Story from Forbes
Is the freedom of press under attack? Are podcasters a threat to society? The Department of Homeland Security certainly thinks so.
As part of its “media monitoring,” the DHS seeks to track more than 290,000 global news sources as well as social media in over 100 languages, including Arabic, Chinese and Russian, for instant translation into English. The successful contracting company will have “24/7 access to a password protected, media influencer database, including journalists, editors, correspondents, social media influencers, bloggers etc.” in order to “identify any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event.”
“Any and all media coverage,” as you might imagine, is quite broad and includes “online, print, broadcast, cable, radio, trade and industry publications, local sources, national/international outlets, traditional news sources, and social media.”
There you have it. The Department of Homeland Security thinks it’s necessary to monitor bloggers, podcasters, local journalists, and everyone in between? Why? Well, some of the reasons seem a bit convoluted, but much of it seems to be circling the insurgence of “fake news” and the thought that all news should be monitored. Let’s not forget when an Indiana State Rep wanted to have all journalists licensed. It’s all seeming a bit 1984 for me.
To Drunken Money, what is the creepiest part of this whole report, is what the DHS hopes to do with this information. If you’re a content creator or a journalist, could you be subject to harsher times leaving the country or not get a Visa? That may not be the craziest thing to happen especially because if you want to get a Visa, you better be prepared to hand over the last five years of your social media history.
Again, it’s all quite frightening, especially for anyone who calls themselves a creator or a blogger or a podcaster, and Drunken Money isn’t even that popular. I can’t even imagine how some of the popular podcasters must feel right now…
