Enemy listening in

In this age of mindblowing technology and communications do we as responsible citizens have to be careful of what we post here on ATS. Never before has a potential enemy had access to such a rich soucre of info/intel. I mean take the spy drone over the US carrier in the Gulf, here we have members debating and arguing which carrier it is and its position. Does this type of info provide enemies with details of our combat units and their positions.

Whilst I am all for free speech I wondered if certain topics should not be discussed, If you take the picture the Iranians took to be authentic why provide them with the details of the vessel or its whereabouts. I'm sure the enemies of the US/UK would sift through any info whatever the source. It has to be a balance between freedom to discuss issue's, events etc. but security issue's must be taken ino account as well.

I have often wondered if there are "enemey agents" checking out ATS...
Did you catch the 3 amigoes last podcast?
They were discussing how many hits they get at ATS from US intelligence agencies.
So maybe if there are US Intell checking out the board,there must also be Chinese,North Korean or Iranian Intell Having a look.
I mean,i expect our agencies spend a lot of time looking at boards in China,Iran etc.
So it must work both ways.

Ya'll are giving us armchair quarterbacks way too much credit.

99% of what I've seen posted here are people's op/ed on published news reports. That's especially true of the carrier battle group deployment.

As much as we wish it, no true classified secrets are being revealed here.

Censor yourself, Mushroom. That's enough of that business for me--self-censorship and SELF-censorship alone.

In a choice between free speech and censorship, I chose Free Speech every time. But I can still chose to keep quiet too.

But don't worry, I'm sure there's enough propaganda, disinformation, and bamboozlement buzzing around to keep us all guessing, including the psyops I just love to keep an eye on...


psy

For sure,I agree,but i don`t think the Intell people are solely concerned with "top secret" stuff getting out here.
I think they would use forums such as this to gauge public opinion on a whole range of issuses.
This could help them get a rounder picture of certain situations.
For example,China could be interested in how we view their trade arrangements,or Iran could be interested in how the general populace of US/UK views their country.
As to our own agencies, maybe they do have one eye on the secrets side,just in case!
But myself,if I was working in Intelligence,i would use forums as a sort of "free survey" tool on peoples opinions.
Saves money at least.

All of ATS is discussion on publicly available information unless someone is illegally putting their ego before they’re trust. Maybe this happens about 1% of the time? But I'm sure Simon Grey (and whoever else helps run this site) will not be incriminating themselves by refusing to co-operate with the relevant government bodies about it.
If so perhaps it’s almost a good thing someone might use this board to reveal sensitive information. Firstly because it’s not the boards fault, secondly because it might help track the big mouths down.

If sensitive information that is not illegal to share with the world is being discussed then that’s a legal problem, and is therefore a problem entirely the fault of the government-military for not defining their contracts-laws better.
I suppose you could also blame people for being irresponsible but surely most of the time people just assume that if something isn’t illegal to share with the world; then it’s ok to, if nothing else because if you don’t someone else in your profession can (and therefore probably will).

But providing ATS obeys the laws of the land, and helps catch those who violate them; then they do no wrong.
It’s only fair and proper that the only rules on discussing unclassified information are the laws of the land. Firstly why help bureaucrats not update laws that need updating?
Secondly why put ATS at an unfair competitive disadvantage as long as the government hasn’t bothered-realised the need to change them for everybody else.

Why Spies Come…
1. Firstly ATS is great way to track Western public intellectual opinion. I think at least 90% of the time it’s a good thing for foreign countries to know how reasonable it is. Also even when its not; what are we to do about it? Close down all public forums? That would be a pointless exercise as there are other ways to gage public opinion (not to mention the “illegal” public discussion boards some would no doubt set up.
2. There are still those big mouths.
3. ATS Is an excellent source of ideas. In the past the publics greatest opportunity to influence domestic and international politics was to right a handwritten letter to government. And because of the volume; I still think even today you may as well be posting them to your dustbin.
However if you write a topic on ATS people can both read and discuss it. It’s free analysis as good and as bad as the best and worst of ATS. And the idea can also be defended-corrected where in the past as an old fashioned letter it may simply have been misunderstood-overlooked.
4. Not only can “spies” reply they can of course also set up they’re own topics.

So the biggest use is really to help formulate policy, find out what the criminal big mouths have to say, and better understand Western-global public opinion. Overall it’s a force for good (big time in fact). Therefore if it wasn’t privately funded; then I personally reckon it would be deserving of government help.

Good Info liberal.
I was just thinking that big companies are just as likely to use forums such as ATS as Ideas pools.
On a side topic,me and my bro were talking about those "photoshopping contest" sites,and I was saying i think they are a creation of the advertising industry,to generate a gigantic ideas database.
They used to have to pay people good money for such ideas...

One topic that some scoff at is attitudes to one's own Goverment, I'm sure many of the posts on ATS are quite anti establishment, my own included. So how long will it be before ATS is in the shadow of the Patriot Act and other such legislation. There are already a number of members calling those who do not support Bush and co umpatriotic and such like and the greatest asset to a would be enemy is the mindset of the people they maybe fighting one day.

Originally posted by magicmushroom
"... the greatest asset to a would be enemy is the mindset of the people they maybe fighting one day."

Not to take you out of context Mushroom, but if she thinks that 'enemies' may lurk here (or post, as the case may be), maybe Karen Hughes can start LEARNING a little about 'hearts and minds'?

They need a replay on that one in Iraq, that's for sure.

Yes, her journalism degree and job as Communications Director sure has taken her far these days. Or is that 'taken us for a ride'?

While I dont tthink they are looking here for top secret info,
Maybe a guage of public perception?
Maybe when people come on here and say area's they think are terrorists targets cause of lack of security.
Maybe because they can find people whom sympathise with there ambitions..

In saying that, im sure foreign agencies spend all day scanning hte internet for stuff they can use, but I doubt they have ATS up on multiple large screen monitors hanging over walls with monitoring equipment...

although, it would be good imagining some foreign leader saying


'' DAMN THAT AGIT8DChop... my evil plan FOILED AGAIN! "