If you’re one of those people who ignores concerns about government violation of privacy, it’s time to open your eyes.

“Monitor large public events, social unrest, gang communications and criminally predicated individuals,” suggests the online pamphlet for the BlueJay browser tool, which reads like a mission statement for George Orwell’s Ministry of Truth. “Identify potential witnesses and indicators for evidence.”

The CSI of social media evidence gathering is mostly manual, but automating it could bring new benefits: A sudden flurry of tweets coming from a specific area can indicate anything from a riot to a natural disaster. As with most technologies, though, this is a double-edged sword.

“Used well, such tools should make police departments more aware of both local problems and complaints about their own work,” Nate Anderson, author of The Internet Police: How Crime Went Online, and the Cops Followed, wrote on Ars Technica. “Used less than well, it can be a bit creepy, sort of on par with having a kid’s uncle listen outside her bedroom during a slumber party. And used badly, it can make a nice tool for keeping an eye on critics/dissenters.”

And how will you feel when you become the target of someone/some organization that doesn’t like your criticism?