Always watching: How ICE’s plan to monitor social media 24/7 threatens privacy and civic participation

November 9, 2025

U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement is seeking private contractors to establish a 24/7 social media monitoring program that would scan major platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and others to generate immigration enforcement leads. While ICE already conducts some social media surveillance, this new initiative represents a significant expansion in both scale and structure, creating a public-private surveillance system where contractors would rapidly compile dossiers by combining social media data with commercial databases and government records. The information collected would feed into Palantir's case management system alongside biometric data, license plate scans, and other personal information, effectively creating comprehensive digital profiles.

Who is affected

Immigrants and people involved in ongoing ICE cases
Friends, relatives, and acquaintances of flagged individuals
Activists and community organizers
Journalists
General social media users posting publicly on platforms including Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter/X, Reddit, WhatsApp, YouTube, LinkedIn, Pinterest, and others
Travelers at ports of entry (whose devices are already searched by Customs and Border Protection)
Foreign nationals seeking U.S. visas

What action is being taken

ICE has published a request for information seeking private contractors for the social media monitoring program
ICE is currently searching social media using a service called SocialNet
ICE has contracted with Zignal Labs for AI-powered social media monitoring
Customs and Border Protection is searching social media posts on travelers' devices at ports of entry
The U.S. State Department is reviewing social media posts during visa applications
The League of Women Voters and Electronic Privacy Information Center are pursuing litigation against the Department of Homeland Security
ICE is purchasing tools from surveillance firms including Clearview AI, ShadowDragon, Babel Street, LexisNexis, and PenLink

Why it matters

This represents a fundamental shift in immigration enforcement from physical borders to digital surveillance, with significant implications for civil liberties and privacy. The system creates what amounts to a searchable portrait of people's lives by combining social media activity with commercial and government databases, all fed into Palantir's case management system. The privatization of surveillance means unelected contractors will make rapid subjective judgments about what constitutes threatening behavior, often within 30-minute deadlines, with minimal public oversight. This surveillance creates chilling effects on free speech and civic participation, as research shows people self-censor when they know they're being watched. The scope inevitably expands beyond initial targets to entire communities through social network analysis. Historical precedent shows that such systems experience mission creep, with tools justified for one purpose being repurposed for broader surveillance, and that guardrails frequently fail to prevent abuse or unauthorized access.

What's next

The request for information is likely to evolve into a full procurement contract within months
ICE plans to establish permanent watch floors staffed 24 hours a day, 365 days a year
Several U.S. senators have introduced legislation to limit bulk purchases from data brokers
Advocacy groups including the ACLU and Brennan Center for Justice are calling for independent oversight of surveillance systems, warrant requirements for online surveillance equivalent to physical spaces, and public disclosure of algorithms and scoring systems used by ICE

Read full article from source: Michigan Chronicle