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We may now come to understand what the Nazi’s technique Mr. Aso Taro, Vice PM and former Prime Minister mentioned and confused us last year. His family run website NicoNico Video, a Japanese mimicked version of Youtube, is conducting mass thought surveillance without being knowing so. Here I will briefly show the very special characteristics this giant website; it boosts 39 million users; equivalent to nearly 30% of Japanese population.
This Website looks as if offering pseudo anonymous comment posting service on the movie screen. And also, sometimes users need to answer the polls appearing in the NicoNico Video screen. It is somewhat like a 5 second commercial movie in the youtube and if you do not like, you can skip it after a certain time passed. Those may not sounds sodifferent from other website.
However, you should recognize three special characters that make this website quiet invasive to your privacy. First, you have to register your name, cellphone number, where you live in, the birthdate, and gender. Also, if you want to post your movie or get other benefit, you have to pay a monthly fee via credit card.
Next, the NicoNico has the right to collect, store, exploit, and even pass the third parties all your information NicoNico got. In those information, all the comments you wrote what video’s you watched( some includes semi-pornographic). Thanks for the pseudo anonymity and most people’s ignorance to the website privacy policy and just click, click click convention (That is always the case for internet users as we do), most of the users are giving the very private, often sensitive information on the comment.
And thirdly, the questionaries of Nico Nico, which is done in every single month and more than 100 thousands users are exposed and answer, consists of your political affiliate party, attitude to nuclear policy, and the point of view related to neighboring countries like U.S. China, Korea, Russia. Or sometimes you are asked whether you support the PM Abe’s going to Yasukuni Shrine, and so on.
Those 3 special characters combined, your political point of view is collected, scrutinized, and permitted to pass any of the third parties with your detailed personal information. That is the last thing this website users should have been aware of.
A multiple choice ‘’ Poll ’’ , however, gives you, a strange, sometimes even absurd questions and answers. For instance, As for the questions concerned about the Russian invasion to Crimea, Thq question goes ‘’ Japan’S attitude to Russia on this matter is week, compared to U.S. and EU. So what should we do? ’’ ( In questions, the answer is always suggested to a certain way. )
( Questionary on Crimea from NicoNico Website)
And answer’s candidates are (1) ‘’ We should be ready for the war against Russia, taking account into Russian long ongoing attitude from its empire era’’ (2) ‘’ We shall go on economic suction in the way other wrester world countries do ’’ (3) ‘’ Rather, we should be careful about China, because China is our greatest threat ’’ (4) ‘’ Others ’’. Who on the earth with reasonable mind can think this poll serious except for immature very young?
What makes the situation worse is in tendency users are more immature ages than average. Around 60 % are under 30 years old. ( including many teenagers or younger.) That is because it takes a storing business tie ship with game or anime giants in Japan, like Nintendo. And this website NicoNico’s group is under Aso Family’s strong influence, according to FACTA. among its main group companies, the sales division Extone’s 19% stock is held by Mr. Aso’s wife and son ( Aso Masahiro). Also, his son and nephew are joining in the group’s board member.
In authors point of view, this strong tie ship to political world gives Nico Nico an kind of immunity, just like Mr. Glenn Greenwald pointed out on IT giant’s in U.S. For instance,there are some live chat broad on the website, and it is alleged to be the back bone of teenager prostitution, and sometimes children post their own pornography ( Aiding such an activity by offering that chance could be criminal) no investigation has been done. In NicoNico, some pirate movies violating original copyright are uploaded ( which is more harshly punished in Japan, especially songs), nobody is caught. Further, there are many hate speeches to ethnic minorities and insult to a nongovernmental parties ( those can be criminal offense, too ) no law enforcement authority moved.
On the other hands, many suspicious tie ship to NicoNico gives benefit. For instance in April 2014, NicoNico held a huge concert event which attracted 120 thousands people in 2 days. Where came the SDF’s well trained orchestra team, AD64-H Long Bow Helicopter, and the most able submarine we own. Not surprisingly, now Minister of Finance is Mr. Aso Taro. Ministry of Finance ( MOF ) is the strongest in Japan’s bureaucracy power game because it is the very organization who can say ‘’’ No ’ ‘ and ’’ Yes ’’ to every governmental behavior accompanying only one penny.
And the nation’s one of the most infamous IT businessman Hiroyuki Nishimura is a deeply connected business partner to NicoNinco group. ( Actually, he has been one of the board member. And still a big stake holder of NicoNico Group. )
Though he resigned his office in NicoNico group after he and companies he owns have been investigated on illegal drag transaction, his company Brazil( which had been running 2channel, the Japanese biggest discussion board boosting 230 million PV per day. ) is mediated by NicoNico’s website to allied and copying web pages which very often occupy the google search result’s first page in Japanese. ( They are called afficas, in sluggish word. Now, they are stoking the 2ch’s posting data which already Nihimura lost and gaining affiliate revenues. )
Again, this also clearly violates copy right law, but the investigation has never done again.
Nishimura’s Brazil also has a contraction to NicoNico and delivering deletion program of inadequate postings. However, one thing very puzzling is there is no concrete guide line showing what is inadequate or not exists. More puzzling is, hate speech to minority or curse words to nongovernmental politicians are not deleted, while we have a difficulty to search for any single word criticizing LDP, the governmental party.
Those nepotism mixed up with illegal IT business sector, gives Mr. Aso Family and governmental party LDP is offering a open door of money and power. Aso Family and LDP gains money from NicoNico, While NicoNico gives back a negative image to minority and non governmental parties.
This mingled up situation seems the worst combination of ‘’Democracy’’ and ’’ Free economy ’’, for this is, thanks for special connection to government, lacks for the basic principle rule of law. And it is fostering the extreme right way Japan is going ahead. It gives you a pan and circus, while raising up Hitler Youth of new era in Japan.
( According to the other questionary, Fukushima disaster is expressed as ”the past thing” which happened around 3 years before. And then you are required to answer the multiple choice question. One question occurs to the author; is it really the past historical thing, instead of now ongoing concerns? )
Related Story 2 Japan’s Largest Website 2ch.net Cyber Attacked by the Founder Hiroyuki Nishimura
【Takanori Eto】
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