The GCHQ is the UK's equivalent of the NSA for those who don't know, and what they've been up to is [url=http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jul/14/gchq-tools-manipulate-online-information-leak]pretty -blam!-ing despicable[/url]. [quote]The UK intelligence agency GCHQ has developed sophisticated tools to manipulate online polls, spam targets with SMS messages, track people by impersonating spammers and monitor social media postings, according to newly-published documents leaked by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.[/quote] [quote]Among the programs revealed in the document are: • GATEWAY: the "ability to artificially increase traffic to a website". • CLEAN SWEEP which "masquerade[s] Facebook wall posts for individuals or entire countries". • SCRAPHEAP CHALLENGE for "perfect spoofing of emails from BlackBerry targets". • UNDERPASS to "change outcome of online polls". • SPRING BISHOP to find "private photos of targets on Facebook".[/quote] [quote]The document also details a range of programs designed to collect and store public postings from Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Google+, and to make automated postings on several of the social networks.[/quote] [quote]Capabilities to boost views of YouTube videos, or to boost the circulation of particular messages are also detailed.[/quote] [quote]GCHQ has also, the document suggests, developed capabilities to scan and geolocate the IPs of entire cities at a time.[/quote] I'm sure I don't need to go on a rant about the ramifications of organisations manipulating the flow and integrity of information for you to see how this is a pretty big deal.