Department of Homeland Security forced to release
list following freedom of information request Agency insists it only looks for evidence of genuine
threats to the U.S. and not for signs of general dissent
June 6, 2012
Revealing:
A list of keywords used by government analysts to scour the internet for
evidence of threats to the U.S. has been released under the Freedom of
Information Act
The Department of
Homeland Security has been forced to release a list of keywords and phrases it
uses to monitor social networking sites and online media for signs of terrorist
or other threats against the U.S.
Threat detection: Released under a freedom of information request,
the information sheds new light on how government analysts are instructed to
patrol the internet searching for domestic and external threats
The intriguing
the list includes obvious choices such as 'attack', 'Al Qaeda', 'terrorism' and
'dirty bomb' alongside dozens of seemingly innocent words like 'pork', 'cloud',
'team' and 'Mexico'.
Released under a
freedom of information request, the information sheds new light on how
government analysts are instructed to patrol the internet searching for
domestic and external threats.
The words are
included in the department's 2011 'Analyst's Desktop Binder'
used by workers at their National Operations Center which instructs workers to
identify 'media reports that reflect adversely on DHS and response activities'.
Department chiefs
were forced to release the manual following a House hearing over documents
obtained through a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit which revealed how analysts
monitor social networks and media organizations for comments that 'reflect
adversely' on the government.
However they
insisted the practice was aimed not at policing the internet for disparaging
remarks about the government and signs of general dissent, but to provide
awareness of any potential threats.
As well as
terrorism, analysts are instructed to search for evidence of unfolding natural
disasters, public health threats and serious crimes such as mall/school
shootings, major drug busts, illegal immigrant busts.
The list has been
posted online by the Electronic Privacy Information Center - a privacy watchdog
group who filed a request under the Freedom of Information Act before suing to obtain
the release of the documents.
In a letter to
the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Counter-terrorism and Intelligence,
the centre described the choice of words as 'broad, vague and ambiguous'.
Threat
detection: Released under a freedom of information request, the information
sheds new light on how government analysts are instructed to patrol the
internet searching for domestic and external threats
They point out
that it includes 'vast amounts of First Amendment protected speech that is
entirely unrelated to the Department of Homeland Security mission to protect
the public against terrorism and disasters.'
A senior Homeland
Security official told the Huffington Post that the manual 'is a starting
point, not the endgame' in maintaining situational awareness of natural and
man-made threats and denied that the government was monitoring signs of dissent.
However the
agency admitted that the language used was vague and in need of updating.
Spokesman Matthew
Chandler told website: 'To ensure clarity, as part of ... routine compliance
review, DHS will review the language contained in all materials to clearly and
accurately convey the parameters and intention of the program.'
MIND YOUR LANGUAGE:
THE LIST OF KEYWORDS IN FULL
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