The American foundation EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation), which advocates for internet privacy, has expressed concern over a document from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
According to the document, the U.S. government is establishing a group to monitor social networks with the aim of improving national security. The SNMC (Social Networking Monitoring Center) has already been established to investigate sources of information. The tendency of many individuals to share details from their private lives and to have a large group of friends provides a good basis for monitoring suspicious citizens. The document encourages government employees to use social networks to try to identify and apprehend lawbreakers. EFF believes that the U.S. government document violates citizens’ privacy and is based on false assumptions. The first assumption is that a large number of friends on profiles suggests narcissistic needs, and the second is that profiles necessarily reflect an individual’s real life. (www.cert.hr)
