"Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has been purchasing location data from online ad agencies, which can be used to track people's movements. An internal document from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed that CBP has been using a roundabout method to tap into location data gathered by phone apps, including video games. When combined with location data tools, DHS can use the information to track a device's movements, potentially revealing where they live or work."
"CBP gained at least part of this data through a process called real-time bidding (RTB). RTB is a process used by marketing agencies to determine which users will receive their ads. When a mobile app is about to display an advertisement to a user, this kicks off an automated bidding process between companies to determine which gets the ad space. The robots participating in this auction utilize data associated with a particular user's phone to determine whether it's worth surfacing the ad to them."
"An investigation by The Wall Street Journal published last month found that ICE and CBP had bought location data from a vendor called Venntel, which they used to identify and arrest immigrants. The FTC later ruled that the data had been collected illegally and without proper consent."
Customs and Border Protection has been acquiring location data from online advertising agencies through real-time bidding, a process used by marketing firms to target ads. This data, collected from mobile apps including video games, enables tracking of device movements to reveal residential and work locations. CBP obtains this information indirectly through surveillance firms that harvest location data passed to marketing agencies during ad auctions. The FTC previously ruled that similar location data purchases by ICE and CBP from vendor Venntel were collected illegally without proper consent. This surveillance method operates without judicial oversight or transparency, raising significant privacy concerns regarding government tracking capabilities.
#government-surveillance #location-data-privacy #real-time-bidding #immigration-enforcement #data-collection-ethics
Read at AV Club
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]