More than a dozen civil rights groups and religious organizations called on the mayor and the police commissioner Tuesday to abandon plans to spend up to $1.4 million on new software that will scan social media and the Internet for criminal activity and threats to public safety.

In a letter issued to Mayor Martin J. Walsh and Boston Police Commissioner William B. Evans, the groups again raised concerns about the technology, which would be able to search blogs, websites, chat rooms, and social media platforms including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

Read the complete story at BostonGlobe.com.

Don’t have a Globe subscription? Boston.com readers get a 2-week free trial.