Recently released documents reveal that the Department of Homeland Security is keeping tabs on us via our social networks.


According to an internal DHS document released by the Electronic Privacy Information Center (EPIC), the department and/or a DHS subcontractor is searching social networks like Facebook and Twitter for all kinds of keywords, which are then made into reports about "items of interest" (IOI). The list of terms is HUGE, and according to the blog Animal New York, "the DHS can also add additional search terms circumstantially as deemed necessary." Here are some of the keywords; you can view the full list at Animal New York.

Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Customs and Border Protection (CBP)
Secret Service (USSS)
Assassination
Attack
Domestic security
Drill
Exercise
Cops
Law enforcement
Hazmat
Nuclear
Chemical Spill
Airport
AMTRAK
Violence
Gang
Drug
Narcotics
Cocaine
Marijuana

According to the blog post, the DHS does attempt to strip personally identifiable information (that gets its own acronym too, PII) -- unless you fall into one of the following rather broad categories:

1) U.S. and foreign individuals in extremis situations involving potential life or death circumstances; (this is no change)

2) Senior U.S. and foreign government officials who make public statements or provide public updates;

3) U.S. and foreign government spokespersons who make public statements or provide public updates;

4) U.S. and foreign private sector officials and spokespersons who make public statements or provide public updates;

5) Names of anchors, newscasters, or on-scene reporters who are known or identified as reporters in their post or article or who use traditional and/or social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed;

6) Current and former public officials who are victims of incidents or activities related to Homeland Security; and

7) Terrorists, drug cartel leaders or other persons known to have been involved in major crimes of Homeland Security interest, (e.g., mass shooters such as those at Virginia Tech or Ft. Hood) who are killed or found dead.

Also, the department's "Media Monitoring Capability team can transmit personal information to the DHS National Operations Center over the phone as deemed necessary." In other words, there are a lot of loopholes here. Remember that the next time you tweet about an airport, or link to an article about marijuana on Facebook.
www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/81...keywords/#paragraph3

Well Jason, they can look me up and down and I won't care. It's my business and my business alone. And we wonder why the media doesn't pick up on stories like ours. The gov't needs to keep out of our business to start with.

Well said

Dont know much about these social networks ,but here a program that will detecte invaders ,or atleast let you know when a site is trying to enter your pc ,its free just thought id share what info i do know hehe,but works.www.malwarebytes.org/products/malwarebytes_free

I'm sorry but how can anyone sit there and say "I don't care, they can look all through my personal information. I'll be damned if I am ok with it. This blood-sucking criminal branch of the american government (along with the CIA,FBI, and the many others) can kiss my ass. I have sat here and watched as my country has had it's rights and liberties stripped from us piece by piece. Frankly, I'm sick of it. We have lost more of our rights in the last ten years than in the previous 50 years. It sickens me really. Maybe I really do just have paranoia, but personally I think I am perfectly sane. I think it's everyone else who doesn't recognize this situation that must be a little nutty. Well, whatever the case, I'll be here whenever enough people grow some balls, quietly venting my anger through the internet.

Howard, I couldn't have said it better. So much for Facebook security.