DHS Monitors Social Media For 'Political Dissent'

OverTheGeicoE writes "Recently, TSA's 'Blogger Bob' Burns posted a rant against a cupcake on the TSA blog. Perhaps it made you wonder if TSA and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, really understand what we're saying about them, especially online. Well, thanks to a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit from the Electronic Privacy Information Center, we now know a lot more about how they monitor online comments aside from 'Blogger Bob.' EPIC has received hundreds of pages of documents regarding DHS's online surveillance program. These documents reveal that DHS has contracts with General Dynamics for '24/7 media and social network monitoring.' Perhaps it will warm your heart to know that DHS is particularly interested in tracking media stories that 'reflect adversely' on the U.S. government generally and DHS specifically. The documents include a report summary that might be representative of General Dynamics' work. The example includes summaries of comments on blogs and social networking sites, including quotes. Then again, you might remember J. Edgar Hoover's monitoring of antiwar activists during the Vietnam War, which certainly wasn't for the protesters' benefit."

Comments

Re:Mission accomplished

[Overly Critical Guy]

There are multi billion dollar indusries built around promoting products/slandering competitors while pretending to be part of the onine community. Most of the big tech companies use sockpuppet accounts to "manage discussion" on Slashdot already.

Do you actually have any proof of this? Going by your post history, it looks like you're basing this on personal hatred of Apple and any pro-Apple posts. But couldn't your pro-Android posts just as easily be construed as paid-for posts by Google? Why does Google/Android evangelism on Slashdot escape your accusations?

Hell, did you read the comments to the Google FTC antitrust investigation article? The first 50 posts are almost all upmodded conspiratorial accusations against Microsoft! None of them actually respond to the facts of the story.

Re:Mission accomplished

[Ethanol-fueled]

Attempting to label his comment offtopic and subtly ridiculing him with the phrase

...because you believe tech companies are paying for sockpuppets...

as well as the term "random rant" doesn't change the fact that corporations and even the government are, in fact, attempting to influence forum participants with astroturfing and sockpuppetry. Just ask HBGary.

We understand why you may feel strongly about this, given that you are a obvious known shill of some sort. Do not attempt to mess with us or we will crap all over your face.