Something strange happened over the weekend. A story I wrote over eight months ago about Google’s quiet cooperation with the U.S. intelligence community suddenly got picked up all over the Internet.
While I’d like to comment individually at all of the sites which have picked up the story, that would unfortunately be far too time-consuming. Even linking to them all would take too long at this point. So please consider this your response.
First, a bit of background: At the 2006 OSS.net IOP conference, organized by former intelligence officer Robert David Steele, sources said that Google was in bed with U.S. intelligence agencies. Anthony Kimery at HSToday broke the story in January. HSToday is a site rarely used as a source for several reasons: it requires a subscription, it didn’t (but now does) have RSS feeds, and carefully targets itself to government agencies, otherwise staying under the radar. It was almost a month before I even knew the story existed.
Even so, it’s worth registering to read the extensive background information HSToday has put together on Google’s association with the U.S. intelligence community (IC). Google, it seems, has been involved with the Central Intelligence Agency almost since its beginning. Here’s a small sample:
In June 1999, the then up-start Google received a $25 million round of equity funding led by Sequoia Capital and Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, the latter of which the CIA’s In-Q-Tel had developed a close relationship with to advance “priority” technologies of value to the IC. A number of Sequoia-bankrolled start-ups have contracted with the Department of Defense, especially after 9/11 when Sequoia’s Mark Kvamme met with Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld to discuss the application of emerging technologies to warfighting and intelligence collection. — HSToday
This is not, as Jason Battelle wrote, “in the Tin-Foil Hat category.” John, we missed it because some sites which may contain important information restrict their content to subscribers. We’ve relied too much on freely available information, and forgotten to look for information which isn’t so freely available. I’m sure Robert Steele would appreciate the irony.
Another question has been raised as to whether Steele is a reliable source. Apparently this story got big when Steele appeared on conspiracy theorist Alex Jones’s radio show last week and talked about Google’s involvement with the intelligence community. Steele comes from an intelligence background in Marine Corps intelligence and the CIA. He created OSS.net to draw attention to the fact that U.S. intelligence relies too much on a Cold War siege mentality while most of the intelligence it really needs can be found from open sources. As for his reliability, I was privileged to hear him speak at a conference earlier this year, and I was quite surprised at his breadth and depth of knowledge about intelligence. I had spot-checked a few facts he’d given there, and found them to be true.
More to the point, I have no reason to doubt the veracity of Steele’s claim, nor the anonymous sources originally cited by HSToday.
When I originally published the story here, it got very little notice, primarily because at the time Homeland Stupidity was quite obscure. It’s much, much larger now, ranking today at 219th among the millions of blogs Technorati has indexed. And I plan to crack the top 100 within the next few months. It’s also since gained several other writers and is now indexed in Google News, bringing much more exposure.
Google, for its part, refuses to comment on national security matters. This story, and Google’s refusal to comment, simply provide more ammunition for Google’s critics. One of them even provides an alternative, called Scroogle, which promises to sanitize your searches so that you can’t be tracked, run by Daniel Brandt, who has been criticizing Google for years regarding its privacy and data retention policies.
“People averse to the risk of exposing their online activities to government surveillance should take Google’s studious silence as confirmation,” writes Cato Institute director of information policy studies Jim Harper.
Good advice.
While people are going through my old archives, here’s a related one you’ll want to read. How to really stay anonymous online: Using Tor is not enough.
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Gardner Goldsmith explains why claims by politicians that consumers can become "irrational" and why claims by the same politicians that government can help "fix" markets are both false and misleading. He also explains what the terms Praxeology and Epistemology mean, which is key in understanding how to place free markets in their proper place among human history.
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q
Oct 30, 2006
Hence the reason I never installed Google desktop, or any of their programs except for Google earth. My theory was the programs individually are clean, but add the together in special combinations, and you have computers working for the CIA and not even knowing it. Remember the Batman movie from 1989? the Jokers formula? heh,heh. ssSSSSSSSmileX
Rich Tucker
Oct 31, 2006
Upon reading these two related articles; I hadnot given any thought to
the theory that devistation of the World Trade Center could have been an a an inside job.
IF IT WAS;AND, IF IT COULD BE PROVED; THEN; the truth should be brought out
out,and the conspirators, no matter who they are; should be caught,
tried, and brought to justice.I always thought that I lived in a
free country. It is becoming less free every day, and I think that is
terrible. I have even heard people say that we should be willing to give up our freedom in order tobe safe. THAT IS WRONG!!! Instead of a government
of the government,by the government,for the government;it should be
agovernment of the people ,by the people, and for the people
Thanks
Rich Tucker
Niall
Oct 31, 2006
Do something about it.
Oct 31, 2006
Joe Grossberg
Michael Hampton
Oct 31, 2006
I am doing something about it.
Potential Threat
Oct 31, 2006
Has it occurred to anyone that the IC collects large quantities of information in the process of doing its work and that Google has developed technology that can help them deal with… (wait for it) …large quantities of information?
Y’all really need to remove your tin foil hats for a few minutes.
–Po
Q
Oct 31, 2006
Yeah and don’t forget this useful tip:
topically applied fluoride doesn’t really prevent tooth decay, however it does render your teeth detectable by spy satellite.
SSSSSSSSSSSsssssssmmmmmmileXXX!!
Brian
Oct 31, 2006
Po;
I think you are correct. Also lets rememeber the founders of Google are big time Moveon.Org contributors. Why would they assist the IC. No they are only making a making a buck.
I also questions Steele’s motives. If you have a chance check out the book review he posted on Amazon; it’s pretty alarming.
Robert David Steele
Oct 31, 2006
This is a good write-up.
Google for Steve Arnold, “The Google Legacy” and
Steve Arnold, “The Google Government Report” or GGReport
I received secondary confirmation at a Hacker’s Conference where
Larry Page and I are both elected members (Silicon Valley)–not from
him of course.
I have previously commented on Google’s hypocrisy (via press release)
in stiffing Justice while sleeping with CIA. Incidentally, all the
hard work by CIA and Google produced fewer that 10 real leads, all of
them old and useless. Joke’s on both of them.
FYI, Google hemmorages restricted information because it is designed
to be comprehensive and does not “see” restricted information as a
separate category. So if the Catholic Church used it, all the child
molestation files would be out there, not just the glory be to god
stuff. It needs to be married up with CISCO AON.
Pity someone might question my motives. Comes back to me after you
have read all 800 of my book reviews.
with best wishes,
Robert Steele
Rick
Oct 31, 2006
Have you noticed Google Earth and the lack of resolution or faked clouds and forest patterns over Columbia, Ascension islands and other places? Missing airport runways in Columbia. The big question is who manipultated the data?
Q
Nov 01, 2006
one cool thing about google earth is that it can find area 51.
Brian
Nov 01, 2006
Mr. Steele;
I question all motives in the political arena; yours, the President’s, Congress, Supreme Court, GOP, LP, DP, World Socialist Party, and the Green Party. No one should be exempt. Why then should you be exempt from scrutiny?
In the political arena all should be scrutinized.
Nov 01, 2006
Karel Donk » Archive » Google ‘in bed’ with CIA
Nov 01, 2006
Will this little story about Google and CIA gain legs? « Scobleizer - Tech Geek Blogger
Adam
Nov 02, 2006
How about posting a list of all Sequoia Capital funded companies that are currently contracting with the Defense Department?
seekXL
Nov 02, 2006
@ Rick … i have hear Google Earth and the lack of resolution and
the faked clouds and forest patterns. Or the Missing airport runways
in Columbia.
The big question is who manipultated the data? do you know the Illuminati? or the film 23?
i think the NSA is the Number 1 for this kind of
interesting and technology using, but is only my fantasy :)
@ Michael … very interesting and good report, thanks for this
Nov 02, 2006
Google denies intelligence cooperation - Homeland Stupidity
Dutra de Lacerda
Nov 02, 2006
Virtual Crimes deserve virtual punishments…
… Unless… the enemy is the people!
Jan 23, 2008
DNA scans and scams, backed by Google « Mark Baard