Okay try a new direction for this subject. Not much input now. So I'm going with the assumption that SM plays into protest, movements and/or revolutions in a country. So I'm going down a road most of us know, insurgency/asymmetric warfare.

No matter which Intel Disciplines is used it's still all about how one uses the differences in Tasking, Collection, Processing, Exploitation, and Dissemination. Most ArcGiS, AnB and Palantir. For me this is some ideas I have for using SM within Intel Cycle and doing some Social Network Analysis (SNA). Here is my assessment broken down for thought and digesting.

Planning and Direction. The first step in the cycle, planning and direction, involves the management of the entire intelligence effort, from the identification of a need for data to the final delivery of the intelligence product to the consumer. The process consists of identifying, prioritizing, and validating intelligence requirements, translating requirements into observables, preparing collection plans, issuing requests for information collection, production, and dissemination, and continuously monitoring the availability of collected data. In this step specific collection capabilities are tasked, based on the type of information required, the susceptibility of the targeted activity to various types of collection activity, and the availability of collection assets. (http://www.fas.org/irp/nsa/ioss/threat96/part02.htm)

Intelligence Preparations of the Battlefield (IPB) is noteworthy for its flexibility. IPB is still a sound method and has useful applications to today's contemporary operating environment. And yes it has been adapted by inter-agencies and law enforcement as well. However, it is not a comprehensive solution. IPB was developed to fight the Soviet bloc forces in the Fulda Gap of northern Europe. Its predictive/estimative value (most likely/most dangerous course of action) was derived from the Red Army's rigid adherence to published doctrine. The Gulf War destroyed adversarial faith in Soviet doctrine, leaving many adversary states and non-state actors to develop their own unpublished doctrine. We now use IPB to fit a newer need, yet fundamentally flawed in most settings. Because of this the IPB theme was changed by NGA to fit this insurgency/asymmetric in what is now Intelligence Preparation of the Environment (IPE or sometimes Intelligence Preparation of the Operational Environment -- IPOE). So now we have Social Network Analysis (SNA) which is about entities and the relationships between them online or cyber. SNA has a number of variations within the intelligence community ranging from techniques such as association matrices through link analysis charts for visualization, right up to the validated mathematical models of statistics and data. Most Intelligence analyst knows I2's Analyst Notebook and Palantir for visualization linkage charts yet many Analysts don’t know how we can look at SM to conduct a threat modeling process in SNA for operations. Does SNA answer the basic question of what the Information will be used for Intelligence?


We is something to think about, the normal way of doing things with standard software.

http://youtu.be/FXTxs2UqHY4

Collection
 

Collection. The second step in the intel cycle is collection, includes both acquiring information and provisioning that information to processing and production elements. The collection process encompasses the management of various activities, including developing collection guidelines that ensure optimal use of available intelligence resources. Intelligence collection requirements are developed to meet the needs of potential consumers. Based upon identified intelligence, requirements collection activities are given specific taskings to collect information. These taskings are generally redundant and may use a number of different intelligence disciplines for collection activities. Tasking redundancy compensates for the potential loss or failure of a collection asset. It ensures that the failure of a collection asset is compensated for by duplicate or different assets capable of answering the collection need. The use of different types of collection systems contributes to redundancy. It also allows the collection of different types of information that can be used to confirm or disprove potential assessments. Collection operations depend on secure, rapid, redundant, and reliable communications to allow for data exchange and to provide opportunities for cross-cueing of assets and tip-off exchanges between assets. Once collected, information is correlated and forwarded for processing and production. (http://www.fas.org/irp/nsa/ioss/threat96/part02.htm)

So within SNA, how does the Intelligence collection requirement relates to mapping, understanding, analyzing and measuring interactions across a network of people? Social Networks, both formal and informal can foster a knowledge sharing among individual, groups, participants, and organizations. SNA collection of SM information lays emphasis on large scale distributed information of participants in SM networks over a period of time. Using SNA software ability to relate one message to another, one post on a SM platform to other posts, and capture data from identities, personalities, locations, content, DTG of postings and messages to chronology logs of all actions in a “community.” Yet we can’t just use one system like we have been doing with the fall back AnB or Palantir just because it is easy to use. We have to be able to use of different types of collection systems contributes to redundancy in analyzing what our specific taskings to collect information from SM. You should be asking, why do I need to be looking at SM for information? Just as with any collection process, for SNA you are encompasses the management of various activities in cyber, including developing the same things you would be looking for in different intelligence disciplines for collection activities. Just because we are cyber it doesn’t change the way we operate. Just as in HUMINT you would be doing the same things are you would on a street corner, now your café is online. SM is OSINT at the heart of it; but still must be balanced with other disciplines when possible.


Freely available Social Network Analysis (SNA) Software

(Keep in mind that most of these use and/or produce a EXCELL spread sheet, so it can be used in other software we have now)
Netdraw: http://www.analytictech.com/downloadnd.htm
NodeXL: http://www.connectedaction.net/nodexl/ (NodeXL at this time can collect data from your Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, or Youtube accounts and graph them.)
+++ YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/39yXz72qdow
Gephi: www.gephi.org (Can collect data from your Facebook, Flickr, and Twitter accounts and graph them.)
***Understanding Gephi: http://www.martingrandjean.ch/introd...ization-gephi/
+++ YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/bXCBh6QH5W0
ORA: http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/projects/ora/index.php (Go to the software tab to download)
UCINET: downloads | ucinetsoftware but you need NetDraw to network visualization.
Visible Path
FOCA 3.2: (great for Metadata obtaining/analysis) http://www.informatica64.com/foca.aspx. +++YouTube Videos: http://youtu.be/XVjZEijbekw

This is a good list breaking down of different softwares for your viewing pleasures. http://www.casos.cs.cmu.edu/tools/tools.php

Purchase available Social Network Analysis (SNA) Software. Just the better ones I've seem employed.

Maltego: http://www.paterva.com/web6/products/maltego.php. (I really like this software)
+++ YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/e33NSUkyEg0
NetMinwe4: http://www.netminer.com/index.php#! (Can collect data from your Facebook, Flickr, Twitter, or Youtube accounts and visualization them.)
+++ YouTube Video: http://youtu.be/9GZVhmZou_c

Examples of SNA Collection. http://s4rsa.wikispaces.com/Social+Network+Analysis

If you look at the free SNA software, you see there is a lot you can do. FOCA is great at "looking" at and within file. Metadata if you don't know what that is, google it. Pictures too, I saw one where they went onto three dating sites, LinkedIn and FB; all free accounts and every picture got all kinds of user information. The Metadata. The other funny thing, was all the pictures that picture block faces, "painted" over rooms, backgrounds and other things. Well FOCA "unpainted" all the pictures. It opened my eyes bigger than $&!#.

Yes principles are the same, for me the process stays the same too. The Old Days of doing link analysis was 3x5 cards and photos taped to a wall, chalk boards, and white boards, just migrated to the computers and use of software. Like the old Cold War days of the five book set of the Soviet Union doctrine and tactics. We could go off indicators based off their doctrine and tactics. No THINK TANK has a full study, good white paper or anything studying the indicators of SM. Well I haven't read any.

It’s just like Intelligence Cycle, invented over 50 years ago, yet the basics of the principles are there, and the process still works.


I'm going with my basics of the linkage analysis and add them to a SNA process:

•Identifying the network of people to be analyzed (e.g. Individual, team, group, and organizations).
•Gathering background information – finding within/on SM network platforms the key players and individuals, understand the specific needs and actions.
•Clarifying objectives, defining the scope of the analysis and agreeing on the level of reporting required for Commanders.
•Formulating hypotheses and questions of what the defined problem or questions are.
•Developing the methodology and designing the Gaps questionnaire.
•”Surveying” the individuals in the network to identify the relationships and knowledge flows between them.
•Use a network visualization software mapping tools to visually map out the SM network.
•Reviewing the map and develop a library for the modeling, analysis, and visualization of SM network data.
•Designing and implementing actions to bring about desired changes within the “system.”
•Mapping the network and how the ability to extract "who", "what", "where", "when" and "why" facts and then drill down to understand people, places and events and how they are related.

This isn’t just about doing an IPB as in an IPE/IPOE. This could be used in many ways. Say how SOF uses SM when you have militants targeting passenger trains, gas pipelines, security forces, and kidnapping NGO workers in the area for more than a (X-Time) whereas incidents of kidnapping for ransom have also risen (Y-Time) recently. So if militant groups are using YouTube to spread their propaganda (ransom requests, videos of IED Explosions). Can we use SNA for a IO counter-campaign? Tracking, indicators of the militants? Looking at what they are doing on SM and how we can use for or against what they are doing. Within the IW, UW and Integrated Asymmetric Warfare Environment (IAWE) can we use SNA? I say yes, we have people looking at what the business world is doing for their business network analysis and just like the ODAA loop in business changed to Plan Do Check Act (PDCA) cycle. What can we do or change?

Thank you so very much for all these posts, MtnGoat. Yes, I was all wide-eyed too. Considering all the implications, that's scary *****.

When I perused those softwares, I didn't see much noise suppression though. Information is only as good as the knowledge one can extract from it.

I genuinely felt smarter going through and rereading this thread. As I delve further in the IC, I'd be grand to meet you and pick your brain barring OPSEC/PERSEC of course.

Ditto with Brush Okie on disinformation. Misdirection works well from the hand-to-hand level all the way to strategic.

Once again, BO, we are thinking alike. (This is getting scary weird, so stop it. :D)
I was thinking almost exactly the same thing, but more in reference to Twitter.

I signed up for a Twitter account several months ago as an experiment to pulse attitudes, etc. particularly the 20-30 yo age group. One of the things that I noticed (or think that I noticed) is that as you post and develop a posting history, select folks to follow, and accrue followers, that Twitter segregates you into groups of of like minded users and isolated from the rest of the Twitterverse.

I doubt that SM can be used to mobilize protests or revolutions as was the original question of this thread. However, it would appear that SM could be useful in mapping groups that are potential assets or potential targets.

Might be interesting to try this as a little experiment.

Okay this is going off something that a Trapper John posted.

Most of these software, websites and a lot of the other places you can go onto to play around use your account to log onto. IMHO do not use your real account and if you doing it from a mobile device make sure you have your GSP location turned off or go into your sets and change your location to another location manually.

As far as the Twitter, just go to BING.com and on the main page look for MAPS, then on the left side look for MAP APPS.. then scroll down and look for and click at TWITTER MAPS box. This typically will not work on mobile devices, not on my IPad. You can download the "app" but I wouldn't. Also, don't click this if your a daily twitter user unless you want everyone to see you. I say make a new account to look around in detail. You can just click on the bing twitter map, this will let you see every in your vicinity is tweeting about. If you are a FB person and leave yourself log on, didn't with BING (IMO) it will absorb your FB Account, so log out of FB before using BING IMO.

BING TWITTER MAP

Bing twitter map is more of a business "interface" app or feature. It is for business' to load it (link on their URL) onto their website for viewers to see what is being Talked about. I.E.: a resort loading into there web page you visit online.

So far as twitter there is a lot of business applications that can be used that will make you say wow!!

Look for a Imagery Metadata, people and posting photos. Got to love them. Especially people that do it from there work place. You just tweeted a pic of your computer desktop.. WTH?!?? There's more for this subject, Metadata later too.

[QUOTE=Trapper John;532651I doubt that SM can be used to mobilize protests or revolutions as was the original question of this thread. However, it would appear that SM could be useful in mapping groups that are potential assets or potential targets. [/QUOTE]

TRAPPER JOHN.. I'm think of doing a video to show somethings someone can do just with business apps or websites to see what people are "talking" about or posting there pictures. Which is nothing more that what many business are doing to drive up sales, bring in clients, or spread the word or to "hash tag" something they want pushed. If a business can get people talking about something, or get people following their "hash tags" or discussions. Do you think with your background and training think you could direct someone with the knowledge, and/or expertise in using trending "hash tags" for other means?

One thing to keep in mind, I guess this isn't just about the thread subject. But how you, IMNSHO, is/are being looked at by businesses in many ways. It's not all about your VIP Grocery key chain card, they can do it if you're big into SM platforms.

So with that, I'm a believer that we, SOF, and the military can use SNA in many ways.

Holy Snoop n' Poop Batman! You have just opened my eyes to a whole new world of possibilities.;)

I've got some homework to do - really, really good thread Bro :lifter

Business does it why no others, is my thinking.

As far as the noise of the information, are asking if anyone uses the software and that the data is pulled in is so much and then you visualize it, you will see so much that it will be a bunch of dots and lines? So much that you really wouldn't be able to find any information out there. Is this what your saying?

Yes, to a point, but most software user can set the parameters. Also just for anyone that uses AnB or Palantir, you can control where, what and how you "pull" the data. So for me it is learning the software you are using and the user knowledge of that system. 18Fs don't use the ASK Kits we have with AnB. Then you have Palantir, where many 18Fs and MID people don't really know it we'll enough to use it effectively. This plays into one of the biggest issues with a lot of this.. User knowledge. This is where many say other people can do all of this. For me the people saying this aren't down at the tactical level, on the ODAs, CATs or MIST. So sending up a RFS to come MACOM or Nation level Agency takes time, typically over a week. Think about those CIOC RFS you submit online. How long do they take? This goes back to my thinking of adding the new cyber MOSs at the Battalion MIDs and even at some Company levels. Remove a ASAP or HUMINT position and add a heckler or cyber MOS there. We don't have this capability currently. Remember most of what SM is and doing SMA is a big form of OSINT. So your not losing a ASAP, we are gaining another INTEL assist position and can also be very Operational in means. Goes back to the BCT / FSC methodology, keep it internal for better and fast support.

Or you say that is data is bad you get bad visualization? Shit in equals shit out thinking?

If this is your thinking? This has always been an issue with all disciplines of INTEL. You get what others put into the system. Analysis job is to shift through the data to find what you have and can use. Visualization software don't always make is easier, but IMO it really helps. This is where a good Commanders Intent plays in with a solid collection plans come in too.

If these are not what your looking at please fill in. Expand on what your thinking too. THANKs

IMPO this would be VERY hard to do. You can make people use the internet when they never have used it before. Most countries where AQ set up madrases, the kids are already uneducated and never even seen a book let alone a computer or laptop. Even with mobile cell phones, you have to have 3/4G coverage.

A lot of factors in what you're talking about here. I see this more as you are looking for a sect of population that is currently engaged on some kind of SM platform. From those people you can study, analysis and social engineer them through your SM post, Tweets, etc.

Did anyone go to the CTTSO/TSWG end of the year Conference? Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, spoke during the conference over the impact SM has today.

Okay keeping with the INTEL CYCLE and the Collection Phase of the cycle. I had to go back and look through my history and search YouTube, got to love YouTube, but I think these explain a lot of what I'm saying.

YouTube. OSINT - SM Footprinting

So looking at what is going on within Twitter Tweets, you can start seeing what individuals, people and groups are interested in. Can they be apart of some kind of movement within the community or country? From this to can start building how you want to "market" these individuals, people and groups based off what they are interested in. Most people call this Social Engineering.

Looking at 9:99 to 10:00 and how Ray talks about username and the ID is very interesting. For everyone thinking you change your username on SM platforms is enough, need to go here and listen closely.

Elisatation, can it be done via SM? Can you motivate people based off their interests from what they are Tweeting, posting or talking about? Something to think about.

The "Echo Chamber" part at 13:00-15:00 is interesting bit of informations. The WORDLE.NET is just in example of . Resume machines have this feature for looking at text and seeming which word are used more. But goes back to trending and what one person is "talking" about. Then how Ray ties it into a kind of linkage analysis software. He used CaseFile, but you can really use any analysis software that imports Excel files then visualize the Excel data.

One thing to take away from this is the fact that at 38:00+ He talks about some interesting tools. All of these are tools that someone made, most are free and online. Yes this is something that is outside of SOF, for now. Yet, can be made for a propose. Only left up to your mind. It's like the AOL client (app) BRIZZLY being used and was developed for end users needs, yet dropped by AOL a year or so later. Can someone build a client based off users trending and operating systems or devices? Needs to user to results? Just like the Bing Twitter Map, if you click on a Tweet location, you get the username, tweet information or text and what the are using (device) along with operating system. You have many different information here to use for many different means.

If you look at the statistics and how many are there, this is where I was talking about Lean 6 Sigma for people that know how that works for business. Taking that model for fixing a "problem" and turning it into an another.. Hummmm format?!?? Possibilities??

Now this second video is about 50 mins long.

Using Social Networks To Profile, Find and 0wn Your Victims

It discussions basically different of free software, but mainly websites that someone can use to find someone or how a businesses uses it to drive up foot traffic, sales, and reTweets. The speaker discussions how SM is used to target people and how you can use many different SM platforms for this.

After watching it, think about what he is talking about and how it can be used to "follow" people. Great on the different websites and use of social engineering techniques. Goes back to the question I posed, with our training can you influence people? All of what you do face to face is being done online right now by some many different people.

I'm not breaking down this video, I'll leave that up to the discussion. But after watching it, think about what your using; your wife, friends, etc. Do you change you user name for some reason? Do you have a linkage even if you change it? Now think about that and discuss it. Discuss how to "reverse engineer" that whole process and what you can do. Like I said, this is open to non- 18 series guys. I know there is likely people with a AI background.

I would ask that if you are making comments on one of the videos, please list the video in the comments subject box at the top. This would make it easier to know which one you're talking about. Hopefully you enjoy the videos.

This might be over-enthusiastic optimism, but is it not probable the tech-savvy population segment can be polarized (shaped) to trickle down the message to the non-tech one?

We just have to put a convincing non-western narrative, appealing with "be good" Koran verses, and throw a massive tweet/retweet along with it. It's like Greg Mortenson reasoning to educate girls when in the culture, the boy needs to get blessing from the mothers to wage jihad.

A bit off subject, but I think the key to the whole Madrassas issues with brainwashing and radicalization that goes on. One of the biggest boat we lost was the whole education of Afganistan. If NATO/US had built or set up more school is rural areas things would have been different after 10 years.

If you where wanting to study what was going in a country and looking at how a population is using, communicating and the role of unified communications in their actives. What would you want to know? If SM was motivating a sect of population, what parts of the communication platforms would you be looking at.

Sorry for the late response! I first saw/used Palantir in OEF and LOVED it. Wish there was a tool that pushed the SIPR info up to high side for a complete picture.

Your TCAE and SOT-Bs currently have the capability (unsure about the training and accesses however) to answer your RFIs related to use of SM. The new 35Qs will be doing other stuff completely however.

Obviously you guys should not be waiting weeks for an answer to a request. Unfortunately, I can only affect a request that would be routed via your TCAE or SOT-A/Bs due to network connectivity. There is a HUGE disconnect at the National Level in that there is a widely held belief among senior leaders that highside information is being downgraded to SIPR and still useful to the end user. From my experience, support elements (both civ and mil) are still not sharing due to classification and simply do not understand how to properly sanitize information to protect sources and methods while still retaining its utility.

I've been holding off posting on this thread for a bit as I just finished Kilcullen's Out of the Mountains.

His book includes aspects of SM as it relates to mobilizing, protest, and revolution in Tunisia, Egypt, and Libya.

Here's an interesting slice from the book:

http://www.fastcoexist.com/3019039/h...he-arab-spring

I'm guessing this is an example of offensive UW use of SM.

It identifies a group called "Takrizards" or "Taks" for short as a hacker group that had long opposed the Tunisian regime.

While their use of connectedness to better secure/defend their communication as well as attack the regime online was innovative, this "air war" as labeled by Kilcullen didn't gain traction until a "ground war" with boots on the ground could be established in the form of soccer/football team supporter hooligans called "Ultras".

So it would appear the Ultras had their political consciousness awakened by the Taks who leveraged their sports related violence and helped to shape them to direct that violence against the regime as well as to coordinate/focus their violence against the regime.

I like Kilcullen's labeling of "air war" for the online activity and "ground war" for the offline real world activity that relates to conventional military operations where seizing and holding ground is essential to victory.

Trusted online networks connected with and force multiplied trusted human networks. Which sounds strikingly like a near future SF mission.

But I wonder if the extreme difficulty in centrally coordinating such an offensive campaign voids such analogous "air war" and "ground war" labeling?

To me a contact/airborne virus in a healthy/unhealthy human body analogy or an analogy related to fire, dry/wet tinder, and accelerants feels more relevant.

While I am slowly starting to grasp the absolute enormity of SM and how many different facets, levels, and missions exist from both state and non-state actor perspectives, what interests me the most is:

W5H (Who, What, When, Where, Why, How) is it possible for a group like the Taks to connect with the Ultras?

And can that be replicated/templated/trained/TTP'd both offensive/defensive? (NOT fishing for details)

It's that connection point between online trusted and existing human trusted network crossover that interests me the most.

The leap from online to human.......like virus transmission from contact to airborne(or vice versa) or smoldering ember hit with an accelerant maybe?

I say HELL YES. But will a 18F/35F even think about looking at SM. Most don't do a IPB now a days. IMO. So if they are not doing IPBs, I don't see them DOING a IPE/IPOE. I put it this way, SF Batts have EW NCOs and never think about having them look at EW "things".

Targeteer and Targeting is where the money is and that's what we have been doing for ten years. So we have guys that are dart board analysis and darts drive ops. Because ops drive intel.

SM in UW
 

I sat in on a presentation by members of this group. They have a very large and skilled network of volunteer collectors, analysts and others that do a very impressive job of getting in, setting up comms (SM, computer networks etc) where governments and aid organizations cannot. Many of the volunteers are local "hackers" good sources of real time, information not "filtered" by any government. Their networks are in place in areas that may be of interest. I am guessing you folks already know about them but, just in case.

Noslack

The International Network of Crisis Mappers is the largest and most active international community of experts, practitioners, policymakers, technologists, researchers, journalists, scholars, hackers and skilled volunteers engaged at the intersection between humanitarian crises, technology, crowd-sourcing, and crisis mapping. The Crisis Mappers Network was launched by 100 Crisis Mappers at the first International Conference on Crisis Mapping (ICCM) in 2009. As the world's premier humanitarian technology forum, we now engage 6,000+ members in over 160 countries, who are affiliated with over 2,000 different institutions, including over 400 universities, 50 United Nations agencies & projects, dozens of leading technology companies, several volunteer & technical community networks, and disaster response and recovery organizations.
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Noslack,

I would love to attend a BLACKHAT, REDHAT, DOJOCON or DEF CON conference. I think SOF needs to start send people to them. We need to send people to different conferences. I have done more networking from a conference than a school. Gotten more R&D or equipment than from a school.

Jump onto YouTube is see what these conferences are about.

FLAGG,

I think many parts of the Tunisian, Egyptian and Syrian Revolutions/Movements could differently be labeled as "offensive" use of SM.

The biggest issue with it is "selling" it as a means of employment. I differently think you could be using it as a form of analyzing what is happen inside a country.


I have pick up the book, thanks for the review.

Conferences
 

MtnGoat:
RSA is another one that is worthwhile. I started attending BH, Defcon etc in 2009. You are absolutely correct, my learning curve looked like one of the Shuttle launches. There are a number of very worthwhile ones in Metro DC that are free to Govies and AD. AFCEA, and DOD has a very good Cyber Crime Conference in Atlanta ( or used to prior to budget issues) every year. DefCon has a monthly group meeting in several cities w/in driving distance of you. Very talented, interesring though a tad quirky lot. If you are interested PM me and I can get you some POC's. There was an interesting article in the NYT about a " suitcase sized" ISP that was being used by Arab Spring groups when the govts shut off the country's internet. It operated under the gov's isp and worked much like the old PRC 77' s in a relay mode. Individual ranges were limited but the protesters set them up to overlap each other and got good coverage countrywide.
Basi c problem with Cyber is that this time is similar to 1945-the 60's nuclear weapons development. No real policy, strategy or doctrine which means its wide open to creative thinkers and operators.

Noslack

Mnt Goat,
There may be some assistance already available . My understanding is that MAJ T.J. O'Connor is/was a member of the SF community. I had viewed several YOU TUBE videos of his presentation at DEF CON, but can't seem to locate them now. Perhaps someone on the board has contact info
SnT

[B]Previous thread where he is discussed

http://professionalsoldiers.com/foru...ght=stay+frost

White Paper
http://www.sans.org/reading-room/whi...&cat=attacking

S&T

Thank you BIG TIME on the Whitepaper. I had this once and lost it due a laptop crash. This is a great read for many of us. I've been trying to find it again. I have a friend that needs it for a baseline, a bit different than what is discussed here. This paper is more of cyber-warfare attacks than analysis a populations and looking to see if it (SM) can be used to motivate a population in a countries social movement for change.

I will have to find out about MAJ T.J. O'Connor.

Here is something to think about and put your UW Goggles on for.

If you're a Facebook messenger app user and didn't read the term of service. Here are a few app permission you've accepted as reported in Huffington Post:


Something else to think about in UW mindset is they way social media is using Facial recognition with every picture. Well to a point.

http://abcnews.go.com/Nightline/t/vi...reepy-13817484

Yet we have a guy that makes a app for everyone to use to log into the DFAS MY PAY account which turned out to be what? Identity theft?!? BTW, that guy self taught how to do all of what he did by YouTube and some basic skills.

Palantir
 

Palantir --How A 'Deviant' Philosopher Built Palantir, A CIA-Funded Data-Mining Juggernaut

Read this in hard copy and thought I would share the electronic version. Sometimes the people managing the companies are as weird as their products are important :rolleyes:
SnT

http://www.forbes.com/sites/andygree...ng-juggernaut/

Interesting article, didn't know all the back ground of how "it" was made. I think most "big" Companies owners are all weird. Steve Jobs was to Bill Gates. We're all weird in our own wells. Haha

U.S. officials warn about "military attacks" on electric power facilities

http://complex.foreignpolicy.com/pos...litary-assault

For anyone that hasn't seen this floating around, it's a good read. More of an example of how CARVER works. I'm using this to make a point. For anyone that does know how the Chinese have "testing" our online world that the USA has migrated to with most of power plants, water treatment plants, etc.

So throw this out, if you are looking into a country and see on social media different trending topics. Now thinking with your UW hats or deceiveous thinking caps, if you see that a nation, sect of population is pissed about their Governments handling of a public service facility. So if you see a trending indicator could a hacker shutdown a said public service system, think CARVER, and then use SM to support the said group of trending topics?

Think of it this way. Could this be going on with what the Chinese has been doing here? Do our political parties do this? Can social media drive a change within a country?

No worries!

And I agree(from my amateur perspective).

Along the lines of the potential offensive role of SM, I've been reading about SM communication/transmission options that SM depend on in order to work.

Here's an interesting development from the "internet in a suitcase" crowd:

https://commotionwireless.net/blog

Their mesh network wireless router Commotion V1.0 "grumpy Cat" was just released.

And the warning label:

https://commotionwireless.net/unders...-warning-label

So I'm guessing this or something like it might be a potential tool for offensive UW, due to lack of anonymity in this version sounds like it comes with some potentially significant risks. But if used in a future urban slum that is semi-to-non permissive for the regime itself, it could have its uses if conventional/sanctioned networks are shut or present too high a risk of social movement compromise.

But I think some of the greatest opportunities might be for humanitarian response.

What I'd be interested in learning is:

Do cellular/wireless networks(which the vast majority of the planet rely on for communication) maintain resilience in the aftermath of major natural disasters?

If an area is leveled by natural disaster(and having been personally involved with the Christchurch Earthquakes where commercial coms were impacted heavily in the short-term), first response is to conduct recce and establish communication networks as well as other concurrent activity.

Military and law enforcement run their own robust and encrypted communications networks. At FOBs, Retrans stations, patrol bases, vehicle patrols, and foot patrols.

While I'm certainly no 18E, I wonder how hard it would be to parallel a separate public use(but state managed) mesh network capability such as a cellular/wireless mesh router(the battery burn on foot patrols may not make any sense).

Again, I'm not an 18E, but I would think it would be within reason to use robust "off the shelf" systems(language localized) to allow quick and easy viral dissemination.

It could include tools to collect disaster recovery intelligence as well as push disaster response communication disseminated to all cellular/wireless devices with the mesh network.

And throw in some universal device chargers partnered with potable water stations as well maybe like what was seen ad-hoc in response to Hurricane Sandy.

So I wonder if the "role of social media" discussion encompasses the role/use/abuse of the underlying network?

Same? Different? Somewhere in between?

But In like this statement.

I have have a clear head. As far as the HA and natural Disaster side I'm hoping others will chime in. I can speak of what I saw during Katrina.

New article in latest Special Warfare issue "UW in Cyberspace, The Cyber UW Pilot Team Concept" p68:

http://static.dvidshub.net/media/pubs/pdf_14790.pdf

I particularly like the references to "digital natives" and "digital immigrants".

It's an interesting twist on the difference between learning a language/culture and being raised in a language/culture.

It also leaves me wondering if in the social media space this problem has the potential to be compounded in some circumstances?

Language/culture native filter requirement followed or preceded by a "digital native" filter requirement, assuming no team based combination of the two.

It also looks like it's worth keeping an eye on the IDF's integrated social media activity.

Yes computer and SM is it own unique language, but being a language/culture. The physical is hard enough to grasp for most. No conceptual thinking going on here now. :D

Heck IDF, let's look who else is doing it. We are playing catch up and in the slow lane.

Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance
 

Social Media ---- sounds sort of 1984 on Steroids. "Mass Disturbance" could be defined as anything --- TEA party meeting, NRA dinner, afternoon at the range, Meeting your local congress critter.

SnT

the situation on the streets of Kiev, Ukraine, is much calmer today. Protesters are still out in force but now it appears that the government is ready to negotiate after violent clashes this week left at least three people dead.

Well, in the midst of all the protests, a strange thing happened earlier this week when protesters got text messages on their phone that said: Dear subscriber, you are registered as a participant in a mass disturbance.

---were you surprised by this at all, that a text message like this could go out to all these people who were gathered in one place?

I was a little surprised that the government would advertise that it could do such a thing to try to quell a protest,

There is something called a tower dump where you can just ask the phone company to pull down records from nearby cell towers to find out what's going on and what, you know, what subscribers connected to a particular tower at a particular time. You can get a bunch of data on the people who are nearby just by asking for that information at times. --- The U.S. law enforcement agencies made more than 9,000 requests for tower dumps in 2012. ----

But you don't need to do that because you could also put up something called a stingray, a rogue cell tower yourself if you were a government who wanted to find out what's going on in a given area.

Short of turning off your phone or not using a phone at all, is there anything that you can do to protect yourself from something like this, from a government, wherever it may be, tracking where you are and then sending you a text message to tell you that it knows where you are? --- I can't think of anything offhand

http://hereandnow.wbur.org/2014/01/2...etadata-lesson