What if Bush did this?

[lil mike]

http://www.theatlanticwire.com/technology/2012/01/homeland-security-monitoring-drudge-report-new-york-times/47300/

Homeland Security Is Monitoring The Drudge Report, The New York Times

t's unclear exactly why, but the Department of Homeland has been operating a "Social Networking/Media Capability" program to monitor the top blogs, forums and social networks online for at least the past 18 months. Based on a privacy compliance review from last November recently obtained by Reuters, the purpose of the project is to "collect information used in providing situational awareness and establishing a common operating picture." Whatever that means. Either way, the list of sites reported by Reuters reveals in a Wednesday afternoon exclusive is pretty intriguing:

Social Networks

Facebook
Twitter
Myspace
Blogs

The Drudge Report
The Huffington Post
The New York Times's Lede blog
Wired's Threat Level
Wired's Danger Room
ABC News' investigative blog The Blotter
"blogs that cover bird flu … news and activity along U.S. borders … drug trafficking and cybercrime"
Multimedia

Hulu
YouTube
Flickr
In conclusion, the Department of Homeland Security is just like you. We've seen no reports of The Atlantic Wire being on the list. But if we are, hello Department of Homeland Security employees -- thanks for reading!

[ekg]

you mean instead of working in conjunction with AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth to illegally wiretap and store the calls of tens of millions of Americans?

[Howey]

you mean instead of working in conjunction with AT&T, Verizon and BellSouth to illegally wiretap and store the calls of tens of millions of Americans?

It's merely the latest from the Circle Jerk of Attribution™ files. As an active participant on several of those sites and considering the frequency of hate that is posted on them, I applaud this action. The arrest of this guy following notification to the Secret Service got me all tingly down below.

Rot in hell, bastid!

[Howey]

I'm glad our Republican House and Democratic Senate agree with this!

Leaders of a congressional subcommittee are urging the Department of Homeland Security to extensively monitor social media sites like Twitter and Facebook to detect "current or emerging threats."

The top Republican and Democrat on a House counter-terrorism subcommittee last month sent a letter to Homeland Security's intelligence chief encouraging department analysts to pore over huge streams of social media traffic.

Representatives Patrick Meehan and Jackie Speier said in the letter to Caryn Wagner, undersecretary of homeland security for intelligence and analysis, that they "believe it would be advantageous for DHS and the broader Intelligence Community to carefully parse the massive streams of data from various social media outlets to identify current or emerging threats to our homeland security."

Meehan, a Republican, is chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee's counter-terrorism and intelligence subcommittee. Speier is the panel's ranking Democrat.

The two lawmakers said such monitoring raises "privacy and civil liberties concerns" and suggested that the department issue guidelines which balance citizens' rights with the ability of analysts to identify threats.

Earlier this week, Homeland Security's National Operations Center published a long list of websites which they monitor for "situational awareness."

In an email to Reuters, Meehan said a hearing he had convened in December had "examined the evolving terrorist use of social media and effective intelligence and law enforcement responses."

Meehan added: "If terrorists are operating in Pakistan or communicating through social media sites like Facebook, we need to remain vigilant. Yet there are important civil liberties questions involving U.S. government monitoring of social media and Americans' Internet traffic. We are seeking answers on the Department's guidelines and procedures to ensure Americans' civil liberties are safeguarded."

Matthew Chandler, a Homeland Security spokesman, said the department's operations center monitors social media only "within the clearly defined parameters articulated" in published department privacy guildelines.

Hopefully the neo-conspiracy theorists, headed by Ron Paul, will tuck their lilDicks back in their pants and go home to mama. Nothing to see here!

[lil mike]

I'm glad our Republican House and Democratic Senate agree with this!

 Nothing to see here!

Exactly!  It's just OSINT after all.

But this is the type of story that used to make your head explode during the Bush years.  It's such a kick to me to post stories like this, and watch you dismiss them when the same story during the Bush administration would have you posting about jack boots and dictatorships.

If we have a Republican President in 2013 I expect to see a story similar to this run with an entirely different reaction from you.

And I'll laugh and laugh...

 

[Howey]

If we have a Republican President in 2013

[44nutman]

I for one am scared about the continual erosion of my personal freedoms. It started with Jr. and Obama has been keeping it running. The both of them have shit on due process.
Everyone wonders why Ron Paul gets such a run all the while being half bat shit crazy. There are numerous people like me sick of the government taking away my rights and intruding in my personal live all under the guise of protecting me from the terrorists.
The same people who were pissed with the Patriot Act 8 some odd years ago, I see them now justifying each assault of our personal freedoms.

There are a few reasons why Obama may not get my vote, and this issue is one of them.

[uselesslegs]

We've turned into a nation of pussies.  We really have.  The reason this continuation of the Patriot Act has legs, is that Obama and anyone running for President knows that more people are willing to vote against anyone who tries to dismantle it, at or least take some of it's teeth away.

I've talked to several people who are all high on the indignation list of yelling their freedoms are being trampled...but they're the same people who find value and a sense of safety in the very thing they supposedly rail against.  Because this couldn't POSSIBLY apply to them, even in the abstract.

Until there is a majority outcry, that can unseat a politician from his or her job...or hinder them from getting elected...this won't change.

[Howey]

We've turned into a nation of pussies.  We really have.  The reason this continuation of the Patriot Act has legs, is that Obama and anyone running for President knows that more people are willing to vote against anyone who tries to dismantle it, at or least take some of it's teeth away.

I've talked to several people who are all high on the indignation list of yelling their freedoms are being trampled...but they're the same people who find value and a sense of safety in the very thing they supposedly rail against.  Because this couldn't POSSIBLY apply to them, even in the abstract.

Until there is a majority outcry, that can unseat a politician from his or her job...or hinder them from getting elected...this won't change.

I just don't see the concern. Other than this being another ploy to frighten the masses. Are we going to ban government employees from FB, Twitter and other social sites so they don't come across that crazed Idaho militia member or Ron Paul supporter with a KillObama site? Or Sayid Jarrah posting how to make a dirty weapon on FB from his cave in Afghanistan? How 'bout HuffPo and Drudge?

With the new millenia and new age of social inteaction, I applaud our intelligence gatherers for their gumption!

Don't terrorists use computers? Don't they use FB, Twitter, etc., and don't they post on HuffPo and Drudge, et al? Sure!

[uselesslegs]

I just don't see the concern. Other than this being another ploy to frighten the masses. Are we going to ban government employees from FB, Twitter and other social sites so they don't come across that crazed Idaho militia member or Ron Paul supporter with a KillObama site? Or Sayid Jarrah posting how to make a dirty weapon on FB from his cave in Afghanistan? How 'bout HuffPo and Drudge?

With the new millenia and new age of social inteaction, I applaud our intelligence gatherers for their gumption!

Don't terrorists use computers? Don't they use FB, Twitter, etc., and don't they post on HuffPo and Drudge, et al? Sure!

Don't get me wrong.  It's a new age, with new methods of communication and new abilities to monitor potentially dangerous communication...it was all par for the course actually.

BUT, I just don't want to see it used to take heated lively debates, or even borderline stupidity...and find justification to arrest and detain, otherwise, well meaning, decent people or even dirt bags...who, at times, can become inflamed and talk stupid shit.

[ekg]

I for one am scared about the continual erosion of my personal freedoms. It started with Jr. and Obama has been keeping it running. The both of them have shit on due process.
Everyone wonders why Ron Paul gets such a run all the while being half bat shit crazy. There are numerous people like me sick of the government taking away my rights and intruding in my personal live all under the guise of protecting me from the terrorists.
The same people who were pissed with the Patriot Act 8 some odd years ago, I see them now justifying each assault of our personal freedoms.

There are a few reasons why Obama may not get my vote, and this issue is one of them.

how is monitoring drudge and huffpo an assault on your personal freedom?

I'm really tryin to see why this is even a story, much less some reason for mike to go all...."if it was Bush your head would explode" (not that he needs one since that's his only game anymore)

How is this anywhere near the wiretapping? Isn't there something to be said for "If you put it out there for the public to read it, the gov't might read it as well?"  I didn't read anything that said hacking secret site was involved, so what's the issue here?

[Howey]

how is monitoring drudge and huffpo an assault on your personal freedom?

I'm really tryin to see why this is even a story, much less some reason for mike to go all...."if it was Bush your head would explode" (not that he needs one since that's his only game anymore)

How is this anywhere near the wiretapping? Isn't there something to be said for "If you put it out there for the public to read it, the gov't might read it as well?"  I didn't read anything that said hacking secret site was involved, so what's the issue here?

Dammit. I thought at  least you would have gotten the LOST reference.

[Howey]

I just don't want to see it used to take heated lively debates, or even borderline stupidity...and find justification to arrest and detain, otherwise, well meaning, decent people or even dirt bags...who, at times, can become inflamed and talk stupid shit.

But can we at least put them away in the Right Wing Loony Bin for a few years? 

[ekg]

Dammit. I thought at  least you would have gotten the LOST reference.

I hadn't read your post yet...

I see it now..

[Howey]

I hadn't read your post yet...

I see it now..

I'm just glad you're here from what I hear I'm running people off.