The goal for these surveillance tactics over social media platforms were reportedly to “disrupt potential violence” (Patterson, 2017). Furthermore, journalists or everyday citizens taking photos of protests who post them on social media are providing further data for police to identify and surveil activists. Journalists have reported that the Department of Homeland Security consistently collected information of those attending protests from their social media platforms 2, such as Facebook events set up to promote the protests, Twitter hashtags, Instagram and Vine feeds. This phenomenon of increasing state surveillance coincides with a period of significant political and civic mobilization and action – including the Idle No More, Occupy Wall Street, and Black Lives Matter movements – and with the development and widespread global adoption of digital technologies, including personal computers, smart phones and social media platforms. The use of surveillance tactics and technologies by police and governments to monitor everyday citizens has become increasingly commonplace 1 since the attacks of September 11, 2001 (Taylor, 2011). As it turns out, these platforms are also heavily used by governments to monitor activists. These platforms are widely relied upon by activists because of the low barrier to access, the potential to reach the millions of users locally and globally, and because they can be used to document protests and initiatives. Many activists now rely on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, to organize and mobilize for their cause. SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGIES AGAINST ACTIVISTS The Tor browser – often mistaken as being the “dark net” itself and seen as being synonymous with illegal or nefarious activities – has become a useful platform for activists who require privacy and anonymity, and one has been attracting increasing attention from activists and citizens alike in recent years. Tor is being seen as a potential tool for ensuring privacy in a world where the online activity of both activists and even everyday citizens are being closely monitored by corporate and state interests. Issue 2: Becoming Migration Researchers.Issue 1: Kids these days and their Social Media.
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