A group of more than a dozen Democratic lawmakers have demanded the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) provide its definition of \u201cdomestic terrorist,\u201d after the agency labelled U.S. citizens Ren\u00e9e Good and Alex Pretti, which DHS officers killed, as such. The move also comes as DHS and its various components purchase and deploy a wide range of surveillance technologies and demand sensitive information from tech companies to unmask people criticizing ICE.\u201cYou and your underlings appear to be labeling untold numbers of people as \u2018domestic terrorists\u2019 or individuals of concern at will without evidence, operating wildly invasive spy tools to identify targets\u2014and then using such labels as an excuse for yet more surveillance,\u201d the letter, addressed to DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, reads. The office of Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), ranking member of the Committee on Homeland Security, shared a copy of the letter with 404 Media.\u201cThis self-reinforcing spiral of civil liberties violations ratchets in only one direction: toward an authoritarian surveillance state that punishes dissent and inflicts state violence,\u201d the letter adds.\ud83d\udca1Do you work at DHS? I would love to hear from you. Using a non-work device, you can message me securely on Signal at joseph.404 or send me an email at joseph@404media.co.It then points to a long list of media reports, including 404 Media\u2019s, about DHS\u2019s increasing use of surveillance technologies and powers. Those include how DHS shared a memo with employees in Minneapolis telling them to capture images, license plates, and other information about protestors \u201cso we can capture it all in one consolidated form\u201d; 404 Media\u2019s revelation that Palantir is working on a tool called ELITE for ICE that provides a confidence score on targets\u2019 addresses; ICE\u2019s purchase of smartphone location data; how ICE agents told legal observers they were identifying them with facial recognition technology; and several more examples.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe Department\u2019s opaque, mass expansion of spy tools and framing of protesters, photographers, political opponents, and passersby as enemies of the state leans into people\u2019s worst fears of a surveillance state. Your weaponization of DHS undercuts decades of effort to develop a Department that responsibly balances security with privacy and civil liberties protections and transparency,\u201d the letter reads.\u00a0\u00a0It then includes a list of demands for information from DHS. Many of them are about the legal regime behind those surveillance powers, and the technical infrastructure and policies related to them. One asks DHS for \u201cDocumentation of the Department\u2019s definition of the term \u2018domestic terrorist,\u2019 a copy of the policies in place that permit Departmental designations of United States persons as a \u2018domestic terrorist,\u2019 and a description of the consequences of such a designation.\u201d\u201cYour actions are abhorrent, blatantly unconstitutional, and corrosive to the functioning of a peaceful society. They cannot stand. Accountability is coming,\u201d the letter adds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"