Tech | February 16, 2012 | 64 comments

Have You Broken News On Twitter or Facebook, Maybe Current? Then ‘They’ Have a File on You:

source: http://www.fastcompany.com/1816814/department-of-homeland-security-explains-social-media-mon...

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Anonmaly
At a Congressional hearing this morning that veered into contentious arguments and cringe-worthy moments, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spilled the beans on their social media monitoring project.

DHS Chief Privacy Office Mary Ellen Callahan and Director of Operations Coordination and Planning Richard Chavez appeared to be deliberately stonewalling Congress on the depth, ubiquity, goals, and technical capabilities of the agency's social media surveillance. At other times, they appeared to be themselves unsure about their own project's ultimate goals and uses. But one thing is for sure: If you're the first person to tweet about a news story, or if you're a community activist who makes public Facebook posts--DHS will have your personal information.

The hearing, which was held by the Subcommittee on Counterintelligence and Intelligence headed by Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-PA), was highly unusual. Hacktivist collective Anonymous (or at least the @AnonyOps Twitter feed) sent a sympathizer to the visitor gallery to liveblog the proceedings under the #spyback hashtag.

Interactions between the DHS officials and representatives were often strained--both Chavez and Callahan were scolded and chastised by Representatives from both parties. Reps. Billy Long (R-MO), Meehan, Jackie Speier (D-CA), and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) all pointed out issues relating to what they variously saw as potential First Amendment violations, surveillance of citizens engaged in protected political speech, the fact that an outside contractor handles DHS' social media monitoring, DHS' seeming inability to separate news monitoring from disaster preparedness, and a massively unclear social media monitoring mandate on the DHS' part.

Video footage of the hearing has already been made available on YouTube, and the written testimony of both DHS experts has been made publicly available. Privacy watchdog group EPIC also filed a formal disclosure to Congress on the results of a FOIA lawsuit. DHS appears to have also stonewalled EPIC regarding their social media monitoring project. The results are staggering.

According to testimony, the Homeland Security Department has outsourced their own social media monitoring program to an outside contractor, defense giant General Dynamics. General Dynamics was the sole party to the original DHS contract, which was not offered to any outside parties--and Chavez was caught misleading the Committee about General Dyamics' sole status.

General Dynamics employees responsible for the DHS social media monitoring contract are required to attend a training course in DHS privacy practices several times a year. If General Dynamics employees misuse the personal information of journalists, public figures or the general public (to include Twitter or Facebook users) in any way, their punishment is restricted to additional training classes or dismissal from the project.

General Dynamics and the Department of Homeland Security are primarily engaging in keyword monitoring of social media. Callahan admitted in sworn testimony that the bulk of the keywords used by DHS were chosen as the result of being included in commercially available, off-the-shelf bulk packages. These bulk keyword packages were later customized according to DHS specifications.

The DHS, meanwhile, is truly interested in breaking news tweets. The Twitter handles, Facebook names and blog urls of first witnesses to news events (the attempted assassination of Gabrielle Giffords and a January 2012 bomb threat at an Austin, Texas, school were specifically cited) are being recorded. Homeland Security claims this information is only used to verify reports, and that dossiers are not being assembled on private citizens and that personally identifying information is regularly scrubbed from their servers.

Another worrying tendency is the fact that DHS appears to be keeping tabs on individual American citizens engaged in community activism and hot-button political issues. EPIC's evidence package to congress included FOIA-obtained data on community reaction to the housing of Guantanamo detainees in a Standish, MI prison. Against the DHS' own guidelines, the agency compiled a report titled Residents Voice Opposition Over Possible Plan to Bring Guantanamo Detainees to Local Prison-Standish MI. This report contained sentiment gathered from newspaper comment talkbacks, local blogs, Twitter posts, and publicly available Facebook posts--something expressly forbidden by the DHS' own policies. Chavez and Callahan claimed that the report was not disseminated and that privacy policies forbid similar things from occuring; nonetheless the report was made and not obtained by EPIC until they sued the DHS.

In testimony, the DHS representatives appeared unclear on what the collected data would actually be used for and which agencies would be using it. Hurricane Katrina was constantly bought up as a talking point, but Committee members were constantly blocked when they asked how Homeland Security would be using their social media findings. In addition, barriers preventing other government agencies from obtaining sentiment information from DHS on individual journalists or private citizens is extremely flimsy; when Rep. Chip Cravvack (R-MN) asked Chavez what he would do if, say, the Attorney General was asking for information, Chavez simply answered that his agency's mandate forbid him from doing that. While that answer is fine and good, it also infers that the DHS has not put proper inter-agency data security safeguards in place.

The hearing was less Big Brother then sloppy-kid-down-the-block... only with a big fat government contract. When numerous Committee members, including Long, questioned Chavez about the existence of similar social media monitoring projects at other government agencies, Chavez said he didn't know of any. Meanwhile, the Associated Press--in a major story--reported on Monday about the FBI putting out a contract for an almost identical project. As a mid-ranking official responsible for analysis operations, it is assumed that Chavez would have a vested interest in knowing what other government agencies were up to in the same field.

At other times, neither Chavez nor Callahan could answer to the Committee's satisfaction why a contractor was hired for the job nor why the federal government was misled on the duration of General Dynamics' social media monitoring contract.

According to testimony, a second, classified, Committee meeting on the subject of DHS social media monitoring was held on February 15 as well.


http://www.fastcompany.com/1816814/department-of-homeland-security-explains-soci...
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64 comments // Have You Broken News On Twitter or Facebook, Maybe Current? Then ‘They’ Have a File on You:

  • Milieu
    • 0
      Milieu  

    • Have You Broken News On Twitter or Facebook, Maybe Current?

      Is that anything like breaking Wind on twits, faceybooke, or Current?

    • 3 months ago
  • Lisayou
  • dugdog47
  • Hardytoo
    • +2
      Hardytoo  

    • Get this: this week, the Canadian Minister of Public Safety (in charge of all cops, hidden cameras and justice) tabled a Bill requiring all ISPs to provide lists of ALL search terms and searches, Tweets, Face Book posts, etc of all Canadian residents - ALL OF US- to the Canadian Gov't - his rationale is that he could then "catch all the pedophiles and pornographers, and members of organized crime of any shape or kind." He remarked that "If you're not in agreement with this move, then you're on the side of the perverts." Cool, huh?
      Almost immediately, someone released a Twitter feed outlining the Minister's dirty divorce (so we could all "learn" about what HE's been up to).
      So we're moving even faster than you guys are toward the "Big Brother" model.
      This is terrifying stuff; the Bill even covers encrypted msgs (eg thru Blackberry).
      The entire "rest of the government" (the Opposition parties) and each and every citizen, is spitting-mad. After being beaten down for two days in the House of Commons, the right-wingers said: "Oh, we might accept a few amendments...."
      This whole continent is going down the crapper.
      I'm going to go find his email address so you might send him your fond opinions, should you choose. I'm sure you've got a few....

    • 3 months ago
  • Hardytoo
  • wally60
  • SIBob
    • 0
      SIBob  
    • Image

    • Like that dildo G.W. Bush used to say, bring it on! The domestic spying operations have been going on for some time now, it's not unique to this era. Old J. Edgar and his first boss A. Mitchell Palmer did this back in 1919, (and others did it before that). In those days they either shipped everybody out on the "red ark", or they let the American Legion string you up, (like what happened to more than a few "Wobblies"), (IWW members). It's the price we have to pay for telling the truth. Today's internet usage and blog participation is so prevalent they would need a tremendous army of individuals to gather an almost infinite pile of data that would be duplicated every day. What are they going to do, lock us all up? (Maybe that's the plan when they eliminate Social Security.) Hey, at least we'll have a roof over our heads. Then we can sing Solidarity Forever and bang our water cups on the bars. Won't that be fun?
      http://sibob.org/wordpress/

    • 3 months ago
  • remanns
  • remanns
  • hoosierdaddy
  • remanns
  • DEM46
    • +1
      DEM46  

    • Interesting but I hope you're not surprised.

      Since I work within in the HLS web they should have a real interesting file on me. Kind of like Joker in Full Metal Jacket with his Peace sign on his uniform. A real dichotomy. :)

    • 3 months ago
  • percipi224
    • +2
      percipi224  

    • HEY! does it say something...when the trolls are conspicuously absent from responding to this article..hm, very interesting! in my best mad scientist accent...

    • 3 months ago
  • Tayllerand
    • +2
      Tayllerand  

    • Those who do not believe that there is a conspiracy all over the world are destiny to die. I know they have a file on me , and I bet that says, he is not a treat, he is just piss the way we are running the country. He also believes that the reptilian annunakis aka blue eyes shape shifters are controlling the planet and we are their puppets..

    • 3 months ago
  • Vierotchka
  • remanns
  • danitassin
    • 0
      danitassin  

    • I'm pretty sure "they" have a file on me. That's ok though, I've got nothing to hide.
      It'd be nice if they were listening to see how to better run our country, but nooo they have to listen just to make sure we all agree with "them".
      I wish "they" would ask me how I felt. I'd be glad to tell them, and be glad to get to ask them why they made some of the choices they have already.

    • 3 months ago
  • EmperorThan
    • +1
      EmperorThan  

    • I hope DHS has a file on me and I hope it says:

      "This guy is a brain-dead retard who doesn't know what he's talking about. I argued with him for 20 minutes about NOTHING on Twitter. Fucking who gives a shit about 1990's pop trivia?!?! Who would argue about this menial shit with a total stranger?!?! Just.... just fuck this guy. NOT WORTH WASTING YOUR TIME ON!"

      with the ellipsis and all hahahah
      (then it might look like some of the comments I get on StumbleUpon)

    • 3 months ago
  • circlesquared
    • +1
      circlesquared  

    • we are definitely being watched and have been for some time...why do you think posts get lost to spam? where did all these negative nellys come from? directing all minds is a big part of their game.

    • 3 months ago
  • R3zn8D
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • NEVERSCARED
    • 0
      NEVERSCARED  

    • Seems like a waste of money and time tracking ppl like us, maybe they should focus on those back woods non CPU using mountain men or the Cross burning sheet covered cowards, this is not a black site we are not hiding and plotting a fucking takeover. How about the Gun hoarders? Why follow a public site? This really makes no sense.

    • 3 months ago
  • youngdebater
    • +1
      youngdebater  

    • so just for posting a news story they'll have a file you. that is messed up. the reason why people post news on twitter, facebook, current ect. is because they want others to see the stuff they dont show on tv!!! this is the place i get MY news, so yeah put a file on me. Put a file on me for getting my news somewhere else. I DARE YOU!

    • 3 months ago
  • RevKen
    • +5
      RevKen  

    • I am quite certain that there is a file on me. I hope they read it every day. Sooner or later they might come to understand it.

    • 3 months ago
  • circlesquared
  • Lisayou
  • RevKen
  • RevKen
  • PeteLeS33
    • +3
      PeteLeS33  

    • We are in such a mess. This should be just as an important issue as the Citizens United. Not only do we need an amendment for CU but we also need an amendment for the dismantaling of Homeland Security, ( which was origionaly supposed to be temporary ). We have the technology now where we don't need secret priviate information collection agencies being paid millions of taxpayer dollors to monitor what we say over the web. If someone is legally suspect, and warrents are issued, there is pleanty of tools that can eavsedrop on the suspect.

      As we see with Anonymous and other hacking groups that hacked government databases and websites that Homeland Security can't even keep their own information secure. I am sure that HS employ their own IT experts to handle online security.

      I think the reason Homeland Security is still around is because our government is afraid of its own people, afraid of the influence of the internet, how rapidly it is expanding, the ability of the people educating themselves on how to operate the systems that are available on the market, and the speed at which news information becomes available.

      Like the old saying goes, "An educated society knows no Fear".

    • 3 months ago
  • Incredulous
    • +4
      Incredulous  

    • There was a piece on one of the major news shows this evening about a university in North Carolina that is using social media monitoring to ensure its athletes do not tweet things that they shouldn't. The entire monitoring project was presented as something the athletic department was doing for the sole purpose of protecting the future careers of their athletes. Big Brother is watching out for you sort of thing, with a ridiculous attempt being made to normalize what they are doing.

      It's like all these people are being employed to watch other people....what the hell kind of society is that, when you have one group of people being paid to watch another group of people....so wrong, so childish, so sick.....

      and meanwhile, across the hallway, education budgets are being cut, social programs to help the poor are being cut, legislation to control contraception is being mandated. WTF....

    • 3 months ago
  • percipi224
    • 0
      percipi224  
    • Incredulous:

      college athletes and wanna be anarchists....it also is in jr. high. my 13 year old is a straight A student, national junior honor society, and when she was named drum major her bloody christian music teacher checked her facebook. my daughter and some friends did clown masks at halloween, OMG ICP this woman went to the principal, there was this incredible meeting that had nothing to do with my girl. this was about the band teacher and how it might look....i suspect someone, a chick, was jealous and told the teacher to cause trouble. my girl was onto other things by then and was and still is feeling betrayed by a teacher whom she respected and now realizes didn't know her at all. its a hard lesson indeed to learn that people don't care about you per se only how good you can make them look.
      to paraphrase b. franklin....you haven't lived till they have a dossier on you......i can't wait for drones so i can sit outside and flip them off when they fly over.....

    • 3 months ago
  • coolplanet
  • The_Wanderer_Kansas
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • joeredford
  • corderodedios
  • dinm76
  • joeredford
  • corderodedios
    • 0
      corderodedios  
    • joeredford:

      I wasn't disagreeing with your plan. It's a positive thing what you've been doing. Maybe we ran into each other in DC in '69. You're right in refusing to be fearful.

      The point is that the Feds are out of hand, way worse than back then. Today we face not only the war atrocities overseas, the war has come home. NDAA effectively defines the battlefield as right here, right now. Now if you give support to the enemy, i.e. protest, you can be called an enemy combatant, or at least treated like one. Farfetched? Why'd they do it? In the wrong hands, these laws are poison. So pick your poison - protest against the war over there, or the war here. There's two wars now. By defiinition. You're either with them, or against them. Your odds in getting sucked up into the machine are much greater now - and this business about you not doing anything subversive, is that your definition, or theirs? But I am most definitely not suggesting you stop doing what you are doing, whatever it is, to derail the machine. Even blog about it.

    • 3 months ago
  • KB723
  • Progresshiv
  • coolplanet
  • corderodedios
  • kennymotown
    • +7
      kennymotown  

    • Thats why it's ever more important that we have 100 million of us breaking news! Things have to be forcibly changed by the masses, and if your scared I don't want you in my foxhole!

    • 3 months ago
  • The_Wanderer_Kansas
  • kennymotown
  • pjacobs51
  • kennymotown
  • pjacobs51
  • The_Wanderer_Kansas
  • pjacobs51
  • Truthitswhatsfordinner
  • attilatheblond
    • +5
      attilatheblond  

    • No surprise. But my file started decades ago when Nixon was POTUS and the FBI had scouts on every college campus in America. Yep. Those purdy suits knew what the black berets on campus were. And they knew the brown berets. But they were damned confused about the pale blond chick in the red beret, white sweater, navy blue hot pants who kept struttin in front of them when people spoke for McGovern on the quad.

      Damned fools never figured out: red white and blue.

      And we won't even mention that school board meeting that almost turned into a riot when that blond who got to sit with the board jumped up and shouted what one member told another under his breath at that meeting about barrio schools not getting funded......

    • 3 months ago
  • JanforGore
  • coolplanet
    • +7
      coolplanet  

    • I'm sure I have a whole file cabinate devoted to me at the FBI from the things I've done in my life. It doesn't scare me one bit. I'm just hoping they learn something in the process.

    • 3 months ago
  • The_Wanderer_Kansas
  • joeeddy
  • The_Wanderer_Kansas
    • +5
      The_Wanderer_Kansas  

    • Umm let me state the obvious overlooked fact here, If you have CREATED AN ACCOUNT on Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, or any other social site they have had a file on you since you hit "I agree" to the ToS.

    • 3 months ago
  • corderodedios
    • +3
      corderodedios  
    • The_Wanderer_Kansas:

      True perhaps, but there was an item in these pages a short while back about a guy in Britain who tweeted that he was going to raise hell in the US - he used the term "destroy" in that tweet in the context of 'party hardy," and he was picked up at LAX and expelled from the country. Sucked to be him, for sure, but think about the larger ramifications. To accomplish such an act, the Feds' computers have to screen every word in every tweet in the entire world. They do it because they know the things they do enrage a lot of people, and they have no intention of stopping doing those things. They want to know if you object, and if you do they have certain laws now that allow them to deal with you. Even in Argentina in the worst days of the "disappeared," there were no laws allowing Argentine authorities to "disappear" people - but now we do, here in the land of the free. Connect the dots. You really want to be going out of doors when there's random shots being fired?

    • 3 months ago
  • The_Wanderer_Kansas
    • +1
      The_Wanderer_Kansas  
    • corderodedios:

      Oh I wasn't saying it stopped at account creation, I was just pointing out the shortfallings of this articles title. On your other points, I think more of us are ready to answer the call then they are expecting. If things don't boil over this summer, buy the time the first foul is called during our next election it will be "throw em up and let the cards fall where they may". This country will be severely different one way or another come this time next year... I could almost promise that.

    • 3 months ago
  • bailey78
    • +6
      bailey78  

    • Have You Broken News On Twitter or Facebook, Maybe Current? Then ‘They’ Have a File on You....like NO Way !! Why would they want to spy on Us??

    • 3 months ago
  • 2hellnwait
  • bailey78
  • Anonmaly
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