https://news.yahoo.com/the-pos...posts-160022919.html

The Postal Service is running a 'covert operations program' that monitors Americans' social media posts

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.

“Analysts with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021,” says the March 16 government bulletin, marked as “law enforcement sensitive” and distributed through the Department of Homeland Security’s fusion centers. “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.”

A number of groups were expected to gather in cities around the globe on March 20 as part of a World Wide Rally for Freedom and Democracy, to protest everything from lockdown measures to 5G. “Parler users have commented about their intent to use the rallies to engage in violence. Image 3 on the right is a screenshot from Parler indicating two users discussing the event as an opportunity to engage in a ‘fight’ and to ‘do serious damage,’” says the bulletin.

“No intelligence is available to suggest the legitimacy of these threats,” it adds.

The bulletin includes screenshots of posts about the protests from Facebook, Parler, Telegram and other social media sites. Individuals mentioned by name include one alleged Proud Boy and several others whose identifying details were included but whose posts did not appear to contain anything threatening.

“iCOP analysts are currently monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests and will disseminate intelligence updates as needed,” the bulletin says.

The government’s monitoring of Americans’ social media is the subject of ongoing debate inside and outside government, particularly in recent months, following a rise in domestic unrest. While posts on platforms such as Facebook and Parler have allowed law enforcement to track down and arrest rioters who assaulted the Capitol on Jan. 6, such data collection has also sparked concerns about the government surveilling peaceful protesters or those engaged in protected First Amendment activities.

When contacted by Yahoo News, civil liberties experts expressed alarm at the post office’s surveillance program. “It’s a mystery,” said University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone, whom President Barack Obama appointed to review the National Security Agency’s bulk data collection in the wake of the Edward Snowden leaks. “I don’t understand why the government would go to the Postal Service for examining the internet for security issues.”

The Postal Service has had a turbulent year, facing financial insolvency and allegations that its head, Postmaster General Louis DeJoy, who was appointed by President Donald Trump, was slowing down deliveries just as the pandemic vastly increased the number of mail-in ballots for the 2020 election. Why the post office would now move into social media surveillance, which would appear to have little to do with mail deliveries, is unclear.

“This seems a little bizarre,” agreed Rachel Levinson-Waldman, deputy director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s liberty and national security program. “Based on the very minimal information that’s available online, it appears that [iCOP] is meant to root out misuse of the postal system by online actors, which doesn’t seem to encompass what’s going on here. It’s not at all clear why their mandate would include monitoring of social media that’s unrelated to use of the postal system.”

Levinson-Waldman also questioned the legal authority of the Postal Service to monitor social media activity. “If the individuals they’re monitoring are carrying out or planning criminal activity, that should be the purview of the FBI,” she said. “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.”

The U.S. Postal Inspection Service did not respond to specific questions sent by Yahoo News about iCOP, but provided a general statement on its authorities.

“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the primary law enforcement, crime prevention, and security arm of the U.S. Postal Service,” the statement said. “As such, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has federal law enforcement officers, Postal Inspectors, who enforce approximately 200 federal laws to achieve the agency’s mission: protect the U.S. Postal Service and its employees, infrastructure, and customers; enforce the laws that defend the nation's mail system from illegal or dangerous use; and ensure public trust in the mail.”

“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.

“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.”

The Postal Service isn’t the only part of government expanding its monitoring of social media. In a background call with reporters last month, DHS officials spoke about that department’s involvement in monitoring social media for domestic terrorism threats. “We know that this threat is fueled mainly by false narratives, conspiracy theories and extremist rhetoric read through social media and other online platforms,” one of the officials said. “And that's why we're kicking off engagement directly with social media companies.”

DHS is coordinating with “civil rights and civil liberties colleagues, as well as our private colleagues, to ensure that everything we're doing is being done responsibly and in line with civil rights and civil liberties and individual privacy,” the official added.

Stone, the University of Chicago professor, questioned why the post office would be tasked with something like identifying violent protests two months after the Jan. 6 attack, which would appear to have little or nothing to do with the post office’s role in delivering mail. “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,” he added. “There are so many other federal agencies that could do this, I don’t understand why the post office would be doing it. There is no need for the post office to do it — you’ve got FBI, Homeland Security and so on, so I don’t know why the post office is doing this.”

I'm surprised I'm surprised.

ok, call me crazy if you want but I thought I heard or read a similar story just after Zippy the Putz became President

the story sounds awfully familiar

quote:

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.

How many commies have they arrested? Aren't the bulk of riots (I'm sorry, "planned protests") done by the socialist commies?

It's from Yahoo News. That alone makes all of its claims extremely suspect.

quote:

Originally posted by WaterburyBob:
It's from Yahoo News. That alone makes all of its claims extremely suspect.

I didn’t post it until reviewing the documents obtained via FOIA. Never trust something like Yahoo News.
https://www.scribd.com/documen...Post-Office-Redacted

quote:

Originally posted by dsiets:

quote:

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.

How many commies have they arrested? Aren't the bulk of riots (I'm sorry, "planned protests") done by the socialist commies?

But but but dA cApItOl!!!!! Derrrrrrr.

The Postal Inspection Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the US. They do a good job. They don't deliver mail so I don't know what the big deal is.

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:
The Postal Inspection Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the US. They do a good job. They don't deliver mail so I don't know what the big deal is.

You don't know what the big deal is with the USPS monitoring all social media posts of citizens and providing reports to other government agencies? What does that have to do with the mission of the USPS?

At the Conservative Treehouse -

U.S. Postal Service Running Covert Surveillance Operation to Monitor Social Media Posts, The Program Sounds Identical to DHS Surveillance Program

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:
The Postal Inspection Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the US. They do a good job. They don't deliver mail so I don't know what the big deal is.

You don't know what the big deal is with the USPS monitoring all social media posts of citizens and providing reports to other government agencies? What does that have to do with the mission of the USPS?

I don't believe the article is entirely accurate. Furthermore no where in the article does it state that the USPS is monitoring ALL social media posts of citizens. Although I grant you that this could be seriously abused. Also, the mission of the Inspection Service is to investigate crimes, or potential crimes. They do not deliver mail nor have they ever delivered mail.

It’s not like they are running an illegal wiretap operation or infiltrating groups with agents. It seems that they are observing publicly available information. Isn’t this benign proactive policing? Should law enforcement ignore public antifa/BLM/proud boyz posts calling for riots?

quote:

Originally posted by BamaJeepster:

quote:

Originally posted by Ogie:
The Postal Inspection Service is the oldest federal law enforcement agency in the US. They do a good job. They don't deliver mail so I don't know what the big deal is.

You don't know what the big deal is with the USPS monitoring all social media posts of citizens and providing reports to other government agencies? What does that have to do with the mission of the USPS?

Just shut down the entire USPS.
I get far better service from UPS and FedEx.
... and they don't require constant subsidies from the American taxpayer.

quote:

The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts

giving the old phrase "going postal" an entirely new meaning

quote:

Originally posted by LoungeChair:
It’s not like they are running an illegal wiretap operation or infiltrating groups with agents. It seems that they are observing publicly available information. Isn’t this benign proactive policing? Should law enforcement ignore public antifa/BLM/proud boyz posts calling for riots?

I suppose if your position is that every government agency should have it's own 'police' force with the ability to investigate any crime then it's no big deal.

Why Postal Inspectors are monitoring groups who are organizing protests is beyond me - maybe they are making sure that they don't knock down any mailboxes during their protests or something.

My opinion is that the number of these agencies with independent police forces should be seriously curtailed. I get that the PO has inspectors, but they should be limited to exactly that - investigating mail fraud and postal issues, not monitoring social media and trying to infiltrate protests.

I also get that the FBI has been completely and thoroughly compromised and actually supports and encourages groups like BLM and ANTIFA - while focusing on the dire threat posed by soccer moms and aging veterans who peacefully protest, but again that's a completely different issue and doesn't mean that other government agencies need to start acting like they are police.

Given the source, the only reason this story saw the light of day is because the USPS mentions BLM and a couple of left wing groups. If they had only monitored right wing groups there is no way in hell Yahoo would have run this story. That's a stone cold fact.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Just shut down the entire USPS.
I get far better service from UPS and FedEx.
... and they don't require constant subsidies from the American taxpayer.

I'm with you there. Going back to last Fall we've had several dozen deliveries and about half of the deliveries from the USPS have had issues. Lost, never delivered, lies on 'attempted deliveries', package for the Goodyear factory delivered to our house, the list is long and ridiculous. Complete and total incompetence - and AOC wants the USPS in the banking business!

quote:

Originally posted by LoungeChair:
It’s not like they are running an illegal wiretap operation or infiltrating groups with agents. It seems that they are observing publicly available information. Isn’t this benign proactive policing? Should law enforcement ignore public antifa/BLM/proud boyz posts calling for riots?

Oh boy.

quote:

Originally posted by LoungeChair:
It’s not like they are running an illegal wiretap operation or infiltrating groups with agents. It seems that they are observing publicly available information. Isn’t this benign proactive policing? Should law enforcement ignore public antifa/BLM/proud boyz posts calling for riots?

How about the POSTAL SERVICE focusing on doing its job? Like getting the mail delivered? One has to wonder just how many other gubbermint agencies are involved in the same type of crap?

quote:

... and they don't require constant subsidies from the American taxpayer.

The Postal Service does not use tax payer money.

Once again, the Postal Inspectors are probably doing their job although I don't trust yahoo news.

quote:

Once again, the Postal Inspectors are probably doing their job

https://about.usps.com/strateg...e%20Postal%20Service's%20mission%20is,were%20established%20in%2039%20U.S.C.

quote:

The Postal Service’s mission is to provide the nation with reliable, affordable, universal mail service.

Perhaps by "doing their job" you meant "what they were told to do by their superiors. That's likely true. But I don't see how their "job" is to do anything outside of "providing the nation with reliable, affordable, universal mail service" or how social media has anything to do with that.

quote:

Originally posted by a1abdj:

quote:

Once again, the Postal Inspectors are probably doing their job

https://about.usps.com/strateg...e%20Postal%20Service's%20mission%20is,were%20established%20in%2039%20U.S.C.

quote:

The Postal Service’s mission is to provide the nation with reliable, affordable, universal mail service.

Perhaps by "doing their job" you meant "what they were told to do by their superiors. That's likely true. But I don't see how their "job" is to do anything outside of "providing the nation with reliable, affordable, universal mail service" or how social media has anything to do with that.

Just one more time, their job is to investigate crime or potential crime, not to deliver the mail, etc.,........