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In Seattle, Facebook, Amazon, real estate management, and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) all share one thing in common: membership to Seattle Shield, an exclusive intelligence-sharing network operated by the Seattle police.
The system highlights how secretive public-private networks of information-sharing have permeated law enforcement intelligence collection in Seattle and across the country under the banner of supposedly preventing terrorism. However, questions concerning the usefulness of the program, accountability measures, and how information is shared remain unanswered.
The Seattle Police Department (SPD) did not respond to Prism’s detailed requests for comment. Facebook, Amazon, and each of their analysts identified in public records as members of the Shield network did not respond to requests for comment.
The Seattle Shield website states that its mission “is to provide a collaborative and information-sharing environment between the Seattle Police Department and public/private partners in the Seattle area. Seattle Shield members assist Seattle Police Department efforts to identify, deter, defeat or mitigate potential acts of terrorism by reporting suspicious activity in a timely manner.”
One SPD email obtained by Prism states that the Seattle Shield is an “unfunded program,” which is managed by Officer Erin Nicholson.
The Seattle Shield network, which includes members from multiple law enforcement groups as well as private institutions and corporations, has been established and operating since 2009. However, it appears to be mostly off the radar of some of the most prominent civil rights groups in the state, such as the American Civil Liberties Union of Washington, which told Prism in an email that it hasn’t been following or looking into the network.
Through public records requests, Prism obtained the Seattle Shield bulletins, as well as a full list of Seattle Shield members who had access to the program as of 2020. A Prism review of dozens Seattle Shield reports sent out between 2020 and 2025 to a list of hundreds of military intelligence operatives, nonprofits, private corporate entities, private security companies, and law enforcement agencies show that in 2025, the reports were almost exclusively about protests and potential traffic delays caused by protests throughout Seattle.
For instance, one email “blast” from Oct. 6, 2025, warns about upcoming local events related to “the 2nd anniversary of the Hamas and Palestinian militants coordinated assault against Israel.” The notice lists a few examples of attacks on Jewish targets in other U.S. cities last year; it does not mention widespread anti-Muslim and anti-Palestinian attacks throughout the country.
“Homegrown violent extremists (HVES), racially or ethnically motivated violent extremists (REMVES), and grievance-driven malicious actors may use this anniversary to conduct their own attacks at any relevant target locations, depending on their aspirations,” the blast says. “There have been several local protests last week, including one that resulted in graffiti and property damage at a local tech company CEO’s residence.”
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