WASHINGTON – An effort by the FBI to monitor social media for threats may raise some privacy concerns.
Last month, the federal agency filed a request for bids from private contractors to gather data from social media users.
The FBI says it needs “real-time access to a full range of social media exchanges.”
It is looking for contractors who can search platforms like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to give the agency advanced warning of possible violent incidents or cyber-attacks.
The FBI also wants to be able to access any given user’s ID numbers, emails, IP addresses and telephone numbers.
This comes as Congress, the Federal Trade Commission and others step up privacy standards at tech companies.
Social media platforms have given user information to law enforcement agencies before, but the agency usually needs subpoenas or individualized requests.
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