US Postal Service reportedly tracking Americans’ social media posts

[IceWizard]

US Postal Service reportedly tracking
Americans’ social media posts

By Natalie O'Neill
April 22, 2021
12:56pm | Updated



The US Postal Service is running a shadowy surveillance program that tracks
Americans’ social media posts —  including ones about planned right-wing
protests, a report revealed Thursday.

The so-called Internet Covert Operations Program enlists the law enforcement
arm of the USPS to hunt down “inflammatory” posts — made by groups ranging
from the Proud Boys to demonstrators protesting coronavirus lockdowns,
according to documents obtained by Yahoo News.

Posts deemed threatening are then sent to federal, state and local law enforcement
agencies to be monitored, the outlet reported.

“Locations and times have been identified for these protests, which are being distributed
online across multiple social media platforms, to include right-wing leaning Parler and
Telegram accounts,”  says a government bulletin, marked as law enforcement-sensitive
on March 16. “No intelligence is available to suggest the legitimacy of these threats.”





Rachel Levinson-Waldman is deputy director of the
Brennan Center for Justice’s liberty and national security program.




The warning —  sent from the US Postal Service to the Department of
Homeland Security — was in reference to the World Wide Rally for Freedom
and Democracy planned by Q-Anon-linked groups in Washington, DC, on March 20.

Civil liberties and privacy experts were alarmed by the government surveillance
effort, calling it “bizarre” and “concerning,” according to the report.

“It’s not at all clear why their mandate would include monitoring of social media
that’s unrelated to use of the postal system,” said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, deputy
director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s liberty and national security program.

“If the individuals they’re monitoring are carrying out or planning criminal activity,
that should be the purview of the FBI,” she told the outlet. “If they’re simply engaging
in lawfully protected speech, even if it’s odious or objectionable, then monitoring them
on that basis raises serious constitutional concerns.”

University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone, appointed by President Barack Obama
to review National Security Agency data, said it’s a “mystery” why the mail agency would
be tasked with rooting out problematic protesters.




University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone called the notion of the
USPS monitoring national security threats by protesters “puzzling.”
University of Chicago


“I just don’t think the Postal Service has the degree of sophistication that you would
want if you were dealing with national security issues of this sort,” he said.
“That part is puzzling.”

“There are so many other federal agencies that could do this … you’ve got FBI,
Homeland Security and so on, so I don’t know why the post office is doing this,” he said.




The USPS reportedly helps monitor posts by groups such as the Proud Boys,
or demonstrators protesting coronavirus lockdowns that could be considered “inflammatory.”
Spencer Platt/Getty Images



The effort by government branches to monitor Americans’ social media posts has for
months been hotly debated. Posts on Facebook and Parler have allowed law enforcement
to track down and arrest rioters who breached the US Capitol building on Jan. 6 — but the
method has sparked concerns about the surveillance of free speech and peaceful protests.

The US Postal Service did not respond to questions about the social media tracking effort
sent by Yahoo News.



In a statement, the US Postal Service confirmed the existence of the
Internet Covert Operations Program.
Scott Olson/Getty Images



Instead, it sent a general statement about the program, noting it is set up to assess
threats to its own employees.

“The Internet Covert Operations Program is a function within the U.S. Postal Inspection Service,
which assesses threats to Postal Service employees and its infrastructure by monitoring publicly
available open source information,” the statement said.




The US Postal Service is reportedly covertly tracking “inflammatory” social media posts.
Alamy Stock Photo; Illustration



“Additionally, the Inspection Service collaborates with federal, state, and local law
enforcement agencies to proactively identify and assess potential threats to the Postal Service,
its employees and customers, and its overall mail processing and transportation network.
In order to preserve operational effectiveness, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service does not
discuss its protocols, investigative methods, or tools.”