Overview
- The newly disclosed policy lets DHS personnel use aliases to friend users, follow accounts, and join private groups to view otherwise non-public posts and networks.
- A CBP document defines the practice as concealed-identity engagement for accessing publicly available information and removes the prior ban on direct interaction under masked monitoring.
- A senior DHS official said more than 6,500 field agents and intelligence operatives have access to the capability, according to the reporting.
- Leaked materials describe managed-attribution tools, including Silo and other named systems, that obscure government IP addresses and device fingerprints.
- The reporting says the tactic has been used to infiltrate pro-Palestinian groups and to build databases tied to Mexican and Mexican-American communities, while DHS cites longstanding undercover authorities in its defense.