ICE's Spying Cars: Now With Public Exposure
Mainstream media reports, like The Intercept's, laud the creation of a public database tracking ICE's unmarked vehicles. While framed as a win for transparency, it barely scratches the surface of the surveillance state. This 'innovation' arrives decades after COINTELPRO systematically targeted civil rights groups and anti-war activists with covert methods including unmarked cars and informants – a
history the American public conveniently forgets when discussing government overreach today. One might wonder if this database is merely a concession to public outcry, a shiny object to distract from the deeper erosion of privacy. We can compile license plates, but how many cameras are they installing on light poles? How many data brokers are selling our movements? How many 'unmarked cars' are now
just digital footprints? This database is a game of whack-a-mole when the moles are already underground, building tunnels beneath our feet. Transparency is commendable, but let's not mistake an exposed fender for dismantled machinery.