“The Los Angeles police department (LAPD) has directed its officers to collect the social media information of every civilian they interview, including individuals who are not arrested or accused of a crime,” the Guardian reported on Wednesday, September 8, 2021 (read story here).
Eh what? And exactly what information?
“Copies of the ‘field interview cards’ that police complete when they question civilians reveal that LAPD officers are instructed to record a civilian’s Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and other social media accounts, alongside basic biographical information.”
Um, for what purpose(s)?
“An internal memo further shows that the police chief, Michel Moore, told employees that it was critical to collect the data for use in ‘investigations, arrests, and prosecutions’, and warned that supervisors would review cards to ensure they were complete.”
And to do what with it? A civil liberties watchdog group warns “the information [is] probably stored in a database that could be used for a wide range of purposes,” the Guardian said. Such as racial profiling, surveilling Black Lives Matters, and falsely labeling individuals as “gang members.”
Whether you’re required to show ID to police may depend on whether your state has a “stop and identify” law on its books (see map below). Even then, cops need a “reasonable suspicion” to make what’s called a “Terry stop” (explained here).
In no case are you required to give police any other information or answer their questions. If they ask for your social media accounts, demand a search warrant. If they threaten to arrest you for “impeding [their] investigation,” tell them you want to speak to your lawyer.
