Twitter - CNN Article "The government is reading your tweets"

[RadioKrafter]

Jack mentions using Twitter and other Social Media to keep us up to date.  In as much as some of us may use various flavors of Social Media they are a "product" so am posting here.   I came across this CNN article, seeded by information which was reportedly obtained through a Freedom of Information Act Request:

The government is reading your tweets
http://www.cnn.com/2012/03/09/opinion/obeidallah-social-media/index.html?hpt=us_mid

"Now it appears there are more than 500 words you shouldn't say on Twitter or Facebook unless you want to be flagged by the Department of Homeland Security. There is a surveillance program the agency quietly began in February 2011 to monitor social media, according to the Electronic Privacy Information Center."

What the..... ?

There was a time when this would have been thrown upon the trash-heap of writings from the "Tin Foil Hat" brigade. 

[Cedar]

And once again, I am glad I do not have a cell phone or text or tweet. I remember a kafuffle a couple years ago when the government was watching the whereabouts of 600,000 people by their cell phones, when they went in/out country, from home/store. This was JUST normal everyday US citizens who had no need to be watched. I know I am not crazy or dreamed this, but after having read it online and seeing it on the news, today I cannot find any such reference to it.. 'like it never happened'.

But I have asked a couple people and they remember this incident as well. It was about 7 years ago? 5?

Cedar

[Greywolf27]

Just to play devil's advocate...

I'm sure my tweeting doesn't put me on any list I am not already on:
I am a life member with the NRA
I have participated in my local conservative group
I am signed up on this forum
I buy food in bulk
I buy ammunition
I buy homebrewing supplies
I have no debt
I grow food
I started a blog

I'm sure I can add many many more.  I do not mean to offend, but my tin hat is on only so tight.

and possibly one of the biggest reasons I am on a list... I believe in the Constitution, that it means what it says and that it is one of the closest attempts man has made at a perfect document.

[inbox485]

I've been on "lists" since before DHS existed. I'm pretty sure I was on lists before I even hit puberty. Internet keyword loggers existed since LONG before 9/11. The only thing that changed is how many public people know about it, and how blatant the government is about doing it. Look up something as simple as how a silencer works, and you are on a list. You and half the country for one reason or another. One big database of mostly useless crap. Ping a name or address and you get a list of flags. I'm probably as red as China and I don't give a rats. It is there mostly so that if they ever decide you do matter, they can gauge if you are some blithering idiot, or if you are smart enough to actually cause damage, and equally important they can gauge your affinity to certain topics etc to guess where you are on the just curious to powder keg scale. Nazi's did the exact same thing for pretty similar reasons, albeit from the personal stories I've heard, the Nazis could manage their database with nothing but typewriters and file cabinets better than we can with a blank check for super computers.

Oh, and here is the magic twitter list:
http://animalnewyork.com/2012/02/the-department-of-homeland-security-is-searching-your-facebook-and-twitter-for-these-words/

[ChrisFox]

Isn't the point of twitter is that anyone can see what you tweet? If I'm planning the siege of Mordor I'm not going to tweet about it because you know who can read it along with anyone else.

[Greywolf27]

Isn't the point of twitter is that anyone can see what you tweet? If I'm planning the siege of Mordor I'm not going to tweet about it because you know who can read it along with anyone else.

Sauron?