New Report Shows ICE Surveillance Tools Can Track Millions of Phones Without Warrants
A new investigation suggests federal immigration agents may now have unprecedented access to Americans’ mobile phone location information and privacy advocates are sounding alarms. According to a 404 Media report, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement purchased surveillance software that can track devices across entire neighborhoods without a warrant, using commercially sourced location data.
The controversy has escalated after RawStory published a piece claiming a “horrifying leak reveals ICE ‘stalkers’ have access to Americans’ cell phone data,” a headline widely shared online. That characterization, however, appears to conflate concerns about ICE’s capabilities with the idea that outside “stalkers” are directly accessing the data.
Confirmed details from the 404 Media investigation show Webloc and Tangles systems let agents input geographic areas and retrieve information on mobile phones that have passed through those zones. Analysts can then follow patterns of movement to infer where a phone’s owner lives, works, or travels.
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The materials obtained do not demonstrate that private individuals or non-government actors have the same access, nor do they show active misuse of the tools on U.S. citizens. They describe purchased government systems and internal legal analysis. The extent of deployment and any policy safeguards remain unclear.
“This is a very dangerous tool in the hands of an out-of-control agency,” said Nathan Freed Wessler of the ACLU’s Speech, Privacy and Technology Project.
Privacy experts say warrantless access to detailed location info could chill free movement and undermine constitutional protections. Further reporting is expected as civil liberties groups and lawmakers weigh in.
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