Banjo: Pressured into Playing a Sad Tune
May 1, 2020
DarkCyber has noted NSO Group’s PR challenge. That low profile provider of policeware is tangled in litigation with Facebook. Years ago Geofeedia made headlines and never quite bounced back.
Policeware and intelware vendors traditionally have operated with a low profile. Most of the vendors offer a “contact” option, but the vendors respond only if the person wanting contact is a “legitimate” actor.
Banjo was no different. Two inquiries DarkCyber made were ignored. Now information about Banjo is plentiful. Deseret News reports that Banjo has ceased operations. The New York Post (hardly a bellwether for the policeware/intelware sector) reports “Banjo App CEO Damien Patton Reportedly Has KKK Past, Helped in Synagogue Shooting”. This article recycles the original report from Medium on April 28, 2020. Even the “real news” outfit Boing Boing jumped on the story.
What’s interesting is that SoftBank invested $100 million in the Banjo outfit. Its due diligence failed to make a connection between Mr. Patton’s past and his role as a policeware/intelware startup. Did SoftBank rely on the same professionals which assisted Hewlett Packard in its assessment of Autonomy?
Several observations:
- PR can have a major impact on a policeware/intelware vendor. This is an important point because dozens of specialist vendors primarily chasing LE and intel contracts are doing more marketing. Is Madison Avenue the right street to take.
- SoftBank has to figure out what to do with Banjo. DarkCyber assumes that other investors will be doing some thinking as well. Is there a way forward for the company.
- The “reason” for missing the bus with regard to Mr. Patton’s biography is a misspelling. That’s quite an interesting assertion. Shouldn’t an investigator, analyst, or researcher note that court documents still have Mr. Patton’s last name spelled correctly. Is “good enough” research the new normal?
Net net: There is good PR and bad PR. Which category does the tale of the misspelling tell?
Stephen E Arnold, May 1, 2020
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