LA Police ask People for their Facebook and Twitter Account

[upnorth]

Content source

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2021/09/lapd-officers-collect-social-media-account-info-from-people-they-detain/

The Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) instructs officers to collect social media account information and email addresses when they interview people they have detained, according to documents obtained by the Brennan Center for Justice at the NYU School of Law.

The Brennan Center filed public records requests with LAPD and police departments from other major cities, finding among other things that "the LAPD instructs its officers to broadly collect social media account information from those they encounter in person using field interview (FI) card." The LAPD initially resisted making documents available but supplied over 6,000 pages after the Brennan Center sued the department.

While people can refuse to give officers their social media account details, many people may not know their rights and could feel pressured into providing the information, Dwyer told Ars. "Courts have found that stopping individuals and asking for voluntary information doesn't violate the Fourth Amendment and people are free not to respond," she told us. "However, depending on the circumstances of a stop, people may not feel that freedom to walk away without responding. They may not know their rights, or they may be hoping to quickly end the encounter by providing information in order to ensure it doesn't escalate."

"Information from the cards is fed into Palantir, a system through which the LAPD aggregates data from a wide array of sources to increase its surveillance and analytical capabilities."

LA police ask people they stop for their Facebook and Twitter account info

Data is fed into Palantir and helps enable "large-scale monitoring."

arstechnica.com

 

[Chuck57]

I can tell you exactly how such a stop will go. The cop takes ID information, and then asks about social media accounts. Person refuses to give the info. Then the police officer begins challenging. "Why? You got something to hide?" The person says no. Then the cop continues, "So, why won't you tell me? What are you afraid of?"

And it goes like that until the person gives the information to end it. No threats per se, but more than just asking. And it usually works. I know, because I did it when I was in uniform. We're expected to have ALL the information filled out.

 

[Moonhorse]

But i dont have neither of them, only account i have is MalwareTips account

 

[Chuck57]

But i dont have neither of them, only account i have is MalwareTips account

And the cop won't know what MalwareTips is, but he'll take it anyway if you 'volunteer' it. They'll have a card and if a space isn't filled out, they have to explain why. Telling them the person refused doesn't sit well with the shift sergeant, and definitely not the shift commander. They both remember when you come up for the yearly evaluation and pay raise.

 

[Local Host]

I can tell you exactly how such a stop will go. The cop takes ID information, and then asks about social media accounts. Person refuses to give the info. Then the police officer begins challenging. "Why? You got something to hide?" The person says no. Then the cop continues, "So, why won't you tell me? What are you afraid of?"

And it goes like that until the person gives the information to end it. No threats per se, but more than just asking. And it usually works. I know, because I did it when I was in uniform. We're expected to have ALL the information filled out.

I can see that working only on less intelligent humans, not surprised this case happened in LA.

They would have far less success around this parts, any cop trying that would end up on social media himself (on a video mocking him), like it has happened multiple times.

 

[SpiderWeb]

What keeps people from just saying they don't have social media accounts? lol How are they going to prove that I do, at a traffic stop that is? You gonna google me? Haaaaaaaaa

 

[Chuck57]

I can see that working only on less intelligent humans, not surprised this case happened in LA.

They would have far less success around this parts, any cop trying that would end up on social media himself (on a video mocking him), like it has happened multiple times.

You'd be surprised how well it works on people, including highly educated, presumably intelligent people. And I realize intelligence and education are not mutually inclusive.

 

[sirzeno]

Wouldn't it be pretty easy to find an individuals Facebook account when you have their full name? I don't get why they have to ask the individual in the interview. So they can confirm that its them i guess?

Pretty scary stuff nontheless.

 

[Chuck57]

Wouldn't it be pretty easy to find an individuals Facebook account when you have their full name? I don't get why they have to ask the individual in the interview. So they can confirm that its them i guess?

Pretty scary stuff nontheless.

It should be, in theory. But you put in almost any name and you might get multiple dozens of people with the same name, and the cop on the street just doesn't have time for that, at least here in the USA. Maybe in smaller towns, but not in cities where this nonsense would be used most often. Personally, I'm waiting for a court ruling. I don't think it will pass the smell test.

I recognize one of my favorite singers, Marty Robbins. I think that's from his Gunfighter album.

 

[sirzeno]

It should be, in theory. But you put in almost any name and you might get multiple dozens of people with the same name, and the cop on the street just doesn't have time for that, at least here in the USA. Maybe in smaller towns, but not in cities where this nonsense would be used most often. Personally, I'm waiting for a court ruling. I don't think it will pass the smell test.

I recognize one of my favorite singers, Marty Robbins. I think that's from his Gunfighter album.

Good point.

And yes, Robbins indeed