The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.4 Belle Delphine's Trollonomics, Disney Deletion, Halle Bailey, Alabama Reversal, & More

Starting point is 00:00:00 Sup you beautiful bastards, hope you're having a fantastic Thursday, a happy 4th of July, and a quick note before we jump into everything. On this Most American of Holidays, I'm still giving you a show because tomorrow we're actually doing something different. Tomorrow I'm uploading my first official episode of A Conversation With Podcast. And that conversation in particular is with my wife, Lindsay DeFranco, and the video in general is kind of a departure from what you get usually every single day. But it's a departure I really enjoyed filming, I think some of you are really going to enjoy it as well. So after today's video, after you hit that like button, make sure you also have that bell rung so you get notifications,

Starting point is 00:00:31 because we're gonna be uploading it at a slightly different time than Monday to Thursday. But with that said, let's just jump into it. And the first thing we're gonna talk about today is actually a collection of some quickie news, a few recommended random stories, as well as an update to a story we covered in the past week. First up, we saw some Disney news

Starting point is 00:00:44 get some attention this week. You know, Toy Story 4 is currently out in theaters, and when you have a new addition to a franchise, at the same time, you might get newly released or extra special editions of previous editions to the franchise. And so it was reported that in the newly released and downloadable version of Toy Story 2, they deleted a scene. And specifically, it was this fake blooper at the end of the movie. Prospector, how about you? And so you two are absolutely identical? You know, I'm sure I could get you a part in Toy Story 3. I'm sorry, are we back? Oh, all right, girls.

Starting point is 00:01:13 Lovely talking with you. Yes, anytime you'd like some tips on acting, I'd be glad to chat with you. All right, off you go then. All right, so it's this kind of Hollywood predatory behavior joke. And while this may have been a change, you know, just as a company saying, you know what, there's new societal awareness around predatory behavior as the hill pointed out there may have actually

Starting point is 00:01:29 Been a closer to home reason for Disney as they explained the deleted scene depicts a situation similar to Allegations women have made in recent years about men in Hollywood abusing power dynamics including Toy Story director John Lasseter Lasseter announced he'd be leaving Disney last year after the Hollywood Reporter published an investigation Revealing accusations from numerous Pixar employees saying the director was known for grabbing kissing and making comments about physical attributes So there was that. Then a story that was sent to me far too many times. Belle Delphine who I guess at this point can be Best described as internet meme girl. Last week we awarded troll of the week for her Pornhub troll She was all over the internet this week because her new business venture, which is Gamer Girl Bathwater, which I'm not joking, is $30 per jar bathwater that she sat in.

Starting point is 00:02:14 Some of which also apparently might have been in her mouth. A product that apparently sold so well it is now out of stock. And my main reaction to this is I just feel like I'm in the wrong business. She's selling tap water that has come across her body at a $30 premium to drinking water. And I, seemingly like a schmuck, sell my premium all natural, cruelty free, ethically sourced, handmade in the United States,

Starting point is 00:02:36 pomade for $24. Although we're having a massive 20% off sale right now if you use code July4th at beautifulbastard.com. It's what I trust in my hair every day, beard oil, that beautiful bastard's far more attractive and follicly Gifted than myself love I guess the main point of this story is I'm glad that I somehow made it about myself Then one of the biggest pieces of entertainment news in the past 24 hours is that it was announced that Halle Bailey will be playing Ariel in the new live action of the Little Mermaid, but it was also hard to tell why it was such big news

Starting point is 00:03:02 I mean one part of it was definitely that you had fans of Halle Bailey who were excited, fans of The Little Mermaid who were excited. Also, as we pretty much always see happen when you have any sort of shift from the original, you had both people excited and also angry about the shift of who was playing Ariel. And finally, it appeared that the biggest reactions to this news, one of the biggest reasons it was trending,

Starting point is 00:03:19 is that people were confused as to why Halle Berry was going to be playing Ariel. And for some reason, that just spread like a virus, because once you see Halle Berry, blah to be playing Ariel. And for some reason that just spread like a virus because once you see Halle Berry, I can't even say it now. Once you see or hear Halle Berry, it's hard to then say Halle Bailey. Ah, I have never felt more like a dumb animal.

Starting point is 00:03:36 So that was kind of funny, but long story short, I'm personally excited for this. And then we had the more serious quickie piece of news, which is an update to the Alabama story we covered in the past week. If you don't remember that story, it involved a woman by the name of Marshae Jones being charged with manslaughter. This because when she was reportedly five months pregnant

Starting point is 00:03:49 she got into an altercation with another woman. That woman ended up shooting Jones in the stomach. She ended up losing the baby and so then she ended up being charged with manslaughter. This because police there said that Jones instigated the fight and so she was the one at fault. A grand jury did not indict the woman who shot her, but they did indict Jones. Following this news, there was massive outrage. If you want the details, I'll link to that video down below. But the update today is that the DA has said that they have dismissed the case

Starting point is 00:04:14 and that no legal action will be taken. Saying, the issue before us is whether it's appropriate to try to hold someone legally culpable for the actions that led to the death of the unborn child. There are no winners, only losers in this sad ordeal." Right around this story, there's been this big debate around fetal personhood, which may also be why the DA, while dismissing the charges,

Starting point is 00:04:30 saying that no legal action will be taken, defended the grand jury's indictment, saying, the citizens took the evidence presented them by the Pleasant Grove Police Department and made what they believed to be a reasonable decision to indict Ms. Jones. The members of the grand jury took to heart

Starting point is 00:04:43 that the life of an unborn child was violently ended and believed someone should be held accountable. But in the interests of all concerned, we are not prosecuting the case. So ultimately that is where we are with this story and now that we've seen this outcome, I'd love to pass a question off to you of what do you think here?

Starting point is 00:04:58 Do you think the DA made the right move here, the wrong move, why, why not? Let me and the rest of the nation know what you're thinking in those comments down below. And then the last thing that we're going to talk about today is China. It's a really cool place and there's nothing concerning about their authoritarian government. Thanks for watching. Obviously, I'm kidding about the government.

Starting point is 00:05:18 We're going to be talking about China's new way of spying on people in the country. There was an investigation by the New York Times and other major publications that revealed that China has been using a phone app to spy on tourists. Now before you freak out if you've been to China recently, you're likely not affected. But future tourists possibly won't be so lucky. And the reason for that is so far the app called Fengsai is only being used on tourists who cross into Xinjiang from a land border.

Starting point is 00:05:37 Reportedly when you cross that border, agents insist that you hand over your phone and they take it into another room. In that room they install Fengsai on Android phones. Also for the Apple fanboys out there, you would also have your phones taken. Those were then connected to a handheld device via USB, although what the device did could not be determined.

Starting point is 00:05:51 But as far as Android, Fengsai, what exactly does the app do? According to the investigation, the app downloads nearly all of your phone's data. Right, so that means text messages, contacts, call log history, calendar entries, installed apps, photos, everything. It then sends it unencrypted to a local server.

Starting point is 00:06:07 And the Chinese government isn't just collecting all of your information, they're also actually looking for 73,000 specific things that the country deems dangerous. Notably anything that encourages terrorism, like you've downloaded or viewed Al-Qaeda or ISIS publications. But even things like academic books that talk about terrorism.

Starting point is 00:06:21 However, it even searches for benign things, like Arabic dictionaries or religious expressions from the Quran. Also searching for things like if you have a photo of the Dalai Lama. And Maya Wang, a China researcher for the Human Rights Watch described Chinese targeting of Muslim content like this, saying the Chinese government, both in law and practice,

Starting point is 00:06:36 often conflates peaceful religious activities with terrorism. You can see in Xinjiang, privacy is a gateway right. Once you lose your right to privacy, you're going to be afraid of practicing your religion, speaking what's on your mind, or even thinking your thoughts. But it also reportedly doesn't stop at religion.

Starting point is 00:06:50 The app even looks to see if you have music from a specific Japanese metal band. And the reason for that is because they wrote a song called Taiwan, Another China. Right, so just about anything that could possibly be anti-communist China could possibly get you in trouble. Now at this point, you might be wondering why is this policy in Xinjiang?

Starting point is 00:07:04 And it's because the region is populated by a predominantly Muslim minority called the Uyghurs. And if that name sounds familiar it's because we've actually talked about them before and if you have no idea here is a lightning-fast recap that is oversimplified. China as a communist country doesn't want any other societal structures that could rival the central government. So for decades they've had a policy of repressing religions in the country and in addition they repress ethnic groups that have a history of wanting their own nation. Xinjiang has both of these factors and has been stubborn about getting rid of its Muslim and national identity.

Starting point is 00:07:29 And because of that, China has been very controlling of the region. And that control escalated dramatically after 2009 when a Uyghur protest against discrimination by Han Chinese ended with over 200 dead and hundreds more wounded. And all of this is used for justification for major surveillance.

Starting point is 00:07:42 Right, and this app to search phones at the border is just the tip of the iceberg. The major cities there are filled with surveillance cameras and systems that can identify people walking on the streets by name, address, family ties, education, and other metrics. And all reportedly in real time. But in Xinjiang, those aren't even the most notorious security and surveillance programs. China is also known for detaining upwards of one million Uyghurs in internment camps. And these camps are known as de-extremification re-education centers. The Chinese claim it's to help give Uyghurs job training

Starting point is 00:08:08 and education skills, saying that it's a non-lethal way to combat terrorism. But meanwhile, around the world, you have other countries claiming and calling this a mass incarceration system against the Uyghurs and a massive human rights violation. And if you want more detailed videos on this specific aspect,

Starting point is 00:08:21 I'm gonna link to some resources down below. But all of that brings us back to why the Chinese are checking the phones of tourists at the borders. The Chinese likely fear what they deem extremist content, entering the country from their Muslim neighbors. Now at this point, some of you may still be wondering, well, this seems very specific, right? It's very localized.

Starting point is 00:08:35 Well, unlike Vegas, what happens in Xinjiang doesn't stay in Xinjiang. Also, it should be noted, what happens in Vegas does not stay in Vegas. It's a lie, it sounds good, but it's false. But I mean, here's what Timothy Gross, an expert on China at the Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology had to say.

Starting point is 00:08:48 "'Xinjiang provides a testing ground "'from which they can then try it in larger places.'" Right, you could think of this as the beta before launch, and the thing is, it doesn't even always stay in China itself. Some of the surveillance technology tested there has been reported to have been implemented in other countries like Malaysia, Pakistan, and Zimbabwe.

Starting point is 00:09:02 And this is also a big deal because it is targeting foreigners, which is something China has avoided doing in the past. And so now there are fears that China might use this at all national borders, including airports, meaning traveling to China in the future might come with the requirement that you will also need to be willing

Starting point is 00:09:14 to have your phone searched. But the last thing I'll point out with this story is you can maybe call it a silver lining by the loosest of definitions. If you didn't delete Fengsai after it was installed on your phone, it reportedly does not continuously monitor it so the potential Lightness to the situation is that it only scans and records every single thing on your phone once I would say personally I wouldn't

Starting point is 00:09:32 Even trust that it actually only does that when you're saying it only records everything you realize how ridiculous the situation is But of course with all that said it brings us to the part of the story where I pass the question off to you What are your thoughts on this? Do you think this is scary? Would you be less likely to go to a country that forces you to hand over your phone? Also, what would you say if I said that this story wasn't super far from home, right? How would you react if I told you US border agents have come under fire in the past for asking to search phones at the airport Although without invasive software also, I will say if this is just a one-time check I really do wonder how effective it can be because it feels like this story is just an advertisement for you to buy a burner

Starting point is 00:10:05 Phone right because then you wouldn't have to deal with an invasive situation if you lost or someone stole your phone You still have your actual phone at home But I also think that the availability of you being able to take that action shouldn't change how serious the situation is But hey, that's a story and of course, I'd love to hear from you in those comments down below. Yeah That's what we're going to end today's show It's a little shorter, which is kind of crazy to consider a 10-minute show shorter these days. When we first started the shows were around three minutes. Yeah, I'm gonna go enjoy some July 4th activities. I hope you get to do so as well. Also, kind of a random side note, there was there was an earthquake as I was filming today's show.

Starting point is 00:10:35 So just in case I'm gonna get away from all these heavy railings and lights above my head. A super chill and not scary reminder, earthquakes happen in clusters. Yeah, that's where we're gonna end today's show. Also, if you're not 100% filled in, not only can you check out yesterday's Philip DeFranco show, which you might have missed, we posted a brand new video on the brand new Rogue Rocket channel. There we take a fascinating look at how NASA's planning to stop killer asteroids from colliding with the Earth. But also, hey, before you leave, if you liked today's video, let us know. Hit that like button. Also, if you're new here, you want more, be sure to hit that subscribe button. Definitely ring that bell to turn on notifications.

Starting point is 00:11:05 But with that said, of course, as always, my name's Philip DeFranco. You've just been filled in. I love yo faces and I'll see you tomorrow.

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The Philip DeFranco Show - PDS 7.4 Belle Delphine's Trollonomics, Disney Deletion, Halle Bailey, Alabama Reversal, & More

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