Border Patrol's Secretive 'Predictive Policing' Unit Analyzes Americans' Financial Data to Pull Them Over
DHS 'Predictive Policing' Unit Is Analyzing Americans' Financial Habits
404 Media has uncovered a secretive Department of Homeland Security program called Predictive Intelligence Targeting Teams (PITT), which analyzes Americans' financial activity and other data to flag potential drug traffickers. In one case, a Montana man was pulled over for an obstructed license plate—a pretext—after Border Patrol flagged his financial patterns. The program, which also uses license plate readers, raises concerns about warrantless surveillance and parallel construction, with experts warning it undermines probable cause.
The government's increasing use of mass surveillance — whether that surveillance comes via ALPRs, financial records, or the like — coupled with predictive policing is a recipe for tyranny.
- scarecrowbob
I understand that folks here think that the general anti-AI sentiments that can be found in some of US culture are often misguided.
It's likely projection on my part but I have a deep suspicion that people understand that mass surveillance by the state is the main use case for all these LLMs, camera systems, and increasing large data centers.
That certainly is my own worry, at least.
- Animats
Interstate transportation of marijuana is illegal in the US.[1]
But why is DHS doing this? Stopping interstate drug trafficking is DEA's job, and DEA is in the Justice Department, not Homeland Security. Homeland Security should be looking for illegal aliens and labor contractors who move them.
[1] https://federal-criminal.com/drugs/marijuana-cross-border-tr...
- someothherguyy
> Putting one of those participant’s phone numbers into WhatsApp reveals a profile picture of a law enforcement patch. A pawn with wings sits in the center, surrounded by lightning bolts. The patch reads, “Laredo Sector Tech Ops PITT,” indicating there is also a Predictive Intelligence Targeting Team in the Laredo Sector.
https://www.aviatorgear.com/p-52057-laredo-sector-tech-ops-p...
- m4ck_
I get the vibe they're using ALPRs to identify drivers, and then going from there to find crime? Seems like criminal investigations should start with an actual crime. At the minimum, I would think that there would need to be some suspicion of criminal involvement to obtain a warrant to get financial records. Apparently this administration considers driving down the interstate suspicious enough to toss the constitution out the window.
- theahura
Sci-Fi Author: In my book I invented the Torment Nexus as a cautionary tale.
Tech Company: At long last, we have created the Torment Nexus from classic sci-fi novel Don't Create The Torment Nexus.
- miohtama
The violation of privacy and government breaking the social contract is why we must keep developing encryption and cryptocurrencies.
- sfdlkj3jk342a
And that's why need to keep using cash and non-KYC'd crypto.
- Triphibian
This tells me you should always pay cash if you are having a beer.