Biden Administration Considers Broadening Surveillance of Social Media Platforms

The Biden Administration is reportedly exploring the possibility of expanding its surveillance of social media platforms in response to an intelligence failure that allowed classified Pentagon documents to circulate online for several weeks undetected.

This incident has raised concerns about the management of sensitive intelligence information and the need for stricter controls over access to such data.


Discovery of the Leak. According to the open-source investigative group Bellingcat, the leaked documents first emerged on the Discord social media app as early as January. However, they went unnoticed until last week when Lloyd Austin, Defense Secretary and President Joe Biden were informed of the breach.

The documents allegedly surfaced in internet gaming circles, with the images of some documents appearing on Discord channels dedicated to the Minecraft video game and followers of a YouTuber called wow mao.

Subsequently, the images were disseminated to platforms such as 4Chan, pro-Russian Telegram channels, and Twitter. It was only last week when The New York Times reported on the leaked documents.

Response from the Administration. After realizing that the classified documents were accessible on the internet for a significant period, the administration reportedly contemplated measures to avoid such events from recurring. Consequently, it is considering broadening the range of digital platforms that intelligence and law enforcement agencies oversee.

Discord, in particular, is likely to come under closer surveillance as one of the apps where the documents were leaked. It is a communication app primarily designed for the gaming community, but it has since expanded to serve a wide range of users and purposes.

Discord is a platform that facilitates real-time communication and collaboration between users via text, voice, and video chat. This platform offers public and private servers, allowing individuals to create or join chat rooms or channels dedicated to particular interests, groups, or topics. In addition, users can send direct messages to each other, share files, and stream their screens or games.

The intelligence community is currently struggling to determine effective methods of monitoring platforms such as Discord to identify pertinent information and prevent comparable data breaches from occurring in the future.

Implications for National Security. The released documents contained comprehensive intelligence pertaining to Russian tactical operations during the Ukraine war, evaluations of Ukraine’s military capabilities and vulnerabilities, purported subversive actions conducted by Ukrainian operatives within Belarus and Russia, and intelligence analyses concerning South Korea and Israel, among other allies.

The occurrence has underscored the necessity of implementing more stringent measures for obtaining classified intelligence data within the government. In response, the administration has already enforced tighter regulations for access to sensitive information and is exploring the possibility of imposing further restrictions.