US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) is preparing to expand its social media surveillance operations by hiring nearly 30 private contractors to monitor social media posts.
According to a report earlier this month by WIRED, the agency is seeking private vendors to run a multiyear surveillance program operating out of facilities in Vermont and Southern California. The contractors would be tasked with reviewing content on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, and other social media sites to identify potential leads. These nearly 30 private contractors would bolster ICE’s intelligence-gathering efforts for deportations and arrests.
WIRED reported that the initiative is currently in the request-for-information stage, where ICE is gauging interest from potential contractors before beginning the official bidding process. Draft planning documents indicate that the agency wants a contractor capable of staffing its centers around the clock and equipping analysts with cutting-edge subscription-based surveillance software.
The two facilities involved in the proposal are ICE’s National Criminal Analysis and Targeting Center in Williston, Vermont, which covers the eastern United States, and the Pacific Enforcement Response Center in Santa Ana, California, which oversees the western region and operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The scope of information to be collected includes public posts, photos, and messages on platforms ranging from Facebook to Reddit and TikTok, as well as less mainstream or foreign-based sites such as Russia’s VKontakte.
In addition to staffing, ICE’s proposal also requests the integration of artificial intelligence into the program, asking vendors to outline how AI could enhance the monitoring process. The agency has reportedly set aside more than $1 million per year to equip analysts with advanced surveillance technology.
