SOFT ROBOTS THAT can grasp delicate objects, computer algorithms designed to spot an “insider threat,” and artificial intelligence that will sift through large data sets — these are just a few of the technologies being pursued by companies with investment from In-Q-Tel, the CIA’s venture capital firm, according to a document obtained by The Intercept.
Yet among the 38 previously undisclosed companies receiving In-Q-Tel funding, the research focus that stands out is social media mining and surveillance; the portfolio document lists several tech companies pursuing work in this area, including Dataminr, Geofeedia, PATHAR, and TransVoyant.
In-Q-Tel’s investment process.
Screen grab from In-Q-Tel’s website.
Those four firms, which provide unique tools to mine data from platforms such as Twitter, presented at a February “CEO Summit” in San Jose sponsored by the fund, along with other In-Q-Tel portfolio companies.
The investments appear to reflect the CIA’s increasing focus on monitoring social media. Last September, David Cohen, the CIA’s second-highest ranking official, spoke at length at Cornell University about a litany of challenges stemming from the new media landscape. The Islamic State’s “sophisticated use of Twitter and other social media platforms is a perfect example of the malign use of these technologies,” he said.
Social media also offers a wealth of potential intelligence; Cohen noted that Twitter messages from the Islamic State, sometimes called ISIL, have provided useful information. “ISIL’s tweets and other social media messages publicizing their activities often produce information that, especially in the aggregate, provides real intelligence value,” he said.
The latest round of In-Q-Tel investments comes as the CIA has revamped its outreach to Silicon Valley, establishing a new wing, the Directorate of Digital Innovation, which is tasked with developing and deploying cutting-edge solutions by directly engaging the private sector. The directorate is working closely with In-Q-Tel to integrate the latest technology into agency-wide intelligence capabilities.
Dataminr directly licenses a stream of data from Twitter to spot trends and detect emerging threats.
Screen grab from Dataminr’s website.
Dataminr directly licenses a stream of data from Twitter to visualize and quickly spot trends on behalf of law enforcement agencies and hedge funds, among other clients.
Geofeedia collects geotagged social media messages to monitor breaking news events in real time.
Screen grab from Geofeedia’s website.
Geofeedia specializes in collecting geotagged social media messages, from platforms such as Twitter and Instagram, to monitor breaking news events in real time. The company, which counts dozens of local law enforcement agencies as clients, markets its ability to track activist protests on behalf of both corporate interests and police departments.
PATHAR mines social media to determine networks of association.
Screen grab from PATHAR’s website.
PATHAR’s product, Dunami, is used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation to “mine Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and other social media to determine networks of association, centers of influence and potential signs of radicalization,” according to an investigation by Reveal.
TransVoyant analyzes data points to deliver insights and predictions about global events.
Screen grab from TransVoyant’s website.
TransVoyant, founded by former Lockheed Martin Vice President Dennis Groseclose, provides a similar service by analyzing multiple data points for so-called decision-makers. The firm touts its ability to monitor Twitter to spot “gang incidents” and threats to journalists. A team from TransVoyant has worked with the U.S. military in Afghanistan to integrate data from satellites, radar, reconnaissance aircraft, and drones.
Dataminr, Geofeedia, and PATHAR did not respond to repeated requests for comment. Heather Crotty, the director of marketing at TransVoyant, acknowledged an investment from In-Q-Tel, but could not discuss the scope of the relationship. In-Q-Tel “does not disclose the financial terms of its investments,” Crotty said.
Carrie A. Sessine, the vice president for external affairs at In-Q-Tel, also declined an interview because the fund “does not participate in media interviews or opportunities.”
Over the last decade, In-Q-Tel has made a number of public investments in companies that specialize in scanning large sets of online data. In 2009, the fund partnered with Visible Technologies, which specializes in reputation management over the internet by identifying the influence of “positive” and “negative” authors on a range of platforms for a given subject. And six years ago, In-Q-Tel formed partnerships with NetBase, another social media analysis firm that touts its ability to scan “billions of sources in public and private online information,” and Recorded Future, a firm that monitors the web to predict events in the future.
Unpublicized In-Q-Tel Portfolio Companies
| Company | Description | Contract |
| Aquifi | 3D vision software solutions | |
| Beartooth | Decentralized mobile network | |
| CliQr | Hybrid cloud management platform | Contract |
| CloudPassage | On-demand, automated infrastructure security | |
| Databricks | Cloud-hosted big data analytics and processing platform | |
| Dataminr | Situational awareness and analysis at the speed of social media | Contract |
| Docker | Open platform to build, ship, and run distributed applications | Contract |
| Echodyne | Next-generation electronically scanning radar systems | Contract |
| Epiq Solutions | Software-defined radio platforms and applications | Contract |
| Geofeedia | Location-based social media monitoring platform | Contract |
| goTenna | Alternate network for off-grid smartphone communications | Contract |
| Headspin | Network-focused approach to improving mobile application performance | Contract |
| Interset | Inside threat detection using analytics, machine learning, and big data | |
| Keyssa | Fast, simple, and secure contactless data transfer | |
| Kymeta | Antenna technology for broadband satellite communications | |
| Lookout | Cloud-based mobile cybersecurity | |
| Mapbox | Design and publish visual, data-rich maps | Contract |
| Mesosphere | Next-generation scale, efficiency, and automation in a physical or cloud-based data center | Contract |
| Nervana | Next-generation machine learning platform | |
| Orbital Insight | Satellite imagery processing and data science at scale | |
| Orion Labs | Wearable device and real-time voice communications platform | |
| Parallel Wireless | LTE radio access nodes and software stack for small cell deployment | |
| PATHAR | Channel-specific social media analytics platform | Contract |
| Pneubotics | Mobile material handling solutions to automate tasks | |
| PsiKick | Redefined ultra-low power wireless sensor solutions | Contract |
| PubNub | Build and scale real-time apps | |
| Rocket Lab | Launch provider for small satellites | Contract |
| Skincential Sciences | Novel materials for biological sample collection | |
| Soft Robotics | Soft robotics actuators and systems | |
| Sonatype | Software supply chain automation and security | Contract |
| Spaceflight Industries | Small satellite launch, network, and imagery provider | Contract |
| Threatstream | Leading enterprise-class threat intelligence platform | |
| Timbr.io | Accessible code-driven analysis platform | |
| Transient Electronics | Dissolvable semiconductor technology | Contract |
| TransVoyant | Live predictive intelligence platform | |
| TRX Systems | 3D indoor location and mapping solutions | |
| Voltaiq | SaaS platform for advanced battery analysis | |
| Zoomdata | Big data exploration, visualization, and analytics platform | Contract |
Bruce Lund, a senior member of In-Q-Tel’s technical staff, noted in a 2012 paper that “monitoring social media” is increasingly essential for government agencies seeking to keep track of “erupting political movements, crises, epidemics, and disasters, not to mention general global trends.”
The recent wave of investments in social media-related companies suggests the CIA has accelerated the drive to make collection of user-generated online data a priority. Alongside its investments in start-ups, In-Q-Tel has also developed a special technology laboratory in Silicon Valley, called Lab41, to provide tools for the intelligence community to connect the dots in large sets of data.
In February, Lab41 published an article exploring the ways in which a Twitter user’s location could be predicted with a degree of certainty through the location of the user’s friends. On Github, an open source website for developers, Lab41 currently has a project to ascertain the “feasibility of using architectures such as Convolutional and Recurrent Neural Networks to classify the positive, negative, or neutral sentiment of Twitter messages towards a specific topic.”
Collecting intelligence on foreign adversaries has potential benefits for counterterrorism, but such CIA-supported surveillance technology is also used for domestic law enforcement and by the private sector to spy on activist groups.
Palantir, one of In-Q-Tel’s earliest investments in the social media analytics realm, was exposed in 2011 by the hacker group LulzSec to be in negotiation for a proposal to track labor union activists and other critics of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the largest business lobbying group in Washington. The company, now celebrated as a “tech unicorn” — a term for start-ups that reach over $1 billion in valuation — distanced itself from the plan after it was exposed in a cache of leaked emails from the now-defunct firm HBGary Federal.
Cover of the document obtained by The Intercept.
Yet other In-Q-Tel-backed companies are now openly embracing the practice. Geofeedia, for instance, promotes its research into Greenpeace activists, student demonstrations, minimum wage advocates, and other political movements. Police departments in Oakland, Chicago, Detroit, and other major municipalities have contracted with Geofeedia, as well as private firms such as the Mall of America and McDonald’s.
Lee Guthman, an executive at Geofeedia, told reporter John Knefel that his company could predict the potential for violence at Black Lives Matter protests just by using the location and sentiment of tweets. Guthman said the technology could gauge sentiment by attaching “positive and negative points” to certain phrases, while measuring “proximity of words to certain words.”
Privacy advocates, however, have expressed concern about these sorts of automated judgments.
“When you have private companies deciding which algorithms get you a so-called threat score, or make you a person of interest, there’s obviously room for targeting people based on viewpoints or even unlawfully targeting people based on race or religion,” said Lee Rowland, a senior staff attorney with the American Civil Liberties Union.
She added that there is a dangerous trend toward government relying on tech companies to “build massive dossiers on people” using “nothing but constitutionally protected speech.”
Related:
CIA’s Venture Capital Arm Is Funding Skin Care Products That Collect DNA
I’d be really interested to see how much of this social media surveillance is actually being deployed to monitor ISIS versus nonviolent democracy and environmental activists. No data here obviously. But based on the history of the US government over the last 80 years I wouldn’t be surprised if most of these cyberspooks are actually stalking groups like Black Lives Matter and Greenpeace. Honestly, I’d love to be proved wrong … but I kind of doubt I will.
In America the FBI, NSA, DHS and CIA (the FBI “corporate store” has no borders) are primarily targeting first amendment protected advocacy
groups (our DOJ’s newly minted “domestic terrorists”) who potentially
threaten the after tax incomes of corporate persons.
Haven’t Google, Twitter, and FireEye/Mandiant been founded by In-Q-Tel/CIA, too?
Venture capital funded? Yes.
Which one of them deleted all info about Tom Curley’s speech in Kansas?
It never ceases to amaze me how many companies go out and run TV ad campaigns directly targeted at some kind of spook market or investment. For example, they just had an ad come out recently where they go on about how “in order to catch a Prius, you have to be a Prius.” Other notable examples were “You talk, Sync listens” and the Epson printer commercial where a woman representing the printer literally stopped to phone home in the middle of the ad. I mean, seriously, am I the only person in the whole world who understands the language of demons, or is everybody seeing this and just too depressed even to complain that their products constantly feature themselves as spook tools?
One that bothered me lately is a recent commercial involving Siri, particularly in light of Apple’s recent FBI dustup. A young man sitting in a phone store and using a smartphone begins also talking to a female store clerk that walks up – when HIS phone’s Siri instantly recognizes her by voice alone and proceeds to embarrass her.
I’ve never carried a smartphone yet, but that commercial certainly destroys any notion the industry believes in personal privacy / security.
It may be legal, but it ain’t legit.
Thank you Glenn Greenwald for opening our eyes to reality with the ES revelations, not the illusion and fantasy intelligence agencies want us the believe in.
The CIA and NSA are still governed by the Bill of Rights in it’s relations to all persons, citizens and non-citizens, on U.S. soil and U.S. controlled territories. The CIA and NSA are also “foreign” agencies, not domestic agencies.
It can be a great benefit to Americans if these agencies operate within those boundaries. If they operate outside those boundaries it’s not an intelligence agency, but a Stasi style secret police.
The constitutional “rule of law” is chronological. The Supremacy Clause and Bill of Rights were ratified in the 18th Century. These agencies were created in the 20th Century and were required to operate within the U.S. Constitution (a wartime charter) when they were created. They have never had extra-constitutional authorities in regards to any persons, including non-citizens, on U.S. soil.
Then again, they have all the authority ever needed for any crime – when never investigated or prosecuted.
Technically not being above laws somehow always gets lost in translation.
Harry S. Truman may have been well-intentioned when he created an “unconstitutional” intelligence apparatus and never intended for the U.S. to have it’s own version of the Stasi (communist style secret police).
Most of those intelligence officials are good people that follow orders and have a mortgage to pay. They are also stuck in this unconstitutional system. Congress and the courts have also made it clear that they punish and destroy intelligence employees/contractors that are LOYAL to their oath of office (ex: Edward Snowden, John Kiriakou, etc.).
Based on circumstantial evidence it appears that many agency personnel and contractors actually would like to work in an American style constitutional agency instead of the Stasi communist model, but Congress and the Courts have locked them into this terrible system we have today. The courts’ top duty is to protect constitutional rights not destroy the Bill of Rights.
The big question is how to make these agencies American style constitutional agencies since Truman never designed it properly from the very beginning?
Congress ratified Truman’s 1947 unilateralism just two years later, cementing their above-the-law charter.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Central_Intelligence_Agency_Act
Interesting fact for conspiracy watchers, Truman created the CIA less than 90 days after the Roswell crash.
I’d be more interested in CIA.In-Q-Tel links to gaming companies, such as MMORPGs. Britain’s Runescape, for example. Accepting the game software means giving considerable access to computer resources and who knows what the limits are and what barriers they can breach.
http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Insight_Venture_Partners
From the Wikipedia: ” … The firm’s Executive Advisory Board has included Robert Rubin (Chairman of Citigroup and 70th Secretary of the Treasury) and Steve Friedman (Chairman of the United States President’s Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and former Chairman of Goldman Sachs).”
http://runescape.wikia.com/wiki/Spectrum_Equity_Investors
Most parents don’t think twice about what their kids do on online gaming, or the effect the games/gaming culture will have on their kids, or what the software exposure may do to their privacy, even if the kids use a separate account on the same home computer.
Virtual Gamers in World of Warcraft. Virtual Gamers piloting Five Eyes Drones. Total Immersion. The physics of the very small. Neural networks. Quantum barriers breached. String theory. Weaving the eleven dimensional Membrane theory and quantum entanglement in the “fabric” of a space time multiverse. Who knows?
I wonder how radically Orwell would have revised both Animal Farm and 1984 had he read this article beforehand? This is insane!
It is the wet dream of thieving predatory politicians and organized crime. The insanity of this is the voyeuristic component as in peeping tom that will attract the worst types and will eventually lead to leaks that turn into blackmail and extortion of persons looking for job promotions and public office, and subversion of court decisions, government contracts, business contracts, and to theft of business information, and every imaginable corrupt and illegal practice that was less doable before.
insanity that crosses relationship boundaries has no limits. This whole spy thing is a rabid dog on the loose.
Aldous Huxley was spot on writing “Brave New World” recognizing Government use of Media,Pharma,and especially Surveillance. Pharma Food, Corporate Education, chemically altered food supply on and on.
Retired people are useless to business. They are a burden to the health system and social security. The republicans will say “If your family can’t support you, then you shouldn’t be around”. If in doubt, ask them. Ask Cruz. Those convalescent homes, those hospice places? Ticker SOY, company Soylent Green, inc. Sure, it’s science fiction, today.
Oh no. Retired people don’t prop up the economy at all. Just look at the impoverished economy desert scape of most of Central and South Florida. No way.
Err should I be concerned? Sorry, I’m not. I’m against drag-netting *private* communications, not against processing and analysing *public* comments, *public* photographs, and *public* social networks.
In fact I find this an obvious, sensible, and reasonable tactic on part of the CIA. In fact I believe the FBI and every major police force should be doing the same.
The information being collected is information that people voluntarily share. It’s information that can highlight social movements, social unrest, identify social networks, inform on the public’s mood, and pick up danger signals quickly.
Let’s not go overboard here.
Nah, don’t be concerned… By the time they get to rounding you up, it will be too late anyway.
So you won’t mind that guy who is following you everywhere you go? And when you confront him he just looks at you, snaps on the recorder, takes your pic, films you as you go about, takes notes, and says nothing. He has a relationship with you, but it is not recipricol. He is a big part of your life, uninvited. He will follow your wife. Your family. And he promises he is only there to protect you and protect everyone from you. And he never never never makes a mistake. And when he does, and he will, he will deny it and persist.
Good to know there are people so blindly trusting like yourself. What could possibly go wrong?
Man Overboard!
But they COMBINE all of the public data you don’t care about with all of the private data you do care about and they can use both to selectively create and propagate a public narrative that contradicts your private narrative.
FIVE EYES WORLDWIDE COINTELPRO 2016 IN THE US : We currently use public social networks to destroy the leaderships of contemporary advocacy groups, journalistic outlets and human rights advocates like Occupy, Anonymous, Black Lives Matter, Earth First, Animal Planet, Wikileaks, The Intercept, Tor Linux Tails, ACLU, NACDL, EFF etc. etc.
There’s you danger signal “Hdolog”. The wholly unconstitutional national security letter sanctioned sabotage of successful organically Anglo Grown issue based advocacy groups and their successful organizing strategies by destroying the lives of their top leadership and (these days thanks to total information awareness 2) right down to their newest actual , or even likely, members .
COINTELPRO Techniques
From its inception, the FBI has operated on the doctrine that the “preliminary stages of organization and preparation” must be frustrated, well before there is any clear and present danger of “revolutionary radicalism.”
CHARLIETHREEEEE Delay, Dissuade, Deny, Disregard etc
At its most extreme dimension, political dissidents have been eliminated outright or sent to prison for the rest of their lives. There are quite a number of individuals who have been handled in that fashion.
MONA MUST BE STOPPED BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY
Many more, however, were “neutralized” by intimidation, harassment, discrediting, snitch jacketing, a whole assortment of authoritarian and illegal tactics.
THE “REAL” GOING DARK JIM BOY. LIGHTS OUT FOR DEMOCRACY.
Neutralization, as explained on record by the FBI, doesn’t necessarily pertain to the apprehension of parties in the commission of a crime, the preparation of evidence against them, and securing of a judicial conviction, but rather to simply making them incapable of engaging in political activity by whatever means.
MUG SHOT PHOTOS FOR CRIMES YOU’VE NEVER BEEN CHARGED WITH OR CONVICTED OF, YOUR HAND CRAFTED SUSPICIOUS ACTIVITY REPORTS – IRREFUTABLE FALSE ACCUSATIONS BY ANONYMOUS PARTIES, SPREADING UNFOUNDED RUMORS AND LIES ABOUT FELLOW ACTVISTS AMONG THOSE IN THEIR SOCIAL CIRCLE…
For those not assessed as being in themselves, necessarily a security risk, but engaged in what the Bureau views to be politically objectionable activity, those techniques might consist of disseminating derogatory information to the target’s family, friends and associates, visiting and questioning them, basically, making it clear that the FBI are paying attention to them, to try to intimidate them.
SO AFTER ALL THAT YOU STILL WANT TO KEEP STICKING “THE MAN” IN THE EYE WITH A STICK (JUST LET ME GET MY WHITTLING KNIFE)
If the subject continues their activities, and particularly if they respond by escalating them, the FBI will escalate its tactics as well. Maybe they’ll be arrested and prosecuted for spurious reasons. Maybe there will be more vicious rumors circulated about them. False information may be planted in the press. The targets’ efforts to speak in public are frustrated, employers may be contacted to try to get them fired. Anonymous letters have been sent by the FBI to targets’ spouses, accusing them of infidelity. Others have contained death threats.
(CHECK, CHECK AND CHECK)
And if the subject persists then there will be a “further escalation”…
WELL ALRIGHTYTHEN. KEY THING THERE IS THAT THE DOMESTIC VICTIMS OF “FURTHER ESCALATION” AT THAT POINT (THANKS TO ALL OF THE PRECEDING STEPS) WILL BE PRETTY ISOLATED SO WHATEVER “THEY” START DOING TO YOU AT THAT POINT WILL FOR THE MOST PART BE BETWEEN YOU AND THEM. AT THAT STAGE YOU GO TO THE INDEX CARDS. ONE STACK IS FOR UNIQUE ANOMALIES WITH AN OBJECTIVE THIRD (AND EVEN FOURTH PARTY) REVIEW AND VERIFY PROCESS. ONE STACK IS FOR FULLY EXPLAINABLE REAL WORLD TECHNICAL, TEMPORAL, BIOLOGICAL OR INTERPERSONAL SNAFUs.
IF YOUR STACK OF “ANOMALIES” IS LARGER THAN YOUR STACK OF “EXPLAINABLES” RESEARCH YOUR ANOMALIES WELL. OWN THEM.
ONLY REVEAL THE IRREFUTABLE. AS I DID WITH MONA BACK IN JUNE (fightgangstalking is an FBI CONSTRUCT if ever their was one) WITH THE TAO ANGRY NEIGHBOR SET OF TOOLS RETROREFLECTORS THAT BEAM ENERGY INTO YOUR HOME NETWORK (AND YOU) AT THE SAME TIME.
Why beam something into you and your home network at the same time? Why design and market a facial cream to collect dna?
What was the data from Operation Optic Nerve being used for?
Why does the brain initiatives mapping of neural networks in real time builds healthier dendrite spindles in the researchers themselves?
Uh huh. And I’m sure you’ll be just fine with whatever they plop on the desk about you in sheaves. You won’t call your lawyers or be upset or anything. You won’t even call it a public dossier.
I’m sure that you won’t stand up for the CIA when the caring people who do oppose what they do with our information do write the Parallell Government’s ombudsman, complain to the CPFB, the FTC and their Congress people.
If you do, I’m pretty sure you either work there or you’re married to them. SO, I am not all that worried about what you have to say. I am worried about all of the good people who don’t say anything to cut In-Q-Tel’s finance saddle from the US taxpayer.
Because I do not want to pay for this shit.
UPDATE: Line by line, how the US anti-encryption bill will kill our privacy, security.
instead of hacking into everyone Diane Feinstein proposes a bill to reduce encryption. give it a quick look to see how the warrior mind is supposed to be working for goodness for americans in every way.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/13/burr_feinstein_antiencryption_bill_is_out/
notice the look about her face. She does not have the expression of a good person amongst the people. Just my opinion, but twisted faces, twisted mind, the ugliness, cant really do right by good. imo.
UPDATE 2: US anti-encryption law is so ‘braindead’ it will outlaw file compression.
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/04/14/burr_feinstein_bill_prompts_protests/
this is what happens when a bad operating system environment hits a brick wall. it is the equivalent of a nervous breakdown. it is akin to a third world dictator who is easily insulted.
Another great article, Lee!
Benito commented that one day, we’ll look out the window and trash our devices.
Methinks that the Metcalf Road substation attack terrorists* were already way ahead of the curve on that idea.
Their attack skillfully used communication expertise (where and how to sever fiberoptic cables **) and engineering expertise (how to disable transformers by using AR’s to shoot up oil cooling tanks***) demonstrated a severe infrastructure vulnerability for later exploitation. The crime goes unsolved and buried because the FBI and CIA haven’t a clue.
*The FBI refuses to call this domestic terrorism, just “vandalism” but..
**..AT&T and..
***..PG&E both do and have $250,000 rewards awaiting claimants.
Oh yes, they are very aggressively sub contracting all the data miners that can then stream the still only slightly filtered data on to the next tier in the pyramid. All the big data companies such as Google, face book , linked-in & others stream their data onto the next filtering stream & you & I will or can become logarithims to be tagged as subversive, dangerous or just put on a community watch system. Its out there & although about 1.7% of this data has had any real advantage in intelligence gathering, they tend to want to fuck you up if you question, complain or challenge. It will get worse.
They want to know as much about us as we know about them. The people of the United States of America should know everything about what we own.
in the linked page you will find a list of references beyond compare.
http://techrights.org/2013/06/15/nsa-and-microsoft/
and that’s just for beginners.
We are not an insect colony but we are headed that way.
MICROSOFT TO MERGE WITH NSA?
As buried into microsoft as the nsa has been over the decades, it only makes sense that one be the parent company.
got a business? do your employees have email with microshunt? how do you know that information isnt going to any competitors? how do you know? if you lose a bid, or a few customers, how do you know that info wasnt extracted and released to an info analyzer at some other company then passed on? how do you know?
got your data or email with microshock email? or faceboot
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2338534/Edward-Snowden-speaks-NSA-contractor-leaked-details-surveillance-scheme-reveals-himself.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2345477/Revealed-The-secret-rules-allow-NSA-spy-U-S-citizens-accidentally-collected-data-years-use-warrant.html
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3542522/Big-brother-bank-Staff-creating-secret-psychological-profiles-customers.html
Russian researchers expose ‘NSA’s secret
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2956058/Russian-researchers-expose-breakthrough-U-S-spying-program.html
US government secretly EXPANDED NSA
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3111233/To-stop-cyber-attacks-NSA-expanded-US-web-surveillance.html
The people of the U.S. are being abused by the thieves who want wars for profits. Notice that gold mon sucks is pre-empting PBS newshour with scam ads on how you can pledge your public property then try to collect from the people after their jobs are shipped out so that gold-sucks can then take ownership of your public property.
The current currency system must be replaced.
And if we didn’t know or suspect:
http://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2016/04/15/474405951/your-conversation-on-the-bus-or-train-may-be-recorded
Yeah, Big Brother is around…
microsoft is screaming “it hurts” when their secret affairs with FBI, DOJ and NSA are all pushing harder at the same time and microsoft is afraid everyone with sense is going to abandon their software, data centers and email services.
I WOULD. ( actually never did use them, never trusted them).
Invasive and unconstitutional Data Mining is just a (important) side issue keep us distracted from the real issue:
The real issue is that some connected insiders have found another source of endless Corporate Welfare.
The interesting thing with this is that Criminals are invariably one step ahead of Crimebusters because they have resources to play with – money, fear, subterfuge, greed, and so on. Here, the Governments are making everyday people the “Criminals”, but the everyday people aren’t playing a Game of Crime with any sort of view to win, and as soon as they do, the trap is sprung. However, at some point the everyday people will accept their status as the Criminals and get savvy and regain the advantage. It’s all kinda pathetic and creepy really as the End Game gets real messy.
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
translates to
this is a simple process called BASE64
it is easy to ENCODE and DECODE many places on the net
it is NOT secure, it is just visibly private
it can stop email scanners from wordmatching for advertising
it would be a nuissance spyguy companies
it will alert them and figure your have something to hide
BUT the truth is you have nothing to share with them
“If you are not invited into my space, stay out of my space.” – anonymous
HAVE A NICE DAY
The CIA believes it can turn a crazed jihadi into a double agent, and then refrains from patting him down for weapons, and the suicide bomber proceeds to blow up their CIA station in Afghanistan!
A CIA employee funnels money to a holding company in London, then leaves the agency and joins said holding company, over $1 million richer. (Wonder how many times that has happened?)
CIA agents are given the go-ahead by the Bush administration, and party through Europe on their “extreme rendition” tour, staying at four-star hotels, while feasting and five-star restaurants, and renditioning many an innocent person!
CIA analysts — with proper authorization and authority — dispatch a geriatric, sickly (as in diabetic) retired FBI money laundering expert to Iran, where he is promptly captured — they then pay $2 million to his family not to go public about it, and they promptly do!
I do not want these people in charge of anything — I only want them audited for the very first time — a full scale forensic audit has long been in order.
The last president to demand an audit of the CIA was President John F. Kennedy, and after his assassination that order disappeared into the Dallas wind!
Sorry! That was “CIA analysts — WITHOUT proper authorization and authority” — my error!
it’s like bruce willis said in die hard, “it’s a robbery” and the citizens of the u.s. are being looted by government gone rotten corrupt and evil.
The last president to demand an audit of the CIA was President John F. Kennedy, and after his assassination that order disappeared into the Dallas wind!
wow. just noticed that. i don’t recall that being mentioned but i think COL. FLETCHER PROUTY alluded to it. The CIA at the time wanted to use and direct the u.s. military and JFK nixed that. Texas and the bush crime family have been in the thick of all this since LBJ and his cia hitman. The CIA is at it again.
The CIA needs to be downsized by 80% for starters. i hear Angela Merkel just allowed criminal charges against a german comedian because his royal assness erdogan was insulted. Her royal unamericaness Feinstein was insulted by the BDS protest and she wants to criminalize the people from protesting or promoting BDS. I think she would say something like “America wouldnt be the country it is if it weren’t for people like me!”. She belongs in a mental ward for the criminally insane. That an insult too?
The u.s. has become a nazi state and most of the population doesn’t know it.
Senator Frank Church, where are you now that we need you?http://nsarchive.gwu.edu/NSAEBB/NSAEBB522-Church-Committee-Faced-White-House-Attempts-to-Curb-CIA-Probe/
Now all we have is Feinstein who does nothing when the CIA hacks her Senate committee computers.
Epiq.
Epiq Solutions designs and builds state-of-the-art wireless systems for both commercial and government applications. These applications include the detection, classification, and location of radio emitters, as well as real-time processing and decoding of Layers 1, 2, and 3 for numerous wireless radio standards (including 2G/3G/4G cellular).
Mention some of the other toys agencies have inherited from the military including weapons that target innocent civilians unjustly accused of dissent.
Directed Energy Weapons, slow kill, no touch torture.
Enlightening article, but I was surprised when I saw Docker on the list. First of all Docker is a well-funded company that probably doesn’t need a boost from the CIA. Secondly, as a Docker user, I am not aware of anything they do that is remotely related to social media monitoring. For those unaware, Docker is a widely used “containerization” technology that organizations use to help manage and deploy software, especially in the cloud.
I followed the article’s link to the Docker contract and it merely shows that they are making a small purchase:
“one (1) Node License including Docker Engine, Docker Trusted Registry, Docker Universal Control Plane & Business Day Support 6AM – 6PM PT, Monday – Friday, one (1) year subscription.”
This looks to me like a simple purchase of services. It would be like buying Windows licenses from Microsoft. This does not look like Docker is being added to In-Q-Tel’s portfolio. So this makes me wonder about the validity of the rest of the list of In-Q-Tel portfolio companies in the article. Am I missing something? How was this list obtained?
Are you missing something? Yes you are missing something. You stated what you are missing and you didn’t even see it. That’s missing a lot of something.
one (1) Node License including Docker Engine, Docker Trusted Registry, Docker Universal Control Plane & Business Day Support 6AM – 6PM PT, Monday – Friday, one (1) year subscription.
IF you do not know the importance of this in the spy game, then you are missing much more than something.
Need more info? post your concerns on some tech talk sites.
here’s a quicky for ya.. the cia will reverse engineer the code for their code implant program.
have a nice day
and yeah- the cia wants to compete with the nsa
I’ve personally used these and other Docker technologies and they don’t have anything directly to do with social media monitoring. Sure, they could be used as part of a system that does. In fact, I would be surprised if they aren’t. However, so could any other generic technologies like CPUs from Intel or operating systems from Microsoft.
But that is beside my original point that a purchase of a service is still not the same thing as being added to In-Q-Tel’s investment portfolio, which is what this article is stating. Maybe Docker *is* in In-Q-Tel’s portfolio, but that is not what the cited evidence is showing.
I notice that both Wikileaks and Jacob Appelbaum have failed to post any tweets since April 7, all of a week ago. What’s up? Anything going on? What’s maybe going down? Anybody got any info or any clues to offer?
Appropriate article for April 15th, aka “Mothers” Day. Government owned private enterprises. This is like the foxes guarding the hens.
We are approaching the singularity: the point at which the number of analytics companies on Twitter exceeds the number of users. If present trends continue, Twitter will eventually consist of a single user, tracked by a thousand CIA startups. To convince the last Tweeter to remain on Twitter, they will create a millions bots to flag ‘likes’ and ‘retweets’ and post sycophantic responses to every Tweet. But it will ultimately be in vain.
One day, the Last Tweeter will look out the window, see the sun shining, toss their digital device in the trash can, open the door and step forward into freedom.
“Like” and “Retweet” buttons pushed here.
“Well written Deuce!” “Love you sir!”
Ditto!
Only guessing, but if this link were featured everywhere, perhaps facebook would go bankrupt and twitter would take a dive.
Then what, the NSA and the spy guys would be out of business?
Then what, the Feinstein censorship group would write a law mandating that the public use fakebook or get 5 years in prison and $50,000 fine?
Then what, people would protest and the government would shoot protesters or rendition citizens?
Then what?
Great piece. I’d love a deep dive investigation into Palantir. The Silicon Valley Langley connections are ominous. And Palantir is growing like a weed, taking all available Palo Alto real estate.
do you want to live life as a human being or do you want to live as an insect colony?
See here for a good backgrounder:
http://www.inc.com/eric-markowitz/the-shady-role-of-start-ups-in-nsa-war-on-cyber-terror.html
“According to some recent Edgar filings, it’s clear that Endgame is the real deal. Listed among the company’s directors are some of the most powerful and influential players in the world of cyber security. There’s Christopher Darby, the CEO of In-Q-Tel, the venture firm behind some of the CIA’s most secretive technology programs; David Cowan, a managing partner at Bessemer; and investors from Paladin Capital Management and Columbia Capital. . . Palantir, a secretive, Palo Alto-based start-up is another of the same ilk.””
Paladin Capital features James Woolsey, who played a starring role in coordinating Bush and Blair’s disinformation campaign on Iraq, i.e. spreading the lies about WMDs and links to 9/11. It’s amusing to see how the CIA tries to gloss over the role of their “HUMINT” program in promoting the Iraq War in their pep talks, just as they try gloss over their role in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal.
In reality, the CIA played a central role in both scandals, and the result was an illegal invasion and subsequent uprising that killed thousands of American soldiers, over a hundred thousand Iraqi civilians, and set the stage for the rise of Al Qaeda and ISIS in Iraq – and astonishingly enough, people who were deeply involved in that debacle are still running the agency and working as its top private contractors.
Consider the following from the Oct 26 2001 UK Telegraph on the Woolsey visit to coordinate the PR game with Blair:
“The milled, ‘weaponized’ anthrax that virtually shut down Congress and killed two postal workers has increased [Woolsey’s] suspicions… All this, Mr. Woolsey said, made it imperative that America ‘should look under that rock’ to establish whether Iraq helped Al-Qaeda to carry out the September 11 or anthrax attacks. . .”
It’s clear that the anthrax attacks were domestically sourced, and no, the FBI never found the culprit – their accused target, Ivins, didn’t have the means. Probably the most likely source was the Dick Cheney gang.
Woolsey then goes on to say, “If the government chooses, based on the information it has, to take military action against any other state outside of Afghanistan, I believe that the world will see our reaction in that case will be ruthless, relentless and devastating… in the American vernacular – you ain’t seen nothing yet.”
When you look at these people, their strutting and posturing, their idiotic incompetence and dishonesty, their sleazy contracts with government agencies greased by their personal contacts – they’re just like the Soviet bureaucrats and apparatchiks, feeding at the public trough while waving the ‘national security’ justification.
Suppose ISIS is defeated which will probably happen. The world is happy and everything is good. Then what, these businesses close shop? I dont think so. I think they create a few false flag events and make enemies and ramp of world problems so theses spy guys can get big money contracts.
IT’S A ROBBERY.
megalomania is a contagious mental disorder based in arrogance
phase 1, self-righteous media puppets
phase 2, paranoid policies
phase 3, jailing protesters
phase 4, police militarism
phase 5, monitoring the population
phase 6, censorship
phase 7, prosecutions of political “foes”
phase 8, acceptance of dictatorship
Interesting to note that Richard Perle gave Peter Thiel (founder of Palantir) his introduction to Adm. Poindexter in order to obtain CIA funding for Palantir.
So how does Thiel know Richard Perle? Both Thiel and Perle sit on the board of American Friends of Bilderberg, Inc. (as obtained from 990 tax forms) along with David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, Jessica Mathews, et al.
Consider also:
Ted Schlein, general partner, Kleiner Perkins Caulfield & Byer (of Ellen Pao discrimination case fame) – serves on the board of In-Q-Tel, the venture capital arm of the Central Intelligence Agency. He’s also on the Paladin Capital board with Ex-National Security Agency director Lieutenant General Kenneth A. Minihan.
David Cowan, partner, Bessemer Venture Partners – sits on boards including Postini, Cyota, Nominum, Endgame and Defense.net with Tom Ridge, former secretary of Homeland Security, and Lt. General David Deptula, former deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance with the U.S. air force.
Those are interesting examples because they shows how the corporate-government-alliance game works: get a position in government, make a friend in a venture capital firm, after ‘retirement’ move over to a lucrative board position, where you use your contacts in government to pull down lucrative contracts for your new friends. One should also remember that synonyms for for ‘corporate-government-alliance’ include ‘fascism’ and ‘communism’. . .
As far as Palantir, it looks like that’s where the DARPA Total Information Awareness (Poindexter-managed) mass surveillance development program exposed in 2002 ended up:
http://techcrunch.com/2015/01/11/leaked-palantir-doc-reveals-uses-specific-functions-and-key-clients/
Funny though, given Palantir’s powerful data tracking abilities, nobody seems to be using it to track down corporate money hidden in offshore accounts. . . but maybe some hackers will pirate the system and use it to effect. That would be utterly hilarious.
what is needed is a family tree style of these people and their relationships. maybe call it THE WAR FAMILY. Should be a public information service. Maybe we (whoevers) can get a fundme together to make this happen.
I love how PUBLICLY FUNDED municipalities are “contracting with Geofeedia” to target specific entities viewed as threatening. My God, has the writing been on the wall for so long that its become an ancient unreadable text?
Great reporting, Lee! And well done on Twitter during the debate tonight.
Too bad for all these companies that everyone is moving to Snapchat and Whatsapp. Bye bye, eavesdroppers.
Lee and crew, WELL RESEARCHED AND DONE
“If you give me six lines written by the hand of the most honest of men, I will find something in them which will hang him” (Cardinal Richelieu). Looks like over kill.
We need a functional Intelligence agency with strict oversight we do not need a secret Government; wherein, One who respects the Construction and rule of law is an “Insider Threat,” and One who acts on such beliefs is an enemy of the State.
Great work, Lee – thank you.
Definitely time for the CIA to be shutdown permanently. As for the organizations referenced in the article that are complicit, they are absolute scumbags.
Solid piece of reporting, well done all concerned.
Geofeedia has apparently removed the pages referencing its application to Greenpeace, campus, and minimum wage protests. Do you have screenshots you can post?
wow…. and whoa! surprise. surprise. surprise.
No surprise to myself. In order for their keyword intelligence to have meaning it has to have context. In order to have context it has to have a connection – that would be you. And you would be SCORES FOR A PROFILE.
I have seen this coming. I was alerted when ATT was creating the “splitter” so they could read the internet traffic. Amazed and concerned i was. I didn’t say anything about it because i figured this was just our spy gov doing the usual wire-tap and that as easily as i knew it, so did the whole tech community. It was widely published. You should have seen this coming.
The next thing the spy guys did; in congress, Trent Lott and Pierre Hollingsworth nixed the VOICESTREAM buyout by Deutsche Telekom because they were concerned the F…B…I… did not have the equipment for the comm protocol. Again, i realized that spying on americans was a big deal.
SO HERE WE ARE. Get a clue. If you do not want to be charged and imprisoned for exercising free speech to criticize or insult the government gone paranoid and rabies mad-
1. never use your real name.
2. always use a dedicated nonsense email box – no personal stuff! no cell phone, no other email connect.
3. never make threats of harm.
4. avoid keywords in ordinary conversations and instead use kinky clever subs like “today american jets boomed isis” stuff like that.
5. avoid conversations with trappers (like a few on this board) who are out for personal info, leanings, and who want to lure you into a worse trap like false charges.
change your regular email once a year. You are know by your ip and email. Don’t make it easy for them.
We have entered dangerous nutjob times as these “gotta-have-an-enemy-soz-i-kin-be-a-hero” types have found a home and these types, when they get together, they go cruz crazy. You are warned.
What, me paranoid? The gov-gone-nuts has created industries of spies in the u.s. because it is now part of the MIC and they are greedy beyond greed. They now worship money- didn’t used to but since 911? oh yeah. They are completely mad. And it is all about money.
have a nice day.
Change you
barabbas,
It’s easy to “hyperventilate” in times such as these. I genuinely believe that most CIA are honest men and women, so keep that in mind. Secondly, you are small potatoes my friend. There’s much larger fish to fry. The real players on not wasting time ranting on TI.
I think it is important to be vigilant, but to also stay on the level. Nonetheless, you bring up good situational awareness and security points. thx
” I genuinely believe that most CIA are honest men and women, ”
SO DO I.
Of course, the average trooper in the Wehrmacht or the person working in the weapons factories were probably good people and remained so.
i understand.
you are most welcome.
6.) Teach your children that anything they post (or even read) online can be attributed to them for life.
It’s like the drug conversation. “Look honey: if you smoke some weed in high school you’ll probably be fine, but if you ever do cocaine once – and I mean once – you preclude yourself from tens of thousands of jobs and entire careers, because they have lie detector examinations. You’re soon going to be free to do what you want, but you need to understand the true repercussions. Repeat back to me how you understand this. Now let’s talk about what you read and post online. Let’s talk about letting your friends use your devices.” Etc.
I believe it is probable that if your 14yo kid spends the afternoon on KKK.com or whatever for a laugh, it will actually show up in a report as tangible and real evidence of potential terrorism that can follow him for life.
I believe that datamining children is absolutely essential for the American Stasi to do their jobs correctly, and identify any form of dissent early. All sub rosa.
That’s what I think.
Freedom of speech has been dying a slow death for decades now. Unless society magically overcomes its fear of its own shadow, we’re only going to see more of this.
All based on 6th grade reading levels?
I hope in my lifetime the CIA is disbanded for the health and future peace of my children.
cia gone mad like mad dog. The more power they have, the more they want. They got really upset when JFK took them out of the “large military operations” business and could no longer “use the military” for their illegal and immoral behavior.
The new emerging political party in America will have that as part of their platform. The new party and platform will recruit candidates. The people will come to own their own government, occupy their own government, and rule over themselves.
It’s like 1775 never happened and the brits and their bankster thieves and kings never lost their colony.
It’s all good, Amigo. We’re all going to be okay. But I hear you.
As far as me being small potatoes, ok by me. And i always rense my potatoes before i cook them.
I don’t understand why privacy advocates would be opposed to this type of monitoring. By definition, social media feeds are public, and there should be no expectation of privacy. This is the information that the CIA and other agencies should be examining. Unlike, trying to break encryption on private communications, where there is a very high expectation of privacy.
@Ed –
I’m sure you won’t mind, then if these outfits send YOUR data to the CIA, FBI and even other local LE agencies so they can build up the dossier on you. And as I noted below, Trevor Timm noted fitbit data has already been used against defendants in court.
Be REAL careful what you’re wishing for.
Solid point.
But go sell level-headed perspective somewhere else. Only crazy is lauded here. ; )
Except the feeds these guys get also include people who have set their profiles to private, which is meant to share with close friends and acquaintances and cannot be considered to be public.
the Licensing of feeds gives them access beyond what you or i can find by just poking around the website.
Kids: Don’t forget to click on the twitter and facebook links conveniently located at the top of each article, which somehow don’t seem to count as advertisements–I think the logic here is that the Intercept is so business incompetent that this permanent paean to propaganda and datamining doesn’t count as actual advertising.
The CIA took a lot of criticism for its failure to predict the Arab Spring pro-democracy movements and intervene in time to protect numerous dictators across the North Africa, Middle East and Central Asian zone from the effects of populist pro-democracy uprisings.
One fascinating issue is the role U.S. academic social science researchers are playing as an adjunct to the CIA corporate effort described by Fang & Williams. I’ve seen a few examples, here’s one:
https://www.washington.edu/news/2011/09/12/new-study-quantifies-use-of-social-media-in-arab-spring/
Consider the conclusions of this study: “Recent events show us that the public sense of shared grievance and potential for change can develop rapidly,” he said. “These dictators for a long time had many political enemies, but they were fragmented. So opponents used social media to identify goals, build solidarity and organize demonstrations. . . .”
Who financed the study?
“The Project on Information Technology and Political Islam is supported by the National Science Foundation and the George W. Bush Institute.”
Those conclusions are taken by the White House, the State Department, the CIA and NSA as evidence of the need to aggressively survey social media in order to identify, target and defeat the efforts of pro-democracy groups to replace their dictators with American-style democracy characterized by free elections, independent judiciaries, and human rights – all of which are threats to U.S. neocolonial economic control of the natural resources and economic activity of countries in North Africa, the Middle East and Central Asia.
Make no mistake: if the White House and the State Department and the CIA could have blocked the Arab Spring democracy movement from ever taking place, they would have. It threatened ‘our allies’ like the Saudi Royals and Bahrain and Egypt’s Mubarak (a close personal friend of the Clintons). Indeed, even in Syria, there was an effort to undermine the populist democratic uprisings by the Saudis, who instead backed radical Islamic groups over the populists, because the last thing the Gulf Arab dictatorships want is populist democratic uprisings in their own countries – ISIS was initially formed with funding and weapons from Saudi Qatar, and the CIA as a proxy force that would fight not just Assad and Iran, but also any Arab Spring pro-democracy groups.
One has to recognize that the central agenda of the U.S. in this region is not supporting human rights or democratic reforms, but rather keeping client dictators like Egypt’s Mubarak in power. While many point to the ouster of Libya’s Gaddafi as a counterpoint to this argument, recall that Gaddafi was embraced by the U.S. in 2003 after opening up his oil concessions to BP, Exxon, and other U.S.-British oil majors, unlike Saddam, who was going with the Chinese and Russians (and converting his dollars to euros). Gaddafi was immediately declared WMD-free (he actually retained stocks of chemical weapons and processed uranium ore, unlike Saddam), and until the Arab Spring, he enjoyed close relationships with Blair, Sarkozy, Condi Rice, etc. The U.S. only worked for his ouster when it became clear the Libyan public was going to get rid of him one way or the other; the Obama-Clinton intervention was more about trying to choose his successor than anything else – an utterly inept effort, too.
Now if one instead embraces the radical notion that the same democratic values that Obama, Clinton and the Bushes profess to support in the United States should be the same ones we endorse in these regions? “That’s subversive, dammit!” Which makes me wonder, wouldn’t these politicians really prefer to import the dictatorial government model to the U.S. itself . . . and doesn’t that explain their obsession with expanding domestic mass surveillance?
Yes, they would prefer to import the dictatorial government model, but there has to be a veneer of democratic governance. Or at least a few symbols.
“Now if one instead embraces the radical notion that the same democratic values that Obama, Clinton and the Bushes profess to support in the United States should be the same ones we endorse in these regions? “That’s subversive, dammit!” Which makes me wonder, wouldn’t these politicians really prefer to import the dictatorial government model to the U.S. itself . . . and doesn’t that explain their obsession with expanding domestic mass surveillance?”
very much worth repeating and thanks for your contribution – most valuable.
We have been reduced to chattel in the eyes of our overlords. Either as monetary units worthy of wealth extraction or as dangerous entities(like a virus) slated for destruction or imprisonment . Both grow the pie for those same overlords. Speak up people.
good call. great observation. we are expendable and wallstreet mines mainstreet.
There are questions we must answer, having written the questions, answered then and signed them at the people’s congress for the new Declaration of Dependency.
1. Are people who are alive and living today entitled to life support?
2. Shall we replace the economy with a new one that works for everyone?
3. Shall persons in elected office or appointed positions be charged and arrested for proposing laws that violate any of our rights or entitlements?
This MUST HAPPEN.
In 1775, the people of the colonies fought and died for a prescription called the Declaration of Independence. That sacred document needs an upgrade. I command it.
The casino is the world in the eyes of the CIA; and to permanently rig the game is simply the intelligent thing.
The premise of this article appears to be: this type of surveillance is wrong.
If that premise is accurate, than why was there no uproar when corporations used the same technique for marketing purposes online over the last decade? When you buy something online, you get ads related to that purchase for months. Even before the internet, marketers obtained the data from credit reports and all types of other sources.
This data has had corporate and government value for generations. For somebody who is admittedly not tech savvy, how do we stop that? Wouldn’t that be impossible? What is the proposed solution to this problem? Banning data mining? How would you implement such a plan?
I think the issue is, what is the government’s agenda behind such data mining? Providing better services to people? Increasing voter turnout via pre-election messaging? Somehow, I doubt that’s what the CIA is interested in. . .
The rationale for this effort dates back the the CIA being caught flat-footed by the outbreak of the Arab Spring, resulting in it sitting on the sidelines in confusion while ‘loyal US allies’ like Mubarak were thrown out of office by populist pro-democracy uprisings that the CIA was unable to sabotage.
The premise of this article appears to be: this type of surveillance is wrong.
WRONG STATUS QUO ADVOCACY GUY. INACTION MAN CHOKES ON MONOTONE DRONE. SOFT ALGORITHMS ELUDE HIM. STOPS DISTRACTING WORKING GROUP, CURLS UP IN BALL STOPS COMMENTING.
If that premise is accurate, than why was there no uproar when corporations used the same technique for marketing purposes online over the last decade?
THERE HAS BEEN AN UPROAR. IT CONTINUES GETTING LOUDER.
ITS LIKE THE LION HOUSE IN HERE.
When you buy something online, you get ads related to that purchase for months. Even before the internet, marketers obtained the data from credit reports and all types of other sources. This data has had corporate and government value for generations.
CARLIETHREE. YAWN.
As somebody who is admittedly not tech savvy, how do we stop that?
WILLINGLY AND PASSIONATELY WITH EVERY MEANS AT YOUR DISPOSAL.
Wouldn’t that be impossible?
TO THE UNMOTIVATED, DISINCLINED OR COMPLICIT SUPPLICANTS.
What is the proposed solution to this problem?
DISPATCHING BLAND ACQUIESCENT DULL APATHETIC INTERCEPT DISCUSSION BOARD PLEBES HELL BENT ON PUSHING THE ENVELOPE ON INERTIA.
Banning data mining?
YOU GOT A PETITION OR SOMETHING? CHARLIEONEEEE AND CHARLIETWOOOO STANDING STILL MOTIONLESS FROZEN INSUBSTANTIAL PASSIVE INCONSEQUENTIAL OBSERVERS.
How would you implement such a plan?
WITH YOUR HELP? VERY UNLIKELY.
i am quite convinced that C3 is their clever playname on CIA. They do this kind of junk so as to throw it in our faces for a laff thinking we are too stupid to know better. But their assignment is to FISH FOR INFO, A PLAN, to see if there even is a plan out there and who all knows about it and who all is connected and involved. THAT’S HOW THE PUKES OPERATE.
Count on it.
As for answers to C3’s assignment that they can take to their office- here is the plan. It’s the SECOND COMING OF JESUS. Except that this time i doubt he is going to be a pacifist since he already demonstrated his wrath by turning the tables on the banksters.
E PLURIBUS UNUM
@charlietrheeee –
Oh gee, did you NOT get the part about gathering data on protesters and activists? Do you want them to build a dossier on you, or do you think you’d somehow escape that? You BET this is wrong!
As far as corporate data mining, I don’t think there was an outcry because we did NOT understand the scope of it. Nor did we understand that the data is very likely also fed right to the government; that is, whatever they don’t scoop up themselves. Now the government can arrest people. I think some folks are concerned that data could be used against folks at a future time. Heck, Trevor Timm at The Guardian told us fitbit data has already been used against defendants in court. I think this mass data mining needs to be opposed NOW! And don’t forget the CIA is NOT supposed to engage in DOMESTIC spying, are they?
Truthfully, I’d like to see ALL this data mining and capturing ended. Personally, I don’t understand why folks go for the next and next increasingly intrusive gadget or app. I do think we need to fight hard for whatever safeguards we can get implemented.
“Blow up your TV, throw away the paper, move to the country, build you a home; have a bunch of children, raise em on peaches, try and find Jesus, on yer own.” J. Prine.
@hook –
Don’t know your intent but that is pretty extreme. One shouldn’t have to be secluded NOT to be endlessly tracked. Unfortunately it’s getting harder and harder to not get surveilled. More should be questioning WHY the need for all this data mining and surveillance. People need to up their critical thinking and stop giving into all the fear mongering. And we need to again, strive to see if we can’t get any safeguards and real, meaningful oversight. It will be tough going. But I do believe the dangers are real.
Though it’s not likely many will read this since the story will be archived soon, I’m going to say it anyway:
I have done some deviant things and “they” have already documented some of it. I am not in favor of ongoing surveillance. I’m just wondering how you close Pandora’s Box on a comments forum.
in the event you are sincere about closing Pandora’s box on a comments forum, you speak. You own your voice. You do not bend just to be considered a winner because a real winner speaks even if it means disfavor. That’s #1.
#2. You find that you are not alone.
#3. You call for a convention like the colonists did in the founding of America. You write the proclamtion. You get vote for agreement.
#4. You call for willing persons to be elected. Lots of them. Everywhere. And you get elected.
#5. You do as Jesus may have done had he lived. You outlaw the ones who attempt or propose to ruin “the sacred relationships”.
Jewish persons (who are not zionized) in israel and the u.s. are some of the most experienced and sensible people who have the means and examples of how to do this correctly and can be counted on for their pure hearts. Bernie Sanders is an example of such goodness and knowledge.
@charliethreeee –
See, we ARE getting to read this! I’m glad you’re not in favor of something like mass surveillance. As for closing Pandora’s Box on a comments forum…
Well, I like barrabas’ reply. His #1 is great, but it does require real courage! But I think the problem is more complex than just a comments forum. It starts with tracking to send data to advertisers, which even in aggregate can be pretty revealing. Once that data is around, it can be shared —– with well, who knows? The gov’t spy apparatus has been shown to get data from the big tech companies, for one thing.
So I think part of it is the business model needs to change, though I’m not sure how to get that accomplished. But I think it should be done. For example, advertisers in paper newspapers had no way of knowing how long you took to read a story, what ads you looked at, etc.. And businesses did ok, right? Now, even at TI, they are looking at what stories a user is reading and how long he or she stays on the page. Other sites have probably even more intrusive data gathering. And it’s not limited to just comment boards. Smart tvs can record conversations, there have been kids’ toys that record conversations, etc.. So I would love to see consumers REJECTING the more and more intrusive stuff.
Again, I think the real danger lies in sharing with LE and gov’t agencies. We really need to totally change mindsets that it’s ok to sacrifice liberties for security. There are many folks aware of the dangers of doing that, but many more need to get on board. We need as many voices as possible to fight for safeguards and meaningful oversight.
That’s my two cents, anyway.
” I don’t understand why folks go for the next and next increasingly intrusive gadget or app.”
People are born with imperfections, handicapps, disorders. Some are afflicted in such a way that they exhibit stark in-your-face contrasts to common behavior. Kleptomania, agoraphobia, perfectionism and such that are recognized as clinical disorders.
The problem in America is that the abuse in the past and the ongoing abusive nature of competition for life support together do not show the contrast of what should be considered a disorder – that being the fear relationship changes whereby the victim of this type of disorder feels the need to rule over others. This disorder was clearly present in the men associated with the salem witch hunt and trials. My guess is that this disorder is in the spectrum range of autism.
Bully behavior is also a disorder. Under certain conditions, like a constant competitive environment, the disturbance works into the personality and can be quite monstrous.
Wealth hording and ambition is another. These persons feel a huge need to call the shots, be in control. It is a disorder but is not clinically recognized.
These problems should be considered serious enough as to constitute an achilles heel of America. But the arrogance of those in power will not accede unless Bernie Sanders is president and proper action is taken.
@barabbas –
Very interesting points. You have named some real problem disorders such as abuse of others, bullying hording and over ambition, I’ll call it – and yes, arrogance. They are indeed behaviors that have been plaguing our society.
But I guess what I was getting at with that statement is, WHY do so many buy into this — who cares if I’m being tracked mindset? Are they totally propagandized, in denial, of authoritarian bent anyway? I can’t say I’ve cut my ties to all that, but I don’t usually now sign up for any more loyalty cards, try to watch signing up for sites and such, and I’m not on social media. I just can’t see the attraction say of some gadget that monitors our vital functions, while being connected — too much opportunity for hacking for one, and too much potential for data to come back and haunt one. Why more people don’t see all the potential pitfalls is what I don’t get.
“WHY do so many buy into this?”
The overly competitive environment of America calls such behavior as an asset and because this behavior is a part of the economic environment and rewarded, it is accepted by good people who haven’t realized the injuries nor seen a greater threat down the road. The U.S. is a realtively young inexperienced country in the evolution of cycles of power and greed. They suffer the “ignorance is bliss” syndrome.
“Are they totally propagandized, in denial, of authoritarian bent anyway? ”
Sure – and in all those aspects depending upon their method of accepting subjugation. The “normal” state of people is self-sufficiency. But people have adapted to an interdependent society (also normal) but in the u.s., that interdependency is unequal, off balance, and hierarchal based on power and wealth (not normal, common, not good).
“I can’t say I’ve cut my ties to all that, ..”
True – the downside now outweighs the upside. Theft, impersonation, and in the u.s. in particular, the process of elimination style of decision making places more emphasis on the negatives, not the plusses. This is very evident in politicians whose only platform is to criticise the opponents. ie- Cruz has no platform.
“Why more people don’t see all the potential pitfalls is what I don’t get.?”
Well, it’s the brick wall syndrome. Which gave birth to the “if it ain’t broke don’t fix it” method. At some point in every person’s life, once their pattern of survival is established, they don’t see any farther than they have to. Their routine becomes wired in.
Lack of planning and foresight, stumbling along, propelled by greed with the attitude that when something goes wrong we can fix it or let it be someone else’s problem, as if the earth is immune to our operations. Dumb.
Once lousy things become a part of the economy, it is near impossible to uproot. Uprooting oppressive power and money is like 1775 action. Revolutions like that are not a good solution because using the same methods as an evil person or group would has people competing with them at some point and the destuction of lives and property etc is a real loser.
Like high taxes as a target for the wealthy not to pay, power is the same – that is, greedy persons will target power as something to take if there is a lot available. Relieving common ownership of the power to own public resources is a major target.
How do you wake people up?
1- Show them how much they have been robbed of
2- what things would be like for them now had they not been robbed
3- the future of what things will be like for them and their generations if the robbery continues.
And not just offering info here and there – but a full blown complete program identifying the operators by type, the hierarchy, where people really are, and finally, WHAT A SUITABLE REPLACEMENT IS AND WILL PRODUCE.
Suitable Replacement.
And that will take a new constituional convention and declaration of dependence (as opposed to independence) and a new currency system.
If this is not accomplished, the current currency system of mandated growth will destroy the human operating environment as we know it.
Social-capitalism works and works best.
Finally – in the Bible it says that whosoever accepts Jesus as savior shall not perish but have everlasting “LIFE”. Life recycles. Perhaps people should be asking themselves what they want to come back to.
@barabbas –
WOW – really. thoughtful reply. You’ve certainly given me (and I hope others) LOTS to think about.
Some things I particularly nodded my head to:
“The overly competitive environment of America…”
“…but in the u.s., that interdependency is unequal, off balance, and hierarchal based on power and wealth (not normal, common, not good)…” – I just would add the U. S. is not the only country where this is so…
“At some point in every person’s life, once their pattern of survival is established, they don’t see any farther than they have to…” I read an article about folks who are economically struggling – the thesis of the article was that just trying to get through daily life left them little mental and often physical resources for planning ahead to better him or her self and/or family
“Social-capitalism works and works best.” —– good thought; shame that “socialism” is way too often used as a scare word!
Your suggestions on waking people up are good. I try to do this to a limited extent. Usually I get blank stares or basically ” Nah – can’t be so.” My blog doesn’t seem to be getting much traction, either. So I don’t know what outfit would do such a complete program. One can wish and hope, I guess.
Now I don’t think a Constitutional Convention would be a good idea; who knows what could happen. It would be WAY too unpredictable.. But I do feel we have to have some really mass cry for REAL CHANGE.
I’m skeptical about reincarnation —- but not totally dismissive… however, your point about our Lord and Savior (as I am Christian!) is well taken. We Christians should definitely try to live by the precepts of Jesus; we may not always totally live up to them, but we should at least try. Wasn’t it something about ‘loving each other?’ And those of other faiths (or agnostic or atheist) should still, as human beings, strive to live by the Golden Rule. Following THAT would go a LONG way toward solving our problems, I would think.
Anyway, thanks for so much to mull over!
“How do you wake people up?”
If the solution to mass surveillance is waking people up, than maybe we are all screwed. In my experience, the percentage of people who pay attention to these sorts of things is relatively small. Plus some of the people who pay attention do not think mass surveillance is a problem.
In other words, we are not alone but are we even the majority on this topic?