Oops — Did Police Accidentally Reveal Unconstitutional Surveillance When They Tweeted a Screenshot?

The ACLU is expressing concern about unwarranted police surveillance of liberal and left-leaning organizations in Massachusetts:

https://www.aclu.org/blog/free-spee...dentally-reveal-unconstitutional-surveillance

From the article:

"The bookmarks bar on the Massachusetts State Police computer appeared to link to certain progressive organizing and activist groups in Central Massachusetts. What was meant as an innocent enough disaster response tweet had become damning evidence that law enforcement in Massachusetts continues to engage in questionable surveillance of left-leaning political organizers."

How much freedom and privacy are people willing to sacrifice for the dubious, resource-draining and generally ineffective *benefit* of combating highly unlikely terrorist incidents, particularly when these efforts are aimed in what may well be a viciously partisan direction?

Will we watch as our neighbors are silenced, and only care when our voice inevitably follows?

Or is this simply much liberal-friendly ado about nothing?

 

Freedom and privacy are in question over websites anyone can access?

 

What's all the fuss is about. It's a public site. Everybody and their dog can view it.

 

This is the entirety of this issue. There is no additional evidence.

If you can see, in the bookmarks they have some progressive websites.

That's it.

"unconstitutional surveillance"

This smells of a political hit job to kick start Democratic turnout in New England. The ACLU has been a puppet of the left since Charlottesville.

Expect a lot of nonsense close to the midterms. Don't trust news you see from either side.

 

The question would be why these websites; why this scrutiny and not scrutiny on other/additional groups?

 

Why these sites and not others?

 

Why I like this site but not some other sites?

 

The ACLU beclowns itself again. embarrassing that they call themselves lawyers.

 

This selective anger of "abuse of rights" is amusing from my point of view.

 

Why do police surveil X and not Y? The basic logic is that X has reason for attention to be paid and Y does not. I think most would agree that where there is political activism there is a chance (an increasing chance) for political violence. Certainly rhetoric such as "resist", "kick them", "bash the fash", "punch a nazi", "dont be civil", "get in their face", and so on, raises tension. I see justification in a need for police to stay on top of activism because so often activism involves marches or rallies or protests or other public gatherings where violence can break out. If they know where these thins are going to take place then they can be prepared to keep the peace.

 

Which ones would you suggest?

 

Uhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...

No.

 

Non-responsive to the topic.

 

Can you expand on this?

Thanks!

 

Why no surveillance of right wing groups?

They commit the majority of terror attacks in the US.

 

Perhaps those that may pose an actual threat; this lopsided surveillance is deeply troubling.

Today your neighbor, tomorrow you.

 

from the article:

Good.

 

I know of no scale which measures which side commits "the majority of terror attacks".

 

Why?

 

Not since the 90's.

 

what's the issue of having book marks to public websites? How does that violate the Constitution?

 

Because these are the groups that are actually causing havoc and riots as where the KKK website is pretty much dormant. Seriously, whos rioting and blocking roads and shutting down speaking events in the past 2 years? Do you want the cops looking into the possibility of a French revolution or to keep up with current events?

 

Is that true in that area? Its the local PD, not the FBI.

 

The original screenshot came from one specific computer.

There is no evidence to prove that a different team, or individual, isn't tasked to monitor the public statements of questionable right-wing groups.

 

Probably like if they have a special victims unit, they would bookmark some other sites, like Hollywood_express.com