DC’s use of web surveillance raises transparency concerns

As reported by the *Washington City Paper,* the District of Columbia has spent over $348,000 since 2020 on Tangles, a web-surveillance platform developed by Cobwebs Technologies, an Israeli-founded cyberintelligence firm. Licensed by the city’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency (HSEMA), Tangles is marketed as a tool for monitoring social media threats, but its exact usage in D.C. remains unclear.

Leaked training materials reveal that Cobwebs’ software can track individuals via social media handles, affiliations, and hashtags. Notably, Black Lives Matter DC and #DefundDCPolice are cited as examples in training documents, sparking criticism from activists who argue the platform perpetuates state surveillance of Black liberation movements. April Goggans, a BLMDC organizer, described the technology as emblematic of systemic repression.

Cobwebs, acquired by a U.S. private equity firm last year, has faced scrutiny for privacy violations. A 2021 Meta report identified Cobwebs as a threat to user security, revealing the firm’s use of fake accounts to infiltrate groups and collect data. The platform’s ability to track movements without court orders raises ethical and legal concerns, as highlighted in investigative reporting by The Intercept and the Brennan Center for Justice.

Despite this, HSEMA has renewed its license annually.