The feds are tracking twitter and several other websites including leftist websites Huffington Post, Informed Comment and The Blotter during the Olympics for information on possible terrorist threats.
The Blotter reported:

The National Operations Center of DHS will watch the web for information, according to the statement, to “provide situational awareness” in the event of natural disaster, an “act of terrorism, or other manmade disaster.”

“The Olympics are a potential target for such events,” said the statement. The statement did not list all web sites and social media that the NOC will monitor, but provided 31 examples, many of them, like the Blotter, sites that cover breaking news, security, or terror.

Here’s part of the government statement on the social media monitoring. The list is at the end of the statement in the appendix:

Section 1.0 Characterization of the Information

The following questions are intended to define the scope of the information requested and/or collected as well as reasons for its collection as part of the program, system, rule, or technology being developed.

1.1 What information is collected, used, disseminated, or maintained in the system?

The NOC is reviewing information posted by individual account users on third party social media providers of activities and events necessary to provide situational awareness and establish a common operating picture regarding the security, safety, and border control associated with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC. Third party service providers provide an array of applications that provide social media services along with publicly available online forums, blogs, public websites, and message boards. See Appendix A for a list of the types of sites that may be viewed for information related to the 2010 Winter Olympics. The NOC is accessing these web based platforms to identify content posted by public users for the purpose of providing situational awareness and establishing a common operating picture on the 2010 Winter Olympics. The NOC is assessing information identified to assist decision-makers in the security, safety, and border control associated with the 2010 Winter Olympics. The NOC shall not collect data on the individuals posting information to third party service providers, about individual users, or any PII. The NOC will immediately destroy any PII that it discovers at any time in its possession as a result of this Initiative.

1.2 What are the sources of the information in the system?

Members of the public as well as first responders, press, volunteers, and others provide publicly available information on social medial sites including online forums, blogs, public websites, and message boards.

1.3 Why is the information being collected, used, disseminated, or maintained?

The NOC is identifying, using, disseminating, and maintaining this information to comply with its statutory mandate to provide situational awareness and establish a common operating picture for the entire federal government, and for state, local, and tribal governments as appropriate and to ensure that this information reaches government decision makers. In this case, the NOC is monitoring information directly related to the security, safety, and border control associated with the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, BC. The aggregation of data published via social media sites will likely make it possible for the NOC to provide more accurate situational awareness, a more complete common operating picture, and more timely 2010 Winter Olympics-related information for decision makers.

1.4 How is the information collected?

The NOC identifies information directly from third-party social media services. The NOC is accessing and collecting information from various informational streams and postings that the NOC, as well as the broader public, view and monitor.

1.5 How will the information be checked for accuracy?

The NOC identifies information from third party hosts submitted voluntarily by members of the public and compares that information with information available in open source reporting and through a variety of public and government sources. By bringing together and comparing many different sources of information, the NOC will attempt to generate a more accurate picture of activities occurring at the 2010 Winter Olympics.

1.6 What specific legal authorities, arrangements, and/or agreements defined the collection of information?

Congress requires the NOC “to provide situational awareness and establish a common operating picture for the entire federal government and for state, local, and tribal governments as appropriate, in the event of a natural disaster, act of terrorism, or other manmade disaster; and ensure that critical terrorism and disaster-related information reaches government decision-makers.” Section 515 of the Homeland Security Act (6 U.S.C. § 321d(b)(1)). The Olympics are a potential target for such events.

1.7 Privacy Impact Analysis: Given the amount and type of data collected, discuss the privacy risks identified and how they were mitigated.

There is a risk that the NOC will receive PII or other identifiable information that is not relevant to this Initiative. The NOC has a clear policy in place that any PII incidentally received will be destroyed immediately. Information collected to provide situational awareness and establish a common operating picture originates from publicly available social media sites and is available to the public.

 

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  1. #2 February 13, 2010 at 4:01 pm

    TxTenther commented:

    You know, this is where people, Left and Right should be outraged. This, along with tracking people through their cell phones.

    It’s time for conservative and liberal bloggers to unite against this invasion of our privacy without warrants.

    When one person loses his or her rights, it doesn’t take long until it extends to everyone.

    This is bulls**t!

  2. #3 February 13, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    Logus commented:

    Too funny and probably too true. It’s no coincidence that the majority of violent types in the political ideological spectrum tend to come from and moreso, act out, in the left field. Liberals, progressives… fascists, communists, anarchists.

  3. #4 February 13, 2010 at 4:03 pm

    opaobie commented:

    Wouldn’t it make more sense to be tracking actual terrorist websites? By the time something gets posted on a blog, the event has probably taken place. Are these folks trying to preempt attacks or just gather evidence after the fact to try to put the terrorists on trial? Clearly they have no idea what they are doing or how their agencies are supposed to function during a time of WAR.

    4. ADVERTISEMENT

  4. #5 February 13, 2010 at 4:08 pm

    TxTenther commented:

    How much of our freedom are we going to give this administration? Or let them take?

    This, along with tracking U.S. citizens through their cell phones is Orwellian, to say the least. Am I the only one concerned about this?

  5. #6 February 13, 2010 at 4:11 pm

    Major Kong commented:

    But Big Sis said it is we patriots who are the biggest threat to the nation’s security.

  6. #7 February 13, 2010 at 4:21 pm

    ck commented:

    I agree, they shouldn’t be tracking any political websites, but this is extra stupid. If they found anything it would be squashed by obama/holder.

  7. #8 February 13, 2010 at 4:45 pm

    Marsh commented:

    Islamofascists definitely follow the Western Left. One of my passions is souping up cars which is also a very popular hobby in the oil drenched sections of the arab world and with young male Muslims in general. And quite a few of the forums I used to visit a couple years ago had lots of Muslim members from all over the world. I got in quite a few spats with them over Islam, Israel, the Taliban, etc. And several of them said they were actually planning on joining the Taliban and other Islamofascist organizations.

    In our debates they were CONSTANTLY sourcing Leftist books, blogs, magazines, speeches, TV shows, intellectuals, etc, even movies. I don’t think everyone on the Left realizes just how much moral support they lend towards the Islamofascist movement. I’m sure quite a few of them do since they’re usually marching right alongside them in protests wearing a keffiyeh and holding up Hezbollah flags with beaming pride. But I think the rank and file of the Left might rethink their extremist positions and rhetoric a bit if they fully understood the real world affects it’s having.

    It’s a bit analogous to patting an axe murderer on the back and verbally comforting him by reassuring the pyscho that he’s doing the right thing. The Left has a long history of being in bed with our enemies. They have an overly critical view of America and the West in general which has become pathological. And they tend to be a bit paranoid and dabble in conspiracy theories when it comes to many many issues – “NO WAR FOR OILl!!!”, “9/11 was an inside job!”, “Bush lied about WMDs!”, etc.

    They also have a knee jerk revoltion against all attempts to protray non-conservatives in any kind of negative light. During the Cold War they tried to protray the communists as “not that bad” or “champions of the people and the poor” who are “just fighting against social injustice”; and their socio-economic system is “just a misunderstood experiment”. They also flatout worshipped many tyranical communists such as Che and STILL do in fact; even when his numerous crimes against humanity have clearly been established.

    Quite a few of them were even working for the KGB. And they ridiculed and belitted conservatives who wanted to stand up to the communists calling them “Cold Warriors” which was considered an insult at the time. Now of course they try to pretend that we in the West, Left and Right, were united in our efforts to defeat the global spread of communism now that the evils of the “socialist utopias” have been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt. And now they’re acting in the same manner in our War on Terror as they did with our global stuggle with the communist Left during the Cold War.

    The very term War on Terror is a subject of sniggering and bemoaning to them. And they protray Islamofascists as “just misunderstood” and as “freedom fighters” who are “just struggling against injustice” – noticing a pattern? And whoever our next enemy is in 50 years they’ll almost certainly be doing the same thing – blaming ourselves and making excuses for our clearly evil enemies.

  8. #9 February 13, 2010 at 5:01 pm

    Dell commented:

    I took the time – and it does take time if you really try to understand the legalese infested communique – to read the DHS gobbledygook that is boiled down above.

    Sounds like a “make work” project that will show up in the “jobs created” category next month!

    And, TxTenther, I wouldn’t get too very excited about this. They’re monitoring the very same things all of us monitor…they’re just doing it, looking for signs of possible terrorist activity. It’s not like they’re invading our computers or reading our mail. That stuff still requires a warrant.

  9. #10 February 13, 2010 at 5:21 pm

    TxTenther commented:

    Dell…

    I agree, to a point. The problem I have is this comes on the heels of the report that the government could start tracking our movements via our phones.

    When asked about the 4th amendment, the administration said it doesn’t apply to tracking.

    To me, this goes wayyy beyond warrantless wiretapping of overseas phone calls. I believe this administration is a threat to our individual liberties. More so, in fact, than people realize.

  10. #11 February 13, 2010 at 5:40 pm

    Dell commented:

    “I believe this administration is a threat to our individual liberties. More so, in fact, than people realize.”

    On that we can most certainly agree!

    I see the ideology of the sitting president as the closest thing to the destruction of this country as you can get. He is a Marxist ideologue and his politics must be stopped.

  11. #12 February 13, 2010 at 5:57 pm

    BigJ commented:

    [sarc]Goody! Big Government will look out for us and save the day once again![/sarc]

  12. #13 February 13, 2010 at 6:19 pm

    down with dems commented:

    Yahoo homepage story:
    Obama names U.S. envoy to Muslim world body
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100213/ts_nm/us_obama_muslims_envoy

  13. #14 February 13, 2010 at 6:58 pm

    jonyjoe101 commented:

    The leftist websites should complain but than that would mean they would be criticizing their lord and saviour Obama.
    The leftists will never go against there messiah.

  14. #15 February 13, 2010 at 7:12 pm

    Betsy Ross commented:

    Pfffft!…last I checked the olympics are being held in CANADA, not the USA…man, someone tell the freak at DHS about some geography…
    geez, this makes Sarahcudda look pretty smart ; )

  15. #17 February 13, 2010 at 8:16 pm

    Pat the First commented:

    Living in a state where one terrorist was caught coming into the US from the Vancouver area, I am fine with them keeping an eye on anything happening in BC. Because if some terrorism leaks over in the US, my state would be the first affected. You have to realize that Canada has a ridiculously loose border. They take everyone. That is how we can get some very bad actors in our country.

    If the terrorists want to stay in Canada, fine with me. Just stay out of the US.

  17. #19 February 13, 2010 at 11:29 pm

    bg commented:

    ++

    The Islamic Infiltration, Part 1

    The Islamic Infiltration, Part 2

    better watch them before they go poof..

    oh, and just in case you missed it..

    I’m Too Afraid to Criticize Islam

    perhaps they ought to investigate.. yeah right,
    as soon as the ant farms are completed.. *sigh*

    ==

  18. #20 February 14, 2010 at 1:54 am

    Andreas K. commented:

    Welcome to Europe.

    Leftists in Germany have been calling for murdering police officers and soldiers for a while. Police stations have been attacked with stones and makeshift firebombs in 2009. The German BKA (more or less the German FBI) also issued a warning that there may be a new RAF forming up in Germany.

    And yes, the leftists would attack the games, too. They would attack everyone and everything that they don’t consider to be proper. And they would kill for it, as history proves.

    The islamofascists and our leftists also love each other. Or better said: the islamofascists enjoy using the left wing as a willing tool. Because once the s**t starts cooking, the left wing gets beaten up by the islamofascists just like the rest (as seen in Germany just last week.) There are many connections between both ideologies. The islamofascists hate everything that is different, they want to kill it. The left is just like that. Both groups also hate the Jews and both want to wipe them out. With the mohammedans it’s rather obvious, but the left also has his supporters of genocide, most prominently Karl Marx himself, who wrote that “inferior classes and races” must be wiped out.

  20. #22 February 14, 2010 at 3:21 pm

    BigAlSouth commented:

    Feds are monitoring HuffPo? I knew there was a Hungarian Terrorist Network operating over there. I just knew it!

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