Commentary
If Trump's iPhone Can Be Hacked, Is His Smart TV Vulnerable Too?
- by Wayne Friedman , Staff Writer, October 29, 2018
Blaming the media for problems wasn’t created by President Trump. He just took this trope to new levels -- and continues his assaults on media, including CNN. So, I’ll ask: You talking to me?
There is some great mediocre entertainment here. Trump’s rants still supply TV and media with ample content, no matter where it plays -- CNN, Fox News Channel, MSNBC or your local Facebook feed.
And there’s money to be made -- on TV. He even suggested during the 2016 presidential campaign debates that CNN should pony up some advertising money, given the high ratings he brought to the network. So CNN sucks, but if there’s TV ad money involved, it's good to go.
Then he proclaimed himself an ardent fan of body-slamming reporters. Was he kidding? Trump supporters might
claim he isn't always serious about what he says, forgetting that everything a president says matters. Cruel remarks are often dismissed as a joke. After all, it’s on TV. The trouble
is, he sounded sincere.
Then came the security breach.
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Despite warnings, Trump uses an unsecured phone line; and The New York Times reported China and Russians operatives hacked President Trump’s iPhone. How could this happen? The story’s analysis is Trump has been too lazy to use those feature-less, government-issued, but security-protected, phones. Why? Because he can't store contacts.
The Department of Justice says while Democratic Hillary Clinton’s private computer server might have been a bad idea, no crime occurred, no security was breach, no evidence of any hacking.
Still, imagine if Russians found a way to infiltrate other media. If Trump is watching TV news shows via a smart TV -- TV sets with automated content recognition technology and a camera installed -- could there be another breach?
At the same time we learned of the phone hack, we learned a man accused of sending those 13 pipe bombs targeting Democratic politicians, political donors and Robert De Niro was arrested in connection with the crime.
The suspect, Cesar Sayoc, is a registered Republican and Trump-supporter. His van's exterior features images of President Donald Trump and Vice President Mike Pence, as well as a "CNN Sucks" sticker. The latter dis is right out of Trump's playbook.
Wayne Friedman is West Coast Editor of MediaPost. You can reach Wayne at wayne@mediapost.com.
Two more truisms from Trump. First...CNN does suck (even my wife, a registered Democrat, can no longer STAND to expose herself to its blatant bias, obfuscation, and lies).
Second... CNN may owe Trump some advertising revenue (pretty sure Trump offered this up with tongue firmly planted in cheek, but I don't want to defend him). Even if he didn't, the left needs to get over itself. Without Trump, CNN would not be nearly the spectacle it has become, and would not be realizing nearly the advertising revenues that it is with Trump in the White House. That doesn't equal "it's good to go" (although I know you like to put fake words into people's mouths, Wayne). It equals "CNN still sucks but it's making lots of money because so many eyeballs are attracted to its biased suckiness."
As for Sayoc... what are you sayocing? That Trump is responsible for that sick bastard's fake bombing attempts? There was a 50% chance that that sicko was a Trump supporter, and a 50% chance that sicko was a supporter of a Dem. Let's not forget the lib that shot up the Republican softball team... that looney lefty used a REAL gun.
MediaPost - you don't take down the above comments ? Shows the color of yourself.
Yeah Paula. That's what the left would like. For truth to be taken down. But that will be the left's downfall, as is evidenced in the fact that a buffoon like Trump could be elected in the first place. And with every bit of liberal obfuscation, and illogical castigation, you further diminish the left, elevate Trump, and make it less likely that a Democrat can win back the Presidency not only in 2020, but for the forseeable future.
As previously stated, unlike you, I've voted both sides of the aisle, actually voting Dem more than Repub in my lifetime. My true color is anti-over the top, sensibility, and logic when it comes to politics. The left, unfortunately, has become antithetical to all those things, and we all suffer as a result.
The left must see the paradoxical nature of its very loud, and very wrong current existence lest it self-immolate itself.
Kenny-
I think "sel-immolate itself" is redundant.
-Ken
Hmmm. By that, I'd take it that you must be on the graphics side of things at MediaPost, Ken.
To immolate is to destroy, or kill something by fire. By definition, anybody can "immolate" anything, or anybody else.
To self-immolate is to light oneself on fire, and kill oneself as a suicidal sacrifice. Also by definition, it by one's own hand.
When I write that the left is in serious danger of self-immolating itself, not only do I mean it, it is quite correct.
If you prefer, THE LEFT IS IN SERIOUS DANGER OF SELF-IMMOLATION.