haha, this is my first post, I had to think of something to write down.
What if the very site you go to, to look for conspiracie theories , is actually a site for the government to use to monitor people and their discoveries?
And if they do indeed discover someone from here that has stumbled upon something, what would that mean for the discoveree? scary.

Anything searchable by any mainstream engine is 100% monitored already.

All new data as quick as it's spidered (sooner if flagged for constant spidering) is parsed and queried to death by processing centers all over the world. I think that the systems employed are CRAY & IBM systems as well as some SGI & SUN offerings for the smaller trunks & cisco / nortel appliances for vampire connections worldwide.

Phrasing, slang, punctuation and timing are all fingerprints that can be narrowed down when cross indexed with browser/os versions and finally provider / IP when the investigations depth is lowered. If a target of interest is flagged, packet sniffing routines can, in near real time, watch you live, without special hardware and that is the stage where a human is usually involved in the surveillance.

Long as you don't break laws and general T&C's of any given site, you are generally free from worry-especially here. But everything said and done as well as viewed by any semi or full duplex digital technology are statistically monitored and able to be explored as deep as necessary. Anywhere, anytime for any reason right down to your network card. Analog technologies are usually monitored using less reliable technologies but are converted to digital for screening so even phones can be involved for modem/voice signals.

It's not the sites really but your providers that usually are the last point of anonymity and those are cooperating with the various agencies worldwide as their licensing depends on that compliance.

These are those times. Just don't hurt anyone, skulk, conspire or otherwise and you will be fine.

[edit on 16-11-2008 by Atlantican]

Conspiracy sites such as ATS are ROUTINELY monitored by the powers that be, both for intelligence purposes and to see if any information being posted on it is considered classified, and, if so, to begin a search for the person(s) who may have leaked it to the website.

Over ten years ago I worked on a project that provided storage libraries in the form of large unix based arrays of high capacity disk drives for the NSA.
It was pretty obvious what they were using this stored data for.
If you don't understand then I'll explain.
Data is streaming constantly over our communications systems. The NSA's mainframe systems search for key words in these data streams. The data is stored temporarily for further examination if there is a keyword hit or something of interest arises. Hence the necessity for storage libraries.

Whats somewhat amusing is that that FBI agent who had provided secrets to the Russians for 15 years evaded detection from our systems of snooping obviously because he as an insider knew how the system worked.

But he too was eventually caught but through secrets provided by a Russian double agent.

Very interesting. I have always known that the internet was being patrolled at different sites, but I was not sure on their limits to patrolling it.
At the same time though, what if someone made a discovery that shouldnt have been made(if you know what I mean). Even if something was proved, that doesnt mean that the govt has to admit it, they are afterall the govt and could do whatever they wanted. Aliens and ghosts have been proven everyway man knows how besides getting fecal matter,yet they deny it still. We are in constant deadlock between our govt.

*waves to the Feddies*

Hey guys!

Love the suits!

Seriously though - I doubt there's anything incriminating going on here. ATS is just a humble little hangout for us tinfoilers. And we're a rather harmless bunch, most of us would rather debunk and analyze UFO photos and videos than start any type of dangerous and irrational civil disobidience.

I'm sure they get a few chuckles here and there from the daily shenanigans going on across the board....I sure do, anyway.

*edit for shenanigans



[edit on 11/16/08 by GENERAL EYES]

Originally posted by Common Good
. Even if something was proved, that doesn't mean that the govt has to admit it, they are after all the govt and could do whatever they wanted. Aliens and ghosts have been proven every way man knows how besides getting fecal matter,yet they deny it still. We are in constant deadlock between our govt.

Greater words have never been so wonderfully spoken!

Late at night, after I log out of ATS & just before bed, I let my small dog out to pee. While he is doing his business, I look up at the stars in the hope of seeing another "unidentifiable." I feel so paranoid at times that I fully expect either an EBE or a MIB will snatch my terrier. Sometimes if I am really spooked I imagine both an EBE & MIB catching him. Sometimes he wants to put me out to pee. I don't which is the worst scenario!

Honestly however, I responded to an ATS blog about a year ago. It was in in response to an OP concerning the subject of:

"If you were a terrorist, what would you do to kick off the next round of panic across the nation?..."

There were several great posts & such, etc., including my own. But the next day when I went in to check the post, guess what...? Springer had made a post essentially halting the entire thread. (Of! What a mug shot! Sorry Springer, nothing personal, but you really need an updated avatar.) The Thread was effectively removed ASAP. Everything shriveled up & vanished into non grata.

Now if that is not an example of some Suit Oversight Group (SOG) then I'll go outside wearing my tinfoil hat and pee tonight!

Right on time!

One of these threads pops up every month or so.

We were about due for another one.

There is no such thing as PRIVACY. Never was, never will be. If you think you have a right to privacy (or anything else for that matter) remember this: A right is that which no man may take away. Hence, if it can be usurped, it's not a right.
As to divulging secrets, they're way ahead of ya. You think digitized information, or digitized analog information, is something, considered catching and digitizing verbal communications from the air. An old woman in her home used to harmlessly rant to none but her cats that someone should kill Pres. Bush (the Sr. one) several days of that later she was arrested, charged, and jailed.
Remember AT&T's intel chip in the phone's from the 70's. Think they stopped? Hmmm. Take and open your phone, see if there's a chip or part or integrated circuit that has it's own circuit, likely to a power cell that can keep it charged even if you disconnect the phone from the 9v powerline at the jack. How about the "untracability of cell phones that can be triangulated using source provider, which satellite offers service and mobile source utilizing, say, Digital Infrared Ranging Technology (or DIRT) used by law enforcement to capture screen shots from your online comp (an infrared warrant is needed of course), or simply cell crystal chip identification, and/ or GPS internal locator (MS Windows uses about for lines of code for GPS also, in case you delete your IP from the registry and use a ghosting server.
If they hear you they hear you. You must be right, be truthful, don't hurt with your words, and if what you have to say meets those points, speak up, speak clear, and speak loud. If you reveal classified information, consider who classified it and why. Will it's release better the World or harm it. Is it's being kept secret bettering the World or harming it. If you are in the know of such information you decide.
In the Service you are bound by certain Standing Orders for all personnel from enlistee to commmander-in-chief, which is to OBEY all LAWFUL ORDERS given to you by your SUPERIORS. However it's silent as to what is lawful. Lawful to your God's Law or lawful to man's- and whose law's? The military's, of course. What about your city and State of Residences laws? (Their tax laws to be sure). What about the Federal laws. What about when these laws clearly violate the Constitution as the Supreme Law or the Treaties and International Laws and the Declaration of Independance, or Bill of Rights upon which the Constitution was based. Which Constitution? The one of 1776 for the US or the New Model US Constitution of 1942? The laws of the State, Territory, Annex,Region, Holding, or Country, Nation, or Society you happen to be in. What if they tell you you were never here this never happened if you're caught you'll be treated as renegade and your activities, although sanctioned by your government, will be disavowed by them and you will be subject to the Laws of the capturing party, what if your very presence and activities would be construed an act of war in the territory you are in. Is classified information to be kept or revealed? The Standing Order is Silent. Supposedly your Oath to maintain Secrecy is sufficient to legally remain silent. But what of your Entrance Oath to Support AND Defend the Country from all enemies Foriegn and DOMESTIC. What if the classified informations release is deemed by the one entrusted with it to do just that?
Privacy. Hooey. Who'd ever believe we had that?
In the end, you, not government are responsible for what happens to your community. So be responsible. And never forget to laugh at yourself, often.