Pentagon buys new ’spy software’ to check terrorists online
March 18th, 2011 - 6:05 pm ICT by ANIWashington, Mar.18 (ANI): The Pentagon has bought a new software programme, which creates fake identities on social websites. The software will help the officers to infiltrate and influence suspected terrorists and extremists overseas, who use the Internet to contact each other.
The 2.7 million dollars programme has been developed by San Diego based firm Ntrepid. It allows one military user to create multiple profiles on the Internet from the same workstation, and engage in extended online conversations with the suspects, without fear of being discovered by sophisticated opponents.
The software and its use is believed to be part of Operation Earnest Voice (OEV), which was first used in Iraq against various forums used by Al-Qaeda members and insurgents communicating online.
General David Petraeus, then commander of Centcom and now leading Nato forces in Afghanistan, said that the aim of the US military was to be “first with the truth,” The Telegraph reports.
A spokesman for the US Central Command region, which includes the Middle East, Pakistan and Afghanistan, said that the software will only be used on foreign social media sites adding that the Americans and websites owned by US companies will not be targeted.
America has been very concerned over the use of the internet for terrorist activities since they found out that terrorists who had carried out attacks on the US had communicated with their Al- Queda counterparts in Yemen and Pakistan online.
Interventions through the spy software will be conducted in arabic, urdu and pashto, instead of English. (ANI)
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