OPEN LETTER TO TWITTER: STOP NATO FROM USING YOUR DOMAIN FOR THEIR KILLINGS IN LIBYA!

(original longerTweet can be read at Twitlonger)
June 19, 2011 

During this past week a number of articles have reported on the use of Twitter to provide Target Acquisition information to NATO:

"How social media users are helping NATO fight Gadhafi in Libya" *1)
"Libya air strikes: Nato uses Twitter to help gather targets" *2)
"NATO draws on Twitter for Libya strikes" *3)

This means NATO is using YOUR DOMAIN to target civilian sites to destoy and cause mass casualties and deaths of Libyan civilians!!!

A random check made clear NATO gets their information, i.e. latitude and longitude information of Libyan government forces and other strategic/logistic information, from tweets like these:

http://storify.com/antireb/list-of-tweets-sent-to-and-used-by-nato-to-bomb-ta

which information is tweeted to: @NATO, @NATOpress, @NATOlibrary, @NATOchannel, @NATOSource, @AndersFoghR, @SteveMcCluskey, @UKMilOps and/or @HMS_Nonsuch.

The war on Libya is widely regarded as ILLEGAL, both under international law and under US statutes including the War Powers Resolution. (see http://www.accuracy.org/release/libya-war-illegal/)

Therefore, anyone collaborating in acts of violence connected to this war is arguably a criminal conspirator; his/her actions are analogous to those of a gang member using online communication to inform a contract killer of the location of his victim.

Under US federal law, transmitting information containing threats of injury or death is a criminal offense:

"Whoever transmits in interstate or foreign commerce any communication containing ... any threat to injure the person of another, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than five years, or both."
18 U.S.C. § 875 (c)

Courts have held that this statute applies, not only to the person sending the illegal communication, but also to any Internet Service Provider that transmits the communication. See https://www2.bc.edu/~yen/ISPLiab.pdf

Simply by transmitting bombing coordinates posted by its users, therefore, Twitter may be in violation of federal criminal law.

Moreover, Twitter’s Terms of Service - the so-called "Twitter Rules" *4) - clearly state:

"You may not publish or post direct, specific threats of violence against others"
as well as
"You may not use our service for any unlawful purposes or for promotion of illegal activities."

Therefore Twitter appears to be in VIOLATION, not only of the law, but also of its own Terms of Service.

We therefore urgently request you to take action against twitter accounts that directly contribute to the destruction of Libya and the casualties and deaths of thousands of Libyan people.

Sincerely,

@antireb
@1D4TW
@360CNN
@BritishLebanese
@Chris_Sedlmair
@cordeliers
@electradiffusa
@Gegenstrom
@george1079
@Hatuxka
@Ilja_Oblomov
@GloPeaceLibya
@MichaelLee2009
@MutherOFpearl
@Scrinthe
@sharpfang
@StopBombing
@Waterput
@Quoriana

*1) http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/africa-mideast/how-social-media-users-are-helping-nato-fight-gadhafi-in-libya/article2060965/ (June 14, 2011)

*2) http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/jun/15/libya-nato-gathers-targets-twitter?CMP=twt_gu (June 15, 2011)

*3) http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/nato-draws-on-twitter-for-libya-strikes/2011/06/15/AGLJpTWH_story.html (June 16, 2011)

*4) http://support.twitter.com/groups/33-report-a-violation/topics/121-guidelines-best-practices/articles/18311-the-twitter-rules

NATO-MATRIX or DISNEYLAND (part I)

this article you can use with link LibyaSOS - PLEASE RESPECT OUR TIME - THANKS
“We get information from open sources on the Internet, we get Twitter,” British Wing Commander Mike Bracken told AFP. Another NATO official attested, “Twitter is a great source." 

Really?!?!

Nato sources said Libyan rebels tweeting from the rebel city of Misurata, as well as Ajdabiya and Tripoli, were providing valuable updates on the movements of troops, military vehicles and civilians.   

Really?!?!

Libya Traffic Divided by Worldwide Traffic

Really!??

These days, with Facebook and Twitter and social media galore, it can be increasingly hard to tell who your "friends" are. 

Army of Fake Social Media Friends to Promote Propaganda

by Darlene Storm

It's recently been revealed that the U.S. government contracted HBGary Federal for the development of software which could create multiple fake social media profiles to manipulate and sway public opinion on controversial issues by promoting propaganda. It could also be used as surveillance to find public opinions with points of view the powers-that-be didn't like. It could then potentially have their "fake" people run smear campaigns against those "real" people. As disturbing as this is, it's not really new for U.S. intelligence or private intelligence firms to do the dirty work behind closed doors.

   EFF previously warned that Big Brother wants to be your friend for social media surveillance. While the FBI Intelligence Information Report Handbook (PDF) mentioned using "covert accounts" to access protected information, other government agencies endorsed using security exploits to access protected information. 

----------------------------------

Libyan Twitterati send off tweets about Gadhafi’s latest depravities at a frenetic pace. Tweets containing links to uploaded video, like this one — which, fair warning, is graphic — clearly show the roads that Gadhafi’s troops use to travel.

---------------------------------- 

Really?!? Video?!?

    It's not a big surprise that the U.S. military also wants to use social media to its benefit. The Air Force used the chart below to show how social media influences public opinion.

http://www.youtube.com/user/miusrata17miusrata
Channel Views: 89,718 / Total Upload Views: 1,059,882 / Joined: Feb 26, 2011
note:facebook & twitter t-shirt!

     The 6th Contracting Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base sought the development of Persona Management Software which could be used for creating and managing fake profiles on social media sites to distort the truth and make it appear as if there was a generally accepted agreement on controversial issues. "Personas must be able to appear to originate in nearly any part of the world and can interact through conventional online services and social media platforms." What happened to don't lie and the Uniform Code of Military Justice?

     Everything revealed after Anonymous leaked emails from private security firm HBGary Federal is disturbing on many levels. However, the Daily Kos said with the Persona Management Software it would take very few people to create "an army of sockpuppets" which could distort the truth while appearing to be "an entire Brooks Brothers riot online."  more -->  

        In another document unearthed by "Anonymous," one of HBGary's employees also mentioned gaming geolocation services to make it appear as though selected fake persons were at actual events. 

Government involvement

     Eerie as that may be, more perplexing, however, is a federal contract (PDF) from the 6th Contracting Squadron at MacDill Air Force Base, located south of Tampa, Florida, that solicits providers of "persona management software." Update: The contract has since been taken off FBO.gov. The link above has been updated. 

   While there are certainly legitimate applications for such software, such as managing multiple "official" social media accounts from a single input, the more nefarious potential is clear. 

----------------------------------

"We don't see something on Twitter and go and drop bombs," Mike Bracken said. "We never act on a single source. It's more complex." He refused to discuss which accounts analysts followed.  

----------------------------------

      Unfortunately, the Air Force's contract description doesn't help dispel suspicions. As the text explains, the software would require licenses for 50 users with 10 personas each, for a total of 500. These personas would have to be "replete with background , history, supporting details, and cyber presences that are technically, culturally and geographacilly consistent."

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=miusrata17miusrata&view=subscribers&start=480
Who are subscribers? 

Channel Views: 89,718 / Total Upload Views: 1,059,882 / Joined: Feb 26, 2011 

software would require licenses for 50 users with 10 personas each, for a total of 500

 

      It continues, noting the need for secure virtual private networks that randomize the operator's Internet protocol (IP) address, making it impossible to detect that it's a single person orchestrating all these posts. Another entry calls for static IP address management for each persona, making it appear as though each fake person was consistently accessing from the same computer each time. 

 http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=miusrata17miusrata&view=subscribers&start=480

Channel Views: 89,718 / Total Upload Views: 1,059,882 / Joined: Feb 26, 2011

     The contract also sought methods to anonymously establish virtual private servers with private hosting firms in specific geographic locations. This would allow that server's "geosite" to be integrated with their social media profiles, effectively gaming geolocation services.

The Air Force added that the "place of performance" for the contract would be at MacDill Air Force Base, along with Kabul, Afghanistan and Baghdad. The contract was offered on June 22, 2010.

It was not clear exactly what the Air Force was doing with this software, or even if it had been procured. 

    Though many questions remain about how the military would apply such technology, the reasonable fear should be perfectly clear. "Persona management software" can be used to manipulate public opinion on key information, such as news reports. An unlimited number of virtual "people" could be marshaled by only a few real individuals, empowering them to create the illusion of consensus.  more -- > 

 http://www.youtube.com/user/LibyaAlHurraBenghazi

 ----------------------------------

In the early days of the Libya war, U.S. commanders were adamant that they didn’t communicate with the Libyan rebels about what targets to bomb. As it turns out, they don’t need to. They’ve got Twitter.

---------------------------------- 

READ ALSO:

NATO-MATRIX or DISNEYLAND (part I) Fake profiles--> http://libyasos.blogspot.com/2011/06/nato-matrix-or-disneyland.html

NATO-MATRIX or DISNEYLAND (part II) Crime on Twitter -- > http://libyasos.blogspot.com/2011/06/nato-matrix-or-disneyland-part-ii.html

NATO MATRIX or DISNEYLAND (part III) US, Twitter and excellent english ->

http://libyasos.blogspot.com/2011/08/nato-matrix-or-disneyland-part-iii.html

Warning: help Libya not OTAN! OTAN using tweets to locate and target “enemy combatants”

Editor’sNote:
I have left the following comment on the HRI post:
“I agree that people must use discretion when engaging social media platforms for any purpose but are you suggesting that genuine resistance to the aggressive occupation of a sovereign nation is to be discouraged?

The only Libyans who would disclose the position of government militias or armed civilians, would be OTAN informants. Given the extremity of the barbarity demonstrated by the “imported, U.S. funded, al qaeda rebels”, it would not be beneath them to inform on unarmed refugees fleeing places like Misurata, in order to manufacture consent for OTAN strikes.

Whether Libyans are in the militias defending against OTAN or are civilians the fact is that NATO’s position is illegitimate.

You must understand that resolution 1970 (please see clause 6) and 1973 are in themselves a violation and mockery of International law.

OTAN was never concerned about protecting civilians. If that were the case why would a “no fly zone” require unrelenting bombardments and the openly stated intention to assassinate Gadaffi and his family?

Who orcestrate Social Media?

Indeed, if OTAN intended to protect civilians, why are they using depleted uranium munitions?

Genocide is what OTAN is commiting and anything the Libyan people must do in their own defense is, under International law, both legal and acceptable.

NATO’s Air War In Libya: 10,570 Air Missions, 3,999 Strike Sorties – Doc

Alexandra Valiente”

Mark. HRI

OTAN has disclosed some ways they use twitter according to a report released by AFP (posted below).

OTAN has made three statements regarding their use of Twitter.

Firstly Wing Commander Mike Bracken has stated that NATO gets information from “open sources on the internet, we get Twitter,” which is a surprise to no one.

More interesting is that OTAN officials have stated:

1) Libyans have been providing information in tweets regarding troop movements
2) NATO Intelligence monitor twitter to identify targets

There are a few points to make about this:

A) These activities run the risk of blurring the distinction between combatants and the civilian population which can endanger the general civilian population.

B) Regarding 1) – it isn’t stated whether these Libyans are combatants (integrated in the militia) or civilian, but its worth noting that civilians who engage directly in combat – which would include providing targeting information – would run a risk of being placed in the unfortunate category of “unlawful combatants” and facing criminal liability for their actions. Just to note, even if they were placed in this category, they should still be treated humanely but they might not be granted POW status.

C) States using civilians in violation of the law of war will be in breach of their responsibility under that law.

In a conflict ostensibly aimed at protecting civilians, which will doubtless inform the way future conflicts are conducted, consideration needs to be given to these issues.

Tweets tip off OTAN on potential Libya air raids
AFP

BRUSSELS — Twitter as a weapon of war? OTAN has scrambled warplanes against Moamer Kadhafi’s forces after Libyans tweeted troop movements on the micro-blogging website, alliance officials said.

Twitter and Facebook are among a wide range of media and other sources OTAN’s intelligence officers monitor around-the-clock to identify potential targets in the air war against Kadhafi’s troops, the officials said.

“We will take information from every source we can,” said British Wing Commander Mike Bracken, the Libya operation’s military spokesman. “We get information from open sources on the Internet, we get Twitter.”

A OTAN official said Libyans have been tweeting from the rebel-held city of Misrata, Ajdabiya and Tripoli, providing information ranging from movements of troops and tank columns to shellings of towns and fleeing refugees.

“Twitter is a great source,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

The official stressed that any information gleaned from the website is checked against other more reliable sources such as satellite imagery and other traditional intelligence gathering before any jets are deployed.

“On their own they don’t represent a reliable source but they do help to draw attention to emerging issues or threats that can be checked out with more sophisticated means,” the official added.

The United Nations mandate that authorised that OTAN mission in Libya forbids the presence of ground troops, forcing the alliance to rely on other sources of information.

Copyright © 2011 AFP.

source: http://alexandravaliente.wordpress.com/2011/06/11/warning-help-libya-not-nato-nato-using-tweets-to-locate-and-target-enemy-combatants/