Biden Administration considers increasing social media surveillance after Pentagon leaks

Biden Administration considers increasing social media surveillance after Pentagon leaks

More Surveillance Justification

By Ken Macon

The Biden Administration is considering using an intelligence failure that allowed classified Pentagon documents to circulate online unnoticed for weeks to call for broadening its surveillance of social media platforms.

This potential alteration to intelligence gathering methods comes as authorities rush to find out not only how the leak occurred, but also how to prevent similar incidents in the future.

Last week, President Joe Biden and Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin were informed of the leak.

However, it was reported that the secret documents first emerged on the Discord social media app as early as January, according to open-source investigative group Bellingcat which has alleged ties to the intelligence community.

Upon discovering that the documents had been available online for an extended period, the president and other officials allegedly considered ways to prevent this from happening again in the future.

As a response, the administration may expand the scope of online platforms that intelligence and law enforcement agencies monitor, NBC reported.

The leaked Pentagon documents allegedly emerged in internet gaming circles, giving officials justification to surveil this area more closely.

One of the apps considered to be more closely surveilled is Discord. Discord is a communication app designed primarily for the gaming community but has since expanded to serve a wide range of users and purposes. It provides a platform for text, voice, and video chat, allowing users to communicate and collaborate in real-time. Discord offers both public and private servers, enabling people to create and join chat rooms or channels focused on specific topics, interests, or groups. Users can also send direct messages to each other, share files, and stream their screens or games.

The intelligence community is reportedly wrestling with how to scan platforms like Discord for relevant content to prevent similar leaks in the future.

This incident has prompted new questions about the management of sensitive intelligence information within the government and whether access to such data should be further restricted. In light of the leak, the administration has already tightened access to classified information and is considering additional measures.

The leaked documents reveal detailed intelligence on Russian tactical maneuvers in the Ukraine war, assessments of Ukraine’s military strengths and weaknesses, alleged sabotage by Ukrainian agents within Belarus and Russia, and intelligence reports on allies, including South Korea and Israel.

Images of some documents first appeared on Discord channels dedicated to the Minecraft video game and fans of a YouTuber called wow_mao, according to Bellingcat.

From there, the images made their way to 4Chan, pro-Russian Telegram channels, and Twitter. The New York Times first reported on the documents last week.

_________

*********

(TLB) published this article from Reclaim The Net as compiled and written by Ken Macon with our appreciation for this perspective

Ken Macon is a teacher and contributor who focuses on researching and reporting on mass surveillance and privacy rights across the world. [email protected]

Header featured image (edited) credit: Social Media logos/OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images

Emphasis added by (TLB) editors

••••

••••

Stay tuned to …

••••

The Liberty Beacon Project is now expanding at a near exponential rate, and for this we are grateful and excited! But we must also be practical. For 7 years we have not asked for any donations, and have built this project with our own funds as we grew. We are now experiencing ever increasing growing pains due to the large number of websites and projects we represent. So we have just installed donation buttons on our websites and ask that you consider this when you visit them. Nothing is too small. We thank you for all your support and your considerations … (TLB)

••••

Comment Policy: As a privately owned web site, we reserve the right to remove comments that contain spam, advertising, vulgarity, threats of violence, racism, or personal/abusive attacks on other users. This also applies to trolling, the use of more than one alias, or just intentional mischief. Enforcement of this policy is at the discretion of this websites administrators. Repeat offenders may be blocked or permanently banned without prior warning.

••••

Disclaimer: TLB websites contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available to our readers under the provisions of “fair use” in an effort to advance a better understanding of political, health, economic and social issues. The material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving it for research and educational purposes. If you wish to use copyrighted material for purposes other than “fair use” you must request permission from the copyright owner.

••••

Disclaimer: The information and opinions shared are for informational purposes only including, but not limited to, text, graphics, images and other material are not intended as medical advice or instruction. Nothing mentioned is intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.