Govt Training Game Marks 'Unhappiness with US Foreign Policy' as 'High Threat'

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/headline/2013/08/08-5



How does the government hope to spot the next Edward Snowden? And how can federal employees pitch in to spot the 'threat'?

Thanks to a video game dubbed the "CyberAwareness Challenge" created by private contractor Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA), federal employees can be trained in the fine arts of password creation, social networking security and stealth peer-policing among coworkers.

"You’ve just been promoted and this is your first week in this position," the introduction reads, as the viewer is seated at their new virtual cubicle. "As with any new position, you will have a lot to do and learn. In your new role, you will be dealing with more information, and more sensitive information than ever before. You have to be aware that adversaries are constantly trying to get their hands on that information with a wide range of attacks. Remember information security is part of your responsibility and should be placed above all else."

The game, which is reportedly given to a "wide range of federal employees," takes new hires through a series of tests during which they are challenged to make the "secure" decision. In round three, participants are asked to assess the threat levels posed by their coworkers.

[bemildred]

1. See? These are the sort of shallow fools that claim to be "protecting" us.

Low, medium low, medium high, and high. Based on a couple simple-minded heuristics. This passes for "threat analysis". It's like McSpying. And very expensive "threat analysis" too. And it is all marketed to our "leaders", who most of all fear us, so it's all marketed as about "terrorists" and it's all aimed at us.

[xchrom]

2. +1

[woo me with science]

3. This is chilling, chilling stuff.

Americans have the right to disagree, even strongly, with our government. Dissent is welcomed in a democratic society.

The issue here is this government's extremely disturbing, escalating pattern of ridiculously broadening their definition of dangerous, subversive, and terroristic behavior to include normal political behavior.

It is in the very same vein as their criminalization of behaviors that define investigative journalism.

This government shows an outrageous degree of paranoia and willingness to consider its own citizens as suspects, based only on their having and expressing opinions that are supposed to be protected by the US Constitution. This is how totalitarian governments operate. This is NOT how the United States of America is supposed to behave.


Ridiculous FBI list: You might be a domestic terrorist if...
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x1790765

Doctors asked to identify potential terrorists under government plans
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=439&topic_id=1261120&mesg_id=1261120

Homeland Security Kept Tabs on Occupy Wall Street
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002466099

Do You Like Online Privacy? You May Be a Terrorist
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002257966

Wall Street Protesters Complain of Surveillance
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12521154

TransCanada Caught Training Police to Treat Nonviolent Protesters as Terrorists
http://www.democraticunderground.com/12527867

Top US counterterrorism official: drone critics are Al Qaeda enablers
http://www.democraticunderground.com/1002279862

"Arrogant complaining about airport security is one indicator Transportation Security Administration officers consider when looking for possible criminals and terrorists"
http://www.cnn.com/2011/TRAVEL/04/15/tsa.screeners.complain/

[xchrom]

4. +1

[forestpath]

5. So glad I don't work for the government anymore. When I worked there

my coworkers and I were united in our dislike of Bush's policies.

Now if we worked there we'd all be expected to monitor each other and turn each other in if we had a problem with US foreign policy.

[Wilms]

6. ^

[Recursion]

7. That's for re-uping clearances

I wasn't aware there was a time when political activities weren't considered in the clearance process.

[woo me with science]

8. kick

[NutmegYankee]

9. DISA isn't a private contractor, it's a military support agency.

Just wanted to correct that.

[Octafish]

10. Oliver North, the Traitor, was ready to deputize the Michigan Militia and the rest of them...

...for his REX-84 gig. They'd be useful for rounding up protesters out against any invasion of Nicaragua or wherever the commies were going to invade from. I kid you not.

Daniel Sheehan, attorney with the Christic Institute law firm, suspected that Rex-84 served as cover for illegal arms shipments to the Nicaraguan Contras. Sheehan claimed that FEMA distributed "hundreds of tons of small arms and ammunition" to civilian militiamen in "state defense forces" in the United States. He cited unnamed sources, including one described as a member of FEMA's legal division. Sheehan never got a chance to argue his case in court. A judge threw out the Christic Institute's sweeping lawsuit, calling it "frivolous."

Originally in SF Bay Guardian blog, now:

http://web.archive.org/web/20010414024811/http://www.sfbg.com/nessie/6.html

[NightWatcher]

11. THIS IS FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES WITH SECURITY CLEARANCES

This is not about citizens.

This is not new.

This is how they judge suitability for jobs of a sensitive nature.

This is what background investigations are for.

I thought we covered this yesterday.