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"If someone told you that the CIA was spying on you by way of your Twitter updates, Facebook posts, YouTube videos, or Amazon reviews, you'd probably chalk it up to a conspiracy theory.\nBut today we're learning from Wired that the CIA's technology arm In-Q-Tel has invested an undisclosed sum in Visible Technologies, a firm that provides software to companies like Microsoft for social media monitoring.According to Wired, the investment is \"part of a larger movement within the spy services to get better at using \"open source intelligence\" - information that's publicly available, but often hidden.\"  The current plan is for the CIA to use the technology to monitor International intelligence shared in public channels to get an early edge on what's being shared and communicated by influential voices. In addition, funds from the deal apparently will be allocated towards enhancing the foreign language monitoring capabilities of Visible Technologies .\nFrom the report:\n\n\"Of course, such a tool can also be pointed inward, at domestic bloggers or tweeters. Visible already keeps tabs on web 2.0 sites for Dell, AT&amp;T and Verizon. For Microsoft, the company is monitoring the buzz on its Windows 7 rollout. For Spam-maker Hormel, Visible is tracking animal-right activists\u2019 online campaigns against the company.\n\u201CAnything that is out in the open is fair game for collection,\u201D says Steven Aftergood, who tracks intelligence issues at the Federation of American Scientists. But \u201Ceven if information is openly gathered by intelligence agencies it would still be problematic if it were used for unauthorized domestic investigations or operations. Intelligence agencies or employees might be tempted to use the tools at their disposal to compile information on political figures, critics, journalists or others, and to exploit such information for political advantage. That is not permissible even if all of the information in question is technically \u2018open source.\u2019\u201D\n\nWhile we're not exactly thrilled by the idea of the CIA paying attention to our every tweet, we do think that it is a rather obvious next step for the intelligence agency. We can only hope they'll use their eye on the social sphere for good.\nImage from practicalowl on Flickr"^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2009/10/19/cia-social-media-monitoring/>