A small group of independent bloggers, including Yoani Sanchez, Reinaldo Escobar, and Claudia Cadelo, has promoted blogging as a vehicle for free expression and information sharing to circumvent Cuba’s tightly controlled media environment, and to communicate with the outside world. They have become increasingly confrontational toward the government, demanding greater civil liberties and criticizing many government policies . Other on-island bloggers — many of them journalists or university professors and students — have called on the government to be more open and allow greater access to outside information, but they generally have avoided direct criticism of it. The government response has been limited to date, but the increasingly antigovernment line of some bloggers is likely to test the limits of government tolerance.
Author Archive for Public Intelligence
Mexico, Open Source Center
(U//FOUO) Open Source Center Mexico YouTube Drug War
Postings of popular songs about drug traffickers are the most prevalent cartel-related content found in YouTube, the third most-visited social networking website in Mexico. Direct threats among cartels are less prevalent but hold a significant following, while videos honoring police killed in action register a low viewing record. Some sectors of Mexican society have also turned to the video-sharing site to express their anger at the violence brought by the ongoing drug war.
Uruguay
(U//FOUO) Open Source Center Uruguayan Media at a Glance
Radio is the most important source of information in Uruguay and plays a significant role in shaping public opinion. A few television stations are identified with political parties, but their affiliation is not as strong as that of newspapers, which continue to impact public opinion in this highly literate country. The state-owned Servicio Oficial de Radio, TV y Espectaculos (SODRE) is a public service institution designed to guarantee Uruguayan citizens the “right to information, freedom of expression, and access to high-quality radio products.” The audience share for state-owned media tends to be low. Freedom of the press, which is guaranteed by Article 29 of the Constitution, is respected in Uruguay, according to Reporters Without Borders and UNESCO. Half of the population has access to the Internet, but only 5% read the news online. Use of emerging media in Uruguay follows the trend in Latin America, with a marked preference for the social networking websites Facebook and Orkut. Cable TV is the first telecommunications sector to experience the effects of the recession. Mobile phone penetration is very high.
Open Source Center
(U//FOUO) Open Source Center North Korea Using Social Media Propaganda
Pyongyang during the past month has opened accounts with three popular online social media outlets that are not accessible inside North Korea. Content in these channels is taken directly from official propaganda, and Pyongyang is not currently using the sites for online discussion or exchange. The North’s use of social media appears designed to circumvent Seoul’s efforts to block access by South Koreans to North Korean online content. Pyongyang began its foray into global social media on 14 July with the launch of a YouTube channel. This was followed by the opening of accounts on Twitter (12 August) and Facebook (20 August). Average North Korean citizens do not have access to the Internet, so they almost certainly are not participating in these sites.
U.S. Navy
U.S. Navy NATOPS AV-8B Harrier II Flight Manuals
Two restricted flight and technical manuals for the AV-8B and TAV-8B Harrier II.
U.S. Army
U.S. Army FM 3-19.15 Civil Disturbance Operations
Field Manual (FM) 3-19.15 addresses continental United States (CONUS) and outside continental United States (OCONUS) civil disturbance operations. Today, United States (US) forces are deployed on peacekeeping, peace enforcement, and humanitarian assistance operations worldwide. During these operations, US forces are often faced with unruly and violent crowds intent on disrupting peace and the ability of US forces to maintain peace. Worldwide instability coupled with increasing US military participation in peacekeeping and related operations requires that US forces have access to the most current doctrine and tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTP) necessary to quell riots and restore public order.
U.S. Navy
U.S. Navy NATOPS Aircraft Emergency Rescue Information Manual
This restricted manual contains essential information and procedures for use by Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting (ARFF) personnel when rescuing occupants from crashed or disabled naval aircraft. It has been organized for ready reference by rescue teams and is intended to serve both as an operational guide and a training manual for rescue personnel.
U.S. Marine Corps
(U//FOUO) USMC Weaponry Technical Information Manual
This manual provides easy-to-use reference data for the more common items of Marine Corps ordnance equipment. The equipment description sheets, which make up the bulk of the manual, provide a description, function, and technical characteristics of the equipment, including, when applicable, fuel and power requirements, power outputs, major components, and associated components. If available, photographs or drawings of the equipment are provided.
Intelligence Fusion Centers, Washington D.C.
(U//FOUO) Washington D.C. Fusion Center Alcoholic Energy Drinks Warning
Recently, alcoholic energy drinks have been making national headlines related to multiple hospitalizations for alcohol poisoning among college students. These hospitalizations have resulted in several universities banning the alcoholic energy drinks from campuses. Lawmakers in several states, including New York, have sought to ban the drinks, though no legislation has passed yet. These drinks mix alcohol with caffeine. Alcoholic energy products are marketed to look like energy drinks on grocery shelves, but can pack a real alcoholic punch. Four Loko is a popular brand, but not the only alcoholic energy drink under scrutiny. In the case of Four Loko, the 23.5-ounce drink is 12 percent alcohol and roughly equivalent to drinking five 12-ounce beers. The drink also has about a cup’s worth of coffee, according to the manufacturer. There’s a very common misconception that if you drink caffeine with an alcoholic beverage the stimulant effect of the caffeine counteracts the depressant effect of the alcohol and that is not true.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO//LES) DHS Terrorist Use of Social Networking Facebook Case Study
Terrorists have traditionally sought to exploit new and alternative media, particularly on the Internet, to spread their propaganda and to a lesser extent, operational and tactical guidance to prospective supporters through websites, forums, blogs, chat rooms etc. In recent years, Islamic terrorists have expanded the purview of their online endeavors into social networking sites, websites that create and foster online communities organized around shared affinities and affiliations that connect people based on interests and relationships. In most cases, social networking sites are openly viewable to any participant on the site.
Intelligence Fusion Centers, Washington D.C.
Washington, D.C. Fusion Center Helium Suicides Warning
The Los Angeles Joint Regional Terrorism Threat Assessment Center (LAJRIC) distributed a public safety bulletin on an emerging suicide method using helium and an “exit hood.” Helium suicides are still relatively rare however, in the last several years, information about the use of helium as a certain, fast, and painless suicide method has spread on the Internet and in various suicide handbooks. First responders have encountered helium suicides and other variations of this suicide method using chemicals which are hazardous to first responders in the District or National Capitol Region. The WRTAC is issuing the below information for situational awareness and investigative purposes only.
Afghanistan
Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan District Delivery Program Secretariat Report
The objective of the District Delivery Program (DDP) is to establish or improve the visibility of the Government by holistically engaging the governance system at the district level to ensure that the basic level public services are available directly to communities. The District Delivery Program is a process that results in a package of services to be delivered to the districts. It aims to establish or visibly improve the government capacity at the local level in key terrain districts. It is not meant to replace ongoing activities in those districts. Parallel planning at the national and local level will preclude duplication of effort. The District Delivery Program is centered on two principles: 1) the Provincial Governor and District Governors offices, in conjunction with line Ministries, deliver services; and 2) that the services provided are a result of a consultative process with a local Council (representative body of the people).
Afghanistan
Government of Islamic Republic of Afghanistan Qarghayee District Delivery Plan
Qarghayee is relatively secure area of Laghman province, being 98% is under government control with the exception of some remote areas such as Tour Ghar, Trager, Zengoor, Shade Bagh , Chon Gay and China Ray. Within these areas insurgents is a potential threat against government actions. The total population of the district is 324500 people living in 139 large villages and 500 smaller settlements. The District Development Assembly is active at the local level with a total membership of 16 people. There is also a tribal shura present with a membership of 65 people from different tribes of Qargahaee. The ulema shura has 15 members, all of which religious elders with good reputations within their communities.
Transportation Security Administration
(U//FOUO) TSA Pipeline Threat Assessment
(U//FOUO) The Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) mission includes enhancing the security preparedness of our nation’s hazardous liquid and natural gas pipeline systems. This 2008 threat assessment addresses terrorist attacks against oil and gas pipeline facilities overseas and considers the potential for attacks against the oil and gas pipeline industry in the United States. Pipelines are a mode of transportation with distinct characteristics and security requirements. Pipelines operate in all 50 states and transport more than two-thirds of all petroleum products, including gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, home heating oil, kerosene, and propane. Natural gas transmission and distribution pipelines transport natural gas from sources to residential, commercial, and industrial customers. Hazardous liquid pipelines transport crude oil to refineries and refined oil products to product terminals and airports. America depends daily on its pipelines to meet its oil and gas requirements.
Department of State
U.S. State Department Letter to WikiLeaks
I am writing in response to your 26 November 2010 letter to U.S. Ambassador Louis B. Susman regarding your intention to again publish on your WikiLeaks site what you claim to be classified U.S. Government documents. As you know, if any of the materials you intend to publish were provided by any government officials, or any intermediary without proper authorization, they were provided in violation of U.S. law and without regard for the grave consequences of this action. As long as WikiLeaks holds such material, the violation of the law is ongoing. It is our understanding from conversations with representatives from The New York Times, The Guardian and Der Speigel, that WikiLeaks also has provided approximately 250,000 documents to each of them for publication, furthering the illegal dissemination of classified documents.
Department of Homeland Security
(U//FOUO) DHS Small-Scale Toxin and Poison Attack Warning
(U//FOUO) Terrorists continue to express broad interest in toxins and poisons that could be used to contaminate food or water supplies, or spread through skin contact. Widely circulated terrorist manuals contain instructions for mixing toxins and poisons with skin penetrating enhancers such as oils, lotions, and other ointments. Other possible methods of delivery include adding toxins or poisons to beverages, fruits, vegetables, or other foods. Most toxins and poisons mentioned in terrorist manuals are more suitable for assassinations and small-scale attacks than for mass casualty attacks, but terrorists might calculate that a coordinated series of simultaneous small attacks could produce comparable casualties and widespread public fear, as well as erode consumer confidence.
Afghanistan
Afghanistan IEC 2010 Parliamentary Election Complete Polling Center Assessment Summary
Complete provincial assessments of the security and accessibility of polling centers used in the recent parliamentary elections in Afghanistan in September 2010.
Florida, Intelligence Fusion Centers
(U//FOUO) Florida Fusion Center K2/Spice Warning
K2 or Spice, marketed as “synthetic marijuana,” is an herbal substance being sold legally in the United States as incense labeled “not for human consumption.” The products contain one or more synthetic compounds which interact with the body similarly to the primary psychoactive constituent of delta-tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, in marijuana. Therefore, the corrupt term of “synthetic marijuana” has been attached to these substances when in fact the correct term should be “synthetic cannabinoids.” A series of synthetic compounds were created in 1995, by Dr. John W. Huffman of Clemson University. One of the more popular compounds created by Dr. Huffman was the JWH series specifically; JWH-018.
Department of Defense
DoD Manual for Civil Emergencies
This Manual assigns responsibilities, prescribes procedures, and provides guidance by which the Department of Defense responds to ALL HAZARDS in accordance with 42 U.S.C. 5121, et seq., as amended (hereafter referred to as the Stafford Act, reference (f)). Under the authority of the Civil Defense Act of 1950, 50 U.S.C. App. 2251, et seq., (reference (a)) and National Security Directive 66 (dated March 16, 1992) (reference (m)) this Manual supports the National civil defense policy and Federal and State civil defense programs in cooperation with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
White House
(U//FOUO) Unified Command Plan 2008
The National Security Act of 1947 and title 10 of the United States Code (U.S.C.) provide the basis for the establishment of combatant commands. The Unified Command Plan (UCP) establishes the missions, responsibilities, and geographic areas of responsibility (AORs) for commanders of combatant commands (“combatant commanders”). A “geographic combatant commander” is a commander of a combatant command that includes a geographic AOR. A “functional combatant commander” is a commander of a combatant command with transregional responsibilities. Command of combatant commands will be exercised as provided for herein and as otherwise directed by the Secretary of Defense (the “Secretary”).
National Institute of Standards and Technology
NIST Rapiscan Secure 1000 Redacted Radiological Safety Report
The system tested was the Secure 1000 manufactured by Rapiscan Security Products, Inc., Hawthorne, CA. The system was received by CDRH for testing on 3/29106 and had the following identification markings “Serial No.: S701201213”, “Date: May 2001 “. The label also included the following statement: “Each scan cycle from this system produces 3 microRem of x-ray radiation emission. This value is comparable to the radiation exposure all persons receive each five minutes from naturally occurring radioactive materials in the air and soil.” The system tested included a back plate and floor panel. The back plate was measured to be 153 cm wide by 242 cm high. When positioned against the floor panel the back plate surface was at approximately 89 cm from the front surface of the Secure 1000 cabinet.
U.S. Army
(U//FOUO) U.S. Army Zero-Point Energy Assessment
(U) Zero-point energy (a very general term) is the lowest energy that a given quantum mechanical system can have (i.e., the ground state of the system). In quantum field theory, it refers to the energy of the vacuum (i.e., a space devoid of matter [the energy of “nothing”]). In this paper, we will use the abbreviation ZPE (as is commonly used by those in the field) to refer to the vacuum energy for use in applications.
Federal Reserve
Federal Reserve Board of Governors New York Avenue Building Renovation Blueprints
Federal Reserve Board of Governors New York Ave., Washington D.C. Building Blueprints, September 15, 2010.
Transportation Security Administration
(U//FOUO) TSA Transportation Suspicious Incident Report (TSIR) October 2010
(U//FOUO) The Transportation Suspicious Incident Report (TSIR) provides a weekly comprehensive review of suspicious incident reporting related to transportation. The TSIR includes incident reporting, analyses, images, and graphics on specific incidents. In addition, selected articles focus on security technologies, terrorism, and the persistent challenges of securing the nation’s transportation modes. This product is derived from unclassified incident and law enforcement reporting and does not represent fully evaluated intelligence.
U.S. Navy
U.S. Navy NATOPS Air Traffic Control Manual
This manual contains information on administrative and operational procedures for all Navy and Marine Corps units providing air traffic control services and applies on a worldwide basis. Marine forces tactical air traffic control is provided by Marine Air Traffic Control Detachments (MATCD). Each MATCD is organized and equipped to provide continuous all-weather air traffic control services to an independent and geographically separated main air base or air facility and/or remote air sites or points. These services include airport traffic control, low approach and landing, and terminal area control services. To the extent possible and consistent with the ATC requirements of the area to which deployed, the functions, training, qualification, and certification for Marine forces tactical ATC units shall be as prescribed in this manual.