America Online: CIA front

Originally posted by watcher3339
reply to post by FirstCasualty

 

As to why military men on the board? There could be a number of reasons. Usually boards are filled with prominent individuals, often from an area. There are a lot of prominent military men in D.C. Also, as the web began with infrastructure that grew out of a military project so there is a natural fit there and perhaps a who knew who kind of thing. Finally, I would think it was possible that the government, at a time when AOL was really THE way to access the web might have had some interest in terms of security for the new and increasingly important bit of infrastructure that AOL represented. But, again, given the way they are with clearances with anything that is even questionably government related in the D.C. area, it would be all of the techs that needed clearances. Knowing the reality of how one or two people could have impacted the security or operational capacity of AOL, and the type of information that they had access to and created themselves, if the CIA had any shadow over AOL all of them would have required clearances that they just didn't (and still don't) have.

AOL doesn't have any sensitive information about the government. Why would everybody that worked there need a clearance.

Does that mean that everyone working at every ISP would need a security clearance in order for DHS or any other agency to snoop around

My question mark button stopped working so to be clear those were questions

Originally posted by watcher3339
reply to post by FirstCasualty

 

As to why military men on the board? There could be a number of reasons. Usually boards are filled with prominent individuals, often from an area. There are a lot of prominent military men in D.C. Also, as the web began with infrastructure that grew out of a military project so there is a natural fit there and perhaps a who knew who kind of thing. Finally, I would think it was possible that the government, at a time when AOL was really THE way to access the web might have had some interest in terms of security for the new and increasingly important bit of infrastructure that AOL represented. But, again, given the way they are with clearances with anything that is even questionably government related in the D.C. area, it would be all of the techs that needed clearances. Knowing the reality of how one or two people could have impacted the security or operational capacity of AOL, and the type of information that they had access to and created themselves, if the CIA had any shadow over AOL all of them would have required clearances that they just didn't (and still don't) have.

Given the communications and awareness needs of the military today and future communication / organization / home & personal control needs that everyone will actually take for granted 10 years from now, I'd be very surprised if AOL wasn't engaged in a lot of C3 research. If you look at AOL without the younger generation (slow witted) bias against existing structure, you can see that AOL has pioneered and popularized the foundation of much of what exists today on the Web and continues to do so today.

Being first in place though does not always leave one with the most polished application if you are looking to the future. Trying to be the coolest is a huge investment. I'd hate to be Google or Facebook when the applications come to shift users away -- the billions invested in hardware, software, and organization will likely kiil them if they remain too narrowly focused on being cool today.

BTW: I don't appologize for using AOL routinely. I can, and have, used it in parts of the world where Web access didn't exist in any other form. I can get on any PC, even an ancient one, and for quite a few years now, have been able to have my entire communication structure in place - anywhere, anytime. It's the "cloud" before there was a "cloud." Plus they do offer some pretty good software deals. If the kiddos knocking AOL ever get out of their dorm rooms or cozy cubes and off into remote parts of the real world or somewhere where there is a real communications problem, they might find their iTOYS don't function too well after all.

reply to post by BayesLike


Dude! That was a total buzz kill.

Second

reply to post by BayesLike


OK two things.

1.) That was well written.

2.) Send me the latest AOL disc

Back in the day when I was doing support we would use AOL discs as coffee mug coasters in our cubes.

Quite a few of those AOL discs never made it out of the microwave alive

Originally posted by BayesLike

Originally posted by watcher3339
reply to post by FirstCasualty

Given the communications and awareness needs of the military today and future communication / organization / home & personal control needs that everyone will actually take for granted 10 years from now, I'd be very surprised if AOL wasn't engaged in a lot of C3 research. If you look at AOL without the younger generation (slow witted) bias against existing structure, you can see that AOL has pioneered and popularized the foundation of much of what exists today on the Web and continues to do so today.

Being first in place though does not always leave one with the most polished application if you are looking to the future. Trying to be the coolest is a huge investment. I'd hate to be Google or Facebook when the applications come to shift users away -- the billions invested in hardware, software, and organization will likely kiil them if they remain too narrowly focused on being cool today.

BTW: I don't appologize for using AOL routinely. I can, and have, used it in parts of the world where Web access didn't exist in any other form. I can get on any PC, even an ancient one, and for quite a few years now, have been able to have my entire communication structure in place - anywhere, anytime. It's the "cloud" before there was a "cloud." Plus they do offer some pretty good software deals. If the kiddos knocking AOL ever get out of their dorm rooms or cozy cubes and off into remote parts of the real world or somewhere where there is a real communications problem, they might find their iTOYS don't function too well after all.

You are touting the benefits of using AOL abroad, which coincidentally is within the CIA's official purview. I would think that the CIA would be highly interested in control over a tool that could monitor communications abroad, which pretty much ties into the original thesis of this thread.

Oh, and MrSpad, thank you for clearing up the confusion about the location..

Originally posted by SLAYER69
reply to post by BayesLike

 

Back in the day when I was doing support we would use AOL discs as coffee mug coasters in our cubes.

Quite a few of those AOL discs never made it out of the microwave alive

Your story about the microwave reminds me of a time, in the mid 80's, when a visitor put a foil wrapped burger in one of the two cafeteria microwaves to heat it up. The plasma sheet which formed glowed brightly, a free floating "flame" moving back and forth across the entire oven. The guy was obviously very impressed with the technology -- until people began yelling and running in his direction.

Originally posted by FirstCasualty

Originally posted by watcher3339
reply to post by FirstCasualty

 

As to why military men on the board? There could be a number of reasons. Usually boards are filled with prominent individuals, often from an area. There are a lot of prominent military men in D.C. Also, as the web began with infrastructure that grew out of a military project so there is a natural fit there and perhaps a who knew who kind of thing. Finally, I would think it was possible that the government, at a time when AOL was really THE way to access the web might have had some interest in terms of security for the new and increasingly important bit of infrastructure that AOL represented. But, again, given the way they are with clearances with anything that is even questionably government related in the D.C. area, it would be all of the techs that needed clearances. Knowing the reality of how one or two people could have impacted the security or operational capacity of AOL, and the type of information that they had access to and created themselves, if the CIA had any shadow over AOL all of them would have required clearances that they just didn't (and still don't) have.

AOL doesn't have any sensitive information about the government. Why would everybody that worked there need a clearance.

Does that mean that everyone working at every ISP would need a security clearance in order for DHS or any other agency to snoop around

My question mark button stopped working so to be clear those were questions

edit on 28-12-2012 by FirstCasualty because: (no reason given)

I don't think that any of them need clearances. While there could (by virtue of how common they are in the general area from which the employee base is drawn) be people there that have or at one point had clearances my point is that if AOL was some sort of CIA shadow operation clearances to work there would certainly be the norm (as it is at many DC area non governmental places of employment). I know a really *really* large group of people who either worked there before or are still there. These people work/ed in very high level management and technical positions. The fact that I am positive that they do not have clearances and are not in any way related to the CIA convinces me that while the OP has an interesting premise it just isn't so. Nobody has to take my word for it but I know it to be a simple fact based on a more than passing familiarity with the company and the people who helped to make it what it.

Any online information is very likely observed, kept, what have you by the government, but the OP wondered if AOL might actually be somehow under the thumb of the CIA and referenced its Dulles address as part of the reasoning. I must say, if that is enough to make something CIA then the CIA has made some of the best sushi I have ever eaten.

No worries on the question mark thing. My dash key quit months ago! Even installed a new keyboard and it quit again a week later. I don't do hardware so I just don't use it.

I don't get this issue about dial-up on AOL. It has broadband same as other service providers.
In this country it is AOL(UK) Ltd, part of AOL Europe. The Huffington post belongs to AOL(UK) they also work with Talktalk, Carphone warehouse and probably others on their different packages. So nothing remarkable.

I don't think anyone should be surprised if CIA have their fecking nebs stuck in somewhere, either here in the UK or the US, there simply is nothing private about the internet and broadband especially, even the intranet is bustable.

Perhaps they owned AOL for the same reason people think they may control facebook or google. AOL did come out a long time ago, so even though it seems obsolete now it was a big thing years ago.