The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts, including those about planned protests, according to a document obtained by Yahoo News.
The details of the surveillance effort, known as iCOP, or Internet Covert Operations Program, have not previously been made public. The work involves having analysts trawl through social media sites to look for what the document describes as “inflammatory” postings and then sharing that information across government agencies.
What the hell is wrong with the Postal Service? They complain that they're running short of cash, but then they spend Lord-knows how many millions of dollars surfing around the internet to spy on people? Don't we have the FBI and the DHS to do that shit?
I get that the USPS is a qualsi-independent government agency, but I still think that Congress ought to pass a law that forbids the Postal Service from doing stuff like this. Violations would result in the chief postal inspector and the postmaster general being sent to the pokey where they can only correspond with people by mail.
I don't understand why this Trumpite traitor, saboteur and seditionist is still in power and still working for trump's boss, Vlad the Poisoner. Sweep all these turncoats out.
ReplyDeleteWhat I don't understand is the dude is clearly interfering with the mail.
ReplyDeleteHe should be in jail ...
Formerly the Post Office had very wide investigative powers in any branch of crime whose performance involved mailing things: notably pornography and mail fraud. Those statutory authorities -- along with many others, held by who knows what agencies -- were probably never explicitly revoked, but just gradually fell into disuse.
ReplyDeleteIts sufficient to say joy cannot be fired directly like any
ReplyDeletegvmt service people. The postal board needs to step up and
clear the trash.
That icop exists means the data collected is in the same realm
of NSA and other spying on the people and not permitted save
for those specifically under warrant.
The likely situation is those savvy enough will go encrypted.
The ones that don't do not deserve OSHA protections to make
their criminal actions safer.
THe yabut is what about the people caught up because of
"just sayin" with no intent of doin. That part is always
a worry.
Eck!
pretty sure the more money he spends on bullshit, the more they bleed the post office dry.
ReplyDelete