A cluster of tents sprouted up on the University of Houston's central lawn, bearing keffiyehs and plywood pallet barricades. Tensions with administrators were already high before students pitched their tents, with pro-Palestine chalk messages putting university leaders on edge.
But what the students didn't know was that the university had contracted with Dataminr, an artificial intelligence company with a history of constitutional rights issues, to gather open-source intelligence on the student-led movement for Palestine. Using an AI tool called "First Alert," Datminr was scraping students' social media activity and chat logs, sending what it learned to university administrators.
This is the first detailed reporting on how a U.S. university used this AI technology to surveil its own students. It's just one example of how public universities worked with private partners to surveil student protests, revealing how corporate involvement in higher education can be leveraged against students' free expression.
The University of Houston was not alone in using these practices. Public universities across the country employed systematic surveillance to crack down on student protests, including those related to Palestine. The Intercept obtained more than 20,000 pages of documentation covering communications from April and May 2024, which reveal a pattern of surveillance by U.S. universities in response to their students' dissent.
Universities used open-source intelligence to monitor student-led movements, often relying on private companies like Datminr and other tools to gather data on students' social media activity, chat logs, and online behavior. This was done to inform whether or not the university would negotiate with protesters and how they would clear encampments.
The use of these technologies created a chilling effect among students who were concerned about their safety and the potential consequences of speaking out against the Israeli government's actions in Palestine. Students have spoken of being targeted by university administrators, with some even facing expulsion for expressing support for Palestinian rights.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's associate director, Rory Mir, described the use of these technologies as "a direct affront to universities' duty of care" and creating an "unsafe environment that chills speech."
At the University of Houston, students who set up encampments were labeled as a potential threat by Datminr. Alerts were sent to university administrators, including communications officials, with excerpts from social media posts and chat logs. These alerts often identified students as having engaged in pro-Palestine language or activities.
The University of Connecticut was another example where universities used these technologies to surveil student protests. Administrators at the university received emergency response funds for natural disasters but also tapped into intelligence-sharing fusion centers to gather information on protesters. At one point, administrators even watched students sleeping in their tents.
These practices highlight how U.S. higher education institutions have become increasingly entangled with corporate interests and the military-industrial complex. The use of these technologies creates a power imbalance between universities with billion-dollar endowments and student movements that are often nonviolent.
In an interview, Emily Tucker from the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law described how universities are becoming "corporate products" that are being used to extract wealth through data products. This has led to a corporatization of U.S. higher education, where universities prioritize profit over public interest.
The Intercept's investigation reveals a disturbing pattern of surveillance by U.S. universities in response to student protests. The use of these technologies can have serious consequences for students who are simply exercising their free speech rights. Any open-source intelligence gathered could become fair game for federal law enforcement agencies as they work to punish those involved in the student-led movement for Palestine.
The long-term implications of this surveillance are concerning, with experts warning that it creates a groundwork of surveillance that can be weaponized against speech and dissent.
But what the students didn't know was that the university had contracted with Dataminr, an artificial intelligence company with a history of constitutional rights issues, to gather open-source intelligence on the student-led movement for Palestine. Using an AI tool called "First Alert," Datminr was scraping students' social media activity and chat logs, sending what it learned to university administrators.
This is the first detailed reporting on how a U.S. university used this AI technology to surveil its own students. It's just one example of how public universities worked with private partners to surveil student protests, revealing how corporate involvement in higher education can be leveraged against students' free expression.
The University of Houston was not alone in using these practices. Public universities across the country employed systematic surveillance to crack down on student protests, including those related to Palestine. The Intercept obtained more than 20,000 pages of documentation covering communications from April and May 2024, which reveal a pattern of surveillance by U.S. universities in response to their students' dissent.
Universities used open-source intelligence to monitor student-led movements, often relying on private companies like Datminr and other tools to gather data on students' social media activity, chat logs, and online behavior. This was done to inform whether or not the university would negotiate with protesters and how they would clear encampments.
The use of these technologies created a chilling effect among students who were concerned about their safety and the potential consequences of speaking out against the Israeli government's actions in Palestine. Students have spoken of being targeted by university administrators, with some even facing expulsion for expressing support for Palestinian rights.
The Electronic Frontier Foundation's associate director, Rory Mir, described the use of these technologies as "a direct affront to universities' duty of care" and creating an "unsafe environment that chills speech."
At the University of Houston, students who set up encampments were labeled as a potential threat by Datminr. Alerts were sent to university administrators, including communications officials, with excerpts from social media posts and chat logs. These alerts often identified students as having engaged in pro-Palestine language or activities.
The University of Connecticut was another example where universities used these technologies to surveil student protests. Administrators at the university received emergency response funds for natural disasters but also tapped into intelligence-sharing fusion centers to gather information on protesters. At one point, administrators even watched students sleeping in their tents.
These practices highlight how U.S. higher education institutions have become increasingly entangled with corporate interests and the military-industrial complex. The use of these technologies creates a power imbalance between universities with billion-dollar endowments and student movements that are often nonviolent.
In an interview, Emily Tucker from the Center on Privacy and Technology at Georgetown Law described how universities are becoming "corporate products" that are being used to extract wealth through data products. This has led to a corporatization of U.S. higher education, where universities prioritize profit over public interest.
The Intercept's investigation reveals a disturbing pattern of surveillance by U.S. universities in response to student protests. The use of these technologies can have serious consequences for students who are simply exercising their free speech rights. Any open-source intelligence gathered could become fair game for federal law enforcement agencies as they work to punish those involved in the student-led movement for Palestine.
The long-term implications of this surveillance are concerning, with experts warning that it creates a groundwork of surveillance that can be weaponized against speech and dissent.
. I mean, who doesn't want their safety and security guaranteed? And if the students are protesting something as sensitive as Palestine, it's reasonable to assume they might be a threat to national security too 
. Plus, universities should be allowed to set their own priorities, right? If they think Datminr is effective in keeping their campuses safe, who am I to argue with that? 
The fact that students are already getting expelled for expressing support for Palestine shows they're probably extremists anyway... 
AI is just like a bad roommate – shows up uninvited & shares all your secrets 
u cant believe our universities r using AI 2 surveil students who r just trying 2 express themselves its like they r more worried about the admin than the students' freedom of speech 
?
Like, what's up with universities teaming up with AI companies to spy on their own students? 
It's like they're trying to guilt trip the government into taking action or something... meanwhile, students are just trying to raise awareness about Palestine and get some peace and justice. 
It's all so weird that universities would resort to using corporate interests to crush dissent on campus. 
just found out dat universities r using AI 2 watch students protest 4 palestine 
universities r basically saying "we r gonna use your own words AGAINST U" 
and it's not just houston, this is happening all over the country 
Universities need to rethink their 'partnerships' with corporate companies like Datminr. It's not just about data collection, but about the chilling effect it has on students' freedom of expression. 