The latest release of documents from the Ed Snowden cache reveal that the British Government Communications Headquarters (GCHQ), the National Security Agency’s British counterpart, has spearheaded the development of tools to manipulate, disrupt, and collect personal information from social media, including Facebook, PalTalk, and YouTube.
The Internet surveillance and disruption tools were developed by GCHQ’s Joint Threat Research Intelligence Group (JTRIG) and are identified on page views from GCWiki, a classified Wikipedia clone developed by GCHQ for internal use by GCHQ and other FIVE EYES signals intelligence alliance partner agencies, including NSA. GCWiki bears the classification TOP SECRET STRAP 1 COMINT.
The similarity of GCWiki to Wikipedia is so striking the question arises as to what assistance Wikipedia “volunteer” personnel provided to GCHQ in the development of GCWiki. As has been previously reported by WMR, Wikipedia has been used by intelligence agencies, including the CIA, to engage in psychological warfare operations directed against countries, institutions, and individuals. The CIA has been caught red-handed directing its personnel to become Wikipedia volunteer editors.
As an example of some of the disruptive tactics used by FIVE EYES, the POISON ARROW too, which was under development on July 5, 2012, but believed to be operational now, permits the signals intelligence agencies to download disruptive and destructive malware—safe to NSA and its partners’ computers and networks—to targeted computers and networks. WMR has been affected by malware that cannot be removed by commercial programs. Therefore, we have gone to a “sneaker net” environment in which our production computer is off-line and physically separated from our Internet-accessible computer. However, other Snowden documents have revealed that NSA has managed to get around such “air gaps” with different surveillance and disruption technology.
Other NSA/GCHQ tools include DANCING BEAR, which collects WiFi access points used by targeted individuals. HACIENDA uses GEOFUSION to pinpoint targets using IP locations. MINIATURE HERO collects Skype-to-Skype and Skype-to-external call records, instant messaging content, and contact lists. The vulnerability of cloud databases is exemplified by MOUTH, which collects user files from Archives.org. RESERVOIR collects a wealth of information from Facebook, however SPRING BISHOP targets and collects private photographs on Facebook. SODAWATER collects Gmail messages.
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