Tech | January 26, 2012 | 19 comments

FBI seeking social media monitoring tool

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KB723
By Agence France-Presse
Thursday, January 26, 2012 21:27 EST

WASHINGTON — The US Federal Bureau of Investigation is looking for a tool to mine social media for intelligence tips.

The US domestic law enforcement agency is asking information technology contractors about the feasibility of building a tool that would “enhance its techniques for collecting and sharing ‘open source’ actionable intelligence.”

The January 19 open request was published on a website offering federal business opportunities and was first reported by New Scientist magazine.

The FBI said it is seeking an “open source and social media alert, mapping and analysis application solution” for its Strategic Information and Operations Center (SIOC).

“Social media has become a primary source of intelligence because it has become the premier first response to key events and the primal alert to possible developing situations,” the FBI request said.

“Intelligence analysts will often use social media to receive the first tip-off that a crisis has occurred,” it said.

The FBI said the tool “must have the ability to rapidly assemble critical open source information and intelligence that will allow SIOC to quickly vet, identity, and geo-locate breaking events, incidents and emerging threats.”

It would need to be able to “instantly search and monitor key words and strings in all ‘publicly available’ tweets across the Twitter site and any other ‘publicly available’ social networking sites/forums.”

It would also need the ability to “search the data across a myriad of parameters and view terrorist activities by location, terrorist group, and type of attack and see trends and analytics.”

In addition, it would have to be able “to immediately translate into English, tweets and any other open forum publically available social media captured in a foreign language.”

Interested parties have until February 10 to respond to the FBI request.

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/01/26/fbi-seeking-social-media-monitoring-tool/

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19 comments // FBI seeking social media monitoring tool

  • galwayman
  • KB723
  • R3zn8D
    • 0
      R3zn8D  
    • Image

    • this is a joke right?

      They already have this...

      Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communications_Assistance_for_Law_Enforcement_Act

      See also

      Carnivore (FBI)
      DCSNET
      ECHELON
      SORM (Russia)
      Hepting v. AT&T
      Lawful interception
      Magic Lantern
      IPFabrics
      Verint
      Pen-Link
      Policeware
      Room 641A NSA interception program (started circa 2003, but first
      reported in 2006)
      Secrecy of correspondence
      Secure communication
      Surveillance
      Telecommunications Intercept and Collection Technology Unit
      Telephone tapping
      Total Information Awareness

      Also see HBGary Federal, Palantir, Bericho, sock-puppet, ROMAS/Coin, Team Themis

      Check out what social monitoring really looks like:

      www.pearltrees.com/#/N-p=21350325&N-u=1_107377&N-fa=1156090&N-s=1_2845341&N-f=1_2845341

    • 27 days ago
  • fiberbundle
  • fiberbundle
    • 0
      fiberbundle  

    • Why do they need to reinvent the wheel. Just tweak and commandeer Google's algorithms and databases. Do the same with Twitter and Facebook. These are your three revolutionary and potential revolution sustaining technologies. Nobody expects the Inquisition.

    • 27 days ago
  • warman1138
  • LivingPong
    • +2
      LivingPong  

    • Mine social media for intelligence? So much for the billions of dollars spent on surveillance technologies. I did notice they were going to avoid Facebook and Youtube, that's got to avoid Terrabytes of useless data. It's probably more likely to offer up useless information in an untimely fashion.

    • 27 days ago
  • KB723
  • COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM
    • +2
      COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM  

    • It seems that we must up our insistence on social media privacy. That's why I use Ixquick instead of Google, because I don't want the F.B.I. noting which dog food or underwear I buy online. However, it's the site we visit that we Must Insist on insuring our privacy, or we Must Refuse To Patronize them! Sellers, beware.

    • 27 days ago
  • KB723
    • 0
      KB723  
    • COMMONSENSEFORCOMMONGOOD_COM:

      True, and for sites like this that Thrive on viewer additions of news and video, I say it would be Wise, but I still must add that Al Gore has also attended the Bilderberg meetings... Not that, that really means much, but I am always sure what side of the Fence the players are on....

    • 27 days ago
  • Anonmaly
    • +1
      Anonmaly  

    • Looking for an upgraded program is all.....

      Trust the DoD can intercept and process all information into a database, and they do. They run it through analytical software, and already have us all figured out and categorized...

      Now maybe, the FBI doesn't have access, but the DoD, CIA, and the NSA already does, and if the FBI doesn't have it they don't need it, and no more money need be spent on such projects....

      It's simply a matter of refining the programs that categorize us at this point.... And to a programmer with an understanding of psychology, it's not that hard, they know wtf we're going to do, as do many corporations or their marketing gurus....

    • 27 days ago
  • KB723
  • dudefromtherock
  • KB723
  • KB723
  • PressCore
  • Radical_Centrist
  • KB723
  • KB723
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