US Universities Caught Up in National Counterterror Surveillance Network, Targeting Pro-Palestine Student Activists
A nationwide network of counterterrorism surveillance centers is being used to monitor and suppress pro-Palestine student activism on US university campuses. The hubs, set up after 9/11, were designed to facilitate information-sharing between law enforcement agencies but have been exploited to target communities of color and suppress free speech.
The Ohio State University Police Department was warned about an upcoming pro-Palestine demonstration by a local counterterrorism hub in April, prompting swift action from campus administrators. The warning sparked a security response that led to the arrest of 36 students who were occupying a building on campus.
This is not an isolated incident. An investigative series by The Intercept has found that at least five US universities were monitored by fusion centers for their pro-Palestine activism, with millions of pages of documents obtained through public records requests revealing a coordinated effort to suppress dissenting voices.
One university, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, took its surveillance efforts to the next level. The campus's IT department tracked IP addresses and user information connected to WiFi in a student-occupied building, while the FBI issued warrants for the search and seizure of devices belonging to protesters.
Experts warn that this kind of coordination between law enforcement agencies and universities is a threat to civil liberties. "Fusion centers have also come under fire for sharing dubious intelligence and escalating local police responses to BLM," said Rory Mir, associate director of community organizing at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "For universities to knowingly coordinate and feed more information into these systems to target students puts them in harm's way and is a threat to their civil rights."
The trend has its roots in the Biden administration, which laid the groundwork for repressive tactics used by the Trump administration later on.
Research support provided by the nonprofit newsroom Type Investigations.
A nationwide network of counterterrorism surveillance centers is being used to monitor and suppress pro-Palestine student activism on US university campuses. The hubs, set up after 9/11, were designed to facilitate information-sharing between law enforcement agencies but have been exploited to target communities of color and suppress free speech.
The Ohio State University Police Department was warned about an upcoming pro-Palestine demonstration by a local counterterrorism hub in April, prompting swift action from campus administrators. The warning sparked a security response that led to the arrest of 36 students who were occupying a building on campus.
This is not an isolated incident. An investigative series by The Intercept has found that at least five US universities were monitored by fusion centers for their pro-Palestine activism, with millions of pages of documents obtained through public records requests revealing a coordinated effort to suppress dissenting voices.
One university, California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt, took its surveillance efforts to the next level. The campus's IT department tracked IP addresses and user information connected to WiFi in a student-occupied building, while the FBI issued warrants for the search and seizure of devices belonging to protesters.
Experts warn that this kind of coordination between law enforcement agencies and universities is a threat to civil liberties. "Fusion centers have also come under fire for sharing dubious intelligence and escalating local police responses to BLM," said Rory Mir, associate director of community organizing at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "For universities to knowingly coordinate and feed more information into these systems to target students puts them in harm's way and is a threat to their civil rights."
The trend has its roots in the Biden administration, which laid the groundwork for repressive tactics used by the Trump administration later on.
Research support provided by the nonprofit newsroom Type Investigations.
I'm literally shaking just thinking about it. These students are just trying to express themselves and make a difference, but instead they're being watched, monitored, and silenced. It's like, what even is the point of having universities if they're just going to be puppets for the government? 
It's all about being heard, you know?
And to think that these hubs were set up to prevent terrorism, but now they're being used to target communities of color... it's just not right 
. The fact that law enforcement agencies and universities are working together to track down students who are just trying to make their voices heard is a huge threat to civil liberties. We need to speak out against this kind of surveillance and protect our students' rights to free speech and peaceful assembly. It's time for the government to take responsibility for this kind of abuse of power 
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I'm really worried about this national counterterror surveillance network being misused on university campuses. It's like they're targeting students who want to speak out against Israel's policies on Palestine. It's all about free speech, right? 
The fact that universities are sharing info with law enforcement and fusion centers is just too much for me. It's a slippery slope where anyone can get labeled as a "threat" and face the consequences. And what's with all these warrants for search and seizure? It's like they're trampling on civil liberties left and right. 
I mean, how far will this surveillance network go? Is it just about keeping us safe or is it about silencing dissenting voices? 
We need to be careful here...
I think universities should be protecting students' rights, not cooperating with law enforcement to silence them.
. The whole point of universities is supposed to be a safe space for people to express themselves and learn from others. But when you've got these counterterror surveillance centers monitoring students who are just trying to speak out against Israeli policies, it's like they're being watched all the time 
. And what's worse is that this isn't an isolated incident - it sounds like some of these universities have been actively working with law enforcement to silence dissenting voices 
. We need to be talking about this more and making sure our universities are protecting students' rights, not just going along with whatever the government tells them to do 
.
... I mean, who doesn't love a good campus protest 
? But seriously, this whole situation is soooo not cool 
. Like, shouldn't students be able to express themselves without being surveilled and potentially arrested? 
... I mean, I'm not saying it's not a real issue or anything. But can't we just talk this out without, like, invading people's personal devices and stuff? 
It's all about balance, right? 
. I mean, come on, these students were literally occupying a building on campus to protest against Israel's policies - you'd think that's exactly what the system is designed for: open discussion and debate! It's not like they're planning a coup or anything 
.
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. It's like they're trying to tell us that we should be afraid of a little bit of monitoring? Give me a break! 