RSG #340: How To Investigate Intelligence Bulletins About Lawful Protesters

Law enforcement agencies sometimes create intelligence bulletins before demonstrations, marches, strikes, public meetings, and political actions. A legitimate bulletin may address a documented threat, planned violence, traffic control, emergency access, or credible risks to participants. The problem begins when an agency treats lawful political activity as intelligence simply because officials dislike the politics, fear criticism, …

Read more

RSG#336: How To Investigate Government Use of Social Media Monitoring Tools

Your local police department may describe social media monitoring as nothing more than checking public posts. That sounds delightfully harmless, rather like saying a surveillance camera is merely enjoying the scenery. Modern social media monitoring can involve keyword searches, location filters, relationship mapping, automated alerts, covert accounts, image analysis, and commercial software that collects posts …

Read more