Ms. Missy (@msmissy.mastodon.world.ap.brid.gy)

FBI Caught Spying on Signal Group Chat of Immigration Activists The FBI spied on the private group chat of an immigrants rights group that was monitoring immigration court proceedings in New York City. _The Guardian_ reports that the bureau gained access to a “courtwatch” Signal group coordinating volunteers to attend proceedings at three immigration courts in the city. A joint report between the FBI and the New York Police Department from August quoted from the group chat and called them “anarchist violent extremist actors.” That report was distributed to other law enforcement agencies around the country, and the FBI called it a warning about “extremist actors targeting law enforcement officers and federal facilities.” _The Guardian_ got the report after Property of the People, a nonprofit organization dedicated to government transparency, obtained it via public records requests. Signal chats have end-to-end encryption, so law enforcement could have only accessed the group chat if an agent was part of the chat, had access to a member’s phone, or was sent copies of the conversation. According to the FBI, a “sensitive source with excellent access” provided the information, dodging the requirement for a warrant. The FBI also claims that the person who created the chat advocated violence against law enforcement, but it has not responded to questions about the identity of the person or given more details on why it called the group “anarchist violent extremist actors.” Violent detention and arrests in immigration court buildings, sometimes just after rulings, have become the norm in the last year. In one case, an ICE agent tackled a woman to the ground right after her husband was arrested in a New York City immigration court. For some reason, the government considers that legal but has a problem with citizens monitoring what’s going on in and around the courts. https://newrepublic.com/post/203500/fbi-spy-signal-group-chat-immigration-activists