Your Facebook ‘friend’ may be a federal agent, says report

October 15, 2010 By Jeffrey Van Camp

A new report reveals that the government has been extensively monitoring social networking sites, including Facebook, MySpace and Twitter.

It’s smart to watch what you say, and smarter to watch what you say online, because you never know who might read it. In response to a Freedom of Information request (FOIA), the government released documents revealing that social networking sites are being heavily monitored. According to the report by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, social sites like Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Flickr were targeted, as well as Wikipedia, Craigslist, many political commentary sites, and NPR, among others.

One document reveals widespread information gathering around the time of the 2009 inauguration of President Obama: “Narcissistic tendencies in many people fuel a need to have a large group of ‘friends’ link to their pages, and many of these people accept cyber-friends that they don’t even know. This provides an excellent vantage point for FDNS to observe the daily life of beneficiaries and petitioners who are suspected of fraudulent activities.”

While some use of social media to monitor fraud and security can be justified, the EFF is worries that such extensive monitoring could turn a harmless, offhand status update into a blown out investigation.

“…while there have been some reports in the past year of similar social network monitoring for large-scale public events,” said the EFF, “to date the public has not seen such detailed information about the government’s approach to monitoring, especially on its data preservation practices. As our FOIA lawsuit continues, we hope to learn more about such activities and help bring further transparency and accountability to the ways in which government agencies and law enforcement officials collect and analyze information about us online.”

Are you worried about the government stretching its authority and over-monitoring tweets and updates? Or is this a good thing, as it could potentially help deal with or prevent a disaster?

Showing 30 comments

Mike at 12:15am 11th July 2011 Not sure I am comfortable with government agents looking through commentary on any social networking site. We know many politicians, and probably agency leaders in the bureaucracy, are psychopaths (check the video "freedom from conscience -- psychopaths" on YouTube for details. I mean, you get a TSA rubdown when you go to the airport but isn't this sort of thing a mental rubdown? What direction as a society are we taking?
GadsdenGurl at 11:05am 20th June 2011 Come and get me. LOL
Jovan Vujnovic at 12:38am 21st February 2011 Thank good that in Europe we do not have such problems.The governments are too busy scheming how to get their pockets full of the tax money to be interested in something like violating civil rights or monitoring our social network posts.
Eric Wayne Bennett at 8:54pm 22nd October 2010 I'd hope for at least three by now!!
Henry at 6:56am 20th October 2010 If you're going to publish your comments on the WWW, it's the same as going on TV, radio or speaking in public. If you accept a stranger (an unknown person asking to be your friend) to your "friends list" then you opened that door yourself. THe idea of facebook is to reach out ... if the government, your employer, your ex-wife, your rival at the office reads what you make public, then there is NO invasion of privacy. Use some common sense here.
Marcy at 4:04pm 19th October 2010 When it comes to sites like Facebook, people are idiots to post their 'really personal' business on them anyway. I might make a comment here and there, but I rarely waste my time posting anything anymore. And I don't accept friendship invites with people I don't actually know. Of course, friends of friends can intrude on your site, which is why it is best not to post "personal' info there to begin with. How about the teacher that got fired because she shared her thoughts about her class with her friends? Or the idiots that feed the X-s divorce lawyer their case by posting affairs on public pages? Really, how stupid are we to even think there would be any privacy on the web? And the Government has gotten down right bold with their eavesdropping. There is no privacy anymore. I am sure they are monitoring our comments here as well if they see something deemed questionable.
Parris Larrain at 4:31pm 18th October 2010 My issue is that we would all be much better critical thinkers, if we could loosen the labels from everything we think, do or say. All our decisions are based on how things are "labeled." Think about it. If we could escape our need to categorize everything to understand our world, we could be free to think up a new and better world. It would be nice to be able to comment and offer opinions while at the same time trying to free ourselves of the fetters that we place on ourselves by labeling and categorizing.
MonaLisa at 3:07pm 18th October 2010 There are personal intelligent meaningful ways of sharing with friends. Than there is a way of THE HERD CORRALLED
Doug at 1:38pm 18th October 2010 Sorry for your encryting, but people do say what's on their mind! Government people are people born the same as me..perhaps many my age, maybe live next to me. If next to me, you're NOT going to tell me how to live my life, but as you see, this is what's predominently so in the US. Of lately, we've become a dictartorship country. If you don't see it, then take up braille!
1. Parris Larrain at 4:36pm 18th October 2010 I firmly agree, Dough. We may not be a dictatorship, yet: but I would say we may be very close to a police state. "Let me see your papers, please." Whether you are driving in your car or buying a beer. We are under close scrutiny but it isn't a dictatorship. It's a form of government with a large reach, big head, deep bowels, and mysterious to the average person. My greatest fear of them right now is not only they can do what they want without explanation; but, they may begin to consider incarcerating those who may simply be homeless, debtors via IRS or college loans, or child support slackers. I think if I am right, we will see a many-armed machine that will keep us all in line, before we will see a dictator.
MonaLisa at 12:31pm 18th October 2010 sory I just posted as MonaLisa and the e mail was wrong rarely eve use it.
Jen at 6:50am 18th October 2010 Put down the cigarette, the gun, the beer, and turn off Fox news. Now, open a book (the white rectangle things you use to smash cockroaches) and try to sound out the big words (more than two letters in a row). Unless Hawaii is part of Kenya, you are a brainless twit. Unless people born in the Midwest of America and have children in the U.S. (such as in the U.S. state of HAWAII) are somehow not citizens, you are still a brainless twit. Have someone read this to you. No love, Not me.
1. Eric at 1:41pm 18th October 2010 My favorite part about this whole thing is that no one contests Obama's mother was an American citizen...which means he could have actually been born in Kenya and he would be a citizen at birth, anyway...fortunately the birther thing is a nice litmus test to see if one should pay any attention to these people at all ;)
leroy jackson at 5:37pm 17th October 2010 the government has always monitored the population - remember Mcarthyism? the first enemy of any government is its people - it is no different in the us
rntwefedupyet at 5:04pm 17th October 2010 Were giveing up freedoms we will never get back.They take a small peice of our freedom of speech but not so much that they upset too many people.Then shortly after the dust settles and we don't give it anymore thought they take another slice. Many times we don't even know they slip it in with another bill as so it isn't noticed. Giveing up any part of our freedoms can never be a good thing for any reason. Look back at what those who made it so we have these freedoms gave up. If they saw what the government they began is doing to its own people. Think they would turely beleive it be time to start over again what ever the price.
1. Juan Mangio at 4:44pm 18th October 2010 You can't spell "surely" or form a coherent thought and you're worried about your freedom of speech? Puh-leeze.
  1. SST at 6:54pm 18th October 2010 He can't spell "piece", "truly", "believe" or "giving" either.
Ken Dunlavy at 3:43pm 17th October 2010 don't give em anything to read and then ya won't have to worry about it
John Grabowski at 10:57am 17th October 2010 Heil!
Blain Wilson at 2:58am 17th October 2010 Say what you want. If we live in a place where people control us, our time has come. Don't listen to this bs people. Say what you want and let them watch you. We will be alright. I promise.
Jerad at 8:27am 16th October 2010 They say they're monitoring people. But in reality they're probably just playing Farmville.
1. Parris Larrain at 4:28pm 18th October 2010 LOVE THIS!! very funny and highly likely: or maybe MAFIA :: I got probs :: over 500 Afghan and Iranian friends, mixed with a few Southern Rednecks who love to make fun of me and my Islamic connections and are always asking me: Did you blow any one up today? Not funny. ;-)
2. riff_raff at 9:45pm 20th October 2010 lol
3. Barbara at 12:32pm 10th July 2011 Ha ha ha ha!
Tim Beadles at 2:18am 16th October 2010 Not like there is an invasion of privacy...these idiots accept them as friends...I think it should be monitored...I think tax $ should be spent to protect us and knowing my extreemist groups are doing and saying is a effective way to try and protect us
Saucer at 9:14pm 15th October 2010 Americans, gotta love how the government spends your hard earned tax dollars ;-).
Brainchild at 6:34pm 15th October 2010 Bye bye liberty.
1. riff_raff at 9:43pm 20th October 2010 Liberty has been packing up and leaving for many many years now! We the people are just now being made aware of it's departure!
Michael at 6:26pm 15th October 2010 It didn't save Tyler Clementi.
brad at 6:23pm 15th October 2010 first