Thread: Homeland Security database would track journalists, 'media influencers': report

Homeland Security database would track journalists, 'media influencers': report

By Bradford Betz
4 hours ago

The Department of Homeland Security is seeking contractors for the creation of a database that would monitor news outlets around the world and collect information on journalists, bloggers and “media influencers.”

The plan comes amid concerns of so-called “fake news” and its effect on U.S. elections, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.

A DHS solicitation for bids on the project appears on the website FedBizOpps.gov. Prospective contractors are invited to contact two DHS staffers, whose email addresses appear in the post.

DHS spokesman Todd Houlton tweeted Friday that despite what some reporters may suggest, the solicitation is nothing more than the standard practice of monitoring current events in the media.

“Any suggestion otherwise is fit for tin foil hat wearing, black helicopter conspiracy theorists,” he said.

The DHS Media Monitoring plan would grant the chosen company “24/7 access to a password protected, media influencer database, including journalist, editors, correspondents, social media influencers, bloggers etc.,” for the purpose of identifying “any and all media coverage related to the Department of Homeland Security or a particular event.”

According to the document, the public activities of media members and influencers would be monitored by location and beat.

Contractors bidding for the project must “present contact details and any other information that could be relevant including publications this influencer writes for, and an over of the previous coverage published by the influencer.”

The chosen company must have the ability to track more than 250,000 global news outlets in more than 100 languages, with the “ability to create unlimited data tracking, statistical breakdown, and graphical analyses on ad-hoc basis.”

Contractor bids are said to be due April 13.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018...rs-report.html

Oh no, nope, this won't do. Cancel this contract. We don't want DHS spying on our journalists, not here or anywhere else. NOPE! That bad idea has got to go. Americans are fully capable of siphoning out "fake news" ourselves.

Originally Posted by Judy

Americans are fully capable of siphoning out "fake news" ourselves.

Then how do you explain California? The left-wing media, whether it be news programs that only report negative stories on President Trump or "entertainment shows" like Kimmel that push a left-wing agenda as if it is fact,. too many see only this and believe it.

I don't know if this would be abused, quite likely, but shinning a light on reporters might keep them more honest.

Originally Posted by Judy

Oh no, nope, this won't do. Cancel this contract. We don't want DHS spying on our journalists, not here or anywhere else. NOPE! That bad idea has got to go. Americans are fully capable of siphoning out "fake news" ourselves.

"DHS spokesman Todd Houlton tweeted Friday that despite what some reporters may suggest, the solicitation is nothing more than the standard practice of monitoring current events in the media.

“Any suggestion otherwise is fit for tin foil hat wearing, black helicopter conspiracy theorists,” he said."

Originally Posted by MW

“Any suggestion otherwise is fit for tin foil hat wearing, black helicopter conspiracy theorists,” he said."

Are you suggesting that Judy wears a Tin Foil Hat? I would never say I don't believe everything my government tells me.

Originally Posted by jtdc

Are you suggesting that Judy wears a Tin Foil Hat? I would never say I don't believe everything my government tells me.

Not my suggest, but the suggestion of DHS spokesman Todd Houlton.