Tracking social media tracking

Social media platforms take up nearly two hours of our time every day, according to research firm GlobalWebIndex. (Marcel De Grijs/Dreamstime/TNS)

Civil rights groups say they want answers from Boston police on how the department will use its US$1.4mil (RM6.23mil) social media tracking system – citing fears that it will broadly target young blacks and try to link them to gang activity. 

"Bottom line is that the way this type of technology is used could have a disproportionate impact on individuals of color," Ivan Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights, told the Boston Herald yesterday. He cited a recent Supreme Judicial Court decision that found individuals of color are "repeatedly targeted" by the Boston Police Department.