The National Security Agency has reportedly been gathering records of online activity, specifically visits to pornographic websites, of suspected radical elements according to the Huffington Post. Why is the agency, which has been in the news lately after clandestine surveillance programmes like PRISM were revealed, collecting such seemingly-impertinent data? According to a top-secret, but now leaked, NSA document, the security agency did this as part of a proposed plan “to harm the reputation of those whom the agency believes are radicalising other through incendiary speeches.” The documents, leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden, identifies six targets, all Muslim, as “exemplars” of how “personal vulnerabilities” can be discovered through electronic surveillance, and then exploited to undermine the target’s credibility, reputation and authority. The document, dated October 3, 2012, repeatedly refers to the power of charges of hypocrisy to undermine such a messenger. Using data gathered through online surveillance, the agency planned to discredit and reduce the “threat” of any such targets.
Careful what you watch on the Internet
Rationalising this, the document claims, “A previous SIGINT (signals intelligence, broadly speaking the interception of communications) assessment report on radicalization indicated that radicalizers appear to be particularly vulnerable in the area of authority when their private and public behaviors are not consistent.” The vulnerabilities detailed by the NSA for effective exploitation include 'viewing sexually explicit material online' and 'using sexually explicit persuasive language when communicating with inexperienced young girls.'
Shawn Turner, Director of Public Affairs for National Intelligence, in an emailed statement to the source, said, "Without discussing specific individuals, it should not be surprising that the US Government uses all of the lawful tools at our disposal to impede the efforts of valid terrorist targets who seek to harm the nation and radicalize others to violence."
Despite there being no concrete evidence pointing to any of the six individuals being involved in terror plots, the NSA believes that targets radicalise people through controversial ideas propagated via YouTube, Facebook and other social media websites. Their audience, which is peopled by both English and Arabic speakers, “include individuals who do not yet hold extremist views but who are susceptible to the extremist message." The NSA says that the speeches and writing of these six individuals resonate in countries as diverse as the UK, Germany, Sweden, Kenya, Pakistan, India and Saudi Arabia.
According to Jameel Jaffer, Deputy Legal Director of the American Civil Liberties Union, "It's important to remember that the NSA’s surveillance activities are anything but narrowly focused -- the agency is collecting massive amounts of sensitive information about virtually everyone. Wherever you are, the NSA's databases store information about your political views, your medical history, your intimate relationships and your activities online. The NSA says this personal information won't be abused, but these documents show that the NSA probably defines 'abuse' very narrowly."
Perhaps the most alarming factor in all this is the fact that the NSA reportedly has information of sexual activity about at least two of the targets that would put them in an embarassing situation if leaked. Some of the information was gathered through FBI surveillance programmes carried out under the Foreign Intelligence and Surveillance Act. The document adds, "Information herein is based largely on Sunni extremist communications."
The document does not indicate whether the NSA carried out its plan to discredit these six individuals, either by communicating with them privately or leaking information publicly. There is also no discussion in the document of any legal or ethical constraints on exploiting electronic surveillance in this manner. Be that as it may, the very fact that the NSA has put in place plans like this, plans which amount to virtual blackmail, shows just how loose the term internet privacy is.
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