(ConservativeHub.com) – The nation remains on edge five months after the January 6 incident at the nation’s capital. Multiple agencies continue investigating the incident and the intelligence failures that made it possible.
FBI head Christopher Wray testified before the House Oversight and Reform Committee on Tuesday, June 15. He suggested expanding his agency’s ability to monitor US citizens’ activities on social media platforms as a means of detecting potential future threats.
Wray suggests limits on FBI social media tracking a "lesson learned" after Jan. 6 https://t.co/bQ4opQ4Osv pic.twitter.com/svh57WSGzv
— The Hill (@thehill) June 15, 2021
Wray told committee members the FBI has been operating under legal constraints governing how it can use social media as an investigative tool. According to him, when they have an “authorized purpose” to monitor sites like Facebook and Twitter, there is a lot the FBI can accomplish, and they “aggressively” pursue leads. But, the bureau lacks the authority to monitor the sites without a specific purpose.
Continuing, he said the FBI could expand its monitoring efforts if lawmakers were to grant the Bureau the authority and resources to do so. Perhaps, he suggested, that could be “one of the important lessons” learned from the January 6 riot.
This situation raises serious ethical questions regarding the potential ability of the FBI to monitor the activities of law-abiding citizens online during investigative fishing expeditions. How would the Bureau guarantee such power wouldn’t be abused?
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