Six days after a 64-year-old with a mysterious background opened fire on the crowd at a country music festival – killing 59 and injuring over 500 – there is still no real information on what drove Stephen Paddock to this extreme act of violence.
Not only is there no information on a motive but there continue to be questions on how one loner could pull off such a massacre without any logistical help. While Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo let it slip that he believes that alleged shooter had to have assistance, there has been a clampdown on additional details other than the strange red herrings that keep being published by the media.
Like so many of these bizarre incidents, the official story stinks and it’s very obvious in this case. So obvious that there are moves being made to censor discussions on the internet and quash speculation that all may not be as it seems.
For example, according to reports, YouTube has changed its algorithm to manipulate search results that run counter to the still-developing official explanation of what exactly went down in Vegas.
YouTube alters search algorithm over fake Las Vegas conspiracy videos https://t.co/BQKynMI9TB
— The Guardian (@guardian) October 6, 2017
According to a report by The Guardian “YouTube alters search algorithm over fake Las Vegas conspiracy videos”:
YouTube has made changes to its algorithms after it was strongly condemned for promoting offensive and false conspiracy theory videos about the Las Vegas shooting.
The move to shift the way it delivers search results contradicts YouTube’s earlier statements defending its performance during breaking news.
After a gunman inside the Mandalay Bay hotel fired on a music festival, killing 58 people and injuring hundreds more, videos claiming that the shooting was a hoax and a “false flag” spread like wildfire on YouTube, earning millions of views.
A “Las Vegas shooting” search on the Google-owned platform led users to numerous videos questioning whether the government was lying about the basic facts of the tragedy and suggesting victims could be “actors”.
On Wednesday a YouTube spokesperson insisted the site was highlighting reputable videos and told the Guardian that conspiracy videos on its search page did not violate its standards. But less than 24 hours later the company altered its position, implementing changes to its platform in a direct effort to better promote reputable sources.
A YouTube source confirmed on Thursday that the company tweaked its search algorithms late on Wednesday night, hours after survivors and victims’ relatives criticised the company for prominently featuring videos with hoax claims. YouTube had been working on this change for months and decided to push it out early this week, the source said. It is unclear how the new algorithm functions or whether it is effective in downgrading falsified accounts of the attack.
YouTube declined to answer questions about the changes, which were first reported in the Wall Street Journal.
There is the “conspiracy theory” pejorative again. What that has come to mean is that people are asking inconvenient questions and like its modern-day cousin “fake news” is a way for the establishment to shut down speculation that isn’t officially approved for public consumption.
But there ARE many unanswered questions on Paddock and those answers are not forthcoming via the authorities – at least so far.
Who exactly put YouTube (and Google) into the position where they can act as the arbiters of truth? These Silicon Valley giants are increasingly hostile to free speech and becoming far too big to be subject to any accountability.
YouTube is, of course, hiding behind the survivors but refuses to name them? One, two, three, five hundred? YouTube isn’t talking.
This brazen move to prevent people from asking those questions not only leads to more questions but casts doubt on anything that has been reported on this increasingly bizarre mass shooting up to this point.
