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Pentagon’s Secret Service Trawls Social Media for Mean Tweets About Generals
The Intercept ^ | June 17, 2023 | Daniel Boguslaw, Sam Biddle, Ken Klippenstein

Posted on 06/19/2023 7:52:20 AM PDT by Twotone

When the Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley enters into his scheduled retirement later this year, one of the perks will include a personal security detail to protect him from threats — including “embarrassment.”

The U.S. Army Protective Services Battalion, the Pentagon’s little-known Secret Service equivalent, is tasked with safeguarding top military brass. The unit protects current as well as former high-ranking military officers from “assassination, kidnapping, injury or embarrassment,” according to Army records.

Protective Services’s mandate has expanded to include monitoring social media for “direct, indirect, and veiled” threats and identifying “negative sentiment” regarding its wards, according to an Army procurement document dated September 1, 2022, and reviewed by The Intercept. The expansion of the Protective Services Battalion’s purview has not been previously reported.

The country’s national security machinery has become increasingly focused on social media — particularly as it relates to disinformation. Various national security agencies have spent recent years standing up offices all over the federal government to counter the purported threat.

“The ability to express opinions, criticize, make assumptions, or form value judgments — especially regarding public officials — is a quintessential part of democratic society.”

“There may be legally valid reasons to intrude on someone’s privacy by searching for, collecting, and analyzing publicly available information, particularly when it pertains to serious crimes and terrorist threats,” Ilia Siatitsa, program director at Privacy International, told The Intercept. “However, expressing ‘positive or negative sentiment towards a senior high-risk individual’ cannot be deemed sufficient grounds for government agencies to conduct surveillance operations, even going as far as ‘pinpointing exact locations’ of individuals. The ability to express opinions, criticize, make assumptions, or form value judgments — especially regarding public officials — is a quintessential part of democratic society.”

(Excerpt) Read more at theintercept.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: meantweets; pentagon
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1 posted on 06/19/2023 7:52:20 AM PDT by Twotone
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To: Twotone

Mark Milley is a doo doo head

there they can start with that....


2 posted on 06/19/2023 7:54:54 AM PDT by 1of10 (be vigilant , be strong, be safe, be 1 of 10 .)
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To: Twotone

Who says there’s no room for defense spending cuts?


3 posted on 06/19/2023 7:55:16 AM PDT by ConservativeInPA (Delay Trump’s trial, delay. Elect Trump President. Trump pardons himself.)
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To: 1of10

4 posted on 06/19/2023 7:55:39 AM PDT by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
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To: Twotone

Mark Milley is an idiotic traitor.


5 posted on 06/19/2023 7:57:25 AM PDT by wildcard_redneck (Biden will mess up the Ukraine worse than Afghanistan.)
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To: Twotone

6 posted on 06/19/2023 8:02:51 AM PDT by AAABEST ( NY/DC/CA media/political/military industrial complex DELENDA EST)
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To: Twotone

“threats — including “embarrassment.””

Too late you giant queer turd! You embarrassed yourself, no one did it to you.

One other thing, if we get this ship righted, we’re going to have to address you working behind the back of a duly elected president with China.


7 posted on 06/19/2023 8:05:20 AM PDT by Sarcazmo (I live by the Golden Rule. As applied by others; I'm not selfish.)
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To: Twotone

While I have seen plenty of mean tweets and comments, all well deserved, about the traitorous Chair of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley, I have to see any that are undeserved.

Even the photoshopped pictures of a “transgendered” LGBTQXYZ-promoting Milley are deserved.

Sadly, with Traitorjoe’s Puppetmasters and the current SecDefComPoop, the replacement may not be any better than Manure-Mouth Milley.


8 posted on 06/19/2023 8:07:03 AM PDT by Carl Vehse (Move the Overton window to the right with defenestration.)
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To: Sarcazmo

There’s no clean end on that turd.


9 posted on 06/19/2023 8:13:53 AM PDT by Noumenon (You're not voting your way out of this. KTF)
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To: Sarcazmo

“One other thing, if we get this ship righted, we’re going to have to address you working behind the back of a duly elected president with China.”

You can not begin to imagine how much I agree with you on that.


10 posted on 06/19/2023 8:19:32 AM PDT by MeneMeneTekelUpharsin (Freedom is the freedom to discipline yourself so others don't have to do it for you.)
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To: Twotone

Didd’ims wittle feewins get hurt?


11 posted on 06/19/2023 8:21:40 AM PDT by moovova ("The NEXT election is the most important election of our lifetimes!“ LOL...)
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To: Twotone

Not really related, but funny just the same:

Even John Bolton’s mustache doesn’t want to hear what he has to say 😂
https://twitter.com/MAGAMAN614/status/1670813703229386753?s=20


12 posted on 06/19/2023 8:25:05 AM PDT by jacknhoo (Luke 12:51; Think ye, that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, no; but separation.)
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To: Twotone

Thoroughly Modern Millie is an embarrassment to the country. Is there a special unit to protect the country from this embarrassing fool?


13 posted on 06/19/2023 8:29:19 AM PDT by euram (allALL)
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To: Twotone

“The U.S. Army Protective Services Battalion protects current as well as former high-ranking military officers from “assassination, kidnapping, injury or embarrassment,” according to Army records.

I am fine as far as threats of assassination, kidnapping or injury are concerned. But mere “embarrassment” is not a “threat”, except if the U.S. military wrongly things that to defend a stupid former officer is to “protect” the services from “embarraassment”. THAT is not a legimate concern and not a legitimate cause for monitorin social media.


14 posted on 06/19/2023 8:39:12 AM PDT by Wuli
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To: Twotone

What are the looking for?

Is it stuff like “General Milley is a Faggot!”?


15 posted on 06/19/2023 8:41:07 AM PDT by eyedigress (Trump is my President!)
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To: Twotone

Mean tweets??? Glad I never posted the photo of Milley with thick red lipstick.


16 posted on 06/19/2023 8:41:08 AM PDT by mware
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To: dfwgator

well looks like about 10 on the list so far .....

Do you suppose we’ll be on the same cell block ?

I wonder what they’ll serve for lunch ...?

great picture by the way


17 posted on 06/19/2023 8:42:03 AM PDT by 1of10 (be vigilant , be strong, be safe, be 1 of 10 .)
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To: AAABEST

BINGO


18 posted on 06/19/2023 8:42:08 AM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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To: dfwgator

Indeed some were in the service and some served in the service.

AKA D.C. chrome


19 posted on 06/19/2023 8:43:20 AM PDT by Vaduz (....)
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To: dfwgator

20 posted on 06/19/2023 8:44:50 AM PDT by grey_whiskers ( The opinions are solely those of the author and are subject to change without notice.)
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