{"id":2628,"date":"2012-01-22T11:09:28","date_gmt":"2012-01-22T15:09:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/?p=2628"},"modified":"2012-01-22T11:57:11","modified_gmt":"2012-01-22T15:57:11","slug":"npr-stories-expose-internet-tracking-while-shortwave-remains-immune","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/01\/npr-stories-expose-internet-tracking-while-shortwave-remains-immune\/","title":{"rendered":"NPR stories expose internet tracking (while shortwave remains immune)"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"This morning, NPR’s (National Public Radio’s) Weekend edition aired two intriguing stories sharing one strong common thread. First, “CIA Tracks Public Information For The Private Eye<\/a>“–a look inside the CIA’s Open Source Center:<\/p>\n

Secrets: the currency of spies around the world. The rise of social media, hash-tags, forums, blogs and online news sites has revealed a new kind of secret, those hiding in plain sight. The CIA calls all this information “open source” material, and it’s changing the way America’s top spy agency does business.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

While you must listen to or read the full story<\/a> to fully appreciate it, its gist is that this featured department of the CIA essentially uses readily-available public information in order to unlock and predict all sorts of activities they’ve traditionally tracked through covert operations. It’s a paradigm shift in how they’ve traditionally done business. Though not surprising, if you know the nature of the internet, it is fascinating nonetheless.<\/p>\n

The second story, “Technological Innovations Help Dictators See All<\/a>” dealt with the flip side:<\/p>\n

As technology gets better–and cheaper–it’s becoming easier for authoritarian governments to watch and record their populations’ every move. John Villasenor of the Brookings Institution joins host Rachel Martin to discuss the phenomenon.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This discussion covers a real and growing problem:\u00a0 the online Big Brother phenomenon.\u00a0 Many people feel secure and anonymous online, but are not.\u00a0 Moreover, as tracking technologies get better, I fear it will give these governments even more control over (and methods to intimidate) their people.<\/p>\n

[Incidentally, NPR’s Fresh Air<\/em> did a story in December 2011 which focused\u00a0on tracking technologies regimes use–it’s a must-listen<\/a>, as well.]<\/p>\n

I hope international broadcasters are listening to stories like these.<\/strong> It’s more clear than ever that VOA, BBC World Service, Radio Australia, Radio France International, Radio Netherlands Worldwide, <\/em>and the like still hold the key to getting uncensored information into oppressed countries without bringing harm to listeners, namely, via broadcasts over\u00a0shortwave radio<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

For, as we’ve often said, shortwave radio is impossible to track, works at the speed of light, is everywhere, and requires very simple and affordable technology on behalf of the listener. Let’s keep it alive and well:\u00a0 burgeoning democracies rely upon it.<\/p>\n

Yet more supporting stories for our ongoing series, “Why shortwave radio?<\/a>“<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This morning, NPR’s (National Public Radio’s) Weekend edition aired two intriguing stories sharing one strong common thread. First, “CIA Tracks Public Information For The Private Eye“–a look inside the CIA’s Open Source Center: Secrets: the currency of spies around the world. The rise of social media, hash-tags, forums, blogs and online news sites has revealed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[83,807,662,84],"class_list":["post-2628","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news","tag-censorship","tag-freedom-of-information","tag-internet","tag-why-shortwave-radio"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pn3uc-Go","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":23552,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/01\/cold-war-radio-treasure-trove-the-cia-freedom-of-information-act-reading-room\/","url_meta":{"origin":2628,"position":0},"title":"Cold War radio treasure trove: The CIA Freedom of Information Act Reading room","author":"Thomas","date":"January 21, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Alexander (DL4NO), who writes: I just found a German reference to the CIA Freedom of Information Act Reading room https:\/\/www.cia.gov\/library\/readingroom\/ As a first test I searched for \u201cradio design\u201d. A few of the documents found: ACTIVITIES OF AMATEUR RADIO DESIGNERS JPRS ID: 8744 TRANSLATION\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/CIA-Document.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/CIA-Document.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/CIA-Document.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":2874,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2012\/02\/cia-a-history-of-the-foreign-broadcast-information-service\/","url_meta":{"origin":2628,"position":1},"title":"CIA: A History of the Foreign Broadcast Information Service","author":"Thomas","date":"February 28, 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"I just stumbled upon this fascinating history of the CIA Foreign Broadcast Information Service\u00a0and thought SWLing Post readers might enjoy browsing it as well. This \u00a0is a history of the early, pre-CIA, years of the Foreign Broadcast Information Service. It was published with a classification of \"Confidential\" in 1969 and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/02\/FBISCIA.gif?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":42571,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/03\/radio-waves-the-future-of-on-air-djs-sdr-comparison-radios-that-never-were-and-an-internet-radio-player-for-linux\/","url_meta":{"origin":2628,"position":2},"title":"Radio Waves: The Future of On-Air DJs, SDR Comparison, Radios That Never Were, and an Internet Radio Player for Linux","author":"Thomas","date":"March 31, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Radio Waves:\u00a0 Stories Making Waves in the World of Radio Because I keep my ear to the waves, as well as receive many tips from others who do the same, I find myself privy to radio-related stories that might interest\u00a0SWLing Post\u00a0readers.\u00a0 To that end:\u00a0Welcome to the\u00a0SWLing Post\u2019s Radio Waves, a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "AM"","block_context":{"text":"AM","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/am\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/AM-Tower-Blue-WHKY-1024x658.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/AM-Tower-Blue-WHKY-1024x658.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/04\/AM-Tower-Blue-WHKY-1024x658.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":24455,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2017\/03\/the-tar-224-cia-radio\/","url_meta":{"origin":2628,"position":3},"title":"The TAR-224 CIA Radio","author":"Thomas","date":"March 5, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, @K7al_L3afta, who suggested I post photos of the TAR-224 Radio. Obviously, he knows I'm a fan of this sort of\u00a0rig! He discovered the TAR-224 on the excellent CIA online museum where they give a brief description of the unit: A compact, high-frequency, paramilitary transceiver,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "News"","block_context":{"text":"News","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/news\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/TAR-224-Radio-2-CIA-SPY.jpeg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/TAR-224-Radio-2-CIA-SPY.jpeg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/TAR-224-Radio-2-CIA-SPY.jpeg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/TAR-224-Radio-2-CIA-SPY.jpeg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":42122,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2020\/02\/from-the-cia-archives-an-hf-spaced-loop-antenna-for-direction-finding\/","url_meta":{"origin":2628,"position":4},"title":"From the CIA Archives: An HF Spaced Loop Antenna for Direction Finding","author":"Thomas","date":"February 27, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Many thanks to SWLing Post contributor, Grayhat, who shares the following: I stumbled upon a document I found in the \"CIA reading room\": https:\/\/www.cia.gov\/library\/readingroom\/docs\/CIA-RDP76-00451R000200010013-1.pdf In short, the document, titled \"HF SPACED LOOP ANTENNA\" and dating back to 1967, describes the design of a \"direction finding\" antenna used to find an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Antennas"","block_context":{"text":"Antennas","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/antennas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/CIA-Loop-antenna.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/CIA-Loop-antenna.jpeg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/02\/CIA-Loop-antenna.jpeg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10721,"url":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/2014\/09\/a-map-of-every-device-connected-to-the-internet\/","url_meta":{"origin":2628,"position":5},"title":"A map of every device connected to the Internet","author":"Thomas","date":"September 3, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"SWLing Post reader, Mehmet Burk, shares this tweet from Sherry Rehman: Portrait of an unequally connected planet. A map of every device connected to the internet: http:\/\/t.co\/TWZqtBVyf9. pic.twitter.com\/B7NA4ZpWCN\u201d \u2014 sherryrehman (@sherryrehman) September 1, 2014 Many thanks, Mehmet! Though this map may not be completely accurate since IP addresses in IPv4\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Articles"","block_context":{"text":"Articles","link":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/category\/articles\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"(Source: John Matherly, via Gizmodo)","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Bwam-MeIEAAiJ-i.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Bwam-MeIEAAiJ-i.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/09\/Bwam-MeIEAAiJ-i.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2628"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2628\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2628"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2628"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/swling.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2628"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}