Epoch Times: Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officers used fake online personas to monitor social media users, and, at one point, considered employing tools that critics say would lead to law enforcement profiling innocent people, according to recently revealed government documents.
The documents, released by the Brennan Center for Justice following an open-records request with the LAPD, have raised concerns among critics that law enforcement’s online surveillance operations harm freedom of expression and encourage profiling.
“Social media surveillance can facilitate surveillance of protest activity and police presence at protests, which can chill both online and offline speech,” the organization stated. “Further, the highly contextual nature of social media also makes it ripe for misinterpretation.”
The Brennan Center released an initial set of documents in September, showing that LAPD officers use fake social media accounts to monitor online activity. The FBI and other federal intelligence agencies are restricted from using such tactics under a Reagan-era executive order that requires agents to reveal their identities when participating in private organizations.
“Social media situational awareness is gained by the passive and active searching for information impacting operations, including information found in discussion forums, posts, videos, and blogs,” according to a 2015 LAPD social media user guide. “In this capacity, social media use can be covert and/or clandestine.” MORE
first we let them have unmarked police cars and women cops.
It all went downhill from there.
Ironically, they all met each other at the motel.
Social media will lead to the downfall of civilization.
you can quote me on that if you want to.
^^^ that and the idiot box cell phone.
Nothing new!
The Weaponized Government Agencies have been doing this since the invention of the telephone!
Why do you think the corrupt politicians have NEVER fixed anything in over 60 years?
Don’t forget, the upper echelon of nearly every police department in the country has been trained by the FBI at Quantico; it’s how you advance up the ranks. Is it any wonder the infection is spreading?
On the other hand…if they can infiltrate the groups of “youths” organizing the “smash and grab” robberies, I can get behind that.