US DHS expands surveillance to counter domestic terrorism

After the January 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, the Department of Homeland Security expanded its monitoring of online activity and set up a new intelligence branch to counter domestic terrorism, including tracking platforms that have been linked to threats and “narratives known to provoke violence”. The agency warned law enforcement partners when appropriate when it saw upticks in activity on platforms linked to white supremacists and neo-Nazis. The Brennan Center for Justice warns in a new report that the expanded surveillance could be both ineffective and harmful to marginalised groups if they become targeted and criminalised.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2022/jan/07/us-capitol-attack-government-online-surveillance

Writer: Sam Levin
Publication: Guardian
Publication date: 2022-01-07