DefectTechTimes – “The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has quietly signed a new $5.7 million deal to use advanced artificial intelligence (AI) software for social media surveillance. Federal records show that ICE will now have access to a system called Zignal Labs, a platform that can analyze more than 8 billion online posts every day. In September, the government technology supplier Carahsoft Technology arranged a five-year contract that gives ICE’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) unit the ability to track, analyze, and respond to online conversations in real time. Officials say the agency will use it to assist with criminal investigations, but privacy experts worry ICE may also use the system for social media surveillance targeting political speech and personal opinions.

Zignal Labs claims its AI system can automatically detect online “threats” and trends by scanning massive amounts of digital content from platforms such as X (formerly Twitter), Facebook, and other public sites. The company advertises its technology as a way for law enforcement and defense agencies to “respond with greater clarity and speed.” However, civil liberty groups are raising red flags. They argue that the government’s growing use of AI for social media surveillance may violate people’s right to privacy and free expression, especially when it targets immigrants and activists…ICE already relies on several digital surveillance tools, such as ShadowDragon, which maps online activities, and Babel X, which connects social media profiles with personal data like locations and Social Security numbers. With Zignal Labs, ICE can now analyze more online data than ever, expanding its social media surveillance network..”