Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen has come under scrutiny following testimonies that her agency has been instructing financial institutions to flag and report data on certain purchases made by Americans without a warrant. The focus of the surveillance includes transactions containing political terms such as 'MAGA', 'Trump', and 'Kamala', particularly in the aftermath of the January 6 riots. The Treasury's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) has reportedly directed banks and credit card companies to monitor transactions at specific stores like Dick’s and Cabela’s, and items with certain political keywords. Notably, purchases of Bibles have also been flagged for surveillance. This has led to public outrage and concerns over privacy and the implications for civil liberties.
Treasury Department’s Financial Crime Network has instructed banks and credit card companies to spy on Americans shopping at Dick’s and Cabela’s. It said look out for merchandise with words like MAGA & Trump. Top of the list ? Americans who bought Bible. https://t.co/pju35mfZYb
Treasury confirms using 'MAGA' and other political terms to surveil private transactions “…asked financial institutions to review transactions with such keywords. https://t.co/Zwpjqg78iX Switch to Old Glory Bank for Privacy, Security and Liberty!!! https://t.co/AllkVFs0f1
Outrage as Biden administration admits surveilling Americans' private financial transactions for words like 'MAGA' 'Trump' and 'Kamala' in wake of Jan. 6 riots...with people buying BIBLES on top of their watchlist https://t.co/VtnylOV3GH https://t.co/ndl3CGrsig
🧵 At today’s FSOC hearing Senator Brown expressed interest in helping Secretary Yellen crack down on illicit finance and working with her to combat all the ways that bad actors fund their activities. 1/7 https://t.co/61h3f3dAxw
Part 1 Treasure Secretary Janet Yellen Testifies Why Financial Institutions Flagged Purchases of Bibles “…her agency demanded private banking institutions flag and turn over data on purchases made by Americans without a warrant.” https://t.co/9y3mvnuaSK