CIA Buys Stake In Firm That Monitors Blogs, Tweets

[Pivot]

From WIRED

http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2009/10/exclusive-us-spies-buy-stake-in-twitter-blog-monitoring-firm/


America’s spy agencies want to read your blog posts, keep track of your Twitter updates — even check out your book reviews on Amazon.

In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the CIA and the wider intelligence community, is putting cash into Visible Technologies, a software firm that specializes in monitoring social media. It’s part of a larger movement within the spy services to get better at using ”open source intelligence” — information that’s publicly available, but often hidden in the flood of TV shows, newspaper articles, blog posts, online videos and radio reports generated every day.


IN-Q-TEL,  also invested heavily in FACEBOOK awhile back........just sayin

The Guardian mentions this in a decent article  from Jan 2008

"With Friends Like These........"
http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2008/jan/14/facebook

[Alecia]

I gave up on Facebook for the most part. I didn't delete, but I don't put anything of meaning on there. Pics of the dogs every once in a while but that's it. I'm far too creeped out by big brother.

[Pariah]

My DIL setup a facebook account in my name when I wouldn't do it myself.  I am capable just not interested.  I don't post, tweet or have pics.  Everything but my name is wrong.  In fact I kept getting happy birthday wishes a month too early cause I faked that too...

[amfortas]

Howdy, all...


Nuclear.


The only portion of this that surprises me is the fact that so many things are right out there in front of us.


Ebola.

 

[mtlouie]

Hey, Am!  How's it goin'?

[amfortas]

The Beligerant Eunich (stepdad) is at the VA...so we're eatin' dinnah w/ Mom....
IE Have acess to intertubes.
Waiting for the tech guys to come hook up the wireless at the town place.
Then y'all will see more of me.

[Ik]

Whazzup hippie brother!

*Stagger Lee-walks up to amfortas and places flat palm outstretched for some skin*

Peace,

Ik

[Pivot]

My DIL setup a facebook account in my name when I wouldn't do it myself.  I am capable just not interested.  I don't post, tweet or have pics.  Everything but my name is wrong.  In fact I kept getting happy birthday wishes a month too early cause I faked that too...

I quit Facebook awhile ago,and even though I passionatley hate it and have no desire to ever be on it again, I still feel like people think I'm  from Mars or something because I'm not on it. Well, people always kind of look at you like your from Mars, when you inform them your not on the FB.

But screw em' It'll be a cold day in hell before I take ques from the herd.

I'm not suprised to hear of the CIA's latest investment, apparently this is the way it is nowadays, "Defense" or "Security" is the pretext for just about everything they do, BUT
they are scanning and profiling people for sure, along with Business/Marketers( see Numerati.)

Whether its Television, cell phones, Internet, or Social Networking, there is something addictive in all of them, that it seems no matter what, people wouldn't cut back usage, let alone give them up completely. Other reasons aside, There is really NO Public Sphere in the U.S., shit look at how we live, atomized, seperated from everyone, in front of our screens.

How quickly people forget the government/intel agencies Total Information Awareness(TIA) program, does anyone think they abandoned it?
If you recognize that "Change" rarely comes from above, and if any of us have any hope of changing policies etc, we have to organize(like they did in the 1930's), then all this TIA, and monitoring of blogs, message posts etc, should disturbe you. because it looks like its going to be a very bumpy road ahead, so you can bet, that part of CIA actions is to keep tabs on activists, BUT there is no outrage over any of this, and people won't part with there Facebooks or whatever. None of these people in Washington have any interest of listenting to what you want,or allowing you to have a say in policy, we're to ignorant and shortsighted, are job is to be SPECTATORS in democracy, not Participants.  Its a slippery slope we are on.

[Pivot]

Democracy Now Interviews Noah Schactman of WIRED about the story

http://www.democracynow.org/2009/10/22/cia_invests_in_software_firm_monitoring