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The Obama minions are interested in information such as comments, tag lines, emails, audio, and video that mention -- or related to -- President Barack Obama .
The sites targeted for surveillance include Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, YouTube, Flickr and others –- any space where the White House “maintains a presence.”.jpg)
According to the National Legal and Policy Center, this is the third controversy involving the White House internet operations in less than a month.
During the heated health care debate, President Obama asked Americans to send information about critics of the White House health care effort to a special White House email address. The ensuing firestorm of caused the White House to terminate the email address (flag@whitehouse.gov) and the web site created for that purpose.
Subsequently, Fox News White House correspondent Major Garrett uncovered the Obama Administration sending email spam from the White House supporting the President’s health care position. Again the White House was forced to back down.
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Now the same people at the White House are at it again with an ambitious plan to harvest huge amounts of information from the web and specifically social networking sites, according to NLPC.
And the news media silence on this latest politically-charged action is deafening.
Last week, The Examiner reported on Obama's intention to appoint a so-called Cyber Czar. During a White House announcement televised on Fox News, CNN and other news networks, Obama said he will appoint a cyber security coordinator -- or Cyber Czar -- for the critical infrastructure that all Americans depend on.
"We will ensure that these networks are secure, trustworthy and resilient," he said. "We will deter, prevent, detect and defend against attacks, and recover quickly from any disruptions or damage."
The cyber security office will orchestrate and integrate all cyber security policies for the government, the president said. It will work closely with the Office of Management and Budget to ensure agency budgets reflect those priorities, and, in the event of major cyber incident or attack, it will coordinate government response.
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But Critics point out that any high-tech program that entails government intrusion should be carefully monitored by not only the US Congress but also private sector experts in cyber security and computer-based espionage.
"People went ballistic when they discovered the Bush White House authorized the interception of telephone and other electronic communications by intelligence and law enforcement agencies, and rightly so. Yet, I haven't heard a peep from these same people who claim they are concerned with 'privacy rights,'" said security expert and former NYPD cop Mike Fitzgerald.
"This may come back to haunt us as the first step down a truly slippery slope," said former the Police detective and director of security.
"The technology involved is so complicated that it may take computer scientists to discover whether the government is protecting Americans on the worldwide web or spying on them. And what are businesses that rely on the Internet supposed to do if the President closes down the Internet?" asks Sam McCarthy a former police commander now a computer security expert..
The cyber infrastructure is not limited to the federal government. The office will work with state and local governments and international partners to combat cyber attacks, and also will work with the private sector to ensure an organized and unified response to future cyber incidents, Obama stated.
Experts agree that America's economic prosperity in the 21st century will depend on cyber security, which also affects public safety and national security. However, most experts contacted by NewswithViews.com said that cyber security should be the responsibility of the private sector not government officials.
"We count on computer networks to deliver our oil and gas, our power and our water," said McCarthy.
"Computers help run public transportation networks from the skies to subways, he noted, and hackers have launched attacks on electrical grids," he added.
Part of the Obama program is a national campaign to promote cyber security awareness and digital literacy. The effort also will be part of the president's initiative to build a digital work force for the 21st century. However, according to security experts, Obama is seeking powers never before given to a President even during the height of the Cold War.
"Once Americans realize what's happening it may be too late thanks to Obama's supporters in the news media. Do a search and you won't see stories about this power grab in the major media," warns Baker.
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Jim Kouri, CPP is currently fifth vice-president of the National Association of Chiefs of Police and he's a staff writer for the New Media Alliance (thenma.org). He's former chief at a New York City housing project in Washington Heights nicknamed "Crack City" by reporters covering the drug war in the 1980s. In addition, he served as director of public safety at a New Jersey university and director of security for several major organizations. He's also served on the National Drug Task Force and trained police and security officers throughout the country. Kouri writes for many police and security magazines including Chief of Police, Police Times, The Narc Officer and others. He's a news writer for TheConservativeVoice.Com and PHXnews.com. He's also a columnist for AmericanDaily.Com, MensNewsDaily.Com, MichNews.Com, and he's syndicated by AXcessNews.Com. He's appeared as on-air commentator for over 100 TV and radio news and talk shows including Oprah, McLaughlin Report, CNN Headline News, MTV, Fox News, etc. His book Assume The Position is available at Amazon.Com. Kouri's own website is located at jimkouri.us
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