By Jaime Ortega Simo.
Facebook incorporates over 600 million users thanks to its beautiful simplicity. Who wants complicated layouts like the 25 million users using MySpace?
Simple concepts are almost always better precepts for success. But simplicity in layout backgrounds could likewise become a dangerous tool for gathering information. And the Intelligence Community knows better.
Facebook has replaced any major Central Intelligence Agency information program after it was launched in 2004.
Christopher Sartinsky the deputy C.I.A director said, “After years of secretly monitoring the public, we were astounded so many people would willingly publicize were they live, religious and political views, alphabetize their personal friends, e-mail addresses, phone numbers and hundreds of photos of themselves.”
Sartinsky also said, “Facebook users would give status updates about what they were doing moment by moment,” and added, “It was truly a dream come true for the C.I.A.”
Not only is Facebook great for the C.I.A., but it also saves them a lot of money. Some of the information provided via-Facebook would have taken the C.I.A. months to uncover. For example, hotel receipts or plane tickets.
Julian Assange the founder of WikiLeaks said in an interview conducted by Russia Today, “Facebook in particular is the most appalling spying mission ever invented.”
Not surprisingly Mark Zuckerberg the founder of Facebook said, “Facebook is the single most powerful tool for population control ever created.”
Pulse was a feature from Facebook launched on 2005, and acted like Facebook’s version of Google Zeitgeist. It provided info. for marketers who wanted to know what’s good with the youth demographic. But it strangely disappeared in 2006 without explanation.
The second Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorists Act (P.A.T.R.I.O.T Act) changed on 2006 and got rid of the roving wiretap provision – and section 215, which allowed access to business records under Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (F.I.S.A.).
But Facebook is considered a business and the Intelligence Community instead of forcefully entering social networks by the back door, signed a deal with Facebook to allow information gathering by the front door.
Where does your Facebook information end up?
One is In-Q-Tel, a not-for-profit venture capital organization that provides the C.I.A. with technology from the latest high-tech companies in support with the United States intelligence capability.
In the case of Facebook In-Q-Tel uses a software system called Visible Technologies, designed for social media purposes.
In-Q-Tel differs from the Intelligence Advanced Research Project Activity (I.A.R.P.A.) in that it gathers Facebook data to dramatically improve the value of collected information from all sources.
In other words, I.A.R.P.A. would focus more on the value of the data collected from Facebook, than the high efficient software. In-Q-Tel uses via Visible Technology to gather updates done by Facebook’s recent advancements.
Note that many companies are listed under In-Q-Tel, but others remain in secret. Many of its products and what it has are used also in strict secrecy.
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (D.A.R.P.A.) created in 2002 the Information Awareness Office (I.A.O). The mission was to apply surveillance and information technology to track and monitor terrorist and other threats.
The goal of the I.A.O. is to achieve Total Information Awareness (T.I.A.) In other words, gather as much information as possible to counterterrorism using the information architecture.
The information gathered via Facebook is sorted and packaged in a universal central storage unit, used to nest as much data as necessary in case of a national security issue.
Strangely enough, the word ‘IAO’ in Greek has two separate meanings. It’s the Greek form for ‘Yaweh’ and also the purported secret name or abbreviation of a deity in Gnosticism, Greek mystery cults and magic.
But let’s remain out the field of conspiracy theories because correlations don’t mean causations. Conversely, one could argue, if it quacks like a duck and it walks like a duck; it’s therefore a ‘duck.’
The Networks and Information Integration (N.I.I.) provides management and oversight of all United States Department of Defense (D.o.D.) including national security systems.
Facebook is considered to be a national security system, especially under the seal of The P.A.T.R.I.O.T. Act.
Under the (N.I.I.) which is controlled by the Assistant Secretary of Defense there is a branch called Information Resources Management (I.R.M.) the I.R.M. includes a program called Information Systems or (I.S.).
The I.S. is the study of complementary networks of hardware and software that people and organizations use to collect, filter, process, create and distribute data.
The data that the C.I.A. collects from Facebook is sent to the I.R.M. to be studied under the I.S. program.
Picture Facebook as a fat cow and the Intelligence Community as the butcher; not one part of the animal will come to waist as the butchered parts move trough different sections throughout the plant.
1) The high-tech advancements done by Facebook will go to In-Q-Tel to feed the C.I.A.
2) I.A.R.P.A. will focus on the value of the data collected from Facebook.
3) Once the C.I.A. collects the valuable data, it will go to the D.o.D., which will study the information using the I.R.M. program.
4) All the information is stored under the D.A.R.P.A. program called I.A.O. go gather T.I.A.
That’s what happens to all the information you post on Facebook. It’s used for intelligence to counter terrorism and outside threats by different defense agencies systems. So be aware of what you include in your next update.
One last thing to remember:
Nothing is free in life and there is a reason why social networks like Facebook are free to use. You don’t pay with money, but you do pay with information. And, it also prevents revolutions.
Remember that throughout history when people were angered by the government’s decisions or policies, they marched to a ruler’s residence and demanded change. Violence erupted and change resulted from social revolution.
Now days, when people get angry with the government, they log in to Facebook or to their preferred social media sites, and protest.
People put their thumbs up agreeing or disagreeing with the angered users. And those angered users feel happier when others feed them support via the Internet. They check their posts to reply to those who disagree or agree with them. Social media is a way to filter physical revolutions.
This is a very effective way to stop revolutions and anger, because unlike the old days, only a few people go to the White House and protest. And to top that, the government also studies people’s moods and angers because they ‘simply can.’
Facebook could be also used as filter to prevent revolutions. So whatever you do, make sure that you don’t allow social media to control you or your emotions. And remember that the digital world, is not reality, they are more eyes constantly monitoring users and studying possible threats.
Thanks Jaime, a very useful article and reminder that Big Brother (via Facebook) is Watching You!
Yes, going public on the Internet means you’re willing to walk around naked. I’ve got many friends who hate FB and have fought tooth and nails not to enter it. Indeed, once you’re in, it’s very hard to get out. I discovered that if you try to cancel your FB page, they let you do that but they keep your data for a whole year and if you show up again typing something on FB, hop, you’re in again!