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Reports indicate that during Trump’s presidency a nefarious site called “Deportation Files” may have been used as a resource against students, particularly those advocating for Palestine. The website was purportedly operating in the shadows accumulating intel on people which raises critical issues on privacy and freedom of speech as well as the possible targeting of activist students with the information collected.
This site allegedly sought out and stalked students involved in pro-Palestinian activism. It is argued that such databasesana could be misused to invite targeted discussions or even lead to immigration scrutiny for the bare act of articulating a political stance. The existence of such a website and its assumed functionality poses critical debates around state-sponsored spying and its implications towards non-violent resistance within university spaces that regard academic and civic freedoms as core values of practicing democracy.
The issue of information tracking surveillance hovering over political activism raises the concern of privacy wherein information is captured and tracked for individual’s participating in demonstrations. In essence, it pertains to these types of sites to terrorize people into silence and freeze activism that disfavor the state, thereby instilling an atmosphere where there is intimidation and suspicion for the exercise of views or opinions which is the hallmark of a democratic society.
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