US Universities Use Fusion Centers to Spy on Pro-Palestine Student Activists, Escalating Repression and Chilling Free Speech.
The Biden administration's quiet descent into repression has been accelerated by the normalization of fusion centers, which are law enforcement agencies that facilitate information sharing between local, state, and federal agencies. At US universities, these fusion centers have become a tool for cracking down on student activism, including pro-Palestine demonstrations.
The Intercept obtained documents showing that universities in Ohio, California, and other states used their relationships with outside agencies to target students involved in peaceful protests. In one case, the university's IT department tracked the IP addresses of all individuals connecting to WiFi in a building occupied by protesters, allowing federal law enforcement agencies to seize devices and arrest students.
US universities have been using fusion centers to monitor campus events, including pro-Palestine demonstrations, with some institutions even tapping into federal surveillance systems. The documents also reveal that the framework for cracking down on student free speech was already in place before the pro-Palestine protests began.
At Ohio State University, a counterterrorism surveillance hub warned administrators about an upcoming demonstration, leading to the arrest of 36 students who were trying to set up a protest. The university's police department worked closely with federal law enforcement agencies and used fusion center intelligence to clear the protesters from campus.
The use of fusion centers by US universities has sparked concerns about the erosion of civil rights and free speech on campuses. "Fusion centers have also come under fire for sharing dubious intelligence and escalating local police responses to BLM," said Rory Mir, associate director of community organizing at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Mir warned that universities should be wary of unleashing federal surveillance at their schools due to fusion centers' reputation for infringing on civil rights. "For universities to knowingly coordinate and feed more information into these systems to target students puts them in harm's way and is a threat to their civil rights," he said.
The Intercept investigation found that the normalization of intelligence sharing between campus police departments and federal law enforcement agencies has become widespread across US universities. The network of law enforcement bodies responsible for counterterror surveillance operations framed pro-Palestine demonstrations as a security issue, warranting outside police interventions and technological surveillance.
As one researcher noted, "The pro-Palestine movement really does face a crisis of repression. We are up against repressive forces that have always been there, but have never been this advanced."
The Biden administration's quiet descent into repression has been accelerated by the normalization of fusion centers, which are law enforcement agencies that facilitate information sharing between local, state, and federal agencies. At US universities, these fusion centers have become a tool for cracking down on student activism, including pro-Palestine demonstrations.
The Intercept obtained documents showing that universities in Ohio, California, and other states used their relationships with outside agencies to target students involved in peaceful protests. In one case, the university's IT department tracked the IP addresses of all individuals connecting to WiFi in a building occupied by protesters, allowing federal law enforcement agencies to seize devices and arrest students.
US universities have been using fusion centers to monitor campus events, including pro-Palestine demonstrations, with some institutions even tapping into federal surveillance systems. The documents also reveal that the framework for cracking down on student free speech was already in place before the pro-Palestine protests began.
At Ohio State University, a counterterrorism surveillance hub warned administrators about an upcoming demonstration, leading to the arrest of 36 students who were trying to set up a protest. The university's police department worked closely with federal law enforcement agencies and used fusion center intelligence to clear the protesters from campus.
The use of fusion centers by US universities has sparked concerns about the erosion of civil rights and free speech on campuses. "Fusion centers have also come under fire for sharing dubious intelligence and escalating local police responses to BLM," said Rory Mir, associate director of community organizing at the Electronic Frontier Foundation.
Mir warned that universities should be wary of unleashing federal surveillance at their schools due to fusion centers' reputation for infringing on civil rights. "For universities to knowingly coordinate and feed more information into these systems to target students puts them in harm's way and is a threat to their civil rights," he said.
The Intercept investigation found that the normalization of intelligence sharing between campus police departments and federal law enforcement agencies has become widespread across US universities. The network of law enforcement bodies responsible for counterterror surveillance operations framed pro-Palestine demonstrations as a security issue, warranting outside police interventions and technological surveillance.
As one researcher noted, "The pro-Palestine movement really does face a crisis of repression. We are up against repressive forces that have always been there, but have never been this advanced."
This is getting out of hand! I mean, what's next? Schools using fusion centers to monitor student online activity? It's like they're trying to create a surveillance state on campus 
. And let's be real, it's not just about pro-Palestine students being targeted - this is about suppressing free speech and dissenting voices altogether. The government needs to take a step back and ask itself: what are we even doing here? Are we really going to prioritize national security over student rights? I think it's time for some real debate on the balance between safety and freedom of expression 
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. I think this is a classic case of the "security state" taking over, where the threat of terrorism becomes an excuse to stifle criticism and opposition. What's really scary here is that this normalization of fusion centers sets a bad precedent for our civil liberties as a whole 
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. This isn't just about pro-Palestine students - it's about all students who want to express themselves freely without fear of persecution or surveillance 
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. fusion centers r just an excuse 4 law enforcement 2 chill on student activism & silence dissenting voices 
. it's like, hello, freedom of speech is a fundamental right, not some luxury we can revoke whenever it gets inconvenient 
. what's next? monitoring online activity 4 people who tweet about social justice movements? 
Those students just wanting to express themselves and educate others should be able to do so without being spied on! 
, like they're literally using fusion centers to spy on students for protesting a cause they disagree with 
. the fact that these universities are already tapping into federal surveillance systems is just mind-blowing 
. it feels like they're trying to create a culture of fear on campuses where people wont dare speak up 
. its time for us to stand up and fight for our rights to free speech and assembly 
.