!chuds in shambles
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- New documents obtained by the Select Subcommittee on the Weaponization of the Federal Government reveal that the federal government flagged terms like "MAGA" and "TRUMP" for financial institutions if Americans used those phrases when completing transactions. Individuals who shopped at stores like Cabela's or Peepee's Sporting Goods, or purchased religious texts like a bible, may also have had their transactions flagged. This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with and at the request of federal law enforcement, into Americans' private transactions is alarming and raises serious concerns about the FBI's respect for fundamental civil liberties.
In light of these revelations, Chairman Jim Jordan (R-OH) has requested transcribed interviews from Peter Sullivan, Senior Private Sector Partner for Outreach in the Strategic Partner Engagement Section of the FBI, and Noah Bishoff, former Director of the Office of Stakeholder Integration and Engagement in the Strategic Operations Division of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
Excerpts of the Letter to Noah Bishoff:
"The Committee and Select Subcommittee have obtained documents indicating that following January 6, 2021, FinCEN distributed materials to financial institutions that, among other things, outline the 'typologies' of various persons of interest and provide financial institutions with suggested search terms and Merchant Category Codes (MCCs) for identifying transactions on behalf of federal law enforcement. These materials included a document recommending the use of generic terms like 'TRUMP' and 'MAGA' to 'search Zelle payment messages' as well as a 'prior FinCEN analysis' of 'Lone Actor/Homegrown Violent Extremism Indicators.' According to this analysis, FinCEN warned financial institutions of 'extremism' indicators that include 'transportation charges, such as bus tickets, rental cars, or plane tickets, for travel to areas with no apparent purpose,' or 'the purchase of books (including religious texts) and subscriptions to other media containing extremist views.' In other words, FinCEN urged large financial institutions to comb through the private transactions of their customers for suspicious charges on the basis of protected political and religious expression.
"In addition, the Committee and Select Subcommittee have obtained documents showing that FinCEN distributed slides, prepared by a financial institution, explaining how other financial institutions can use MCC codes to detect customers whose transactions may reflect 'potential active shooters, [and] who may include dangerous International Terrorists / Domestic Terrorists / Homegrown Violent Extremists ("Lone Wolves").' For example, the slides instruct financial institutions to query for transactions using certain MCC codes such as '3484: Small Arms,' '5091: Sporting and Recreational Goods and Supplies,' and the keywords 'Cabela's,' and 'Peepee's Sporting Goods,' among several others. Despite these transactions having no apparent criminal nexus---and, in fact, relate to Americans exercising their Second Amendment rights---FinCEN seems to have adopted a characterization of these Americans as potential threat actors. This kind of pervasive financial surveillance, carried out in coordination with and at the request of federal law enforcement, into Americans' private transactions is alarming and raises serious doubts about FinCEN's respect for fundamental civil liberties.
"As the former Director of the Office of Stakeholder Integration and Engagement in the Strategic Operations Division, you engaged regularly with financial institutions following the events of January 6, 2021, including the distribution of material about how financial institutions could use private customer information to assist federal law enforcement. As such, your testimony will aid our oversight. In particular, your testimony will help to inform the Committee and Select Subcommittee about federal law enforcement's mass accumulation and use of Americans' private information without legal process; FinCEN's protocols, if any, to safeguard Americans' privacy and constitutional rights in the receipt and use of such information; and FinCEN's general engagement with the private sector on law-enforcement matters."
Read the full letter to Director Wray here.
Read the full letter to Noah Bishoff here.
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I think in general you should just assume that if you put it on a computer, the government somewhere somehow knows/could find out. That's just been my assumption for a hot minute, and has kind of made me give up any semblance of privacy. I guess that's the point, perhaps?
I mean if you look at the way the government has been operating on many levels since Bush Sr. there's been no incentive for them to dial it back. Zero. I think everyone, on some level, should just acknowledge that your comments, whether here or elsewhere, will be flagged and read by federal agents regardless of warrant status. Maybe that's paranoia, but I think at this point it's justified. It's disappointing that civil liberties are in such a bad spot right now, but there's not anything I can do about it. Politicians, and many people don't care.
Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.
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I would cope, but I'm all out of copium.
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I mean, the cope is that you and many others haven't been arrested yet! There were plenty of leftists who were on FBI lists and had great successful careers by being useful to society.There is tons of history of the merchant class being tolerated by monarchs despite their constant liberalism, and even the military being tolerated by communists. Even if you get gulaged, if you're in a communist regime which is going to last, you're going to get a special camp which takes care of you so long as you're useful.The path to changing the world in a good direction was never going to be through a few guys shooting people, and any group who actually does target us will soon find themselves weakened.
Even if you get canceled today in some of that media bullshit, so long as you're doing innovative engineering or research or what have you, there's going to be someone, somewhere to continue something like it with. There's a reason the people most into canceling are useless and uncreative women because they know if they were canceled they'd be (relatively) fricked, and so see it as this god like power.
Civil liberties weren't something which emerged because everyone before the enlightenment didn't fight hard enough for them, and everyone during it did. They're a costly thing for the powerful, which are implemented to the degree they produce the best ROI, with those who overinvest and underinvest being conquered and overthrown for their inefficiency. Our actions supporting them better our lives and help us make friends with other useful people, but they aren't going to change the arc of history. To do that, we need to change the nature of man through technology, which, if you're out there doing it, will guarantee you a job somewhere (I don't have proof of this).
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This is a really long way of saying you don't frick.
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That's how you can tell it's good copium
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I'd say otherwise but the admins politely asked we don't make jokes about
full of fertilizer
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