The Wal's Have Eyes (and Ears)

Share/Save Share this

From the Greenwald <a href="http://www.walmartmovie.com/" target="_blank">movie websiteIn 2006, Wal-Mart "had a long-haired employee infiltrate an anti-Wal-Mart group to determine if it planned protests at the company's annual meeting. ... The company also deployed cutting-edge monitoring systems made by a supplier to the Defense Department that allowed it to capture and record the actions of anyone connected to its global computer network." The system "could detect the degree of flesh-tone on a viewed Internet image, and alerted monitors that a vendor sharing Wal-Mart networks was viewing pornography." The giant retailer "also directed its surveillance operations at critical shareholders." These revelations come from internal memos and Bruce Gabbard, a former member of Wal-Mart's "Threat Research and Analysis Group." Gabbard was fired in March 2007, "for unauthorized recording of calls to and from a New York Times reporter and for intercepting pager messages"; his claims have been confirmed. After the revelations surfaced, Wal-Mart "apologized to several shareholder groups that the company had earlier evaluated as potential threats." The retailer has apparently not apologized to Wal-Mart Watch, ACORN, or Up Against the Wal, groups also targeted by Wal-Mart's "threat research" operations.

Comments

Wal-Mart Sleuthing

Beth Wellington, Roanoke, VA
http://360.yahoo.com/beth_blog

You can find a public copy of the article at MSN Money, Link Text"Inside Wal-Mart's 'Threat Research Operation." (April 5, 2007)

A article on Gabbard by the same authors is public at the WSJ: Link Text"Fired Wal-Mart Worker Speaks Out" by Ann Zimmerman and Gary McWilliams (March 8, p.B3)

Gabbard was recording the calls, he says, because he felt he felt pressured to uncover who was leaking information embarrasing to the company to outsiders. He and his supervisor, Jason Hamilton, were fired after Gabbard and his supervisor were dismissed this week after the U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Arkansas told Wal-Mart he was investigating possible wiretapping law violations.

Also,by the same authors, Link Text"Wal-Mart's Firing Of a Security Aide Bites the Firm Back," (April 9, 2007; p.A1)