The U.S. Department of Homeland Security regularly monitors dozens of websites, including Facebook, Twitter, WikiLeaks, YouTube, and even
the New York Times Lede Blog, Global Voices Online, and the Blog del Narco, in
order to "collect information used in providing situational awareness and
establishing a common operating picture," reported Reuters.
Why is the U.S. Department of Homeland Security monitoring
American journalists in the USA?
In the USA freedom of speech has its appropriate and legal
limits, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Be aware that the
U.S. government is watching journalists to monitor what they write or say. See
the site, Department of Homeland Security Preserving our Freedoms.
This initiative is called the National Operations Center
(NOC)’s Media Monitoring Initiative. The 'operations' sprang up from the DHS
headquarters in November, 2011. Washington has the written permission to retain
data on users of social media and online networking platforms. See, Department
of Homeland Security's National Operations Center.
And check out the site, Daily Kos "DHS to "collect personal
information from news anchors". Here's what the DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security)
can do. The DHS announced the NCO and its Office of Operations Coordination and
Planning (OPS) can collect personal information from news anchors, journalists,
reporters or anyone who may use “traditional and/or social media in real time
to keep their audience situationally aware and informed.”
In real time, eh? Traditional? Keeping readers informed?
That means you also, the citizen journalist. Watch what you say and stay
'normal' and 'appropriate.' If you rant and rave or show emotion in your
writing (unless it's compassion), you will be monitored, even your tweets and
guffaws.
According to the Department of Homeland Security’s own
definition of personal identifiable information, or PII, such data could
consist of any intellect “that permits the identity of an individual to be
directly or indirectly inferred, including any information which is linked or
linkable to that individual.” Previously established guidelines within the
administration say that data could only be collected under authorization set
forth by written code, but the new provisions in the NOC’s write-up means that
any reporter, whether someone along the lines of Walter Cronkite or a budding
blogger, can be victimized by the agency.
Check out the article for details, Homeland Security monitors certain journalists | Travel Underground. According to that article, included
in the roster of those subjected to the spying are government officials,
domestic or not, who make public statements, private sector employees that do
the same and “persons known to have been involved in major crimes of Homeland
Security interest,” which to itself widely opens various possibilities.
Remember when people used to 'flame' others in social media postings? Well,
this seems to be a somewhat like a watchdog over similar postings and news
leaks and beyond to news writing, including anchor news commentators on the air
as well as in print and online.
Ask yourself why the government is spending resources
watching those who observe the news and report it with or without pay?
Maybe it's all about shutting up supporters of WikiLeaks.
Maybe nobody should leak anything out, but citizen journalists, of course, have
no access to anything leaking if they are otherwise freelance and unemployed
and have no contacts other than children, kitchen, and maybe husband.
Sure, it has to be about the whistleblower sites online. Why
else would journalists be monitored by the Dept. of Homeland Security? What do
you think? Should your Twitter account always be given to federal prosecutors?
How about going to law school and becoming a federal prosecutor yourself, if
you can compete for such a job? But for most of us unemployed, low-income
freelance journalists who work as independent contractors, does the event have
any meaning at all of what our Twitter accounts say? Who would care? Well, the
government would care if you were a whistleblower.
This week the
Homeland Security's National Operations Center (NOC) published a complete list of
the monitored websites. Besides the New York Times Lede Blog, other news sites
and blogs on the watch list include the Huffington Post, the Drudge Report, a
couple of Wired blogs, ABC News' investigative blog "The Blotter,"
and Ushahidi Haiti.
The NOC’s Media Monitoring Initiative, approved in November,
means the government "can collect personal information from news anchors,
journalists, reporters or anyone who may use 'traditional and/or social media
in real time to keep their audience situational-aware and informed,'"
according to RT.com. The monitoring has been going on at least since June 2010,
Reuters said.
Anne Hart speculates for All Voices that the monitoring
initiative is really about keeping tabs on potential whistle blowers and
journalists who might report the leaks.
According to the Chicago Examiner, the initiative has
"serious implications for not only journalistic freedom, but to all
Americans', freedom."
Should you care? For journalists covering numerous types of
news, be aware. The DHS is monitoring journalists from the WikiLeaker to the
Whistleblower and beyond. Maybe it's time you asked to see your file, if there
is any.
Knight Center for Journalism
ALLVOICES
I guess you cant Say Doughnut Eaters anymore without some ass hole repelling from a Hellicopter onto your backyard? Sad.
ReplyDeleteThis isn't news... big brother been watching people for decades and always will..
ReplyDeleteThis makes you so angry.So they are going to monitor blogs?How far is this going to go?Can they then enact some bogus safety law,and close a blog down?More erosion of right to speech and true feelings,do we have to watch what we say?Well fuck that,this is about the truth,not some watered down political version that they want disseminated.Exactly why do they need to monitor blogs?Haven't they already been doing shit like this?I say fuck them,and keep right on doing and writing what we want.Look at the pressure that has been applied to Julian Assange of WikiLeaks,for what?The public is being treated like little children,"not in the public interest"who the fuck says so?Why do we think it is not transparent?Because its for our own good?Fuck no,its to hide the snide shit governments get up to,and don't want us to see.More power to Wiki and every spin off organization like it,the more the better.Let them monitor,just don't let them start muting internet censorship idea.It will come.
ReplyDeleteWho gives a shit???
ReplyDeleteAwesome, and I remember all the liberals going nuts because G.W. Bush wanted to listen in on terrorist phone calls and information. However they are completely silent on this issue which is far worse. lol
ReplyDeleteSo what, homoland security is a joke anyway!
ReplyDeleteIm kind of lost, wut does this article talking about?? IS IT SAYING THAT DHS IS GOING 2 KEEP AN EYE ON EVERYONE THAT COMMENTS ON WEBSITES,ETC..??
ReplyDeleteRegio, refer to first comment,
ReplyDeleteI am 100% Liberal
Congrats to BB on making the DHS hotlist. I printed the list. I'm gonna check out every site on the list I haven't looked at before.
ReplyDeleteAs i've stated before...
ReplyDeleteThe Department of Homeland Security is a life form that the powerful criminal oligarchies have given to their psychopathies. It is the embodiement of their paranoid obsessions and fantasies, the embodiement of their savage brutal disregard for the sanctity of human life, into a department of the US government.
"Who gives a shit?"
ReplyDeleteEveryone should care, or at min want to know exactly what will be done with personal files, who has access etc.
For some of us, personal information being accessed by certain groups amounts to danger.
They are going to keep files on people who write on blogs and news sources.
No files of citizens writing on blogs should be kept, it is impeding our constitutional right to freedom of speech and press.
If the gathering of info is in a general sense and no ndividual files I would have less of a problem with it.
This is very much news and different than anything before....I don;t want my real indentity out there...see below
“that permits the identity of an individual to be directly or indirectly inferred, including any information which is linked or linkable to that individual.” Previously established guidelines within the administration say that data could only be collected under authorization set forth by written code, but the new provisions in the NOC’s write-up means that any reporter, whether someone along the lines of Walter Cronkite or a budding blogger, can be victimized by the agency.
The government is not banned from reading what you publish for people to read? What a shocker. Do you think they should get a search warrant to be able to watch CNN?
ReplyDeleteChivis - you definitely don't want your personal info out there for zeta hackers to obtain. Stay safe. You guys do a great underatted job.
ReplyDeleteHow about Ron Paul!
ReplyDelete@10:11 Yep, probably in here too. So keep it anonymous and pray that helps. Probably praying won't help much. Ask Chivis, she'll know. Chivis...you here?
ReplyDeleteSo the government is going to be reading this blog? Big deal. In fact, they should be reading it. And what does "collecting personal information" mean? can't any private citizen collect personal information? I don't see the harm in any of this. All you conspiracy theory nutjobs, you think the government is going to give a shit what the editor of blog del narco does on his free time? Give me a break, the government is a big dumb unwieldy beast, who cares about making money, not wiretapping buela so they can continue the war on drugs. Take ur tin foil hats off.
ReplyDeleteShouldn't the government want to prevent leaks? Isn't this normal for a government?
ReplyDeleteBuela, anytime you do anything, personal data is being assessed. Drivers license, taxes, social security. You have a credit history right? And a medical history? And your blog is available on the internet right? Your the one putting it out there, so if you don't want to risk exposure, its on you to stop. any private citizen could gather info on you, link information you posted about yourself on your blog to tangible data. And a moderator could easily track your IP. There's nothing unconstitutional here.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't commit any crimes, why would it matter? Let big brother do its job. This is America!if anyone thinks they are being monitored,they have a guilty mind.
ReplyDeleteFuk u uncle sam and big brother u r the crookedest fucks on earth and use cartels tp hide the t trail of dog shit u leave every where
ReplyDeleteinvest in firearms and ammunition your going to need them sooner than you think :(
ReplyDeleteThe whole system is about ready to implode ....When Greece falls it will drag with it the entire european union and then the EU banks and after that our economy will be thrust hard into a depression.
I am watching a huge amount of crime be hidden from the general pubilc by the police dept in my area .....and then om top of that the media refuses to print anything
about it the cartels are pushing into the US hard and will continue to erode the US with very cheap drugs heroine and Meth are out of fucking control ...this is cincinnati not LA or new york ...
They cannot paper over what is coming by printing more money Fuck the other day someone gave me a box of Kraft mac and cheese and they shrunk the noodles and the amount in the box WTF lol ???
Inflation is strangling people and the economy and if fuel prices hit 4.00 again we will be at war with iran by spring or summer.
If the fucking government wasn't filled with incompetent thieving assholes we wouldn't be in this boat they are scare shitless of an open revolt in the USA.
Just my 15 cent lol
This will NOT stop me from speaking my mind.
ReplyDeleteThe government CANNOT take that freedom away from you.
Everyone knows that it's already written. One day the government will have complete control of the people. I don't know if this is the beginning but through the internet, the government will be able to have complete access of it's citizens. We can see that the government is already abusing this privelage.
I can understand how the right-wing religuous nuts strongly believe in having less government. They know some things.
I personally believe that all government is corrupt and that we are seeing the beginning of something real bad.
This will NOT stop me from speaking my mind.
ReplyDeleteThe government CANNOT take that freedom away from you.
Everyone knows that it's already written. One day the government will have complete control of the people. I don't know if this is the beginning but through the internet, the government will be able to have complete access of it's citizens. We can see that the government is already abusing this privelage.
I can understand how the right-wing religuous nuts strongly believe in having less government. They know some things.
I personally believe that all government is corrupt and that we are seeing the beginning of something real bad.
Watch the movie j Edgar by leonardio dicaprio (probably misspelled) and you will see how sneaky the gov can be. If there here watching: go bust a Meth lab instead of wasting your time here. Da bulls
ReplyDeletePpl been saying the same thing about the gov for a hundred years and they'll say it a hundred years from now. Everyone's life will be business as usual. Big brother doesn't affect you at all other than stoke ur paranoia
ReplyDeletecongratulations on making the list BB. I am a long time reader and I was in the dark till i found your site. thanks for the new list of sites i am going to see if i can learn anything from the others.
ReplyDeletekeep up the good work.
You missed your date for the start of monitoring. Back it up a few decades. Wikileaks did not publish anything that should have been over "classified". If anyone should be prosecuted for the leaks it should be the Sec. of State. 300-400k people had access to that server with no oversight.
ReplyDeleteAjulio
ReplyDeleteThere is no reason to stop speaking your mind. I mean seriously. No one here is doing anything wrong. Except sometimes being idiots-not you Ajulio. Since when, except in J. Edgar's day, is it wrong to try to figure out a complex situation by sharing and gathering information? We're fortunate to have this good outlet and I'll use it until it is forbidden which I can't see happening.
Fucking gringo fascists. All the republicans and their white trash meth-smoking voters don't give a fuck about the constitution. Losers.
ReplyDeleteWhat a joke!! Screw The Dept of Homeland (in)Security, what a waste of money and pathetic excuse for a branch of govt if they are really what they say they are (some feel it is a front for CIA personel to operate openly and freely.) another great example of right wing hypocrisy, Bush creating larger government and establishing the Patriot Act....why can't the military that is coming home from Iraq and Afghanistan take over those jobs?? I sure as hell don't see homeland security stoping all these drug boats washing up on our shores, think some people with up-to-date military training should be doing those jobs.....These sights should be monitored and already are as I have a friend who works in the Pentagon and knew very well what is going on in Mexico and who the players are. How about they shift over to working on a national power grid to get us off foreign oil which WlLL make us more SECURE. I have another friend who was trying to get a government job and I was interview by someone from homeland security however they were hired on behalf of DHS, not actually from DHS!! Either they are incompetent to do the interviews or like spending more of the taxpayers money then they have to!!
ReplyDeleteSucK it HLS-Illuminati mother fuckers
ReplyDelete@ 8:44 pm
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. I have nothing to worry about myself. It will not stop me from speaking my mind.
I think the government wasted a lot of time and who knows how much money passing this law. They already know who we all are and this site is free for anyone to monitor.
ReplyDeleteBB is a good website. Lots of good info. Honestly I am glad the government is now looking at BB. This way they will see what is going on. Better than getting all your news from just one source.
Was it James Bond or his boss who said that America hears its bad news from CNN. BB is so much better than CNN.
Love yall and keep the Mexican authorities and people in your prayers. Pray for a win and not a compromise.
I say bring it on. Borderlandbeat...you guys do a good job providing information on the truth even if it is sometimes graphic. Screw DHS...besides..why would they need to monitor you guys..the border is more secure than ever right? (wink)
ReplyDeleteYOu people are a joke, ignorant and uninformed.
ReplyDeleteBig deal. You guys are morons. This is all Chicken Little screaming the Sky is Falling. This is standard media monitoring that most organizations conduct, in both the public and private sector. Maintaining a dossier on reporters and their attitude on an issue or an agency helps the monitoring agency develop targeted outreach strategies. It also gives them a public perception of whether an initiative is successful or isn’t. They're not arresting anyone for their posts or reports. In fact, none of the linked stories cite specific documented examples of the feds censoring, arresting or murdering journalists or bloggers of harsh criticism. Substitute Microsoft or Johnson & Johnson for DHS and this is a nothing story. You want to get all freaky on something, focus on social media sites which sell your personal profile information to the highest bidder. Ridiculous!
ReplyDelete"Fucking gringo fascists. All the republicans and their white trash meth-smoking voters don't give a fuck about the constitution. Losers."
ReplyDeleteMotherfucker will you fuck off with your Racist shit.Who the fuck do you think is reading and writing a lot of posts on here?White people,(i sound like you)you calling people losers?White people disagreeing with a lot of this shit,and we got to listen to racist Mexicans,you know the way you don't like it,i don't like it.It makes you angry don't it hermano.So talk out your ass next time,we might get more sense.
I would just like to tell the US Government to kiss my gringo ass! End the damn drug war already and stop harassing the media. Enough is enough.
ReplyDeleteCongrats BB for making the list lol. That said it's ok since alot of people here most likely think that big government is ok. "I'm from the government and I'm here to help"
ReplyDeleteTo get an idea of what "Homeland Security" is really about, you need to check out the names of the people in charge.
ReplyDelete