Careful With Your Words

A new article is outlining efforts by Supreme Big Sister, Janet The Mighty, and the Department of Homeland Security to monitor you're statements as potential "terrorist" threats. The thought police are now officially cataloging your personal information for having opinions containing words they deem potentially threatening.

I am curious to see just how much money is spent on monitoring the public for saying things like "drill" and "illegal immigrant" on the web. How this could be an effective approach to counter-terrorism or homeland security is beyond me.

Why would any terrorist post something publicly on twitter, a blog or facebook? It makes no sense and erodes your personal freedoms in the process. Do they really think that is how the bad guys are communicating? If so, our security is even more tenuous than I thought. The sheer amount of data that we would have to process in order to catch someone with this approach is overwhelming. To process that amount of information, you'd have to spend a LOT of money. Who's money... Well, who's do you think?

This is not effective counter-terrorism but it is a good way to start profiling individual U.S. citizens. Not something, as a U.S. Citizen, that I would want to pay my government to do.

While the Duck IS in favor of counter-intelligence, we prefer it to be focused on foreign soil and not here at home. Especially, when it's a fruitless endeavor like this. I can pretty much guarantee TCD has made the list having said "illegal immigrant" roughly 10,000 times. However, in the event we did not, this should seal our fate. Here is a few of the words that you are not permitted to say without drawing the attention of DHS. If you've posted this, you're being watched and your personal information is being cataloged and used "somehow" (no one really knows how at this point):

The DHS outlined plans to scan blogs, Twitter and Facebook for words such as 'illegal immigrant', 'outbreak', 'drill', 'strain', 'virus', 'recovery', 'deaths', 'collapse', 'human to animal' and 'trojan', according to an 'impact asssessment' document filed by the agency.

When its search tools net an account using the phrases, they record personal information.

It's still not clear how this information is used - and who the DHS shares it with.

Well that's comforting isn't it? Privacy and Freedom of Speech have strange new meanings these days. In terms of feasibility, think about how many times someone tweets about the zombie apocalypse as a joke. Now imagine how many times those same people will post things about Armageddon being triggered by an outbreak of a virus strain that leads to the collapse of civilization and numerous deaths of illegal immigrants after some form of human to animal trojan is created while drilling for oil. I did it just now to be a jackass. Imagine what the kids'll be doing over on twitter and Facebook.

I can't imagine how many billions are going down the drain over this. You folks at DHS need to get back to basics and stop trying to develop a minority-report like system. DARPA, I love you but come on, let's be serious for a minute. The amount of data processing power you will need is not financially reasonable. No matter how complex the algorithm is, you're just wasting money because of the amount of false hits you will generate. In the end, not only will this NOT work but you will undermine the people's trust in government. That's not a good thing.

So, now that TCD is on your list and has your attention, please take note of that concept and focus your efforts where they belong- on the bad guys, not twitter and the public at large. Thank you.

Around The World

Occasionally, we will feature a news rundown for the day. Today's is the second installment of many.

AT HOME:

Up North, in the land of the free: New Yorkers are planning to march on the homes of wealthy individuals because those people are "hording money." Being rich is evidently OK if you're Kayne West or Russell Simmons though. (New York has one of the highest tax rates in the United States but, evidently, not high enough for these folks).

Westward, in the land of the progressive free: The Governor (Democrat, Jerry Brown) is using veto powers to ensure that police and other government officials can tap your cell phone WITHOUT a warrant (meaning review where you've been, what you've searched online, who you have communicated with via text, email or in voice mails, etc., etc., etc.). Freedom from oppressive government in CA is a non-sequitur.

In Pittsburgh, land of the technologically advanced? Bows and arrows still settle quarrels.

In the U.S. at large, land of the Orwellian future: We are looking into a "Minority Report" type system to predict crimes with psuedo-science by monitoring the general public's behavior. In the government's defense, they said it won't capture "personally identifiable information," yet the system monitors blink rates, breathing rates and speech patterns (basically, only things that a person, individually, would do)... Oh and they said the same thing about airport scanners but that turned out to be a lie. Remember?

OVERSEAS:

Abroad, in the land of peaceful Islam: Afghani Muslims have burned down the last Christian church. The State Department could not find a single, public Christian church or school in the country. Also, their government (run by warlords who we paid off) is doing well despite rampant accusations of fraud, bribery and corruption.

Also abroad, in the land of SUPER Peaceful Islam: Egyptian Muslims continue to burn down Christian churches and kill Coptic Christians. This was more or less advocated by the prior government but has now been put into action by the current population. The law is not being enforced to protect these individuals but who cares they're Christians, right?

Also, Also, abroad, in the land of classical civilizations: Greece is going the way of Rome (marching toward self-destruction) but may be bailed out... Again.

In the Middle East, the land of the gender equality: Iranians have elected to put a woman in jail for one (1) year with ninety (90) lashes to remind her that she belongs in the kitchen and not in public making social commentary. However, if you're a male and criticize the President, they advocate for restraint... or something like that. Maybe Ahmadinejad was saying that public figures should be lashed also not just student activists? I don't know, nothing in Iran makes sense.