<
https://www.techdirt.com/2025/12/09/how-ices-plan-to-monitor-social-media-threatens-not-just-privacy-but-civic-participation/>
"When most people think about immigration enforcement, they picture border
crossings and airport checkpoints. But the new front line may be your social
media feed.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement has published a request for
information for private-sector contractors to launch a round-the-clock social
media monitoring program. The request states that private contractors will be
paid to comb through “Facebook, Google+, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Tumblr,
Instagram, VK, Flickr, Myspace, X (formerly Twitter), TikTok, Reddit, WhatsApp,
YouTube, etc.,” turning public posts into enforcement leads that feed directly
into ICE’s databases.
The request for information reads like something out of a cyber thriller:
dozens of analysts working in shifts, strict deadlines measured in minutes, a
tiered system of prioritizing high-risk individuals, and the latest software
keeping constant watch.
I am a researcher who studies the intersection of data governance, digital
technologies and the U.S. federal government. I believe that the ICE request
for information also signals a concerning if logical next step in a longer
trend, one that moves the U.S. border from the physical world into the
digital."
Cheers,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
