Thursday Threads

After previous DTLJ Thursday Threads issues on digital privacy, surveillance camera systems, and federal government systems, I'm focusing this week on what is happening at the local level—mainly in policing. This closes this loop on surveillance by coming back around to local activity — although it takes an unexpected jump back to the national level with a story published last month. Law enforcement surveillance has dramatically evolved, influenced by cutting-edge technology and controversial practices. This thread of stories highlights the complexities and ethical challenges arising from deploying these advancements. From the sophisticated smartphone tracking tools like Fog Reveal to the spidering data collection activities of Flock's AI-powered license plate readers, these stories underscore the growing tensions between public safety objectives and personal privacy rights. So that is the focus of this week's Thursday Threads issue:

• In 2022, we learned of a local police surveillance called Fog Reveal that pinpointed mobile phones and de-anonymized users.
• Two years later, they were still at it—this time asking police to augment Fog Reveal's data to include information about doctor visits. (2024)
• NYPD has multi-million dollar contracts with controversial surveillance firms that scrape social media and post fake users to get surveillance engagement. (2023)
• Advances in surveillance technology mean we've seen the unchecked growth of Real-Time Crime Centers across America. (2023)
• Police and other public officials have special protections from data brokers, and West Virginia officers sue Whitepages over unlawful info disclosure. (2024)
• Here's the recent national twist on local law enforcement surveillance: ICE's covert use of Flock's AI camera network for immigration enforcement. (2025)
• This Week I Learned: Ammonium chloride may be the 6th basic taste

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