According to an article from The Intercept, the Georgia National Guard will soon begin scooping up the device IDs of local “high school students, counselors, teachers & parents who attend/are a part of a target list of high schools” in an effort to influence the students into joining the state’s national guard with targeted advertising.
Method of Operations
The source of the post is a contract issued by the Georgia Army National Guard. At the top of the contract it lays out the PWS, or performance work statement, and provides the scope of “operations.” It states, “advertising with Digital Targeted Marketing’s primary objective is to reach the core targets of various segments of 17-24 year olds in Georgia high schools and colleges, with the intent of generating qualified leads of potential applicants for enlistment while also raising awareness of the Georgia Army National Guard. This is done using a combination of multiple targeted digital advertising campaigns, geofencing and re-capturing prior interest.”
The document states there are sixty-seven high schools which have been identified as sample target areas. A campaign is successful if it targets the students and their counselors, teacher & parents, creates a custom audience in Snapchat and Instagram by capturing their mobile device IDs, and scoops their IP addresses for custom advertising.
EO 12333
I could regurgitate the Intercept article I linked above, or I could talk about something the author of that article didn’t: Executive Order 12333. EO 12333 is arguably the most famous of EOs in the military, because every commander and intelligence section is acutely aware of its guidelines and how breaking those guidelines can land a commander in jail very quickly.
In my own words, EO 12333 essentially outlines what the intelligence community is allowed to collect in regards to information on foreigners. It sets very clear limitations on what can be collected on citizens of the United States. With very few exceptions and approval from way up the food chain, collecting intelligence on US Citizens is an absolute no-go unless you’re in support of a law enforcement operation. The fact that it’s signals intelligence muddies the water even more.
I’m continuously astounded by the insane, legal gymnastics which the DOD and it’s subordinate organizations use to give themselves authorization to break the law, and this is no different. Collecting device IDs and IP addresses for “advertising” purposes is illegal. Citizens not wanting to join your organization does not give you a pass to break the law and violate their fourth amendment rights. The “slow”, tyrannical creep of big government violating the law is quickly becoming a “less than slow” event anymore.