Mass Surveillance Is Powering a New Era of Pretextual Traffic Stops
13 hours ago
- #Fourth Amendment
- #Mass Surveillance
- #Pretextual Stops
- Alek Schott was pulled over based on false claims of lane drifting, leading to an unjustified search.
- Law enforcement uses minor traffic violations as pretexts for stops, increasingly relying on predictive intelligence.
- Federal agents tracked Schott's movements via WhatsApp groups and surveillance technologies before his stop.
- CBP employs a vast surveillance network including drones, cameras, and license plate readers to monitor vehicles.
- Local law enforcement conducts 'whisper stops' based on abnormal routes, often hiding the true reason for stops.
- Civil forfeiture allows officers to seize assets under mere suspicion, frequently without finding any evidence.
- Schott's case revealed a broader system of mass surveillance threatening freedom of movement.
- Many victims of such stops lack resources to challenge the violations, leaving them without accountability.