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Inside Amazon’s Aggressive Push To Get Cops Using AI Surveillance

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Reposted by Ivey Dyson

Thomas Brewster @thomasbrewster.bsky.social · 8d

🚨NEW🚨 Amazon has been developing drone surveillance tech for American cops, from gun detection to repurposing Twitch's streaming code.

It's also pushing all manner of surveillance tools, including Flock car tracking and AI that constantly monitors all prison calls.

www.forbes.com/sites/thomas...

Inside Amazon’s Aggressive Push To Get Cops Using AI

www.forbes.com

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Reposted by Ivey Dyson

Matthew Guariglia @mguariglia.bsky.social · 13d

I spent the week at the police surveillance convention and let me tell you my biggest observation: The name of the game now is consolidating as much information as humanely possible from surveillance devices, the internet, other governmental data, and literally a million other places. 🧵

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Brennan Center @brennancenter.org · 20d

States and cities can’t block legitimate federal operations, but they do have the power to decide whether and how they collaborate with federal law enforcement.

Federalism as a Check on Abuses by Federal Law Enforcement

States and cities have the power to decide whether and how their police departments collaborate with federal law enforcement.

Airlines Sell 5 Billion Plane Ticket Records to the Government For Warrantless Searching

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Reposted by Ivey Dyson

Spencer Reynolds @sreynolds.bsky.social · 23d

NEW: Internal report reveals DHS intelligence portal was accidentally opened to tens of thousands of users for months, exposing sensitive intel about Americans. @brennancenter.org obtained the docs. @wired.com has the story. 🧵

www.wired.com/story/a-dhs-...

www.wired.com

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Emile Ayoub @emileayoub.bsky.social · 23d

🧵 NEW from 404 Media: ARC, a data broker owned by major US airlines, including American Airlines, United, and Delta, is selling access to 5 billion ticketing records to the government (incl. ICE and FBI), which can be used for warrantless searching and monitoring of peoples’ movements. 1/

Joseph Cox @josephcox.bsky.social · 24d

New from 404 Media: airlines are selling *5 billion* ticketing records to the government for warrantless searching, per new docs we obtained. ARC is a data broker owned by United, American, Delta, etc. Then sells peoples' travel info to ICE, Secret Service, FBI etc www.404media.co/airlines-sel...

New documents obtained by 404 Media show how a data broker owned by American Airlines, United, Delta, and many other airlines is selling masses of passenger data to the U.S. government.

www.404media.co

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Reposted by Ivey Dyson

Joseph Nunn @josephanunn.bsky.social · Sep 2

THREAD: This morning, U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled that President Trump's use of National Guardsmen and Marines to support federal law enforcement in and around Los Angeles violated the Posse Comitatus Act. (1/22) www.cbsnews.com/news/judge-t...

Judge rules Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles violated federal law

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer ruled in favor of California Gov. Gavin Newsom in his challenge to President Trump's deployment of troops to Los Angeles.

www.cbsnews.com

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Reposted by Ivey Dyson

Rachel Levinson-Waldman @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social · Aug 21

Back in April, U.S. Citizenship & Immigration Services (USCIS) announced that it was going to begin looking for "antisemitic activity" in the social media of applicants for a range of immigration benefits, including foreign students and most green card applicants. www.uscis.gov/newsroom/new...

DHS to Begin Screening Aliens’ Social Media Activity for Antisemitism | USCIS

Today U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will begin considering aliens’ antisemitic activity on social media and the physical harassment of Jewish individuals as grounds for denying imm...

www.uscis.gov

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Reposted by Ivey Dyson

Rachel Levinson-Waldman @rlevinsonwaldman.bsky.social · Jun 18

I have so much to say about this and no time to say it... www.politico.com/news/2025/06...

State Department unveils social media screening rules for all student visa applicants

Applicants will be vetted for “any indications of hostility towards the citizens, culture, government, institutions or founding principles of the United States.”

www.politico.com

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Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

New Yorkers need a strong IG to ensure that the police keep us safe while respecting our rights. Mayor Adams should commit to reviving the NYPD Inspector General. And mayoral candidates should prepare to do the same.

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

The letter ends with the Comptroller and Public Advocate asking the Mayor’s office a set of critical questions about funding and staffing issues facing the IG and offering up some ideas for reform.

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

The IG was established to answer that question. As the Comptroller & Public Advocate’s letter states, “the independence and strength of this oversight function are essential to building public trust and ensuring accountability in policing.” But this mission fails without proper support.

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

If the NYPD is willing to undermine its compliance with the POST Act, especially when it worked side by side with advocates and City Council on the new reporting bills, what other problematic practices is it undertaking that may not show up in the news?

NYPD Bypassed Facial Recognition Ban to ID Pro-Palestinian Student Protester

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

It goes against the spirit of the POST Act for other agencies to secretly conduct surveillance for the NYPD that the department would be prohibited from doing on its own. And a judge found that the use of facial recognition in this case goes against NYPD policy.

www.nyc.gov

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Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

But last month, litigation revealed that the NYPD was able to sidestep the POST Act by relying on the fire department’s access to Clearview, a facial recognition app that the NYPD has banned its officers from using, to identify a protestor.

Barred from using Clearview AI, NYC police relied on a marshal in the fire department to run a search that turned up photos of the student at his high school graduation.

www.thecity.nyc

City Council Passes Expanded POST Act Legislative Package to Strengthen Transparency and Oversight of NYPD Surveillance Technology

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

Bills passed earlier this year to strengthen the Act were meant to close loopholes identified by the IG that allowed the police to evade robust oversight.

New York City Council

council.nyc.gov

The Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act: A Resource Page

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

One of its most important roles is overseeing the NYPD’s compliance with the POST Act, which requires the department to disclose its use of surveillance technologies and develop use policies.

This resource page is intended to provide journalists, policy-makers, and the public information about the Public Oversight of Surveillance Technology (POST) Act.

NYPD Rolls Out New Use-of-Force Rules

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

A functioning NYPD IG is critical. In its early years, the office produced important reports on policing issues affecting the civil liberties of New Yorkers. Its investigation on use-of-force reporting led to better tracking of incidents w/in the NYPD.

With police officers around the nation facing increased scrutiny over excessive force, the New York Police Department laid out new guidelines for physical encounters with the public, as well as a new ...

www.wsj.com

The New York City Council - File #: Int 1020-2024

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

In July, City Council passed a bill by @galeabrewer.bsky.social ‪to provide more transparency into the IG’s operations, including any NYPD interference and delayed reporting. But the IG won’t need to start disclosing that information until next year.

Title: A Local Law to amend the New York city charter, in relation to reporting on investigations relating to the police department

legistar.council.nyc.gov

Reviving the NYPD Inspector General

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

This isn’t the first time the IG has faced difficulties. A Brennan Center investigation revealed how stonewalling by the police department, a lack of leadership, and threats to its influence and autonomy have slowly eroded the IG’s capabilities.

The office needs more resources, access, and autonomy to carry out its critical oversight duties.

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

Despite these issues, DOI is now looking to hire a “Co-Inspector General.” The “why” is unclear, but the letter claims that a “dual-leadership” structure wasn’t contemplated when the IG was established.

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

Funding is a likely contributor. The letter argues that decisions by the Mayor’s office and the Department of Investigation (or DOI, within which the IG sits) have resulted in steep budget cuts far beyond those faced by the DOI more broadly.

Ivey Dyson @iveydyson.bsky.social · Aug 21

According to the letter, the IG is facing its lowest staffing level on record with only three positions filled, down from its 2017 peak staffing level of 37. And the office published the results of only one independently initiated investigation last year.