Minnesota police continue surveilling journalists and civil rights activists

Since the May 2020 murder of George Floyd, Minnesota law enforcement agencies have carried out a secretive, long-running surveillance programme targeting journalists and civil rights activists known as Operation Safety Net, a complex surveillance engine that has expanded to include collecting detailed facial images, scouring social media, and tracking mobile phones. Documents obtained via public records requests show that the police continued using the powers granted under OSN to monitor ordinary individuals. The system was billed as protecting non-violent protests while preventing violent civil disturbances. Police have said the programme was ramping down or "not an ongoing operation" since the April 2021 end of the trial of Derek Chauvin, Floyd's killer.

https://www.technologyreview.com/2022/03/03/1046676/police-surveillance-minnesota-george-floyd/

Writer: Tate Ryan-Mosley and Sam Richards
Publication: MIT Technology Review
Publication date: 2021-03-03