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Thursday 14 January 2010

Google's Deep CIA Connections


By Eric Sommer
The western media is currently full of articles on Google's 'threat to quit China' over internet censorship issues, and the company's 'suspicion' that the Chinese government was behind attempts to 'break-in' to several Google email accounts used by 'Chinese dissidents'.
However, the media has almost completely failed to report that Google's surface concern over 'human rights' in China is belied by its their deep involvement with some of the worst human rights abuses on the planet:
Google is, in fact, is a key participant in U.S. military and CIA intelligence operations involving torture; subversion of foreign governments; illegal wars of aggression; and military occupations of countries which have never attacked the U.S. and which have cost hundreds of thousands of lives in Afghanistan, Iraq, Pakistan, and elsewhere.
To begin with, Google is the supplier of the core search technology for 'Intellipedia, a highly-secured online system where 37,000 U.S. spies and related personnel share information and collaborate on their devious errands.
Agencies such as the so-called 'National Security Agency' have also purchased servers using Google-supplied search technology which processes information gathered by U.S. spies operating all over the planet.
In addition, Google is linked to the U.S. spy and military systems through its Google Earth software venture. The technology behind this software was originally developed by Keyhole Inc., a company funded by Q-Tel http://www.iqt.org/ , a venture capital firm which is in turn openly funded and operated on behalf of the CIA.
Google acquired Keyhole Inc. in 2004. The same base technology is currently employed by U.S. military and intelligence systems in their quest, in their own words, for "full-spectrum dominance" of the planet.
Moreover, Googles' connection with the CIA and its venture capital firm extends to sharing at least one key member of personnel. In 2004, the Director of Technology Assessment at In-Q-Tel, Rob Painter, moved from his old job directly serving the CIA to become 'Senior Federal Manager' at Google.
As Robert Steele, a former CIA case officer has put it: Google is "in bed with" the CIA.
Googles Friends spy on millions of Internet Users
Given Google's supposed concern with 'break-in's to several of its email accounts, it's worth noting that Google's friends at In-Q-Tel, the investment arm of the CIA, are now investing in Visible Technologies, a software firm specialized in 'monitoring social media'.
The 'Visible' technology can automatically examine more than a million discussions and posts on blogs, online forums, Flickr, YouTube, Twitter, Amazon, and so forth each day. The technology also 'scores' each online item, assigning it a positive, negative or mixed or neutral status, based on parameters and terms set by the technology operators. The information, thus boiled down, can then be more effectively scanned and read by human operators.
The CIA venture capitalists at In-Q-Tel say they will use the technology to monitor social media operating in other countries and give U.S. spies “early-warning detection on how issues are playing internationally,” according to spokesperson Donald Tighe. There is every possibility that the technology can also be used by the U.S. intelligence operatives to spy on domestic social movements and individuals inside the U.S.
Finally, there is a curious absence from the statements emanating from Google - and from U.S. media reports - of any substantive evidence linking the Chinese government with the alleged break-in attempts to several Google email accounts.
Words like 'sophisticated' and 'suspicion' have appeared in the media to suggest that the Chinese government is responsible for the break-ins. That may be so. But it is striking that the media has seemingly asked no questions as to what the evidence behind the 'suspicions' might be
It should be noted that the U.S. government and its intelligence agencies have a long history of rogue operations intended to discredit governments or social movements with whom they happen to disagree. To see how far this can go, one need only recall the sordid history of disinformation, lies, and deceit propagated by U.S. government and media to frighten people into supporting the Iraq war.
Whether the attacks on Google email originated from the Chinese government, or from elsewhere, one thing is clear: A company that supplies the CIA with key intelligence technology; supplies mapping software which can be used for barbarous wars of aggression and drone attacks which kill huge numbers of innocent civilians; and which in general is deeply intertwined with the CIA and the U.S. military machines, which spy on millions, the company cannot be motivated by real concern for the human rights and lives of the people in China.
Eric Sommer
China

The Both Frontiers of Pakistan


Asad Khan Betini 

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani Monday has asked the US to bridge the existing “trust-deficit” with his country, and provide drone technology and sharing actionable intelligence to bolster his government’s efforts to combat militancy. In his talks Monday with an American delegation led by Senator Carl Levin, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gilani “underscored the imperative of bridging the existing trust-deficit between Pakistan and the U.S.” for the long-term partnership between the two countries. “He rejected misperceptions about the existence of Quetta Shura or the Afghan Taliban leadership in Pakistan, and reiterated his country’s desire to fence its border with Afghanistan”.

Pakistani Based Taliban are believed to have strengthen their influence in Tribal Areas adjoining liaison with the Afghan Taliban, but still the tension was irritating in Afghan government that some Afghan Taliban leaders might be hiding inside Quetta the south-west city of Pakistan. Recently CIA video tape has revealed that the suicide bomber was one of the clandestine activist correlated to Pakistani based Taliban in Tribal Areas of Pakistan, yet Pakistani leaders are denying the presence of Quetta Shura Taliban amid the real threat was being felt from North-West Taliban, thus Pakistan launched major offensive against Taliban in the north west of Pakistan. The Pakistani operation resulted pressure on the Taliban to leave their base, while many of the Taliban have been moving towards Afghanistan, but some of migrated Taliban are devising traps for western troops in Afghanistan that has resulted massive causalities.

On the other hand Balochistan is also facing democratic issues; Which Pakistan has formally declared Indian involvement in Balochistan. I meet with the Baloch Activist of the leading party The Acting President of “Balochistan National Party Mengal (BNP-N)” Dr. Jahanzeb Jamaldini, and asked him about the Indian involvement during the dinner, he simply replied “we are having no links with India; neither India was supporting us ever, we are working for greater autonomy and want Balochistan out of Pakistan, I invite the world powers to take interest and help us get rid of Pakistan” he said.

“Baloch people have always been killed by the dictators notwithstanding the fact that they expressed their solidarity with the federation and remained loyal to the country” Shah Zain Bugti, the grandson of late Nawab Akbar Bugti and President Balochistan Jamhoori Watan Party stated this while addressing reporters at the Residence. Zain Bugti shed light on the miserable plight of the Baloch and said their leaders, whether it was Noroz or Akbar Bugti, have always been bluffed by the military rulers. It is time that the Baloch should be given their rights. He said no Baloch was getting any assistant from India and they were truly pro- Pakistani who had voted to merge with Pakistan during the partition. He censured Pervez Musharraf for victimizing the Baloch only for his personal gains. He said Akbar Bugti wanted royalty on gas and other resources as a right of the Baloch people and not for his self. The Balochistan royalty from the Federation stands at Rs 2550 billion, he said adding, and they also have a right over Gawadar. Shah Zain strongly dispelled that Punjabis were being targeted in Balochistan and accused the frontier Corp (FC) forces in this respect. When I asked Talal Akbar Bugti the son of Nawabzada Akbar Bugti he replied the same, and condemned the operation of Pakistani forces inside Balochistan.

Earlier Punjab chief minister Shahbaz Sharif declared Indian Involvement during his press conference in Quetta, and later on Nawaz Sharif the Quaid of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) encouraged Baloch for the mission of provincial autonomy. On the other hand Rehman Malik Interior Minister of Pakistan said that “The evidence regarding Indian involvement in Balochistan has been delivered to Ministry of Foreign affairs” but the evidence is yet to be brought on the screen.

 The delaying of giving proofs of Indian involvement has made Question for the promotion of the peace process in the entire region; this needs immediate action to resolve Balochistan’s Issue, and both frontiers needs hard bearers so that the Taliban’s influence on both Afghanistan and Pakistani side could be brought to an end.

Author can be reached at: asdprg@gmail.com