A Multi-Faceted Approach to Post-Disaster Information Gathering, by D.C.

…occurred. What this means for the prepper is that this information can be used to our advantage. We can use information that comes in via social media information streams for our own purposes, while purposefully not providing information back out to the masses that jeopardizes or own COMSEC or OPSEC. As long as one receives the information but does not provide any, social media can be an advantage. This can be accomplished by establishing very basic and vague social media accounts that do not include identifying information and that are only used to observe other people’s posts for intelligence gathering purposes. Each individual must weigh the advantages and disadvantages of social media information gathering to decide for themselves if engaging in social media is prudent. The other obvious area of Internet communications is e-mail and instant messaging. E-mail communication, while convenient and reliable, can be easily intercepted, thus violating OPSEC…




What? SurvivalBlog Has a FaceBook Page?

social media can compromise security. Did you know that it is common for viruses and trojans to utilize social media to compromise computers, cell phones, and tablets? Were you aware of the fertile breeding ground that social media presents to identity thieves? Information that a census worker couldn’t pry out of a person with threat of jail is often just given away for free on social media. Do your kids have social media accounts? Do you know what they are posting and who they are talking to? Do you know who can see what they post? Did you know that by their own admission, terrorist organizations actively utilize social media to investigate persons of interest and all matters related to them (work, family, residence, travel, and schedules). Even though many people believe that they don’t give any critical information away, it can be considered a case of “death by a…




Censorship: The Storm Is Here

…your mail. And if they don’t like your vote….that vote will never be counted. Just like Facebook and Google censor and use harmful algorithms (I’ve been banned by Marxist Zuckerberg). That’s right you can be blacklisted on air all of them because they’re an interlocking monopoly accomplishing extreme left wing goals. They are a big liberal conglomerate…Paying each other off and getting control of regions of America. And the world. They have more power than Congress, the Senate or even the president. Media that’s fake like CNN..They have too much authority and can cause a lot of damage with their reporting. AI 2020 : FRAUDULENT USA ELECTIONS The elections had SIMILAR algorithms of bias and persecution against our people. And yes I’m using those terms carefully. The social media monopolies are misusing their power and hurting many good American families. These destructive forces must be purged-But with prayer and outreach….




Letter: Social Media

Hugh, When social media is discussed on this site, opsec always seems to take front seat. Entering details of your life and a network of your contacts into a database you don’t own is certainly cause for pause. I don’t have a social media account because I find them obnoxious. However, the letter regarding using social media for intel was spot on and, though Hugh stated that this was just one useful instance, I believe the writer of the letter indicated several, none of which could be effectively reproduced with the level of ham radio activity we have going on. With social media I can instantly share a video of political importance with hundreds of thousands or even millions of viewers. Future elections could be won or lost by mastery or failure to master these tools. You think the Arab spring could have been organized by ham radio operators? Not…




Letter: Millennial Snowflakes are Melting at a Rapid Pace

HJL, JWR, Readers of Survival Blog, Almost a year has passed since the US presidential election, but the continuing message of hate and racism by the far-left media is starting to take its toll. Ordinary people are beginning to mentally crack and act out. The typically passive millennial that occupies the moderate left is quickly becoming more radicalized. No longer satisfied with virtue signaling hashtags on social media, this group has taken to the streets and is committing acts of vandalism and violence. The perpetrators are overwhelmingly upper-middle-class “activists” who have spent the majority of their entitled lives secluded from accountability for their actions. For proof, you need not look any further than the pasty pale-skinned youth that currently make up a majority of ANTIFA protests. I loathe social media, but my wife keeps me up to date on the general feelings and attitudes of the masses during her nightly…




The Surveillance State Is Making a List and You’re On It, by John & Nisha Whitehead

…it becomes necessary to bring you in line. As The Intercept reported, the FBI, CIA, NSA and other government agencies are increasingly investing in and relying on corporate surveillance technologies that can mine constitutionally protected speech on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram in order to identify potential extremists and predict who might engage in future acts of anti-government behavior. This obsession with social media as a form of surveillance will have some frightening consequences in coming years. As Helen A.S. Popkin, writing for NBC News, observed, “We may very well face a future where algorithms bust people en masse for referencing illegal ‘Game of Thrones’ downloads… the new software has the potential to roll, Terminator-style, targeting every social media user with a shameful confession or questionable sense of humor.” Tracking you based on your social network: Not content to merely spy on individuals through their online…




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods

…Plans to Restrict Water Heaters, Gas Stoves, Dishwashers Over at Gateway Pundit: Karine Jean-Pierre Confirms Biden Regime Seeking to Restrict Water Heaters, Gas Stoves, Dishwashers and Other Appliances by 2029 (Video.) Surgeon General’s Warning: Social Media Use and Youth Mental Health I missed seeing this when it was posted back in May: Surgeon General Issues New Advisory About Effects Social Media Use Has on Youth Mental Health. A pericope: “While social media may offer some benefits, there are ample indicators that social media can also pose a risk of harm to the mental health and well-being of children and adolescents. Social media use by young people is nearly universal, with up to 95% of young people ages 13-17 reporting using a social media platform and more than a third saying they use social media “almost constantly.” With adolescence and childhood representing a critical stage in brain development that can make…




The SurvivalBlog Social Media Glossary

I’m often asked about social media, forums, and meetup/networking web sites as a method for preppers to get together. I generally discourage the use of social media, as a big OPSEC risk. As I’ve warned my readers many times in SurvivalBlog, these sites are intelligence-gathering vacuum cleaners for self-incrimination, plain and simple. It has been well established that the NSA gobbles up as much information as it can and wherever it can. Even if what you mention about your private life in Tweets and Facebook posts is presently legal and commonplace (such as food storage, hunting, and shooting), that doesn’t mean that it won’t someday become demeaned or even illegal. You must recognize that whatever you post in social media is there forever, even if you later “delete” your posts, and even if you completely delete your user account. I will not be surprised if it is someday revealed that…




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

…help but wonder how much more effective that can of WD-40 would have been when combined with one of those cheap Bic lighters also usually found on the counters at convenience stores. Social Media Reader M.P. sent in this article on Fox News detailing yet another reason why you really don’t want a presence on social media. As if buying a gun in New York didn’t already require ridiculous hoops to jump through, proposed legislation in the State would require a purchaser to consent to up to three years worth of search history on social media to gain approval of an application. The proposed legislation would also be applied to those who are renewing existing permits to carry or possess a pistol or revolver. Things specifically looked for would be commonly known profane slurs or biased language used to describe race, national origin, ancestry, gender, religion, disability or sexual orientation…




Letter: Social Media Intel During an Emergency

HJL, I am a long time reader and understand JWR’s recommendation against the use of social media. The recent snow storm that has crippled the roads in major southern cities has proven a positive of social media that I hadn’t fully realized. With a “friends” list of over 1,000 (who are mostly just acquaintances) I was able gain valuable intelligence down to the neighborhood level. Friends reported on road closures, traffic jams, people in need of help and their location, people providing help, and businesses that were open and taking in those that were stranded. This sharing of information undoubtedly saved lives and was shared by the people. No government agency or news media was able to provide this same level of understanding as to what was really happening on the ground. We have heard the stories of the flash mobs and other lawless behavior that has used social media




Why I Left Amazon — And How You Can Help Starve The Beast

…the “Killing Free Speech” documentary about censorship. So much “Freedom of Press.” And it is also noteworthy that Amazon has mistreated outside vendors that sell through their Amazon store. Amazon’s management refers to them as “internal competitors.” After the November presidential election, but before the January 20th inauguration, Amazon let loose their inner “political activist.” In conspiracy with Apple and Google, Amazon actively targeted the conservative social media service Parler–booting them off of their cloud servers. Because they had used some proprietary Amazon Web Services software, it took weeks for Parler to get fully back in business. In my opinion, Amazon’s takedown of Parler was a reprehensible form of censorship and prior restraint on alternative media that depends on free access to social media platforms. I considered this the “last straw”. I could no longer in good conscience ally myself in any way with Amazon.com. In addition to quitting the…




Retreat Owner Profiles

…Retired to Chile in the 2000s. Why Chile? – Chile is the best kept secret in the world. A strong democratic country with five major political parties, Chile is very stable. Chile has lived thru the tough times when a communist leaning government threw the country into chaos, and a military government took control to restore things. Chile has seen what social disorder can do to a country, and that memory influences the country today. The country runs a budget surplus (Chile is the world’s largest producer of copper), has privatized social security accounts for each citizen, uses its resources very conservatively, and has the lowest level of poverty in Central and South America. Chile uses its budget surplus to fund its social programs, and also has a large slush fund to weather any economic storms. The privatized social security has made everyone a capitalist, even the socialists, so irresponsible…




The Efficacy of Insurgency in Modern America – Part 2, by Just A Dad

…the internet/social media/radio? pony soldiers. carrier pigeons. messages sewn into buttons. perhaps, “John has a long mustache” Just A Dad Appreciated, and agreed in general. Ensuring good information is essential, for instance the publicly non secure available documentation of troop numbers is varying. Not by much, but enough to generate concern among some readers, again, using what is readily and publicly available is important. If I used anything that needed a clearance, do you think it could have been published here? One of 11 cited works, not all will meet everyone’s approval, that is a fantasy. My suggestion, wait for the cited works part, and tear that apart? And again, yes, all writing and research has bias. Randy in SC An excellent analysis, but the Left has already mounted a successful insurrection as described. They control the mainstream media, Facebook and Google. This allowed them to have seize the reins…




The Survivalist’s Odds ‘n Sods:

…often confuse low education or intelligence for savagery. Even with the examples of the Nazis and the USSR and communists from last century. If you don’t recognize your enemy is not playing by the rules, including the rule of law, you will lose. I think the US wants to negotiate with the Taliban so wants a show trial to make an example of someone. Maybe he is guilty or not but I doubt it matters any more than it did with Hillary or Flynn. The rule of law is a very nice thing, and this is why we can’t have nice things. Kenneth Foster Social Security is not an entitlement program. It is funded by taxes specifically collected for that purpose. Those of us who paid billions into the program resent the nomenclature. Carl I truly wish that EVERYONE would quit referring to Social Security and Medicare as “entitlements”. We,…




Guest Article: Seven People You Don’t Want in Your Group, by Kit Perez

…should be — especially in this age of social media “groups” where you haven’t even MET half the people in the group, let alone had an opportunity to observe them in a variety of situations. In fact, that’s one of the reasons we advocate for such small groups in Basics of Resistance. There’s nothing that says you can’t network with other groups for specific one-time purposes, with the proper compartmentalization. One of the biggest complaints I hear is that everyone eventually breaks, and will inform on their group if they are threatened. The thing about leverage is that it requires a fulcrum. The point of this list is to remove the standard go-to things that are typically used as keys to infiltrate a group or leverage members into detrimental actions. In other words, make it harder for your adversary to find something to use. If they normally have a 10-item…