AP Exclusive: CIA following Twitter, Facebook

[bloomington-lib]

Source: AP

In an anonymous industrial park in Virginia, in an unassuming brick building, the CIA is following tweets — up to 5 million a day.

At the agency's Open Source Center, a team known affectionately as the "vengeful librarians" also pores over Facebook, newspapers, TV news channels, local radio stations, Internet chat rooms — anything overseas that anyone can access and contribute to openly.

From Arabic to Mandarin Chinese, from an angry tweet to a thoughtful blog, the analysts gather the information, often in native tongue. They cross-reference it with the local newspaper or a clandestinely intercepted phone conversation. From there, they build a picture sought by the highest levels at the White House, giving a real-time peek, for example, at the mood of a region after the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden or perhaps a prediction of which Mideast nation seems ripe for revolt.
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The most successful analysts, Naquin said, are something like the heroine of the crime novel "The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo," a quirky, irreverent computer hacker who "knows how to find stuff other people don't know exists."

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/ap-exclusive-cia-following-twitter-facebook-081055316.html

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I think we all assumed this was going on already.

[trotsky]

1. Not surprising, but then again...

this is information that people are voluntarily throwing out there in public.

Quite a bit different than intruding on our privacy, tapping phone calls or reading e-mails. I find it difficult to believe any organization posing a serious threat would be broadcasting their intentions via social media sites, but if the information could prove useful, why not.

[Starboard Tack]

11. Maybe not overtly broadcasting their intentions, but communicating with cohorts, undoubtedly.

What better camouflage than social networks could there be? Newspapers have been used for centuries to exchange messages and to disseminate information, both overtly and covertly.

[No Elephants]

2. AP News, the propaganda arm of the RW.

[formercia]

3. Actually, the CIA is doing what it is supposed to do;

Gathering Intelligence. We do the same thing here but on a shoestring budget.

[Demeter]

4. What a waste of taxpayer time and money, though

rather like the TSA, which couldn't find their asses with both hands, let alone a legitimate terrorist.

[Starboard Tack]

12. I agree with you about the TSA, but costwise, this actually makes a lot more sense.

The CIA probably harvests a lot of useful info and 99.99999% of the work is performed by computer algorithms.
They don't give a shit about cousin Judy's baby shower, unless you announce it on Facebook and all the RSVPs come in from places scattered all over like Mogadishu, Mosul, Belfast etc. and all the replies maybe share strong similarities in their form and syntax.

[UnrepentantLiberal]

5. I like to throw jihad jihad allahu akbar jihad jihad

into my online posts every now and then to freak out the NSA computers.

[nineteen50]

6. Would this be like searching through our personal papers? Didn't we tell king

george hell no you will not, then force our new government to
guarantee rights against this treatment before.... we would
agree to the constitution?

[nineteen50]

7. Where are all those libertarians and conservatives that

are constantly complaining about sticking to the constitution.

[tuckessee]

9. They are opposed to this but are ignored by the MSM.

Betcha won't hear Obama or any other big-time Democrat or Republican say anything bad about this. As far as elected officials, only Kucinich or the Pauls would have the guts to oppose or question this.

[bemildred]

8. So, anybody can do that.

Why you would want spend public money on it, why that would be a good investment, is a good question though.

[bobthedrummer]

10. I use open sources daily, don't you?...kick

RECALL SCOTT WALKER!