#Cash app CeO

[seventhdiscipleworldwide]

it's deeper than you think

[wikibiofact]

Biography, Career, Wife, Family & Cause of Death 

Bob Lee was a highly esteemed leader in the technology space, having held the role of CEO of the widely acclaimed Cash App mobile payment application.

His creative tactics and unparalleled direction allowed Cash App to rise to become one of the most acclaimed fintech companies in the world, and also helped immensely in increasing Bob Lee’s net worth to dizzying heights.

Regrettably, Lee passed away without warning, leaving an impression that will be revered by his acquaintances, contemporaries, and the technology sphere in its entirety.

This article aspires to take a deeper look at Lee’s existence, his job, and the input he had on the technology industry, as well as inspecting the effect he had on Cash App and the extended fintech ecosystem.

Through this research, we wish to highlight Lee’s enduring influence and the teachings that can be drawn from his accomplishments.

Bob Lee Early Life

Bob Lee took birth on the 1st of March 1981, in the Californian city of San Francisco to a family of Chinese immigrants. From a young age, Lee was immensely impacted by the dedicated determination of his parents, who despite their very busy lifestyle still made certain to imbibe the role of education and diligence within him.

At Lowell High School — one of San Francisco’s most reputable public schools — Lee proved himself as an outstanding student, collecting best grades in his curriculum and taking part in various extracurricular activities.

Especially brilliant in mathematics and science, he devoted his off time to studying and examining the newest findings in those fields.

Upon graduation from high school, Lee decided to enrol at the University of California, Berkeley and earned a degree in computer science. During his years there, he showed incredible academic excellence, having acquired several awards and scholarships due to his outstanding performances in class.

He was also engaged in multiple student organizations, such as the Computer Science Undergraduate Association and the Society of Asian Scientists and Engineers.

On top of his studies, Lee found a range of other interests to explore. A die-hard football fan, he would practice and compete in games with his teammates. Additionally, Lee’s enthusiasm for music allowed him to hone his skills on the guitar and the piano.

This inclination of music and technology eventually materialized in his job at Cash App, where he designed numerous approaches to make mobile payments simpler and more accessible for individuals across the world.

At the end of the day, the values Lee obtained in his early years, such as his hard-working attitude, persistence and adoration of learning, aided him significantly during his prosperous career in the technology business, eventually culminating with him being named the Chief Executive Officer of Cash App.

Bob Lee’s Career Trajectory

Bob Lee’s career trajectory in the tech industry was marked by a series of impressive achievements and groundbreaking innovations. Lee began his career in the industry shortly after graduating from college, working as a software engineer at a number of tech startups in the San Francisco Bay Area.

During this time, he gained valuable experience in software development, product management, and user experience design, all of which would serve him well in his future roles.

In 2013, Lee joined Square Inc., a mobile payments company co-founded by Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. At Square, Lee quickly made a name for himself as a talented engineer and innovative thinker.

He worked on a number of high-profile projects, including the development of Square’s point-of-sale system and the creation of its first-ever mobile payment app. Lee’s contributions to Square’s success helped to solidify his reputation as one of the rising stars of the tech industry.

In 2015, Lee was promoted to the role of Head of Engineering at Square, overseeing a team of more than 350 engineers and leading the development of the company’s flagship products.

During his time in this role, Lee helped to spearhead the launch of Square’s new cash advance program, which provided small businesses with access to funding to help them grow and expand.

This program was a major success, helping to position Square as one of the most innovative and forward-thinking companies in the fintech space.

Significant milestones and accomplishments as CEO of Cash App

In 2018, Lee was appointed as the CEO of Cash App, a mobile payment app developed by Square. In this role, Lee oversaw all aspects of the company’s operations, including product development, marketing, and customer support.

Under Lee’s leadership, Cash App continued to grow rapidly, adding millions of new users and expanding into new markets around the world. Lee also helped to launch a number of new features and products, including the Cash Card, a debit card that allows users to access their Cash App funds at any ATM. One of Lee’s most significant accomplishments as CEO of Cash App was the company’s successful expansion into the cryptocurrency market. In 2019, Cash App began offering its users the ability to buy and sell Bitcoin, making it one of the first mainstream payment apps to do so.

This move helped to position Cash App as a leader in the emerging world of cryptocurrency, and it paved the way for further innovation in this space.

Overall, Bob Lee’s career trajectory in the tech industry was marked by a series of impressive accomplishments and groundbreaking innovations.

From his early days as a software engineer to his rise through the ranks at Square and Cash App, Lee consistently demonstrated a strong commitment to excellence and a passion for pushing the boundaries of what was possible.

His contributions to the industry will be remembered for years to come, and his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of tech leaders.

Bob Lee’s Leadership Style and Philosophy

As the CEO of Cash App, Bob Lee’s leadership style and philosophy have been instrumental in guiding the company’s growth and success. Lee is known for his collaborative approach to management, which emphasizes transparency, communication, and a strong focus on delivering value to customers.

One of the key principles that guides Lee’s decision-making process is a commitment to user-centric design. He believes that in order to create products that truly meet the needs of customers, it’s essential to involve them in the development process from the very beginning.

This philosophy is reflected in Cash App’s approach to product development, which emphasizes user testing, feedback, and iteration.

Lee also places a strong emphasis on building a strong culture of innovation and experimentation within Cash App.

He encourages his team to take risks, try new things, and learn from their mistakes, all with the goal of pushing the boundaries of what’s possible in the world of fintech.

This approach has led to a number of successful product launches and innovations, including the Cash Card and Cash App’s expansion into the cryptocurrency market.

Another key aspect of Lee’s leadership style is his focus on collaboration and teamwork. He believes that the best results are achieved when everyone in the organization is aligned around a shared vision and working together towards a common goal.

To that end, Lee places a strong emphasis on communication, both within his team and with external stakeholders, to ensure that everyone is on the same page and working towards the same objectives.

Lee’s leadership style has had a significant impact on Cash App’s growth and success. Under his leadership, Cash App has become one of the fastest-growing payment apps in the world, with millions of users and a strong presence in the fintech industry.

His focus on user-centric design and innovation has helped to position Cash App as a leader in the space, and his commitment to collaboration and teamwork has fostered a strong sense of community and shared purpose within the organization.

Overall, Bob Lee’s leadership style and philosophy reflect his deep commitment to delivering value to customers, fostering a culture of innovation and experimentation, and building strong relationships with his team and external stakeholders.

His approach to leadership has been instrumental in guiding Cash App’s growth and success, and his legacy will continue to inspire future leaders in the tech industry.

Bob Lee Net Worth and Compensation

Lee’s net worth and sources of income

Bob Lee, the late CEO of Cash App, was one of the most successful and influential tech leaders of his generation. But just how much was he worth, and what factors contributed to his financial success? In this section, we’ll take a closer look at Bob Lee’s net worth and compensation, and explore the various factors that helped him build his fortune.

According to Forbes, Bob Lee’s net worth at the time of his death was estimated to be around $10 million. The cash App generated a revenue of $2 billion in the year 2022.

This impressive figure was largely due to his position as CEO of Cash App, which has experienced explosive growth in recent years thanks to Lee’s visionary leadership and innovative approach to fintech. But Lee’s net worth wasn’t just the result of his salary as CEO of Cash App. In fact, much of his wealth came from his stock holdings in the company, which he acquired as a result of his early involvement with Cash App’s parent company, Square Inc.

Lee was one of Square’s first employees, and he played a key role in developing the company’s early products and services.

Comparison of Lee’s compensation to other tech CEOs

As a result, he was granted a significant equity stake in the company, which became even more valuable as Cash App’s popularity and market share grew.

Of course, Lee’s compensation as CEO of Cash App was also quite generous. According to public filings, he received a base salary of around $500,000 per year, along with bonuses and other incentives based on the company’s performance.

While this might seem like a lot of money to the average person, it’s actually quite modest compared to the compensation packages of other tech CEOs. For example, Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple Inc., earned over $14 million in 2020, while Satya Nadella, the CEO of Microsoft, earned over $44 million.

So what factors contributed to Bob Lee’s financial success? One of the most important was his ability to spot trends and opportunities in the fintech space before they became mainstream.

Lee was an early believer in the power of mobile payments, and he recognized the potential for a simple, user-friendly app that could make it easy for anyone to send and receive money.

He also saw the potential for cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin to disrupt the traditional financial system, and he was an early adopter and proponent of these technologies.

Another key factor was Lee’s leadership style and management philosophy. As we discussed earlier, he was a collaborative and innovative leader who was passionate about delivering value to customers.

He also placed a strong emphasis on teamwork and communication, which helped to foster a culture of innovation and experimentation within Cash App.

Overall, Bob Lee’s net worth and compensation were a reflection of his incredible vision, leadership, and dedication to the world of fintech.

While his passing was a tragic loss for the tech industry, his legacy will continue to inspire future generations of tech leaders and innovators.

Bob Lee’s Personal Life and Relationships

Lee’s marital status and family life

While Bob Lee was undoubtedly best known for his work as CEO of Cash App, he was also a complex and fascinating individual with a rich personal life and a wide range of interests and passions.

In this section, we’ll take a closer look at some of the most interesting and intriguing aspects of Lee’s personal life, including his marital status, family life, personal interests, and relationships with other prominent figures in the tech industry.

First and foremost, it’s worth noting that Lee was a deeply private individual who preferred to keep his personal life out of the public eye as much as possible.

I have researched and found out that his wife’s name is Krista and they together have two children- Daughters Dagny and Scout.

Bob Lee and Krista are separated and Bob Lee was currently staying in Miami Forida along with his Father Ricky Lee. Bob Lee has a younger brother named Tim Oliver.

In terms of personal interests and hobbies, Lee was known to be a passionate and dedicated cyclist who enjoyed spending his free time on long rides through the hills and valleys of the Bay Area.

He was also a lover of music, and was said to be an accomplished pianist who enjoyed playing classical and jazz pieces in his spare time.

In addition to his personal interests, Lee was also known for his relationships with other prominent figures in the tech industry.

He was a close friend and mentor to many of his colleagues at Cash App and Square, and was highly respected and admired by other leaders in the fintech world.

Some of the individuals who had close working relationships with Lee include Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and CEO of Square, and Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX. Overall, Bob Lee’s personal life and relationships were a reflection of his multifaceted personality and his wide-ranging interests and passions.

While he was best known for his work as a tech visionary and CEO, he was also a devoted family man, a dedicated cyclist, and a talented musician.

His legacy will continue to inspire and influence people from all walks of life, both within the tech industry and beyond.

Philanthropy and Causes

Bob Lee was not only a successful and visionary CEO but also a compassionate and generous philanthropist who dedicated much of his time and resources to supporting important causes and initiatives.

Throughout his career, he was involved in numerous philanthropic endeavors, advocating for social issues and donating millions of dollars to charities and non-profit organizations.

One of the causes that Lee was particularly passionate about was education. He recognized the importance of providing young people with access to quality education and was a strong advocate for increasing opportunities and resources for students in underprivileged communities.

To this end, he established several scholarships and educational programs to support students in need. Another issue that Lee was deeply committed to was environmental sustainability. He recognized the urgent need to address climate change and reduce carbon emissions, and was a vocal advocate for sustainable energy and conservation efforts.

He donated generously to environmental organizations and supported a range of initiatives aimed at promoting renewable energy and reducing waste.

In addition to his philanthropic efforts, Lee also played an important role in promoting diversity and inclusion in the tech industry. He recognized the need for greater representation and support for underrepresented groups in tech, and was a vocal advocate for increasing diversity in hiring and promoting more inclusive workplace cultures.

His efforts have had a significant impact on the industry, inspiring others to follow his lead and take action to promote greater diversity and equity.

Overall, Bob Lee’s philanthropic efforts and advocacy for important causes have had a significant impact on both the tech industry and society as a whole.

His dedication to education, environmental sustainability, and social justice serves as an inspiration to others and has helped to make the world a better place.

Though his death was a great loss, his legacy will continue to inspire and guide future generations of philanthropists and activists.

Controversies and Criticisms

Despite his many accomplishments and positive contributions to the tech industry, Bob Lee was not immune to criticism and controversy.

Throughout his career, he faced several challenges and controversies that called into question his leadership style and decision-making processes.

One of the most notable controversies surrounding Lee and his tenure as CEO of Cash App was the company’s handling of customer support and account security issues.

Some users complained about difficulty accessing their accounts, long wait times for customer support, and inadequate protection against fraudulent activity.

Critics argued that Cash App was not doing enough to protect its users and that Lee’s leadership was failing to address these concerns adequately.

Another criticism of Lee and his leadership style was related to his prioritization of growth and expansion over other considerations, such as customer satisfaction or ethical considerations.

Some critics argued that Cash App was too focused on scaling rapidly and capturing market share, which led to compromises in other areas.

For example, the company faced accusations of facilitating fraudulent transactions and enabling illegal activities due to lax security measures.

Despite these criticisms, it is important to note that many of the challenges and controversies surrounding Lee and Cash App were not unique to the company.

The tech industry as a whole has struggled with issues related to privacy, security, and ethical considerations, and many companies have faced similar criticisms and challenges.

Furthermore, it is important to recognize that Lee and his leadership team did take steps to address these concerns and improve the company’s performance.

Cash App invested heavily in customer support and security measures, and implemented new policies and procedures to reduce the risk of fraudulent activity.

Additionally, Lee was known for his commitment to ethical leadership and social responsibility, and his philanthropic efforts reflect this dedication.

Bob Lee’s Cause Of Death

Bob Lee, the developer of Cash App and previous chief technology officer of Square, was stabbed to death.... Read More

[newsupdate2]

S Korean crypto-boss Do Kwon to be extradited to US

Read more

[mostlysignssomeportents]

The antitrust case against Apple

I'm on tour with my new, nationally bestselling novel The Bezzle! Catch me TONIGHT (Mar 22) in TORONTO, then SUNDAY (Mar 24) with LAURA POITRAS in NYC, then Anaheim, and beyond!

The foundational tenet of "the Cult of Mac" is that buying products from a $3t company makes you a member of an oppressed ethnic minority and therefore every criticism of that corporation is an ethnic slur:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/01/12/youre-holding-it-wrong/#if-dishwashers-were-iphones

Call it "Apple exceptionalism" – the idea that Apple, alone among the Big Tech firms, is virtuous, and therefore its conduct should be interpreted through that lens of virtue. The wellspring of this virtue is conveniently nebulous, which allows for endless goal-post shifting by members of the Cult of Mac when Apple's sins are made manifest.

Take the claim that Apple is "privacy respecting," which is attributed to Apple's business model of financing its services though cash transactions, rather than by selling it customers to advertisers. This is the (widely misunderstood) crux of the "surveillance capitalism" hypothesis: that capitalism is just fine, but once surveillance is in the mix, capitalism fails.

Apple, then, is said to be a virtuous company because its behavior is disciplined by market forces, unlike its spying rivals, whose ability to "hack our dopamine loops" immobilizes the market's invisible hand with "behavior-shaping" shackles:

http://pluralistic.net/HowToDestroySurveillanceCapitalism

Apple makes a big deal out of its privacy-respecting ethos, and not without some justification. After all, Apple went to the mattresses to fight the FBI when they tried to force Apple to introduced defects into its encryption systems:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2018/04/fbi-could-have-gotten-san-bernardino-shooters-iphone-leadership-didnt-say

And Apple gave Ios users the power to opt out of Facebook spying with a single click; 96% of its customers took them up on this offer, costing Facebook $10b (one fifth of the pricetag of the metaverse boondoggle!) in a single year (you love to see it):

https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2021/02/facebook-makes-the-case-for-activity-tracking-to-ios-14-users-in-new-pop-ups/

Bruce Schneier has a name for this practice: "feudal security." That's when you cede control over your device to a Big Tech warlord whose "walled garden" becomes a fortress that defends you against external threats:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/06/08/leona-helmsley-was-a-pioneer/#manorialism

The keyword here is external threats. When Apple itself threatens your privacy, the fortress becomes a prison. The fact that you can't install unapproved apps on your Ios device means that when Apple decides to harm you, you have nowhere to turn. The first Apple customers to discover this were in China. When the Chinese government ordered Apple to remove all working privacy tools from its App Store, the company obliged, rather than risk losing access to its ultra-cheap manufacturing base (Tim Cook's signal accomplishment, the one that vaulted him into the CEO's seat, was figuring out how to offshore Apple manufacturing to China) and hundreds of millions of middle-class consumers:

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-apple-vpn/apple-says-it-is-removing-vpn-services-from-china-app-store-idUSKBN1AE0BQ

Killing VPNs and other privacy tools was just for openers. After Apple caved to Beijing, the demands kept coming. Next, Apple willingly backdoored all its Chinese cloud services, so that the Chinese state could plunder its customers' data at will:

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/17/technology/apple-china-censorship-data.html

This was the completely foreseeable consequence of Apple's "curated computing" model: once the company arrogated to itself the power to decide which software you could run on your own computer, it was inevitable that powerful actors – like the Chinese Communist Party – would lean on Apple to exercise that power in service to its goals.

Unsurprisingly, the Chinese state's appetite for deputizing Apple to help with its spying and oppression was not sated by backdooring iCloud and kicking VPNs out of the App Store. As recently as 2022, Apple continued to neuter its tools at the behest of the Chinese state, breaking Airdrop to make it useless for organizing protests in China:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/11/foreseeable-consequences/#airdropped

But the threat of Apple turning on its customers isn't limited to China. While the company has been unwilling to spy on its users on behalf of the US government, it's proven more than willing to compromise its worldwide users' privacy to pad its own profits. Remember when Apple let its users opt out of Facebook surveillance with one click? At the very same time, Apple was spinning up its own commercial surveillance program, spying on Ios customers, gathering the very same data as Facebook, and for the very same purpose: to target ads. When it came to its own surveillance, Apple completely ignored its customers' explicit refusal to consent to spying, spied on them anyway, and lied about it:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/14/luxury-surveillance/#liar-liar

Here's the thing: even if you believe that Apple has a "corporate personality" that makes it want to do the right thing, that desire to be virtuous is dependent on the constraints Apple faces. The fact that Apple has complete legal and technical control over the hardware it sells – the power to decide who can make software that runs on that hardware, the power to decide who can fix that hardware, the power to decide who can sell parts for that hardware – represents an irresistible temptation to enshittify Apple products.

"Constraints" are the crux of the enshittification hypothesis. The contagion that spread enshittification to every corner of our technological world isn't a newfound sadism or indifference among tech bosses. Those bosses are the same people they've always been – the difference is that today, they are unconstrained.

Having bought, merged or formed a cartel with all their rivals, they don't fear competition (Apple buys 90+ companies per year, and Google pays it an annual $26.3b bribe for default search on its operating systems and programs).

Having captured their regulators, they don't fear fines or other penalties for cheating their customers, workers or suppliers (Apple led the coalition that defeated dozens of Right to Repair bills, year after year, in the late 2010s).

Having wrapped themselves in IP law, they don't fear rivals who make alternative clients, mods, privacy tools or other "adversarial interoperability" tools that disenshittify their products (Apple uses the DMCA, trademark, and other exotic rules to block third-party software, repair, and clients).

True virtue rests not merely in resisting temptation to be wicked, but in recognizing your own weakness and avoiding temptation. As I wrote when Apple embarked on its "curated computing" path, the company would eventually – inevitably – use its power to veto its customers' choices to harm those customers:

https://memex.craphound.com/2010/04/01/why-i-wont-buy-an-ipad-and-think-you-shouldnt-either/

Which is where we're at today. Apple – uniquely among electronics companies – shreds every device that is traded in by its customers, to block third parties from harvesting working components and using them for independent repair:

https://www.vice.com/en/article/yp73jw/apple-recycling-iphones-macbooks

Apple engraves microscopic Apple logos on those parts and uses these as the basis for trademark complaints to US customs, to block the re-importation of parts that escape its shredders:

https://repair.eu/news/apple-uses-trademark-law-to-strengthen-its-monopoly-on-repair/

Apple entered into an illegal price-fixing conspiracy with Amazon to prevent used and refurbished devices from being sold in the "world's biggest marketplace":

https://pluralistic.net/2022/11/10/you-had-one-job/#thats-just-the-as

Why is Apple so opposed to independent repair? Well, they say it's to keep users safe from unscrupulous or incompetent repair technicians (feudal security). But when Tim Cook speaks to his investors, he tells a different story, warning them that the company's profits are threatened by customers who choose to repair (rather than replace) their slippery, fragile glass $1,000 pocket computers (the fortress becomes a prison):

https://www.apple.com/newsroom/2019/01/letter-from-tim-cook-to-apple-investors/

All this adds up to a growing mountain of immortal e-waste, festooned with miniature Apple logos, that our descendants will be dealing with for the next 1,000 years. In the face of this unspeakable crime, Apple engaged in a string of dishonest maneuvers, claiming that it would support independent repair. In 2022, Apple announced a home repair program that turned out to be a laughably absurd con:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/05/22/apples-cement-overshoes/

Then in 2023, Apple announced a fresh "pro-repair" initiative that, once again, actually blocked repair:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/22/vin-locking/#thought-differently

Let's pause here a moment and remember that Apple once stood for independent repair, and celebrated the independent repair technicians that kept its customers' beloved Macs running:

https://pluralistic.net/2021/10/29/norwegian-potato-flour-enchiladas/#r2r

Whatever virtue lurks in Apple's corporate personhood, it is no match for the temptation that comes from running a locked-down platform designed to capture IP rights so that it can prevent normal competitive activities, like fixing phones, processing payments, or offering apps.

When Apple rolled out the App Store, Steve Jobs promised that it would save journalism and other forms of "content creation" by finally giving users a way to pay rightsholders. A decade later, that promise has been shattered by the app tax – a 30% rake on every in-app transaction that can't be avoided because Apple will kick your app out of the App Store if you even mention that your customers can pay you via the web in order to avoid giving a third of their content dollars to a hardware manufacturer that contributed nothing to the production of that material:

https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2023/06/save-news-we-must-open-app-stores

Among the apps that Apple also refuses to allow on Ios is third-party browsers. Every Iphone browser is just a reskinned version of Apple's Safari, running on the same antiquated, insecure Webkit browser engine. The fact that Webkit is incomplete and outdated is a feature, not a bug, because it lets Apple block web apps – apps delivered via browsers, rather than app stores:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/13/kitbashed/#app-store-tax

Last month, the EU took aim at Apple's veto over its users' and software vendors' ability to transact with one another. The newly in-effect Digital Markets Act requires Apple to open up both third-party payment processing and third-party app stores. Apple's response to this is the very definition of malicious compliance, a snake's nest of junk-fees, onerous terms of service, and petty punitive measures that all add up to a great, big "Go fuck yourself":

https://pluralistic.net/2024/02/06/spoil-the-bunch/#dma

But Apple's bullying, privacy invasion, price-gouging and environmental crimes are global, and the EU isn't the only government seeking to end them. They're in the firing line in Japan:

https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Japan-to-crack-down-on-Apple-and-Google-app-store-monopolies

And in the UK:

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/cma-wins-appeal-in-apple-case

And now, famously, the US Department of Justice is coming for Apple, with a bold antitrust complaint that strikes at the heart of Apple exceptionalism, the idea that monopoly is safer for users than technological self-determination:

https://www.justice.gov/opa/media/1344546/dl?inline

There's passages in the complaint that read like I wrote them:

Apple wraps itself in a cloak of privacy, security, and consumer preferences to justify its anticompetitive conduct. Indeed, it spends billions on marketing and branding to promote the self-serving premise that only Apple can safeguard consumers’ privacy and security interests. Apple selectively compromises privacy and security interests when doing so is in Apple’s own financial interest—such as degrading the security of text messages, offering governments and certain companies the chance to access more private and secure versions of app stores, or accepting billions of dollars each year for choosing Google as its default search engine when more private options are available. In the end, Apple deploys privacy and security justifications as an elastic shield that can stretch or contract to serve Apple’s financial and business interests.

After all, Apple punishes its customers for communicating with Android users by forcing them to do so without any encryption. When Beeper Mini rolled out an Imessage-compatible Android app that fixed this, giving Iphone owners the privacy Apple says they deserve but denies to them, Apple destroyed Beeper Mini:

https://blog.beeper.com/p/beeper-moving-forward

Tim Cook is on record about this: if you want to securely communicate with an Android user, you must "buy them an Iphone":

https://www.theverge.com/2022/9/7/23342243/tim-cook-apple-rcs-imessage-android-iphone-compatibility

If your friend, family member or customer declines to change mobile operating systems, Tim Cook insists that you must communicate without any privacy or security.

Even where Apple tries for security, it sometimes fails ("security is a process, not a product" -B. Schneier). To be secure in a benevolent dictatorship, it must also be an infallible dictatorship. Apple's far from infallible: Eight generations of Iphones have unpatchable hardware defects:

https://checkm8.info/

And Apple's latest custom chips have secret-leaking, unpatchable vulnerabilities:

https://arstechnica.com/security/2024/03/hackers-can-extract-secret-encryption-keys-from-apples-mac-chips/

Apple's far from infallible – but they're also far from benevolent. Despite Apple's claims, its hardware, operating system and apps are riddled with deliberate privacy defects, introduce to protect Apple's shareholders at the expense of its customers:

https://proton.me/blog/iphone-privacy

Now, antitrust suits are notoriously hard to make, especially after 40 years of bad-precedent-setting, monopoly-friendly antitrust malpractice. Much of the time, these suits fail because they can't prove that tech bosses intentionally built their monopolies. However, tech is a written culture, one that leaves abundant, indelible records of corporate deliberations. What's more, tech bosses are notoriously prone to bragging about their nefarious intentions, committing them to writing:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/09/03/big-tech-cant-stop-telling-on-itself/

Apple is no exception – there's an abundance of written records that establish that Apple deliberately, illegally set out to create and maintain a monopoly:

https://www.wired.com/story/4-internal-apple-emails-helped-doj-build-antitrust-case/

Apple claims that its monopoly is beneficent, used to protect its users, making its products more "elegant" and safe. But when Apple's interests conflict with its customers' safety and privacy – and pocketbooks – Apple always puts itself first, just like every other corporation. In other words: Apple is unexceptional.

The Cult of Mac denies this. They say that no one wants to use a third-party app store, no one wants third-party payments, no one wants third-party repair. This is obviously wrong and trivially disproved: if no Apple customer wanted these things, Apple wouldn't have to go to enormous lengths to prevent them. The only phones that an independent Iphone repair shop fixes are Iphones: which means Iphone owners want independent repair.

The rejoinder from the Cult of Mac is that those Iphone owners shouldn't own Iphones: if they wanted to exercise property rights over their phones, they shouldn't have bought a phone from Apple. This is the "No True Scotsman" fallacy for distraction-rectangles, and moreover, it's impossible to square with Tim Cook's insistence that if you want private communications, you must buy an Iphone.

Apple is unexceptional. It's just another Big Tech monopolist. Rounded corners don't preserve virtue any better than square ones. Any company that is freed from constraints – of competition, regulation and interoperability – will always enshittify. Apple – being unexceptional – is no exception.

Name your price for 18 of my DRM-free ebooks and support the Electronic Frontier Foundation with the Humble Cory Doctorow Bundle.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2024/03/22/reality-distortion-field/#three-trillion-here-three-trillion-there-pretty-soon-youre-talking-real-money

[maxiemclaren]

can u do angst abt liam finding out he was rejected from vcarb and reader comforting him

Reservations

Warnings - Angst, Self doubt, slight panic attack, fluff

Pairings - Liam Lawson x fem!reader

Summary - Getting rejected by VCARB and needing to be comforted. 

a/n - I just wanna give this Kiwi a hug! Enjoy.

2023

One would think getting a call to fill in for an injured team member would help get a foot in the door for full time racing in an F1 seat. Well…That’s where you’re wrong, only competing in 5 races that season. Your boyfriend was over the moon when he finally got a chance to race in an F1 car during a part of the 2023 season. Having high hopes of the team making the switch for him to be a full time driver, he had treated you to fine dining and luxurious presents for a period of time, until the honeymoon phase was over. Because all it was filling in.

Winter Break 2023/2024

Even though on average he placed higher, the team just wanted to keep Daniel for the upcoming season. It wasn’t that Liam was a bad driver, it’s just that the team wasn’t sure if they wanted to switch to a full time seat just yet. After all, the team just had a revamp, changing the name to Visa Cash App Racing Bulls, having a new CEO and team principal. Liam was called into a meeting back at the factory, getting excited knowing that they will have their own discussion about the driver lineup.

He left the factory in the worst mood possible, not calling you on the way home like he normally did, not texting you to let you know he was out of the meeting, so there was no hope and knowledge to brace yourself for a very angry Liam. 

Sitting at the island in your kitchen doing some work, you nearly jump out of your skin when you hear the front door open and slam shut with a loud “Fuck! It’s fucking bullshit!” from a voice you know all too well. Closing your laptop you go and meet the very frustrated sounding boy. 

Approaching him with calm energy you ask “Hey baby, are you okay? Is there anything you wanna talk about?” not wanting to further upset or frustrate him but wanting to let him know that you’re here for him. He looks at you, eyes locking onto yours, and then that’s when you see it. All the pain and frustration he is feeling, he goes to speak but his voice fails him and tears start to stream down his face. Immediately you close him in a hug holding him tight, you hear a change in his breathing as it sounds more rapid and suddenly he has pushed you off him as the contact is too much for him. You notice that he’s starting to shake and hyperventilate “Liam, baby it’s okay, you are home, you are with me right now. Let’s do some deep breathing, yeah?” you say to him in the hopes it calms him down from the panic attack.

“Four, three, two, one” you both say in unison as Liam has calmed down from the panic attack, you carefully sit there awaiting to see if he wants to share what had happened. “I guess I kind of need to explain what just happened” Liam says, rubbing the back of his neck. As he explained how the meeting went at the factory you couldn’t help but notice the digs he threw at himself like saying he was “incompetent, has a lack of talent, naive, and an overall shit driver”. Hearing enough of him tear himself apart you grab him and allow him to lean against you, “Now you listen to me sir. You are not incompetent, naive, a shit driver, and you have loads of talent. Just because they made a shit call does not mean you are anything less. For fucks sake you amaze me, there is no way I would be able to drive one of those cars and let alone score points” you say poking his cheek. He huffs out a laugh feeling a bit better than he did mere minutes ago.

For the next week you spoiled him, allowing him to stay in bed and cuddle with you as long as both your schedules would allow, making him his favorite meals, watching his favorite shows, etc. You decided that the both of you needed a little pick me up, so you booked a flight to LA so you could visit Lightning McQueen, his favorite character and what movie got him into racing (quoting the youtube video). “Oh baby, I have a surprise for you” you say in a sing-song way. “Hi love, what is it?” He asks you giving his full attention. “Well I know you’ve been wanting to go out but haven’t really known where to go, so I booked us flights to LA next week so we can meet Lightning McQueen!” you said excitedly. He leaped off the couch and spun you around as he peppered your face with kisses and kept repeating thank you’s.

Next week came faster than anyone could imagine and today was the day Liam would get to meet his idol. “I’m so nervous, why am I so nervous?” He asked you, “I’m not too sure, maybe because this is something you grew up with and your inner child is feeling healed and very joyful?” you answered honestly. After taking about two dozen pictures of him and Lightning McQueen. You both decide to head back to the hotel to relax while you are on vacation. Laying in your bed Liam rolls into your side and whispers in your ear “You know that you are the most amazing girlfriend anyone could ask for? Thank you for taking care of me through my rough patch” He said genuinely. You turn to face him and just smash your lips onto his, after a minute you look at him “Thank you, baby I know you would do the same for me so it’s only fair to be there for the highs and lows”. The both of you cuddle up and fall into deep sleeps both feeling so loved and cared for.

[feminist-space]

"Just weeks before the implosion of AllHere, an education technology company that had been showered with cash from venture capitalists and featured in glowing profiles by the business press, America’s second-largest school district was warned about problems with AllHere’s product.

As the eight-year-old startup rolled out Los Angeles Unified School District’s flashy new AI-driven chatbot — an animated sun named “Ed” that AllHere was hired to build for $6 million — a former company executive was sending emails to the district and others that Ed’s workings violated bedrock student data privacy principles.

Those emails were sent shortly before The 74 first reported last week that AllHere, with $12 million in investor capital, was in serious straits. A June 14 statement on the company’s website revealed a majority of its employees had been furloughed due to its “current financial position.” Company founder and CEO Joanna Smith-Griffin, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles district said, was no longer on the job.

Smith-Griffin and L.A. Superintendent Alberto Carvalho went on the road together this spring to unveil Ed at a series of high-profile ed tech conferences, with the schools chief dubbing it the nation’s first “personal assistant” for students and leaning hard into LAUSD’s place in the K-12 AI vanguard. He called Ed’s ability to know students “unprecedented in American public education” at the ASU+GSV conference in April.

Through an algorithm that analyzes troves of student information from multiple sources, the chatbot was designed to offer tailored responses to questions like “what grade does my child have in math?” The tool relies on vast amounts of students’ data, including their academic performance and special education accommodations, to function.

Meanwhile, Chris Whiteley, a former senior director of software engineering at AllHere who was laid off in April, had become a whistleblower. He told district officials, its independent inspector general’s office and state education officials that the tool processed student records in ways that likely ran afoul of L.A. Unified’s own data privacy rules and put sensitive information at risk of getting hacked. None of the agencies ever responded, Whiteley told The 74.

...

In order to provide individualized prompts on details like student attendance and demographics, the tool connects to several data sources, according to the contract, including Welligent, an online tool used to track students’ special education services. The document notes that Ed also interfaces with the Whole Child Integrated Data stored on Snowflake, a cloud storage company. Launched in 2019, the Whole Child platform serves as a central repository for LAUSD student data designed to streamline data analysis to help educators monitor students’ progress and personalize instruction.

Whiteley told officials the app included students’ personally identifiable information in all chatbot prompts, even in those where the data weren’t relevant. Prompts containing students’ personal information were also shared with other third-party companies unnecessarily, Whiteley alleges, and were processed on offshore servers. Seven out of eight Ed chatbot requests, he said, are sent to places like Japan, Sweden, the United Kingdom, France, Switzerland, Australia and Canada.

Taken together, he argued the company’s practices ran afoul of data minimization principles, a standard cybersecurity practice that maintains that apps should collect and process the least amount of personal information necessary to accomplish a specific task. Playing fast and loose with the data, he said, unnecessarily exposed students’ information to potential cyberattacks and data breaches and, in cases where the data were processed overseas, could subject it to foreign governments’ data access and surveillance rules.

Chatbot source code that Whiteley shared with The 74 outlines how prompts are processed on foreign servers by a Microsoft AI service that integrates with ChatGPT. The LAUSD chatbot is directed to serve as a “friendly, concise customer support agent” that replies “using simple language a third grader could understand.” When querying the simple prompt “Hello,” the chatbot provided the student’s grades, progress toward graduation and other personal information.

AllHere’s critical flaw, Whiteley said, is that senior executives “didn’t understand how to protect data.”

...

Earlier in the month, a second threat actor known as Satanic Cloud claimed it had access to tens of thousands of L.A. students’ sensitive information and had posted it for sale on Breach Forums for $1,000. In 2022, the district was victim to a massive ransomware attack that exposed reams of sensitive data, including thousands of students’ psychological evaluations, to the dark web.

With AllHere’s fate uncertain, Whiteley blasted the company’s leadership and protocols.

“Personally identifiable information should be considered acid in a company and you should only touch it if you have to because acid is dangerous,” he told The 74. “The errors that were made were so egregious around PII, you should not be in education if you don’t think PII is acid.”

Read the full article here:

https://www.the74million.org/article/whistleblower-l-a-schools-chatbot-misused-student-data-as-tech-co-crumbled/

[chussyracing]

what's been happening in motorsport lately?

(long overdue update from me so it's very long and therefore hidden under the cut)

F1 teams and drivers:

Williams (union jack) and Red Bull (red pattern) brought special liveries to Silverstone

Andy Cowell (previously Merc PU chief) joins Aston Martin as new CEO

Mick Schumacher will do a Pirelli tyre test for McLaren because no other reserve driver of thier has the criteria to drive the car and their F1 drivers are coming off a triple header (so their activated the option to use Merc juniors/reserves)

Matt Whyman is Publishing „Inside Mercedes F1: Life in te Fast Lane“ book

Mercedes will bring more upgrades to both Spa and Hungary

Checo will get the new Red Bull floor Max has been running in the next race as well although Helmut Marko said that upgrade was only worth 6 points of downforce

i am so sure that i wrote this down about a month ago but since everyone has been talking about it: Enrico Cardile left Ferrari and will serve gardening leave for the rest of the season before joining Aston Martin, so Fred will oversee the area himself before Loic Serra comes (and potentially Newey as according to rumour that’s main reason behind Enrico leaving)

Ferrari is also set to have a board meeting to discuss the current form

Ollie and Pietro Fittipaldi completed Pirelli tyre testing for Haas

Michael Broadhurst became Alpine’s chief aerodynamicist (previously in Red Bull and McLaren) and Vin Dhanani became their head of vehicle performance (previously in Red Bull) and finally Jacopo Fantoni is their new deputy chief engineer (in Ferrari last year)

Visa Cash App RB partnered with Warner Bros to promote Twisters in Silverstone

oh and after complaining about the tickets the N*rstappen ruffle in Austria helped them sell out the Silverstone weekend

Charles is Peroni’s world brand ambassador and an ad and the first part of short video series to promote the drink was posted

Adidas will be Merc’s official clothing partner

Lewis was reading CBeebies Bedtime Story on BBC on 3rd July called „Small’s Big Dream“ by Manjeet Mann

Charles expanded the export of his LEC ice cream so now you can get it in Italy (can confirm that one, had Chocolate Crunch from Unes and it was delicious), France and Monaco

Pierre extended with Alpine and Lance extended with Aston Martin for next year (and beyond)

oh lol i almost forgot Ollie Bearman is officially Haas 2025 F1 driver!!!

Williams announced 26 new employees joining this year with some big names from RBR, Merc, Ferrari and others (like Matt Harman joining after summer break)

Logan started his own app (i didn’t research more on it so far but apparently there are a few articles about him so far)

Ferrari asked for an explanation from FIA after RBR’s mid season RB18 test that led to performance upgrades which shouldn’t be allowed with tests

McLaren sent out thank you packages to other teams as they helped them out after their hospitality caught fire

Alex made (and almost sold out already) Albon Pets merch

Toto Wolff confirmed they included police to research the email that was sent to journalists and F1 figures concerning the sabotage of Lewis in the team

Mercedes will have a charity football match against Aston Martin today

and Levi’s partnered with McLaren to make special edition of merch

after Almave Ambar, Almave Blanco will be distributed in the UK as well

Andretti Cadillac hired Chris Green as IT director and Laura Sturland as finance director (both previously in Merc)

Future of F1:

6 sprint weekends in 2025 will be: China, Miami, Spa, Cota, Brazil and Qatar (there is one or maybe two locations that make sense otherwise it kills the weekend imo but ok)

Rolex ends their sponsorship of F1 after 10 years (11 if you count this one), instead LVMH will step up into their position starting in 2025 (it is also very much possible Tag Heuer will be their title sponsor since it falls under LVMH umbrella and occupies similar position in business as Rolex, side note: Rag Heuer is the current sponsor of Red Bull) – rumouredly this is about money like everything in F1, the new contract is supposed to be $ 150m, so about three times as much as Rolex gave them

besides this, F1 is also finalising deal with American Express as a global partner

Zandvoort is contemplating making gravel traps to avoid track limits like they did in Austria

Rumours of the paddock:

Zak Brown has been asking for a possibility of engine supply from RBPT instead of Mercedes due to fear of reliability if they start supplying Alpine as well (considering they will drop Aston who gets Honda’s engine and knowing how much he publicly criticizes Red Bull and the culture in the team i kinda doubt it)

Alpine is also exploring RBPT and Ferari as potential engine suppliers instead of Renault

Jos Verstappen still very much wants to get his son out of the Red Bull team and Mercedes could be the next destination, Jos said in Austria that Christian Horner is the one responsible for not allowing him to drive during legends parade during the weekend and they had a lil argument speaking to media, there is still the rumour about Merc engines in 2026 being strong and that being a good argument for Max

this is technically not a rumour but also not confirmed either but Fred Vasseur strongly indicated in an interview that Lewis‘ contract will be for three years (he said they want to be champions in 2025, 2026, 2027 or something along those lines basically)

Haas is about to announce the extending of engine supply from Ferrari (with stronger links as Ollie becomes their official driver while being a part of FDA), they might get some kind of parts from Toyota as well (along with their knowhow) with potential title sponsorship deal

also Gene Haas apparently wants to expand their facilities in the UK

racingnews365 believe that Esteban is going to announce his deal with Haas before summer break

i want to prelude this by saying that driver contracts are highly confidential and nobody knows what exactly is in them, because they simply do not talk about the legal stuff so it wouldn’t get out BUT there has been a lot of speculation about Checo and his contract including clauses of performance compared to Max, some of which he is currently not complying so there is a rumour if he doesn’t improve over the next two races, they can terminate his contract and replace him mid-season (with candidates being Daniel Ricciardo – Horner’s favourite + good for their marketing where Checo is strong, Liam Lawson – Marko’s favourite + has a close to look among other teams if he doesn’t get a RBR backed seat for 2025, and apparently also Yuki)

also Liam is doing a filming day (200 kms test) with RB20 in Silverstone today which is a similar move they did with Daniel Ricciardo last year before he replaced Nyck

and Joe Saward thinks he will replace Daniel in July

also some people freaked out about Mick doing a Pirelli test for McLaren and honestly he has bigger change in Alpine where he did kind of a shootout with Jack Doohan (we have no info about how it went besides Toto saying he was strong)

after Williams were ready to announce a contract with Carlos in Spain with Netflix ready to shoot the footage of it and after he pulled out of it with new offer from Alpine (or rather Flavio Briatore), they now focused on getting Valtteri Bottas as a stable driver to partner Alex

that leaves Carlos waiting if Max really leaves RBR (but Marko made it clear they don’t want him anyway), potentially Merc (Toto said they are not interested in him but after Kimi’s  results in F2 so far, he said maybe the door is not fully closed for him yet), Audi (where Liam Lawson was seen in Austria, but even after Carlos missed a deadline from them, they might be interested) or Alpine (and if he says no, they still have Jack and Mick lined up and ready)

meanwhile Guanyu has been exploring the option to get a seat in FE if he cannot find one in F1 (with Alpine, Haas and Sauber as possible options) or even being a reserve for an F1 team for 2025

Ted Kravitz mentioned paddock gossip of Estaban leaving earlier than planned to replace Logan mid season in Williams and make space for Jack Doohan in Alpine (the only thing supporting this right now is interview with James Vowles talking about this and mentioning potential changes event his season)

Will Buxton on the other hand mentioned Daniel Ricciardo is talking to Williams

and finally Blick reported that Drugovich might be on Williams‘ list after Carlos

as for Logan he is reportedly in talks with Prema to get their Indycar seat

Lewis Hamilton is rumoured to buy Gresini Racing motogp team

apparently Lewis also called Seb to ask about what Adami is like as a race engineer and Seb gave him positive feedback

Jeremy Clarkson said he can calm people down and say that Newey is not looking for houses in Italy but rather UK

the superlicence request in Miami was potentially meant for Arvid Linblad (if you don’t know who he is, he is rbr junior currently crushing it in F3)

Briatore wants to bring Binotto into Alpine (lol)

Other series and juniors:

Franco Colapinto, Ollie Bearman, Jack Doohan and Isack Hadjar got their FP1 junior drive in Silverstone

Roman Staněk will end in Trident after Monza, he terminated the contract due to the team not performing like expected and is currently looking for a possibility of another seat in F2 (when it’s on dry, the car lacks too much to others and only on wet like in Silverstone’s sprint, the differences are diminished and the driver can show what’s in them like he did going from p22 to p8)

British F4 race in Zandvoort will have SO many F1 Academy drivers: Abbi Pulling, Bianca Bustamante, Carrie Schreiner, Jessica Edgar (and of course Chloe Chong which is driving full season in British F4)

so Arrow McLaren cannot behave for a week, to sum it up: David Malukas (who got a full time seat after Alex Palou was sued for not driving for them) got injured, they got Callum Illot drove instead of him for some time, since David wasn’t healing, they fired him and hired Theo Pourchaire for the rest of the season, INSTEAD they fired him as well after he posted about how he can’t wait for another race, and now hired Nolan Siegel (and on top Rossi will leave the team and will get replaces by Lundgaard  in 2025)

freaking Nikita Mazepin was testing GT3 in Hungary after the EU sanctions were lifted (side note idk if i stated before but Haas has to pay off Ural Kali)

Other news:

Goodwood festival of speed is coming up with interesting names (like Frederik Vesti, whole of Williams team, RB team including Horner etc)

the F1 movie everyone has been in frenzy about will be called… F1 (i think there is some teaser too if you are interested, also Fernando did an interview after Silverstone which will be used for the movie as well as some other real life stuff, like Pierre’s onboards modified) OHHH also Hans Zimmer should compose music for it like he did for Hunt vs Lauda (however it is called in English)

there was a rumour that Danica Patrick is leaving Sky Sports but that fake (or rather AI generated)

the Silverstone trophy was made by ex-F1 mechanic Alastair Gibson from car parts (there are two trophies always but the Iconic golden one is returned)

i am putting this in other category because it’s simply too unhinged but there was an open letter from some fans that Leo Leclerc is not loved and cared for enough (be so serious he has better life than i do)

[darkmaga-returns]

Donald Trump's inauguration fund is set to top the $107 million it raised in 2017 - which was nearly double the $61 million raised by Joe Biden in 2021. Corporate America is lavishing the president-elect with cash, hoping he'll support their interests, and let bygones be bygones regarding statements and actions against him over the past four years.

Major companies that walked lockstep with the establishment in denouncing Donald Trump after the 2020 election and the January 6, 2021 chaos at the Capitol have pulled a major about-face amid his comeback, giving generously to his inauguration fund and hoping he’ll forget their statements about the “threat to democracy” he and his supporters purportedly posed just four years ago.

Who are the biggest corporate flip-floppers, and what do they want from Trump? Here's a breakdown:

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America: Big Pharma trade group donating $1 million (which means access to exclusive VIP events, including black tie ball and personal “candlelight dinner” with the Trumps). In 2021, PhRMA CEO Steve Ubl said the events of January 6 “violate the values of our nation” and canceled donations to Republicans rejecting the 2020 vote’s outcome.

Ford and Toyota: Ford briefly froze political donations after January 6, and promised to vet politicians supporting Trump. Now they’re giving him $1 million. Toyota, also pledging $1 million, similarly halted donations to those refusing to certify Biden’s 2020 victory.

Stanley Black & Decker: Giving Trump $1 million this time around, up from a paltry $25,000 in 2017.

Intuit: Maker of popular DIY tax software has pledged a cool million amid reports Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency is brainstorming a free tax filing app for Americans to use.

Kraken and Coinbase: Crypto trading platforms donating $1 million in hopes of loosened regulations. Contributed heavily to Trump's 2024 election campaign, seeking to capitalize on his pro-crypto statements.

Charter Communications: Telecom giant pledging $1 million – four times what it gave Trump in 2017, and nearly three times the $350,000 it gave Biden in 2021.

Uber: Another $1 million pledge maker, which gave the Biden inauguration $1 million four years ago. Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi donated an additional $1 million, clearly hoping that the ride-hailing, courier and freight transport giant will benefit from his administration's policies.

Meta*: one of the earliest confirmed $1 million pledgers. Hoping for favorable policy, and that he'll forget the post-2020 acrimony - including Facebook and other Big Tech’s censorship of his speech online, and the companies’ backing of the outgoing Democrat president’s agenda.

[twopoppies]

Hope this is the start of the end for Dan who seems untouchable before. https://bylinetimes.com/2023/07/17/gb-news-star-dan-wootton-unmasked-in-cash-for-sexual-images-catfishing-scandal/

I hope it’s the end of him, but you’d have to imagine someone like him would have dirt on some very powerful people that might allow him to just slink away quietly. But we can all pray the police and criminal courts actually do something to punish him to an extent that he deserves.

[…]

Byline Times has extensive evidence to show that, between June 2008 and 2018, Wootton – who is gay – posed as a fictitious showbusiness agent called “Martin Branning” to offer sums of up to £30,000 “tax free” to his targets, many of whom were heterosexual men.

Among them are a very senior executive at Rupert Murdoch’s News UK alongside at least six other staff at The Sun newspaper – one with close links to News UK CEO Rebekah Brooks – friends, Facebook associates and users of the dating apps Grindr and Gaydar.

[…]

As a result, this newspaper is today publishing some details of our findings. We have identified five co-conspirators, along with a representative group of around a dozen victims. However sources suggest the true figure extends to many, many more men.

Full article here

[j4y-lvr]

SIGNAL143?! … kang taehyun

SYNOPSIS. Headstrong CEO, kang taehyun leads his business venture into the world of dating with his dandy service, 'signal143', and in need of a skilled and driven secretary comes the bright-eyed secretary, passionate to support those finding new love. while the two clash in various ways, bound to each other in pursuit of new beginnings. what were taehyun to do if this metal tough ceo were to match with his new secretary by his dear, handcrafted application?

PAIRING. ceo!taehyun x secretary!fem!reader ft. txt, yunjin from lesserafim and sunwoo from theboyz

GENRE. crack, fluff, pinch of nonexistent angst

WARNINGS. profanity, !!not proofread!!

WORD COUNT. 5.2k

NOTE. no i didn't spend more than a month on this shhhhhh😦 my txtblr debut has arrived i'm pretty proud of the beginning and the attempts at humour🤥 i'm so sawry,, the end was a bit rushed bc i realised my absence from here was far too long so i scurried😤

"what if you matched with someone in the company using the application," yunjin jokes, hitting your arm in the same spot for the nth time, a scowl crossing your face as you turned to her, running down an earful of curses before she sighed and pouted, getting you to suspend your fit.

"why would you even say that," you drop, averting your focus away from the girl and to your watch striking midnight. You usher yunjin to stay the night under one condition that she clean up after herself as you left early for work at signal143.

Signal143 worked to assist others in search of their passionate lover, one true pair, and lifelong soulmate. A company whose product aligned with your best interests as you grew with a single mother who tirelessly slogged to make ends meet.

You'd made her proud, earning a corporate job as none other than the secretary of the booming service. The application checked off all and more of what you could think of, seeing it as a reliable piece and something trustworthy.

You prep your materials for the following day, slide into bed and shut your eyes with a huff. Dreamland didn't seem all too far when yunjins protruding query probed your mind to run a hundred kilometers per hour with varying scenarios that fueled your active thoughts.

Shaking your head, you set to not think about and take things that came your way with no worry as such. Let's be real, the possibility of you matching with someone from your company was less than 5%.

It's not like your luck would cash with that, would it?

Maybe, you should've recalculated the percentage because the probability dinged at first sight of your boss. "signal match 143!" echoed through the hallways of cool toned glass finished walls, goosebumps arising on your skin.

You visibly panic as your boss, taehyun, watches you with curious eyes. "good to know you use the application," mumbled the tall man, clad in a suit, a musing smile tugging on his pink, soft lips.

Observing your orbs dart from him to your phone, you contemplated checking who within the company you had unanimously paired with, "please, have a look," your boss encouraged while your sweat-ridden palms fished your phone from your pocket.

"i'd say you take them on a date and give it a try, and if possible give your personal feedback on your usage of the app,"i don't think dating in a workplace setting is appropriate though," you comment, swiping up and onto the app, the customary ring filling the rather opinionated hallway.

"why not? are you, perhaps, doubting the service?" kang taehyun raised, expected from his nickname, strongheaded-sajjangnim. The lines on his forehead proved his dedication but you felt wronged with the misinterpretation.

You'd be in trouble if you harbored opposing thoughts and didn't get along with this co-worker in specific, being your boss and the ceo, afterall.

"quite bold of you to assume, sir" you pause, fending hurt and continue reading the username you paired with mentally and then verbally, however, it came out sounding like a question, "user terry kang?"

A fellow worker gasped and panned their head towards kang taehyun, whose expression looked lost and if he were in a pickle, per se. "why?" you ask, perturbed by the shocked faces.

"summon that demon child beomgyu to my office right now. and you, follow me," spoke the tall, doe-eyed man, profusely furrowing those eyebrows deeper and deeper downward. What pissed you off was his rude choice of words, respect should be given to those who expect respect.

Maybe it comes with power? You shove the train of thought and sprint to catch up to the ceo, who was almost stomping his way there. Cute of him, you note.

With whoever beomgyu was, sat present in the well maintained office while the tense atmosphere picked at your nerves, making your exterior decay from the anxiety. You remained unaware of what happened nor what was going down.

Whipping out his phone, taehyun beckons beomgyu over, "what is this?" he retorted, calmly, unlike his brows meeting the depths of hell fire with the amount he scowled. Beomgyu jumped on sight and squealed, applauding the ceo, "isn't that great?!"

"no, you dumbass- i mean, you idiot, what have you programmed it to do," he halts, giving you a look and whispers in a hush manner, causing the man next to him to slowly pan his head towards you like those haunted emotional support dolls from horror movies the possessed hauled around.

"HER?"

A whack to the back of his head sent beomgyu wailing, "THIS IS VIOLENCE—" he exclaimed, getting cut off by what seemed like his close friend that boss, taehyun, "do you want to risk your pay," he stooped octaves lower with the question, a menacing look shining in his eyes, gazing up and into your orbs, almost daringly.

You weren't slow (for once), you put the pieces together and informed yourself in manner, tactfully planning your next move. Mirroring the menacing look, mockingly, one could say. You stride forward, your hardened footwear clacking against the marbled touched floor, "are still up for the date, ceo terry kang?"

Taehyun straightens his back, amused with your words, beomgyu giggling, "you still think its a malfunction, sir" he states, mockingly, gapping for air and continuing, "she seems like your match if you ask me." — The frown that settled on his face as he pondered over the simple incident left you in a fit of your little laughter, evident of your chuckling. "well, let's get to it, shall we?" taehyun set, turning to you with a charming grin that exuded other intentions than sweet. 

"hm?" you replied, asking what out of the number of things he could be implying. "work. today's your first day, isn't it, miss secretary,"

Oh this man is vile, cutting to the boring part already but without much of a fight, you had points to prove and marks to make even though one might say take it easy the first day. Not only was your hopeful relationship with your boss kindling but your chances of recognition in the hierarchy.

"i want these papers briefed by noon," you opened your mouth to quiz if he required anything else but he dove straight in, "oh and a cup of coffee will do, thank you very much." You inadvertently complied, handing the warm cup over to him with an unfazed expression, work was work and there's no denying it. 

"not your ideal picture of a first date, hm" taehyun commented, cautious watching the way your front turned from calm to exasperation, "first date, sir?" you grumble, enunciating the sir a bit pressed off your tongue. A dry laugh leaves his parted mouth, "you seem like the type to never been on a date,"

You clench the papers assigned to you in hand and muster a marvelling smile, firming your stance. Taehyuns eyes flicker from the tight grip on the papers to your menacing eyes, then to your coral stained lips parting with calculated breaths, "glad to see we agree in something, sir."

The satisfaction you felt as his face morphed to offence had you seeing stars of your own. He clicked in his tongue in distaste, "it's going to be a long while working with each other, i see,"

"i agree. i'll take my leave, i've paperwork to get behind," You conclude, giving his deep brown orbs one lasting gaze. 

A complementary grin accompanied your impactful greet to your boss. He was just as hard headed as the rumours state, the beauty the gods themselves sculpted but it was too bad you'd have a sour taste at his retorts in opinion and opposition. 

Though, the only things you both could settle on were being lonely asses and vision for the venture that inevitably matched and brought your two lonesome vessels together. — Weeks passed and your differences only became apparent to those around. DUring a small party taehyun decided to host for app ranking 4th on charts, the ice cream stand had many flavours to offer on such short notice, including your favourite, mint choco. 

This, however, seemed to bother him, as he stood beside you, picking up his custom cherry flavoured ice cream. The gasp that left him as you chose mint choco let a lasting impression on you, “it tastes like toothpaste. how could you possibly—”

“sir, you have a cup of cherry flavoured ice cream in hand, is that not a tad too plain?” “i like to keep things simple,”

And the other he spotted you at your desk munching away at the original style pocky, he inhaled that very irking gasp that made your head turn faster than lighting, “don’t even—”

“HOW COULD YOU CHOSE THE ORIGINAL,THE MOST BASIC, THE INFAMOUS POCKY!?” “that’s quite rich coming from someone who likes to keep it simple,”

you sneer, your bold statement followed by gasps from the myriad of employees seated at their desk out your office as taehyun bit at his tongue, retreating to his den.

This left you with your current situation, “sir, i finished reviewing and marking these documents but are you sure the conversion will follow through smoothly?”

“why the doubt, miss,” “yn would be fine, though this is a workplace setting, we have other premises to imply”

A nod prompted you to continue, “conversion from a service-based business to a hybrid business is quite the challenge given our potential partner expertising in green tea that supposedly promotes weight loss, tying us with non body positive image,”

“as much as you have a point, we’re running short on funds with the hefty loan process being dragged out and our service update has been pending for a month now. Either way, other companies are flocking to strike a deal,”

“but sir, can't we start with another product first? I feel like beginning with green tea will attract negative views,” you paused, thinking of seizing the opportunity to plug in a personal situation here, “if you want to promote the service we'll have to start fanservice."

"what." "don't act like you don't know about all the teenage girls you've bagged for being their prince,"

"and you're suggesting that I hold a fansign?! do i look like an idol to you?” "yeah, you do so make use of that handsome face, terry"

He flashed you an insane glance, sighing, “too late, they're here for the meeting,” taehyun announced, foot to heel and strode down his office, off to the door where he greeted them with a warm smile, “shall we?”

However, one of the men who stood much closer to taehyuns office than the rest frowned, sending a glare your way that had your stomach turning, “i don’t think it’ll work out though,” — The scowl present on taehyun’s face as he exited the conference room had you shitting yourself as he shot knives down towards you, glaring at you and motioning to his office merely with his recent fuelled orbs.

QUivering inside out, you step shortly after him, gulping down the massive lump in your throat, the carpeted monotonous grey flooring garnering your interest than the man that rubbed his temple hastily.

“guess one of them overheard our little banter, miss,”

Your void of a reply sent him approaching you with heavy footsteps, harshly tugging down the knot of tie, the furrow deepening beyond observed capability. All till the curve of your back hit the hard wood table, your hands scraping to the table.

“w-what do you mean,” you muster despite the frantic panic you were waging inside, his arms once limp by his side came to front you as he cracked his knuckles, his neck craning to the side to do the same. You’d be lying if you said you weren’t intimidated by his demeanour.

“oh, i don’t know, from where the conversion took a head down non body positivity image and how starting with a different product first would be better?”

The chills that ran down your spine as he repeated your previous words had you spinning a hurl of your own. Though you still stood by your words, you could’ve just blown the deal off with it as well. 

That depends, however, since you weren’t informed whether the deal was called off in the first place. You held no blame as of yet. You straightened your back and lifted your gaze to his, taking a step forward, a formidable gap present.

“well, did we strike a deal?” you attempted to sound as aloof as possible, hoping for an affirmation from taehyun. He smiled, a stark contrast between his furrow and grin.

He bent down to match your height, his hand cupping your cheek with a caress which you would have fend off but couldn’t given your arising crisis, “how cute,” he uttered and paused, the smile dripping off along his lips pressing to a line, “but, no,”

And just with that you had turned into granite staring down the eyes of a striking sculpture known as kang taehyun. “Leave,” and you did, taking to the door with such haste you hadn’t seen yeonjun, the assistant secretary ahead, crashing into the man with a thump. 

“are you okay?” quizzed yeonjun, watching you with curious orbs as to your hastened exit and your shaken exterior, “you look like you’ve seen a ghost, you should take a break,” he commented further, chuckling.

Taehyun observed the ordeal, opting to sit in his seat and front his desktop instead, having twice the amount of work to get another company onboard. It would be an understatement to say he resented you right now.

You bid a rushed goodbye and fled the scene out the building, restocking on fresh air and a clear mind on how to apologize, though an apology wouldn’t do much. — Silence was scarier on the man than you could imagine though he wasn't one for many words, the stiffness present in the air as you'd discretely set your work by his table while he bore his eyes into the desktop screen, his hand gripping the edge of any paper within reach.

After the fall through, he lacked words for you particularly, conveying messages through the assistant manager, yeonjun who said he despised the ordeal and further urged you to make amends. But that didn't sound as easy as said. 

That left you in this picture, panning open his office door a few hours past work hours as you had a report on user engagement to finish and the reasons for it's margin of customers dropping. The dimmed lights and the glare of the desktops display blaring through the jet atmosphere led your orbs to the slumped figure, his fingers resting in his hair as he laid on his crossed arms.

Your boss had fallen asleep.

You set your print on his table and moved a few others to the side, stacking them up as well. Should you wake him up or let him be? Either way his posture would surely cause spinal ache, so it'd be better to wake him.

Right? His secretary that totally blew the company a huge deal and an inclined decrease in expected funds would unsuspectingly awake him up when he retreated to slumber from exhaustion over the same deal with no clear advance?

Oh well, you weren't fired yet.

"sir," you uttered, your palm reaching for his shoulder, giving it a light shake. Taehyun lifted his head, hair messily parted, cocking his head to the side as he took in your stance in front of him.

"what's the time?" he stated, sitting up straight and off his arms, glancing at you lazily.

"11pm, sir," you replied albeit the chill that sprang down your spine as he spoke octaves lower and for the first time in around two weeks.

"why are you still at work, go home yn,"

"i thought i'd finish the report on user engagement—"

A sigh parted from his chapped lips, "i know you said you had no experience but c'mon you should really go out and meet new people," he mumbled, his hand rubbing the back of his neck, reaching for his lower drawer and pulling out his car keys.

"but sir, why would I go out and meet other people when you're my match," you responded, watching his face controt from surprise to guilt and back to his blank expression.

"i'll give you a ride home," he dismissed, loosening his tie and to his feet, waiting for you by his door to lock it up. — You took him up on the request and found yourself in the passenger's seat, sitting next to an oddly silent taehyun. "address?"

"why,"

"how do I drop you home, huh," he deadpanned and you promptly recited your address and he took to the wheel.

The blanket of stillness was anything but pleasant as his lack of response earlier ate you alive bone by bone. Feeling the tense air and the rather long way home, taehyun quipped a quick glance toward you, "whats your view in soulmates,"

"not exactly, life's not a fairytale like they narrate, per se," "why the negative tone?" he questioned further.

"my parents split not long ago, stating they 'fell out of love,' and i was heading back and forth between france and germany to meet them simultaneously, to not let either be unhappy. then i decided i was through and packed to south korea and applied for the job."

"that's one situation," "you?"

"i'd be oversharing," "it's fine, sir"

"call me taehyun, please," "right, taehyun, continue."

"realistically, no. like you said, life is no fairytale," "how is that oversharing,"

"it's sensitive info considering i run a head service to find your true love, yn, don't be conventionally controversial in this car," "mhm" you dragged, barely managing Ato mask your scoff.

The thick atmosphere was cut through the line of his ringtone, receiving the call at the red light and pulling over, "yes," he calmly spoke followed by the very violent,"WHAT?! NO!" 

You missed a smile despite the information you gathered ere, watching as he bickered with someone in the other line, the exasperated expression a fit for his adorable face. He hung up and pursed his lips turning to you with his jaw open slightly.

"will you go out with me," he paused— "WHAT?!" "no let me finish—"

"WHY WOULD YOU ASK ME OUT AFTER SAYING I WAS BEING CONVENTIONALLY CONTROVERSIAL AND TREATING ME LIKE SHI—" you halted, reading his amused mask and remembering he's the reason you get paid on a monthly basis, "you were saying, sir– taehyun,"

He liked the way his name rolled off your tongue and he'd convince himself in denial that it ended there but he'd bury for as long as possible. "I never said anything about denying soulmates, nope not a peep," he clarified, continuing to matter at hand, "there's an event this Friday night, would you be interested in joining me?"

Okay this reaction of yours bypassed the intense masking and your jaw hung open as you measly meagred, "why me," sounding shaky and your voice cracking at the lather and your parched throat. 

He searched for something by his door and handed you a bottle of water, looking at you straight in the eyes, giving you the most gorgeous,rich smile you'd ever seen, "because, you're my match, yn,"

To say you choked on your spit was an understatement. The chuckle that left him and he told you to look up and let your throat settle before drinking the water he handed you. — Friday came with you waking up queasy and all jittery, still pondering over what to wear, mentally noting to ask taehyun what he was going to wear. That Tuesday he gave you a ride home and unintentionally made you a walking mess of emotions in front of him, causing little to no changes at work.

To your disappoint— for the better, you grit and smile at your coworkers, holding small conversations and exchanging words of notice. Then came your summary to Taehyun and casually strolled in and recited the following with which meeting at what time, handing him the clipboard you gripper to briefly.

"wait, is the timing marked wrong for this meeting,"

"let me see," you mumbled and made your way by his chair, placing a hand on his table to lean over. "yeah, no it's," you paused, gripping your lower lip into the chambers of your once parted mouth.

Taehyun took that with the nod of his head, his orbs drifting to yours trained in the clipboard, a face strands of hair unintendedly covering your face and your lip held captive. The scent of your lavender perfume invading his nostrils, the trance cut short with your response, "actually, taehyun, hold on a second," you complete, your eyebrows furrowing deeper as your lip frees itself.

"taehyun?" he quired, picking at his raised brow, questioning you. You scoff and roll your eyes, "pick one, sir" you reply sarcastically, emphasising the sir at the end though you began to wonder how his name just rolled off. "and keep the date tentative, i'll check in again, either way it's not till next friday, sir,"

"taehyun," he corrected with small grin, his hand hovering to your cheek and giving it a light tap watching the way you managed to push his fingertips off and stare somewhat discreetly at his now focused face, albeit the close proximity of you two as you'd yet to stand straight l.

Beomgyu, uninvitedly barged through shouting for taehyun in a whiny tone, catching you in your little stare. Beomgyu advanced with a sprint and landed beside taehyun, who looked unbothered as the two and three others were friends from middle school.

He gave taehyun a bombastic side eye and sent a very obvious thumbs up to you, motioning to your boss who watched with a quirky smile, almost teasing you without words. You huff and retreat from his den, leaving the best friends turned coworkers to their fun. — "time to clock," uttered a voice from behind as you stilled slumped on your desk, lazily working on yet another report on the total gross margin and remaining fund. "hm?" you whiz not paying mind to them till a hand lands on your shoulder that sent you panning toward taehyun.

Your mouth parted with an 'O' springing to your soles, a few minutes left to actually clock out, "we'll have to stop by nearby to pick up clothes," he conveyed, watching casually pack up and shut off the system, some shooting your nasty looks for stealing their fantasy husband away.

Ignoring the onlookers you follow behind him, waving beomgyu bye as he excitedly cheered you on from his quarters with taehyun sighing at his antics.

The car ride to the venue was nothing noteworthy after you dazzled in an outfit that fit with your personal preference a bit too much, not revealing much and topped snow white charm with the flowy frill checks on your mental list. 

His silence left you to look out the window of the passenger seat as taehyun handled the wheel, focusing on the road ahead. 

“why’d you join signal143,” taehyun abruptly spoke amidst the stillness, gaining your lost focus, “cupid was my favourite childhood story,” you replied nonchalantly, eyes drifting to the seemingly fast paced surroundings, avoiding his curious orbs that lasted a second.

“maybe it's because i craved for something or someone to be my stability in my then feeble life and cupid would happen help me achieve that when my parents were out and about with their love life in shambles,”

“so from personal experience,” “yes, i guess you could say that. what inspired you to upbring the venture?”

“the 5 of us, high school friends, happened to think of the idea as a joke to make our pitiful lonely asses feel better, and the rest is history. it sounds insignificant, i know,” “everyone has their callings,”

With that the conversation fell flat and you remained in your thoughts of the past, “we’re almost there,”

“hm,” you responded, lacking any real reply to him, your thoughts having shifted from the past to the recent past, when you matched with your boss at work to which he simply ignored much to your distaste.

“sir,” “don’t,”

“we have to talk, i can’t play dumb anymore it's agitating,” “about what, exactly,” he asked, pulling into a stop at the venue, hand reaching to unbuckle his belt and panning to front you, perceiving the irked expression written all over.

“we matched with your application and literally refuse to address it,” you rush, in an exclamatory tone, breathing heavily with furrowed brows. His poker face remained while his gaze dropped to his wristwatch, “is that all, we’re getting late.”

Tears clouded your vision as he stepped and walked over to the passengers seat and clicked the door open, and extended his arm to you. You grimaced at his palm,"is that really you had to say," you let out slowly, attempting to blink back your threatening tears.

He initiative held your hand and pulled you up, your footing unstable as you fell forward and onto him, beside you for support. The fabric of his dress shirt scrunched up in your clenched fists. A hand travelled to your cheek and tilted towards the adoring eyes of the man that'd somewhat broke your alluding vision of true love.

"don't ruin the makeup by crying over nothing," he paused, mustering the courage to utter his next few words carefully, the knot in his throat tightening to release the word out his grip, "love," he added shakely, the latter coming out jna whisper but to be heard in the reverbs of your ear.

The gaso that overwhelmed had shock written all over you and with expectancy you listened as he remained agape. "why do you think I went as far as to bring you here as my date, yn,"

So he wasn't playing you, nor was he breaking your perception of true love but giving it a shot.

Now the thought slapped a small but hopeful grin on your front and you gazed into his beautiful sparkling eyes while he rushed to address even further, "doesn't mean I'm not angry at you for blowing the deal off," he muttered, trying to sneer at you and scoffing with little to no real meaning.

You burst into hearty laughter at his shy acts, striding into the venue, clutching his much larger hand in yours, "we have a party to attend, taehyun," you pressed, jolly filling you full as you skipped and partially hopped your way to the entrance hand in hand with the last person you expected to.

Life was fickle yet fun and full of surprises.

Taehyun spoke words of boredom to others attending as you put on a pretty smile and joined in occasionally and eventually zoned out, taking that as a chance to slip away from him and to the refreshments served.

You unsuspectingly stood among the masses, sipping on the non alcoholic drink, your eyes naturally drewp towards taehyun, resting them in him as he charmed many with his words, some infatuated with his looks and that darn cute smile he flashed.

"yn?"

You turned to your right, perceiving the man you'd swore to never see after years, "sunwoo?"

The old feelings of youth overjoyed your sober mind and the thundering clouds brought with your foresought tears and sentiments to do with him.

"you? here?"

"..." you dwelled in your daze, knocked out of it with no response to him after a long delay, he waved a hand in front of you, successful garnering your attention as an unfamiliar yet comforting hand rested on your waist and clung you to them.

"oh sunwoo! great crowd, great people, great host, of course,"

"...taehyun!" he greeted, examining his hand attached to your waist, the close proximity of the two and plastered a grin.

"how's the brand launch going?"

"the usual rookie stuff, you'd know better,"

Small talk continued and you watched motionless, your nerve ridden self picking at your nails, only glancing at either of the two rarely. As their tiresome chatter drew to a close you mustered the will to smile faintly st sunwoo and turn towards your date, Kang taehyun and flash a genuine beaming grin at him, ushering about something that crossed your mind.

Sunwoo noted the look and how you didn't turn back to see if he was looking at you for longer like you once had, the day it rained from the skies and from your very own eyes.

Dragging him out the venue you huffed and puffed in relaxation, opting to lean to the wall behind as relief filled you, "you know him?" taehyun queried, the slight amount of irritation sending massive signals your way as he raised a brow.

"i gave the same expression to any of the other guests you chatted with," you replied, to milk a further reaction from him.

"the way you stared at him looked different, like that of a sour grape.

"so you've been observing the way I gaze at people when you were supposed to pay your mind to the conversation?"

"well—"

Another dramatic gasp parted from your mouth, "so you have, and yes, he's my ex." "and not that i mind," you interjected, falling into him as you chuckled while he wrapped his own arms around you voluntarily. "you're not so annoying, i guess" he commented, faking a daddy eye roll your way.

"you're still annoying," "HEY—" "love live laugh beomgyu and his programming skills," you completed sending him furious as he whined to you about his sole position in the mess.

Love exists in many forms and this one was all thanks to signal143(and the honourable, almighty intellect beomgyu along your fortune telling star stellar friend huh yunjin).

[rideboomindia]

RideBoom, a leading on-demand ride-sharing service provider, has announced a new pricing structure that offers significant cost savings to its users while maintaining the high quality of its services. The new pricing structure is designed to make RideBoom the perfect solution for those who want to save money on their transportation costs.

With the new pricing structure, RideBoom can offer unbeatable prices for on-demand ride-sharing services. Customers can now enjoy a comfortable ride at an affordable price, without compromising on the quality of service. The pricing structure is simple and transparent, with no hidden fees or surge pricing.

RideBoom is committed to providing safe, reliable, and affordable transportation services to its customers. The company uses advanced technology to match drivers with riders, ensuring a seamless and efficient ride-sharing experience. The RideBoom app is easy to use, with features that allow customers to track their rides in real-time, pay securely through the app, and rate their driver at the end of the ride.

“We understand that transportation costs can be a burden for many people. That’s why we have introduced this new pricing structure to make our services more affordable and accessible to everyone,” said Harminder Malhi Known as Harry Malhi, CEO of RideBoom (https://www.linkedin.com/in/harry-malhi-87671254/). “With our new pricing, customers can save money on their transportation costs and still enjoy the high-quality ride-sharing services that they have come to expect from RideBoom.”

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The new pricing structure is now available to all RideBoom customers. To learn more about RideBoom and its services, visit the app store and download the app to get the fare estimate.

About RideBoom

RideBoom is a leading on-demand ride-sharing service provider, offering safe, reliable, and affordable transportation services to customers across Chandigarh, delhi, Pune, and Kolkata. The company uses advanced technology to match drivers with riders, ensuring a seamless and efficient ride-sharing experience. RideBoom is committed to providing high-quality services that meet the needs of its customers.

Reliable and Trained Drivers: Rideboom should employ reliable and well-trained drivers who have undergone background checks and possess valid licenses. This helps ensure that you have a professional driver who prioritizes safety.

Vehicle Safety Standards: Rideboom should maintain a fleet of well-maintained vehicles that meet safety standards and undergo regular inspections. This includes features like functioning seatbelts, airbags, and proper maintenance of brakes, tires, and lights.

GPS Tracking and Communication: The Rideboom app or website should provide real-time GPS tracking of the taxi, allowing you to track your ride and share the details with your friends. It should also offer a clear channel of communication between the driver and passengers for any inquiries or concerns.

Emergency Assistance: The Rideboom service should have a dedicated helpline or support system in place to handle any emergencies or unexpected situations that may arise during the journey. This ensures that you can seek assistance promptly if needed.

Driver Ratings and Reviews: Rideboom should have a system for passengers to rate and review drivers after each ride. This helps maintain accountability and encourages drivers to provide excellent service while prioritizing safety.

Cashless Payments: Offering cashless payment options, such as credit/debit card or digital wallets, can enhance convenience and security. It eliminates the need for cash transactions and provides a seamless payment experience.

Pre-Booking and Schedule Management: Rideboom should allow passengers to pre-book their rides in advance, especially during peak hours or special events. This helps ensure availability and avoids last-minute hassles.

Adequate Insurance Coverage: Rideboom should have comprehensive insurance coverage for drivers and passengers in case of any accidents or unforeseen incidents. This provides an additional layer of protection and peace of mind.

Regular Updates and Notifications: Providing timely updates and notifications regarding ride status, driver details, and estimated arrival time can help passengers plan their night out more efficiently and reduce uncertainty.

Customer Feedback and Improvement: Rideboom should actively encourage customer feedback and take it into consideration to improve their services continually. This demonstrates their commitment to customer satisfaction and safety.

The problem it solves

RideBoom solves the problem of transportation and delivery by providing an easy-to-use platform that connects riders with drivers and businesses with delivery partners. Where you can select the gender of the driver. It aims to provide a reliable, safe, and affordable transportation and delivery solution to individuals and businesses.

RideBoom offers competitive pricing structures, discounted fares, or promotional incentives that can help RideBoom attract customers and encourage them to try their services over existing competitors.

The RideBoom app is available in both stores and is free to download.

Let’s RideBoom (https://rideboom.com/india/business-portal/) your business.

[acceptccnow]

Secure and Efficient: Modern Techniques in Credit Card Payment Processing

Article by Jonathan Bomser | CEO | Accept-Credit-Cards-Now.com

In the whirlwind of commerce, the bedrock of modern business operations lies in the art of Credit Card Payment Processing. Efficiently and securely managing credit card payments is the linchpin, especially in the high-stakes arenas of high-risk credit card processing, e-commerce, credit repair, and CBD merchant services. This exploration delves into the avant-garde strategies and techniques that businesses are deploying to ensure a marriage of both security and efficiency in credit card payment processing within today's digital landscape.

DOWNLOAD THE SECURE AND EFFICIENT INFOGRAPHIC HERE

Charting the Evolution of Payment Processing

From the analog days of paper checks and cash transactions, the trajectory of payment processing has undergone a metamorphosis. In the current digital epoch, where electronic transactions reign supreme, staying abreast of cutting-edge payment processing technology is imperative. Whether navigating the labyrinth of high-risk industries or steering the ship of e-commerce ventures, the mandate is clear – stay secure and efficient.

High-Risk Credit Card Processing: Navigating the Perils

Industries like credit repair and CBD often find themselves sailing turbulent high-risk seas due to stringent regulations and perceived risk factors. However, being earmarked as high-risk need not be a roadblock; it can be a catalyst for thriving. The key lies in embracing modern techniques tailored for high-risk credit card processing.

Effectively navigating risks calls for strategic partnerships with payment processing providers who specialize in high-risk transactions. These providers offer bespoke solutions, navigating the labyrinth of complexities and shielding businesses from potential pitfalls.

E-commerce Merchant Accounts: Anchors in the Online Sphere

In the theater of online commerce, e-commerce merchant accounts emerge as stalwart anchors. These accounts empower businesses to securely hoist the sails for payments over the internet, whether it's a nimble online store or a grand e-commerce platform. The article underscores the pivotal role of reliable e-commerce merchant accounts, advocating for features that align with diverse business needs, from seamless integration capabilities to robust fraud prevention tools.

Credit Repair Payment Gateway: Paving Effortless Paths

For credit repair enterprises, a dedicated credit repair payment gateway becomes the captain's wheel. This specialized gateway streamlines financial voyages, ensuring the secure handling of sensitive financial data. The article accentuates the importance of selecting credit repair payment gateways with formidable security features like encryption and tokenization. A user-friendly interface and compatibility with various credit cards become the north star for elevating the customer experience.

CBD Merchant Processing: Sailing the High-Risk Seas Safely

CBD merchants, navigating the high-risk seas due to the industry's association with cannabis, find solace in modern techniques. To chart a course to success in CBD merchant processing, adopting strategies that mitigate risks and ensure smooth operations becomes imperative.

Strategic alliances with CBD merchant processing providers, well-versed in industry intricacies, are paramount. These providers furnish tailored payment processing solutions, and coupled with specialized credit card payment services, enable businesses to efficiently and securely accept credit card payments.

The Dominance of Payment Gateway Solutions

In the contemporary business amphitheater, payment gateway solutions emerge as indispensable orchestra conductors for facilitating online transactions. Acting as the harmonious bridge between websites or apps and financial institutions, the right payment gateway orchestrates a seamless payment symphony. The article urges businesses to select payment gateways boasting a symphony of features, including real-time transaction processing, advanced fraud detection, and harmonious integration capabilities.

Credit Card Payment Services: Elevating Operational Sonatas

Operational sonatas take center stage in the grand performance of credit card payment processing. Businesses adept at orchestrating payments swiftly and accurately gain a competitive edge. Modern credit card payment services, offering a symphony of features like mobile payments, contactless payments, and online account management, become instrumental in achieving this symphonic efficiency. The article champions the adoption of these services to serenade a broader audience and provide a harmonious payment experience that crescendos into customer loyalty.

Embrace Modernization for a Flourishing Finale

In the realm of Credit Card Payment Processing, the symphony of evolution plays out rapidly, demanding businesses to conduct themselves to stay competitive. Whether traversing the landscape of high-risk industries, e-commerce, credit repair, or CBD merchant services, embracing modern techniques becomes the crescendo for success.

Strategic partnerships with specialized providers well-versed in industry intricacies become an essential note. Investments in e-commerce merchant accounts, credit repair payment gateways, and CBD merchant processing solutions, harmonizing both security and efficiency, are advocated. Leveraging payment gateway solutions and credit card payment services, businesses can elevate their operational symphonies.

As technology continues its relentless crescendo, securing both security and efficiency in credit card payment processing isn't just advisable; it's the grand finale. This ensures a seamless symphony of payment experiences for customers and charts a path for businesses to flourish in the digital age. The clarion call is to embrace modernization today and compose a prosperous future for your business. With Accept-Credit-Cards-Now Merchant processing services as your virtuoso, the symphony becomes smoother and more secure.

[mariacallous]

Last week, Elon Musk rebranded Twitter as “X.” New CEO Linda Yaccarino tweeted that X would be “centered in audio, video, messaging, payments/banking,” a step toward Musk’s vision of creating the “everything app” for the Western world. Musk has been focused on this vision for Twitter since before he even bought it, repeatedly praising the Chinese app WeChat in a June 2022 town hall at Twitter. WeChat is known for doing virtually anything an app can do—messaging, audio/video, meetings, translation, social networking, shopping, payments, ride sharing, food delivery, and more. It’s an indispensable app in China, and Musk wants to build X into that app in the United States.

Musk has been laser-focused on his vision of the everything app for longer than most realize. He’s also long been obsessed with the letter X—he named his original online bank X.com, founded SpaceX, and even named his son “X Æ A-12.” His X-ray vision, if you’ll forgive the pun, dates back to his founding of the original X.com. Musk described that firm, which would eventually merge with Confinity to form PayPal, as a “global financial nexus” that could handle bank accounts, mortgages, credit, insurance, stocks—anything and everything financial.

On the face of it, none of this seems unreasonable. Such an app would be one of the most valuable companies in the world if it succeeded. It’s a tall task, but Musk has been involved in the founding of three separate multibillion-dollar companies. WeChat (along with competitors such as AliPay) has proven that such apps can reach scale and be wildly successful. And WeChat was initially built on the back of parent company Tencent’s popular social network, QQ. If it can be done, why not Musk? And why not start with Twitter?

Unfortunately for Musk, his vision of creating a Western WeChat is doomed to failure. Companies like Meta and Alphabet have made attempts before. These companies have every advantage—more cash available than Musk, larger pools of technical talent, better public reputation, and more successful lines of business in the app ecosystem. Nevertheless, none have succeeded in building an everything app. WeChat exists in a very specific Chinese context, and attempts to brute force it in a very different context will crash and burn.

The most important function of an aspiring everything app is payments, which unlock enormous value for the app and convenience for the user. But mobile payments in China are an outlier—87 percent of Chinese people used mobile payments in 2021, almost double the next highest nation. And that outlier status comes from the unique way that China’s payment economy developed.

China’s explosive economic growth over the 2000s saw the country transition from being a mostly unbanked, cash-based economy to a phone-based, app-payment economy without ever having a middle phase of adopting credit cards. As China’s new middle class grew, credit cards were available to a limited upper class—but never became a commonplace part of national financial infrastructure.

What China did have was a lot of cheap smartphones. By the early 2010s, most people there still didn’t have a PC, but they had a mobile phone, and increasingly they were switching to cheap smartphones. But those smartphones were mostly low-end products, with limited processing power and storage space. A high number of bloated apps wasn’t going to cut it for an average user, so many basic functionalities began to cluster inside a small number of super-apps. With the public hungry to abandon cash, apps like WeChat were the natural and widespread solution. Most vendors didn’t have existing relationships with payment companies. But they were happy to jump all the way to taking mobile payments—especially since all they needed to do so was a cheap smartphone, not an expensive terminal. China essentially leapfrogged credit cards all the way to mobile payment.

The United States in 2023 is not in that same position. Americans, for the most part, are not newly middle class and unbanked. Americans love credit cards, have deep experience with them, and use them regularly. And the country is filled with an enormous number of financial firms competing at every level—banking services, credit services, payment apps, stock brokerages, and more. Musk’s X will be entering a far more crowded and competitive market for customers who are already using far better and more developed alternatives.

Competitive is the key word there, because there are many Western companies that would have loved to compete with apps such as WeChat. But China’s government long ago banned nearly every non-Chinese alternative to native Chinese apps in areas including social media, video sharing, messaging, news, search, finance, and more. The list of apps banned in China is so extensive that it’s likely faster to point out the few that aren’t banned.

With so much of the competition absent, it was much easier for Chinese apps to dominate many fields at once as Chinese internet adoption skyrocketed. The Chinese government mostly didn’t pick favorites domestically at first—but it kept out foreign competition and let domestic products thrive. Twitter/X doesn’t live in that same world. The U.S. government won’t protect Musk from competition.

One of the ironies in all this is that the window to develop an everything app may be over in China as well, as the Chinese government’s approach to the tech sector has changed. During China’s boom years, the state often took a laissez-faire approach to tech regulation. The Hu Jintao government and even the early Xi Jinping years saw a booming economy, where tech companies were allowed to grow rapidly and dominate markets as long as they cooperated with censorship, handed over information to the government, and paid off the right people. Analyst XiaoFeng Wang explicitly links this flexible environment with WeChat’s growth, saying, “The more flexible regulatory environment in China at the time gave internet companies like Tencent and Alibaba more room to extend to a wide range of businesses. WeChat benefited from that and grew into a super-app.”

But the Chinese government has grown deeply worried about the power of the super-apps, for both good and bad reasons. Any power that does not reside directly in the party’s hands is distrusted at a time when Xi has demanded total party leadership of everything—and the influence and reach of tech companies has been sharply curtailed in the last few years, wiping billions off their value. Chinese regulators were also genuinely worried about the sheer degree of anti-competitive practices. It had become common, for instance, for firms to block links to their competitors’ products. Breaking down those “walled gardens” has become a major part of regulation since 2021.

Building a super-app would be hard in China today—and even harder in the United States or Europe, with their anti-monopoly legislation and political skepticism toward powerful tech companies. Even if Musk’s X could theoretically succeed, it probably wouldn’t be allowed to do so legally.

Yet paradoxically, while regulators raised eyebrows, elements of the Chinese government also welcomed the opportunities that WeChat and other ubiquitous apps offered. Chinese firms exist at the pleasure of the state and are always subordinate partners to it. WeChat’s parent company, Tencent, is well known for collaboration with the Chinese Communist Party in areas large and small, producing sycophantic patriotic games and engaging in widespread censorship and espionage. Foreign Policy has reported that Tencent was even partially funded by the Ministry of State Security in its early days.

These incidents highlight why an app such asWeChat would be permitted to thrive—because it’s useful to the party. In the James C. Scott sense, WeChat increases the legibility of Chinese society. You can’t control what you can’t see, so make sure you can easily see everything. If all of Chinese daily life is funneled through a single portal, it’s that much easier for the party to observe and control lives. Monitoring a single WeChat account could allow police to see an individual’s travel patterns, spending, and social contacts, which is why many dissidents or activists avoid using the app when possible.

Chinese consumers have become more privacy-conscious about the data they hand over to companies—but are hopeless or unaware of the amount of information the government can get from them. Western companies hoping to emulate WeChat not only don’t have the government on their side, but also face a much tougher and more skeptical audience. And in Musk’s case, who—apart from the most ardent of fans—is going to trust him with their money at this point?

WeChat and its counterparts in China grew up in unique, nonrepeatable circumstances. They faced a massive middle class with plenty of cheap smartphones but no traditional banking or credit cards. They were protected from Western competition by the Chinese government. That same government applied a very light regulatory touch as the companies grew, and also encouraged centralization as a way to maintain greater control.

None of those factors exist in the United States today, and Musk’s dream of building the X app for everything is essentially impossible without them. American consumers already have dozens of easy payment choices through credit cards, debit cards, and existing mobile apps. Musk won’t be protected from competition by the government. Instead, he’ll be treated in a more hostile manner by regulators concerned about privacy, monopoly power, and his general history with flouting the law.

Larger and more important tech firms than Twitter—or, as Musk now insists, X—have tried and failed in this area. Meta owns several social networks and several messaging apps, and has tried expanding into areas like marketplaces, video, payments and more. But most of these experiments have failed to reach any sort of scale, and Meta’s successes have come from disaggregating and breaking things apart rather than bundling them together. Google’s Alphabet parent company has succeeded in a wide variety of areas such as search, video, email, payments, and more. But its attempts to build a social network flamed out spectacularly, and like Meta, their biggest successes have come from separated apps and brands, not a singular everything app.

For all its cultural importance and for all that the chattering class is addicted to it, Twitter’s just never been that large. Meta has nearly 4 billion monthly active users across its family of apps. Twitter/X, even if you believe Musk’s suspiciously cropped data, is a bit more than a 10th of that. Meta and Alphabet are orders of magnitude larger and more important than Twitter/X. If they’ve tried and failed to create the everything app, there’s no reason to believe that Musk can succeed.

Musk’s vision for the original X.com impressed Silicon Valley. By 2000, X.com had merged with Confinity, and Musk took over as CEO of the new company. He focused his vision on the global financial nexus, the proto-everything app, despite investor and board skepticism. He pursued that idea maniacally, to the detriment of PayPal/X’s core product of payment by email. He also insisted on branding the company as “X,” despite PayPal’s strong existing brand.

And in less than a year, he was coup’d out of the company and replaced as CEO by Peter Thiel. PayPal was saved as a company because its board ejected Musk. This time around there’s no board that matters except Elon, and there’s no one to save him from himself.

[diarrheaworldstarhiphop]

I love el salvador because its proof that you can literally just disregard left wing ideology completely, do the exact opposite of what (((they))) say we can't/arent allowed to do, and the end result is objective improvement lol based president bukakke is /ourguy/

lol

>>Despite Bukele presenting his administration as “populist” he is anything but a political outsider or a champion of “the people.” After getting kicked out of the then-ruling Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) for allegedly assaulting a female party official, Bukele, a former advertising executive, joined the Grand Alliance for National Unity (GANA) whose founding members came from the aforementioned Nationalist Republican Alliance (ARENA). Furthermore, Bukele’s rise to power took place during an election in which nearly 50% of eligible Salvadoran voters abstained. It’s even possible that Bukele was appointed in response to the FMLN government’s friendlier relationship with China. For example, in exchange for breaking ties with Taiwan and recognizing Beijing as the official capitol of China, FLMN received $150 million and a donation of 3,000 tons of rice from the Chinese Communist Party. Likewise, during the Trump administration’s 2019 attempt to oust Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro on behalf of the neoliberal reactionary Juan Guaido, the FMLN took the side of the Chavistas.

In America, Bukele is best known for establishing Bitcoin as Salvadoran legal tender alongside the US dollar. Cryptobros like to portray this as an attempt by a “based” technocrat unpersuaded by “ideology” to get his nation off of fiat currency and away from the control of central banks. This narrative is a total inversion of the truth; In 2020 Bukele sent 40 soldiers into the Legislative Assembly building and forced opposition politicians at gunpoint to approve a loan request of $109 million from the American government for his “Territorial Control Plan.” This plan, using COVID-19 as a pretext, deployed thousands of military personnel to work alongside local police in establishing martial law throughout El Salvador. Bukele’s government insists this led not only to a successful quarantine but a significant reduction in homicides by organized crime. However, the Territorial Control Plan relies on alliances with Salvador’s gangs, as a report by El Faro exposed. “The pandemic was a blessing for Bukele,” Carlos López Bernal, a professor of history at the University of El Salvador, told The Guardian. “He presented an apocalyptic scenario to which the only solution, supposedly, was to give the president everything he asked for. More money and more power.”

In 2021, Bukele’s party “won” a supermajority in El Salvador’s congress, supposedly with 65% of the vote. He then fired five Salvadoran Supreme Court Justices and the attorney general before the Legislative Assembly voted to accept Bitcoin as legal tender. This decision was influenced by Bukele’s close relationship to Strike CEO Jack Mallers, the descendant of Chicago finance royalty and a member of Forbes 30 under 30. According to Slate: “Bukele’s government rolled out a digital crypto wallet in app form, called Chivo (Salvadoran slang for cool), which came preloaded with $30 of Bitcoin to encourage adoption. Many who downloaded it found it confusing and buggy, or that their $30 had already been stolen by identity thieves. A study by economists at the University of Chicago, Penn State and Yale found that of those who managed to access it, most cashed out their $30 and didn’t use Chivo again.”

Towards the start of May, cryptocurrency experienced its worst crash yet. This ongoing crash has already wiped out $400 billion in market capitalization and bankrupted innumerable investors. As Slate notes, “El Salvador is on the verge of defaulting on its debts, which amount to close to 100 percent of its gross domestic product. This is exacerbated by the loss of value of the country’s Bitcoin holdings, which Bukele bragged he would trade with public funds on his phone while in the bathroom. As of now, he has personally cost the Treasury about $40 million—an amount equal to its next foreign debt payment, due to bondholders in June.”

Just before the epic crypto crash, Bukele unveiled plans for a city, “funded by the sale of a Bitcoin bond and powered by geothermal energy from the nearby Conchagua volcano.” Now, the country’s bonds are trading at 40% of their original value. But like any good con artist, cult leader, or multi-level marketing guru, Bukele has doubled down on his Bitcoin “gamble.” In the midst of the crypto crash, El Salvador hosted a “financial inclusion conference” attended by “44 central bankers from developing countries around the world.” This conference was organized by the Alliance for Financial Inclusion, formed in 2008 by central bankers in Mexico, Kenya, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand in “close collaboration” with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In 2013, Bill Gates spoke at a meeting hosted by the United Nations General Assembly to tout the merits of “digital financial inclusion” via digital payment systems. The invite reads: “Today 2.5 billion adults are excluded from the formal financial services sector. Yet governments, the development community and the private sector make billions of dollars in cash payments to people in emerging economies, many of them poor and financially excluded. Shifting these salaries, pensions, social welfare stipends and emergency relief payments from cash to electronic has the potential to improve the livelihoods of low-income people by advancing financial inclusion and helping people save.

During the upcoming United Nations General Assembly, UNDP, UNCDF and the Better Than Cash Alliance are hosting an event on how partnerships between governments, private sector and development organizations are helping to promote inclusive growth. It will focus on how digital payments can catalyze financial inclusion, and as a result, can be a driver of inclusive growth and development.”

In January 2021 the Bank of International Settlements issued a report stating, “Most central banks are exploring central bank digital currencies (CBDCs), and their work continues apace amid the Covid-19 pandemic. As a whole, central banks are moving into more advanced stages of CBDC engagement, progressing from conceptual research to practical experimentation.” Since 2017, “the share of central banks actively engaging in some form of CBDC work grew by about one third and now stands at 86%.” The BIS report found that 56 central banks are now researching or developing some form of digital currency. 

During the early stages of the pandemic in 2020 programmers well versed in COBOL, a 40 year old programming language, were in high demand. This demand mainly came from state governments, who still use COBOL to dispense unemployment benefits. “Literally, we have systems that are 40-plus-years-old,” New Jersey governor Chris Murphy told CNBC. ���There’ll be lots of postmortems. and one of them on our list will be, how did we get here where we literally needed COBOL programmers?” Murphy’s concerns were echoed by Kansas governor Laura Kelly: “So many of our Departments of Labor across the country are still on the COBOL system; you know very, very old technology.” Connecticut, California, New York, and Pennsylvania “still rely on decades-old mainframe systems based on the COBOL language as well.”

If all of this still sounds banal or benign to you, consider the following: PRISM, the massive NSA surveillance machine “exposed” by Islamaphobic Ayn Rand fanboy and descendant of numerous lifelong feds Edward Snowden, is the direct descendant of PROMIS, a tracking software developed by a “former” NSA fed working in the private sector through his firm Inslaw. Inslaw originally developed PROMIS to help the Department of Justice and local law enforcement agencies across America “update” their prehistoric filing systems in the mid-1980s. PROMIS was later stolen by Mossad spies and infamously distributed by Robert Maxwell, father of Ghislaine Maxwell, before making its way back to its homeland. In the meantime, the same NSA that was building PRISM and had produced PROMIS was working on the hash algorithm that made Bitcoin possible. 

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Covid Imperialism, Crypto Colonialism, and the Real “Great Reset” – Beyond_Lies_The_Wub (wordpress.com)

[blamemma]

I know it’s more that they are not just a McLaren sponsor but also feels like Visa/cash app wouldn’t be super into him having a crypto sponsor. Regardless of the reason, it’s better he’s out of that ponzi scheme.

this is also v true. v likely his contract just ran out and when they went to negotiate again there were new things to consider in daniel's contract and it just couldn't work out. the ceo was on v good terms with daniel it seemed so i dont think its anything nasty. contracts just end sometimes and new circumstances can lead to things not being resigned

[aberrant-winter]

"YouTube is a big and trustworthy company... I'm sure that they wouldn't never put scam ads or ads that contain nsfw!"

....

Well this shitty post i just made will surprise you

Don't think that just because a company makes lots of money doesn't mean that they won't try to use dirty tricks to earn some extra cash

You would never expect it from YouTube, a company that makes over 29.24 billion U.S. dollars per year

That Is an INSANE amount of money

However in the last years YouTube's revenue dropped by 8%

My theory for that is because they made very poor decisions like removing the dislike button and many other great features

And all of this probably happened because there's a new ceo or something

Well.... Let's talk about the ads for a sec

There's badly censored ads that advertise dating apps and well... YouTube is supposed to be "kid friendly" so why the fuck

Of course demonetizing content creators that say the word "fuck" or "shit" instead of removing these gross ads is a FANTASTIC decision... Right YouTube? .... R IGHT?!

The worst part Is

Mr beast ads

And many many people fell for this

BUT what exactly are Mr beast ads?

They say that you are one of the very few people that have been selected to win a prize

And this prize Is money

First It was 500 now it's 1000 dollars

In order to win you have to click the link in the description (that usually has a timer.. rushing you to choose or you will lose the money)

But this is all Phishing

What's phishing?

"the fraudulent practice of sending emails or other messages purporting to be from reputable companies in order to induce individuals to reveal personal information, such as passwords and credit card numbers"

The website asks you to put your credit card details so that "Mr Beast" can send you the prize

But the page isn't encrypted

So all the fragile information is not concealed.. chances are that it directly goes to the creators of the scam

"why put such a dangerous thing on YouTube?"

The scammers can share a percentage of their earnings with YouTube

That's why

Just so you know .. YouTube doesn't care about safety or the audience in general

They just want m o n e y

Hope this helped!