US law enforcement agencies are reportedly accessing the location of 250 million smartphones to access “hundreds of billions of records”, using a tool provided by a private company that buys user information collected by data brokers from popular apps. The company’s device tracking tool relies on an ad ID on a user’s phone that allows authorities to track their movements by focusing and analyzing patterns over time, without requiring a warrant, according to a report.
For detailed information Report The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF), a tool called Fog Reveal, sold about 40 contracts to more than 20 US law enforcement agencies. The tool was created by Virginia-based Fog Data Science and is widely used by law enforcement agencies in the US.
Unlike legal location tracking of users, which requires a lengthy process to obtain a warrant, the use of Fog Reveal allows law enforcement agencies to track smartphones using data obtained from popular apps like Starbucks or Waze, according to the report. Users’ location data allows agencies to track people’s movements over time, as well as create “patterns of life,” which are based on location information.
The report said that use of the tool was highly secretive — in some cases, it was not even mentioned in US court records, prompting lawyers to use the technology to defend their clients.
Fog Reveal relies on data obtained from popular apps, such as Waze and Starbucks — which assign users an advertising identifier. Users’ location details, which are linked to their IDs, are used to target them with advertising, while it reaches companies such as Fog Data Science, which were unaware the data was there, according to the report. Being used for location tracking tool.
While Ad ID does not contain a user’s name, phone number or personally identifying details, the report says location details can be used over time to de-identify a user and analyze their movements.
As the report notes, US courts are still weighing the use of location information, and a recent ruling by the US Supreme Court would require a warrant in most cases for law enforcement agencies to view users’ movement and location records.
