DHS Faces Controversy Over Predictive Policing Using Financial Data

Odaily reports: The Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Border Patrol Predictive Intelligence Targeting Group (PITT) has been accused of collecting U.S. citizens' financial transaction records through the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) and providing "potential criminal suspect" leads to local law enforcement agencies. Multiple cases have shown that citizens were stopped and searched without having committed any criminal offense.

Coin Center researcher Laz Pieper criticized the practice as a violation of the Fourth Amendment and called on Congress to task the Government Accountability Office (GAO) with conducting an independent audit of DHS's data sources, targeting criteria, and error rates, while also demanding that federal agencies obtain judicial authorization before using sensitive financial records. (CoinDesk)