Federal Agents Are Secretly Monitoring Americans’ Financial Transactions So Cops Can Arrest People They Find Suspicious
"If we can't meaningfully review and evaluate these systems, we can't trust them." The post Federal Agents Are Secretly Monitoring Americans’ Financial Transactions So Cops Can Arrest People They Find Suspicious appeared first on Futurism .
A new approach in the surveillance state involves secretive monitoring of Americans' financial transactions. According to 404 Media, secretive "predictive policing" units within the US Border Patrol analyze citizens' financial activities to identify potential criminal behavior without direct evidence. This controversial practice, known as predictive policing, has escalated to the point of targeting everyday individuals based on patterns in their financial data.
The Border Patrol units involved in this initiative are called Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams (PITT), which forward their findings to local law enforcement for follow-up actions.
In one instance, a man named Kyle William Olson was pulled over by local police after a PITT unit informed them of his financial activity patterns linked to illicit narcotics. Despite being initially stopped for an issue with his license plate, Olson was subsequently charged with a DUI and intent to distribute narcotics. He explained that the cannabis products in his car were legally obtained from a farm in California where he worked.
A memorandum of investigation revealed that a Border Patrol agent assigned to a PITT team in Spokane, Washington, observed "financial activity patterns commonly associated with illicit narcotics activity" during their investigation of Olson.
Critics argue that PITT is exploiting predictive techniques to unlawfully apprehend Americans. Jake Laperruque, deputy director of the Security and Surveillance Project at the Center For Democracy and Technology, stated that genuine probable cause cannot be fabricated synthetically. The Border Patrol, according to Laperruque, is using parallel construction to cloak the actual reason behind its car stops in secrecy, making it impossible for citizens to review and evaluate these systems.
The agency declined to disclose its specific methods, sources of information, or other details, citing operational security concerns.
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