LeakSource - White House Moves To Counter “Online Radicalization”, Free Speech Isn't So Free

The War of on Terror continues with a new grave threat – people writing things on the internet. The government is now trying to find ways to counter “online radicalization to violence” a phrase so broad it could mean practically anything.

Under the guise of curbing the “radicalization” of U.S. citizens and identifying and purging potentially violent persons from the Internet, the White House has initiated the creation of a new interagency working group to address what it calls a growing problem.

The White House issued a fact sheet delineating the broad objectives of the plan.

FACT SHEET: Working to Counter Online Radicalization to Violence in the United States

http://www.scribd.com/doc/126102728/White-House-Working-to-Counter-Online-Radicalization-to-Violence-in-the-United-States-FACT-SHEET

The interagency group will be headed by Quintan Wiktorowicz, the current White House senior director for community partnerships on the national security staff. The new group will be called The Interagency Working Group to Counter Online Radicalization and will be charged with the implementation of an Internet safety program to address online violent extremism.

Wiktorowiczs stated,

“Violent extremist groups ─ like Al Qaeda and its affiliates and adherents, violent supremacist groups, and violent “sovereign citizens” ─ are leveraging online tools and resources to propagate messages of violence and division. These groups use the Internet to disseminate propaganda, identify and groom potential recruits, and supplement their real-world recruitment efforts. Some members and supporters of these groups visit mainstream fora to see whether individuals might be recruited or encouraged to commit acts of violence, look for opportunities to draw targets into private exchanges, and exploit popular media like music videos and online video games. Although the Internet offers countless opportunities for Americans to connect, it has also provided violent extremists with access to new audiences and instruments for radicalization.”

Shorter: the internet is gaining in power and we have not figured out a way to dominate it yet, this scares us.

But don’t worry according to the White House Fact Sheet the government will be “collaborating with industry” to help deal with the menace of free speech on the internet.

Collaborating with Industry: The Federal Government will collaborate with industry to explore how we might counter online violent extremism while protecting lawful Internet use and the civil liberties and privacy of individual users. Many companies have developed voluntary measures to promote Internet safety (such as fraud warnings, identity protection, and Internet safety tips), and we look forward to hearing their views about how we might apply similar measures to counter online radicalization to violence.

Big Government and Big Business working together, all to help us. This marriage of state and corporate power to regulate the internet sounds great doesn’t it? If only there was a name for such a system. In any case, allowing the government to work with industry to develop “countermeasures” to “radical” speech is a great way to protect all our freedom. What could go wrong?

Full Article at LeakSource

TSA - Overreaching, Ineffective And Coming To A Train Station Near You

[caption id="attachment_1307" align="aligncenter" width="545"] Are you in?[/caption]

Early Adopter Of TSA Oversight Seen This Wednesday In California

People are used to seeing TSA inspectors at airports but on Wednesday, a specialized team made their presence known at the Amtrak station in Emeryville. Train stations are difficult to secure because they're so wide open but on Wednesday, the TSA showed up unannounced to let the public, especially potential troublemakers, know that they are keeping an eye on the rails.


Amtrak passenger Vera Molina said she noticed all the black-clad TSA inspectors right away and it's a presence she appreciates. Asked if she would like to see them more often she said, "I would, can't hurt, just in case you never know." As part of their nationwide "Viper Team" effort, the Transportation Safety Administration put about a dozen agents at the station to see and be seen, although some of the inspectors also work undercover.

Full Article on ABC

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TSA Is Ineffective

I almost cannot believe the reaction from people over this. The whole "just in case" story is starting to get a little old and yet we keep chasing the boogeyman on the issue. What really bothers me with this TSA expansion isn't even the concerns with invasion of privacy, it's that their efficacy in catching terrorists is nonexistent. Statistics gleaned from Representative Jason Chaffetz's hearings on TSA Oversight show that out of 25,000 recorded security breaches caught by TSA 0 (that's ZERO) were terrorists. So we are paying more and more for a service that is proven it's incompetent at it's main stated goal? Peter Greenberg speaks on the matter on his blog:

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A security breach is broadly defined as anything from a misplaced checked bag to someone caught in the act of breaching security.


TSA spokesperson Greg Soule responded with the statement that “[the TSA] takes every security breach incident seriously and take[s] appropriate action accordingly which is why the TSA keeps close track of all the ‘breaches.’ Many of these instances were thwarted or discovered in the act.”


These inquiries into the TSA come after several high-profile lapses and public outrage over TSA security practices.

Among the latest outrages: TSA Says It Acted Appropriately In Demanding Removal of Terminally-Ill 95-Year-Old’s Adult Diaper.

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Full Article - TSA: 25,000+ Security Breaches, 0 Terrorists Caught

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