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Hacking. Disinformation. Surveillance. CYBER is Motherboard's podcast and reporting on the dark underbelly of the internet.
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The USPIS has a mandate to investigate abuse of the mail system, including fraud, drugs smuggling, and theft. It is one of the country's oldest federal law enforcement agencies.Yahoo News first reported the existence of the iCOP program in April, which uses social media monitoring systems and controversial facial recognition tool Clearview AI. iCOP "monitored significant activity regarding planned protests occurring internationally and domestically on March 20, 2021," according to a document obtained by Yahoo News.The unit's goals are to attribute "previously unknown individuals," the presentation obtained by Motherboard reads. In other words, to identify people of interest to the agency.The training consists of sessions spread across 4 days over Zoom, the presentation says. Participants are "encouraged to follow along with each tool as the course is being taught," it adds."You will not be an expert by the end of the training," the presentation reads.Subscribe to our cybersecurity podcast CYBER, here.Do you work on the iCOP program? Or do you have any other documents related to it or other similar programs? We'd love to hear from you. Using a non-work phone or computer, you can contact Joseph Cox securely on Signal on +44 20 8133 5190, Wickr on josephcox, or email joseph.cox@vice.com.