On the day Joe Biden was inaugurated, a relatively unknown IT contracting firm, Global Resource Systems LLC, quietly took over the management of 56 million IP addresses for the Pentagon. This number later increased to 175 million, nearly 6% of the internet. This move has raised eyebrows and sparked speculation about the Pentagon’s intentions, especially considering the company’s need for a track record with the Pentagon.

The Importance of IP Addresses

IP addresses are akin to phone numbers or physical addresses for devices connected to the internet. With the creation of the internet, we have exhausted all possible number combinations or addresses for computers and devices in the old format called IPv4. To address this, we created IPv6, like adding a new area code to an already crowded city whose old phone number area codes have been taken as more people got phones.

The Mysterious Company

Global Resource Systems LLC operates out of a small office in a Florida business park and has no previous track record with the Pentagon. It is run by a man who has had more minor contracts with the Pentagon in the past. The Pentagon stated that the company’s role is to kick squatters off these IP addresses—people who started using the IP addresses for free because the Pentagon wasn’t using them, and the old IPv4 addresses are pretty full. It is common for people and even large telecom companies to squat these addresses, but the awakening of so many of them is suspect.

Speculations on Mass Surveillance

Privacy advocates who monitor government internet usage speculate that the Pentagon might activate these IP addresses for an upcoming surveillance mass installation as 5G gets online nationwide. They suspect these IP addresses will be used in a nationwide mass surveillance boom, adding more cameras and other privacy invasion measures nationwide. This speculation is fueled by concerns that the U.S. might look at China’s mass surveillance society as a model for a possible upcoming American Big Brother dystopia scenario as 5G becomes commonplace nationwide.

The Societal Cost

Downloading cat videos faster may come with a huge societal cost. The U.S. government has a history of taking power from the American people to “protect us” and not giving it back once the threat has subsided. We will have to wait to see what this mysterious company is up to, but until then, it is in our best interest to keep a watchful eye on further developments.

A relatively unknown company’s quiet takeover of a significant portion of the internet raises many questions and concerns. While the Pentagon claims that the move is to kick squatters off these IP addresses, privacy advocates suspect a more sinister motive related to mass surveillance. As 5G becomes more widespread, we must remain vigilant and monitor the situation closely to ensure our privacy is not compromised