https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/hamedaleaziz/ice-dhs-cell-phone-data-tracking-geolocationDHS Authorities Are Buying Moment-By-Moment Geolocation Cellphone Data To Track People
The Department of Homeland Security also argues that using the information is perfectly legal and that the agency does not need a warrant to purchase it, according to a memo obtained exclusively by BuzzFeed News.
The Department of Homeland Security is purchasing consumer cellphone data that allows authorities to track immigrants trying to cross the southern border, which privacy advocates say could lead to a vast “surveillance partnership” between the government and private corporations.
In an internal memo obtained by BuzzFeed News, the DHS's top attorney, Chad Mizelle, outlined how ICE officials can look up locations and track cellphone data activity to make decisions on enforcement.
Mizelle also believes the agency can use the data without obtaining a warrant or violating the Fourth Amendment, which protects the public against unreasonable searches and seizures. That logic could lay the groundwork for the government to use the same data to track everyday Americans, raising red flags among privacy advocates.
“This raises concerns about dragnet collection of Americans’ highly private location information that reveal where we sleep at night, where we go to the doctor, who we spend time with, and every other aspect of our lives,” said Nathan Freed Wessler, an attorney with the ACLU who specializes in privacy issues. “Police should be going to judges to get location information from these commercial entities.”
