US government uses Halo images in a call to 'destroy' immigration, Microsoft declines to comment
Submitted 2 weeks ago by CubitOom@infosec.pub to games@lemmy.world
Comments
mrmaplebar@fedia.io 2 weeks ago
justsomeguy@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Flooding the zone too stronk
FlowerFan@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Even if I support the message: Fuck AI
Firework isn’t consistently in front of the letters or in the background and switches between the two.
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I was just noticing this before I read your comment.
Rooskie91@discuss.online 2 weeks ago
They are literally trying to turn Americans into the Covenant tho. Religious warriors.
echodot@feddit.uk 2 weeks ago
The Covenant might be religious fanatics but they’re actually capable of working with other religious fanatics, in mutual cooperation.
MAGAs are more like Species 8472, utterly hostile to anything that doesn’t conform to their very narrow and ill informed worldview, even to the point of being hostile to potential allies, thus alienating them.
CatsPajamas@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
Nah. They showed the capacity to change and grow from their experiences and interactions.
arcterus@piefed.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
Also the SPARTAN program was pretty fucked, so this just looks bad in every way IMO.
Quetzalcutlass@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
He would probably approve of their crimes against children.
ParadoxSeahorse@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Where the Trump-as-Master Chief post is merely cringeworthy, the Homeland Security message is flat-out dangerous. Comparing immigrants in the US to a parasitic alien life form that infects and annihilates advanced societies is not deeply offensive, it’s also rooted in the worst of human history: As seen in the untermenschen of the Holocaust and “cockroaches” in Rwanda, to name a couple recent examples, dehumanizing the “other” so you can more easily inflict cruelty, injustice, and horrors upon them is hardly a new technique, and the US government’s messaging was not subtle.
You might think that using imagery from one of its best known videogames in a call to “destroy” immigrants would prompt Microsoft to action, or at least to express some small modicum of disapproval. For now, at least, you would be wrong: Rather like Nintendo, which eagerly picks copyright fights it knows it can win but kept its mouth tightly zipped when Homeland Security used Pokémon to promote violent immigration raids, a representative told PC Gamer that “Microsoft does not have anything to share on this matter.”
Unexpectedly good political commentary from checks notes PC Gamer
Best_Jeanist@discuss.online 2 weeks ago
Also if Trump is any Halo character, he’s the Prophet of Truth
ThatWeirdGuy1001@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Nah truth was actually well spoken and was a decent leader. He’d be regret.
BreakerSwitch@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Honestly PC gamer has been pretty solid lately. Not sure why. Almost makes me nervous.
Ashtear@piefed.social 2 weeks ago
Staff shake-up last year. Phil Savage and Tyler Wilde have really stepped it up and let their writers sound off.
Like any of the major sites though, the news side still has its share of articles generated from one-liners sourced from interviews ran elsewhere.
Agent_Karyo@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Microsoft is a criminal organisation that thrives on corruption (no real action being taken with respect anti trust proceedings is still relevant today).
Crime isn’t only about someone stealing your phone, extracting many billion of dollars via oligopolistic methods of limiting competition and leaving people with no other option than to use their products (irrespective of price or feature consideration) is also criminal activity.
They are not going to fight the US administratorion on this.
rafoix@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
How many Microsoft executives are on the Epstein files?
Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 2 weeks ago
Gates is on it for sure, i believe melinda split over something similar. and his shitck of trying to reinvent his own image, so the epstein files dont bite him in the end.
kbobabob@lemmy.dbzer0.com 2 weeks ago
They said Microsoft executives though, which Gates is not.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
… Did they not realize that the UNSC is an authoritarian fascist organization, and the Spartan program was originally aimed at fighting “rebels” who wanted to have control over the planets they lived on?
Literally the MC was kidnapped and experimented on to become a killing machine for the military junta for the express purpose of murdering colonists. No pay, no benefits, no end of contract.
dejected_warp_core@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Just like with Starship Troopers, satire like this goes flying over people’s heads so low and fast, it breaks the sound barrier and loosens dentalwork.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yeah. I’m waiting on them to show ICE agents as helldivers or something. That IP could not be more clear about it’s parody of the far right “freedom” quislings.
DNS@discuss.online 2 weeks ago
Beneath the layers is Microsoft allowing a fascist regime, that Microsoft donated money to, to use their IP in facist promoting material.
I look forward to the day Microsoft, Google, Amazon, and Apple get broken up.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’m here for it. Is it okay if I throw Facebook and Twitter/X on the pyre? I’ve long considered them to be horsemen of the apocalypse.
yogurt@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Yes, Halo is what they believe, the plot of Halo is just standard 2000s South Park conservatism. Fascism is bad I guess but you libs will come crying to the SS for help when the space Muslims attack, so is it really bad?
vantablack@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
also in-lore the UNSC nuked an entire planet because they couldn’t stop a rebellion on it
Far Isle was a human colony planet, within Unified Earth Government space. The colony was the site of what is considered to be one of the United Nations Space Command’s worst atrocities; in response to a rebellion in 2492 that they were unable to quell, the UNSC razed the colony using nuclear weapons, leaving no survivors.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Too bad the Arbiter wasn’t around to council on that one.
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Microsoft declines to comment
More like ‘Microsoft approves of this imagery’
Eezyville@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I understand your outrage but silence is not consent. It is fear. Apply that phrase to any other situation where consent is required and that would be considered victim blaming.
Now M$ COULD be fine with this, we truly don’t know, but they could also be afraid of how the administration would retaliate against them if they spoke up. I do agree with you when you say these companies are cowardly.
Passerby6497@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Lol, they willingly work with this fascist regime and others around the globe. Their silence is implicit consent, because a multi billion dollar company doesn’t get to cry fear in the face of the governments they willingly work with.
Stop defending corpos, they’ll gladly sell you to the government and tell your family they’re suuuuuper sorry you got nabbed but there’s nothing they can do.
Jhex@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
long past the point of continuing to extend the courtesy they constantly deny everyone else
bfg9k@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I hate this fucking timeline.
I used to be a Halo fan, Microsoft ruined it.
I used to want to travel to the US, MAGA ruined it.
I used to have ambition for the future, a bunch of crusty old fucks ruined it.
I used to enjoy life. This incessant hatred and uglyness ruined it.
UnrepententProcrastinator@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Find your thing, mute the rest.
Zink@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Big wisdom in this.
Don’t assume it is “checking out” from society or taking the easy way out. The news will find you, don’t worry. Plus maintaining focus on your thing is something that can take significant effort.
I have noticed that the smaller I make my world, the happier I am. My free time goes into my family, friends, hobbies, and pets (which I guess is a big subset of the hobbies). I think a big part of the benefit is not just focusing on the people who can have the biggest effect on my life, but focusing on the people whose life I can improve the most with my involvement.
Our brains evolved to keep tabs on our clan or our village, not to monitor the events of the entire Earth in near real time, as if we’re going to do anything with that information. In fact, I think that “need” to be informed is often just an addiction manufactured by the need to drive engagement to validate 24/7 news as a business model.
PalmTreeIsBestTree@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Feel this 100% as an American though.
sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
I was about to rebut the “visit the US” thing, but people really should wait until immigration no longer looks at peoples’ phones or social media. I think I can still refuse as a citizen on 4th amendment grounds, but until that’s extended to visitors, I recommend holding off.
iAvicenna@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
~~Microsoft declined to comment ~~ Microsoft was completely OK with this
carotte@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
of course they are. they aid genocide abroad, why wouldn’t they do it at home too?
tgirlschierke@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
…So you separate children from their parents at the age of six and abuse them? Yeah, that sounds pretty accurate.
Zahille7@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Instead of Mexican Joker we’ll have Mexican Chief
ICastFist@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
BigBenis@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Microsoft are a bunch of pussies also release the Epstein files!
_stranger_@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It’s piss colored, and that makes it accurate.
Blaster_M@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
lmao they didn’t even try to color correct the piss filter
EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
The current government strategy of illegal use of copyrighted materials, often with the full understanding that the artist/IP owners will not consent to it should really have a harsher punishment to it. The DHS social media pages in particular keep using songs without artist permission because they know it will be taken down but by that point it doesn’t matter and they just steal another song. Given that the use of these songs implies tacit approval from the artist, this should absolutely count as the rights of the artists to free speech are being infringed upon.
Tire@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Yeah it almost reads like Microsoft has endorsed the Trump administration and its marketing. Like a forced brand crossover. These things aid in the far right pipeline. Has young men thinking hating immigrants is as cool and mainstream as Halo.
Jhex@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Not almost, it is exactly that
Microsoft could have issued a note to the tone of “we were not consulted” but their vaporware spine did not amount to even that little
UnderpantsWeevil@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
illegal use of copyrighted materials
It’s quite literally the least bad thing they’ve done across two terms in office.
EncryptKeeper@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Who seriously believes that?
If an artist consents to the use of their song in a specific way, it’s not a matter of belief at all. It just is tacit approval. So when the government does this without consent, until the moment the artist responds, the implication is that the artist has approved it. Which isn’t as big a deal if a private entity does it, but it’s a much bigger deal when the federal government does it.
ABetterTomorrow@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
Lmao that fat fuck could not fit in that suit.
Tire@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Doesn’t matter. They’re cultivating and growing the alternate universe for far right suckers to live in.
UsedLinuxDealer@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Homelander-ass post
TallonMetroid@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Draft dodger say what?
Also, that flag would only have been valid for a week in 1889.
thegr8goldfish@startrek.website 2 weeks ago
I would threaten to not buy any more Halo games but I haven’t bought one in like a decade so I recognize there’s not much bite there.
NarrativeBear@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Lawsuit incoming…?
Tm12@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
From who? They funded the Epstein Ballroom.
nfreak@lemmy.ml 2 weeks ago
Microsoft declining to comment may as well be a confession that they gave this shit the go-ahead
Omegamanthethird@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I don’t know what’s worse, that Microsoft may have given them the go-ahead or that they did it knowing Microsoft would be too scared to say something.
cyberpunk007@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Probably. Trump will probably sue Microsoft for stealing his battle suit for video games.
KarlHungus42@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Master Queef
KindnessIsPunk@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
It’s another form of kissing the ring. They know it’s bad for business but there’s the implied threat that if they retaliate he could use the FCC to grind the company to a hault.
So it’s a way of reminding them of their loyalty, probably because it’s about to be tested much harder in the future.
ICastFist@programming.dev 2 weeks ago
Considering how dependent on M$ servers and products the 'murican government is, Microsoft could easily push for a MAD standoff against them
Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works 2 weeks ago
The CEO of Microsoft is deep throating Trump regularly. The company won’t do anything.
jlow@discuss.tchncs.de 2 weeks ago
Bootlicking cowards.
Skullgrid@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I’m sure if Satya Nadal were to become a target of ICE he’d have a comment.
Dlayknee@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
But that would never happen because, you know, money.
Skullgrid@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
I don’t think so. It’s unlikely, but not implausible. I don’t think ICE have a list of “don’t arrest” people, and not everyone knows what every CEO looks like. They might run into him randomly and just act on it.
I don’t think Satya Nadal is going out in public like regular people, but it could still happen.
Kennystillalive@feddit.org 2 weeks ago
Whenever you think the Turd Reich can’t get more stupid and ridiculous they actually go and do it.
Jerb322@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Reminds me of this…
Plurrbear@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
Probably because Trump gave them a $12 million dollar tax break…
CubitOom@infosec.pub 2 weeks ago
And all it cost them was $1,000,000 donated to the inauguration fund
random_character_a@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
So, not just mafia style monopoly anymore. Now also supporting facism.
joyjoy@lemmy.zip 2 weeks ago
Spartans were originally made to fight rebels.
vantablack@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 weeks ago
also in-lore the UNSC nuked and killed an entire planet because they couldn’t stop a rebellion on it
Far Isle was a human colony planet, within Unified Earth Government space. The colony was the site of what is considered to be one of the United Nations Space Command’s worst atrocities; in response to a rebellion in 2492 that they were unable to quell, the UNSC razed the colony using nuclear weapons, leaving no survivors.
Lushed_Lungfish@lemmy.ca 2 weeks ago
Uh let’s be honest here, the UNSC was straight up losing the war against the covenant. The only way they survived was to ally with them.
Taco2112@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
whenever theytry to make Pvt Bonespurs look “manly” it always looks so sad and desperate
frunch@lemmy.world 2 weeks ago
It serves nicely as an opportunity to remind onlookers that Trump avoided military service using his supposed ‘bone spurs’ as a reason he was unfit, though. Nothing like reminding these idiots that their tough guy is that tough