NSA employees to monitor media for leaks

[Robbien]

An updated internal policy on news media contacts may require every National Security Agency employee to stop working on their core missions and spend time on looking instead for employees who might be talking to the press. Which, of course, is the most important thing for them to be doing. After all, there aren’t any terrorists to be found.

The new policy, which was obtained by the Baltimore Sun, directs employees to “actively monitor the media for the purpose of identifying unauthorized disclosures” of classified information, the newspaper reported.

Such directives create pressure to identify more leaks, said Matthew Aid, a former NSA analyst who is writing a multivolume history of the agency. “Instead of hunting for spies within the agency, now you’re hunting for disenchanted employees who may know somebody who knows a reporter,” he said. “It’s bound to divert resources and focus.”

Some NSA veterans and security analysts said the policy imposes new responsibilities on employees. “‘Actively monitor’ means they’re supposed to go out, surf the Web and look for classified information, not report it when they find it,” said Steven Aftergood, a government secrecy expert at the Federation of American Scientists. “That amounts to a new tasking of every part of the organization to hunt for unauthorized disclosures.”

One former NSA official called the directive “bizarre.”

“We’re going to turn all of NSA into a vast media monitor?

http://www.homelandstupidity.us/2006/07/30/nsa-employees-to-monitor-media-for-leaks
The site for this blog entry sometimes has problems, but the referenced original story in the BaltimoreSun is also available with all the same info:
http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/nationworld/bal-te.nsa23jul23,0,2392810.story?coll=bal-home-headlines

[Hubert Flottz]

1. Can't have the truth rear it's ugly head!

If Bush has nothing to hide, what is he so damned afraid of?

[EFerrari]

2. So, how did the Baltimore Sun "obtain" this new policy?

lol

"This possee couldn't find itself -- if it wanted to."

[Robbien]

4. Ha! Yes, that would qualify as a leak, would it not?

A leak about leaks. Around and around we go.

[Buzz Clik]

3. More intimidation.

[Marie26]

5. Huh

"The new policy, which was obtained by the Baltimore Sun, directs employees to “actively monitor the media for the purpose of identifying unauthorized disclosures” of classified information, the newspaper reported."

So now those phone records of every call made in the US come in handy. The NSA can see the phone number of every call made to the reporter - and then narrow it down to the source of the leak. WHEN did the NSA become involved in internal, domestic spying anyway? I thought the NSA was only supposed to monitor foreign communications, & the FBI conducted domestic investigations.

[Robbien]

6. The article also talks about spying on anyone making a FOIA request

basically saying if anyone is seeking info from the government that person may be doing so because of secrets leaked to them.

The FBI has been rolled into Homeland Security along with NSA. All lines seem to have been erased where all Americans are fair game.

[Marie26]

7. Great

Bush signed an executive order last year dealing w/FOIA. It completely changed the way FOIA requests are processed. It used to be, a FOIA request would go to the Records Dept. of the specific agency (FAA, EPA, etc.), & that agency would hand over the doc. itself. Bush rolled all FOIA requests into a centralized agency, so that every FOIA request went to the same place first, before it was sent to the agency w/the doc. At the time, they said this was done to "improve disclosure of information." Yeah, right. When has the Bush Ad. ever wanted to disclose information? They've been fighting to keep info. classified & leak-free since they were installed. I always suspected that this was done so that the Bush Ad. could keep better track of who was making FOIA requests & why. Now I know.

Executive Order: Improving Agency Disclosure of Information -
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2005/12/20051214-4.html

[EFerrari]

8. How paranoid are these guys? It was bad enough to have

a paranoid president but now it's policy.

[jimshoes]

9. I'm glad we've captured all

the bad guys in the world so we now have time to look for bush's real enemies,.... we the people.

[originalpckelly]

10. The new secret police have arrived...

how wonderful.

[Toots]

11. unauthorized disclosures” of classified information,

Maybe we could start with the release of a Covert CIA agent's name and position...