Name: The Postal Service is watching social media for security threats, and no one seems to know why
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The Postal Service is watching social media for security threats, and no one seems to know why

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advertisementadvertisementA new report says the U.S. Postal Service has run a secret surveillance program targeting protestors on social media, and its reasons have no apparent connection to delivering the mail.advertisementadvertisement, longtime investigative journalist Jana Winter uncovered a document from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service describing an “Internet Covert Operations Program.” The program’s purpose has been to monitor social media for potential security threats and share information with other agencies, and it appears to have targeted right-wing conspiracy groups in particular.In a , the agency describes “inflammatory material” circulating on Telegram and the right-wing social media platform Parler, warning that “potential violence may occur” during protests on March 20. As The Washington Post , members of QAnon conspiracy groups had been promoting a “World Wide Rally For Freedom” to protest pandemic restrictions on that date.The postal service bulletin said the agency was “monitoring these social media channels for any potential threats stemming from the scheduled protests and will disseminate intelligence updates as needed.”advertisementadvertisementWhile the and have a long history of using social media as a surveillance tool, it’s unclear why the Postal Service is doing the same, especially for activity that doesn’t seem to involve the postal system.But as The Washington Post (), the U.S. Postal Inspection Service is actually the country’s first federal law enforcement agency, having been established in 1775, and it enjoys broad authority to investigate crimes, even when they’re only tangentially related to the mail. Last year, for instance, the agency was involved in for allegedly funneling money from a fraudulent border wall crowdfunding campaign.In this case, the Postal Service didn’t deny Winter’s reporting, sending her a statement suggesting that social media surveillance is just part of its job to make the mail run smoothly.advertisement“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 said.advertisementadvertisementadvertisementadvertisementadvertisement

advertisementadvertisementA new report says the U.S. Postal Service has run a secret surveillance program targeting protestors on social media, and its reasons have no apparent connection to delivering the mail.advertisementadvertisement, longtime investigative journalist Jana Winter uncovered a document from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service describing an “Internet Covert Operations Program.” The program’s purpose has been to monitor social media for potential security threats and share information with other agencies, and it appears to have targeted right-wing conspiracy groups in...

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Jared Newman covers apps and technology from his remote Cincinnati outpost. He also writes two newsletters, cord cutter weekly and advisorator.

https://www.fastcompany.com/user/jared-newman

Jared Newman

Fast Company is a monthly American business magazine published in print and online that focuses on technology, business, and design. It publishes eight print issues per year. Fast Company was launched in November 1995 by Alan Webber and Bill Taylor, two former Harvard Business Review editors, and publisher Mortimer Zuckerman.

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The Postal Service is watching social media for security threats, and no one seems to know why

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