By Neenah Payne
On July 19, CrowdStrike Holdings (CRWD) shut down many key systems worldwide when one of its software updates crashed the screens of more than 8.5 million users of Microsoft Windows.
Digital Dystopia: Lessons from the Global IT Outage on the Perils of Cashless Living explains:
On July 19, 2024, a content update by cybersecurity giant CrowdStrike caused millions of Microsoft systems worldwide to crash. As reported by Nick Corbishley for Naked Capitalism, this outage had far-reaching consequences: “When a content update by the cyber-security giant CrowdStrike caused millions of Microsoft systems around the world to crash on Friday morning, bringing the operating systems of banks, payment card firms, airlines, hospitals, NHS clinics, retailers and hospitality businesses to a standstill, businesses were faced with a stark choice: go cash-only, or close until the systems came back online.”
This incident laid bare the vulnerability of our tightly coupled IT-based societies, particularly in the realm of banking and payments. The fallout was especially severe in countries like Australia, where cashless transactions have been actively encouraged by the government. In the face of this digital meltdown, cash emerged as a crucial lifeline for businesses and consumers alike.
In a startling shift, major British newspapers have begun highlighting the dangers of a fully cashless society following a widespread IT outage that crippled digital payment systems across the globe. This event has brought to light the inherent fragility of our increasingly digitized financial infrastructure and serves as a stark reminder of the vital role cash still plays in our economy.
The Threat of Financial Deplatforming
The risks of a cashless society extend beyond mere inconvenience during IT outages. There’s a growing concern about the potential for financial institutions to deny services based on political or ideological grounds, effectively creating a form of financial censorship.
Florida’s Chief Financial Officer Jimmy Patronis has taken proactive steps to address this issue. In January 2024, Patronis announced that 117 banks in Florida had signed an attestation agreeing not to politically discriminate, allowing them to qualify as Qualified Public Depositories (QPDs) eligible to accept public funds. This move followed the signing of House Bill 3, which aims to prevent banks from canceling services based on personal beliefs, whether political, religious, or any other factor demonstrating impartiality.
Patronis stated, “With the continued rise of Environmental and Social Governances (ESG) infiltrating our economic institutions, I am extremely happy to see the positive effects of HB 3. These 117 QPDs have officially made a commitment to put returns over politics. They understand that if they de-bank customers over political persuasion, they are threatening their own bottom lines.”
This legislative action in Florida highlights the growing awareness of the potential for financial institutions to be weaponized against individuals or organizations based on their beliefs or speech. It underscores the importance of maintaining alternative payment methods, including cash, to ensure financial inclusion and freedom of expression.
Multiple National and Global Shocks in July
In the video below, Del Bigtree, host of The Highwire which airs online Thursdays from 2-4 PM ET, discussed with reporter Jefferey Jaxen the strange lack of curiosity by the corporate media after the biggest IT outage that affected millions of people around the world.
Jaxen questions the reasons for this unprecedented global outage which came less than a week after the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump on July 13 at a rally in Pennsylvania. Biden Resigns: Speaks To Nation 8PM ET links to an interview with Jack Posobiec who said Trump’s Vice Presidential pick JD Vance was reportedly scheduled to attend that rally. Had he done so, the world may have witnessed a double assassination. Secret Service Director Resigns After Congressional Hearing shows that strange lapse of security by Secret Service Director Kimberly Cheatle led to her resignation after she was grilled by a bipartisan Congressional hearing on July 22.
Biden Resigns: Speaks To Nation 8PM ET explains that after his poor performance in the debate with Donald Trump on June 27, President Biden vowed to stay in the race. However, on July 22, Tucker Carlson discussed Biden’s sudden resignation with a post on “X”. Biden finally spoke to the nation on July 24 and endorsed VP Kamala Harris. Although Democrats see Trump as “a threat to democracy”, Posobiec and Bigtree say Harris was given Biden’s delegates in an undemocratic process.
Decoding Unprecedented Global Crowd Strike Outage
In the video below, Jaxen and Bigtree remind us that Event 201 in October 2019 was a dress rehearsal for COVID policies. They wonder if this outage was designed to prepare the public for an outage used to justify the introduction of Central Bank Digital Currencies (CBDCs) or to wage war, etc.
They discuss the “Blue screen of death” as reported in 'Blue Screen of Death' For Global Microsoft Users. They point out the critical importance of questioning this global outage – which was somehow magically fixed by the next day. They express exasperation that the corporate media failed to raise key questions.
DECODING THE CROWDSTRIKE OUTAGE (video) 7/25/24
In the aftermath of the largest global cyber incident in history, the corporate media is strangely silent on the details that matter. How could this impossible event happen? Was this a test run? Why is the public being aggressively prepped for a cyber attack? “The HighWire” investigates.
The CrowdStrike failure had potential consequence perhaps as severe and widespread as the failure of the Secret Service to protect former President Trump at the rally on July 13. Congress called for the Secret Service Director to testify on July 22 and she resigned the next day.
The 7/22/24 NY Times article Congress Calls for Tech Outage Hearing to Grill CrowdStrike C.E.O shows that Congress plans to schedule hearings about the CrowdStrike outage, but doesn’t say when. So, there is none of the urgency seen with the failure of the Secret Service.
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Neenah Payne writes for Activist Post
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