Secretive DHS 'Predictive Policing' Unit Is Analyzing Americans' Financial Habits, Pulling Them Over
An anonymous reader quotes a report from 404 Media: Border Patrol is running secretive predictive policing units that analyze Americans' financial activity and other data, then feed that intelligence to local police who pull people over who are not suspected of any specific crime, but which the government thinks may be worth searching, 404 Media has found. The units, the name of which 404 Media…
Border Patrol's secretive predictive policing units are scrutinizing Americans' financial behaviors and other data, subsequently providing intelligence to local law enforcement. These units, named Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams (PITT), are disclosed for the first time by 404 Media. One PITT, situated in the Spokane Sector of Washington, analyzed a man's financial activity while he was driving through Montana.
Local authorities subsequently stopped him on the pretext of an obstructed license plate and subsequently charged him with DUI. Another PITT, located in the Laredo Sector of Texas, monitors the border with Mexico. The investigation, conducted by 404 Media, echoes an earlier Associated Press report that found Border Patrol utilizing automatic license plate readers (ALPRs) as part of a comprehensive predictive policing program.
Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center For Democracy & Technology, stated that genuine probable cause cannot be artificially generated. According to the DHS document obtained by 404 Media, Border Patrol is analyzing Americans' financial activities to identify individuals to pull over.
However, the specifics of how Border Patrol monitors financial activities remain unclear. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) declined to disclose the financial data being monitored and whether a warrant was obtained. The CBP spokesperson emphasized that all these operations are conducted in alignment with applicable laws, policies, privacy protections, and oversight requirements, while maintaining operational security.
Legal experts have expressed concerns that this mass surveillance coupled with predictive policing might lead to tyranny, violating citizens' constitutional rights.
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