Bonum Certa Men Certa

Consumer Watchdog Funded by the Rose Foundation, Which is Funded by Exxon, Banks, Others...

Following the anti-Google grant...

"...Microsoft wished to promote SCO and its pending lawsuit against IBM and the Linux operating system. But Microsoft did not want to be seen as attacking IBM or Linux."

--Larry Goldfarb, Baystar, key investor in SCO



Summary: Consumer Watchdog, formerly hosted by an AstroTurfing firm, has its Google attack funded ($100,000) by the Rose Foundation, which in turn has other funders

YESTERDAY'S POST about Consumer Watchdog brought the attention of those involved, who mostly defected the questions we asked.

Here is slightly tidied-up log from a conversation that took place over the past hour.

schestowitzUK Gov't Considers Google Tax? http://techdirt.com/articles/20... See my argument with a PAID anti-Google shill: http://boycottnovell.com/2009/05/04/consumer...May 05 13:08
schestowitzHoly FUD! The Mother Of All Anti-Google Rants: Comparing Google To The Taliban < http://techdirt.com/articles/2... >May 05 13:11
oiaohmYou will find its a web in the PR world to hide exactly where the money came from.May 05 13:13
schestowitzoiaohm: yes, there's a limit to how much you can followMay 05 13:13
schestowitzIt becomes challenging at some stageMay 05 13:14
schestowitzSee SCO->BayStar->MSMay 05 13:14
schestowitz"On the same day that CA blasted SCO, Open Source evangelist Eric Raymond revealed a leaked email from SCO's strategic consultant Mike Anderer to their management. The email details how, surprise surprise, Microsoft has arranged virtually all of SCO's financing, hiding behind intermediaries like Baystar Capital." --PerensMay 05 13:14
schestowitz"...Microsoft wished to promote SCO and its pending lawsuit against IBM and the Linux operating system. But Microsoft did not want to be seen as attacking IBM or Linux." --Larry Goldfarb, Baystar, key investor in SCOMay 05 13:14
schestowitz"[Microsoft's] Mr. Emerson and I discussed a variety of investment structures wherein Microsoft would 'backstop,' or guarantee in some way, BayStar's investment.... Microsoft assured me that it would in some way guarantee BayStar's investment in SCO." --Larry GoldfarbMay 05 13:14
oiaohmHmm that template looks strangely linked at www.rosefdn.org  going to check out domain would not be surprised if it not another grassroots site.May 05 13:15
schestowitzhttp://techdirt.com/ar... -- Intel's co-founder says patents are like a bubble waiting to burst.May 05 13:16
schestowitzoiaohm: which one?May 05 13:17
schestowitzI mean, which is like the rosenfdn?May 05 13:17
schestowitzSourceWatch has some good research that show who created what umbrella/shells and whyMay 05 13:17
schestowitzMore details on Elsevier's corruption. http://techdirt.com/articles/2009... Another reason for me never to publish in Elsevier (other than the MS connection)May 05 13:18
oiaohmhttp://electricembers.net/aboutus.php  I wonder if we should contact www.rosefdn.org host.May 05 13:20
oiaohmThey have a strict rule against advertisement of any form.May 05 13:20
schestowitzoiaohm: what about?May 05 13:21
schestowitzI don't quite follow. What to look at..?May 05 13:21
oiaohmelectricembers.net is www.rosefdn.org web host.May 05 13:22
*kentma has quit (Read error: 110 (Connection timed out))May 05 13:22
schestowitzit took the Bulldogs (Watchdog) just HOURS to mail me after I posted in BNMay 05 13:23
schestowitzSo they stalk their own imageMay 05 13:23
schestowitzAnd then they try to police it...May 05 13:23
oiaohmOpp I left out a them and about.May 05 13:23
schestowitzIt's not easy to find me E-mail addy, either.May 05 13:23
schestowitzis rosenfdn rotten?May 05 13:23
schestowitzAll we know is that they make donations to attack GoogleMay 05 13:23
schestowitzBut the question is, on whose behalf, if anyone?May 05 13:24
schestowitzPeople don't just attack Google as a hobbyMay 05 13:24
schestowitzThat's just how people portray themselves in foundationsMay 05 13:24
oiaohmhttp://techdirt.com/articles/200...  Its simple to find the hosts email address.May 05 13:24
schestowitzLike the Gates FoundryMay 05 13:24
schestowitzOr BaystarMay 05 13:24
oiaohmOops wrong link.May 05 13:24
schestowitzMicrosoft's funnel for lawsuits against LinuxMay 05 13:24
schestowitzOh waitMay 05 13:24
oiaohmhttp://toolbar.netcraft.com/si...May 05 13:24
schestowitzhttp://blogs.ft.com/maverecon/2009/...May 05 13:25
schestowitzGoogle=TalibanMay 05 13:25
schestowitzSays the FT, which is praising Microsoft a lotMay 05 13:26
schestowitzoiaohm: is there anything to say what rosenfdn attacks Google?May 05 13:26
schestowitzI look at their pagesMay 05 13:26
schestowitzNOTHING about privacyMay 05 13:26
schestowitzSo the idea that they promote privacy seems mootMay 05 13:26
oiaohmrosenfdn is all meant to be about the environment.May 05 13:27
oiaohmI think contacting them is required to find out if this is a fake link.May 05 13:27
oiaohmIt would not be the first time I have see a PR try that.May 05 13:28
oiaohmhttp://www.rosefdn.org/contactus.php  If they are not in it they will be highly offended.May 05 13:28
oiaohmFake linking basically says astroturfer.May 05 13:29
schestowitzI'll checkMay 05 13:29
oiaohmhttp://www.rosefdn.org/downloads/...  They are the funding source.May 05 13:32
schestowitz"My name is Roy Schestowitz and I am a reporter investigating an entity called Consumer Watchdog. They claim that you funded a campaign of theirs against Google and I just wanted to confirm this because I realise that you focus on benefits to the environment and communities."May 05 13:32
schestowitz"Looking forward to your response."May 05 13:32
oiaohmIts down right huge $100 000 USD>May 05 13:32
schestowitzThat's the E-mail I just sent themMay 05 13:32
oiaohmI googled.May 05 13:32
oiaohmAnd found there list of 2008 grants.May 05 13:32
schestowitzUsefulMay 05 13:33
schestowitzHaMay 05 13:33
schestowitzGoogle is thereMay 05 13:33
schestowitz$100,000May 05 13:33
schestowitz"watchdogged"May 05 13:34
schestowitzThis is sickMay 05 13:35
schestowitzThey are basically funding lots of lobbyistsMay 05 13:35
schestowitzWhy?May 05 13:35
schestowitzWho gains?May 05 13:35
oiaohmSo you are right the first one is just a hired gun.May 05 13:36
oiaohmWhy are lobbyist funding lobbyist.May 05 13:36
schestowitzoiaohm: money chainMay 05 13:37
schestowitzYesMay 05 13:37
oiaohmhttp://www.rosefdn.org/article.php...  Found more of the money chain.May 05 13:40
schestowitzHa.May 05 13:41
schestowitzWell, yesterday I tried to find an MS funnel without much successMay 05 13:41
schestowitz"San Francisco Bay-Delta Fund: Originally seeded with a $900,000 restitution award from Exxon and supplemented by payments from many additional settlements involving San Francisco Baykeeper, California Sportfishing Protection Alliance,"May 05 13:42
schestowitzWha wha?May 05 13:42
schestowitzExxon?May 05 13:42
schestowitz"...Union Bank and Cal Fed Bank..."May 05 13:43
schestowitzSo it's not some God-like rich dude giving this moneyMay 05 13:43
schestowitzIt's corporationsMay 05 13:43
schestowitzInstead of Exxon funding Grassroots.com  (AstroTurf) it's just some <X> foundationMay 05 13:43
oiaohmAnd the banks were most likely given the money to give to the PR group.May 05 13:44
schestowitzhttp://www.rosefdn.org/article.ph...May 05 13:44
oiaohmSo effectively the money has been well and truly washed.May 05 13:45
schestowitzBanks given by whom?May 05 13:45
schestowitzCompanies that have vested interests?May 05 13:45
oiaohmYep.May 05 13:45
oiaohmThat would be normal.May 05 13:45
schestowitzSome funds come from settlements thoughMay 05 13:46
schestowitzI.e. from penalised companiesMay 05 13:46
oiaohmThis money laundering on a grand scale.May 05 13:47
oiaohmYou get ordered to pay money so you pay it to a PR group who will attack your competition.May 05 13:47
oiaohmIf you can of course.May 05 13:48
oiaohmSo unless they come clean about the complete source of this money we cannot even tell if what they are doing is legal or not.May 05 13:48
oiaohmRemember I said the USA system was rotten to the core this is what I was talking about schestowitz.May 05 13:49
schestowitzI know about the PR riddleMay 05 13:49
schestowitzI mean, look at SourceWatchMay 05 13:49
schestowitzit has extensive documentation of just the edge of the machinations of this systemMay 05 13:49
oiaohmDig deep enough and there is illegally used money.May 05 13:49
schestowitzIt had no page that I could find about the RosefdnMay 05 13:50
schestowitzSueMay 05 13:50
schestowitzSureMay 05 13:50
schestowitzLet's stop it thereMay 05 13:50
oiaohmSourceWatch does not track funders.May 05 13:50
schestowitzI'll post this bit of of the log separatelyMay 05 13:50
oiaohmOnly the PR doers.May 05 13:50
schestowitzI don't have much time today to organise the factsMay 05 13:50
schestowitzoiaohm: yesMay 05 13:50
*schestowitz processes the logMay 05 13:52
oiaohmSourceWatch was more created by press people who did not want to be tricked by PR with no interest in finding the source of the fake PR.May 05 13:52


There is some more in yesterday's IRC log. This is where the subject, like many others that we cover, originally came up. ⬆

"[Microsoft's] Mr. Emerson and I discussed a variety of investment structures wherein Microsoft would 'backstop,' or guarantee in some way, BayStar's investment.... Microsoft assured me that it would in some way guarantee BayStar's investment in SCO."

--Larry Goldfarb, Baystar, key investor in SCO

Comments

Recent Techrights' Posts

The World Needs Activists With Social Skills and Perseverance
An everyday activist makes life better for everybody, everywhere (not for personal gain or even credit)
 
The Register MS: About 60 Mentions of "AI" in One Day Are Paid-for Spam (Sponsored Hype, Composed by the Companies Covered)
The Register MS is a dying site
Links 22/10/2026: MElon (Elon Musk) Election Interference and Perl/Raku Foundation by the Numbers
Links for the day
Techrights Audience Grew as a Function of the Intensity of Attacks on Its Existence
We try to publish fewer stories but better (not necessarily long but at least important) stories
TechRepublic is Becoming a Slopfarm
It seems like TechRepublic became LLM slop (maybe all of it, maybe only some of it for now)
Techrights is Not About GNU/Linux, Tux Machines Is
When we say "GNU/Linux" we emphasise the GNU
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XII - Lawfare to Cover Up Microsoft's Restricted Boot Calamity (Microsoft as Authority Over Linux), Garrett Wants to Talk About Penises Instead
When lawsuits become a political weapon
Without Microsoft's Monopoly (and Monopoly Rents) the Inevitable Microsoft Mass Layoffs Carry on Endlessly
Microsoft Windows is not retaining the dominance it once had
IBM's Debt Grew About $2 Billion in 3 Months
The silent layoffs still seem to impact Red Hat
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Thursday, October 22, 2026
IRC logs for Thursday, October 22, 2026
Gemini Links 22/10/2026: Solar MiniBBS, Building Major Tom, and Zig
Links for the day
Links 22/10/2026: Busan’s Celebrity Shark in Canal Again
Links for the day
Links 22/10/2026: "Software Developers Have Been Promoted Into Incompetence"
Links for the day
Intercontinental Brigading - Part XI - Losing Over a Million Pounds (Borrowed Money) to Try to Silence Critics of Restricted Boot With Microsoft-Controlled "Certificates"
Garrett is also very jealous of Daniel Pocock
Links 22/10/2026: eBay to Lay Off a Tenth of Staff (Again), Node.js and PHP Security Crises, Climate News
Links for the day
Red Hat Layoffs Still Going on This Week (Whilst IBM's Debt Grows in Spite of Mass Layoffs)
IBM is bluffing/cheating the shareholders again
IBM's Debt Continues to Increase While the Company Rapidly Shrinks
This is what a dying company looks like
Linux Kernel Needs Diversity and Diversity of Good Code, Not LLM Slop
Linux (and Linus) are kicking a can down the road
Microsoft Shrinks Every Year
Microsoft will try to spin or twist this as "efficiency"
Gemini Links 22/10/2026: Holiday Inn and Emacs
Links for the day
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Wednesday, October 21, 2026
IRC logs for Wednesday, October 21, 2026
Techrights Was Right About a Fake Security Model Built Around Lies or Built Upon Trust in "Certificates" and "Authorities" (like Microsoft)
We have begun to amass some media reports and blog posts from technical sites
Windows Monopoly is No Longer Sustainable (the Case of Oceania)
This is why Microsoft layoffs are happening all the time
Some Downtime Possible Shortly (Router Work)
We don't use PHP in the site anymore
Mass Layoffs at Microsoft This Week and/or Next Week
Cannot pull a bunny out of some hat
With Its Future on the Line, EPO Management (Dictatorship) Resorts to Further Escalations to Fake 'Production' and Curtail Industrial Actions
It's clear that with a yearlong campaign of industrial actions - including strikes - Campinos cannot save face anymore
Gemini Links 21/10/2026: Summer Day in Tokyo (30c in Late October) and Whole Food for the Whole World
Links for the day
Links 21/10/2026: "Zelensky Took the Gloves Off This Time With Convicted Felon" and "Cellebrite iPhone Radio Zero-Day"
Links for the day
Reuters is Becoming Slop, Not a News Agency (Treat Reports From Reuters Sceptically)
In their own words
Disclosure/s Crisis at The Register MS (Promoting a Ponzi Scheme for Money)
So now they sell several schemes/scams at the same time, not limited to the slop
Links 21/10/2026: "The Tragic Death of the Republican Party" and "No War But Data Center War"
Links for the day
Internet Relay Chat Still Growing
The numbers go up, not down [...] Don't believe the doomers
Intercontinental Brigading - Part X - American Back Doors Inside Our Computers, With Transatlantic Swatting Against Critics Thrown 'Into the Mix'
"If your Windows PC's Secure Boot certificates are out of date, your system is vulnerable to malware like rootkits."
Gemini Links 21/10/2026: A Walk Through Amsterdam and Pythagorean Theorem
Links for the day
More Mass Layoffs at Microsoft Weeks From Now, Then Again Months From Now
Microsoft's crisis is not limited to XBox
Over at Tux Machines...
GNU/Linux news for the past day
IRC Proceedings: Tuesday, October 20, 2026
IRC logs for Tuesday, October 20, 2026