Amazon, Facebook, FBI have access to a private intelligence-sharing network

Summary

Real journalists wrote and edited this (not AI)—independent, community-driven journalism survives because you back it. Donate to sustain Prism’s mission and the humans behind it. In Seattle, Facebook, Amazon, real estate management, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) all share one thing in common: membership to Seattle Shield, an exclusive intelligence-sharing network operated by the Seattle police. The system highlights how secretive public-private networks of information-sharing have permeated law enforcement intelligence collection in Seattle and across the country under the banner of supposedly preventing terrorism. However, questions concerning the usefulness of the program, accountability measures, and how information is shared remain unanswered. The Seattle Police Department (SPD) did not respond to Prism’s detailed requests for comment. Facebook, Amazon, and each of their analysts identified in public records as members of the Shield network did not respond to requests for comment. The Seattle Shield website states that its mission “is to provide a collaborative and information-sharing environment between the Seattle Police Department and public/private partners in the Seattle area. Seattle Shield members assist Seattle Police Department efforts to identify, deter, defeat or mitigate potential acts of terrorism by reporting suspicious activity in a timely manner.” One SPD email obtained by Prism states that the Seattle Shield is an “unfunded program,” which is managed by Officer Erin Nicholson. The Seattle Shield network, which includes members from multiple law enforcement groups as well as private institutions and corporations, has been established and operating since 2009. However, it appears to be mostly off the radar of some of the most prominent civil rights groups in the state, such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, which told Prism in an email that it hasn’t been following or looking into the network. Through public reco...