As ICE activity and related repression against immigrants continue around the country, a common question is how safe it is to post on social media about ICE sightings or nearby raids. Many activists have reported that their posts have been taken down or flagged for sharing information about ICE over the last several months.
If you're worried about the federal government collecting your information, I wouldn't post anything at all. The feds can view social media, and agencies like the FBI are investigating Signal chats in Minnesota, so don't post if you're not comfortable.
I spoke directly with platforms like Ring Neighbors and Nextdoor, where ICE is frequently discussed, to learn what you can do. It turns out you can provide in-depth detail as long as you do it following certain guidelines. Here's how.
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Are posts getting banned on apps like Ring Neighbors?
Posts that name streets and other nearby locations are less likely to be removed. Tyler Lacoma/CNET
When I reached out to Ring about its Neighbors app policies regarding recent events and police raids (as well as Reddit reports about posts being taken down), the company provided useful information about its specific policies.
I found out why Ring tends to remove certain posts or prevent them from going live on Neighbors. For one thing, posts about a general law enforcement presence can get nixed. So if someone said ICE was spotted in "Bell Gardens," their post would be denied because that's just too vague. Or if a post asked, "Hey, is there any ICE activity in town?" it wouldn't be allowed. Other posts get banned if they:
Explicitly obstruct law enforcement
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