The law enforcement arm of the U.S. Postal Service has been running a program called iCOP or “Internet Covert Operations Program” that tracks and collects Americans’ social media posts.
A recent report from Yahoo News alleges that the law enforcement division of the U.S. Postal Service has been quietly running a program that tracks and collects American’s social media posts including those related to protests and other gatherings.
The surveillance effort, known as iCOP, or Internet Covert Operations Program, has not been made public until now. The program involves analysts searching through social media sites to look for “inflammatory” postings, according to internal documents. This information is then shared across government agencies.
A March 16 government bulletin, marked as “law enforcement sensitive” and distributed through the Department of Homeland Security’s fusion centers states:
