http://globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=29288
A new study by the Mediterranean Council for Intelligence Studies
(MCIS) 2012 Intelligence Studies Yearbook points to the use of social
media as the new cutting edge in open-source tactical intelligence
collection. IntelNews.org's Joseph Fitsanakis, who co-authored the
study, reports:
We explain that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and a host of other
social networking platforms are increasingly viewed by intelligence
agencies as invaluable channels of information acquisition. We base
our findings on three recent case studies, which we believe highlight
the intelligence function of social networking. (Joseph Fitsanakis,
Research: Spies increasingly using Facebook, Twitter to gather data,
intelNews.org, February 13, 2012)
What the study fails to mention, however, is the use of social media
by intelligence agencies for other purposes. The study leads us to
believe that social media is solely an intelligence gathering tool,
when in fact, a number of reports have shown that it is used for
propaganda including the creation of fake identities in support of
covert operations. Those practices are discussed in Army of Fake
Social Media Friends to Promote Propaganda, Social Media: Air Force
ordered software to manage army of Fake Virtual People and Pentagon
Seeks to Manipulate Social Media for Propaganda Purposes, published
on Global Research in 2011.
The MCIS study is partly based on the Arab Spring framework which
allegedly prompted the US government to begin developing guidelines
for culling intelligence from social media networks. (Ibid.)
Again, this leaves out the fact that the U.S. Government provides
activist training to foreign nationals to destabilize their country
of origin. This tactic is detailed in Tony Cartaluccis latest
article, Egypt: US-funded Agitators on Trial: US "Democracy
Promotion" = Foreign-funded Sedition.
Cyber dissidence is sponsored among others by CIA-linked Freedom
House. The First of The Bush Institutes Human Freedom Events, Co-
Sponsored by Freedom House was titled The Conference on Cyber
Dissidents: Global Successes and Challenges.
The Conference on Cyber Dissidents highlighted the work, methods,
courage and achievements of its eight dissident guest speakers, from
seven nations. Five of these nations are places where freedom has
been extinguished (all rated not free by Freedom House): China, Cuba,
Iran, Syria, and Russia. Two others are places where freedom is in
peril (both rated partly free by Freedom House) because of an
authoritarian government accumulating more power, as in Venezuela, or
because of the threat of internal terrorist groups, as in Colombia.
(The Conference on Cyber Dissidents: Global Successes and Challenges,
The George W. Bush Presidential Center)
Countries where freedom has been extinguished and which are U.S.
allies, such as Bahrain or Saudi Arabia, are not listed above. The
only U.S. ally listed is Colombia and its freedom is said to be
threatened by terrorist groups, rather than by its governement. It is
worth noting that the Colombian government has been accused of spying
on its journalists and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
(IACHR) says freedom of expression 'barely exists' in Colombia.
The goal of activist training by U.S. NGOs is to destabilize Americas
political enemies in the name of freedom. Cyber dissidence is in turn
used by intelligence agencies for covert operations.
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Received on Wed Feb 15 2012 - 23:19:18 EST
