A DHS intelligence report showed the department had collected and analyzed messages between Portland protesters, a new report says

July 31, 2020

portland protests PORTLAND, OREGON, USA - JULY 21 : Protesters use shields and umbrellas against the Federal forces in Portland, Oregon on July 21, 2020. Over a thousand people, including a large march of mothers, demonstrated for racial justice and against Donald Trumpâs insertion of Federal officers in Portland, Oregon. (Photo by John Rudoff/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) John Rudoff/Getty Images

The Department of Homeland Security collected and analyzed communications between Portland protesters and shared the information with other law enforcement agencies, The Washington Post reported.
However, Brian Murphy, acting DHS undersecretary for the Office of Intelligence and Analysis (I & A), told the Senate Intelligence Committee in a briefing last week that office personnel did not interact with protesters, according to a letter from the committee.
The DHS report included protesters' communications via the Telegram messaging app, discussing where to take the protests and how to avoid officers.
It is not immediately clear how the DHS obtained access to the protesters' messages, nor what the motives were behind tracking and analyzing communications between civilians exercising rights protected by the First Amendment.
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The Department of Homeland Security reportedly collected and analyzed messages between protesters in Portland, contradicting what a department official told a Senate committee last week.

An internal DHS document, obtained by The Washington Post, showed the department had access to electronic communications between protesters and included their messages in an intelligence report, which was shared with other law enforcement agencies like the FBI.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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