PlainSite

Last updated
PlainSite
PlainSite logo.svg
Type of site
Legal
Available inEnglish
Owner Aaron Greenspan
Products Reality Check
URL www.plainsite.org
CommercialOptional paid subscription
RegistrationOptional
Launched2011
Current statusOnline

PlainSite is a US based website dedicated to legal data transparency advocacy [1] [2] developed in conjunction by Think Computer Corporation and the charitable organization Think Computer Foundation. [3] PlainSite provides both free and paid access to legal documents and information about the US legal system on a variety of subjects and caselaw. [4] The website previously collected legal documents via the Free Law Project's RECAP archive until the archive adopted a fee-based approach. [4]

Contents

PlainSite on occasion publishes a report called Reality Check in which each edition focuses on a particular company and details allegations and controversies surrounding it. [5] In the report on Credit Acceptance, the authors "questioned the health of the company and the quality of the loans backing their securities." In another edition concerning Facebook, the authors allege Facebook not only has approximately one billion fake accounts but that the company itself facilitates fake account creation in order to boost user metrics. [6]

Controversies

While PlainSite archives extensive legal documentation and analysis concerning companies, it also has had its own controversial involvements in litigious matters concerning Facebook, [7] Tesla, [8] and Elon Musk [9] specifically.

In 2012, PlainSite published a list of 2,000 suspected patent trolls assembled from records available via the United States Patent and Trademark Office's patents database. [10] Later, a man convicted in 2013 of conspiring to commit mortgage fraud [11] unsuccessfully attempted to delist PlainSite along with other legal and government-controlled websites from Google's index for hosting legal documents pertaining to him. [12]

Tesla

PlainSite's republishing of unsealed documents regarding Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity was noted by multiple publications, [13] [14] as well as a published email exchange between Elon Musk and Greenspan regarding Randeep Hothi. [15] In March 2021, PlainSite uncovered DMV records showing that Tesla considers its Full Self-Driving technology to currently be non-autonomous. [16] [17] In May 2021, PlainSite released a memo in which Tesla's director of Autopilot software told the California DMV that Musk has been overstating Autopilot's capabilities, saying "Elon’s tweet does not match engineering reality". [18] Greenspan has disclosed his ownership of put options against Tesla's stock. [19]

In March 2021, PlainSite published FOIA documents indicating conglomerate Softbank was under "active investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission." [20] [21]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elon Musk</span> Business magnate (born 1971)

Elon Reeve Musk is a business magnate and investor. Musk is the founder, chairman, CEO and chief technology officer of SpaceX; angel investor, CEO, product architect and former chairman of Tesla, Inc.; owner, chairman and CTO of X Corp.; founder of the Boring Company; co-founder of Neuralink and OpenAI; and president of the Musk Foundation. He is the wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated net worth of US$241 billion as of September 2023, according to the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and $261 billion according to Forbes, primarily from his ownership stakes in both Tesla and SpaceX.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tesla, Inc.</span> American electric vehicle and clean energy company

Tesla, Inc. is an American multinational automotive and clean energy company headquartered in Austin, Texas. Tesla designs and manufactures electric vehicles, stationary battery energy storage devices from home to grid-scale, solar panels and solar shingles, and related products and services. Its subsidiary Tesla Energy develops and is a major installer of photovoltaic systems in the United States and is one of the largest global suppliers of battery energy storage systems with 6.5 gigawatt-hours (GWh) installed in 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gary Gensler</span> American banker (born 1957)

Gary Gensler is an American government official and former Goldman Sachs investment banker serving as the chair of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Gensler previously led the Biden–Harris transition's Federal Reserve, Banking, and Securities Regulators agency review team. Prior to his appointment, he was professor of Practice of Global Economics and Management at the MIT Sloan School of Management.

SolarCity Corporation was a publicly traded company headquartered in Fremont, California that sold and installed solar energy generation systems as well as other related products and services to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. The company was founded on July 4, 2006, by Peter and Lyndon Rive, the cousins of SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Tesla acquired SolarCity in 2016, at a cost of approximately US$2.6 billion and reorganized its solar business into Tesla Energy.

Robbins Geller Rudman & Dowd LLP is an American law firm headquartered in San Diego, California. It is a plaintiffs law firm specializing in securities litigation and shareholder rights cases.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tesla Energy</span> American solar energy generation and battery energy storage company

Tesla Energy Operations, Inc. is the clean energy division of Tesla, Inc. that develops, manufactures, sells and installs photovoltaic solar energy generation systems, battery energy storage products and other related products and services to residential, commercial and industrial customers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tesla Autopilot</span> Suite of advanced driver-assistance system features by Tesla

Tesla Autopilot is an advanced driver-assistance system (ADAS) developed by Tesla that amounts to partial vehicle automation. Tesla provides "Base Autopilot" on all vehicles, which includes lane centering and traffic-aware cruise control. Owners may purchase an upgrade to "Enhanced Autopilot" (EA) which adds semi-autonomous navigation on limited access roadways, self-parking, and the ability to summon the car from a garage or parking spot. The company claims the features reduce accidents caused by driver negligence and fatigue from long-term driving. Collisions and deaths involving Tesla cars with Autopilot engaged have drawn the attention of the press and government agencies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tesla Semi</span> Electric Class 8 semi-trailer truck

The Tesla Semi is a battery electric Class 8 semi-truck built by Tesla, Inc. since 2022. The truck is powered by three motors, and is claimed by Tesla to have approximately three times the power of a typical diesel semi truck, a range of 500 miles (800 km), and operate at an energy use of less than 2 kWh/mi (1.2 kW⋅h/km).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gigafactory New York</span> Tesla, Inc. factory in Buffalo, New York

Gigafactory New York is factory leased by Tesla, Inc. in the Riverbend section of Buffalo, New York. The factory, owned by the State of New York, was built on brownfield land remediated from a former steel mill. Construction of the factory started in 2014 and was completed in 2017. It produces the Tesla Solar Roof and Tesla Superchargers. Additionally, Tesla employs data analysts for its Autopilot software at the site.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster</span> Sports car launched into space in 2018

Elon Musk's Tesla Roadster is an electric sports car that served as the dummy payload for the February 2018 Falcon Heavy test flight and became an artificial satellite of the Sun. A mannequin in a spacesuit, dubbed "Starman", occupies the driver's seat. The car and rocket are products of Tesla and SpaceX, respectively, both companies headed by Elon Musk. The 2010 Roadster is personally owned by and previously used by Musk for commuting to work. It is the first production car launched into space.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tesla Cybertruck</span> Electric pickup truck

The Tesla Cybertruck is an upcoming battery electric full-size pickup truck to be built by Tesla, Inc. First announced in November 2019, three models are expected to be offered, with EPA range estimates of 250–500 miles (400–800 km) and an estimated 0 to 60 mph time of 2.9–6.5 seconds, depending on the model.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">TSLAQ</span> Group of people who criticize Tesla, Inc.

TSLAQ is a loose, international collective of largely anonymous short-sellers, skeptics, and researchers who openly criticize Tesla, Inc. and its CEO Elon Musk. The group primarily organizes on Twitter, often using the $TSLAQ cashtag, and Reddit to coordinate efforts and share news, opinions, and analysis about the company and its stock. Edward Niedermeyer, in his book Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors (2019), establishes the catalyst for the formation of TSLAQ in July 2018 to be the doxxing by a Twitter user of Lawrence Fossi, a Seeking Alpha writer and Tesla short seller who uses the pseudonym Montana Skeptic.

Elon Musk, the CEO or owner of multiple companies including Tesla, SpaceX, and X Corp, has expressed many views on a wide variety of subjects, ranging from politics to science.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of Tesla, Inc.</span> Systemic criticism of Tesla, Inc. and its products and leadership

Tesla, Inc. has been criticized for its cars, workplace culture, business practices, and occupational safety. Many of the criticisms are also directed toward Elon Musk, the company's CEO and Product Architect. Critics have also accused Tesla of deceptive marketing, unfulfilled promises, and fraud. The company is currently facing criminal and civil investigations into its self-driving claims. Critics have highlighted Tesla's downplaying of issues, and Tesla's alleged retaliation against several whistleblowers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meme Man</span> Surreal meme character

Meme Man, sometimes also referred to as Mr. Succ and the Stonks guy, is a character often featured in internet memes. He is depicted as a 3D render of a smooth, bald, and often disembodied blue-eyed male head. He was popularized in the mid-2010s by the artist "Special meme fresh", and became a common character in many surreal memes, a genre of internet humor inspired by surrealism. During the 2021 GameStop short squeeze, Meme Man was popularized by users of the subreddit r/wallstreetbets as the face of the "stonks" meme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tesla and unions</span> Labor relations of the American car company

Tesla, Inc. is an American electric car manufacturer which as of January 2023 employs over 127,000 workers across its global operations, none of which are unionized. Tesla CEO Elon Musk has commented negatively on trade unions in relation to Tesla. Despite allegations of high injury rates, long hours, and below-industry pay, efforts to unionize the workforce have been largely unsuccessful.

The Musk family is a wealthy South African origin family that is largely active in the United States and Canada. The Musks are of Anglo-Canadian, English, Swiss, and Afrikaner descent. The family is known for its entrepreneurial endeavours.

Edward (Ed) Niedermeyer is an American author, analyst, and critic who focuses on the automotive industry and mobility innovation. His writing has been published in The New York Times, The Truth About Cars, and The Wall Street Journal, and in 2019, his book Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors was released. Niedermeyer cohosts The Autonocast, a podcast about autonomous vehicles technology and its effects.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Linette Lopez</span> American journalist

Linette Lopez is an American journalist who focuses on U.S. politics and economics, and writes columns for Business Insider. As a senior finance editor, she has investigated companies involved with public-facing controversies, and is most widely known for her coverage of Tesla, Inc. A regular contributor to Marketplace produced by American Public Media, Lopez teaches as an adjunct professor at the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She has also been a frequent commentator on CNN, MSNBC, and Real Time with Bill Maher.

References

  1. ↑ Kolodny, Lora (2019-09-23). "Tesla and Musk hid facts about SolarCity deal and SpaceX involvement, shareholders claim in unsealed court docs". CNBC. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  2. ↑ Krolik, Aaron; Hill, Kashmir (2021-04-24). "The Slander Industry". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2021-04-25.
  3. ↑ "Charity Navigator - Unrated Profile for Think Computer Foundation". Charity Navigator. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  4. 1 2 Ambrogi, Robert (2018-02-16). "Invective and Intrigue Within the Free Law Movement Over RECAP Changes". LawSites. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  5. ↑ "PlainSite :: Reality Check". www.plainsite.org. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  6. ↑ Morse, Jack. "50 percent of Facebook users could be fake, report claims". Mashable. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  7. ↑ Boyd-Barrett, Oliver (2020). RussiaGate and propaganda: disinformation in the age of social media. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. ISBN   978-0-429-26053-7. OCLC   1107667017.
  8. ↑ Rudgard, Olivia (2019-11-10). "Trouble at Tesla: How fires and lawsuits could thwart Elon Musk's big bet on solar energy". The Telegraph. ISSN   0307-1235 . Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  9. ↑ "Tesla Investor Latest To Sue Elon Musk For Libel By Tweet - Law360". www.law360.com. Retrieved 2020-05-29.
  10. ↑ Kim, Kathleen (2012-12-21). "Legal Research Site Names 2,000 Patent Trolls". Inc.com. Retrieved 2020-08-04.
  11. ↑ Fri, Jul 31st 2015 8:53am-Tim Cushing. "Of All The Ways The DMCA Takedown Process Can Be Responsibly Used, These Are None Of Them". Techdirt. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  12. ↑ Tue, Nov 22nd 2016 10:45am-Tim Cushing. "Convicted Felon Ask Google To Delist Multiple Government Websites Because His Name Is Protected By 'Common Law Trademark'". Techdirt. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  13. ↑ Derrick, Jayson (2019-09-24). "Unsealed Court Docs Raise New Questions About Tesla's SolarCity Acquisition". Benzinga. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  14. ↑ "SolarCity's Troubles Fuel the Religious War Around Tesla's Future and Elon Musk". Pro Market. 2019-10-30. Retrieved 2020-05-30.
  15. ↑ "The Tesla Skeptics Who Bet Against Elon Musk". www.bloomberg.com. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  16. ↑ Silver, David. "Tesla Emails To The California DMV Emphasize Continued Reliance On Maps". Forbes. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  17. ↑ "Tesla touts self-driving to consumers. To the DMV, it tells a different tale". Los Angeles Times. 2021-03-09. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  18. ↑ Hawkins, Andrew J. (2021-05-07). "Tesla privately admits Elon Musk has been exaggerating about 'full self-driving'". The Verge. Retrieved 2021-05-07.
  19. ↑ California Northern District Court (May 15, 2020). "Greenspan v. Qazi et al: Exhibit M". Plainsite. Retrieved May 29, 2020.
  20. ↑ "SEC Confirms Probe of SoftBank". Institutional Investor. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
  21. ↑ "The SEC Is Investigating Major Tech Investor Softbank". www.vice.com. Retrieved 2021-03-25.
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