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Showing Original Post only (View all)Greenwald: Leaked Docs Reveal Agency's (GCHQ) Digital Propaganda Toolkit [View all]
Latest files provided by Edward Snowden show GCHQ's ability to 'manipulate' the Internet using 'hackers buffet for wreaking online havoc'by Jon Queally, staff writer
Common Dreams, July 15, 2014
The latest documents released from a trove leaked to journalist Glenn Greenwald by Edward Snowden reveal that GCHQ has created a virtual toolbox of online hacker tactics that allow British intelligence agents to "manipulate" online communities by seeding the Internet "with false information" and conducting the kind of malicious attacks on networks that send civilian hackers to prison.
According to the most recent reporting from Greenwald at The Intercept:
The tools were created by GCHQs Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group (JTRIG), and constitute some of the most startling methods of propaganda and internet deception contained within the Snowden archive. Previously disclosed documents have detailed JTRIGs use of fake victim blog posts, false flag operations, honey traps and psychological manipulation to target online activists, monitor visitors to WikiLeaks, and spy on YouTube and Facebook users.
But as the U.K. Parliament [this week] debates a fast-tracked bill to provide the government with greater surveillance powers, one which Prime Minister David Cameron has justified as an emergency to help keep us safe, a newly released top-secret GCHQ document called JTRIG Tools and Techniques provides a comprehensive, birds-eye view of just how underhanded and invasive this units operations are. The documentavailable in full hereis designed to notify other GCHQ units of JTRIGs weaponised capability when it comes to the dark internet arts, and serves as a sort of hackers buffet for wreaking online havoc.
As the Guardian observes, the internal document "details a range of programs designed to collect and store public postings from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+, and to make automated postings on several of the social networks." In addition, the file shows the agency possesses the ability to "boost views of YouTube videos, or to boost the circulation of particular messages" it wants to promote.
Greenwald provided a sample list of the JTRIG programs detailed in the databasewhich he described as a "a massive Wikipedia-style archive" and included their "boastful code names" which appear in parentheses:
Change outcome of online polls (UNDERPASS)
Mass delivery of email messaging to support an Information Operations campaign (BADGER) and mass delivery of SMS messages to support an Information Operations campaign (WARPARTH)
Disruption of video-based websites hosting extremist content through concerted target discovery and content removal. (SILVERLORD)
Active skype capability. Provision of real time call records (SkypeOut and SkypetoSkype) and bidirectional instant messaging. Also contact lists. (MINIATURE HERO)
Find private photographs of targets on Facebook (SPRING BISHOP)
A tool that will permanently disable a targets account on their computer (ANGRY PIRATE)
Ability to artificially increase traffic to a website (GATEWAY) and ability to inflate page views on websites (SLIPSTREAM)
Amplification of a given message, normally video, on popular multimedia websites (Youtube) (GESTATOR)
Targeted Denial Of Service against Web Servers (PREDATORS FACE) and Distributed denial of service using P2P. Built by ICTR, deployed by JTRIG (ROLLING THUNDER)
A suite of tools for monitoring target use of the UK auction site eBay (www.ebay.co.uk) (ELATE)
Ability to spoof any email address and send email under that identity (CHANGELING)
For connecting two target phone together in a call (IMPERIAL BARGE)
According to Greenwald, this database was last updated in 2012, but had been accessed by GCHQ agents more than 20,000 times.
CONTINUED...
http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2014/07/15
Now that's in the UK, trusted Five Eyes partner. So, do you think NSA doesn't apply similar guidelines for, ah, helping discussions along?
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Greenwald: Leaked Docs Reveal Agency's (GCHQ) Digital Propaganda Toolkit [View all]
Octafish
Jul 2014
OP
It was in the dawn of that era that the movie, The Anderson Tapes, was released
Babel_17
Jul 2014
#79
Another exasperated, cranky kick. This shit is really getting on my nerves. Rec! nt
riderinthestorm
Jul 2014
#12
He's famous because what he's doing is relevant as is Snowden and Assange.
Tierra_y_Libertad
Jul 2014
#25
Interesting to consider how these things were done before the Personal Computer revolution.
Trillo
Jul 2014
#29
Wow, more evidence of what has long been suspected. Once again, thanks Greenwald, Snowden
sabrina 1
Jul 2014
#36
Claiming GCHQ did these things yesterday would have you branded a conspiracy theorist.
pa28
Jul 2014
#38
“Ability to spoof any email address and send email under that identity” (CHANGELING)
OnyxCollie
Jul 2014
#51
They spy on Youtube? Oh, no, they'll find out I like Steve Spangler's science demonstrations.
tclambert
Jul 2014
#53
The Hillary is inevitable are you calling Elizabeth a liar is getting funny, too.
djean111
Jul 2014
#59