NSA Harvests Info from Myspace

[hjack]

New Scientist has discovered that Pentagon's National Security Agency, which specialises in eavesdropping and code-breaking, is funding research into the mass harvesting of the information that people post about themselves on social networks.

Read the full story here.



Ry

[nihil]

The biggest problems I can see from that is that people are inveterate liars

1. Is it true?
2. Did they actually post it?

It may sound like a good idea (to the Man) but on reflection, I suspect that it will turn out to be another white elephant like Carnivore?

Mind you, the UK Government application forms ask you if you are, or ever have been, a member of the Communist party or of a terrorist organisation.......... the mind boggles at their imagination

[hjack]

Wow, I am behind times. I thought Carnivore did exist and it was renamed to some alpha/numerical name to seem less omnious.


As for this being a white elephant or not, its does make sense if you were a goverment angency compiling information on your citizens. I mean, how many articles have you read now about people harvesting info from myspace for id theft?

Seems probably to me but then again I haven't looked to see if any other of the main news (read more credible) have carried anything about this. I haven't heard of the source site before of this before. The only way I found it the article was off of digg. Usually things won't get linked on their unless the poster feels its credible.

Ry

[nihil]

Ryan,

AFAIK Carnivore was scrapped because it was unworkable and irrecoverable (as a project/system). Yes, I did hear talk that a replacement was being considered, but I have heard nothing since.

its does make sense if you were a goverment angency compiling information on your citizens

What information and to what purpose? remember my two objections above. As well as that, how many people even have a space on a social network?

Sure I can see possible identity theft and spamming/marketing applications, because those don't need a complete database , just a sample of "targets". For a government database to be of any value it has to be pretty much complete within its selection/design parameters.

Usually things won't get linked on their unless the poster feels its credible.

Hey, I am not saying it is not credible..............I have total faith in government to waste taxpayers' money I just have technical objections as to why it seems pretty pointless.

[The Texan]

I hope they dont get facebook. I like facebook, its better than myspace. They did a college survey, it goes 1. beer 2. IPOD 3. facebook

[©opy®ight]

Well from what i remember reading on howstuff works.com Carnivore was replaces by Omnivore and then Omnivore was replaced by the Dragonware Suite.....

and well now i went to the site again and the program that the NSA uses is called Echelon... it looks thought packets crossing international borders for keyword such as terrorist and such and such...

Anyways here's the source if you wanna read up on it: http://computer.howstuffworks.com/carnivore1.htm

[hexadecimal]

i heard they are now working on something called "skynet"

[nihil]

Hmmmmm,

AFAIK "skynet" is a satellite ("milstar" is the other one) they are part of the "Echelon" set-up, which is pretty old and designed for intelligence gathering from international communications.

http://news.zdnet.co.uk/business/0,3...2079845,00.htm

Intercepting internal and internet stuff is a different issue?

They did a college survey, it goes 1. beer 2. IPOD 3. facebook

See what I mean about people being inveterate liars?

The truth was: 1. Sex 2. More Sex 3. Beer

[The Texan]

Johnno, you know people ALWAYS lie to researchers. They know its fun to skew results on purpose of course some daring folk could listen to IPOD while having sex and get on facebook afterwards lol