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The USPS' Semi-Secret Internet Surveillance Apparatus
Pop quiz: Which federal agency runs a social media surveillance unit known as the Internet Covert Operations Program (iCOP)? If you guessed the FBI, the

"The iCOP { Internet Covert Operations Program } program protects the Postal Service and the public by facilitating the identification, disruption, and dismantling of individuals and organizations that use the mail or USPS online tools to facilitate black market Internet trade or other illegal activities," the USPIS 2019 annual report explains. "Analysts in iCOP utilize USPS systems and tools to provide open source intelligence and cryptocurrency blockchain analysis in support of all Inspection Service investigations." Cases cover "narcotics, mail theft, revenue fraud, homicide, dangerous mail, and more."
As part of iCOP, USPIS agents "assume fake identities online, use sophisticated intelligence tools and employ facial recognition software," Yahoo!'s Jana Winter reported this year. These tools include Clearview AI's facial recognition database, which contains more than 3 billion images scraped from social media and other public websites, and Zignal Labs' real-time keyword search software.