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“A person who’s warned has time to protect themselves.” This isn’t to scare anyone, but take it as a warning sign. What you do with this information is entirely up to you. The reason I’m bringing it up is because a lot of you have been acting recklessly on social media without realizing the consequences of your actions. This isn’t Haiti, where people do as they please. The United States runs on rules and laws not always fair ones, but they exist and they’re enforced. There’s an old saying that goes, “When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” meaning when you live in another country, you have to respect and adapt to its rules and customs, even if you don’t agree with them. This isn’t about fear; it’s about being smart.
According to multiple verified reports, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) a branch of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has been working with private contractors and technology firms to identify and locate undocumented individuals. These third-party agencies are not government employees, but private companies hired to perform tasks like social media surveillance, data collection, and digital profiling.
Yes, you read that right. ICE is paying companies to monitor Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and other social media platforms to find leads and gather information. These analysts are trained to study what people post, the photos they share, the locations they check into, and the behavior patterns they display online. Every post, comment, or tag could potentially become part of an investigative file.
But it doesn’t stop there. ICE has also contracted with large data and analytics companies such as Giant Oak, Palantir Technologies, and Thomson Reuters. With the help of advanced tools like Giant Oak’s “GOST” system, they can cross-reference license plates, address histories, financial transactions, and other personal data to build detailed profiles on individuals of interest. Critics argue that this level of digital surveillance crosses the line between national security and mass data collection.
Government documents, including official privacy impact assessments from DHS, confirm that ICE uses what’s called open-source intelligence meaning any information you make public online can be collected, analyzed, and used. While the agency insists it only targets publicly available content, privacy experts say the scale of data being collected risks violating civil liberties and constitutional protections.
Organizations like the Brennan Center for Justice have raised serious concerns about how these private contractors operate without proper oversight. Because they’re not directly accountable to the public like government agencies are, it’s often unclear how data is gathered, analyzed, or shared. Mistakes can easily happen — and when they do, innocent people can end up flagged or investigated simply because of what they posted or who they were seen with online.
ICE defends these partnerships as necessary for national security and operational efficiency, but civil rights advocates warn they’re a threat to privacy and free speech. While accessing private accounts still requires a legal warrant, the sheer amount of information people post publicly makes surveillance easier than ever before.
I’m not sharing this to create panic, but to wake you up. If you live in a country where technology is the government’s main surveillance tool, you can’t afford to act like nobody’s watching. Protect yourself. Think before you post. Understand that your social media can be used as evidence against you tomorrow.
Not everything belongs online. Some things are meant to stay private and others, not said at all. In this digital age, discretion isn’t weakness; it’s intelligence.
Etazini ap Itilize Ajans Twazyèm Pati pou Ede Imigrasyon Jwenn Moun San Papye sou Rezo Sosyal
“Malè avèti pa touye kokobe.” Avètisman sa a se pa pou fè pè pèsonn, men pou l sèvi kòm yon siy. Fè sa ou vle ak enfòmasyon sa, men mwen oblije di l paske gen twòp nan nou k ap aji san reflechi sou rezo sosyal, ap poste, ap pale, ap fè videyo, san konprann konsekans bagay sa yo ka pote. Sa a pa Ayiti kote ou fè sa ou vle, paske Etazini se yon peyi ki mache sou lwa. Lwa sa yo pa toujou jis, men yo egziste e yo aplike san pitye. Gen yon ansyen pwovèb ki di, “Lè w nan Wòm, ou fè jan Wòm fè,” sa vle di lè w nan yon lòt peyi, ou dwe adapte w ak règ li yo, menm si ou pa dakò avè yo. Se pa yon kesyon pè, se kesyon entèlijans.
Daprè enfòmasyon ki soti nan plizyè sous serye, ajans U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), ki se yon branch nan Depatman Sekirite Teritwa (DHS), ap sèvi ak konpayi prive ak teknoloji entèlijans pou jwenn moun ki pa gen papye legal Ozetazini. Yo pa sèlman ap travay ak ajan gouvènman an, men yo anboche twazyèm pati, sa vle di konpayi prive pou yo fè rechèch sou rezo sosyal, kolekte done piblik, epi kreye rapò sou moun yo sispèk.
Wi, ou tande byen. ICE ap peye moun pou yo fouye sou Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, ak lòt rezo sosyal pou wè ki moun k ap poste, k ap deplase, k ap pale, k ap fè videyo. Analis prive sa yo gen kapasite pou yo swiv konpòtman ou sou entènèt, foto ou mete, kote ou tcheke in, menm jan ou kominike ak lòt moun. Tout sa kapab sèvi kòm enfòmasyon pou fè w antre nan sistèm siveyans yo.
Men sa pa sispann la. ICE gen kontra ak gwo konpayi done tankou Giant Oak, Palantir Technologies, ak Thomson Reuters. Avèk zouti sa yo, yo ka konpare plaka machin, adrès, dosye finansye, ak lòt done pèsonèl pou bati pwofil sou nenpòt moun yo enterese ladan. Anpil ekspè di sa depase limit, paske li melanje sa ki rele “sekirite” ak “espiyonaj sou sitwayen”.
DHS menm pibliye rapò ofisyèl ki montre yo itilize sa yo rele entèlijans sous piblik, sa vle di tout sa w mete sou entènèt ki vizib pou tout moun kapab tounen enfòmasyon kont ou. Pandan yo di se sèlman enfòmasyon piblik y ap itilize, anpil defansè dwa moun kwè kantite done yo ranmase twò gwo e li kapab vyole dwa konstitisyonèl pèp la.
Òganizasyon dwa sivil tankou Brennan Center for Justice deja leve vwa yo. Yo di sistèm sa yo twò opak, pa gen ase transparans, e li fasil pou fè erè oswa akize moun sou baz sa yo wè sou rezo sosyal. Yo fè konnen se pa tout moun yo “siveye” ki koupab, e anpil fwa, se yon pòs oswa yon kòmantè ki kapab mal entèprete.
ICE di yo fè sa pou sekirite nasyonal, men lòt moun wè li kòm yon danje pou libète pèp la. Paske menm si pou rantre nan kont prive yo bezwen manda legal, reyalite a se ke anpil nan nou mete twòp bagay piblik. Lè sa rive, ou pa bezwen manda pou swiv ou. Ou deja ba yo kle a.
Mwen pataje sa ak nou pa pou kreye laperèz, men pou fè nou pi vijilan. Lè ou ap viv nan yon peyi kote teknoloji se zouti prensipal siveyans, ou pa ka kontinye fè bagay tankou si pèsonn pa ap gade. Pwoteje tèt ou, reflechi anvan ou poste, e konprann ke rezo sosyal ou yo ka sèvi kòm prèv kont ou demen.
Se pa tout bagay ki dwe ale sou entènèt. Gen bagay ou di an prive, epi gen bagay ou pa di ditou. Nan epòk dijital sa a, diskresyon se pi gwo fòm entèlijans.
