Leaked bulletin alleges DHS monitored Reddit users calling for lawful protests
A leaked Border Patrol intelligence bulletin suggests agents monitored a Reddit user promoting a lawful protest, raising fresh questions about social-media surveillance and civil liberties.
**Source:** Ken Klippenstein (Substack)
A leaked January intelligence bulletin suggests U.S. Border Patrol / DHS personnel monitored a Reddit user who called for a protest near a Border Patrol facility in Edinburg, Texas — even while the document reportedly acknowledges there was *no specific reporting of planned violence*.
## What happened
- The bulletin profiles a Reddit user ("Budget-Chicken-2425") and a short post in **r/RioGrandeValley** calling on community members to protest.
- Despite describing similar protests as generally lawful, the bulletin says demonstrations near the facility may present operational/safety/reputational risks that “warrant continued monitoring.”
- The document uses “force protection” framing and includes broader “pattern/trend” analysis, reportedly reviewing the user’s wider Reddit activity.
## Why it matters (Cyber Security / Privacy)
For security and platform teams, this is a reminder that:
- public social platforms are routinely treated as intelligence sources,
- metadata and public posting histories can be assembled into detailed profiles,
- and surveillance practices can create a chilling effect on lawful organizing.
**Link:** https://www.kenklippenstein.com/p/homeland-security-spies-on-reddit
Source: Ken Klippenstein