A couple of posts back I mentioned that Feral Jundi signed on with Twitter, a mini-blogging site. I made a mention about connecting your phone to your Twitter account to receive updates via Short Message Service(SMS) or text messaging. The reason why you would want to do something like this, is to be instantly updated with news that is important to you, and to communicate back instantly. It is a simple concept, but extremely powerful. So I wanted to expand on this topic of text messaging, and try and tie this into how this could apply to counterinsurgency. So in the tradition of FJ, let’s build a snowmobile.
The stories I have posted below are a collection of text messaging usage throughout the world and in the various war zones out there. From recruiting and propaganda, to putting out an alert to protect the citizenry from attack, text messaging is becoming widely used tool of the populations of the world. And in my view, if text messaging is used correctly, we can certainly enhance our counterinsurgency efforts in this war.
Surprisingly, cellphones and the companies that sell the devices and plans are in wide use in such places like Iraq or Afghanistan. These local populations with phones are making calls and they are text messaging one another, and this is what makes the cell phone an excellent tool to use in order to connect with these populations. And believe me, I have seen Iraqis text message one another with the same excitement and enthusiasm as anyone here in the US or world. SMS is easy to use, and the technology is built into most phones that are used out there–and people like using it. I think it’s that ‘passing notes’ in class feeling, when you text someone, and it can be fun. It is also a universal feeling, and if you can read and push buttons on a phone, then you get to play. But how do you get people involved and interested in text messages?
My answer to that is entertainment. You take the most popular past time of that country, and you find ways to take advantage of this interest with text messaging. Much like American Idol here in the US, where viewers could text message votes and get involved with the process, you could apply something similar to Iraq or Afghanistan. It doesn’t have to be some American Idol thing–maybe soccer or something that the local population is excited about. The point is to get the population to use that phone as a tool to connect, and then start expanding on this connection with other means that could be valuable to a SMS Counterinsurgency(COIN) plan.
I say SMS COIN plan, because anyone serious enough about connecting with a population and wanting to protect it, should exploit all and any methods to connect with that population. The technologies are there, the populations know how to use it(or could easily learn), and war planners and commanders on the front lines should not be afraid to take advantage of this. But it must be done right, and there has to be a plan.
Now how could a planner use text messaging to their advantage. Well, the first step is to ‘learn’ from others throughout the world, and see what works. Build that snowmobile, and find the experts to make it happen. I like the warning system that the Israelis are using for oncoming missiles–protecting the local population. I like the Crime Stoppers use of text messaging as a tip line for criminals–population turning in the enemy. I like the use of text messaging to send recruitment notices–reaching out to the population for manpower. The only limit is your imagination as to the ways you could connect with the local population and find ways to protect them as well as entertain them. The goal should be to empower that population, and make them feel a part of the process. Use the local radio stations, and get people to vote in polls via text message about important issues. Or they could vote for their favorite soccer team, or send a text about the Taliban who are currently ravaging their village.
The other angle with text messaging/cellphones is when people fall in love with that technology, they tend to protect it. So once folks really enjoy the power of connecting, and someone threatens to take it away or destroys it, then the people will rise up. And in the opening story below, Dennis O’Brien of cellphone company Digicel discusses the power of the people in Haiti. He describes how the people were rioting against the government, and spared all the Digicel cellphone stores and towers. The reason why, was because the cellphone was a major part of their life. From business deals, to affairs of the heart, to discussing politics with others, and so on–the cellphone was a prized and extremely useful tool for daily life in Haiti. That is why they protected it, because they feared losing that vital tool of life and freedom. I can only imagine how I would react if someone destroyed my cellphone service, or even my internet service–I would not be happy.
These are just a few ideas below, but you get the basic idea. And just last night, I was using text messaging to send in a vote in a poll about the US Vice Presidential debates. I did it because I wanted to show a reaction to events, and voice an opinion. I wanted to connect and feel a part of the process. Like I said, if you are a war planner on the ground, and you do not have a SMS COIN plan, you are missing out on a huge opportunity to connect with the local populations. –Head Jundi
A message to Kenyans from their government via cellphone and text messaging(SMS).
Short Message Service Wikipedia
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August 23rd, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Bringing Cell Phones To the Third World (an excerpt from this article about Digicel and it’s owner Denis O’Brien)
He sums up his strategy thusly: “Get big fast. [Damn] the cost. Be brave. Go over the cliff. [The competition] doesn’t have the balls.” O’Brien doesn’t let government obstructionism or corruption deter him. He dots countries with cell towers, sometimes before rulers even grant a licence, then slashes the price of mobiles on opening day to get the masses using them fast.
It’s a bet that poor people who have never had phone service before won’t let the politicians take their phones away without a fight. Thus does O’Brien avoid the fate of many Western investors in corrupt, violent countries – being forced to sell out on the cheap.
That’s what happened to Royal Dutch Shell’s oil well on Russia’s Sakhalin Island. In an April riot in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, the mob not only spared Digicel stores from its burning and looting but even gathered in front of a few of them and cheered. Says a jubilant O’Brien, as he reads an e-mail on the news, “They’re calling us the Company of the People.”
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Telephone Communications in Afghanistan
As of 2007, eight out of 100 people have access to a telephone. Mobile communications are improving because of the introduction of two wireless carriers into this developing country. There are over 1.4 Million cellular lines in the country. In 2007, Communication Minister, Amirzai Sangin, announced that 150,000 new fixed-telephone-lines would be installed in the 4 major cities of Afghanistan in one year. The project would be completed at the cost of 40 million US dollars, which will be provided from the development budget of the Afghan Ministry of Communications. There are also five or more VSAT’s installed in Kabul, Kandahar, Herat, Mazari Sharif, and Jalalabad, providing international and domestic voice/data connectivity. The international calling code for Afghanistan is +93. The following is a list of cellular phone companies in the country:
* Afghan Wireless
* Roshan
* Etisalat
* Areeba
* MTN Groups of Companies
* Wasel Telecom
Communications in Afghanistan Wikipedia
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IEMR’s Mobile Forecast on Iraq provides over 65 operational and financial metrics for the Iraq wireless market. We cover quarterly historical data starting in 4Q2003 and ending in 4Q2007. We also provide four-year forecasts at the operator level going out to 2010. Operators covered for Iraq include: Iraqna (Orascom Tel), AsiaCell (Wataniya), and Atheer Tel (MTC). Our Mobile Forecasts are updated quarterly and are available for one-time delivery or through regular updates.
Notable highlights of the 2Q08 Iraq Mobile Forecast include:
* Total subscribers in Iraq will increase from 13.4 million to 15.4 million over the forecast period of 2008 – 2010.
* We forecast that the wireless penetration level in Iraq will increase from our projected 50.4% in 2008 to our forecasted 59.1% in 2010.
* The market structure changed significantly after Iraqna (Orascom Tel) and Atheer Tel (MTC) merged in January 2008. We expect the merged firm to serve 62.7% of total subscribers while its competitor, AsiaCell (Wataniya), will have 37.3% of total subscribers over the next few years.
* The ARPU levels in Iraq are generally decreasing. We forecast that the ARPU level of AsiaCell will decrease from US $7.56 per month in 2008 to US $6.73 per month in 2010. As a result, its EBITDA margin will fall from 49.0% to 45.0% over this period.
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The Ring Tone Of Doom
October 2, 2008:
Israel is planning to issue incoming missile warnings to civilians via cell phone. The reason for this is the risk of future terrorist attacks using long range rockets. Israel has radars that can spot incoming rockets, and calculate roughly where these unguided projectiles will land. In the south, these radars automatically turn on the air raid sirens and send people scurrying for shelter. But that only works because there are a few settlements in the south within range of these rockets fired by Palestinians in Gaza. Most of the population is further north. To make the cell phone warning work, the current ten civil defense (or “warning”) regions, are being increased to 150. Naturally, one could just have the radars turn on the air raid sirens in the region where the rocket was going to land. But with 150 regions, the sirens in one region will be heard in one or more adjacent ones. That’s the main reason for going to cell phone warnings. The main problem is modifying the cell phone network technology so that enough people in the target region promptly get calls. It’s possible, for example, for some cell phones to have multiple ring tones. The government could issue an “incoming missile” ring tone. Anyone hearing this would know to head for cover. Others would receive a text message or call consisting of the air raid siren.
Now all this may not work, but it shows you the kind of imaginative solutions can be applied to new threats.
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Sri Lankan families count cost of war
Roland Buerk
BBC News, Veruppamkulam
It was 25 years ago this week that a minor insurgency in Sri Lanka began to turn into a full-scale civil war.
An attack by Tamil Tiger rebels in the north sparked rioting across the country targeting members of the Tamil minority. The events came to be known as Black July.
More than 70,000 people have died in the conflict. Now the army says victory is finally in sight.
In recent weeks the pace of the advance has quickened, but the Tigers deny they are facing defeat.
The army is recruiting hard, especially from rural areas.
Not long ago the Defence Ministry sent out a text message to mobile phones nationwide.
“Young Patriots,” it read. “Come join with our armed forces and be a part of a winning team.” ………..
Read the Rest of the Article Here
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Blitzed by text messages
By TOM NEWTON-DUNN
Published: 11 Dec 2006
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TALIBAN fighters in Afghanistan are being bombarded by a devastating new British weapon ? the text message.
Intelligence chiefs find out the numbers of the enemy’s mobile phones then send them waves of messages to confuse them and destroy morale, The Sun can reveal.
Texts range from simple abuse such as “We know who you are, give up” or “Go home, you’ll never beat us”. Others are disguised as messages from comrades to spread duff information. And attacks on Royal Marine commandos in lawless Helmand province are DOWN in the last month since the mind games began.
The text attacks are carried out by the 15 (UK) Psychological Operations Group, based at the Intelligence Corps’ HQ in Chicksands, Beds.
A military source in Afghanistan said: “If they know their fight is pointless, they are quite likely to give up.”
Story Here
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Pentagon’s Fine Line: War Machine, P.R. Machine
by Martin Kaste
Morning Edition, July 13, 2006 · The U.S. military doesn’t do all its public relations work overseas — it’s also investing in grass-roots efforts here at home.
The Pentagon’s “America Supports You” program employs Pentagon staff and private PR contractors to coordinate activities that support the armed forces. “Freedom Walk” marches, letter-writing campaigns, even supplements in kids’ Weekly Reader, are all paid for by the Pentagon itself.
One recent effort is a campaign to get people at major league baseball games to “text-message” their support to the troops on their cell phones… even though those messages aren’t actually sent to the troops.
Plenty of people in the armed forces say they’re grateful for the effort, but there are some at the Pentagon who have come to believe the effort verges on tax-payer-funded propaganda. The fear is that an appeal to support the troops could also be seen as a call to support the war in Iraq.
Much of the publicity work has been farmed out to a private firm, Susan Davis International. For the first year of America Supports You, the firm signed Pentagon contracts for at least $2.7 million.
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Kenya : SMS text messages the new guns of war?
fuelling hate with cell phone text messages
Wednesday 20 February 2008
Some Kenyans are using SMS text messages to revive ethnic tensions in their country, preying on the political-ethnic tensions that have ravaged the country since the controversial results of the December 27 general elections. The government has warned the perpetrators of these hate messages of serious measures, but technical issues have rendered the warning redundant.
Mobile phones are indeed part of the arms of war in the Kenyan crises. The Kenya National Commission for Human Rights (KNCHR) denounced the hate text messages well ahead of the December 27 elections. The goal of the text messages was to fuel ethnic hate, just like certain songs and emails have recently done. “No one has complained about the reception of any hate messages, since the elections. We have not received any official complaint”, said KNCHR’s Victor Bwire, who also said that another report on the unrest will soon be published.
Three types of Hate text messages
Yet… the text messages continue to circulate. AFP got hold of a number of these messages from mobile phone users, some of which contained the following: “if your neighbour is kykuyu, throw him out of his house. No one will hold you responsible”. UN humanitarian information angency, IRIN news, reports another one: “The blood of innocent Kykuyus will cease to flow! We will massacre them right here in the capital. In the name of justice put down the names of all the Luos et (…) Kaleos (a slang word for Kalenjins) you know from work, your property, anywhere in Nairobi, not forgetting where and how their children go to school. We will give you a number on where to text these messages”. According to Ben Rawlence, an American “Human Rights Watch” specialist, there are three types of text messages: “there are text messages that stimulate hate and others that send lists of names of persons involved in the crimes by virtue of an organisation or financial help” The latter category is a mixture of the two former categories and is characterised by both true and false information: there are lots of rumours pertaining to meeting places and rendezvous points.” He further precises that the text messages are easily transfered, however, “this does not mean that the senders necessarily believe in what they say”.
SMS, violence boosters
Ben Rawlence thinks that these type of text messages encourage feelings “of hate and suspicion”. He, however, doubts that it could push Kenyans into committing individual acts of violence targetting the “enemy” tribe. “it is difficult to tell if the text messages have an influence over behaviours, although the decision to attack is taken on a collective scale, like a village, for example”, the researcher continued. A village manipulated by politicians ? Not impossible, according to Kenyans who received campaign oriented text messages before the elections. It is said that the, the unfortunate presidential candidate, Raila Odinga’s camp was particularly keen on ethnic oriented text messaging. A rumour that Ben Rawlence could neither confirm nor deny, stating that the political violence that has crippled the country are stimulated by partisans of both Odinga and Kibaki.
Evasive culprits
Nairobi declared war on citizens who sent hate text messages. To send the message across, the authorities used the same channel as the hunted perpetrators. “the government of Kenya advises that the sending of hate messages inciting violence is an offence that could result in prosecution”, explains a text message sent to all Kenyans after the elections. An impossible craving that was met by the harsh reality. “The fact that Kenyans change their numbers very often makes it very easy for the authors of these messages to stay anonymous”, explains Ben Rawlence. “People buy prepaid cards… we would have their names if they used postpaid cards, however, 80% of Kenans use prepaid cards. It is therefore tough for the police to get hold of the senders of these hate messages.” Considering that “the police here is quite weak: they did very little to investigate the violence. There were few arrests and prosecutions” addes Ben Rawlence.
There is another big problem that prevents a mix up of those that stimulate ethnic violence. “At this moment, no Kenyan operator has the means to sort the good elements from the bad ones. Unless the SMS text messaging service is ceased, there is no way these hate messages can be stopped” says Bernard Rubia, head of the communications department of Kenya Telkom. An option that would cost mobile telephone operators huge sums of money. In the final analysis, the government warning is shoved into oblivion, whilst the hate messages risk an awakening.
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October 2, 2008
Surveillance of Skype Messages Found in China
By JOHN MARKOFF
SAN FRANCISCO — A group of Canadian human-rights activists and computer security researchers has discovered a huge surveillance system in China that monitors and archives certain Internet text conversations that include politically charged words.
The system tracks text messages sent by customers of Tom-Skype, a joint venture between a Chinese wireless operator and eBay, the Web auctioneer that owns Skype, an online phone and text messaging service.
The discovery draws more attention to the Chinese government’s Internet monitoring and filtering efforts, which created controversy this summer during the Beijing Olympics. Researchers in China have estimated that 30,000 or more “Internet police” monitor online traffic, Web sites and blogs for political and other offending content in what is called the Golden Shield Project or the Great Firewall of China.
The activists, who are based at Citizen Lab, a research group that focuses on politics and the Internet at the University of Toronto, discovered the surveillance operation last month. They said a cluster of eight message-logging computers in China contained more than a million censored messages. They examined the text messages and reconstructed a list of restricted words.
The list includes words related to the religious group Falun Gong, Taiwan independence and the Chinese Communist Party, according to the researchers. It includes not only words like democracy, but also earthquake and milk powder. (Chinese officials are facing criticism over the handling of earthquake relief and chemicals tainting milk powder.)
The list also serves as a filter to restrict text conversations. The encrypted list of words inside the Tom-Skype software blocks the transmission of those words and a copy of the message is sent to a server. The Chinese servers retained personal information about the customers who sent the messages. They also recorded chat conversations between Tom-Skype users and Skype users outside China. The system recorded text messages and Skype caller identification, but did not record the content of Skype voice calls.
In just two months, the servers archived more than 166,000 censored messages from 44,000 users, according to a report that was published on the Information Warfare Monitor Web site at the university.
The researchers were able to download and analyze copies of the surveillance data because the Chinese computers were improperly configured, leaving them accessible. The researchers said they did not know who was operating the surveillance system, but they said they suspected that it was the Chinese wireless firm, possibly with cooperation from Chinese police.
Independent executives from the instant message industry say the discovery is an indication of a spiraling computer war that is tracking the introduction of new communications technologies.
“I can see an arms race going on,” said Pat Peterson, vice president for technology at Cisco’s Ironport group, which provides messaging security systems. “China is one of the more wired places of the world and they are fighting a war with their populace.”
The Chinese government is not alone in its Internet surveillance efforts. In 2005, The New York Times reported that the National Security Agency was monitoring large volumes of telephone and Internet communications flowing into and out of the United States as part of the eavesdropping program, intended to hunt for evidence of terrorist activity, that President Bush approved after the Sept. 11 attacks.
The researchers said their discovery contradicted a public statement made by Skype executives in 2006 after the content filtering of the Skype conversations was reported. At the time the company said that the conversations were protected and private.
The Citizen Lab researchers issued a report on Wednesday, which details an analysis of data on the servers. “We were able to download millions of messages that identify users,” said Ronald J. Deibert, an associate professor of political science at the University of Toronto. “This is the worst nightmares of the conspiracy theorists around surveillance coming true. It’s ‘X-Files’ without the aliens.”
Jennifer Caukin, an eBay spokeswoman, said, “The security and privacy of our users is very important to Skype.” But the company spoke to the accessibility of the messages, not their monitoring. “The security breach does not affect Skype’s core technology or functionality,” she said. “It exists within an administrative layer on Tom Online servers. We have expressed our concern to Tom Online about the security issue and they have informed us that a fix to the problem will be completed within 24 hours.” EBay had no comment on the monitoring.
Other American companies have been caught in controversy after cooperating with Chinese officials. In 2005, Yahoo supplied information to the Chinese authorities, who then sentenced a reporter, Shi Tao, to 10 years in prison for leaking what the government considered state secrets. The company said it was following Chinese law.
EBay created the joint venture with the Tom Group, which holds the majority stake, in September 2005. The Tom Group itself was founded in October 1999 as a joint venture among Hutchison Whampoa, Cheung Kong Holdings and other investors. In its annual report this year, the Tom Group, based in Hong Kong, said that the number of Tom-Skype registered users had reached 69 million in the first half of 2008 and revenue had increased tenfold in the last year.
The researchers stumbled upon the surveillance system when Nart Villeneuve, a senior research fellow at Citizen Lab, began using an analysis tool to monitor data that was generated by the Tom-Skype software, which is meant to permit voice and text conversations from a personal computer. By observing the data generated by the program, he determined that each time he typed a particular swear word into the text messaging program an encrypted message was sent to an unidentified Internet address.
To his surprise, the coded messages were being stored on Tom Online computers. When he examined the machines over the Internet, he discovered that they had been misconfigured and that the computer directories were readable with a simple Web browser.
One directory on each machine contained a series of files in which the messages, in encrypted form, were being deposited. Hunting further, Mr. Villeneuve soon found a file that contained the numerical key that permitted him to decode the encrypted log files.
What he uncovered were hundreds of files, each containing thousands of records of messages that had been captured and then stored by the filtering software. The records revealed Internet addresses and user names as well as message content. Also stored on the computers were calling records for Skype voice conversations containing names and in some cases phone numbers of the calling parties.
Mr. Villeneuve downloaded the messages, decrypted them and used machine translation software to convert the Chinese messages to English. He then used word frequency counts to identify the key words that were flagging the messages. The exact criteria used by the filtering software is still unclear, he said, because some messages on the servers contained no known key word. He said that in addition to capturing the Skype messages sent between Tom-Skype users, international conversations were recorded as well, meaning that users of standard Skype software outside China were also vulnerable to the surveillance system when they had text conversations with Chinese users.
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South Florida Sun-Sentinel.com
Got a tip? You can text message it to Crime Stoppers
By Jerome Burdi
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
September 8, 2008
Click here to find out more!
Nobody talks anymore. They text.
And Crime Stoppers anonymous tip lines across the nation realize this. As an attempt to bring in young tipsters, Crime Stoppers have enabled text messages as a way to send tips along with the toll-free phone numbers and Web sites.
Crime Stoppers in Palm Beach and Broward counties started text messaging this summer.
Though the tips via text have not led to any arrests in these counties, administrators see the method as crucial in today’s society, where if something isn’t instant it takes too long.
“We want to reach out to the texters,” said Sgt. Jim DeFago, coordinator of Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers. “They’re pretty young, so we were interested in getting out to them.”
Defago said he still prefers people call or use the online form because there may be important information that is not included in the text message. The texts are encrypted for anonymity. Because Palm Beach County Crime Stoppers uses what looks like an e-mail address to receive tips, it may be difficult for older phones to send a text. Defago said the message also can be sent to the address as an e-mail.
“We have gone from using the telephone to text messaging,” said Broward Crime Stoppers President Dick Clark. “It’s another way of living.”
Texting in Florida has more than doubled since last year, according to Verizon Wireless, the nation’s second-largest cell-phone carrier. Each month, about 1 billion texts are sent on the company’s network statewide.
A recent study from marketing and communications company Universal McCann found that 78 percent of adults ages 18 to 34 reported sending a text message in the past week, up from 62 percent in 2007.
Text messaging spreads like a virus, said Daniel Longfield, a wireless analyst for Frost & Sullivan, an international industry research company.
“They usually receive a message from a family member and a few months later they’re sending out text messages,” he said.
Text messaging has especially increased with the advent of “smart phone” keyboards that resemble a computer’s.
In Finland, more people text message than make a phone call, Longfield said.
The method is popular among college campus security as a quick way to reach students. After failing to issue warnings that there was a killer on campus during the Virginia Tech massacre last year, more schools are looking at text messaging as a powerful way to communicate.
“It’s easily accessible and most of the times students have [cell phones] on them,” said Alison Kiss of Pennsylvania-based Security On Campus, an organization dedicated to campus safety.
Staff Researcher Barbara Hijek contributed to this report.
Jerome Burdi can be reached at jjburdi@sunsentinel.com or 561-243-6531.
Story Here