Individuals upload a photograph of someone’s face to the service, then PimEyes analyzes it and compares it against a database with almost one billion photographs. Where the Sedition Hunters go further is in using PimEyes, a controversial facial recognition software. The Sedition Hunters’ analysis of social media posts is fairly anodyne. Still, that a group of online vigilantes have so much power––in some cases beyond the abilities of the FBI––should raise eyebrows. The Sedition Hunters stand firmly on the side of protecting democracy by trying to prevent the rioters from escaping the law. If they have quality photos of an individual but can’t determine their identity, they’ll post the person’s photos to Twitter as a social-media-age wanted poster of sorts, imploring anyone who recognizes the person to reach out to the FBI.Īre the Sedition Hunters’ tactics a threat to free societies? If they believe that they’ve positively identified an individual, they’ll contact the FBI directly. ![]() ![]() They then painstakingly study every angle, image, and freeze frame to build profiles on the participants––something the FBI is doing as well, but with limited time, resources, and manpower. ![]() Sedition Hunters piece together the events of January 6th through the thousands of hours of video and hundreds of pictures they were able to scrape from social media. Despite their best efforts to cover their tracks since then, groups like Sedition Hunters are making sure no one looks away. During the riot, many of the participants filmed themselves and one another committing crimes and posted the videos for all the world to see. The Sedition Hunters describe themselves as “a global community of open-source intelligence investigators (OSINT).” The “open-source” portion of their description means that they’re only looking at information that’s readily available for anyone to find on the internet. How have the Sedition Hunters aided the FBI? But as the Sedition Hunters help hold people accountable, their actions also open questions about the boundaries of vigilante justice and privacy. Capitol Police to find those who committed crimes on January 6 at the Capitol.” It’s the most important of a few communities of “virtual vigilantes” seeking to identify the participants, and has already aided in numerous investigations. The group’s stated purpose is “to assist the U.S. The Twitter account which posted the evidence of Reeder’s assault is called Sedition Hunters. Reeder’s new sentencing hearing is scheduled for October 8. The judge postponed the hearing, and federal prosecutors started seeking six months of jail-time. Before, the prosecutors had no evidence that he had done anything violent. Then, just hours before Reeder was to arrive in court, a Twitter account posted a video of him assaulting a police officer. Federal prosecutors recommended he spend two months in jail for his role in the riot. In one video you can hear him telling a Capitol Police Officer "you should retreat," as the officer is assaulted on video.Robert Reeder, a Maryland man, was due for sentencing last week after he pleaded guilty to “parading, demonstrating or picketing in a Capitol building”in the January 6th Capitol Riot. "Is there anywhere where I can get water?" An officer responds: "We don't have any water in here, sir. ![]() Then once he's inside the Capitol, he's heard asking an officer for water. Reeder who was wearing a Make America Great Again hat said several minutes into the video, "We've been getting tear-gassed - thousands of people." Credit: FBI 19 with a compilation of videos taken by him on his cell phone showing himself storming the U.S. 7 shortly after they saw a poster with pictures of some of the rioters.ĭocuments said Reeder contacted federal investigators through his lawyers on Jan. Reeder was identified using facial recognition software in February, according to the Harford County State's Attorney's office who tipped off the FBI about his identity on Jan. Hundreds of people from all over the country have been charged. In the last six months, multiple Maryland residents have been linked to the attack. Robert Reeder pled guilty to count 4 of his indictment and will be sentenced on August 18 at 2 p.m.
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