The Progressive's new Gestapo, the Department of Homeland Security, now appears to be legally allowed to build a data base of information on anyone who is a journalist, or even anyone who uses social media, to communicate with their fellow citizens.  

Anyone wonder what purpose such a data base might legitimately serve?

From the article:

Under the National Operations Center (NOC)’s Media Monitoring Initiative that came out of DHS headquarters in November, Washington has the written permission to retain data on users of social media and online networking platforms.

Specifically, the DHS announced the NCO and its Office of Operations Coordination and Planning (OPS) can collect personal information from news anchors, journalists, reporters or anyone who may use “traditional and/or social media in real time to keep their audience situationally aware and informed.”

According to the Department of Homeland Security’s own definition of personal identifiable information, or PII, such data could consist of any intellect “that permits the identity of an individual to be directly or indirectly inferred, including any information which is linked or linkable to that individual.” Previously established guidelines within the administration say that data could only be collected under authorization set forth by written code, but the new provisions in the NOC’s write-up means that any reporter, whether someone along the lines of Walter Cronkite or a budding blogger, can be victimized by the agency.

Also included in the roster of those subjected to the spying are government officials, domestic or not, who make public statements, private sector employees that do the same and “persons known to have been involved in major crimes of Homeland Security interest,” which to itself opens up the possibilities even wider.

This is yet another example of a government run out of control,  an agency collecting vast amounts of data on those merely exercising their constitutional rights to free speech, and for no legitimate government purpose.  What terrorist do they expect to corral with this vast new ocean of data?  Who can we realistically expect the government to harass by establishing this new bureaucracy of snoopers into the normal activities of our fellow Americans? 

And the final insult:

The website Fast Company reports that the intel collected by the Department of Homeland Security under the NOC Monitoring Initiative has been happening since as early as 2010 and the data is being shared with both private sector businesses and international third parties.

Shared with private sector businesses and international third parties?  Like who, pray tell?  For what purpose does our own government spend the money we earn to share our personal data with "international third parties?"

Honestly, this is an outrage.  The next president simply must put a stop to this madness, and return our national government to it's proper place, by eliminating this monstrosity of an institution, among others.