ICE is building a social media panopticon
- ICE is expanding an online surveillance system to track millions of users on social media platforms.
- The agency has paid $5.7 million for an AI-powered platform called Zignal Labs, which can ingest and analyze vast amounts of publicly available data.
- The platform provides “real-time intelligence” that could potentially monitor and track individuals’ online activities without their knowledge or consent.
- Experts, including Will Owen from the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), have criticized this move as an “assault on democracy and free speech”.
- The expansion of this surveillance system raises concerns about the erosion of online privacy and the potential for abuse by law enforcement agencies.
As Immigration and Customs Enforcement carries out raids across the country, the agency is working rapidly to expand an online surveillance system that could potentially track millions of users on the web. Federal records uncovered by The Lever reveal that ICE is paying $5.7 million to use an AI-powered social media monitoring platform called Zignal Labs, something Will Owen, the communications director at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), calls an “assault” on democracy and free speech.
The “real-time intelligence” platform is capable of ingesting and analyzing vast amounts of publicly available data, like social media …
Read the full story at The Verge.
Q. What is ICE planning to do with its new online surveillance system?
A. ICE is expanding an online surveillance system that could potentially track millions of users on the web.
Q. How much money is ICE paying for the AI-powered social media monitoring platform called Zignal Labs?
A. ICE is paying $5.7 million to use the Zignal Labs platform.
Q. What does Will Owen, communications director at STOP, call the expansion of this system?
A. He calls it an “assault” on democracy and free speech.
Q. What type of data can the Zignal Labs platform analyze?
A. The platform is capable of ingesting and analyzing vast amounts of publicly available data, like social media posts.
Q. What is the purpose of the real-time intelligence platform?
A. The platform provides “real-time intelligence” that could be used for surveillance purposes.
Q. Who is behind the development of the Zignal Labs platform?
A. The developer of the platform is not specified in the provided text.
Q. How widespread could this online surveillance system potentially be?
A. It could track millions of users on the web.
Q. What organization uncovered the information about ICE’s plans for the Zignal Labs platform?
A. Federal records were uncovered by The Lever.
Q. What is the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP)?
A. STOP is an organization that monitors and oversees surveillance technology, including social media monitoring platforms.
Q. Where can readers learn more about this story?
A. Readers can read the full story at The Verge.