EXCLUSIVE: Think Tank Sues DHS for Docs on Government Tracking Private Citizens’ Social Media Posts

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security emblem is pictured at the National Cybersecurity & Communications Integration Center (NCCIC) located just outside Washington in Arlington, Va., on Sept. 24, 2010. Hyungwon Kang/Reuters

Attorneys for the Heritage Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit against the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on July 7, asking a federal judge to order the agency to turn over documents on the government’s use of Babel X software to track the smartphones and social media posts of millions of Americans.

The Heritage litigation stems from the conservative nonprofit foundation’s April 18 FOIA request to DHS for all agency documents in which appear the terms “Babel X,” “Babel,” “Babel Street” or “PanAmerica.”