The Great Hack

Have you ever been talking to a friend about an event or something that you wanted to buy, and then later found an advertisement for the very thing you were discussing? The reason for this: data collection.

This film addresses the topic of data collection and one of the companies that did data collection, Cambridge Analytics.

Every credit card swipe, every online purchase, every "like" on social media, it all becomes pieces of data about you called data points. At one point Cambridge Analytics reported that they had 5,000 data points on every registered voter in America.

The movie shows that Cambridge Analytics worked on the Brexit campaign, the Trump Presidential campaign, and several other political campaigns throughout the world.

Not only was data mined and given to these campaigns, they also used the gathered information to target voters online. It was reported that over 50 million Facebook accounts were hacked into and targeted by ads and propaganda for the 2016 Presidential election.


The film makes the point that data mining is the most valued trade on the planet. It also shows that social media, which was intended to bring the world closer together, is now ripping it apart.

One of the most staggering thoughts in the film is the concept of a fair and impartial election. Can we ever have a fair and impartial election ever again?

The topic of mining data, data collection is all encompassing and staggering. After watching the film, I deleted all social media apps from my phone. It won't help the data already received; still, it will produce less data points for me.

I cannot recommend this movie highly enough. Now streaming on Netflix, "The Great Hack", 5 stars.

The Accountant of Auschwitz

"The Accountant of Auschwitz" tells the tale of Oskar Groning, a former Nazi S.S. officer who was caught in his 90s and brought to trial for his part in the war.

As an accountant, Groning "....was in charge of organizing the possessions, bracelets and rings, watches and heirlooms, of Jews when they arrived in the camps."  
http://povmagazine.com/articles/view/review-accountant-auschwitz

Groning was on trial for murdering numerous Jews in the camp, which he maintained that he did not do. 

In trial footage, Groning's arrogance was on full display. His ideology had not evolved since the war. He talked about his duties in a chilling manner, completely oblivious to their being crimes. He continually made an attempt to distance himself from crimes by perpetrated by other S.S. officers. For example, he talked about witnessing an infant murdered by another S.S. officer.

Another aspect of the film was the prosecution of other Nazi officers like Groning that had evaded arrest for decades. Most of them, if they were found guilty, were sentenced to 3 or 4 years prison time. Is that justice? Should those in the Nazi S.S. who have evaded capture be caught and brought to justice? What does justice look like?

Also featured in the film is Ben Ferencz, chief prosecutor of the Einsatzgruppen officers in the Nuremberg trial.

A thought provoking film, now streaming on Netflix, three stars.

http://povmagazine.com/articles/view/review-accountant-auschwitz

Prosecuting Evil

"Prosecuting Evil" tells the story of Ben Ferencz, one of the prosecutors at the Nuremberg trial.

The film shows his childhood, his parents escape from Europe and his adolescence. He served in the military, and then later became a student at Harvard Law School.

CBS news did a story on Ferencz:

"He finished at Harvard then enlisted as a private in the Army. Part of an artillery battalion, he landed on the beach at Normandy and fought in the Battle of the Bluge. Toward the end of the war, because of his legal training, he was transferred to a brand new unit in General Patton's Third Army, created to investigate war crimes. As U.S. forces liberated concentration camps, it was his job to rush in and gather evidence."

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-the-last-nuremberg-prosecutor-alive-ben-ferencz-wants-the-world-to-know-60-minutes-2019-06-30/

After the war, he began to investigate the crimes of the Einsatzgruppen:

"These volunteer killing squads were made up of thousands of elite SS officers. One of their main tasks was to kill all Jewish men, women and children in the areas that were being conquered. The method was usually to take them out of the town or village to a forest or open land, make them dig pits and undress, and then shoot them all."

https://www.theholocaustexplained.org/the-final-solution/german-expansionism/the-einsatzgruppen/

After the war, having been to the camps and seeing many atrocities and crimes against humanity, Ferencz was made chief prosecutor of the Einsatzgruppen officers. The film recounts Ferencz's investigation of crimes perpetrated, and the numbers of victims. When he reached one million people, Ferencz knew he could then proceed with the trial.

The goal of the was to prosecute Einsatzgruppen officers as well as create legal precedence for crimes against humanity that had never before been seen on this Earth.

Since World War II we have had countless examples of the annihilation of people, defined as "genocides" and "ethnic cleansings"-Bosnia, Rwanda, Darfur. We didn't keep our end of the pledge when we said "Never Again." This film reminds us of this fact, and points out that there is legal recourse for these crimes, all of which is due to the direct effort of Ben Ferencz.

Now streaming on Netflix; also available on YouTube, Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu. 3 stars.

A Night at the Garden

“A Night at the Garden” is archival footage from an event at Madison Square Garden in New York City, held on February 20, 1939.

An early scene of the film shows the marquee of the Garden, which reads “Pro American Rally.” It was, in actuality, a Nazi rally.

That night, seats on the main floor of the Garden faced the stage, which had a banner of George Washington on display, flanked by Nazi banners.

The film shows great numbers of young boys and girls marching in uniform; to anyone who has seen footage from Germany in World War II, these American children in uniform bear a strong resemblance to Hitler Youth.

Those in attendance that night recited the Pledge of Allegiance, (which is a pledge of allegiance to the United States), sang the national anthem, and performed the Nazi salute.

“A Night at the Garden” is only seven minutes long; yet, watching it, I was chilled to the bone. It is chilling to see such hatred on display. It's horrifying to know that this Nazi rally happened on U.S. soil.

Without this archival film footage, no one would know that this event took place. Most alive today were not alive in 1939, and those who were, most likely, were not present at this rally at the Garden. Without this footage, this event would have been lost to history. This film is the proof that documentation matters.

I cannot recommend the film highly enough. Take seven minutes out of your day and watch the film. It will shock you, anger you, and urge you to take action. To watch the film in its entirety, click the link below.

We need to learn from our history. Hate must not have a national platform. We cannot let hatred, in any of its forms, win.

Now streaming on the "Topic" app on the Roku platform.

Chilling, disturbing, frightening, awakening. 5 stars.

https://anightatthegarden.com/