Report: Mall of America used fake Facebook page to monitor activists

Security staff at the Mall of America are being accused of posing as a Black Lives Matter supporter online to gather information about the group.

A fake Facebook account under the name “Nikki Larson” was reportedly used to compile dossiers on individual Black Lives Matter activists in the area and monitor their activities.

{mosads}The allegations are part of a report published Wednesday by The Intercept, an online media outlet that covers surveillance news.

Documents obtained by the site indicate mall personnel befriended Black Lives Matter protesters on Facebook, some of whom were later charged with criminal misdemeanors.

The purportedly fake account was not available Wednesday, though screenshots from its time online suggest it was used to research protesters.

Activists with Black Lives Matter staged a protest at the Mall of America on Dec. 20 that drew between 1,500 and 2,000 people, according to local news reports.

The group was formed in 2013 to protest the killing of unarmed black men by police and gained steam after several officers were cleared by grand juries.

The Mall of America, located in Bloomington, Minn., is one of the largest shopping malls in the country. It is known for employing a private counterterrorism unit and closely surveilling shoppers.