WA Secretary of State Outsources $272,838 Taxpayer Funded AI Surveillance Contract to South Puget Sound Community College
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This is a follow-up article regarding the Washington State Republican Party (WSRP) Nov. 29 ethics complaint filed with the Washington State Ethics Board against Secretary of State Steve Hobbs.
Full Complaint, Exhibits, and Footnotes here - WSRP Press Release here.
The company, named "Logically" targets people using online social media posts and "Fact Checks" what they deem "Misinformation & Disinformation"- then publishes and sends out regular “Threat Alerts” and bi-weekly "Narrative and Threat Reports" to the SoS.
Finally, after months of waiting, on Dec. 4, 2023, via Public Records Request (PRR), the WA State Office of the Secretary of State (OSOS) decided to disclose a full contract with Logically; it turns out to be a $272,838.00 “Interagency” contract with a Community College that gets a 15% fee to ‘administer’ the Logically contract thru the 2024 election. Hmm…
Here is the 12-page contract surprise:
Page 1
INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE AND SOUTH PUGET SOUND COMMUNITY COLLEGE
This INTERAGENCY AGREEMENT (this “Agreement”) is made and entered into by and between the State of Washington, Office of the Secretary of the State (OSOS) (hereinafter referred to as "AGENCY") and the South Puget Sound Community College (SPSCC) (hereinafter referred to as “COLLEGE”) pursuant to the authority granted by Chapter 39.34 RCW.
IT IS THE PURPOSE OF THIS AGREEMENT:
To procure professional social media monitoring services to identify harmful online narratives about the election process and online threats to election officials and the election process.
THEREFORE, IT IS MUTUALLY AGREED THAT: 1. STATEMENT OF WORK
The COLLEGE shall furnish the necessary personnel, equipment, material and/or service(s) and otherwise do all things necessary for or incidental to the performance of the work set forth in Attachment 1: Statement of Work attached hereto and incorporated herein (the “Statement of Work”).
2. PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE Subject to its other provisions, the period of performance of this Agreement shall commence on June 1, 2023, and end on December 31, 2024, unless terminated sooner or extended, as provided herein.
3. PAYMENT Compensation for the work provided in accordance with this Agreement has been established under the terms of RCW 39.34.130. The parties have determined that the cost of accomplishing the work herein will not exceed $272,838.00. This not-to-exceed amount includes a 15% administrative fee payable to the COLLEGE in consideration of the coordination, provision and administration of the services provided under this Agreement, which charge is reflected in the cost of the deliverables listed below. Payment for satisfactory performance of the work shall not exceed this amount unless the parties mutually agree to a higher amount. Compensation for services shall be based on the following fees and deliverables:
According to the South Puget Sound Community College (SPSC) website: SPSCC is a learning community that embodies Social Justice, Equity, and Inclusion, and is a top 10 best community college in the U.S. by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program.
DISINFORMATION COMMISSION
OF NOTE: In 2021, the Aspen Institute launched the Commission on Information Disorder to counter “malicious” actors “undermining trust and sowing discord in civil society” by spreading false information.
The commission has been criticized for its left-of-center political bias, criticism of conservatives and President Donald Trump, and support from leading liberals. Some of the commission’s liberal advisors have been accused of censoring news critical of the Democratic Party and left-wing interests.
In November 2021, it was revealed that commission advisor Yoel Roth, head of site security for the social media company Twitter, blocked access to a New York Post article documenting emails from Hunter Biden’s laptop just weeks prior to the November 2020 election. Had the story not been suppressed by Twitter, critics allege, the controversial laptop likely would have damaged Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s credibility and helped Trump win reelection.
Gee…it is comforting to know that $272,838 of WA State Taxpayer money is helping fund a leftist college and a leftist-controlled AI company to surveil and carry out online Democrat opposition research and censorship of Republicans and Conservatives through the 2024 elections.
OF NOTE: The timing of this PRR release is quite interesting, as the same day the SoS decided to release the contract (Mon, Dec. 4, 2023) there was a response back from the WA State Ethics Board to attorney K. Garl Long who filed the WSRP ethics complaint against SoS Hobbs, email reads:
Thank you for contacting the Executive Ethics Board. We have received your complaint and attachments alleging that Steve Hobbs may have violated one or more provisions of the Ethics in Public Service Act.
Based on the information in your complaint and attachments, there is not enough to allege violations under the Ethics In Public Service Act. The complaint focuses on a contract the agency entered into for services regarding social media monitoring. The company’s focus and that the company’s product is identifying certain speech to report on are not issues that would fall under the Ethics in Public Service Act.
Specifically in regards to the RCW 42.52.180 allegation, the Ethics Act limits the use of state resources for the “purpose of assisting a campaign for election of a person to an office or for the promotion of or opposition to a ballot proposition.” RCW 42.52.180(1). Based on the information in your complaint and attachments, it does not appear that the activity complained about is either in support of a specific candidate's campaign or is related to a ballot proposition. As such, this provision of the Ethics Act would not be applicable.
Accordingly, we will not be taking any further action on your complaint.
You may wish to contact DES to inquire about contracting requirements and process.
Kate Reynolds
Executive Director, Washington State Executive Ethics Board
You may ask what is DES? DES is the WA State Dept. of Enterprise Services. They facilitate statewide contracts and are a reporting agency. Who knows, they may have provided the contract between the OSOS and SPSCC.
Sad, but not surprising the Ethics Board refused to investigate Hobbs’ conduct.
Page 2 of 12 of the contract shows the WA State Taxpayer Total Contract Cost of $272,838.00 and the following BILLING PROCEDURE:
The COLLEGE shall submit invoices monthly. Payment to the COLLEGE for approved and completed work will be made by warrant or account transfer by the AGENCY within 30 days of receipt of the invoice. Upon expiration of the Agreement, any claim for payment not already made shall be submitted within 30 days after the expiration date or the end of the fiscal year, whichever is earlier.
Page 10 of the contract reads: Attachment 1: Statement of Work
Background
The State of Washington, Secretary of State's Office is engaging Logically (Logically or Contractor) to help provide services to identify harmful online narratives about the election process and online threats to election officials and the election process.
Description of Services
Logically will review daily (Monday - Friday) publicly available online content across five (5) social media platforms for narratives and threats related to election officials or the election process in Washington. These platforms will include: Rumble, Telegram, Truth Social, Gab, Gettr. Logically shall provide the following overarching services.
It is quite interesting and quite revealing to see that the original draft work agreement obtained through PRR and cited in the ethics complaint reads:
Description of Services
Logically will review daily (Monday - Friday) publicly available online content across five (5) social media platforms for narratives and threats related to election officials or the election process in Washington. These platforms will include: Twitter, Facebook, Telegram, Truth Social, and Rumble.
SO, WHY DID THE NEW PROVIDED CONTRACT DELETE TWITTER AND FACEBOOK?
THIS IS OBVIOUSLY BEYOND THE SCOPE OF THE CONTRACT…
Additionally, the new provided contract with an emphasis on surveilling right-of center platforms, Truth Social, Gab, and Gettr proves even more so, the blatant political targeting going on here…
Also look at the bottom of page 11 of the contract which reads:
Logically shall provide the State of Washington, Secretary of State's Office and other stakeholders with two (2) MDM and threat briefings at a time, date, and location that is mutually agreed to by Logically and the State of Washington, Secretary of State's Office:
So who are the other “stakeholders?” DNC??? Biden Administration??? Hmm…
This is all more proof that the Democrat WA SoS Administrative State have been totally corrupted.
Most obviously the Democrat WA SoS and/or Logically directed SPSCC to do this and is responsible. The 15 % SPSCC ‘administrative’ fee makes SPSCC and Logically agents of the state.
This is a taxpayer money grift by the SoS and Totalitarian state-funded electioneering promoting the views of the Democrat party and censoring free speech of their rivals.
The WA SoS’s actions are disgraceful and part of the destruction of civil society and have absolutely no consideration for the people or the Constitution.
For those seeking truth, transparency, and exposing corruption these are serious Constitutional Freedom of Speech issues!
It is time for the people and their elected representatives in the state legislature to weigh in on this. If the state ethics board will not take this up, at a minimum the state auditor needs to audit the new provided contract. The public must be involved in such important Constitutional issues to provide input for weaponized WA State agencies that have gone rogue.
PLEASE VOTE IN 2024 - IT IS YOUR DUTY AS A CITIZEN! AND MAKE SURE YOUR FAMILY, FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS ALL VOTE. It is the ONLY way to begin to fix our broken election system and to replace the current Marxist Banana Republic governing officials!
Bill Bruch
Bill Bruch is the WA State GOP Election Integrity Chairman, WSRP Executive Board Member, 4-Term Skagit County GOP Chairman, Citizen Journalist, Blogger, Business Owner, “2021 Citizen Activist of the Year” award by the Olympic Conference, 2020 WA State House Representative Candidate, Former Council Member, and WA State 2016 RNC National Convention Delegate.
Other Related Links / Articles:
WSRP Files Formal Ethics Complaint Against WA Secretary of State Hobbs - Press Release
Logically Election Reports Available Here
Full Complaint, Exhibits, and Footnotes Here
Washington GOP files ethics complaint against Secretary of State Hobbs
WAGOP files ethics complaint against SoS Hobbs over social media monitoring
A Federal Court Just Handed Biden’s Ministry of Truth a Big Defeat
Biden’s Orwellian Ministry of Truth Heads to the US Supreme Court
CISA barred from coordinating with social media sites to police misinformation
Artificial Intelligence & the 2024 Election
The Global Expansion of AI Surveillance
The Misinformation Disinformation Campaign - Information Warfare & Tactics
Who are the Arbiters of “Truth” - Who are Fact-Checking the AI Fact-Checkers?
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