The US Border Patrol has launched a sweeping surveillance program that tracks millions of American drivers, monitoring their movements, habits, and associations. The program uses license-plate readers to collect data on individuals who pass by certain locations, including areas near the Mexican border. This information is then fed into an algorithm that flags "suspicious" routes, speed patterns, and travel patterns, which local police are alerted to.
As a result, drivers have been stopped at traffic stops for minor infractions such as tinted windows, air fresheners, or speeding by just a fraction of a mile. In some cases, individuals were searched and arrested without any evidence of contraband being found. Internal group chats obtained through public records requests reveal that Border Patrol agents and local police are sharing information about US citizens' personal lives, including hotel reservations, rental car status, home addresses, and social media activity.
The program has raised concerns over Fourth Amendment rights, with legal experts describing it as a "dragnet" that tracks Americans' movements, associations, and daily routines without their consent. The scale of the program is unprecedented, with thousands of plate-reader sites across the country capturing data on US citizens far beyond the border.
In related news, Microsoft has thwarted a record-breaking cloud-based Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, which was launched against a single Azure endpoint in Australia and peaked at 15.72 Tbps. The attack originated from the Aisuru botnet, a Turbo-Mirai-class IoT network of compromised home routers, cameras, and other devices.
The SEC has dropped its remaining claims against SolarWinds over a historic 2020 hack that compromised the company's Orion software and triggered widespread breaches across government and industry. The agency's lawsuit had already been mostly dismantled by a federal judge in 2024.
Additionally, the FBI has accessed messages from a private Signal group used by New York immigration court-watch activists, labeling them as "anarchist violent extremist actors" despite no evidence of violence or harm being intended. This revelation raises concerns over civil liberties and the chilling effect on protected political activity.
As a result, drivers have been stopped at traffic stops for minor infractions such as tinted windows, air fresheners, or speeding by just a fraction of a mile. In some cases, individuals were searched and arrested without any evidence of contraband being found. Internal group chats obtained through public records requests reveal that Border Patrol agents and local police are sharing information about US citizens' personal lives, including hotel reservations, rental car status, home addresses, and social media activity.
The program has raised concerns over Fourth Amendment rights, with legal experts describing it as a "dragnet" that tracks Americans' movements, associations, and daily routines without their consent. The scale of the program is unprecedented, with thousands of plate-reader sites across the country capturing data on US citizens far beyond the border.
In related news, Microsoft has thwarted a record-breaking cloud-based Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, which was launched against a single Azure endpoint in Australia and peaked at 15.72 Tbps. The attack originated from the Aisuru botnet, a Turbo-Mirai-class IoT network of compromised home routers, cameras, and other devices.
The SEC has dropped its remaining claims against SolarWinds over a historic 2020 hack that compromised the company's Orion software and triggered widespread breaches across government and industry. The agency's lawsuit had already been mostly dismantled by a federal judge in 2024.
Additionally, the FBI has accessed messages from a private Signal group used by New York immigration court-watch activists, labeling them as "anarchist violent extremist actors" despite no evidence of violence or harm being intended. This revelation raises concerns over civil liberties and the chilling effect on protected political activity.
I'm not sure what's more alarming - the fact that our own border patrol is tracking our every move without consent or that the FBI can just waltz in and snoop on private group chats without a warrant. It feels like we're living in some kind of dystopian novel where our government has its eye on everything we do. And what's with the absurd examples of people being pulled over for tinted windows or air fresheners? 
What's next, stops for wearing pajamas at 10 am? 
. Like, what's next? They're monitoring everyone's movements, habits, and associations, and sharing that info with local cops without consent. It's like they're building a giant database of American citizens' daily lives 
. And it's not just about security, it's about the 4th amendment rights too... I mean, who needs to be watched all the time? It feels like we're living in some dystopian sci-fi movie 
.
It's a serious issue that needs attention. And the SEC dropping its claims against SolarWinds... that's just weird news 
.
. It feels like we're living in a time where our online activities are being monitored and labeled as "threats" without any evidence 
. Not cool, man 
.
... Like, what's next? Tracking our online browsing history too? 
It feels like we're living in a dystopian novel or something 
. Anyone else think that the Fourth Amendment rights are being trampled on here? 
The fact that local police and Border Patrol agents are sharing personal info without consent is just plain creepy 
. And what's with the stop-and-frisk-style traffic stops for minor infractions? That's not law enforcement, that's profiling 
.
. And what really gets my goat is when police start sharing info about people's personal lives - it's like they're trying to build a database on innocent people's habits and associations 
.
. Thousands of plate-reader sites? It's like they're just waiting for someone, anyone, to slip up so they can swoop in with their "evidence" 
. Meanwhile, Microsoft is out there saving the world from cyber attacks 
, and the SEC drops its lawsuit against SolarWinds after a massive hack 
. It's a slippery slope, and I don't want to see civil liberties get trampled in the name of security 
. What's wrong with people wanting to travel freely across their own country? It seems like we're living in a dystopian novel or something 
. I mean, come on, the FBI is basically snooping on citizens' private messages and labeling them as "extremists" just because they're discussing immigration issues? That's some serious chill-out-the-First-Amendment vibes 
.
. We need to keep a close eye on these government agencies and make sure they're not abusing their power 
.
. I mean, who needs cybersecurity when you've got enough botnets to take down an entire country's servers? Not sure what the SolarWinds situation says about our tech infrastructure, but it's definitely a wake-up call.
like, we already have enough problems with cops being racist or profiling ppl based on stereotypes but now they're doing it bcos of some algorithm 
so basically now if you get pulled over for tinted windows, its not just about the law, its about what youre doin in your free time, like hangin out at home, watchin netflix, whatever 
and i'm not even talking about the potential for misuse of this data... it's like, we already live in a surveillance state, do we really need to be tracked on our daily commutes too? 
Still, it's a good thing they're taking responsibility for their own security.
What's next? Having them snoop on our encrypted conversations too? 
I don't know, maybe they're just trying to keep us safe from, like, actual threats or something? 