Telling the Whole Story
Some Needed Truth In Advertising
Three advertisements that regularly appear on Cable news shows have caught my eye. Two of these ads are in glaring need of additional product information so Consumers can make informed choices. The third ad discussed herein definitely falls under the category of: What On Earth Are They Talking About?
1. NordVPN Virtual Private Network product.
The broadcast ad for the NordVPN software leads Consumers to believe that by simply installing the NordVPN application the cyber crooks will simply turn to dust liked a just spiked vampire from Buffy the Vampire Slayer. It must be noted, however, that the narrator of the ads states that NordVPN will merely "help" to eliminate online treats. There is no claim that your device will be absolutely hacker proof. Yet, like with antimalware software, security products instill a false sense of security among naive users.
All categories of software products are built on common architectures. A thorough study of VPN products made in August 2023 found that all were vulnerable to an exploit called TunnelCrack. Indeed, all the prominent vendors of different VPN products responded in some fashion to these findings. In reporting on TunnelCrack in an article dated, August 10, 2023, The Register asked various vendors to comment on what was published including Nord Security, the company behind NordVPN. The vendor responded to The Registry thusly:
Nord Security said TunnelCrack affects its macOS and iOS VPN clients. It also noted that the VPN leaks can only happen when routers use non-RFC1918 IP addresses, "which while rare, is an industry-wide issue."
So, it only follows that NordVPN is vulnerable to common issues of IT security. The company has "have also taken steps to mitigate the issue." Ultimately, however, Nord Security placed the blame for this flaw in their product on Apple. The Register quoted the Nord Security spokesperson, saying that the vendor hopes "Apple will prioritize the swift resolution of bugs, which now prevent iOS VPN clients from the robust implementation of features that would help users mitigate these security risks." If the software cannot protect against vulnerabilities in computer hardware, then it is not all that secure.
Neither have the servers located at Nord Security been hack proof. Wikipedia offers a good summary of cyberattacks that had impacted Nord Security in 2019. Nord Security was widely criticized for its lack of disclosure about the event. The same Wikipedia article describes another cyberattack that was made against Nord Security wherein the personal data of its subscribers was scooped up by cyber crooks.
Lastly, the NordVPN posits that there will be no slowing down of connections speeds. Any VPN software will affect connection speeds as Internet traffic is rerouted through the VPN's servers. As an article that appeared on CNET, November 22, 2023, explained, "While VPNs, or virtual private networks, are great at protecting your privacy, there's an unavoidable trade-off: slower internet speeds, often by 50% or more." NordVPN itself agrees with this assessment: "NordVPN does not apply any speed or bandwidth limits, but using a VPN in itself can sometimes decrease your internet speed to a certain degree."
Any additional software installed on your computer adds to your attack surface. Nor will any piece of software protect users from mistakes the users themselves might make. Click the link in the bogus ad or email and you put yourself at risk. One would think that Microsoft has all the security any organization could possibly employ. Nevertheless, as Reuters and other news outlets have very recently reported, on January 12, 2024, "a Russian state-sponsored group hacked into its corporate systems on Jan. 12 and stole some emails and documents from staff accounts." The root cause of the attack was a "compromised password."
Use VPN software if that will make you feel more secure. And NordVPN is one of the more highly rated VPN products. Nevertheless, neither NordVPN, nor any VPN, is the security panacea NordVPN's TV ads would have a lay person believe.
2. Roman ads for erectile dysfunction (ED) meds got some 'splainin' to do.
There are several variations on the theme. The newest and most egregious current example is where a couple wakes up in the morning feeling frisky. The man reaches for his little blue packet of ED med, and, we can assume, away the couple goes.
The voice over for this particular ad states that this couple will spend an "extra ten minutes in bed." That may be, but the ED med would have had nothing to do with the additional ten minutes of sack time. To anyone who might be considering using ED medications, like Viagra, or its generic counterpart, sildenafil citrate, please know that it takes at least 30 minutes or longer to begin to have an effect. On Roman's own website, the company states clearly that, "The best time to take Viagra is about 30–60 minutes before sex for maximum effect."
SingleCare offers more specific information about the time it takes Viagra to kick in, but also how long until a user expeirences the full effect.
While Viagra’s effects usually start to kick in within the first 30 minutes, the drug may not reach peak levels in the blood until two hours after administration. This means you might not feel its full effects until two hours after taking it.
My ex-wife worked in an Urology office when Viagra first appeared as a prescription only, name brand medication. Although ED was never really a problem, she kept us well stocked with free samples of 50mg Viagra. Viagra is definitely what might be called a "recreational drug." Gentlemen, I can tell you this from personal experience. Pop the pill. Watch a movie. And the two of you will ready to go in about one hour's time. If you think, however, you are going pop the little blue pill the minute you wake up, and then do the deed — well, then maybe you don't really need the ED med.
Roman really needs a clear disclaimer or two when advertising its ED med products.
3. The American Edge Project's newest ad about American agriculture: What On Earth Are They Talking About?
The American Edge Project claims on its website that:
The American Edge Project is a coalition of domestic organizations representing a cross-section of U.S. innovators who are dedicated to telling the story about technology’s positive influence on America’s economy and the vital role innovation plays in our society.
But, as has been widely reported, The American Edge Project, remains, as CNBC put it recently in a report dated May 1, 2023:
An advocacy group backed by Facebook received a $34 million donation
from an anonymous donor as it waged a battle against antitrust
legislation that would have more tightly regulated the tech industry.
A person who works with the group, American Edge Project, told CNBC
that the $34 million was from Facebook.
This is the third specious ad produced for and about The American Edge Project that this blog has commented on. The first critique made was dated, 12/26/2021, while second was posted, 8/31/2023. The reasons are two fold. First, the ads are disingenuous in as much as there is never any mention of the fact that Facebook, Meta, or Mark Zuckerberg are entirely responsible for the existence of The American Edge Project. Secondly, the ads are all insipid in their message. The gist of the ads are always the same. If Uncle Sam doesn't cease and desist doing what is never stated that Uncle Sam is doing, America will soon face its ultimate decline. So please, Dear Viewer, call Washington, DC, and tell them to knock off whatever unstated actions the Feds are engaged in that will ultimately be the downfall of our great nation.
The current ad claims Uncle Sam is somehow endangering American agriculture. The star of this current campaign is a farmer named "Jay." Jay has farmed for thirty years, and in those years Jay has seen how technology has revolutionized farming. Jay tells us, "But some in Washington want to stifle these technologies, …and empower our foreign adversaries to leap ahead of us in the tech race." Exactly how the Feds are undermining American agriculture that will eventually let some foreign power damage America's standing as one the largest food producing nation on Earth is never stated, or even implied. In fact, according to Investopedia, the US is number 3 in the world in food product, behind China and India, with those nations having significantly larger populations. The US is, however, the world's largest exporter of food products.
According to Bing, below are dollar amounts that Uncle Sam invested to support American agriculture in 2023.
1. **Direct Government Farm Payments**: The direct government farm
payments were forecasted at **$12.1 billion** in 2023.
2.
**Emergency Relief Program (ERP) 2022**: The U.S. Department of
Agriculture (USDA) provided more than **$3 billion** to commodity and
specialty crop producers impacted by natural disaster events in 2022.
3. **Investments in Rural Communities**: President Biden announced
over **$5 billion** in new investments from his Investing in America
agenda to advance rural prosperity, economic development, competition,
and sustainability.
4. **Emergency Relief Payments**: The USDA
began issuing more than **$1.75 billion** in emergency relief payments
to eligible farmers and livestock producers to help them recover
following natural disasters in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
5.
**Fertilizer Production Expansion Program**: The USDA started accepting
public comments on environmental and related aspects of 21 potentially
viable projects to increase fertilizer production across the United
States totaling up to **$88 million**
If Uncle Sam is taking actions to imperil American agriculture or agricultural communities, you sure would not know it by the figures above. Whatever delusions Mark Zuckerberg may have about how the feds are ruining American agriculture, neither he, nor Facebook, nor his ads will ever be able to explain exactly how that catastrophe, or any other of the silly pronouncements his American Edge Project might make, will happen.
Gerald Reiff
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