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DHS to set up policies for monitoring Twitter, Facebook – Computerworld

November 2, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Computerworld – When the U.S. Department of Homeland Security receives information about potential threats to the U.S., agents may turn to social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter.

Caryn Wagner, undersecretary of the DHS, told an audience Monday at the National Symposium on Homeland Security and Defense in Colorado Springs that the agency began to draw up guidelines for monitoring social networking sites after the sites were heavily used during government uprisings in the Middle East and North Africa this year.

According to an Associated Press report Tuesday, federal agents are still mulling over how to best pull intelligence from social media sites and determine whether it is valid or Web chatter.

“We’re still trying to figure out how you use things like Twitter as a source,” said Wagner, according to the AP report. “How do you establish trends and how do you then capture that in an intelligence product?”

The DHS, whose mission is to protect the country from terrorist attacks, isn’t actively monitoring Facebook or Twitter. However, when the agency receives a tip about a potential threat, agents will scour public sites for information.

via DHS to set up policies for monitoring Twitter, Facebook – Computerworld.

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U.S. warns that Anonymous, LulzSec could up their game – Computerworld

August 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Hacker groups such as Anonymous and Lulz Security may need to be monitored more closely in the event they are assisted by other hackers with higher skill levels and decide to strike critical infrastructure.

The warning comes from the National Cybersecurity and Communications Integration Center (NCCIC), which is part of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

“Some members of LulzSec have demonstrated moderately higher levels of skill and creativity that include using combinations of methods and techniques to target multiple networks,” according to the six-page advisory. “This does not take into account the possibility of a higher-level actor providing LulzSec or Anonymous more advanced capabilities.”

Anonymous and a splinter group known as LulzSec have wreaked havoc against government and business websites and servers, from low-level defacement of websites up to more sophisticated actions such as stealing sensitive data.

The agency categorized the attacks as “rudimentary” and associated with youths known as “script kiddies” for their use of simple tools to hack. But law enforcement agencies in countries such as the U.S., U.K., Spain and the Netherlands have made arrests in attempts to stem their activities.

via U.S. warns that Anonymous, LulzSec could up their game – Computerworld.

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Homeland Security Harvested Social Network Data – Tech Talk – CBS News

October 14, 2010 By 1 Comment

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security monitored social networking sites to harvest information – described as “items of interest” — during the lead up to Barack Obama’s inauguration.

The existence of the surveillance program is laid out in a set of slides obtained by the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The EFF and the University of California, Berkeley’s Samuelson Clinic last year filed a Freedom of Information lawsuit against six government agencies in response to news articles reporting government monitoring of social networks.

In the document, DHS details how it would collect and use social network information. It also refers to privacy guidelines it would employ as its operatives went about gathering data for what it called its Social Networking Monitoring Center or (SNMC.) The target list reads like a “Who’s Who” of the most popular social networking sites, including the likes of Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and CraigsList, among others

via Homeland Security Harvested Social Network Data – Tech Talk – CBS News.

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Former U.S. Attorney Discusses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act

August 20, 2010 By Leave a Comment

The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act makes it illegal for any U.S. company to bribe foreign officials. The law can apply to a company’s agent or contractors in another country, even if executives in the U.S. were unaware of the bribes.

GlobalAtlanta submitted a list of questions on the FCPA to Joe Whitley, a partner at law firm Greenberg Traurig LLP.  Mr. Whitley was formerly U.S. attorney for the northern and middle districts of Georgia and the first general counsel for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Mr. Whitley will co-host a seminar on the FCPA Sept. 2 at the State Bar of Georgia headquarters, 104 Marietta St., in downtown Atlanta. For more information, click here.

via Former U.S. Attorney Discusses Foreign Corrupt Practices Act.

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Data Privacy and Protection – U.S. Mission to The European Union

March 29, 2010 By

U.S., EU Carry Out Passenger Name Record (PNR) Review – Representatives from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the European Union (EU) held a joint review of the 2007 U.S.-EU Passenger Name Record (PNR) agreement on February 8-9, 2010, in Washington, D.C., says a joint statement issued on February 10. The U.S.-EU PNR agreement sets forth commitments for the processing and transfer of PNR for flights between EU Member States and the United States. During the course of the comprehensive, two-day review, an EU expert delegation led by the European Commission observed first hand how PNR contributes to DHS’s layered approach to border management and aviation security and how DHS handles PNR data. The EU expert delegation will issue a report reflecting its analysis resulting from the two days of site visits and discussions.

via Data Privacy and Protection – U.S. Mission to The European Union.

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