social media in dissemination, is money being made on the false information, strategies and limitations of disinformation mitigation.
     Given the immense sums of money being doled out if the legislation passes through the senate and the president signs off on it, the disinformation grants amount to a mere pittance compared to some of the bigger expenditures in the proposed bill. But it does represent a new trend, not just by responsible social media as "arbiters of truth," but the government will now be tasked in deciding who gets research money to uncover just how disinformation gets out into the public domain, and somehow manages to go viral, just like the virus itself. 



    The overall transfer of funds to the NSF amounts to $125 million even though only $1 million of that is for disinformation research, as outlined in Title II of Division A of HR 6800. But it's an important step in putting the guilty parties on notice as to possible legislation in the future that will have a more criminal negligence tone to disinformation.  Currently, there doesn't appear to be any direct updates available over at the NSF regarding funding for disinformation, or mention of the proposal in HR 6800. (3)

Facebook removed a Trump post because it violated the company's policies banning 'harmful COVID misinformation'

Facebook took down a post by President Donald Trump for violating its policies against misinformation, the company confirmed. Trump posted a video of his interview with Fox News where he falsely claimed that children are "almost immune" from COVID-19, which CNN reporter Donie O'Sullivan captured before it was removed from Facebook.

References

NSF Logo from government site.
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RED FLAG
Checkpoint Charlie: NATO, Article 5 and the Berlin Wall
There was no North American Treaty Organization, NATO, immediately following the close of World War Two. By the close of the decade, due to pressure from the Soviet Union, particularly in Germany, the alliance was formed with 12 initial members. The concept of “collective security” had been around for over 30 years, at least on the Continent, with respect to the World War One League of Nations; neither the United States nor the Soviet Union were members. (09 March 2025)
Red Flag: The U.S.-Japan Security Pact of 1960
The recent statement by the White House concerning a “bilateral” treaty between the United States and Japan from 1960 raised the issue of the former’s lack of a security-military commitment, with the latter doing the heavy lifting. It comes as no surprise in light of other treaties such as NATO in Europe with the U.S. again carrying The Weight.
Part and parcel to how it all unfolded had to do with certain ambiguous positions by the two nations coupled with the American public not totally informed of the agreement. The situation was quite different in Japan. (09 March 2025)

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BORDERLANDS
Ukraine: The Art of the (Peace) Deal
Nations are big on treaties, enforcing them is another matter. This paper traces some of the more recent, failed and otherwise, then takes a close look at one of the most controversial in history, The Versailles Treaty at the end of World War One. (09 March 2025)

Ukraine and The Rubio Doctrine The purpose of this report is to test the secretary’s three core principles against the Ukraine conflict to see if they are viable and would have been if he became president in the 2015 election. (09 March 2025)

Ukraine Betrayed: American Robber Barons to Steal Rare Minerals
Ukraine possesses significant reserves of rare earth minerals and other critical raw materials that are essential for modern technology and industry. According to reports, Ukraine has deposits of 22 out of 34 minerals identified as critical by the European Union. (09 March 2025)

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MOONDUNES
Space Station Freedom 1993: The “Fiscal Black Hole"
Space Station Freedom was a NASA-led initiative proposed in the 1980s aimed at creating a permanently crewed space station in low Earth orbit. The project was initially announced by President Ronald Reagan in his 1984 State of the Union Address, highlighting its potential as a platform for scientific research and international collaboration in space exploration. (09 March 2025)