[Did you memorize the URL after silently repeating it three times? If you didn't, I'll ask again in the next chapter. It would be best if you could share this to Facebook.]
"It seems Mr. Osborn is also a true patriot. Please take a look at this document."
Harry opened the document. It required Osborn to provide a lot of sensitive data to the NSA, such as citizen travel records, mobile browsing history, and so on—basically, all private information.
The benefits of participating in the Prism Program were obvious—the promotion of ctOS would receive support from Congress, and it would also receive huge special funds every year.
But the problem was that the United States intelligence system was a terrible teammate. Snowden was not some high-level intelligence official; he was merely an employee of a defense contractor.
If an employee of a defense contractor could access such secrets and even leak them, Harry could only say that the NSA and the FBI had some issues.
He had no interest in helping the hole-ridden United States intelligence system fix its defects, but he could operate in reverse.
Since he knew this kind of thing would happen, he might as well play the victim.
Play the role of an untainted, law-abiding information company.
After reading the document, Harry frowned.
"With all due respect, much of the information the federal government is requesting seems to infringe upon citizen privacy. This doesn't seem to align with the free spirit of the United States, and it also seems to carry legal risks."
Hearing this, Wilson shook his head: "This is all for the sake of national security. As Mr. Osborn said, this is about screening for true patriots."
"Tech giants like Osborn have the capability to process information, and naturally, they also bear the responsibility of transmitting and processing information. We are just asking Osborn to fulfill its duty."
Harry continued acting, frowning.
Although the outside World says that the United States is a country controlled by capital—which isn't entirely wrong—capital doesn't just refer to one single entity.
And when Washington D.C. negotiates with you, it largely means that interest groups other than you are negotiating terms with you.
Not to mention that the Prism Program was an international large-scale surveillance program.
This time, once Harry refused, various problems would follow one after another; he might even end up with an astronomical fine.
However, this would allow him to stay clean when the Prism Program was exposed.
The best GG is when competitors mess up. The best GG effect is to make customers feel regret. If you want to monopolize, the best market is one where you only have me to choose from—because only I am the good guy.
"I refuse. Citizen privacy rights should be respected. I will not agree to give you this data."
Harry's attitude left both of them confused, but seeing his firm demeanor, they likely wouldn't be able to complete their mission.
"Alright, Mr. Osborn. I hope you won't regret today's decision."
The two looked at each other and put away the documents.
The higher-ups would naturally arrange to make Osborn yield, but that wasn't for them to decide.
Watching the Agent and the investigator leave, Harry picked up the phone.
Although he had his own ideas, he still had to inform Bone.
"Bone, I have something to tell you. The NSA and the FBI just came to see me. They want us to deeply mine and record user privacy and provide these things to them."
"Tell me you refused."
Hearing Bone's reaction, Harry smiled.
"Don't you want to hear their terms first? For a company, the support they can provide is very powerful."
"Back when we were just a small team, Quinn gave us a lot of sponsorship too, so I won't accept these kinds of terms."
Bone's attitude was even more resolute than Harry's; perhaps this was what it was like for someone who had been hurt.
"Alright, alright, I won't tease you. I refused. But to be honest, since all this data is with you, they might come looking for you again."
"Got it, thanks, Boss."
"Also, be prepared to withstand the pressure."
"I understand, I got it," Bone said.
"Cheer up, Bone. This might not be a bad thing," Harry said lightly.
"Also, I don't think this matter will be that simple. If you're interested, you can return to your old profession. I heard a hacker group called Rising Tide is quite popular."
After rejecting the invitation from the NSA and the FBI, conspiracy theories about ctOS were rampant on the internet.
Nine traditional international internet giants, including Microsoft, Yahoo, Google, and Apple, jointly used their own resources to start a massive public opinion campaign.
"ctOS? Beware, it is monitoring your life!"
"What can ctOS do? First, you need to know what you have."
"Personal data, health insurance numbers, medical records, internet browsing content, typing habits, daily travel routes."
"Every minute and every second you spend in the city will be exposed to this terrifying surveillance system!"
"The information of everyone living under this system will be stolen or even utilized without them knowing!"
The installation rate of ctOS-derived apps among individual users plummeted, and wandering crowds began destroying cameras and public facilities connected to ctOS devices.
What was somewhat surprising was that Osborn Enterprises had absolutely no reaction to the series of incidents. For those destroyed public facilities, Harry directly told Bone to just delete those things from the system.
Walking out of Osborn Tower, there were many people holding signs and protesting outside. Out of curiosity, Harry moved closer; he wanted to know what these people were saying.
"I know! Behind you are those guys who control the World! Say it! Which one is it?! Rothschild?"
A man saw Harry approaching and shouted until his face turned red.
Hearing his words, Harry shook his head: Everyone knows that there are many large families in this World; they have money and power, and are wealthier than many nations—of course, it depends on which nation you're talking about.
But these people were the type who firmly believed in the rumors that the "Rothschild family controls the World".
Even if there really was such a "Rothschild", it had nothing to do with the Osborn Family.
The Osborn Group did have some foundation in this World, but Osborn and Norman had made fatal mistakes. The Osborn Family was not as powerful as imagined; Norman was even almost kicked out. In any case, it was definitely not like the "Rothschild" they imagined.
Harry couldn't be bothered to respond to conspiracy theories like "The Rothschilds have always controlled the World" or "The Jews have always controlled the World".
Believing these was no better than believing nonsense like "Humans control the World".
"Don't we need to do something? I know you've put a lot of effort into this system."
Seeing Harry shake his head to himself, Hurley asked.
"If they don't want it, they can choose not to use it," Harry replied.
The afterglow of the setting sun shone on these people, bright red.
Harry got into the car without looking back.
To be honest, these people were much easier to sway than Harry had imagined.
ctOS did indeed monitor the lives of citizens on a large scale, but under Bone's operation, compared to other internet giants, it was truly a conscientious enterprise.
And in the giant battlefield of the Harlem District, as well as in the process of capturing super-powered individuals like the Purple Man, ctOS played a huge role, but no one mentioned these.
Not to mention the system's huge optimization of urban operational efficiency. Even without mentioning the changes in indicators like power distribution efficiency, living Water treatment efficiency, and crime rates that are hard for normal people to notice, the shitty traffic in New York City had been greatly relieved, and everyone should be able to feel that.
However, high-tech products are like addictive drugs, especially this kind of hyper-informatized central control system.
The Battle of New York is the best GG card; it will filter out the loyal customers of the Osborn Group.
It's just that I don't know how many people will die because of this.
Harry shook his head and stopped thinking about it.
He didn't blame these citizens, nor did he think they were stupid or ignorant, but in this confrontation, their fate was already sealed.
[Do you remember that I asked you to silently repeat it three times at the beginning of the chapter? Sharing to Facebook might bring a surprise.]
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