Thanks for taking up the HBGary story and working to dig through those emails. As you know, I wrote a little about Apple, COIN/Romas, etc. back in February. I had meant to follow up but dropped the ball. Like you, I have noticed lots of indicators pointing to government interest in mass social media surveillance. The HBGary emails confirmed that in a big way. (If you haven't already, look at some of Barr's presentations that he gave to the NSA.)
About the links I sent you earlier.... I noticed this relationship between HBGary and SecDev back in February. SecDev is closely partnered with Palantir, but also the Citizen Lab at U Toronto. They are also closely related to the Open Net Initiative, also through the U of Toronto (http://opennet.net/). CEO of SecDev, Rafal Rohozzinski, and head of Citizen Lab, Ron Deibert, are very close. They have co-authored extensively together (search Google Scholar). They just gave an interview together (see http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid85339141001?bckey=AQ~~,AAAAEgOJzXE~,KnHqUJhk9d9JOh6sLlmKN4Hs-dKnFdGb&bctid=1000940124001).
I hope you have read the product brochure (PDF attachment from email link I sent you) all the way to the end. SecDev's Cloakroom product is a covert investigation and persona management application marketed ONLY to law enforcement and intelligence. They specifically say that it's not for sale to the public. They were working hard to sell it to Barr and HBGary. It was already integrated with Palantir.
There is irony in the fact that Citizen Lab and Open Net Initiative, who promote Internet freedom, research censorship and filtering, and point to the dangers of militarizing cyberspace, are in close relationship with a company (SecDev) that sells covert investigation/persona management software (Cloakroom) to law enforcement and intelligence agencies.
I have followed Citizen Lab and Open Net work for quite a while and have found it inspiring. Needless to say, I was dismayed to uncover this relationship in the HBGary emails.
Best,
Sean
Sean Lawson, Ph.D. Assistant Professor Department of Communication University of Utah Languages & Communication Bldg 255 South Central Campus Dr RM 2400
Salt Lake City, Ut 84112-0491 Office: LNCO 2519 Email: Sean.Lawson@utah.edu Web: www.seanlawson.net Phone: 801-585-7127