Homeland Security Creating Database of Bloggers, Journalists. Says Critics are Conspiracy Theorists

[atomheartbevo 89,409]

https://biglawbusiness.com/homeland-security-to-compile-database-of-journalists-bloggers/

 

Quote

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security wants to monitor hundreds of thousands of news sources around the world and compile a database of journalists, editors, foreign correspondents, and bloggers to identify top “media influencers.”

It’s seeking a contractor that can help it monitor traditional news sources as well as social media and identify “any and all” coverage related to the agency or a particular event, according to a request for information released April 3.

The data to be collected includes a publication’s “sentiment” as well as geographical spread, top posters, languages, momentum, and circulation. No value for the contract was disclosed.

“Services shall provide media comparison tools, design and rebranding tools, communication tools, and the ability to identify top media influencers,” according to the statement. DHS agencies have “a critical need to incorporate these functions into their programs in order to better reach federal, state, local, tribal, and private partners,” it said.

The DHS wants to track more than 290,000 global news sources, including online, print, broadcast, cable, and radio, as well as trade and industry publications, local, national and international outlets, and social media, according to the documents. It also wants the ability to track media coverage in more than 100 languages including Arabic, Chinese, and Russian, with instant translation of articles into English.

The request comes amid heightened concern about accuracy in media and the potential for foreigners to influence U.S. elections and policy through “fake news.” Nineteen lawmakers including Reps. Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.), Lee Zeldin (R-N.Y.), Ron DeSantis (R-Fla.), and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions last month, asking whether Qatar-based Al Jazeera should register as a foreign agent because it “often directly undermines” U.S. interests with favorable coverage of Hamas, Hezbollah and al-Qaeda’s branch in Syria.

The DHS request says the selected vendor will set up an online “media influence database” giving users the ability to browse based on location, beat, and type of influence. For each influencer found, “present contact details and any other information that could be relevant, including publications this influencer writes for, and an overview of the previous coverage published by the media influencer.”

 

DHS responded to those concerned:

I get why they are doing this, and am surprised they weren't doing it before, since a lot of times, people on social media/bloggers/etc. pick up on happening events quicker, etc.

But Trump and his folks are thin-skinned as fuck, and this would allow Trump to make even more claims of fake news.  And there's no way it won't be abused if they are going to compile contact information, and an overview of everything  that person has published.

[Anastasis 23,393]

That tweet is from the actual DHS spokesman?

Jesus Christ. 

Just now, atomheartbevo said:

I get why they are doing this, and am surprised they weren't doing it before, since a lot of times, people on social media/bloggers/etc. pick up on happening events quicker, etc.

But Trump and his folks are thin-skinned as fuck, and this would allow Trump to make even more claims of fake news.  And there's no way it won't be abused if they are going to compile contact information, and an overview of everything  that person has published.

This is another example why the executive needs to be reeled the fuck in, in all aspects. A little oversight from an adversarialy postured 2nd or 3rd branch now and then is too much to ask apparently. 

[atomheartbevo 89,409]

That is the DHS spokesman.

It would make it easier for Trump's people to feed him news articles from sources that are friendly to him, since they can browse news sources by how they lean, what they've covered in the past, etc.

As I said, I'm surprised they didn't have something like this already on a smaller scale - track the sites/social media accounts of say every newspaper, major online news sites, and TV station in the US for instance so that they could get a faster grasp on an emergency - if something starts trending, they should be able to pick it up quickly.  This is what a lot of bloggers already do - they track specific accounts and social media hashtags they see as potential sources, so that they can quickly write their clickbait headlines and get them trending in Google News when something happens.

This is where it starts to cross lines.  They want to track and identify "media influencers".   That's where it stops about being about say getting a handle on an emergency or picking upon a bunch of people tweeting at DHS about something they saw, and it falls into them deciding what's fake news and whether they are going to act upon it in some manner (which gets into Constitutional issues).  We already see Trump claiming "fake news" not because something is "fake news", but because he just doesn't like it.  We also know many "media influencers" are easily bought off for product placements, no reason to think they won't take cash for other things.

[bernorange 8,348]

DHS building another database compiling lists of people to monitor because they are dissenting voices (and weighting them by the reach of their audience).  Another input for the NCTC's disposition matrix. This is where Hugo et. al.'s active measures Russia paranoia sows dangerous seeds.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,356]

[DixonHur 11,171]

Maybe we can require them to wear typewriter badges on their clothes so we can identify them more easily.

Edited April 7, 2018 by DixonHur

[kevwun 15,624]

What we need are camps where they can be taught the proper way to think.  Just need a catchy name for them.

[SpiralOut 1,809]

I just love how after 9/11 we let the government basically do w/e the fuck it wanted.  So we got the Patriot Act, trillions spent on unending wars, and we invented a new Department out of thin air that seems redundant as all fuck. 

Department of Homeland Security?  Isn't that what the military does already?  Protect the homeland.  Or ya know, the FBI who are supposed to investigate shit inside America and catch the bad guys.  Nah, we need a whole other Department which just sucks down taxpayer dollars like a black hole and which does, what exactly?

Oh, I guess it's the beta version of what will eventually become the Ministry of Love.  Nice. 

[DixonHur 11,171]

3 minutes ago, kevwun said:

What we need are camps where they can be taught the proper way to think.  Just need a catchy name for them.

Well, if they're there to concentrate on learning, perhaps we could call them concentration camps. 

[Blotto 23,428]

11 minutes ago, DixonHur said:

Well, if they're there to concentrate on learning, perhaps we could call them concentration camps. 

Nothing gets past this guy.

[F250 28,680]

1 hour ago, bernorange said:

DHS building another database compiling lists of people to monitor because they are dissenting voices (and weighting them by the reach of their audience).  Another input for the NCTC's disposition matrix. This is where Hugo et. al.'s active measures Russia paranoia sows dangerous seeds.

The "resistance" reminds me of the patriotic fuck sticks that championed the erosion of our civil liberties post 9/11. Comparisons to Pearl Harbor are made and any criticism of their movement is labeled as being supportive of the enemy.

"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about."

"You are using Kremlin talking points."

 

 

[Dbeasy 14,963]

I have now created dossiers on all of you.  You are a threat to democracy. 

[Anastasis 23,393]

The "resistance" reminds me of the patriotic fuck sticks that championed the erosion of our civil liberties post 9/11. Comparisons to Pearl Harbor are made and any criticism of their movement is labeled as being supportive of the enemy.
"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about."
"You are using Kremlin talking points."
 
 

Yep.

[PittsburghTiger 6,137]

1 hour ago, SpiralOut said:

I just love how after 9/11 we let the government basically do w/e the fuck it wanted.  So we got the Patriot Act, trillions spent on unending wars, and we invented a new Department out of thin air that seems redundant as all fuck. 

Department of Homeland Security?  Isn't that what the military does already?  Protect the homeland.  Or ya know, the FBI who are supposed to investigate shit inside America and catch the bad guys.  Nah, we need a whole other Department which just sucks down taxpayer dollars like a black hole and which does, what exactly?

Oh, I guess it's the beta version of what will eventually become the Ministry of Love.  Nice. 

Can't argue with that.

[Hugo Stiglitz 23,356]

53 minutes ago, F250 said:

The "resistance" reminds me of the patriotic fuck sticks that championed the erosion of our civil liberties post 9/11. Comparisons to Pearl Harbor are made and any criticism of their movement is labeled as being supportive of the enemy.

"If you have nothing to hide, you have nothing to worry about."

"You are using Kremlin talking points."

 

 

I’m afraid of the left going too far with the resistance shit too.  In fact, that would play right into Putin’s hands.

If there was ever a thing as a passionate centrist, that’s where I’d like to be. 

Unfortunately, Trump and the “resistance” created this environment where people feel like they have to choose a side.  

Edited April 7, 2018 by Hugo Stiglitz

[DDD Dad 14,251]

By curious coincidence, a remake of Farenheit 451 is coming out this year on HBO.

[Doc Holliday 198]

What does the FBI have to say about this?