FBI to restrict student freedoms

Source: Press Esc

US university students will not be able to work late at the campus, travel abroad, show interest in their colleagues' work, have friends outside the United States, engage in independent research, or make extra money without the prior consent of the authorities, according to a set of guidelines given to administrators by the FBI.

Federal agents are visiting some of the New England's top universities, including MIT, Boston College, and the University of Massachusetts, to warn university heads about the dangers of foreign spies and terrorists stealing sensitive academic research.

FBI is offering to brief faculty, students and staff on what it calls "espionage indicators" aimed at identifying foreign agents.



Read more: http://pressesc.com/01182668252_espionage_indicators

:(

By their way of thinking, if the terrorists hate us for our freedoms, just take away those freedoms and they'll start loving us.

our education and intelligence. If we were all as uneducated and so incurious about academic thing, we really wouldn't understand that he was heading up an administration and a political party that was systematically striping us of our wealth, health, livelyhood, and education.

We'd all be Bushbot Ditto Heads!

(I'm reminded here of Jessica Rabbit screaming, "OOOOOhhh NOOOO! It's DIP!!!!!!" "OOOOOHHH NOOOO!!!!!!!! It's the Bushbot Ditto Heads!!!!!)

This is total bullshit. If they have a problem with someone, then that's one thing, but blanket restrictions are overkill.

academic inquiry.

I deleted personal stuff from my profile when the Iraq war began. It was blank until I posted this story.

And that "will not be able to" is not true. Albeit, doing those things may bring suspicion upon people, if the FBI guidelines are followed, but the FBI is not banning people from such things, and that is why what the FBI is proposing is not illegal, as stated in the article. It is, of course, highly chilling, but further exaggeration of an already chilling thing does not, in my opinion, do much to advance the cause of the original writer, to the point that an impartial reader might call the first paragraph to be a lie.

you may be investigated by the FBI, but hey that's no big deal!

I would encourage you to just read the headline of the PDF of the guidelines:
"Your Role in Combating the Insider Threat"
http://www.ncix.gov/archives/docs/Your_Role_in_Combating_the_Insider_Threat.pdf

Take "university students will not be able to work late". Lie. Flat out untrue.

I know this is stating the obvious but, these are poor guidelines that, if followed extensively, would lead to the FBI getting so many leads that the information overload would make the value of any individual tip virtually useless.

RTF sentence in full.

It doesn't say that students will not be able to do anything. It just says they won't be able to do anything <em>without explaining themselves to the school authorities</em>.

Spy: You prof sees you working late into the night at the labs trying to get results from your latest experience.
Not Spy: You ask your prof's permission to working late into the night at the labs trying to get results from your latest experience.

Spy: You have a Singaporean boyfriend who is still doing national service with the Swiss army.
Not spy: You ask your prof's permission to have a Swiss boyfriend who is still doing national service with the Swiss army.

Spy: You go to Netherlands on a trip :).
Not spy: You ask your prof's permission to go to Netherlands on a trip :).

Spy: You make a little something on the side selling porn dvd through eBay.
Not spy: You ask your prof's permission to make a little something on the side selling porn dvd through eBay.

Get the idea?

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It's one thing for the FBI to contact universities and give them a list of "warning signs" of possible espionage activity (much like those ridiculous "signs your teen may be on drugs"), and quite another to propose, let alone require, that certain activities require "prior consent of the authorities."

So far, the only basis for believing the latter is the say-so of the unidentified author, since nothing in the remainder of the article substantiates that claim. Such an omission would suggest the possibility, to me, that the unsupported "conclusion" in the first paragraph is merely a sensationalistic interpretation by the anonymous author (who, I would note, appears to be writing for a rather partisan source, even if it's partisan in the direction we would prefer rather than Faux or WorldNutDaily).

Of course, I go through life bareheaded, without tinfoil of any type.

This will be one of those legal gray areas where it can be used to keep people from communicating openly because others may report them and then if they communicate quietly the FBI can decide they have something to "hide".

I think the question really is, "Are they truly targeting universities because they have these projects to be protected or because highly educated university professors can bring credibilty to revealing the lies and science friction the administration tries to sell as fact?"

But it seems others are choosing to ignore my saying, but the FBI is wrong anyway, and act like I never said it at all. Go figure.

It's all part and parcel of the passion of the DUers. We want to jump into the conversation and sometimes miss the nuance of what is actually being said.

Also we are SO used to this administration just taking NO and making it YES with a pRes signing statement or going behind our backs and stripping our civil liberties any thing that even looks close to ghestapo has the tendency to make us imagine it out 5 yards to the typical rethug power play.

the article is prima facie bogus

I think I've had just about my fill of this.

What a perfect way to leave America out of every new innovation and all exchange of scientific knowledge.

WTF are these demented twits?

Do the colleges plan to accept this utter drivel?

So far, terrorists: 900,000,000; Americans: 0

Thanks Republicans!!

Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.


<snip>
The 14 Characteristics of Fascism
by Lawrence Britt
Spring 2003

Political scientist Dr. Lawrence Britt recently wrote an article about fascism ("Fascism Anyone?," Free Inquiry, Spring 2003, page 20). Studying the fascist regimes of Hitler (Germany), Mussolini (Italy), Franco (Spain), Suharto (Indonesia), and Pinochet (Chile), Dr. Britt found they all had 14 elements in common. He calls these the identifying characteristics of fascism. The excerpt is in accordance with the magazine's policy.

The 14 characteristics are:

Powerful and Continuing Nationalism
Fascist regimes tend to make constant use of patriotic mottos, slogans, symbols, songs, and other paraphernalia. Flags are seen everywhere, as are flag symbols on clothing and in public displays.


Disdain for the Recognition of Human Rights
Because of fear of enemies and the need for security, the people in fascist regimes are persuaded that human rights can be ignored in certain cases because of "need." The people tend to look the other way or even approve of torture, summary executions, assassinations, long incarcerations of prisoners, etc.


Identification of Enemies/Scapegoats as a Unifying Cause
The people are rallied into a unifying patriotic frenzy over the need to eliminate a perceived common threat or foe: racial , ethnic or religious minorities; liberals; communists; socialists, terrorists, etc.


Supremacy of the Military
Even when there are widespread domestic problems, the military is given a disproportionate amount of government funding, and the domestic agenda is neglected. Soldiers and military service are glamorized.


Rampant Sexism
The governments of fascist nations tend to be almost exclusively male-dominated. Under fascist regimes, traditional gender roles are made more rigid. Opposition to abortion is high, as is homophobia and anti-gay legislation and national policy.


Controlled Mass Media
Sometimes to media is directly controlled by the government, but in other cases, the media is indirectly controlled by government regulation, or sympathetic media spokespeople and executives. Censorship, especially in war time, is very common.


Obsession with National Security
Fear is used as a motivational tool by the government over the masses.


Religion and Government are Intertwined
Governments in fascist nations tend to use the most common religion in the nation as a tool to manipulate public opinion. Religious rhetoric and terminology is common from government leaders, even when the major tenets of the religion are diametrically opposed to the government's policies or actions.


Corporate Power is Protected
The industrial and business aristocracy of a fascist nation often are the ones who put the government leaders into power, creating a mutually beneficial business/government relationship and power elite.


Labor Power is Suppressed
Because the organizing power of labor is the only real threat to a fascist government, labor unions are either eliminated entirely, or are severely suppressed .


Disdain for Intellectuals and the Arts
Fascist nations tend to promote and tolerate open hostility to higher education, and academia. It is not uncommon for professors and other academics to be censored or even arrested. Free expression in the arts is openly attacked, and governments often refuse to fund the arts.


Obsession with Crime and Punishment
Under fascist regimes, the police are given almost limitless power to enforce laws. The people are often willing to overlook police abuses and even forego civil liberties in the name of patriotism. There is often a national police force with virtually unlimited power in fascist nations.


Rampant Cronyism and Corruption
Fascist regimes almost always are governed by groups of friends and associates who appoint each other to government positions and use governmental power and authority to protect their friends from accountability. It is not uncommon in fascist regimes for national resources and even treasures to be appropriated or even outright stolen by government leaders.


Fraudulent Elections
Sometimes elections in fascist nations are a complete sham. Other times elections are manipulated by smear campaigns against or even assassination of opposition candidates, use of legislation to control voting numbers or political district boundaries, and manipulation of the media. Fascist nations also typically use their judiciaries to manipulate or control elections.

http://www.ratical.org/ratville/CAH/fasci14chars.html

in a nutshell, with the Dick in charge. :scared:

Profs are thinking, somebody would steal my research? I can't even get anybody to read it. I mean, it's all posted on my website. Does this mean I have to take it down?

grad student/faculty involvement with the FBI unless it is blatant.
Gee, I sure hope that my friend Joe is safe: he is working on a dissertation on the history of occupation by the US. That could be construed as being "code" for the US occupation of Iraq/Afghanistan and therefore suspect. Lucky for him, his research is centered in Al and Tn, and as far northeast he has gone is DC, so the Boston office is out of our hair. Whew! I think I have some copies of primary source material on my hard drive, but it is all from 1863 and in English and by CSA and USA soldiers and civilians. . .

... I think this is more geared toward the sciences than other fields of study. I think your friend is safe :) However, that does not mean some "John Wayne" FBI guy does not get a wild hair up his ass either to promote his careerer?

the FBI and the CIA (double agent??).

Watch out! He's the one they'll put on University Patrol. This is serisly hugh!111!

*For those who are too young to remember, Lt. Flagg was a gungho intelligence guy who was super patriotic and super stupid in the televison series M*A*S*H*.

:rofl:

Abu Ghraib & Gitmo are more in line with reality - neither are funny though!

than normal for me.

Husband and son control both of the televisions in this house and there is only so much football, manga/anime and other manly stuff for one lone woman to handle...

Makes perfect sense! :crazy:

... if you follow the links to the FBI guide & read it. Most of this information is nothing new, as this was standard security briefing in the late 70s with a few new additions based on the Oklahoma City bombing and a few others involved in terrorism & acts of traitors in American history. Ref: China spy in New Mexico nuclear labs.

If the colleges & universities accept DOD & Federal monies for classified research, then this is all very normal, and simply a push to expand classified education & espionage training. A lot depends on how & where this is being done? The academia cannot have both the government money & unlimited freedom too - it simply does not work that way.

The other issue is the law on exportable science (i.e. advanced microchips & other) and which students have access - In the mid 1980s Toshiba Inc. sold submarine propeller technology to countries in violation of the law and were banned by congress from all U.S. federal contracts for 10 years.

Again, it is hard to say without being in the loop here.

propellers, among other things. Seeing that Toshiba is a Japanese company, not sure how they could be stopped from doing that.

This is a typical FBI PR campaign to non-government controlled entities (they also do a lot of the same stuff with certain industries) to watch for stuff that could be suspicious. Most universities doing research already have something this in place to protect intellectual property (hi tech research).

Major hyperbole...

... they are looking for information - they are in the business of "screwing people" aka law enforcement and are looking for informants to help them?

First words out of their mouth - "I am here to help you." :)

which is what the article and the OP is trying to convince people is happening. Article is BOGUS

they are just finally doing their jobs, unlike they did on 9/11 :rofl:

if the students couldn't work late.

for people with SECRET (and higher) security clearances. You DO have to report foreign travel to your security contact and contacts with foreign nationals. Having a close relationship with a foreign national or close family that are non-citizens can be a major impediment to getting a clearance (and no clearance means no job). Keeping odd hours, etc. are all things people working in this environment are trained to watch for (remember most classified work is for the DoD, and they keep very regular hours in places like that).

This is a big reason why I think only a minimal amount of information should be classified. The whole classification/clearance subculture is very strange and I think ultimately poisonous to democracy and basic civil liberties. People who live inside this system take these restrictions for granted, which is itself scary. It's not just the restrictions on the information that are bad, it's the mindset people get into when they live with these restrictions.

This sounds like someone who spent their entire career dealing with national security classified materials security has tried to provide some "helpful" advice to academics. At least that is the most benevolent spin I can put on this. A worse interpretation is that we are moving to putting these restrictions on non-classified work, and this "friendly advice" is a first step to acclimatng academics to it (like boiling a frog).

On Edit: Saint Ronnie actually DID try to put civilian agency information into the military classified system. He was rebuked by a Democratic congress. There is a precedent for this.

The vast majority of academics neither need a security clearance nor have one. The universities working with classified stuff try to keep that component separate (MIT has Lincoln Labs, for example) to prevent interference with routine academic activities.

Someone who works in the classified environment is trying to advise universities on "best practices", without understanding the difference (or the ways that these restrictions would cripple any university research lab)

My brother does highly classified stuff for them (to the point where his Japanese wife had to get US citizenship)
for them, and they keep him up at all hours of the day and night, running into the office at 3 AM for "emergencies."

I don't know about foreign vacations. It has been so long since he has had any foreign travel that was
not work-related, he'd probably have to ask what the rules are these days.

At the DoD contractor I work for, you could shoot a cannon down the halls at 5:30 and nobody would hear you but the cleaning crew. One of my clients was a DoD shop, and they would literally lock the doors at 6pm.

BTW, I do not work on DoD projects at this company.

Maybe they run on a different clock.

garbagemen...why can't we see what the FBI is doing in the name of US! We are the citizens of this nation, we don't need to be guided by the hand by a bunch of overzealous damn near Gestapo types. Are they going to give up the suits and dark glasses for long leather coats and peaked caps?

WTF...Are we going to have book burnings next!!!!

This is disgusting!

Just whay we need, jack-booted assholes running around doing shit like this...INSTEAD of catching REAL terrorists, like gangs, loonies that bomb clinics, and the bush administration!

...especially people with no prior posts. :eyes:

Of course there are dangers of foreign spies stealing research but terrorists? Give me a break. The ultimate boogiemen. Reminds me of the explanation *'s admin gave for not allowing people to import drugs from foreign countries...."terrarists may try to poison the drugs."

Most of this is actually nothing new and has little power but the way it's being stated is intended to create an effect of stifling research.

In the same way the Patriot Act (the single most innappropiatly named bill in history) had nothing to do with terrorism and everything to do with a law enforcement wishlist, this has nothing to do with terrorism or espionage and everything to do with controlling the atmosphere on campuses. The right have assumed that academia has a liberal bias for years (which is true insofar as, like that Colbert line "reality has a well-known liberal bias") so they've been trying for years to firstly create a more conservative atmosphere in academia and secondly, to ensure that anything coming out of academia will be dismissed. This is just another part of that.

.

There is no enforcement mechanism. Zilch. If the FBI were going to try to enforce this, if it were something enforceable, there'd be one. There isn't, so it's a piece of advice.

It's a notice, a reminder, if you will, to university types to beware of certain signs; if spotted, presumably the PIs would do some gum-shoeing of their own. Then, if they are truly suspicious, they have the voluntary option of contacting the FBI. No coercion, no jack-boots, no infringement of civil liberties. There are departments in which the warning signs are standard grad student traits: Literature majors in language departments, for example, often stay late, have extense foreign contacts, and make numerous trips abroad. Then again, an insightful analysis of Mallarme or Bely, or even a stunningly complete description of Evenk, is unlikely to be much use to anybody, is it?

And I don't mean the foreign ones either.