Judicial Watch announced today that it filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Defense for all records about whether it was monitoring or planning to monitor the social media accounts of military members (Judicial Watch v U.S. Department of Defense (No. 1:21-cv-02146)).

This lawsuit was filed after the Defense Department failed to respond to a May 18, 2021, FOIA request for:

View Comments (0)

Any and all records regarding, concerning, or related to any actual or proposed program to monitor the social media accounts of service members or other Department of Defense employees for extremist content or activity. This request includes, but is not limited to, the following:  

Any and all related records of communication between any official, employee, or representative of the Department of Defense and any other individual or entity. 

Any and all records related to any actual or proposed grants or contracts related to the program. 

Any and all related records mentioning or referring to the private contractor Babel Street. 

Any and all related legal analyses, decisions, or determinations drafted or issued by the Office of General Counsel…

“No one is being fooled – the Biden Pentagon is abusing its authority to spy on the social media posts of troops who espouse conservative views,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton. “That the Pentagon is hiding documents about this Big Brother program in violation of law is doubly concerning.”

Do you find the government’s overreach into social media surveillance troubling? Share your comments and prayers below.

(Excerpted from Judicial Watch. Photo Credit: Getty Images).