Why is the Postal Service monitoring Americans’ social media posts? – National & International News – FRI 23Apr2021

USPS monitoring social media. Anti-Asian hate crimes bill passes Senate. US joins search for Indonesian sub. Indian hospitals run out of oxygen amid COVID surge.

NATIONAL NEWS

Postal Service monitoring Americans’ social media posts

Yahoo News recently obtained a “law enforcement-sensitive” memo revealing some of the activities of a new government internet surveillance program. The Internet Covert Operations Program, or iCOP, is operated by the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS), the security arm of the US Postal Service. The memo specifically addresses iCOP activities last month ahead of the World Wide Rally for Freedom and Democracy on March 20. Authorities expected widespread protests on that day for everything from lockdowns to the rollout of the 5G mobile network.

The memo included image captures of online posts from suspected Proud Boys members and others, specifically those that threatened violence. Since the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, several agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, have stepped up their monitoring of social media activity. While many acknowledge the need to monitor warning signs of domestic extremist violence, there are concerned that the DHS, FBI and other programs are keeping tabs on peaceful protesters as well.

Experts also question why the USPIS has taken on any sort of internet surveillance role. The mission of the USPIS is quite narrow. The agency identifies threats to USPS workers, equipment, facilities, and service as well as misuse of the postal service.

University of Chicago law professor Geoffrey Stone, a former advisor to the Obama administration, says, “That part is puzzling. There are so many other federal agencies that could do this. I don’t understand why the post office would be doing it. There is no need for the post office to do it. You’ve got FBI, Homeland Security and so on, so I don’t know why the post office is doing this”.

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Senate approves Asian-American hate crimes bill

Following a surge in violence targeting Asian-Americans in the US, the Senate has passed a bill to better protect Asian-Americans and Pacific Islanders from hate crimes. In a one-year period ending in February, at least 3800 incidents of anti-Asian violence or discrimination have been reported.

The bill came about after a mass shooting in Atlanta, GA, last month in which a lone shooter took the lives of 8 people including several Asian-American women. Following that tragedy, President Joe Biden called on Congress to urgently pass hate crimes legislation.

The bill’s passage was also a rare moment of bipartisanship, passing the Senate 94-1. Josh Hawley (R-MO) cast the sole “no” vote. The bill will now go to the House of Representatives, where it is likely to pass.

Provisions of the bill include incentives for law enforcement to track hate crimes as well as alternative sentencing options for certain offenders, such as service in the targeted community or educational courses.

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INTERNATIONAL NEWS

US joins search for Indonesian submarine

The US military is joining the search for an Indonesian submarine that went missing in the Java Sea two days ago. US airborne assets will attempt to locate the stricken sub. The Indonesian navy estimates that they have just hours to find the sub before the 53 mariners aboard exhaust their oxygen. They estimate that that will be around 3am local time Saturday.

Yesterday, rescuers feared the sub may have fallen to a depth of 2000-2300 feet below the surface. This well below the sub’s collapse limit of 656 feet, and would also make recovery impossible. But late last night, searchers detected an object at a depth of between 165 to 330 feet. They’ve dispatched ships with sonar-tracking equipment in hopes of identifying whether the object is the missing sub.

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Indian hospitals running out of oxygen amid COVID surge

A huge spike in COVID cases in India has left hospitals struggling to cope. Today, the country marked its second record day for new infections in a row, with 332,730 new cases. In the past 24 hours, the country has reported 2,263 deaths.

Aside from the huge caseload, hospitals are also suffering a shortage of oxygen supplies to treat critically-ill patients.  This is the second time since the beginning of the pandemic that India has suffered a similar shortage.

Desperate hospital administrators across the country have taken to social media to plead with the government to replenish dwindling oxygen supplies.

The surge in cases seems be driven in part by the emergence of a new “double mutant” strain of the coronavirus. Recent massive religious festivals and celebrations, for which adherents typically crisscross the country, have also certainly played a part.

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