Topic: Great Firewall

The Department of Justice is criticizing American companies for "kowtowing" to the PRC, specifically citing Hollywood's self-censorship and Big Tech's cooperation. Apple is highlighted for removing the Quartz news app and VPNs from its Chinese App Store, as well as moving iCloud data to Chinese servers. Historically, Cisco is credited with helping the CCP build the "Great Firewall" for internet surveillance.

The narrative that the NSA is actively sabotaging American companies like Microsoft and Apple by hoarding zero-day vulnerabilities is discussed. Applebaum compares the NSA's global surveillance reach to the "Great Firewall of China," calling it the "Great Firewall of Earth." The hosts argue this framing ignores the voluntary cooperation between these corporations and the intelligence community.