U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates proceeded in January to a new allocation of internet military intervention responsibilities.

Henceforth, the U.S. Strategic Command (overseeing the nuclear strike) will concentrate on military computer hacking and cyberdefenses. The Joint Staffs will take responsibility for deception operations, while Special Operations Command will take the lead in military information gathering aimed at supporting secret operations.

This division of responsibilities does not preclude regional commands from setting up their own internet intervention gear. Thus, the Central Command (covering the greater Middle East) has recently purchased a $2.7 million software, especially designed by San-Diego based Ntrepid. The material will permit the manipulation of social media through the use of fake online "personas" managed by the military, followed by all kinds of infiltration and intelligence operations, while being able to keep the trickery under the radar.

Ntrepid manufactures the famous Anonymiser© software, leading one to suspect that it may well be delivering to the Pentagon the identity of its customers.