The privately owned (and misleadingly named) Federal Reserve Bank has announced a plan to monitor bloggers and Facebook users to determine whether or not they are engaged in criticism of the American banking system that it views as harmful to the economy.
In a “request for proposal” issued this month and widely circulated on the Internet, Federal Reserve officials stated: “It will establish a fair and equitable partnership with a market leader who will gather data from various social media outlets and news sources and provide applicable reporting to FRBNY. This request for proposal was created in an effort to support [Federal Reserve Bank of New York] FRBNY’s social media listening platforms initiative.”
The announcement is related to an effort by the federal government to control public opinion through the manipulation of resources available on the Internet. Last month, the U.S. Army announced it would be working with major social media providers, such as Facebook, to aggregate and analyze anti-war material in order to determine whether it is so-called enemy propaganda. This material could then be used by the Army to attack legitimate dissent voiced by by American citizens against more unending foreign intervention.
These proposals are also part of a Pentagon program initiated under the reign of President George W. Bush by a group of neo-conservatives who recommended the establishment of an office of propaganda that would control what information regarding American military operations could be disseminated over the Internet.
