I'm pretty sure this is standard when police think that more than one person committed the crime. I don't think "contact tracing" in this case is any different than just "investigate the crime and follow the leads".
The 50 states and many large metros have fusion centers that were already gathering, collating, and redirecting national security info. If the NSA was given authority to target the protests (probably, because the president and DoJ are claiming other nations are agitators), this might be happening.
Given the current admins' penchant for blaming others for what happens here, pointing at other nations seems like par for the course by now. It's easier than looking in the mirror, and a convenient distraction.
I'm pretty sure this is standard when police think that more than one person committed the crime. I don't think "contact tracing" in this case is any different than just "investigate the crime and follow the leads".
The 50 states and many large metros have fusion centers that were already gathering, collating, and redirecting national security info. If the NSA was given authority to target the protests (probably, because the president and DoJ are claiming other nations are agitators), this might be happening.