Summary: Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is expanding its online surveillance capabilities by investing $5.7 million in an AI-powered social media monitoring platform called Zignal Labs. This technology can analyze billions of posts daily across multiple languages, potentially tracking millions of users and flagging individuals for deportation. Civil liberties groups warn that this extensive surveillance poses serious threats to democracy, free speech, and immigrant communities.
ICE’s New AI-Powered Social Media Surveillance
As ICE continues its raids nationwide, the agency is rapidly enhancing its online surveillance system. Federal records obtained by The Lever reveal that ICE has contracted Zignal Labs for $5.7 million to use its AI-driven social media monitoring platform. Will Owen, communications director at the Surveillance Technology Oversight Project (STOP), describes this move as an “assault” on democracy and free speech.
How Zignal Labs’ Technology Works
Zignal Labs offers a “real-time intelligence” platform capable of ingesting and analyzing vast amounts of publicly available data, including social media posts. According to a pamphlet shared by The Lever, the platform uses machine learning, computer vision, and optical character recognition to process over 8 billion posts daily in more than 100 languages. This data is organized into “curated detection feeds” that ICE could use to identify individuals for deportation.
The technology can capture geolocated images and videos, providing alerts to operators. For example, Zignal Labs analyzed a Telegram video to determine the precise location of an ongoing operation in Gaza by identifying emblems and patches, enabling notifications to operators on the ground. Similarly, ICE could potentially trace someone’s location through geotagged videos on TikTok or photos on Facebook.
ICE procured this contract through Carahsoft, a company that supplies IT solutions to government agencies. Zignal Labs has also partnered with organizations like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the US Secret Service, the Department of Defense, and the Department of Transportation. The Verge reached out to Zignal Labs for comment but did not receive an immediate response.
The Broader Context of Social Media Surveillance
Social media surveillance by law enforcement is not new. In 2016, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) revealed that police used a CIA-backed tool called Geofeedia to monitor protesters on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. However, with ICE’s substantial funding, the agency can now deploy advanced social media monitoring tools at an unprecedented scale, potentially leading to more arrests and deportations nationwide.
Concerns from Civil Liberties Advocates
Will Owen of STOP warns, “With billions of dollars to spend on spyware, it’s extremely alarming to think how far ICE will go in surveilling social media. ICE is a lawless agency that will use AI-driven social media monitoring not only to terrorize immigrant families but also to target activists fighting back against their abuses. This is an assault on our democracy and right to free speech, powered by the algorithm and paid for with our tax dollars.” He adds that such extensive spying creates a massive chilling effect on free speech.
Expanding Surveillance Beyond Social Media
Earlier reports from Wired indicate that ICE plans to hire nearly 30 workers to monitor content across platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, X, and YouTube. These workers would locate individuals deemed threats to national security or public safety, sometimes tracking data about their family, friends, or coworkers to pinpoint their whereabouts. ICE intends to station contractors in monitoring facilities in Vermont and California, with some required to be available at all times.
Beyond social media, 404 Media reports that ICE has accessed license plate-scanning cameras and tools tracking millions of phones’ movements.
Government Initiatives and Their Impact
Social media surveillance extends beyond ICE. The Trump administration proposed requiring citizenship and residency applicants to provide their social media handles. Since 2019, the State Department has mandated some visa applicants to list their social media accounts, expanding this requirement in 2023.
The government has also initiated AI-powered programs like “Catch and Revoke” to monitor posts from student visa holders supporting designated terror organizations. Recently, the State Department revoked visas of individuals accused of “celebrating” violent acts, and ICE arrested street vendors in New York City shortly after a conservative influencer tagged ICE in a post.
What This Means for Free Speech and Privacy
With powerful AI tools like Zignal Labs in ICE’s hands, the agency no longer relies on influencers to flag individuals for deportation, making it riskier to express oneself freely online. Sacha Haworth, executive director of the Tech Oversight Project, states, “This is another example of Big Tech CEOs partnering with an increasingly authoritarian federal government as part of Trump’s ongoing attempts to clamp down on free speech. This should terrify and anger every American.” David Greene, civil liberties director at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, echoes these concerns, highlighting the unprecedented scale of government monitoring and its chilling effect on free speech.