Your New Facebook Friend May Be a Federal Agent

[arcadian]

http://www.aolnews.com/crime/article/your-new-facebook-friend-may-be-a-federal-agent/19415010

WASHINGTON (March 26) -- A Justice Department document asks the simple question: Why Go Undercover on Facebook, MySpace, etc.?

Then it goes on to explain: "Communicate with suspects/targets" ... "gain access to non-public info" ... "map social relationships/networks."

The document, part of a Justice Department PowerPoint presentation, demonstrates how some federal and local law enforcement agents are quietly creating fictitious accounts on social networks like Facebook and MySpace to get dirt on suspected criminals. The presentation recently surfaced in a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit in a San Francisco federal court.

more...

[cynatnite]

1. I knew it! n/t

[Tunkamerica]

2. who adds people they don't know?

especially if they have something to hide?

[Tempest]

3. If I don't personally know you, you ain't my friend

On Facebook, that is.

[hyphenate]

12. I have accepted a few friends who are friends of friends,

but they have proven to be legit. Several of them are part of a group I belong to and so we share something in common.

There are many other people I know there that I don't have on my list because I have very little in common with them anymore. When I was more of a media SF fan, I belonged to a local club, and it was a bad split for me. I didn't have any contact with them for many years afterwards, but now they're contacting me, and I don't care. I've been far away for far too long, and I dally only in "real" politics now!

[martymar64]

37. I'm the same way. Only people I actually know are my friends on FB

And if they were agents, all they would learn is that I like Camper Van Beethoven and joined the Draft John Mellencamp for the Senate group and that I do video stuff for horseraces and bands.

[Tempest]

38. The only thing they would learn about me

Is where I live (which they already know) and that I used to have a cat.

[Drunken Irishman]

5. Rarely do I not know the people I add.

Generally we have a connection (like we're friends with the same people) and they're hot. :D

[hyphenate]

11. I have a few friends I know who do.

One friend has added about 100 people in about two months. He's got over 1600 friends right now.

I also know a few celebs who prefer to have "friends" rather than fans or followers. They are, however, fairly cautious of who makes it onto their list, however.

[Forkboy]

13. I accept almost anybody.

Fuck it, Agent Mike would be mighty bored with me and my friends. If they want to waste their manpower that way, who am I to stop them?

[arcadian]

24. I don't accept everybody but there are a few I really don't know.

But I'm of the same attitude. if they want to dig, I won't ever truly know if they are or not. Plus how are they to know if half the shit I post is factual or not?

[Forkboy]

26. Let them guess what's real or not.

If they're half the agents they want to be they'll know anyways. ;)

[arcadian]

27. Maybe I'll start posting shit about being a UFO abductee.

:rofl:

[Forkboy]

30. LOL...I think you should.

Seriously, let them sort it out if they care so bad. :D

[donheld]

29. me too

[Forkboy]

31. I look at this way....

...if they haven't got enough dirt on me by now there's not much I can do to get their attention. ;)

Hey, what that's clicking noise on my phone........?

[ZombieHorde]

45. Agent Mike is going to find out you are a Godzilla sympathizer. nt

[Forkboy]

46. If he's on Myspace he'll find out more than that!

And I hope he likes fucked up music. ;)

[salin]

20. I don't have something to hide, and I still have not added anyone that I do not know

personally.

[tblue]

22. Me, too. nt

[MountainLaurel]

39. Some of the games

Require that you add other players as friends if you're going to get ahead in the game at all.

[pipi_k]

40. I added a shitload of people

as Yoville "crew" last fall, but most of them seem to be Conservative types, and I don't discuss politics on FB anyway.

[lies and propaganda]

44. people with net businesses, such as myself..

FB has brought em in many a dollar, esp for being a free site.
I add anyone who wishes to add me because they are another potential lifelong glass fusion addict ;p

[Barack_America]

49. People who are dumb enough to openly talk about treason on Facebook.

Above all these idiots are desperate for attention.

[Xipe Totec]

4. I have no facebook friends

I'm not on facebook, for a reason.

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

6. Uh oh. Another bored to death fed agent... so sorry...

... my life isn't very exciting... unless you love excessively sweet pictures of grandkids. ENJOY!

[proud2BlibKansan]

7. Wow. You're a federal agent?

[arcadian]

15. I've got myself all paranoid too.

About who it is on my feed. :rofl:

[FedUpWithIt All]

8. No problem as long as they send me the GOOD Farmville gifts.

:rofl:

[47of74]

14. Or send me Mafia Wars energy packs on a regular basis...

[paulsby]

9. i know a bunch of cops who have fake accounts for this reason

it's a great way to gather intel.

entirely legal.

and an intelligent way to do police work.

[Name removed]

16. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[merh]

21. Yeah, who needs cops or the feds.

Let's just have chaos and shit :sarcasm:

The poster wasn't bragging about his "authoritarian tendencies", he was just commenting on the OP and providing facts based on his personal knowledge and experience.

The "man" isn't out to get you and believe it or not, cops and the feds are trying to protect folks. Some are assholes, not all are assholes who abuse their positions.

[paulsby]

25. there;';s nothing authoritarian about it

bad guys gather intel. so do the good guys.

it's actually an anti-authoritarian measure.

by setting up an account, only those who WANT to communicate with the person do so. that's the nature of facebook.

[hyphenate]

10. I really doubt if they are going onto the social networks

without some other things going on as well. We saw only the one side back some months ago with that woman suing the insurance plan because she claimed she was depressed, and that the insurance company "used" her Facebook pictures to cut her off. Most people didn't read the media's fine print about the insurance company having other proof about her faking it.

I think that it's likely the same now. It's not likely that an intelligence agency is going to base a whole dossier on just nuggets from a facebook account. I've noticed that there are a lot of young people who come from every conceivable place on there, and a lot of bored people, and a lot of slightly older people who communicate through FB on a frequent basis as an alternative to "in-the-flesh" socializing, because they have no outlet to do that. Yes, there are lots of other reasons, but I don't think a would-be terrorist or con artist is going to stay still long enough to acquire too much of a history there. Hell, I'd barely been registered when friends I knew from years ago were already on my friends list!

IIRC, there is often little to convey what some people are up to, which in my mind means that they have to have some sort of clue as to who they are checking on. We know we can't do anything about what someone might be thinking of doing, until they have already done something. Unless we're in the middle of a Tom Cruise movie, and I doubt any of us would really want that!

[Vinnie From Indy]

17. Still have not done the facebook thing

More than half the reason is becuase it pisses off so many people. It is actually quite funny to me to see people I know get mildly offended when I offer that I have not become a member.

[Mythbuster]

18. I have a Facebook friend that is a fed agent...

...but he's also a relative. I'm quite sure he finds my Facebook page boring as hell though, as I use the same ground rules on Facebook that I do when talking to a friend in a bar... politics and religion are off limits, and if anyone posts anything along those lines on my page, I delete it and send them a polite explanation. :smoke:

[GreenPartyVoter]

19. All I talk about on FB are Farmville and cheering. Not much for Federal Agents to

get excited about there. (Unless they too are former cheerleaders who now play FarmVille.)

[Liberal In Texas]

23. What is this Facebook thing, comrad?

Hello Agent Mike. Fancy seeing you here.

We're all mellow, but if you want the actual troublemakers, the Tea Baggers are having a party down the hall.

See ya later.

[bluedigger]

28. I already have one.

I knew her when... We have a deal. I don't post about my immigrant smuggling activities and she ignores the rest. :rofl:

[XOKCowboy]

32. Easy. Just "friend" actual friends

Facebook is a great resource if you manage it right. I keep in touch with people daily that I would have only talked to once or twice a year before. There is a lot of spam but that's all over the internet. Just gotta use a little common sense.

[ConcernedCanuk]

35. I've gotten in contact with people I've not seen or talked to in decades

.
.
.

I even use the "suggest a friend" option quite successfully to reunite others who have been out of contact for decades also.

ANY system can be abused of course,

but so far,

I'm happy with my decision to start the Facebook thing.

And so are the friends and family I've gotten back into contact with

[WolverineDG]

33. Cool! I can spam Agent Mike's wall with all my Farmville posts

:evilgrin:

dg

[Warren DeMontague]

34. "We need to use this technology to go after terrorists and violent criminals" ... equals...

"Cool! We can bust people for underage drinking and smoking pot, without even having to get off our butts!"

[ProdigalJunkMail]

36. i have several facebook friends who are federal agents

from various agencies. hell, one of them and his wife came over for dinner last night...big whoop. why is this news? i mean, gov't and police agencies have been using chat-rooms forever to bust child porn operations and go after molesters...without that Chris Haaaaansen wouldn't have a job...

sP

[troubledamerican]

41. Tinfoil Conspiracy -- There are ZERO Federal Agents online

especially not COINTELPRO since that never happened either. And neither did Watergate, Iran-Contra, ENRON, Worldcom, Tyco, or any of the other so-called "Conspiracies".

And ESPECIALLY there are ZERO Federal Agents monitoring & influencing DU.

Don't be a tinfoil crazy.

[rcrush]

51. I have no idea if you are being sarcastic or not

Because thats what most of DU believes.

[thotzRthingz]

42. ummm, the FEDS can readily have access (to any/all online activity) without being a "friend"

[Edweird]

43. Eh, I'm not on facebook. I'm on MySpace and it's not a 'private' profile.

They don't need to 'friend' me.

[lunatica]

47. Get used to the New Normal in this digital age

Any science fiction fan could tell you this was all going to happen. And why not? If I were FBI this is exactly what I would do.

[1776Forever]

48. I haven't joined Facebook for this very reason - Good & Bad lurk there - Check this search site out.

It gives you all the tweets and Facebook comments realted to any topic:

http://www.ubervu.com/

[LWolf]

50. I doubt it.

Nobody is my "friend" that I haven't met in person.