Government Proposes Expansion Of Intelligence Gathering To Social Media

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by Frances Martel | 8:20 pm, September 27th, 2010

» 11 comments

New reports have surfaced that the federal government is requesting access to the personal accounts of individuals on various online utilities for intelligence-gathering purposes. Besides going after Facebook and Twitter accounts, authorities are hoping to get congressional support for eavesdropping on Skype conversations and other social networking information.

While some technology companies are either too small to have the required technology or have moral inhibitions about the government having access to the private information of their users, most larger social media companies have done their share to aid the demands of the intelligence community and comply with the law. That said, criminals have begun to tap into the ability of smaller communications programs to plan criminal activity away from the sight or hearing of the law. That law might change soon, as the executive branch puts pressure on Congress to pass laws that will help collect information against terrorist organizations and drug cartels. The New York Times explains:

Essentially, officials want Congress to require all services that enable communications — including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct “peer to peer” messaging like Skype — to be technically capable of complying if served with a wiretap order. The mandate would include being able to intercept and unscramble encrypted messages.

The debate is in its nascent stages (or re-nascent since fading away from the early-aughts PATRIOT Act discussions), so it will probably be some time until companies like Skype begin to feel real government pressure to breach the privacy of their users in the name of national security. However, if the subject at hand catches on, especially so close to the November elections, it could be fuel for the future news cycle.

A report on the new proposed measures via Fox News below:

Federal government, fox news, intelligence, Internet, National Security, Privacy, Skype

right-is-wrong

OOOOOH.

Big Brother is watching.
Azarkhan

When Bush was president, Democrats opposed the Patriot Act. As soon as they are in power, they renew it.
Democrats opposed rendition and Gitmo. Pres Obama now permits the CIA to kill American citizens overseas.
Now this attempt to access and monitor internet accounts. Leftist Democrats are the biggest hypocrites in America.

“However, if the subject at hand catches on…”
LOL. With the MSM in Obama’s hip pocket, that is unlikely.
felixw

Hey, it’s okay for the government to expand massively its espionage of US citizens. Because, like, it’s not Bush doing it. And Big Sis has told us that the real threat of violence is coming from right wing voters here in the US of A. So you gotta keep tabs on them. And they are blowing up bombs all the time. Well, maybe once. In the last century…..
The Real Royal King

felixw said:
Hey, it’s okay for the government to expand massively its espionage of US citizens. Because, like, it’s not Bush doing it. And Big Sis has told us that the real threat of violence is coming from right wing voters here in the US of A. So you gotta keep tabs on them. And they are blowing up bombs all the time. Well, maybe once. In the last century…..

That’s another lie. No one said right wing VOTERS.
notsofast

felixw said:
Hey, it’s okay for the government to expand massively its espionage of US citizens. Because, like, it’s not Bush doing it.

Bingo!

You hero ZERO about Gitmo ever since Barry lied about closing it .
right-is-wrong

notsofast said:
You hero ZERO

time to take your meds
notsofast

right-is-wrong said:
time to take your meds

Your hero is a Zero!!!

hahaha
jk76

I don’t know. It sounds reasonable from the article to comply with a lawful wiretap order. New technologies are something that should be addressed sooner, while it’s the new normal, before it gets surpassed once again. Electronically transmitted items, you should always assume, will not be private. There are always hackers and phishers. Every slope is slippery, but sometimes you still have to go out there, just make sure you have a good footing.
right-is-wrong

notsofast said:
Your hero is a Zero!!!

hahaha

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i-T1h7J0R-Q
Kitsune

It’s hard to put a sniper outside the window of everyone who says they don’t like this administration if you don’t have the authority to trace everything they type on the internet, after all.
Nachi

Not much “intelligence” to be gathered in the social media. Murcuh at its embarrassing best.