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Posted on 08/03/2026 6:51:21 PM PDT by E. Pluribus Unum
Agency says its surveillance program searches for threats to agents, but critics see free-speech infringements
Tired_Thumb is far from alone.
In recent months, ICE has deployed a round-the-clock digital dragnet to scour the public internet—from Facebook to Instagram to X—for speech that could endanger the agency’s mission. The government has paid millions to private contractors to surface everything from potential threats to agents to activities that could disrupt ICE’s operations, according to federal documents, contractors and former Homeland Security Investigations agents.
The program has ensnared U.S. citizens and activist groups that alert community members about ICE activity. Contractors prepare daily reports and dossiers on threat actors, identifying the poster’s name, location, date of birth, workplace, Social Security number, vehicle registration and criminal history when possible.
To unmask anonymous online critics, DHS has sent hundreds of subpoenas to social-media companies, according to people familiar with the matter. Its agents have tracked down Americans at work and on the road, asking them to sign letters acknowledging their online speech about ICE “may” be a crime.
DHS says it is trying to protect its agents and their families from “coordinated campaigns of violence” that have fueled an 8,000% increase in death threats since Trump took office.
But civil-rights lawyers and former DHS staffers say the approach has swept up people expressing opinions that are protected by the First Amendment.
“As far as I can tell, all of this is about people saying naughty things about ICE and immigration enforcement,” said Lauren Regan, a civil-rights attorney who has represented multiple people investigated by the government over their online speech, including Tired_Thumb. “Nothing that comes close to true threats.”
An agency spokesperson said that ICE’s investigative methods abide by the Constitution and respects civil liberties and privacy interests. “Any allegation DHS and ICE are attempting to...”
(Excerpt) Read more at wsj.com ...
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How ICE Is Weaponizing Social Media Against Its Critics (Wall Street Journal, by Hannah Critchfield and Shane Shifflett)
The article centers on U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expanding a large-scale social media monitoring program that critics argue targets protected speech and creates a chilling effect on criticism of the agency.
The Case of Reddit User “Tired_Thumb”
It opens with the example of the anonymous Reddit account Tired_Thumb. Between January and mid-February, the user posted 116 comments across about 40 subreddits on everyday topics (fireplace tiling, folk punk, etc.). Three posts criticized immigration agents, including comments related to an ICE agent involved in a fatal shooting of a protester and a suggestion of a protest slogan drawn from a folk-punk song title. By March the account holder was involved in a constitutional legal battle after DHS/ICE sought to unmask the user via legal process directed at Reddit. Related reporting indicates the posts involved publicly circulating biographical details of an agent and non-violent critical remarks; the government has reportedly struggled to identify any that fall outside First Amendment protection.
Scope of the Surveillance Program
ICE has deployed a round-the-clock “digital dragnet” monitoring public content across Facebook, Instagram, X, and other platforms for speech that could endanger agents or disrupt operations. The government has paid millions to private contractors for this work. Contractors produce daily reports and detailed dossiers on “threat actors.” These can include a poster’s name, location, date of birth, workplace, Social Security number, vehicle registration, and criminal history when available. The program has swept up U.S. citizens and activist groups that share alerts about ICE activity in communities. DHS has issued hundreds of administrative subpoenas (under authorities such as 19 U.S.C. § 1509) to social-media companies seeking identifying information on anonymous or pseudonymous accounts critical of ICE or that report on its operations. Agents have then located people at work or while traveling and asked them to sign letters acknowledging that their online speech about ICE “may” be a crime.
Official Justification vs. Critics’ View
ICE/DHS frames the effort as necessary to identify threats to agents and activities that could interfere with the agency’s mission, citing increases in doxing and threats. Critics, including free-speech advocates and civil-liberties groups, contend it infringes on First Amendment rights by treating political criticism, documentation of public official activity, and community alerts as potential threats. They argue the dragnet ensnares ordinary speech, builds extensive personal dossiers, and uses administrative subpoenas (which do not require prior judicial approval) in ways that chill anonymous criticism of government. The article portrays this as part of a broader intensification of ICE’s online intelligence and enforcement posture, with contractors and internal processes systematically converting public posts into investigative leads and personal profiles. Related contemporaneous reporting confirms the use of contractors for 24/7 monitoring, AI-assisted tools for analyzing vast volumes of posts, compilation of detailed dossiers, and hundreds of subpoenas to platforms including Reddit, Meta, Google, and Discord targeting critics and trackers of ICE activity. In short, the piece documents how a stated threat-protection program has expanded into systematic surveillance and identification of online critics, raising significant free-speech concerns while ICE maintains it is focused on genuine dangers to its personnel and operations.
review
Sorry that ain't harmless fun. Doxxers getting doxed is.
“Doxxers getting doxed is.”
Now do ManDamni....
In recent months, President Gavin Newsome’s Justice Department and FBI has deployed a round-the-clock digital dragnet to scour the public internet—from Facebook to Instagram to X—for speech that could endanger these agencies’ missions. The government has paid millions to private contractors to surface everything from potential threats to agents to activities that could disrupt the DOJ and FBI’s operations, according to federal documents, contractors and former Homeland Security Investigations agents.
The program has ensnared U.S. citizens and activist groups that alert community members about the DOJ and FBI’s activity. Contractors prepare daily reports and dossiers on threat actors, identifying the poster’s name, location, date of birth, workplace, Social Security number, vehicle registration and criminal history when possible.
To unmask anonymous online critics, DHS has sent hundreds of subpoenas to social-media companies, according to people familiar with the matter. Its agents have tracked down Americans at work and on the road, asking them to sign letters acknowledging their online speech about the FBI and DOJ “may” be a crime.
DHS says it is trying to protect its agents and their families from “coordinated campaigns of violence” that have fueled an alleged 8,000% increase in death threats since Newsome took office.
I’m sick of giving the Left a monopoly on violence while thousands of non-violent people on our side ended up in DC Central. So, as far as I’m concerned, this is just a bit of leveling the playing field.
“ The program has ensnared U.S. citizens and activist groups that alert community members about ICE activity.”
This is called “aiding and abetting” and it’s a felony.
L
Here is one area we’re President Trump is doing a great job.
I suspect Hanna and Shane are TDS butthurt liberal Democrats.
Only conservatives weaponize things.
In spying on Americans?
Umm, don’t post stupid sh1t online for everyone to read and see.
There. Fixed it.
LEFTISTS ARE NOT AMERICANS
Exactly. Only clowns write twaddle like this
The WSJ is completely gone now. I remember when it more or less on our side.
Why didn’t you just point to how Obama and Joe used all of social media, main stream and any other media, to go after dissenting opinions and J6er’s? You didn’t need to come up with a fictitious scenario.
This is long over due.
I’m glad they are doing it.
The guy loves to post crap like this. He does it all the time from the worst of the leftist a-holes.
Reddit and tired_thumb!
What trash. I have used, for example, the /gardening sub reddit and then got spammed with totally off topic threads about how awful Trump was and ICE were monster. That’s against the rules of the sub reddit—it has to relate to gardening, and he should have been banned for it.
All I wanted to do was seek help for what was wrong with my tomatoes. This asshat insisted it was the fault of climate change because Trump. Tired_thumb needed to be banned but the Leftists on reddit gave him up votes and awards.
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