Outsourcing Big Brother: How The FBI and CIA Use Private Contractors To Monitor Social Media

http://www.occupy.com/article/outsourcing-big-brother-how-fbi-and-cia-use-private-contractors-monitor-social-media

It was discussed in Chapter 6 that not only do corporations monitor and attempt to learn from social media patterns and posts but also that government agencies do to look into employees, criminals, and possible terrorist organization communications and money transfers. However, this article informs us that Palantir Technologies, which is not part of the U.S Government at all is the leading firm doing this surveillance on behalf of our government, or “Big Brother” as they call it. This article delves further into the concept of Open Source Intelligence, or OSINT, which allows all of our social media interactions to be tracked through purposely placed backdoors. Furthermore, not only are the FBI and CIA responsible for this monitoring but rather the DIA, DHS, and countless other law enforcement agencies. Due to vague descriptions of what constitutes “suspicious” or “questionable” internet activities, it may be easier than one would believe to end up on the watch list of one of the countless agencies employing Palantir Technologies or the other “Big Brother” firms.

1. Is our right to privacy being violated by allowing government agencies, as well as independent contractors such as Palantir, to monitor and access our social media for any reason under the blanket of national security?

2. Do the benefits of OSINT and Social Media monitoring outweigh the negative effects that could come with it? Can we justify arresting or investigating innocent people due to algorithm flaws or misunderstanding (Boston Marathon) in the name of national security?