Report: Department of Homeland Security funds surveillance technology in US cities

The report uses public records to build a detailed picture of DHS financing under the Urban Area Security Initiative, offering a glimpse into the enormous and complex web of federal grants used to buy technology across the country. — Photo by the blowup on Unsplash

Technology companies including Microsoft Corp, Motorola Solutions Inc and Palantir Technologies Inc have sold tens of millions of dollars in surveillance equipment to local authorities using Department of Homeland Security (DHS) grants, according to a new report by a coalition of advocacy groups.

Much of the funding goes to products that hoover up data on citizens, such as social media monitoring software, as well as gunshot detection technology that utilises microphones installed in urban areas.