A new study by the Mediterranean Council for Intelligence Studies’ (MCIS) 2012 Intelligence Studies Yearbook points to the use of social media as “the new cutting edge in open-source tactical intelligence collection”. IntelNews.org’s Joseph Fitsanakis, who co-authored the study, reports:
We explain that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a host of other social networking platforms are increasingly viewed by intelligence agencies as invaluable channels of information acquisition. We base our findings on three recent case studies, which we believe highlight the intelligence function of social networking. (Joseph Fitsanakis, Research: Spies increasingly using Facebook, Twitter to gather data, intelNews.org, February 13, 2012)
What the study fails to mention, however, is the use of social media by intelligence agencies for other purposes. The study leads us to believe that social media is solely an intelligence gathering tool, when in fact, a number of reports have shown that it is used for propaganda including the creation of fake identities in support of covert operations. Those practices are discussed in Army of Fake Social Media Friends to Promote Propaganda, Social Media: Air Force ordered software to manage army of Fake Virtual People and Pentagon Seeks to Manipulate Social Media for Propaganda Purposes, published on Global Research in 2011.
The MCIS study is partly based on the “Arab Spring” framework which allegedly “prompted the US government to begin developing guidelines for culling intelligence from social media networks”. (Ibid.)
Again, this leaves out the fact that the U.S. Government provides “activist training” to foreign nationals to destabilize their country of origin. This tactic is detailed in Tony Cartalucci’s latest article, Egypt: US-funded Agitators on Trial: US “Democracy Promotion” = Foreign-funded Sedition.
“Cyber dissidence” is sponsored among others by CIA-linked Freedom House. The First of The Bush Institute’s Human Freedom Events, Co-Sponsored by Freedom House was titled “The Conference on Cyber Dissidents: Global Successes and Challenges”.
The Conference on Cyber Dissidents highlighted the work, methods, courage and achievements of its eight dissident guest speakers, from seven nations. Five of these nations are places where freedom has been extinguished (all rated “not free” by Freedom House): China, Cuba, Iran, Syria, and Russia. Two others are places where freedom is in peril (both rated “partly free” by Freedom House) because of an authoritarian government accumulating more power, as in Venezuela, or because of the threat of internal terrorist groups, as in Colombia. (The Conference on Cyber Dissidents: Global Successes and Challenges, The George W. Bush Presidential Center)
Countries where “freedom has been extinguished” and which are U.S. allies, such as Bahrain or Saudi Arabia, are not listed above. The only U.S. ally listed is Colombia and its freedom is said to be threatened by terrorist groups, rather than by its governement. It is worth noting that the Colombian government has been accused of spying on its journalists and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) says freedom of expression ‘barely exists’ in Colombia.
The goal of “activist training” by U.S. NGOs is to destabilize America’s political enemies in the name of freedom. “Cyber dissidence” is in turn used by intelligence agencies for covert operations.
Comments
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Privacy tip: Firefox + Ghostery + AdBlock Plus
01.03.2012 16:53
Ghostery blocks a wide range of tracking and advertising cookies and other nasties. Notice all the Facebook "Like" icons everywhere? They allow Facebook to track all the other sites you visit.
The AdBlock Plus add-on is also handy to have to get rid of all the advertising crap. Makes sites load a lot faster too.
anon
further reading
01.03.2012 20:57
The Pentagon will invest up to 42 million dollars in a program that will monitor and influence social media websites, such as twitter.
Visible Technologies -Social Media monitoring
Attensity - Social search engine
SafeWeb PrivacyMatrix -browsing
cyber-threat-summary
us-dhs-leftwing-extremist-cyber-threat
new monitoring use of the SIPRNet
Internet Governance and the Domain Name System
cyberwar
Who Watches the Watchmen?
Smart Meter Data: Privacy and Cybersecurity
Spectrum Policy in the Age of Broadband
The Federal Networking and Information Technology Research and Development Program
Communications Security Monitoring
Federal Laws Relating to Cybersecurity
Governmental Tracking of Cell Phones and Vehicles
cyber and internet governance issues
Re: hacker questions
Fwd: Re: US 'to view major cyber attacks as acts of war'
Cyber Security Question...
palantir software
open-source-practice
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more
04.03.2012 14:06
Best Practices for Keeping Your Home Network Secure
Cyber Threats to Government and ISP Facilities
Global Grid Study
Common Industrial Control System Cyber Security Weaknesses
Cyberwarfare
DoD Unified Capabilities for Networks
Science of Cyber-Security
Information Warfare-Defense
Information Architecture for the Battlefield
Command Control and Communications Problems
maintaining information security in a warfighting environment
.
yeah
04.03.2012 22:37
NSA Overview of Cloud Computing
Security and Privacy in Public Cloud Computing
DHS Updates Social Media Spying Targets
DHS Joint Cybersecurity Services Pilot
NSA Review of Information for the Public
FBI Social Media and Open Sources Spying
British Bases in Cyprus and Signals Intelligence
Internet Trust Next Generation
PGP Spying
285 Pages of DHS Media Monitoring Docs
Navy Critical Infrastructure Program
Air Force COMINT Solicitation
Militarizing Civil Agencies for Peace of Mind
Raytheon Cybersecurity Technology
Raytheon Intelligence and Information Systems
Critical Infrastructure Needs Cybersecurity
Marine Full Spectrum Cyberspace Operations
DoD Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace
FBI Computer Patheticism
Smart Grid Cybersecurity Weaknesses
NSA And Computer Development
Global Free Flow of Information on the Internet
DARPA RFP for Cyber Insider Threat
China Military and Security Developments 2010
False Blogs and Military Information Strategy
Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) at NSA
Field Manual 2.0 Intelligence
Covert Blogs as Military Information Operations
Soviet Capabilities in Electronic Warfare
How the FBI Surveils the Net
UK Police Guide to Computer/Electronic Evidence
NSA to intercept TETRA police networks
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