Pentagon sets its sights on social networking websites

New Scientist ^ | 10 June 2006 | Paul Marks

[driftdiver]

New Scientist has discovered that Pentagon's National Security Agency, which specialises in eavesdropping and code-breaking, is funding research into the mass harvesting of the information that people post about themselves on social networks.

[driftdiver]

This ought to get a bunch of peoples undies in a wad. The Pentagon monitoring myspace!!

[A Citizen Reporter]

yawn

[rwilson99]

My privacy rights to post things to public internet forums is being violated.

Whaaaaaaaaaa!!!

[tomzz]

Try to imagine how a slammite terrorist would fill in one of those forms....... Here's a story about slammites and sex which might help anybody whose imagination is challenged to visualize this a bit better:

The Three Billygoats Gruff

Many years ago, in the Khwarism kingdom, the empire centered around the cities of Samarkand, Bukhara, and Gurgange in the territory now called Uzbekistan, there was a bridge across a narrow section of the Syr Daria river and this bridge was guarded by a troll, named Ali Mohammed Qa-eelbasi. This was before the padishah Mohammed of the Khwarism empire burned the beards off of four of the infidel dog Chengis Khan's ambassadors and Chengis Khan reduced that entire territory to a smoking ruin (may he who cannot take a joke endure Allah's curse).

Now, this Ali Mohammed Qa-eelbasi was quite wealthy by inheritance and by dint of clever investment strategies and stock trading and, having no need of money or wealth beyond his possessions, and being an islamic troll, rather than demanding money from travellers seeking to cross his bridge, was in the habit of demanding various other favors from them.

One morning while Ali Mohammed was guarding his bridge and attempting to catch fish in the Syr Daria, he heard the light clatter of little hooves on the wooden planks of his bridge and looked up to see a little billygoat traipsing across the bridge, trippity, clippity, clippity, trippity, and this little goat (Allah be praised!!) had glossy white fur and flowers in his mane, and was wearing a silk petticoat with what appeared to be lace panties underneath, Ali Mohammed could not be quite certain, and a little training bra from Bloomingdales', and had a coy smile upon his face.

"ALLAH BE PRAISED"!! shouted Ali Mohammed! Surely the faithful shall prosper, this must be my lucky day!!!!

And, the little goat looked at Ali Mohammed, the coy smile still on his lips, and said:

"Verily, I should be happy for you to have your way with me and ravish me to your heart's content but, were you to do that, you would then be too exhausted to appreciate my brother when he passes this way. He is only a short distance behind me and he is a larger, finer and more lovely goat than I; he buys ALL of his clothing from Victoria's Secret."

Now, when Ali Mohammed heard this, he was overcome with passion and desire, and could scarcely restrain himself; nonetheless, he replied: "Go then, with Allah's blessing", and allowed the little goat to cross the bridge unmolested. "I shall (eagerly) await your brother!"

Ali Mohammed went back to his efforts to catch fish and, about a half hour later, he heard a somewhat heavier fall of hooves across the wooden planks of his bridge: clippity cloppity clop, clippity cloppity clop, and Ali Mohammed looked up to a sight which aroused within him a veritable paroxism of passion. This was a larger goat with a gossamer veil over his face, red roses braided into his glossy white silky fur all around, a golden necklace and the thinnest sort of a purple gossamer bodice of finest khitan silk, and dark, brown bedroom eyes.

"ALLAH BE PRAISED!!!" shouted Ali Mohammed, "Verily, this must be the luckiest day of my life, for surely no troll has ever beheld so lovely, and desirable, and alluring a goat as thee!"

"Patience!" replied the goat. "Surely you might have me if you wish, but then you would be too exhausted to appreciate my eldest brother, who travels only a short distance behind me. He is the sexiest and most voluptuous and alluring goat in all the world, and he buys ALL of his clothing at Sexy Sadies Midnight Boutique. Verily, were he standing here beside me, you would not notice me at all!"

Ali Mohammed somehow or other managed to restrain his lust and passion and allowed this goat to pass as well and, after ten or twelve minutes when he collected his wits and got his pulse and breath back under control, returned to his fishing poles.

Now when the eldest brother amongst the three goats came up to the bridge over the Syr Daria river and walked upon its wooden planks, Ali Mohammed did not notice at first, because this goat's hooves, for some reason, made no noise. Ali Mohammed was in fact taken by complete surprise as this third goat walked up to within five feet before the troll ever saw him at all. This goat had a silken veil as did the second goat, and gossamer clothing but, underneath the gossamer, appeared to be a very strange goat indeed, yellowish with black stripes, a long tail, fearsome claws, and huge, very non-goatlike teeth. This third goat spoke these words:

Bless, O Lord, this food to my use and me to thy service, and make me ever mindful of the needs of others through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

and, with that, seized the unlucky troll in his mighty jaws, chewed him into bitesized pieces, and wolfed him down.

[FairOpinion]

(Canada Terror) Plot began in chat room (and more detail)

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1643481/posts


From Chat Room to Major Terror Plot Bust ~ On the Toronto Bust and connections to the NSA

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/1644042/posts

[driftdiver]

What I can't understand is people posting their most private things on the internet and then expecting them to remain private.

I think this is a pretty cool use of technology. Imagine that being your job though to sort through all this data.

[driftdiver]

I noticed the published data on the article is June 10th. Kinda strange since its only June 8th.

[stands2reason]

You put it out there, like your garbage, it's fair game for investigators.

[kinoxi]

June 10... your not supposed to know i guess

[Lancey Howard]

myspace.com-michaelmoore

[libstripper]

The astounding thing about these chat rooms, definitely including MySpace.com, is that a lot of people who post on them actually think what they're posting is legally "private" even though they publicly post it for everyone to read. Thus, such electronic meeting places are ideal locations for the authorities to troll in the hope of catching terrorists or other bad guys.

[libstripper]

Imagine that being your job though to sort through all this data.

Ah, the joys of searching through the maunderings of concupiscent teenagers.

[af_vet_rr]

People had to expect that this would happen, after the requests/demands to the search engines by the government. It's unfortunate that people feel that putting something in the public domain won't get them notice, actually it's naieve to think that their information won't be pulled and collected into some kind of database somewhere.

It is ironic that if a democrat where in the White House, Republicans would be going nuts over all of this stuff, but I guess it doesn't matter if your guy is in there.

[TeleStraightShooter]

Americans are still reeling from last month's revelations that the NSA has been logging phone calls since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001. The Congressional Research Service, which advises the US legislature, says phone companies that surrendered call records may have acted illegally. However, the White House insists that the terrorist threat makes existing wire-tapping legislation out of date and is urging Congress not to investigate the NSA's action.

OMG
pejorative, misinformed, and false.

[driftdiver]

"OMG
pejorative, misinformed, and false."

I didnt write the article. I just thought it was interesting and might spark a good thread.