Internal Security Bureau (ISB)

The Internal Security Bureau (Posadi: ) acts as the secret police of Posadastan, akin to the East German stasi.

Overview

The origins of the ISB date back to 1850 when the military overthrew the monarchy, and in doing so established a puppet democracy. They needed a means to monitor those seeking to upset the military rule, and this lasted until the establishment of a true democracy in 1862, when the democratic coalition abolished this institution. It was revived in 1890, having remained dormant for some 28 years, when the new monarch sought to control the populace. This form was rapidly developed and somewhat efficient, they disseminated propaganda, infiltrated rebel cells and protests, social circles, clubs, schools, and places of work. They incentivized people to speak up if they saw anything. But when the communists won the civil war in 1933, it was quickly turned around, in a somewhat lesser form, towards the ends of the communists. By the 1940s, it very quickly became like it was under the second monarchy, and was instrumental in ending Leninist and Rightist/Reactionary movements by the early 1960s. But, the Posadists understood its utility and began infiltrating it themselves (as they were also Trotskyists, just like the ruling party from 1942-1975). It was an instrumental part of the Posadist takeover and received a lot of funding and attention afterwords. By the end of the dictatorship in 2008, it had grown to large proportions, unprecedented throughout the rest of Telrova. It was estimated that 1 in 7 people worked for the ISB, whether it be formally or informally. During this time, the ISB focused heavily on getting its officials into schools, major industrial plants, hospitals, and apartment buildings. At its height in 2008, the ISF had nearly 100k full-time employees (including nearly 15k soldiers and officers), and they had, at any given time, an estimated 180k informal collaborators, as well as high levels of participation among the PRG militants and PRU party members. It has been estimated that up to 17% (nearly 3 million) of the Posadi population have provided information to the ISB on at least one occasion.

This is largely because they are seen as slightly more credible than the PRG, who broadly act as the paramilitary police in many towns, as well as the perceived efficacy of the ISB. They work hand-in-hand with the RLA Military Police, the General Staff of the Generalissimo, and the PRU leadership, and in doing so have complete access to the nation’s media and telecommunication systems (which are already all government-controlled). To balance this out, most arrests and seizures are done by the local police and PRG, and in some instances the military, at the orders of the ISB to give the appearance of locally-competent governments. However, after the 2008-2010 era, their reach has diminished slightly, but they continue to advance in their means of finding better, more efficient and technologically capable ways of carrying out their directives. It is still believed that the ISB has records on at least 75-85% of the population, as well as records on some tens of thousands (hundreds of thousands according to some estimates) people abroad.

Though Posadastan internally silences all criticisms and accusations, the ISB has been accused abroad of multiple human rights abuses, as well as violations of some international Telrovan laws such as carrying out operations on foreign territory, torture, extrajudicial executions, kidnapping, human experimentation, tampering with foreign elections, funding and training death squads, etc. etc. In response, the post-2008 era has seen the ISB take a less internationally aggressive role.

Internally, the ISB utilizes numerous different tactics as ways to subdue and monitor the population. On top of simple financial payments and blackmail, they work closely with media and schools to influence the population from a young age. They work with youth programs, including the youth wing of the PRU to spread propaganda as well. They are also notorious for practicing Zersetzung, or the infiltration and/or slowly whittling away at the structure of groups or individuals that may oppose them. This is usually done in a preventative measure, with groups such as human rights organizations, youth subcultures, underground music scenes, social groups, expatriate organizations, etc. The ISB will target specific individuals in these groups and usually engage in a slow but steady process of psychological warfare, influencing the breakdown of such social groups. This is also aided by Posadastan’s mass surveillance network, which makes use of satellites, drones, cameras, biometric verification systems, facial recognition software, and the generally apathetic population.