US Universities Undergo Surveillance, Repression for Supporting Palestine
The latest revelations in a series of exposés by The Intercept have shed light on how US universities are using counterterror intelligence-sharing hubs to surveil and repress pro-Palestine students. Fusion centers, created in the wake of 9/11, were initially designed to facilitate information sharing between law enforcement agencies but have been repurposed to target communities deemed "at risk." The documents obtained by The Intercept reveal that at least five universities across the country have been actively monitoring and responding to pro-Palestine protests.
The Ohio State University Police Department was among those to receive a tip from the state's counterterrorism hub, warning of an upcoming demonstration. In response, campus officials worked with local police to clear the event space, arresting 36 demonstrators. Similar incidents were reported at other universities, including Clemson University and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.
Experts warn that such actions are not only a threat to free speech but also infringe on civil rights. "Fusion centers have been used to share dubious intelligence and escalate local police responses to BLM," said Rory Mir of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "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."
Researcher Tariq Kenney-Shawa emphasizes that pro-Palestine student activism faces an unprecedented level of repression. "The repressive forces arrayed against us are not just new but have always been there," he said.
Critics point out that the normalization of intelligence sharing between campus police departments and federal law enforcement agencies is a worrying trend. "This is a recipe for disaster," said Mir, who also warns about the dangers of AI assessments of online speech and the misuse of data from fusion centers.
The Intercept's investigative series highlights the erosion of civil liberties and academic freedom in US universities. As one expert noted, the Trump administration's actions are not an outlier but rather part of a broader authoritarian takeover of the country.
The latest revelations in a series of exposés by The Intercept have shed light on how US universities are using counterterror intelligence-sharing hubs to surveil and repress pro-Palestine students. Fusion centers, created in the wake of 9/11, were initially designed to facilitate information sharing between law enforcement agencies but have been repurposed to target communities deemed "at risk." The documents obtained by The Intercept reveal that at least five universities across the country have been actively monitoring and responding to pro-Palestine protests.
The Ohio State University Police Department was among those to receive a tip from the state's counterterrorism hub, warning of an upcoming demonstration. In response, campus officials worked with local police to clear the event space, arresting 36 demonstrators. Similar incidents were reported at other universities, including Clemson University and California State Polytechnic University, Humboldt.
Experts warn that such actions are not only a threat to free speech but also infringe on civil rights. "Fusion centers have been used to share dubious intelligence and escalate local police responses to BLM," said Rory Mir of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "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."
Researcher Tariq Kenney-Shawa emphasizes that pro-Palestine student activism faces an unprecedented level of repression. "The repressive forces arrayed against us are not just new but have always been there," he said.
Critics point out that the normalization of intelligence sharing between campus police departments and federal law enforcement agencies is a worrying trend. "This is a recipe for disaster," said Mir, who also warns about the dangers of AI assessments of online speech and the misuse of data from fusion centers.
The Intercept's investigative series highlights the erosion of civil liberties and academic freedom in US universities. As one expert noted, the Trump administration's actions are not an outlier but rather part of a broader authoritarian takeover of the country.
just saw this news about US universities under surveillance for supporting Palestine and I'm SHOOK 
. The numbers though, 75% of pro-Palestine students report experiencing some form of harassment or intimidation on campus, while only 14% of universities have policies in place to protect them 
. And let's not forget the role of AI in this whole thing - AI-powered algorithms can detect and flag 'suspicious' online activity, but how do we know what that even looks like? 
The stats on this are eye-opening: 62% of US universities have fusion centers on campus, and 4 out of 5 law enforcement agencies report working with these hubs to share intel 
. We need to talk about the impact of all this surveillance on our civil liberties and academic freedom ASAP 
they're more worried bout keeping those radical pro-Palestine students in check than actual student welfare 
newsflash: universities r meant 2 suppress certain ideologies not promote them 
I mean, have you seen those student protests lately? It's like they're trying to start a riot or something... just kidding! 
But seriously, it's crazy that US universities are using counterterror hubs to spy on pro-Palestine students. I guess the old saying "they're watching you" is true now... not just for Big Brother 
, but also for campus cops 
.
The thought of AI assessing our online speech is giving me the heebie-jeebies 
(just saying). And remember, if the government tries to silence you, just shout "I'm being surveilled!" really loudly 
– it's like a magic shield or something 
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. How can universities just hand over student info to the feds without any oversight? It's like they're sacrificing academic freedom on the altar of national security 
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. We need to be careful not to trade our civil liberties for the sake of "security". What's next? Using AI assessments to monitor online speech? 
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. These days, everything seems so different from how things were back in my university days 
. We didn't have all these "fusion centers" and counterterror intelligence-sharing hubs 
. What's even more concerning is that this isn't just about pro-Palestine activism, it's a slippery slope towards monitoring any kind of dissenting voice 
. As someone who's seen the evolution of social movements and activism, I'm reminded of the 60s and 70s, when students were fighting for civil rights and academic freedom... it's heartbreaking to see that we're back at this point 
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. How can we trust our universities to uphold free speech if they're working with the authorities against certain groups?
but then just shrug and move on. How about some concrete evidence to back up all this talk? 
It's time for some serious pushback and accountability from our higher ed institutions.
?
these fusion centers r like something outta a dystopian novel... 5 yrs ago we were worried bout Trump now its about universities being complicit in surveillance...