INVESTIGATINGGovernmentDNI Tulsi Gabbard and FBI preparing a 'large body of evidence' on foreign election interference AND a surveillance program that targeted Americans using 'speech delimiters' — flagging communications based on language markers.
“DNI Tulsi Gabbard and FBI preparing a 'large body of declassified evidence' on foreign election interference AND a surveillance program that targeted Americans using 'speech delimiters' — flagging communications based on language markers.”
DNI Tulsi Gabbard and the FBI are preparing to release a "large body of declassified evidence" about two things: foreign election interference AND a domestic surveillance program that targeted Americans using "speech delimiters" — automated systems that flag communications based on specific words and phrases.
The surveillance program used "speech delimiters" to monitor American communications. If you used certain words or phrases in your calls, texts, or emails, the system flagged you. Not based on who you are. Not based on probable cause. Based on what you said.
The declassification will also cover foreign election interference — evidence of foreign governments attempting to influence American elections. The scope and specifics remain classified pending the release, but the DNI has described it as a "large body" of evidence.
A government that surveils its citizens' speech and a government vulnerable to foreign interference is a government that can't be trusted with either problem. If the surveillance tools designed to protect elections were used to monitor domestic political speech, the cure was worse than the disease.
The declassification is described as imminent. When it arrives, it will likely reveal the extent to which American communications were monitored based on content — what you said, not who you are or what you did. The implications for First Amendment rights are profound.
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