Zeus Program and analytical module of monitoring of social networks

On July 28, 2016 it became known that the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Sverdlovsk region announced purchase of the program and analytical module for the information system "Zeus" which actually completely automates shadowing for sotsetyam and even carries out "semantic analysis" of messages. Tender will take place on August 8, the starting price of the annual license — 1 million 850 thousand rubles. According to the local edition Znak.com^[1], this system is already used in the Sverdlovsk police and, according to some information, in seven other regions — for example, in the Lipetsk region, having tested a system, the police optimistically reported on detection of latent extremists who "presumably performed protest actions".

Full access to data of social networks

In technical specifications^[2] police officers without notes painted all functionality of the new software which is intended for shadowing users of social networks. Thanks to the new module police officers will be able to put on permanent automatic monitoring of any user: monitor whom it adds as a friend what writes posts about whether search words occur in its publications; what groups are joined by the user what photos and video adds and deletes with whom and how often communicates.

One of technical project points directly says that the Zeus system should provide text search in archive of private messages of the user.

At the request of analysts the software module will even draw the diagram of a social environment of the user and will establish possible connection between users, having analyzed the friends, relatives mediated friends, the places of residence, the general groups and reposts.

Analysts of the Ministry of Internal Affairs will have a search capability of the photos placed in social networks on geotags, load time of the picture in network, on a key word which described the photo. The module will also display that place where this or that picture was made on the card.

PURCHASE No. 0162100021316000117 of AD module zeus

Technical part

The module should be compatible to IAS Zeus, Russia consisting on arms of the Ministry of Internal Affairs across Sverdlovsk region.

1. The user of a system (analyst) – the person from the Customer which is carrying out the main work with IAS;

2. Social network – the network resource intended for social interaction of physical persons and legal entities under the uniform protocol;

3. A profile of social network (profile) – an account on social network, it is specified in origin of messages, is the carrier of all data;

4. Group of social network (group) – the account on social network integrating any quantity of profiles and conducting uniform social activity from their name;

5. Object of monitoring of social network (object of monitoring) – the profile or group mentioned by the analyst for conducting permanent monitoring the change history is conducted from the moment of setting of an object on monitoring;

6. The user of social network (user) – the physical person or legal entity registering a profile on social network and conducting social activity through this profile the user can have a set of profiles on different social networks as well the profile on social network can be used by several users or not have for himself real individuals;

7. Social activity – any actions of a profile providing certain information for other participants of social network;

8. The wall of messages – the resource assigned to specific object of monitoring, serving for consolidation and the publication of messages is a fixed asset of dissemination of information;

9. Own message – the messages created and published by object of monitoring from own name on own or other wall;

10. Incoming messages are wall posts of an object of monitoring, behind authorship of other profile;

11. The relayed messages (reposts) are messages behind authorship of a third-party profile, is explicit also without changes published by a profile with indication of a source;

12. Annotation – introduction by the analysts of additional text, reference information or tags in a binding to data who are contained in IAS;

13. Direct access to social network – the interaction mode with social network with the direct login and use of API, requires existence of a pool of accounts and the API keys;

14. The proxied access to social network – the interaction mode through intermediary service;

15. A geotag — information on geographical coordinates of the place of shooting, height connected with the photo above sea level and the place name of the area; technically.

Functional requirements

The module should carry out the following main objectives:

1. A profile search capability on social networks;

2. An opportunity to deliver profiles on permanent automatic monitoring;

a. Package setting on monitoring according to the list;

b. Management of the list the user of permanent monitoring – filtering, removal from monitoring, annotation, quick access to viewing complete data;

c. An opportunity forced (executed at the same moment) and high-priority (with high frequency updates and priority selection of resources) monitoring;

3. Possibility of monitoring of social activity of the user of social network:

a. Wall posts of group, the entering publications on a wall, reposts;

b. Information on group, including a history record of changes in data of a profile (about, contacts, education, work location, etc.);

c. Change in the list of friends, memberships in groups;

d. Change in structure of the published media files

4. A possibility of monitoring of presence of the user on social network:

a. Tracking of time of stay of the user in network;

b. Tracking of type of the device of an input;

5. A search capability of user groups on social network;

6. Possibility of monitoring of activity of groups:

a. Own messages of the user on a wall, the entering publications on a wall, reposts;

b. Information on group, including a history record of changes in them;

c. Changes in the list of organizers and members of the group;

d. Change in structure of the published media files;

7. A possibility of visualization of a social environment of the user of social network in the form of the graph;

8. A possibility of formation of archive of user profiles by the specified criterion (on the city, on membership in certain groups, etc.);

9. A possibility of formation of a message archive of users by the specified criterion (on the city, on membership in certain groups, etc.);

10. A possibility of full-text search in a message archive of users:

a. Search in any text;

b. Automatic search in the dictionary configured by the analyst;

11. A possibility of data processing in a thematic section:

a. Coloring of users of social network on the basis of the user categories, including automatic coloring on the basis of semantic analysis of messages;

b. Semantic search of messages and users on a message archive in coordination with coloring of users;

c. Search of names of files in messages and profiles (video, audio);

d. Visualization of bond graphs taking into account coloring of users and groups (additional filtering and focusing);

12. A search capability of the general social communications (including the friends, relatives mediated friends, the general groups and reposts);

13. Possibility of annotation of profiles and message own comments and marks;

14. Possibility of formation of text and graphic reports;

15. Possibility of formation of a tape of updates of the profiles and groups which are on permanent monitoring;

16. A possibility of the automatic notification of the analyst on existence of changes in data of objects of monitoring, including new messages and changes in personal information;

17. Possibility of maintaining magazine of actions of the analyst (search queries, actions for setting and removal from monitoring, etc.)

18. An opportunity drawing the geographic location of friends of a profile on the map of the Russian Federation;

19. A search capability of photos on geotags, load time of the photo in social network, to a key word which described the photo;

20. A possibility of display on the map of the Russian Federation of geographical coordinates of the place of shooting of photos of a profile.

21. Ability to integrate with external systems:

a. Providing the film of changes in the RSS format for display on mobile devices;

b. A possibility of use for connection with social network of remote services of the proxied access on RESTfull API;

22. Possibility of monitoring of groups:

a. Messages of users of group on a wall, the entering publications on a wall, reposts, likes, comments;

b. Information on group, including a history record of changes in them;

c. Changes in the list of organizers and members of the group;

d. Change in structure of the published media files;

e. Possibility of creation of the reference book of a key word;

f. A possibility of monitoring of groups, on a key word;

g. Possibility of package setting of groups on the list;

h. An output of results of monitoring of groups in several variations (an output of all information, an output only on a key word)

Part of the functions described in the technical project can theoretically be provided, using open data of users of social networks. At the same time a considerable part of the technical project can be executed, only if the module gets access to the restricted information, including personal correspondence of users. Theoretically it is possible if social networks give access to such data. For social networks, especially foreign, it would be a serious reputational risk.

Zeus already works in seven regions

During the poll of experts of Znak.com it was succeeded to contact the persons having an idea of a program runtime for shadowing. According to them, in seven regions of the Russian Federation the specified software module already passed successful tests and began to work. In particular, Zeus is used in the Novosibirsk, Samara and Tyumen region, KhMAO, Samara, in Altai and in one more region. During tests of a system the police, for example, reported on identification of "latent" participants of informal extremist associations who "presumably performed protest actions". Besides, police officers managed to identify users who place declarations of highly-paid job for girls (presumably — souteneurs). About it it is said in a response about tested in July, 2016 the Zeus systems by police officers of one of regions.

Police: "Law-abiding citizens have nothing to worry"

The press secretary of the Ministry of Internal Affairs in Sverdlovsk region Valery Gorelykh confirmed that department buys the software for monitoring of social networks, and noted that it is necessary for police officers "for accomplishment of the tasks assigned to them by the law, including in the field of counteraction to terrorism and extremism".

"Law-abiding citizens have no bases to worry for correspondence on social networks if, of course, it does not contain something criminal. It is necessary to be afraid to the one who does not suit quiet and peaceful life in our state — noted Burnt. – Works on such equipment will be carried out only according to the decision of judicial authorities that there was no violation of legitimate rights of citizens. Work in this direction is necessary both for security of the state in general, and for residents of Sverdlovsk region".

Internet ombudsman: "Normal purchase"

The adviser to the Russian president and Internet ombudsman Marinichev Dmitry said Znak.com that purchase of the Sverdlovsk Ministry of Internal Affairs "is quite normal". "It is like to purchase the car for patrol of the area. You should not forget that monitoring will be performed in "public" places. Everything that people write, photograph and so on, they do by property of the public — the Internet ombudsman noted. — Look at it from such party. Sensing technologies of persons very powerfully evolved in recent years. Monitoring and automatic recognition can come across pictures which you took in the resort. And on a background the robot distinguishes the criminal who fled the crime scene. On the basis of this assumption an inspection will be carried out and the criminal who can be threat of your life and to your health is delayed". Marinichev did not comment on point on a possibility of Zeus to read private messages of users.

Shadowing began to the Yarovaya Law

The credible source of Znak.com informed on the principles of work of Zeus and related to his developers told that during the work access to the private interface of the Russian social networks is used, "which social networks for a long time shared with security officers". According to him, FSB and the Ministry of Internal Affairs had an opportunity to study personal data of users in the Russian social networks long before adoption of the sensational Yarovaya Law. "The Yarovaya Law only legalized already existing practice, including allowed to use collected data as proofs in court" — says a source. According to him, use of Zeus cannot be considered legal operational search activity, it is more likely primary collection of information on the basis of which it will be already possible to define the purposes for legal ORD, including using regulations of the Yarovaya Law. If it is meant to believe a source, one may say, that illegal collection of information by police officers.

See Also

• Censorship (control) on the Internet. Experience of Russia
• The Yarovaya Law (About making changes in UK and the Code of Criminal Procedure of the Russian Federation regarding establishment of additional measures of counteraction to terrorism)
• Censorship (control) on the Internet. World experience

Notes