Biden team may partner with private firms to surveil suspected domestic terrorists online

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN)The Biden administration is considering using outside firms to track extremist chatter by Americans online, an effort that would expand the government's ability to gather intelligence but could draw criticism over surveillance of US citizens.

The Department of Homeland Security is limited in how it can monitor citizens online without justification and is banned from activities like assuming false identities to gain access to private messaging apps used by extremist groups such as the Proud Boys or Oath Keepers.

Instead, federal authorities can only browse through unprotected information on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook and other open online platforms.

The plan being discussed inside DHS, according to multiple sources, would, in effect, allow the department to circumvent those limits. A source familiar with the effort said it is not about decrypting data but rather using outside entities who can legally access these private groups to gather large amounts of information that could help DHS identify key narratives as they emerge.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2021/05/03/politics/dhs-partner-private-firms-surveil-suspected-domestic-terrorists/index.html

[inwiththenew]

1. So basically hiring mercenaries to do an end run around the constitution and other legal protections

I can't possibly see any downside to this.

[WinstonSmith4740]

2. Forgive me if you were being sarcastic.

But personally, I think traitors and seditionists don't deserve the protections of The Constitution...they've spent too much time undermining it and trying to destroy our democracy. I know it's a slippery slope, but SOMETHING has to be done about these lunatics. Eisenhower (the last decent man to carry a Republican banner, warned us about them over 60 years ago. “Should any political party attempt to abolish social security unemployment insurance and eliminate labor laws and farm programs you would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a tiny splinter group of course that believes you can do these things. Among them are a few other Texas oil millionaires and an occasional politician or business man from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are stupid.” Well, their numbers aren't negligible any more. They're still stupid, but the numbers have grown. They're getting worse and worse every year, and lets face facts...if Donald Trump hadn't been a malignant narcissist and just plain stupid himself, they might have succeeded this time. Their next "leader" will be sharper and smarter. They must be stopped.

[DENVERPOPS]

4. Right on target WS nc

[DENVERPOPS]

3. LOL iwtn

Look at the last four years......Lardass didn't even need to hire mercs, he had hundreds of republiCON politicians willing and able to do it...........

[Devil Child]

7. Yes, a very scary proposal with potential for great abuse

[Drum]

5. Slippery slope, no?

[Ford_Prefect]

6. I don't mean to make the argument more volatile, but we have in past hired contractors for many

purposes and it was found to be legal in the instance. I don't here defend contractors as such, only to say we have used them before and still do.

If I hired an American firm to do the same as a private citizen and they did so, I doubt I'd be in court because of it. There are several questions to ask here. One is how Do you track these folks? What purpose is served in doing so? Who is at risk if we do not? Another is where is the line between individual dissent and planning or pushing others to plan violent insurrection?

There is a marked difference between COINTELPRO and the actions undertaken therein by agents to provoke behavior leading to arrests and following the clues present in the chat rooms and groups.

For one thing some of those people were instrumental in generating and continuing the QAnon dark fantasies and among them were folks who acted and are still acting on those twisted views with apparent intent. They have gone well beyond what reasonable minds would consider to be dissenting speech.

How do the SPLC and others like them keep track of the characters and organizations they follow and comment on?

I agree that care must be taken but I think this may be a case where perfect might be the enemy of good, or good enough.