Social Media Surveillance Now a Booming Business
December 5, 2016
Many know that law enforcement often turns to social media for clues, but you may not be aware how far such efforts have gotten. LittleSis, a group that maps and publishes relationships between the world’s most powerful entities, shares what it has learned about the field of social-media spying in, “You Are Being Followed: The Business of Social Media Surveillance.”
LittleSis worked with MuckRock, a platform that shares a trove of original government documents online. The team identified eight companies now vending social-media-surveillance software to law enforcement agencies across the nation; see the article for the list, complete with links to more information on each company. Writer Aaron Cantú describes the project:
We not only dug into the corporate profiles of some of the companies police contract to snoop on your Tweets and Facebook rants, we also filed freedom of information requests to twenty police departments across the country to find out how, when, and why they monitor social media. …
One particularly well-connected firm that we believe is worth highlighting here is ZeroFOX, which actively monitored prominent Black Lives Matter protesters in Baltimore and labeled some of them, including former Baltimore mayoral candidate DeRay McKesson, ‘threat actors.’ The company reached out to Baltimore officials first, offering it services pro-bono, which ZeroFOX executives painted as a selfless gesture of civic responsibility. But city officials may have been especially receptive to ZeroFOX’s pitch because of the powerful names standing behind it.
Behind ZeroFOX are weighty names indeed, like Mike McConnell, former director of the NSA, and Robert Rodgiguez, who is tied to Homeland Security, the Secret Service, and a prominent security firm. Another company worth highlighting is Geofeedia, because its name appears in all the police-department records the project received so far. The article details how each of these departments have worked with that company, from purchase orders to contract specifications. According to its CEO, Geofeedia grew sevenfold in just the last two years.
Before closing with a call for readers to join the investigation through MuckRock, Cantú makes this key observation:
Because social media incites within us a compulsion to share our thoughts, even potentially illegal ones, law enforcement sees it as a tool to preempt behavior that appears threatening to the status quo. We caught a glimpse of where this road could take us in Michigan, where the local news recently reported that a man calling for civil unrest on Facebook because of the Flint water crisis was nearly the target of a criminal investigation. At its worst, social media monitoring could create classes of ‘pre-criminals’ apprehended before they commit crimes if police and prosecutors are able to argue that social media postings forecast intent. This is the predictive business model to which Geofeedia CEO Phil Harris aspires. [The link goes to a 23-minute interview with Harris at YouTube.]
Postings forecast intent”— because no one ever says anything online they don’t really mean, right? There is a reason the pre-crime-arrest concept is fodder for tales of dystopian futures. Where do details like civilian oversight and the protection of civil rights come in?
Cynthia Murrell, December 5, 2016
Big Data on Crime
December 5, 2016
An analytics company that collects crime related data from local law enforcement agencies plans to help reduce crime rates by using Big Data.
CrimerReports.com, in its FAQs says:
The data on CrimeReports is sent on an hourly, daily, or weekly basis from more than 1000 participating agencies to the CrimeReports map. Each agency controls their data flow to CrimeReports, including how often they send data, which incidents are included.
Very little is known about the service provider. WhoIs Lookup indicates that though the domain was registered way back in 1999, it was updated few days back on November 25th 2016 and is valid till November 2, 2017.
CrimeReports is linked to a local law enforcement agency that selectively shares the data on crime with the analytics firm. After some number crunching, the service provider then sends the data to its subscribers via emails. According to the firm:
Although no formal, third-party study has been commissioned, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that public-facing crime mapping—by keeping citizens informed about crime in their area—helps them be more vigilant and implement crime prevention efforts in their homes, workplaces, and communities. In addition, there is anecdotal evidence to suggest that public-facing crime mapping fosters more trust in local law enforcement by members of the community.
To maintain data integrity, the data is collected only through official channels. The crime details are not comprehensive, rather they are redacted to protect victim and criminal’s privacy. As of now, CrimeReports get paid by law enforcement agencies. Certainly, this is something new and probably never tried.
Vishal Ingole, December 5, 2016
The Google: A Real Newspaper Discovers Modern Research
December 4, 2016
I read “Google, Democracy and the Truth about Internet Search.” One more example of a person who thinks he or she is an excellent information hunter and gatherer. Let’s be candid. A hunter gatherer flailing away for 15 or so years using online research tools, libraries, and conversations with actual humans should be able to differentiate a bunny rabbit from a female wolf with baby wolves at her feet.
Natural selection works differently in the hunting and gathering world of online. The intrepid knowledge warrior can make basic mistakes, use assumptions without consequence, and accept whatever a FREE online service delivers. No natural selection operates.
A “real” journalist discovers the basics of online search’s power. Great insight, just 50 years from the time online search became available to this moment of insight in December 2017. Slow on the trigger or just clueless?
That’s scary. When the 21st century hunter gatherer seems to have an moment of inspiration and realizes that online services—particularly ad supported free services—crank out baloney, it’s frightening. The write up makes clear that a “real” journalist seems to have figured out that online outputs are not exactly the same as sitting at a table with several experts and discussing an issue. Online is not the same as going to a library and reading books and journal articles, thinking about what each source presents as actual factoids.
Here’s an example of the “understanding” one “real” journalist has about online information:
Google is knowledge. It’s where you go to find things out.
There you go. Reliance on one service to provide “knowledge.” From an ad supported. Free. Convenient. Ubiquitous. Online service.
Yep, that’s the way to keep track of “knowledge.”
Tips for DCGS Vendors Staff If RIFed
December 4, 2016
DCGS (pronounced dee-sigs by those inside the Beltway and dee-see-gee-ess by folks in Harrod’s Creek) may be heading to some changes. What is DCGS? Who are the DCGS vendors? What are the contracts worth? DCGS is a 15 year old project to provide one screen with federated intelligence, war fighting, and Web information. What are the contracts worth? Lots. Think hundreds of millions for some Beltway outfits. Some of the vendors appear in the list below:
Now to the meat of this write up. Here are the top 10 tips for DCGS incumbent vendors to have on hand if [a] their employer loses some DCGS deals, [b] employees and contractors working on DCGS projects get fired, RIFed, or terminated but without extreme prejudice, or [c] need some ideas to prepare for a future elsewhere (perhaps Palantir?).
Tip 10
Identify six different Starbuck’s and rotate your visits. You don’t want the “regulars” to know you are flipping rocks for work.
Tip 9
Hit Second Story Books or Capitol Hill Books for a copy of the classic job hunters’ manual What Color Is Your Parachute?
Tip 8
Convert your home office into an AirBnB rental to generate some extra dolares en efectivo.
Tip 7
Inform your significant other that he/she has to get a second job, possibly at Wendy’s or McDonald’s.
Tip 6
Add more content to your Microsoft LinkedIn résumé. (Note: Do not select need the “secret” job search option. You do not have an employer.)
Tip 5
Switch to Sunmark antacids with calcium instead of Whole Foods’ select mixed nuts.
Tip 4
Sign up to drive for Uber.
Tip 3
Tell your children they need more exposure to diversity and will switch to local public schools immediately.
Tip 2
Inform your family that holiday gifts will be purchased at the Montgomery County Thrift Shop in Bethesda or the Goodwill in Ashburn.
Tip 1
Cancel that cruise to the Norwegian fjords. Vacation this year is a trip to Wal-Mart Supercenter on Georgia Avenue NW.
Please, have a footless and fancy free 2017. Plus, remember to sign up for unemployment.
Stephen E Arnold, December 4, 2016
SEO Craziness: Design Is the Most Important Ranking Factor
December 3, 2016
I love the search engine optimization “experts.” The concepts, the ideas, the confections—Amazing. I read “Design: The Top SEO Ranking Factor.” The main idea is that arts and crafts are more important than accuracy, useful information, clear presentation, and the other factors identified by Google itself.
I learned:
The only way to sustain organic search ranking is to offer an experience that users engage with after landing on it.
I love statements containing the word “only.” The idea is that there is one, unique, remarkable, go-to thing to do to pump up a result is a list of results or in an app designed to provide search even though the user does not know he/she is performing a search. The write up explains:
User-centered design of organic search landing experiences is pretty simple: provide clearly scannable [sic], relevant, compelling text above the fold. Anything that distracts from that mission defeats the purpose.
Cart before horse and ready-fire-aim are essential tools for this approach to providing useful and usable information.
Stephen E Arnold, December 3, 2016
Google Versus Amazon: And the Price War?
December 2, 2016
I read “How Google Is Challenging AWS.” The factoids and the analysis weave together the cloud-smart software boomlet. Both companies want to generate big money, be recognized as leaders in artificial intelligence, and dominate the “cloud.”
There are some differences between the two outfits. The Google is a company based
Here’s the passage I highlighted:
To be sure, Google’s success is not assured: the company still has to grapple with a new business model — sales versus ads — and build up the sort of organization that is necessary for not just sales but also enterprise support. Both are areas where Amazon has a head start, along with a vastly larger partner ecosystem and a larger feature set generally. And, of course, AWS has its own machine learning API, along with IBM and Microsoft. Microsoft is likely to prove particularly formidable in this regard: not only has the company engaged in years of research, but the company also has experience productizing technology for business specifically; Google’s longstanding consumer focus may at times be a handicap. And as popular as Kubernetes may be broadly, it’s concerning that Google is not yet eating its own dog food. Still, Google will be a formidable competitor: its strategy is sound and, perhaps more importantly, the urgency to find a new line of business is far more pressing today than it was in 2006.
The MBA analysis covers the waterfront: References to trial balloons, buzzwords, and Google’s techno-prowess.
I did note one omission: The old-fashioned concept of price war. Google depends on advertisers to funds its attempts to generate new revenues, conquer unspoiled markets, and achieve Sillycon Valley greatness. Amazon, on the other hands, gets people to pay Amazon to reduce its administrative burden for its plumbing. Customers buy products and services from Amazon, which is a reworking of the big box store into a digital WalMart.
Yet the price war appears to be simmering. Who will back their horse to the finish: Advertisers who want a measurable return on ads in the murky, somewhat opaque world of online clicks? Customers who want to buy laundry detergent?
Harrod’s Creek remembers the gasoline price wars of yore. We remember them fondly. Perhaps the battle between Sillycon Valley and Seattle will evoke similar thoughts a few years down the line. Disruptions can be fun too.
Stephen E Arnold, December 2, 2016
Stephen E Arnold,
Quote to Note: Forget Mobile. It Is Now Artificial Intelligence
December 2, 2016
I stumbled upon an interesting quote which I found noteworthy. Here’s the statement:
We have moved from a mobile first to an AI first world.
The statement appeared in “IT Life: Victor Lamburt, CTO Yandex Zen.” The write up references Yandex’s effort to expand its international business. The Zen project is a personalized news feed.
Stephen E Arnold, December 2, 2016
Search Email: Not Yours. A Competitor’s.
December 2, 2016
I read “This Startup Helps You Deep Snoop Competitor Email Marketing.” I like that “deep snoop” thing. That works pretty well until one loses access to content to analyze. Just ask Geofeedia which is scrambling since it lost access to Twitter and other social media content.
The outfit Rival Explorer offers:
a tool designed to help users improve their email marketing strategy and product pricing and promotion through comprehensive monitoring of their competitor’s email newsletters. After creating a free account, users can browse through a database of marketing emails from over 50,000 brands. Rival Explorer offers access to a number of different email types, including newsletters, cart abandonment emails, welcome emails, and other transactional messages.
In terms of information access, the Rival Explorer customers:
can search by brand, subject, message body, date, day of week, industry, category, and custom tags and keywords. When users select a message, they’re able to view the sender email, subject line, and timestamp of the messages. In addition to those details, users can view the emails as they appear on tablets and smartphones, plus they also can toggle images to get a better idea of design and copy strategy.
You can get more information at this link. Public content and marketing information can be useful it seems.
Stephen E Arnold, December 2, 2016
Google Shifts Development Emphasis to Artificial Intelligence
December 2, 2016
The article on The American Genius titled Google’s Ambitious Plans to Change Every Device on the Planet explains the focus on A.I. innovation by Sundar Pichai, a Google CEO. If you think Google is behind when it comes to A.I., you haven’t been paying close enough attention. Google has dipped its feet in voice recognition and machine translation as well as language understanding, but the next step is Google Home. The article states,
This device seems to be a direct answer to Amazon’s Echo. Google Home isn’t the only product set to launch, however. They also plan to launch a messaging app called Allo. This is likely a direct response to WhatsApp, Kik, and other popular messaging platforms… Google may be hoping Allo is the answer for what this particular platform is lacking. Allo and Google Home will both be powered by a “Google assistant” (a bit like Siri), but in their eyes, more engaging.
So what will the future landscape of A.I. technology look like? Depends on who you believe. Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon can all point to an existing product, but Google can mention AlphaGo, the computer program developed by Google DeepMind, in response. Pichai recognizes that Google must be all about the long game when it comes to A.I., because so far, we have only scratched the surface. What role will Google play in the much-feared A.I. arms race? All we know right now is that more Google is good for Google.
Chelsea Kerwin, December 2, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
Vk Tops List of Most Popular Websites in Russia
December 2, 2016
For anyone interested in Internet usage outside the U.S., VentureBeat supplies a run-down of the most-used websites in Russia in its piece, “Russia’s Top 10 Websites Include Facebook, Google, Instagram, and YouTube.” Reporter Adrien Henni writes:
Russia’s top 10 websites 2016 ranked by SimilarWeb tell us how Russians are spending their time online. Russia’s top 10 websites of 2016 consist of four social networking sites, three search engines, email, video entertainment, and classifieds. As opposed to some other markets, domestic sites dominate Russia but international websites still play a major role in the RuNet ecosystem. This blog walks through the top sites, defining the domestic sites and elaborating on some of the Russian uses of internationally well-known sites. … The ranking has not seen a large shift since last year.
Though the VentureBeat headline emphasizes U.S. sites, the top four entries are Russian. In fact, the most popular site is one we’ve been examining—the Russian answer to Facebook, Vkontakte, a.k.a. VK. The write-up describes the site:
Vkontakte (VK), Russia’s local social media site, is at the top of the list, making it the most popular website in Russia. This is no surprise with the increasing popularity of social media, not only in Russia but all over the world. Beyond staying connected with friends and family, VK offers entertainment services as well. Users are able to create playlists of videos and music.
Henni does not mention the looser restrictions on things like hate speech, which is apparently one of VK’s major draws (at least for now.) Unsurprisingly, innovative search engine Yandex is second on the list, followed by social-media site Odnoklassniki (OK), and Mail.ru. Facebook barely made the list, on the heels of Google and Instagram. See the write-up for details on each site, and how Russians utilize it.
Cynthia Murrell, December 2, 2016
Sponsored by ArnoldIT.com, publisher of the CyberOSINT monograph
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