The United States Postal Services has been quietly monitoring Americans’ social media posts, including posts about planned protests. At least some of that specifically targeted “right-leaning accounts.”
The surveillance program, known as the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP), centers around hired analysts who review social media accounts for “inflammatory” posts to share across government agencies, Yahoo News reported.
“Analysts with the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP) monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021,” read a March 16 government bulletin, marked as “law enforcement sensitive” and forwarded to the Department of Homeland security. “Locations and times have been identified for these protests, which are being distributed online across multiple social media platforms, to include right-wing leaning Parler and Telegram accounts.”
The concern intensified when rumors spread that groups would gather in cities across the world to protest various issues like lockdown measures and the rise of 5G.
“Parler users have commented about their intent to use the rallies to engage in violence. Image 3 on the right is a screenshot from Parler indicating two users discussing the event as an opportunity to engage in a ‘fight’ and to ‘do serious damage,’” the bulletin said.
“No intelligence is available to suggest the legitimacy of these threats,” it further noted.
The iCOP bulletin included screenshots of social media posts from Facebook, Twitter, and Parler. An alleged Proud Boy was mentioned by name, as well as several individuals whose posts did not appear threatening.
“iCOP analysts are currently monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests and will disseminate intelligence updates as needed,” the bulletin concluded.
Legal scholars were concerned about the constitutional impacts of the program.
“If the individuals they’re monitoring are carrying out or planning criminal activity, that should be the purview of the FBI,” said Rachel Levinson-Waldman, Deputy Director of the Brennan Center for Justice’s Liberty and National Security Program. “If they’re simply engaging in lawfully protected speech, even if it’s odious or objectionable, then monitoring them on that basis raises serious constitutional concerns.”
Meanwhile, the USPS defended the program.
“The U.S. Postal Inspection Service is the primary law enforcement, crime prevention, and security arm of the U.S. Postal Service,” a statement toYahoo News said. “As such, the U.S. Postal Inspection Service has federal law enforcement officers, Postal Inspectors, who enforce approximately 200 federal laws to achieve the agency’s mission: protect the U.S. Postal Service and its employees, infrastructure, and customers; enforce the laws that defend the nation’s mail system from illegal or dangerous use, and ensure public trust in the mail.”
“The Internet Covert Operations Program is a function within the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, which assesses threats to Postal Service employees and its infrastructure by monitoring publicly available open source information,” the statement added.
The postal service declined to discuss the “protocols, investigative methods, or tools” at use.
Conservatives are under attack: Contact the USPS at 1-800-ASK-USPS (800-275-8777) demand that it not target conservatives. If you have been censored, contact us at the Media Research Center contact form, and help us hold Big Tech accountable.
No wonder that they run in the red and the mail takes longer to get delivered than it did when I was a kid in the 1950’s. Maybe they should just stick to handling mail and leave the spying to the Russians and Cinese.
Never Forget The USPS Ad:
”We (Don’t) Deliver For You”
You forgot odumbo spying on the Trump campaign!
like we don’t have enough security agencies already
Imagine that. The same people who were entrusted to deliver your mail in votes.
No wonder, they can’t deliver mail to the correct addresses and delivery is so slow! They been too busy being the communist spies for the communist controlled democrats!
I worked at a processing plant from 2013 to 2019 and I have a hard time believing that the Post Office has enough time to conduct this type of activity. The postal inspectors and management are too busy trying to monitor hours and if workers are stealing from the company since about 50%+ of the workforce they hire is completly crap. They also dont have any money to be investing into a surviellence program because they dont have any money. The place is about as broke as watching the National Debt Counter.
If only they were competent enough to not have lost my 400$ AK-74 trunnion I sold on Gunbroker and had to refund.
I paid for an overnight shipment and it didn’t arrive at it’s destination until two weeks later…Would the USPS re-reimburse me for the outrageous fee they charge for their over-night shipping service…NO they did not…I had to chalk it up as a bad USPS experience w/a waste of my monies.
I recently sent a package overnight. It was delivered late. The USPS refunded me the full amount. I did have to fill out a form to claim the money. Perhaps your local post office is the problem.
WOW!
Talk about fearmongering…
Propaganda 101, the best way to control someone is with fear!
Just look at these responses. Right Wing propaganda is working well on the followers..
WOW!
Talk about idiotic koolaid drinking!
You are so controlled by the socialist Neo-fascists, what were YOU so afraid of?
Neo-fascist propaganda at work very well in you!
Don’t you understand why the USPS needs increased funding and higher rates so they can deliver mail less frequently. What an epiphany! Pretty soon it’ll be illegal to send love letters and mandatory that all bills be paid through their system
I can see a place for such survielence by law enforcement, but only after a sitting judge has approved it.as they will recognize, and quash, anti-political activity. To let them do this, or control it without supervision only means it will be abused.
I think it would be appropriate if the United States Postal Inspection Service changed their name to “The United States Postal Inspection Secret Service”. Then their acronym would be “US PISS”!
I don’t like the idea of the surveillance state since it keeps failing to stop actual shooters, but I find it difficult to believe that the postal service is monitoring electronic
communications of any type. If they are, which I doubt, I would like to find out who authorized the action which is far removed from their legal area of responsibilities.
This is more than stretching a responsibility! It is Unconstitutional spying on the privacy of Americans. This is NOT cool! I have a very good relationship with my mail carrier, to the point I think of him as a good friend. But, the USPS service has degraded over the past 10 years, or so! And it’s no wonder they are in the “RED” so often, because of new equipment and now, surprisingly invasive services for other Government Agencies! Whatever happened to “Not rain, nor snow, nor dark of night will keep us from our appointed rounds? So, who “appointed” them to spy on US Citizens???
Post office can’t deliver mail, what makes anyone think they can spy! They should concentrate on spying on the post office itself. I hauled many loads for them what I saw at post offices made me pissed.
No wonder it takes seven days to go 30 miles away!
Just another government crap agency infringing on patriotic Americans, while the Burn, Loot, and Murder terorists skate away with zero accountability for their illegal actions!
Is it time for Civil War II yet?
Just wait until the Weather Service institutes it’s law enforcement division. Then there’s the NHI with Fsuci as czar, and the Census Bureau Police, as they are all extolling “we have the authority to grant authority “. Circle jerk bullshit.